*Ding-dong*
Alex paused his actions before the mirror, but hearing the sound of high heels hitting the ground as their owner walked toward the entrance door, he resumed wearing his clothes.
The door was opened, and a voice he recognized started before it got stuck:
"Al–"
The surprise on the face of the man owner of the voice could be imagined even without seeing it. Alex spoke out loud before the situation could devolve into a drama:
"Sharon, let him in."
Indeed, the instruction cut short any unnecessary interaction that could have happened. There were some movements, followed by footsteps coming toward the bedroom where Alex was, male footsteps, as the entrance door was closed.
Alex pulled onto the long sleeves of his shirt to adjust them at his wrists, and then took the suit he had chosen which he wore over it. As he smoothed his clothes and styled his hair, the visitor arrived at his room and barged inside, before walking straight to the open walk-in wardrobe.
"Alex!"
Alex turned his head and swept his eyes over the suit Lance was wearing over a black t-shirt, with sneakers at his feet, then pulled his gaze back onto the display case filled with watches.
"You are here early."
Lance paused what he was about to say, and let out a short, embarrassed laugh:
"Hehe, I told you I will follow your lead. Since you had big sister Leyna call me, coming is a given, and coming early is a must."
Alex snapped the watch he had chosen around his left wrist and commented lightly:
"Then try not to look goofy today."
"Hehe… Wait, Alex, who was that girl just now?"
Lance just remembered the shock he had at the door when someone else opened it, a woman at that, an unfamiliar woman, so he added, with his eyes growing wide:
"Even if she is your new catch, you never bring women here!"
"There is a first time for everything."
Alex dismissively retorted as he chose a handkerchief for the breast pocket of his suit. What Lance missed was the twitch at the corner of his eye.
Sharon was a true annoyance, and the previous day when he stayed at home proved that. He regretted bringing up a rent that normalized her stay in his personal space. He even regretted giving her the opportunity to become his secretary, and the worst was that she had managed to seize it with the determination he had fueled in her the day before that. And now he would have to see her most of the day.
He exhaled, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by Lance who seemed to have of something:
"Alex, isn't that the girl who beat Ron one month ago!? The same one you have been looking at!!"
Lance looked shocked. It was not because of Alex landing himself a girl, there had been too many of that situation to even count over the years. Instead, it was because he recalled the faint light of interest Alex had observed the blonde with that night, along with a calm small smile which had imprinted the situation in his mind.
Alex barely glanced at Lance, and started walking out of the dressing room. But his silence made Lance's heart skip a beat, and he took a closer look at his friend, trying to penetrate his armor to see beyond his facade.
"You are not truly interested in her, are you? Or have you fallen for her?"
The reaction he got was immediate.
*Pa*
"What are you saying?"
Alex glared at him after slapping him at the back of his head, before he turned and walked away. But probably to keep his guest from being too idle and thinking about more nonsense, he dryly ordered:
"Go pick up a car. You will be my driver."
Lance laughed instead of being angry as he looked at Alex's back. He passed his hand over his hair to erase the chaos that had been created, and ran to another display case, this one filled with car keys.
"The Bentley or the Mercedes?"
"Not the Mercedes."
"Okay."
Lance picked up the key and ran to catch up with Alex before he could leave the bedroom. Then he resumed the conversation which should have been brought to a close already:
"You know, it would not be bad if you really fell for her! She is not bad, beautiful, tall, shapely, and apparently with a good head on her shoulder. You will just have to wait for a bit so that we can run a check on her, then you will be able to introduce her to the chairman. It has been ten years already, I think you can fall in love again–"
"Lance, enough."
"I'm sincerely happy for you. I'm sure the chairman will also be happy. And big sister Leyna too. Even Mark. And your two brothers. Only the girls–"
In the midst of his joy, a calm voice called him, and he heard it this time:
"Lance."
Lance stopped getting lost in the future he was picturing and returned his focus to the back that had stopped in front of him:
"Mm?"
"Shut up."
Lance's brain failed to process what he heard, and he made a stupid face filled with confusion:
"Hm!?"
"I said, shut up."
This time, Lance managed to pick up the depth of the calm voice coming from Alex, a depth that was not anger, but which still made his smile fade, as he seemed to have committed a blunder. Gone was the casual Alex who liked to joke and flirt, and in its place was a different one that rarely appeared, the one behind the mask, the one with the heavy presence despite his young age, the true designated heir to the big economic empire that spanned the world.
Slowly, Lance's heart plummeted. He leaned to the side to look in front, and saw the blonde who had opened the door for him standing not far away. Finally, his brain caught up on the fact that the situation might not be what it had seemed at first, and he might have jumped to conclusions. And in his haste to express his joy, he had brought up a point he should not have.
His throat moved with difficulty, and he forced a wry smile. He looked around, then decided not to hide, but to run instead:
"You guys take your time. I will go down to bring the car forward. See you in a bit."
And with that, he bolted from the apartment, without looking back, through the same door whose opening had started everything.
** ** **
Alternative title: An hyperactive brain is bad for health