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Whatever possessed me to come to this godforsaken place, Alex thought, as she listened to one of the panelists drone on from table set-up at the front of the large conference room. Oh yeah, I thought it would be interesting and maybe even fun to tag along with Dr. Strand to one of his academic conferences but now I’m having a hard time remembering why. She glanced at her watch for the 10th time in 5 minutes and wondered again when Strand would join her; he had stopped to talk to a colleague on their way into the session and now she had sat for half the session without someone to comment to. She decided to check her phone to see if she had any missed texts or emails that needed a response and had her face buried in her phone when she felt someone slide into the seat next to her.
“Nice of you to join me,” she whispered, “I’ve been sitting here bored out of my mind for the last half hour.” She heard a quiet chuckle next to her that was distinctly different from Strand’s sardonic laugh that she was so used to. She looked up to see Tannis Braun next to her.
“It’s not all that bad, Ms. Reagan; I would think you’d be more interested in psychokinesis”, he said with a small grin, and continued, “I’d say I’m surprised to see you in a place like this, but I did see Richard outside.”
“Did he see you?” she responded, internally wincing when the question sounded more like an accusation.
He laughed lightly, “No, I don’t believe he did, which is probably good for all involved. You know Richard…he’s always good for an awkward or slightly antagonistic encounter,” and with that he glanced back to the front of the room at the panel and seemed to give his full attention back to the subject being discussed, but Alex could tell after studying him for a few moments that his thoughts were elsewhere. When she had asked Strand, he had explained that his derision with Tannis was due to the fact that Strand considered him a fraud who relied upon his deductive skills and not any “supernatural” basis in solving cases. While that may be true, Alex also thought that there was more to it. Seeing her chance to get Tannis’s side of the story, she casually broached the subject.
“Why do you think that is?” He just turned his head and lifted his eyebrows at her in answer.
“No, no,” she clarified, “why is he so antagonistic towards you specifically?”
“Well, you know he sees me as an adversary and believes that I spread lies and misinformation regarding the true nature of the universe and human potential,” he answered lightly. He could tell that she was disappointed in that answer by the way her brows drew down as he finished speaking. “You’re disappointed?”
“No, of course not. That’s essentially what he said as well, it just always seemed like there was something….more, I guess, “ she answered. “Well, we do have a more personal history that we both agreed to bury and not let affect our professional…relationship for lack of a better word, and I don’t think it has, at least on my end,” he explained. Alex’s head spun with the possibilities. They had a personal history. Were they friends in the past? Could it have something to do with Coralee? “Alex, it really isn’t important, and I probably shouldn’t have said anything. Come on, let me buy you a decent cup of coffee.” She glanced around just now noticing that the session had ended and the room was almost empty.
“Sure, Dr. Strand was supposed to meet me, but I guess he got hung up. I think there’s a coffee shop somewhere in the convention center.” They moved out of the doors together into the hallway leading from the conference room. Dr. Strand was standing in the hall speaking with an older gentleman, but broke off upon seeing Alex walking with Tannis.
“I’ll catch up with you later Dr. Walker,” he said quickly and made his way over to them. “What are you doing here?” he questioned. He knew it sounded idiotic the moment it came out of his mouth, but he just couldn’t temper his irritation at seeing them walking so casually together, again. It was like the Torres case all over again.
“Well, this is a professional conference, Richard, and I was just escorting Ms. Reagan here as you seemed to be occupied,” he turned to Alex, “perhaps we can get coffee or a drink some other time. You have my card, give me a call if you’d like to get together while you’re here,” he said and then casually walked away. Strand turned on Alex, “What was that?” “Oh, he was just trying to get a rise out of you,” she replied, although she wasn't quite sure if that was his only intention, “and it seems like he succeeded,” she added as she glanced at his slightly hostile expression. “He really was just keeping me company for a few minutes while I was waiting for you.”
He just stared at her for a beat and then glanced down at his program. “Well...we should probably get to the next session; the break is almost over.” He gestured ahead of himself, and they continued silently to their next session.
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“Is there anything that you would like to discuss from the conference? It's best to address any questions or concerns while the information is still fresh in your mind,” Strand asked as they stepped off the elevator onto the floor of their hotel after they had completed the long, arduous full day of conference activities.
“There are a few things that I would like to discuss with you; we could grab some dinner and maybe a drink and talk over a few things,” she said, giving him a hopeful look. She knew it was a long shot to get him to agree but hoped he would be willing to spend some time with her outside their established schedule.
