A Love Restored

Chapter 23

I remembered when Lexi used to live in a small studio apartment- with a roommate. We had connected over our shared poverty, actually. Waitressing, getting hit on by sleazy men all night at that shady bar we used to work nights at. And working multiple jobs her day job was as a nanny, and sometimes as a dog walker. I used to work another waitressing job.

Then Lexi had met Gray. It had been a whirlwind romance for them. He had come to our bar with a friend. He had hit on her, taken her home, then on a date, and within three months he had proposed and now her whole life had turned around. The wedding was in a few months. I was a bridesmaid.

I was a little jealous. Only a little.

As we walked inside Lexi’s new house, technically Gray’s house, I noticed the pristine corners, the high ceilings, and the modern architecture. It was a beautiful house. I told her the same.

“It’s all Gray’s.” She said honestly. We sat down in her living room. It was huge with glass windows through which you could see the surrounding foliage, and there was so much sunlight.

“Flers, you have no idea how stressful this is.” She said to me. “I don’t feel like I fit in.”

“Why?”

Lexi looked lovely in the sunlight. Her blonde hair shone brightly. And her new lack of poverty made her skin glow. I was happy for her.

She shrugged. “I’m not used to all this.” She gestured with her hands to point at the house. The luxury. “I feel like a gold digger. I know that’s what everyone thinks of me.”

I frowned. I reached forward and held her hand, squeezing “Hey. You love Gray. He loves you. That’s all that matters.” She nodded and blinked away a tear. “He’s so good to me, I thank God every day for him.”

Lexi had grown up in foster homes. She had barely been able to finish school. Since then, she had just been working to make ends meet. But Lexi was the nicest, sweetest person you could ever meet.

Les reached forward and wrapped me in a hug. I smiled against her shoulder. 1 was grateful for her. “How are things with you? How’s the new job?”

I shrugged. “Alright. Not a lot of work load. The other workers are really nice.”

“And Felix

Felix? She asked.

My eyes widened. Did she know him?

“You know him?”

It made so much sense

She hesitated. “We met once. Gray knows him. She explained. Realization dawned on me. Gray knew Felix. Of course, he did. It now. Gray was not just a doctor. He was a mafla doctor.

“Ch.” I hastened to answer her. She would not be suspicious of anything, but I didn’t want to take any chances. “We haven’t interacted much but he seems nice.”

She nodded. “He’s kind of intimidating. He asked me so many que

questions when he met me. It was so strange. But Gray respects him a lot.”

I wondered if Lexi knew what Gray did. She had to, right? If he was keeping her in the dark about this, that was weird and unfair. She deserved to But I couldn’t ask her or tell her. I couldn’t give myself away,

Just as I was about to say something, we heard a man’s voice behind us. “Gray respects who?” We both turned around in surprise.

to know

I had met Cray before. Briefly, when he would come to pick Lexi up from work. We barely exchanged pleasantales before they were both rushing away, Since moving in with him, Lexi had texted me several times to come to have dinner with them both, but I’d never had the time–or the will.

Gray was leaning against the doorway, looking in at us. He was wearing a blue dress shirt and dark grey pants. Gray always dressed like a normal person – he didn’t dress to intimidate. No fancy suits, no gun holsters. And he had a baby face. He looked so sweet, you could never guess he was in the maha

“Felix Coin” Lexi explained. “Flora is working at his place.” Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Hey, Gray” I gierted He gave me a dazzling smile, firay was cule, in a way. He had that sort of boyish charm that made yoni fort safe

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Chapter 23

“Hi, Flora. Long time no see. What are you girls up to?” He asked curiously. “Wedding stuff?”

“We’re just catching up.” Lexi beamed up at him. She was so in love. I remembered looking like that at Felix. In pictures, sometimes either of us would appear sneaking a glance at the other. I remembered this particular picture of us at a fair, with a pink octopus stuffic he had won me in my hands. I wondered where it went. In the picture, Felix was looking straight ahead at the camera while 1 looked up at him in adoration. I used to have that picture on my old phone before I lost it. But it now just existed as a distinct memory in my head.

Gray crossed over to us, walked around the couch, and sat on the futon across from us. He stretched his legs and let out a grunt. “What’s up Flora?” He asked cheerfully.

Lexi stood up, and I looked at her sideways. God, please don’t leave, Lexi. It would be so awkward to be in a room alone.

with you,

“I’ll get us some drinks.” Lexi announced cheerfully, “And check on lunch. I’m starving. Be right back.” With that, she turned around and left, and Gray and I watched her walk away.