Yeah, sorry for the horribly long wait. I seriously want to say thank you for the 11 amazing reviews that I got on only the first chapter! I'm so glad I got them! Now, here's your chapter(:


"Are you sure we can trust this Valentina woman? I've never even met her, Chloe!" Ms. King has been ranting for at least 20 minutes about Chloe going on a "trip" to New York with Jasmine and Valentina. The two women talked for almost an hour, thanks to Meredith. Question after question - and Chloe was glad to be leaving tomorrow.

"Yes, mom! I'm positive. Plus, you trust me and I trust Valentina. Jasmine's great! When I went over to study, we seriously had a blast." Chloe cringed inwardly at how easy lying to her mother was becoming so easy. Meredith's eyes drifted towards her container of take-out and back at Chloe.

"But for four months? I mean, really; what kind of business trip takes four months, Chloe?" Chloe heard the impatience in her mother's voice.

"You'd be surprised. Jasmine told me that her mom left for almost half a year at one time." Chloe tilted her head, acting sympathetic towards her friend. "She said that her mom's making her go with her this time, since Alek will be away visiting family and she would be all alone. Jasmine invited me along so she wouldn't be bored! I don't blame her." Chloe tried for a half smile and her mom just stared, head cocked. "Oh, please mom! I promise I'll call everyday, and even Skype once in a while." The blonde tried begging since the convincing wasn't going well. It was several minutes later - which felt like hours to Chloe - when her mom finally spoke up.

"Fine," She practically huffed.

"Yes!" Chloe shouted, standing up and almost did a happy dance while circling around the table to hug her mom.

"But, but, but," Her mom held up her hand, eyebrows raised in a serious face that Chloe knew oh so well.

"Mom," She groaned. "But's are never a good thing. What's the catch?" Meredith smirked slightly, seeing her daughter catch on so fast.

"I need you to promise me, and I mean promise me, that you will tell me if anything happens with that Alek boy." Chloe's eyes widened.

"Mom, I told you! He won't even be there!" Chloe whined, sinking to her knees in front of her mother with a pout.

"I know, but he may come back early and meet with you guys at some point. I just want to be sure that my baby's alright." Chloe smiled and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm not a baby. I just turned 16, mom." She smiled, kissed her mom on the cheek and walked towards the stairs. "I'm going to pack up!" Her mom gave her a hum, letting her know she heard. Chloe walked up to her room, but a heavy feeling was weighing in her stomach. She really hated lying to her mother. At least this 4 month get-away would give her a break and just let he be herself. Well, be herself and pretend to be engaged to Alek. She groaned, falling flat onto her bed with a sigh. It felt like all she was doing lately was pretending.

"You know, I'd save those sounds for our honeymoon. They may come in handy." Chloe jumped up, giving a glare at the British Mai that was standing in the door frame of her bathroom.

"What're you doing her, Alek?" She reached underneath her bed for a suitcase and pulled it out with a tug, placing it on her bed and opening it. "I'm sure I'll see enough of you within the next 4 months." She whispered and walked over to shut her door.

"First off, I still have my job, and that's to protect you. Secondly," He smirked and sat on her bed, similar to the way he had when her mom caught them. Chloe cringed at the memory. "I had to check in on my fiancé." He clicked his tongue and gave her a wink. She just scoffed. She waltzed over to her closet, trying to decide what to take.

"Well, I'm a bit busy packing so uh, why don't you come back later." She paused and turn around from the clothes she was eyeing. "Or not." He just laughed, a big, throaty, sarcastic laugh that made her spin around completely to glare at him. 'Do you mind? Some people are trying to keep secrets here!" She hissed in a whisper. He just smirked. Sh rolled her eyes and turned around to continue picking things out. Once she had a handful of things, she went to the suitcase, and tucked them in neatly. This went on for several runs before Alek yawned.

"That wasn't meant to come out," He laughed quietly. Chloe glanced up from her packing and saw his eyes closed and how relaxed he looks. She wanted to yell at him to stop looking so comfortable on her bed, and for not getting enough sleep. Then she realized it was most likely because he was watching her. She grimaced.