He sighed, “It’s been a really long day, Alex. I’d prefer to just debrief in one of our rooms and order some room service. Plus, I’m presenting during the Lunch Lecture series tomorrow, and I'd like to review my notes once more as well.”
“Why Dr. Strand!” she gasped in false incredulity, “you want to debrief with me in your room; I don’t know how to respond to that type of offer!” He flushed a light pink across his cheekbones and seemed flustered.
“Oh…of course, I didn’t mean…” he started, but stopped when she burst out laughing and just waved her hand at him to stop him. He cleared his throat and tried his best not to look too uncomfortable as they stood in the hallway outside his door, “So” he continued, “would you like to come in to go over your questions?”
She stood there in thought for a moment; although she was tired as well, she really wanted a decent meal and nice glass of wine before settling down for the night; plus, she didn’t have much to discuss with him so it wasn’t really necessary to “debrief” as he put it, but she also didn’t want to sit in a restaurant alone for the evening. She got a sudden inspiration from the day’s earlier events. “No, I don’t think so. Any questions can surely wait, and I really do want a decent meal tonight; I don’t think room service is going to cut it so I think I’ll go to dinner after all. Are you sure you don’t want to come?” she asked. When he indicated that he did not, with a sly grin on her face she said, “That’s ok, I understand. Maybe I’ll just give Tannis Braun a call and see if he’s free for dinner. It’ll be nice to have a dinner companion that is so knowledgeable…maybe I can get him to answer any questions for me so you’ll be off the hook. Well, enjoy your room service, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said as she turned to start down the hallway to her room.
Strand knew that she was baiting him, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to care as the prospect of her spending the evening with that man possibly…probably in some romantic restaurant with soft lighting and flowing wine. He was striding down the hallway without though, “Wait, Alex,” he called.
She stopped walking with a satisfied smile on her face. She quickly rearranged her face into a look of mild surprise as she turned to answer him, “Yes, Dr. Strand?”
“If you are insistent upon going to dinner, then please let me accompany you. It would be remiss of me not to address any questions that you may have, and a nice, quiet dinner will be nice after the last few days,” he gave her a small smile that seemed more like a grimace.
“Great! I’ll go get ready and meet you at your door in an hour. See you soon,” and with that she swiped her key card and slipped into her room, softly shutting the door in his face.
He just stood for a moment and again asked himself how he had allowed Alex Reagan to get under his skin and have this much control over him, more than anyone before-even Coralee-before turning and walking back down to his room to get ready for dinner. Just under an hour later he opened the door to Alex standing in a short black dress that would have been demure with its high collar, ¾ length sleeves and modest length, except for the fact that it clung it her every curve.
“Well, don’t you look handsome,” Alex commented, breaking Strand out of his reverie. It was true that he had taken the time to get ready for a dinner out with her by shaving and changing into a soft navy blue V-neck sweater with a pair of charcoal trousers and sport coat. He glanced down at himself, then back up at her and blurted out, “You look incredible.” She blushed lightly and answered with a soft, “Thank you.” He gestured down the hall, and they walked side-by-side to the elevator.
After riding down and stepping out, Strand led them to the cab stand to wait for the next available cab, “I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and made reservations for us. I wanted to be sure we could get a table at a decent place considering so many other people probably had the same idea.” At her look of surprise, he quickly continued, “I asked the concierge for a recommendation that would be quiet and off the beaten path. He recommended a small Italian place that is supposed to have incredible hand-made pastas and an extensive wine list. I know that you like Italian so I hope that’s alright,” he explained further, annoyed at himself for the slight tremor in his voice. Even though he knew that it was just a friendly dinner with a colleague, he had briefly allowed himself to imagine that this was a real date and the result was a ball of nerves in his stomach.
“Of course, Richard,” she answered, “that was very thoughtful, and it sounds like exactly what I am in the need for this evening.”
“Good, good. I’m glad to hear that.” The cab pulled up, and Strand helped Alex in before sliding into the other side of the backseat; he gave the driver the name of the restaurant and address before sitting back against his seat and closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. Alex left him to his thoughts, and they rode in companionable silence to the restaurant.
