Another chapter of this mysterious story...What happened between Alex and Stevie?! ;) Hope you enjoy this new chapter...
...

When they entered the pub they could feel people were looking at them. Alex tried to ignore it, he took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face while he gently put one hand on Stevie's back, pushing in the direction of the bar.

"Beer?" He softly asked.

Stevie looked a bit nervous, her eyes looking everywhere.

Alex tried to get her attention. "Hey. Ease up."

When she looked into his eyes she noticed he was smiling and she could feel he was trying to have a good time. Stevie remembered what they talked about, that it had been a while since they had a good time together, without the tension of them being the 'talk of the town'. But it wasn't until now that she realised it probably was the worst place to be at this moment!

She followed Alex to the bar and stood closely beside him when he ordered two beers, leaning forward with one arm on the bar. Phil Rackitch was in the pub too. He was about to pay the bill and walked to the bar, next to Stevie and Alex. He had an interesting look on his face. Alex looked beside him.

Phil smiled. "Alex."

Alex nodded. "Phil."

Phil pulled up one eyebrow and checked Stevie out. "Stevie." Then he looked at Alex again. "So you're not scared to be seen in town Alex, are you? I mean, with all these stories going on about you two."

Steve felt the tension rise and she also felt anger coming up...

Alex responded while he took the beers from the bar. "What stories? I don't know what you're talking about Phil. We're about to play some pool here." He tried to respond as relaxed as he could, but inside he got mad. He knew what Phil had said to Harry about him and Stevie. He was one of the persons who was spreading the rumours! Phil understood Alex was avoiding the subject and he knew he was careful because he didn't want a fight with Alex. Many others didn't dare to ask something, but as time went by Stevie and Alex felt how they all looked at them.

...

It was special to see how the two friends did their best to have a good time together. They played some pool and after a first game -to practice a bit- they sat at a table to drink a few beers and have a chat. A few extra beers to loosen up a bit more...Suddenly Jodi and Kate entered the pub, Stevie sighed when she looked up from nervously playing with a beer mat. Alex suddenly did what he wanted to do for the last 5 minutes. He grabbed her hand. "Can you stop that?" Stevie looked from the girls to Alex and sighed another time, her eyes drifted of to their hands.

"If you let me go, yeah..." She said smart. And looked in the direction of the girls again, it made Alex look too.

Now he sighed. "I thought so. You wanna leave?"

But Stevie looked determined. "No way. We're here to play pool right?" She smiled and stood up, ready to order something. "I really could use something stronger, how about you?"

Alex shrugged, he was up for it, but someone had to drive. "I want to get you home safe."

Stevie froze for a moment, there was something about the way he said it, she felt all warm inside and nodded, as she quickly turned to walk to the bar.

"Hey Stevie. You still mad?" Kate carefully asked as she met her at the bar.

Stevie tried to respond relaxed. "No, not at all. Can I buy you two a beer."

Jodi nodded. "Sure, thanks Steves." When Stevie ordered the two looked at each other and smiled.

Stevie grabbed his shoulder when she put down his beer. "Missed me?" She teasingly smiled.

Alex looked beside him and saw Stevie sipping her pink coloured drink, her eyes smiling. "You sound a bit more relaxed."

Stevie sat down. "Yep I am. After this one I'm up for the real game."

Alex smiled. "Don't drink to much of those, it could effect your play."

"In a positive way, I hope." She smiled and leaned back in the chair, sipping her drink. She looked appealing and Alex felt that he was attracted to her. It was confusing as he knew the price of the game; a kiss. But he had felt like this before, sometimes it was hard not to, because she was so beautiful. How could a man feel nothing for a woman like Stevie?

"What?" She suddenly said because of the way he looked at her.

"Nothing. Lets get on with it, shall we?" He said and finished his beer. He stood up and walked to the pool table. Jodi and Kate were not sitting far from them.

They tossed for who could start and Alex won, he was kind of exited.

Stevie laughed. "You can't wait to start, can you?"

Alex smiled and wiggled his eyebrows as he chalked the stick he was playing with.

He blew when he was done and glanced at Stevie. "Of course I am. I know the award and with you drinking these kind of weird cocktails it will be easy to win."
They didn't knew Kate and Jodi had their ears pricked up and heard them talk. They stood up and walked towards them. That wasn't weird, they watched them play much often. But it felt different now and that feeling was right.

Kate looked very curious and asked. "What's to win?" But Alex didn't even look at them and Stevie kept her eyes on the pool table.

Jodi asked something else. "Maybe you'll remember something, when you drink those." And she looked at the cocktail, but Stevie just shrugged. Trying to look uninterested and looked at Alex his next shot, waiting for her turn. They both hoped ignorance would work, but the girls sat down on the side of the bar that was closest to the pool table.

...

The game was in Alex his advantage and that was all written over his face, almost funny to see.

And because of the game and the beers he almost forgot the girls when he said. "So, after the game then?" He teased Stevie, reminding her of the kiss they were going to have.

She looked serious "Ssshhh" and shook her head.