"Have you gotten any sleep lately?" She whispered, not really wanting to interrupt his tranquility. He peeked at her through one eye and smiled.

"Not important," He stood up, stretching his arms in the air with another yawn. "I'm going to head back now, just call if you need anything." He started for the window, but paused when he was some-what in front of her. "Darling." He added with a smirk.

"Oh, stop it." She said, but felt the blush run up her neck and spread onto her face. He just gave her another wink and headed out the window.

I was right, she though. This is going to be a very long 4 months.


In the morning, if thankfully being a Saturday, Chloe woke around 9:30. She sighed and wished she could sleep in later but knew she should leave with her 4 bags, and head to Valentina's. She wouldn't want to be late for her plane. She sighed again, and stood up. After grabbing her towel and clothes to throw on afterwards, she took a quick shower. Once she got out, she threw on her outfit which consisted of jeans and a light pink floral top, she applied a quick amount of makeup. She grabbed her two large suitcases, threw her purse around her shoulder, and got the small carry case to take downstairs.

"Mom?" Chloe called out once she was just about to the bottom.

"Kitchen!" She heard the familiar voice and headed towards the kitchen, only to find that they also had a guest.

"Jasmine?" Chloe said, dropping her bags to the floor. Jasmine looked up and gave Chloe a big smile that lit up the tan girls face. She smiled back and walked closer, grabbing a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom thought you could use a ride, since she didn't really specify on where your mother could drop you off at." Chloe glanced at her mother, who was now making a pot of coffee. "Are you ready, or do you need a bit more time?" The older Mai stood up from the stool and nodded to Chloe's bags.

"Oh, uh," She paused, thinking. "I think I should be okay. I packed everything that I'll probably need. Then she remembered her laptop, which she would need to video call with her mom. "Oh, wait, I need to grab something else. I'll be right back!" Jasmine just smiled and nodded. CHloe took of for her room, grabbing her laptop, charger, and a few other small things before tossing them in a bag and walking back down the stairs.

"Okay I think I-" She stopped noticing Jasmine was gone, as were her bags. Her mom was sitting down, reading the paper and drinking a steaming hot cop of coffee. "Where'd she go?"

"Took your bags out to her car," Her mom said without looking up. Chloe just nodded, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Sooo," She said, dragging out the word. Meredith glanced up and sighed, putting the paper down.

"I guess I can't keep you forever. Don't want you to miss your flight." Chloe wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her tight. I think I'll be okay on time.

"I'm gonna miss you, mom." She squeezed her tighter.

"I'm gonna miss you too, kiddo." Chloe heard her mother's voice break, but the older woman pulled away. "Now go before I breakdown." Chloe gave her a sad smile.

"I'll call every day, I promise! I love you, mom!" She yelled running out the door. She heard her mom reply with and I love you too and headed to the sleek black Dodge Charger that was parked out front. She got in the passenger's seat, giving Jasmine another smile before buckling in. "Off to the house?"

"That we are," Said an accent from the backseat that made Chloe jump half a foot. Jasmine just pulled away, smiling a bit.

"What the hell, Alek?" Chloe turned, giving Alek a glare then faced the front while rolling her eyes.

"No crime in coming along for the ride, Chloe King." She heard his cocky voice and didn't even bother with a reply. Yeah, I'll be able to pretend to be engaged to that, she thought to herself. She just closed her eyes, enjoying the short, quiet ride that only lasting for about 7 minutes.

"Okay, well my mom and I will be away until Monday. We're traveling around the U.S. and giving people our word on your guys. We're not sure what they will ask of us, but we're going to try and give them everything they need to see." Jasmine spoke as Chloe stepped out of the car. She noticed that Alek was grabbing all of her bags and went to stop him.

"You don't have to do that," She told him, holding out her hands. He just shrugged and continued walking towards the elevator that was inside the parking garage they were in.