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Settled into their small table for two in the dimly lit, intimate restaurant, Strand smiled wryly to himself, recognizing that he had essentially replaced Braun with himself in his imagined scenario. After ordering their entrees and a bottle of the house wine, they made general small talk regarding the conference, PNWS and Strand’s ongoing projects separate from the podcast. The easy conversation flowed and both Strand and Alex recognized that the dinner began to feel more date-like as time progressed. As they finished their salads, Alex regaled him with a story detailing how the PNWS interns had managed to cover Nic’s entire office with Post-It notes over a long weekend. As he imagined Nic’s stunned face, Strand realized that he had not enjoyed himself-or another person-this much in a very long time and decided that he would release the tight reins he kept on himself and let the night lead where it may; with that thought, he poured Alex and himself another glass of wine.
As they were winding down with just a few bites of desert left, the bottle of wine long empty and the bill paid, Alex noted the change in Strand. He seemed lighter, more carefree than she had ever seen him. He had removed his sport coat and pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and his hair was slightly mussed from running his hands through it. She thought that he had never looked more handsome or more approachable. Although she hated to ruin the mood, she knew that she might never have an opportunity to address the thought nagging at her regarding Strand’s “relationship” with Tannis Braun.
“So,” she started when the conversation lulled, “I have to ask. Why do you hate Tannis Braun so much? I know the professional reasons you’ve stated before…but what’s the real story? We are just talking as friends here—off the record. He said that you have a personal history but that’s all. So?”
Strand regarded her for a minute, thought of the promise he had made to himself earlier that night, and and then quietly asked, “Do you really want to know?”
“Of course,” she answered.
“Alright. We were…” he seemed at a loss for words for a moment, “I won’t say friends because I wouldn’t go that far. We were friendly, I guess, when we were younger—in our 20’s. The serious scientific community surrounding our profession is relatively small, and we would see each other at conferences like this, professional meetings, or wherever else. Well…” he paused, “I guess I was around 26 or 27, and Coralee and I were seriously dating at the time, and you know that she had some….indiscretions.”
“Oh Richard, did he and Coralee…? I’m so sorry to bring this up. I didn’t mean to…”
He brushed her off, “Don’t worry about it, and no, they didn’t,” he stopped and thought for another moment. “Well, there was a meeting of an organization both Tannis and I belonged to being held at Yale, where I was attending for my doctorate. After the meeting, a group of us went to one of the local bars to decompress. Well, I saw Coralee there with another man; they were in a booth at the back of the bar, sitting closely together and speaking intently to each other. I watched them for a while before they finally got up and left together. I was so furious and hurt, and I just wanted to forget about it and not deal with it at that moment so I ended up drinking more than I should—a lot more. I didn’t want to go back to my apartment because I was afraid that she would be there…but also afraid that she wouldn’t be and then I would be left to stew about it alone. Charlie was visiting with my sister for a few weeks so I had no reason to go home. Some of the people I was with had gotten hotel rooms for the night at a place close to the university and were going to go back to have a little after party so I tagged along. Well, we had only been there a short time when most everyone wanted to go to bed; Tannis had a room with two double beds, and he let me bunk with him. He wasn’t ready for the night to be over, and I didn’t really want to be left alone with my thoughts so we kept drinking in his room. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and just started spewing about what I had seen and how could she do that to me. I was standing right in front of him, and I think I said something like—am I not enough? Look at me!—and he just reached out, grabbed me…and kissed me”, he paused briefly before continuing, "and then..you know" he finished with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.
Alex just gaped at him, stunned. What? Why? How? Tannis had kissed him? And then what? Her mind started conjuring images, not altogether unpleasant but certainly unexpected, of Strand and Tannis in a heated embrace. Strand’s long fingers raking through Tannis’s short, blond hair. Tannis’s long arms wrapped around Richard, clutching at his shoulders. Their mouths pressed together hotly; Tannis biting Richard’s bottom lip sharply and then soothing it with his tongue before sliding it into Richard’s waiting mouth. Tannis pushing Richard against the wall and…
“Alex. Alex!”, she was brought out of her reverie by Strand calling her name. Her face was flushed and her mouth dry so she took a long drink from her glass of water before clearing her throat. “Umm…” she started, “So…he… Wow, I don't..."
Strand just stared at her as she floundered and then let a slow smile curve on his face. He saw her face fall and eyes flash when she released that he had been feeding her a totally fabricated account. “Oh, Alex…your face. You know you really are too trusting…and gullible,” he said while giving her a knowing smile. It was clear that she was affected by his little story.