He took another good shot and smiled even more, moving his eyebrows when he looked at her. He didn't really care what others thought, but on the other hand, it was annoying him and the eyes of Jodi and Kate, burning in his back, got more irritating as time went by. He walked to Stevie.

"You know what? Maybe we should leave right after this game." He looked around him.

Stevie looked understanding. "Yes, we should."

Then suddenly Jodi stood up and walked towards them. "No don't leave."

Stevie and Alex both looked surprised. Jodi added "We want to play against you." Then she turned and looked at Kate, who was smiling, obviously agreeing with her friend.

Alex pulled up his eyebrows. "Why?"

Stevie added kind of annoyed. "Yeah why. I mean, we've played before and it's getting late..." She definitely wanted to leave sometime soon.

Jodi was unsure how to tell them. "Well how should I put this?"

Then Kate joined them. "Jodi knows something." Jodi nodded.

Stevie and Alex frowned. "Know what?" Stevie asked.

Jodi took a deep breath. "I know something about you two...About you're hot and steamy night."

Stevie and Alex were flabbergasted! Stevie got mad. "If you know something you better tell us."

Alex moved closer towards Jodi. "If you know something you would've told us earlier. Wouldn't you?" He looked kind of threatening.

Jodi looked a bit scared and glanced at Kate before she looked at Alex again and answered avoiding his question. "We should play first. If you win, I'll tell you guys."

Stevie got mad again. "That's not fair! You should tell us now!" Alex softly put one hand on her back to calm her down.

Alex stared into Jodi's eyes, there was a moment of silence. He was real pissed off, but he tried to keep it in. "You know this is complete nonsense, right?"

Stevie sighed, she just couldn't believe this. "This is insane! Come on Alex, we're out of here." She turned away.

But now Jodi looked mad too. "Insane huh? Well you may think this is weird and all wrong and everything, but not long ago you guys played pool about "me"! About whether I was getting my job back or not. So don't start with me Stevie."

Stevie shook her head and snapped. "And I should sack you again right now."

Kate said. "I think she's right Stevie. Let's not fight, let's play."

Alex didn't say much, but he doubted Jodi but also was curious about what she might knew. "Righto, let's play then." He suddenly said as a surprise. He walked to Stevie and whispered. "They're just teasing. One game and we're out of here, ok? Ease up Stevie. Let's have some fun." He sweetly smiled at her. It worked, she felt a bit calmer.

...

Kate got some new drinks for all of them and then they started. Jodi was the one who opened the game. Alex laughed when she had a lousy shot. He talked to Stevie. "No worries, this is easy." But his shot was as worthless as Jodi's...

Jodi and Kate where relaxed and practised a bit lately. Stevie and Alex really felt llike they had something to loose and so they both were kind of tensed up. When the game got closer to the end, Jodi and Kate were playing good, better then expected.

Stevie suddenly asked. "What if we loose? You're not gonna tell us?"

Jodi was just taking another shot, sinking another ball and looked up from the pool table with a sneaky smile. "No, I guess not."

Stevie felt anger coming up again, she glanced at Alex. "One hell of a friend you are then."

Jodi wanted to snap back, but Alex interfered. "Listen Jodi, if you really know something you better tell us."

Jodi got a bit insecure and felt threatened by the way he looked at her. "Or else Alex? Are you threatening me?"

Now he got real mad. "Of course not! It's just a decent thing to do!" He walked towards her and softly said. "Look Stevie is your friend. You have any idea how this is effecting her?"

Kate agreed, but she didn't dare to say it out loud...Did Jodi really know something? She stared in Alex his eyes and didn't say a thing. Another shot, she missed and now it was Stevie's turn. She was full of adrenaline. "Can you do my turn?" Her eyes were pleading as she looked at her best mate.

Alex nodded and walked towards the pool table. But Kate didn't agree. "Hey, that's not fair. Stevie it's your turn."

Stevie sighed and looked at the floor for a moment and then looked at Kate. "I can't do it. As a matter of fact, I just want to go home." She looked unhappy.
Kate looked disappointed. "But we didn't finished the game."

Stevie looked at Alex. "We did?"

He calmly nodded at her and carefully put the stick away. He looked at Jodi and said. "I don't care what it is you have to say. It's probably not even important."

Then he walked to Stevie who sat down at the table and sipped her cocktail. She was thinking...If Jodi knew something, maybe the kiss wasn't even needed. Or did she wanted to make it happen anyway? There was time enough to think about it...But what about Jodi, what did she know? What happened between Alex and Stevie?
Alex noticed the doubts written all over her face. "Or do you still want to finish the game?"

Stevie jumped up from her thoughts. "No. I want you to bring me home."

He carefully smiled and waited for her to finish her drink. Jodi was speechless, but when she saw them leave she didn't feel good at all.

"Oh Kate, what have I done?" She sat down at a table and looked sad. Kate put her hand on top of Jodi's folded hands on the tabe. Jodi sighed. "Now what?" Kate shrugged, she didn't know the answer and said nothing.