"Sound like a plan?" Jasmine spoke, now taking stride beside Chloe. Chloe just nodded and smiled lightly at her.

"Do you have to go though? I mean, I'd Just kind of appreciate it if I weren't alone with Alek. He's already getting on my nerves and we haven't even started." Jasmine gave a short chuckle, but shook her head.

"We aren't leaving until tonight, around 7:30. Mom wants to get everything planned for the next couple of months so she knows what will take place. Plus, she wants you and Alek to get to know each other. If you guys know nothing about each other, then no one will believe you're about to be married." Chloe nodded in understanding.

The elevator that they were now standing in dinged and the two stepped off. Chloe couldn't help but notice that Alek must have taken one up before they got there.

"Jasmine, can I ask you something?" Chloe stopped the other girl from opening the door. Jasmine looked confused, but nodded for Chloe to continue. "When we're acting engaged, will be still be so-" She paused thinking of the word."well, you know?" She just shrugged, failing to complete her sentence. Jasmine smiled, which looked strangely like a smirk to Chloe.

"You too will have to be in love. Meaning, he will probably tone it down but," She looked at Chloe. "He's Alek." Chloe nodded and sighed as Jasmine opened the door. The place looked the same as yesterday. No surprise there.

"Chloe, it's good to see that you're mother agreed to let you spend time with us." Valentina spoke and startled Chloe, who didn't see her before.

"Except she think we're in New York, but yes." Chloe spoke quietly. Valentina seemed to ignore her comment.

"Would you like me to show you to your room?" Valentina started walking, not giving Chloe much choice in the matter. They stopped walking once they were in front of a closed door. Valentina reached forward and opened it. "We tried the best we could to make this homely." Chloe stepped inside and gave a silent smile.

The first thing she noticed was the - what appeared to be - double glass doors that had a plae white curtain hanging over them. Chloe guessed it was a balcony of some sort. She looked around some more and noticed there was a bed, with a simple black and white comforter, topped with pillows. There was a small night stand next to the bed. She looked back around and noticed that there was a desk with a couple pieces of stationary on top of it. She noticed the sliding doors, indicating a closet. Then there was another door. Chloe walked forwards and opened it. She flipped the light switch and walked into the bathroom that was connected to her room. There were white towels hanging from the rack and white washcloths sitting on the sink. She smiled again and walked out.

"Thank you, I really-" She noticed that Valentina had already walked away. Chloe took another glance around and noticed her bags were on the side of the bed. With a sigh, she started unpacking.


About an hour and a half later, Chloe sat on her bed feeling ready to go back to sleep. She glanced at her phone and saw it was almost 11:30. She sighed, feeling a bit hungry. She walked out of her room and into the long hallway, heading towards the kitchen where she found Alek.

"Where's Jasmine and Valentina? I want to thank them for making my room up." She took a seat on the stool next to him. He snickered and Chloe glanced over at him. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." He smirked and shook his head. He got off of his stool and Chloe followed.

"What's so funny?" She followed after him as he headed towards his room.

"Who's to say that they were the one's who did it?" He opened his door and walked in, throwing himself down in his bed with a grunt. "Who's to say I didn't make it?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

"Why on earth would you do my room?" He just shrugged.

"That would be because I follow Valentina's orders." He closed his eyes, much like last night on Chloe's bed. She thought for a second.

"Then thank you, Alek." She was about to leave when she remembered her actual reason for exiting her room in the first place. "What is there to eat?"

"Anything you can find," Was his simple reply. She sighed and headed towards the kitchen. She raided the fridge first, in hopes of finding some kind of leftovers. Much to her dismay, there were none. She did, however, find ingredients that could make a sandwich.

After putting one together and taking a bite, Jasmine came out from the other side of the room. Valentina's office, Chloe guessed.

"Hey there," Jasmine said, sitting next to the blond.

"Hey yourself," Chloe smiled. "So when are we making these 'plans' you told me about?" Jasmine shrugged, as if thinking.