“What? You mean that’s not…you are so mean!,” she exclaimed as she threw her napkin across the table at him. “I can’t believe you.”
Strand chuckled to himself again, “And I can’t believe you actually believed that…I’m sorry to dash your hopes, but it really isn’t anything so scandalous. There’s been a rivalry between us since he beat me out of an officer position with the professional organization we both belonged to earlier in our careers, but there really isn’t anything personal beyond my general dislike of him.” Maybe it was his playful mood, the wine or just his need to let his walls down, but he continued, “And besides, Alex, if I was going to let anyone take advantage of my drink-induced impulsiveness, it certainly wouldn’t be him,” he said with a pointed look.
Although the night has taken a distinctly unexpected turn, at least compared to their relationship up to this point, it was one that Alex had been long hoping for but had never allowed herself to believe would come. She knew that Strand had had a few glasses of wine over dinner but as she looked at him, she knew that, while the wine may have helped him to loosen up, he was still in control. “Then we’d better leave so that I can take advantage before you come to your senses,” she answered.
He stood and offered his hand to her, and they left the restaurant with clasped hands and a sense of anticipation.
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The next morning, albeit later than intended as they'd enjoyed a languid breakfast in bed, Strand and Alex made their way to the conference center for their last day of sessions. Strand stopped them just outside the doors leading into the conference hall. “Alex, I just wanted to say thank you for accompanying me on this trip. I know this wasn't what you intended when you decided to join me, but I couldn't be happier with where we are now." He looked at her sheepishly before continuing, "when we go in there, we will be back to being work partners and will need to be professional, at least while we are here, but I want you to know that my feelings…”, she stopped him by stepping up on her tiptoes, and lightly pressing her lips to his.
“Yes, I know, Richard. I feel the same way,” she glanced at the other attendees filing into the convention hall, “Now let’s go finish this out, and we can talk more later.” She lighted squeezed his hand and then walked ahead of him into the conference hall.
By mid-day, she once again found herself waiting for Richard, albeit this time in a small café near the convention center. He was supposed to meet after after finishing his lunch lecture but had warned her that he may need to stay to answer questions before meeting her. She had wanted to sit in on his lecture, but it had been sold out to capacity so she wasn't able to attend. Her...whatever he was now…was very popular and seemed to attract a lot of attention from his colleagues.
“Alex, fancy meeting you here,” she heard Tannis’s fluid voice from beside her as she ruminated on Strand’s apparent celebrity in his field.
“Oh hello, wow…we just keep managing to bump into each other,” she replied.
“Waiting on Richard again?” he asked, while taking the open seat across from her.
“Yes,” she answered, “but he should be along any minute,” she continued, subtly hinting that he may not want to be sitting in that chair when Strand arrived.
“You know, I was hoping to get a call from you last night. I thought perhaps we could have gone to dinner or met for a drink,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I was looking forward to getting to know you a little better outside of our normal work run-ins, of course.”
“Yes, well…” she started but stopped when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Strand, who immediately leaned down and gently kissed Alex on the lips.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long; I’m just going to run to the restroom; I’ll be right back,” he said while glancing at Tannis. He squeezed her shoulder and then made his way through the busy café to the back restroom.
“Well, I guess that’s my cue. I guess I’ll see you around, Alex,” Tannis sounded resigned as he rose from the table. Before he left, he glanced back at her and said, “Treat him well, Alex. I don’t think I need to tell you that he has been through alot, and well… just make sure that he knows that’s he’s worth it—that he’s enough for you.”
She muttered, “Of course”, to which he nodded and then turned to walk away. She just stared after him as he left the restaurant while her mind raced—Was it coincidence…or had it actually happened?—and then turned to stare blankly at the table until Strand sat in the seat Tannis had recently vacated.
“Are you alright, Alex?” he asked intently.
She studied him, and then simply answered, “Yes, I’m fine,” and then reached across the table to lay her lips against his cheek, and softly whispered, “and so are you”. He blushed slightly, a little confused at her seemingly out-of-nowhere actions but accepting of her affection nonetheless. “Let’s eat,” she said and pulled out her menu. He unfolded his menu as well and reached across the table to hold her hand. That small action and the small smile on his face told her that she had made the right decision to drop her lingering questions.
Perhaps she’d revisit the subject with him again in the future but for now she would bask in the newfound romance of their relationship and forget about Tannis Braun and a possible long ago past of heartbreak and drunken confessions and fumblings.