"I don't like this, Chloe. I don't like this one bit," Alek complained.

"Well that's unfortunate. For you," I replied, agitated.

"Chloe."

"Alek," I shot back. It's 9:30 p.m. and Alek is currently perched at the foot of my bed, trying (and failing) to convince me to stay away from Brian. As usual. "Look, I'm going to see Brian whether you like it or not. I have to at least try to make amends-"

"No you don't," Alek cut in. "You've severed your ties with him, now you need to move on."

"Brian is important to me. Not that you would understand, what with your absurd human prejudice and all."

"Now you know that's not true," Alek protested. "I'm not crazy about humans, but I don't hate them. I just prefer my own kind."

"Right." I took a deep breath, leaned forward, and proceeded to press my lips against his. He was an unbelievable kisser. In fact, he was so good that I had to force myself to stop. "I think we should call it a night," I suggested, pulling back. Alek contemplated this for a moment, then swiftly rose from the bed and disappeared out the window in silence.


Amy and Paul did their best to advise me at school the next day, but it was no use. I was at a loss. Choose between Brian and Alek? Impossible. Such a thing was beyond inconceivable. "Chloe, you know nothing can ever happen between you and Brian. Maybe...maybe Alek is right. Maybe you should just leave all of the Brian drama in the past," Amy offered.

"You're taking Alek's side?"

"NO! I'm not tak-"

"What do you think, Paul?" I turned to him.

He looked from me to Amy and back again. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about this stuff." Paul obviously had little interest in the subject. Nevertheless, I continued to prod him.

"Oh, come on, Paul. If you were me and Brian were some girl you liked named-"

"Brianna," Amy chimed in.

"OK…Brianna. What would you do then?"

For a brief moment I caught him gazing at Amy before finally giving a definitive answer. "I guess I would settle for friends. I'd be happy with just spending time with her." At that, Amy jerked her head to the side to look at Paul.

"Really?" Amy murmured.

He shook his head. "Yeah."

Amy looked at the ground, flushed.

"Wow. Lot of help you are," I groaned. Clearly, this wasn't going anywhere. "I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm gonna be late for work."

"Wait. Chloe," Amy urged.

"What?"

"Think about what's best for everyone. Your decision won't just affect you."

"Are you implying that you think I'm selfish?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that your situation is so not normal. You never know what could happen."

After considering this for a moment, I spun on my heel and trudged down the hall.


Photographs lined the table in front of Brian's father, Whitley Rezza, and his partner-in-crime Simone. Whitley scanned the table carefully. "This is very good," Whitley Rezza observed.

"It gets better. Our Dear Friend believes that we have ourselves a bit of a love triangle here," Simone informed him.

"Is that so?"

She nodded. "The female protector has been taken care of, but with the two boys gone, the Uniter will be weakened beyond repair."

"Let me speak to my son first," Whitley insisted. "See if we can't get him to play for our team."


Thankfully, work helped to relax me, so the weight on my shoulders didn't seem quite as heavy. I hung clothes back on the appropriate racks and did what I could to tidy the place up. With nothing left to do, I stationed myself behind the register. I was finishing a sale when I heard the door open, followed by a gust of wind and the pitter patter of footsteps. "Hi," greeted a voice.

I stiffened. "Brian."


"I thought I told you how I felt about you seeing him," Alek said. The weekend had finally come, and I was spending my Saturday morning with Alek. We decided to go for a walk near the bay area. Apparently he had been spying on Brian and me. But of course he used the 'Uniter Duty' excuse. He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. I couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

"I thought I told you to deal with it," I challenged playfully.

Alek paused before speaking again. "What if I can't?" I could tell from the tone of his voice that the situation hurt for him.

I whipped around to face him and was surprised to find him only inches from me. My heart started to race, but I quickly regained my composure. "Then I don't know what to tell you."

Not a word was spoken for what seemed like forever. To my relief, Alek took the liberty of breaking the silence. "So what happened? Between you and Brian?" he inquired.

Though taken aback that Alek wanted the details of my encounter with Brian, I was not about to give him the opportunity to change his mind. "I told him we should keep our distance."

Alek stopped dead in his tracks, bringing the two of us to a screeching halt. "You what?"

"Didn't you tell me how you felt about me seeing him?" I joked with a slight smile.

"Yes, but…I know what he meant to you, Chloe. It must have been pretty difficult."

"It was. But I have to admit, my life isn't completely devoid of Brian. I'm kind of helping him with a family thing."

"I knew it was too good to be true," Alek said lightheartedly.


"Have a seat, Brian." Back at the Rezza manor, Brian's father decided it was time to put the plan into action. If he couldn't convince Brian to forget about the girl, than he would do what was necessary. First, Whitley called him into his office.

"What's going on?" Brian asked suspiciously.

"I wanted to talk about that Chloe girl you've had your eye on. You like her, yes?"

"Yeah. A lot."

"Well I think there's something you should know," Whitley insisted. "It seems you're not her only male friend."

"Yeah, I know. She has a boyfriend."

"Is that so? And you're OK with this…arrangement?" Whitley pressed.

"I guess. I'm not thrilled about it, but it's better than nothing," Brian said as he looked away.

"I need you to bring her to me, Brian," he declared. All of a sudden, Whitley snapped his fingers and large men in dark clothing stepped into the room. "I can assure you, it is in your best interest to do so."