My dear Alice, do you hate me? Do you hate me for not loving you like the others? For imposing on you? For making you confused and lost? Do you love me, Alice? Can you love me when there is no such thing as 'love?' Will you be the one to make me stop hating myself, Alice? Alice, say you love me, just once is enough for me … just once.
.

"Julius!" yelled the man, barging into his employer's room. "I've got the clocks you wanted." He walked over to the man's desk and placed them on it, not letting his eyes wander to the girl who was standing beside him.

Julius moved the fabric with one finger, peering into the bundle. "Alright, this is fine. Thank you, Ace." He quickly went back to work, blocking out the 'distractions' in the room.

He could feel her eyes staring at him. A small, invisible smile came to his face. He let his eyes wander over to the side where the girl stood, meeting her gaze. "Hey, Alice?" he asked with a smile.

"If you have time to talk and interrupt my work, then you have time to get out." He slammed his wrench down on the table, giving them both looks of annoyance.

As an idea struck his head, the knight brightened up. "So it would be okay if I take Alice for the day, Julius?" He grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her closer to him, already knowing the answer.

"Do whatever you want! Just leave me and my work alone!" he snapped at the two, tightening his grip on his wrench and grabbing the clocks Ace had just gotten for him, too busy to notice the look of distress on the girl's face.

"Thanks a bunch, Julius!" he exclaimed, quickly dragging the girl out the door along with him before she had the chance to protest to Julius, who, he knew, would always take her side, no matter what.

"Ace! Ace, let go already!" yelled the girl, completely out of breath from running. "I … I can't run anymore. Why are we even running in the first place.

His hand let go of the girl's hand. "Because Julius likes you too much."

"I don't see what Julius' opinion of me has anything to do with my question: why are we running?" she asked again.

"It's just like I said, he likes you too much. If you were to complain to him, he'd make me leave, and I wouldn't want that."

"But I would!"

"And what does your opinion matter?"

"Julius!"

"Julius what?" he interrupted, bending down so his and the girl's face were parallel to each other.

She flinched back with a sudden fear. "Julius, what?" she thought. What was she about to say?

"Alice, as much as your opinion means to me, your opinion means just as less to me."

"Then, what's the point in talking?" she snapped, folding her arms and turning around so her back was to the man.

"But," he pressed on, "I wanted to spend the day with you. I wanted to be with you so much that your words didn't matter as long as I was with you."

His words alone were enough to make her heart skip a beat, but also pulse with guilt. She lowered her head, her words stuck in her throat. "I..." she took a breath, "...I'll go with you. B-but only for today!" she quickly added.

"Today's just fine for me," the man smiled, "even if it's just for one day..."

She turned her head to face the man, bangs covering her face. His mouth was moving but she heard nothing.

"...Well then, let's go." He turned and started to walk on.

Her hand instinctively reached out and grabbed his coat. She wasn't sure why, but nonetheless, she didn't dare to let go for fear he would vanish if she did.

A confused smile came to his face as he half turned to face her. "Something wrong?"

Her grip on his clothing tightened. She wanted to shake her head and say nothing was wrong with her, but she knew there was. "Hey, Ace, out of the two of us, who's been acting the weirdest?"

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Don't answer a question with a question!" she snapped.

"Why?"

"Ace!"

He laughed turning fully around, making her have no choice but to let go.

"Ace," she quietly mumbled, as her fingers slipped off his coat one by one.

"Did you not want to let go?" he teased.

She wrinkled her brows in a deep frown. "Do not joke with me, Ace," she hissed.

With an over exaggerated hmph, she turned around, straightening her back, and began to walk back to Julius – all with elegance and grace like the lady she was. She didn't have time to be playing around with Ace. That's right, she had plenty of things to do!

The girl stopped. A small chuckle came out of her mouth. Who exactly was she trying to convince?

It was inevitable, she guessed, that she'd come to not want to leave him. It was probably all part of a plan of his. Soon, if this continued, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave him. It just wasn't fair how he could just come and manipulate her like that. It wasn't fair.

"Alice," came his voice from behind her. "Hey, Alice, what are you doing? Come here," he ordered, extending out his hand.

She spun around and stomped her foot. "I am not a dog who will come when I hear the word come!" she shouted.

"Come on," he smiled.

Alice took a step back, her face reflecting her pain and confusion. "You idiot!" she yelled, running toward him. And, in one giant leap, she jumped on him, his arms gently catching her ,without him moving an inch or swaying.

"What else?" he asked, tightening his hug on her.

"What else? What else do you want me to say?" she sniffed, holding back he tears she knew were coming.

"I wanted to you say something around the likes of: Ace, I've loved you since I fist saw you, and will forever love you. Please keep holding me in your arms forever!"

She could feel her eyebrow start to twitch at his comment, not liking it in the least bit. "I l-i-k-e you, Ace. I only like you, nothing more. Is that clear? And! I don't want you to keep holding me! Let go already!" she quickly added, blushing at the reminder of what he had said.

Soon, he was on the ground laughing at how strong Alice was as she yelled at him. "Hey, Alice," he interrupted his harsh scolding, "can you say it again?"

"Say what again?"

"You like me?"

She turned her head. "Nope."

"That's mean, Alice!" he whined. "Alice is a meanie! Meanie! Meanie!Mea – "

"Fine! I love you! Are you happy now?"

He smiled at her. "I am."

My dear Alice, you know what? I've come to love you. 'Love,' I've found, really does exist in this world. It's just like you, you who now belong to me, just as this 'love' also belongs to me now. Alice, I also love you more than you could ever know.

-The End-