"Could be any time before 6. That's when we leave." Chloe nodded and went back to eating before Jasmine spoke up again. "Are you still seeing Brian?" Chloe almost choked on the food in her mouth. She swallowed hard and turn to face the other Mai.

"We-uh-we still talk. Not so much date or anything." She blushed and looked down. When Jasmine didn't say anything, Chloe looked at her.

"You can't see him in public. Not unless Alek is with you." Jasmine stated, kind of business like. Chloe nodded but sighed internally. Alek and Brian have never really - got along.

"And I don't plan on seeing him much. I know it can never work between us, I just-" She set her food down, not feeling so hungry anymore. "I was hoping we could still be friends. As you told be before, though; you can't be friends with someone you-" She cut herself off. She may have liked Brian, but she didn't love him. "Someone you like." She finished.

"Chloe, humans and Mai just aren't meant to be together. Yes, you are supposed to unite us, but that doesn't mean we can live happily ever after. There's bound to be people who dislike the idea, and some who don't." Chloe nodded, knowing she was right. Brian was a great guy, but he just wasn't meant for Chloe.

"I know. Like I said, I was just trying to stay friends with him." Jasmine nodded and placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder. The blond looked up and smiled sadly.

"No reason to be sad." Jasmine said, standing up and walking towards the hallway. "You still have Alek," She smirked and walked away. Chloe scoffed.

"As if," She got up, threw away the rest of her uneaten food and went to walked to her new room. Once inside, she lied down feeling all the tension she didn't know was there, slip away. Relaxing for a couple of minutes turned into Chloe taking a nap, and someone waking her up.

"Chloe, Valentina wants to talk to us now." She felt a hand on her arm and heard that accented voice she knew so well. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching, knocking Alek's hand off of her arm.

"Fine," She mumbled and sat up. She followed Alek out and into the main room where Valentina and Jasmine were sitting. They took both of the individual chairs, leaving the couch for Chloe and Alek. They both sat down and Valentina began.

"As you know, Chloe, Jasmine and I will be taking of tonight around 6 o'clock. You and Alek will have all of tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday to get to know each other. I already called into the school's office and left a message, so they should know none of you will be in by Monday." Chloe nodded, still feeling very out of it.

"I want to two of you to think of things that and engaged couple would have done. First date, the first time you both said 'I love you", and even where and when Alek purposed to you." Valentina glanced at Alek and back at Chloe. "Do you think you too can do that?" They both nodded. "Well, it's around 2 now, so Jasmine and I are going to start packing up our things. It shouldn't take us too long." She waved Jasmine to stand up and stood herself, leaving Alek and Chloe in the room alone. Chloe let her head drop down onto the arm of the couch, curling up in a small ball.

"Now look who looks like they haven't slept in years," Alek stated, his voice ringing in Chloe's quiet head.

"Shuddup," She mumbled into the couch. He laughed and she felt the couch move and Alek stepped off of it. She also felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and waist. She shrieked with surprise as Alek lifted her off the couch. "What are you doing?" She slapped his shoulder as her arms went around his neck.

"Carrying you to your room, sweetheart." He smirked down at her and she rolled her eyes. Not that she would ever admit it, but the feel of his muscles tight around her small form made her body warmer. She liked the feeling of being in his arms. All too soon, he opened her door with one hand and carried her to her bed, setting her down gently. "Want me to wake you up at a certain time if you don't?" Chloe nodded yawning and rolling onto her side.

"Just wake me up around 4:30, I guess." She didn't see his reaction as her eyes closed and she heart a small, "Okay," then drifted off to sleep again.


So it was a pretty boring chapter, wasn't it? I promise to have more up soon! Just think; the next chapter will be pretty much all Chloe and Alek(:

Again, I am so thankful to all of those who reviewed/followed/favorited this story on only the first chapter! It means so much to me! Please keep reviewing, it makes me very happy!(:

Also, make sure to check out my story that I'm doing with Lilianna.S! It's called Lost In Your memory, and it's on our shared account, colabchalek. Please read and review that! Check out her amazing stories too :D

~Maria xoxo