At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks [31]
He grabbed the flowers and headed between the buildings, thinking he’d surprise her, but as he rounded the corner, he came to an abrupt halt.
Lexie was there, just as he’d expected her to be. She was sitting on the bench that overlooked the river, but what stopped him from moving forward was the fact that she wasn’t alone.
Instead, she was sitting beside Rodney, almost nestled against him. From the back, it was difficult to make out anything more than that. He reminded himself that they were just friends. She’d known him since they’d been kids, and for a moment that was enough.
Until, that is, they shifted on the bench, and he realized they were holding hands.
Six
Jeremy knew that what he saw shouldn’t bother him. Deep down, he knew that Lexie wasn’t interested in Rodney, but as April rolled in over the next week, he found himself dwelling on the scene he’d witnessed. Even when he’d asked Lexie whether anything unusual had happened that day, she’d said no, telling him that she’d spent the afternoon at the library. While he could have questioned her further about the lie, he hadn’t seen the need. She’d been thrilled by the flowers and had kissed him immediately after he’d handed them over. He’d searched for anything different about the kiss—whether it was hesitant or lingered too long, as if overcompensating for guilt—but he’d sensed nothing amiss. Nor was there anything unusual about their conversation over dinner, or their spell on the porch afterward.
Even so, he couldn’t forget the image of Lexie holding Rodney’s hand. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that they looked like a couple, but he reminded himself that it didn’t make sense. Lexie and Rodney couldn’t be seeing each other secretly. He spent most days at the library doing research and every evening with Lexie. Jeremy couldn’t force himself to believe that Lexie spent a single moment dreaming of what might have been between her and Rodney had Jeremy never come along. She’d told him that Rodney had had a crush on her since they’d been young and that every now and then they’d attended some town function together as a couple, but that was in the past. Lexie had always resisted further development in their relationship, and he couldn’t imagine that she would change her mind now. Yes, she’d been holding his hand, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was feeling any differently toward him. There had been times when Jeremy held his mother’s hand, for goodness’ sake. It could have been a sign of affection or support or just a way to show that she was listening to him as he spilled out his troubles. In a relationship like Lexie and Rodney’s, it could have been a gesture of comfort, since they’d known each other for years.
It wasn’t as if he should expect Lexie to start ignoring people she’d known all her life, right? Or stop caring about other people? Weren’t those the reasons he’d fallen in love with her in the first place? Of course they were. Lexie had a way of making everyone she spent time with feel as if they were the center of the world, and though that included Rodney, it didn’t mean she was in love with him. Which meant, of course, there was nothing to worry about.
So why on earth was he still thinking about it? And why, when he saw them, had he felt a stab of jealousy?
Because she’d lied about it. A lie of omission, perhaps, but a lie nonetheless. Finally, unable to stand it a moment longer, he rose from his desk, grabbed his car keys, and drove toward the library.
Slowing as he approached, he saw her car parked exactly where it should be and stared at the light on in her office. He watched for a few minutes, turning away quickly when he caught a glimpse of her. Despite the foolishness he felt at this new obsession, he nonetheless breathed a sigh of relief. He told himself again that he had nothing to worry about, that it was ridiculous to have even considered the possibility that Lexie might be elsewhere, and the foolish feeling lasted until he