Kayla cuddled closer to Alex and posed for the camera, taking one shot after another. She posed suggestively and held onto Alex so intimately that his breath quickened.
Eventually, she stopped taking photos, fiddled with her phone for a while, and then posted several pictures to her social media page. Then she showed the screen to Alex and grinned.
Alex raised an eyebrow. What was that all about? he wondered. Why would she take a bunch of photos with me as if we were a couple and then post them online?
He looked at the pictures and shook his head at her captions. One of them said, [I met someone special in Baltimore.]
She had invited him to be friends on social media, and he had accepted, but now he wondered what he had gotten himself into.
"What do you want from me?" he asked bluntly. She seemed like she was up to something, but he couldn't figure out what. He definitely felt like he was being used, though.
"It's okay, Alex. I just posted the photos to get back at someone," Kayla said. When she saw his look of suspicion, she continued. "Don't worry. I'll delete the photos soon. Everything will be fine. I just need someone to see them."
"I think you're asking for trouble," Alex said, unconvinced.
Kayla bit her lip and cuddled closer to him, and he noticed she smelled amazing.
She's an absolutely beautiful woman, he thought. Several passengers in the train car had turned around to look at her admiringly.
Then Kayla dug around in her bag and took out an unopened watch box. She took the watch out and put it on Alex's wrist. "This is a thank you gift for helping me out last night."
"Last night was a piece of cake," Alex said, lifting his wrist and studying the watch. After a moment, he took it off, handed it back, and said, "This watch is too expensive. I can't accept it, so you'd better take it back."
He didn't know a lot about watches, but he knew a good one when he saw it. He didn't need any kind of reward for helping her the previous night, so accepting the watch felt wrong.
"Alex!" Kayla protested, pushing the watch back toward him. "Please take it. You saved me last night, and I consider us friends now. I'm simply showing my appreciation."
"Or maybe you simply feel like I need your generosity," he said.
She bristled with indignation. "Fine, give it back. I guess we're not friends, after all."
Alex was impressed with her determination, and he was surprised to realize he had felt a little hurt when she had said she didn't want to be friends. He sighed and said, "Okay, I'll take it."
What he had done for her last night didn't need a reward, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Besides, he knew he could find a way to pay back her gift at some other point.
"Thanks," he said simply, putting the watch back on his wrist.
Seeing Alex accept the gift, Kayla smiled and sat back. "So, you're going to Philadelphia?" she asked.
Alex nodded. "Yes, I'm checking in on a sick relative."
"So you'll be staying for a few days," she said. "Philadelphia is my hometown, so I can show you around if you'd like."
Alex chuckled. "I'm going to be pretty busy, but if I have time, I'd be happy for you to be my tour guide."
He liked her. She seemed like an interesting young woman, and he had to admit, he wanted to get to know her a little better.
Before Kayla could respond, a cold voice came from behind them. "Oh, not you again! Can't you leave her alone?"
Alyssa had returned from the bathroom, and she was not at all happy to see Alex sitting next to Kayla. She stopped in front of them, scowling at Alex. "Do you think you're any match for Kayla? Do you have any idea how rich she is?"
Just like the previous night, she stared down her nose at him. "She's out of your league."
Both Alyssa and Kayla had seen the sports car Alex had driven the previous night, but Alyssa assumed it wasn't his and probably belonged to his employer. If he really owned such a car, why would he have stooped so low as to eat at a lowly diner?
She suspected Alex wasn't who Kayla hoped he was.
"Alyssa!" Kayla warned her. "What are you talking about? I came to speak to Alex, not the other way around. He wasn't harassing me."
Kayla glanced at Alex and then patted his hand. "Besides, he's my savior and my friend. When you talk about him like that, it makes me sad."
She shrugged as she continued. "And what difference does it make how much money my family has? It doesn't have anything to do with who I can be friends with. Alex is my friend, so deal with it."
Alex was impressed by Kayla's speech, but Alyssa still looked unhappy. "Kayla, I'm not going to humiliate him," Alyssa said. "I just hope he's not going to be unreasonable. Although I'm very angry about what Heath Lambert did, he is better than Alex. Heath is the Lambert family's heir, after all." She paused and glanced at Alex before turning back to Kayla. "This guy here doesn't seem to have much standing, and yet he wants to squeeze into our little circle. We don't know anything about him."
She looked at Alex contemptuously, and then she saw the watch on his wrist. "Do you even know what that's worth?" she asked. "Would you be able to afford it on your own?"
"Alyssa, stop it!" Kayla broke in. "I'm really angry with you. Alex treats me far better than Heath ever did."
Seeing Kayla so angry, Alyssa stopped talking and sat in the seat across the aisle. But she continued to stare at Alex, silently warning him.
Kayla turned back to Alex, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she said, "I'm sorry, Alex. Alyssa shouldn't have talked to you that way. She's really a good person, and she was just trying to look out for me."
Alex smiled. "Don't worry about it. She's sick, and it must be affecting her judgment. She doesn't know what she's talking about."
"Sick?" Alyssa asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"
Kayla was confused as she continued to stare at Alex. "I don't understand what you mean. Why do you think there's something wrong with Alyssa?"
Alex's face was calm as he studied Alyssa closely. "I think you might have some sort of blood disorder."
"What are you on about?" Alyssa repeated, convinced he was talking nonsense. She felt just fine. She turned back to Kayla and waved her arms dramatically. "See what I mean? This guy can't be trusted. He's making up some ridiculous story about some mysterious disease to pull us apart. He's trying to start a rumor about me. Do you really think he's your friend?"
Alyssa turned back to Alex and said, "You're ridiculous. You think you can get close to Kayla by telling lies about me? Well, I won't have it. Apologize now!"