CH 4- BUTTERFLIES

A/N: Soo.. that new episode? The roses were sooo pretty~! Alek is just adorable the entire episode. I love his expressions... I squealed. Like a lot. =P Although at first I thought the person taking pictures of Chloe and Brian was Alek... xD (Side note- also loving how I guessed Chloe's favorite color correctly haha)

Also sorries I haven't updated in a while, I got suddenly attacked by silly boy drama and SATs and college stuff... it's like life decided to pack all the high school drama in that it possibly can before I'm officially not a high school girl anymore. Senior year is gonna be quite the shenanigan =P

Anyway, love you all! Thanks for leaving the best reviews ever, you guys are amazing =)

Alek stood outside his apartment, feeling like his feet were superglued to the ground.

He had been standing there for about an hour now. Before that, he had raced across town, feeling especially energized because of what he now knew. He had been too impatient to wait for the elevator- barely sparing a glance around to make sure nobody was watching, Alek had bolted up all eighteen flights of stairs. There was so much adrenaline and happiness in his veins, he hadn't even been tired when he reached the top of the stairs. But for some reason, when he reached the door, he just froze.

Something about this whole situation was impossibly dumb to him. After all, Alek wanted nothing more than for Chloe to be Mai. It was a selfish hope, but he couldn't help it. Just the idea of having someone to talk with, someone who didn't censor themselves like Jasmine did or provide only bits of information like Valentina did... It would be amazing. There were no other Mai in San Francisco besides his cousin and aunt, and Alek couldn't pour his guts out to some human. Thus, ever since coming to San Francisco, Alek had been feeling a bit isolated. Even his old friends from London didn't quite cut it anymore- there was only so much you could communicate over texting or the occasional Skype chat. So he couldn't help wishing that Chloe would be Mai. Especially because he was becoming quite fond of her and didn't like the thought of lying to her about who he was. If he couldn't tell her, there was no way their friendship would last. He'd feel too guilty. So the idea that she might be Mai, and he wouldn't have to make up excuses and lie to her… The very concept was simply incredible. It was, without a doubt, what he wanted.

Yet somehow, Alek just couldn't make his feet move. He couldn't make himself run in there and tell Valentina what he had found out. There was a certain reluctance that he felt, and it was a strong enough feeling that he couldn't make himself move. It was inexplicable. All he wanted was for Chloe to be Mai, but now that he had the proof he needed right in front of him, he was unable to make himself share it. Why?

Alek sighed to himself and closed his eyes. Because as much as he wanted to ignore it and pretend he didn't know why, he honestly did. If he ran in there and told Valentina, the problem would be solved. Case closed, mystery over. He would, in other words, have no excuse to spend his nights outside Chloe's house. No reason he could tell Jasmine or Valentina as to why he would be hanging out with her as often as he hoped he would. And that was not what he wanted. Not at all.

So Alek rolled his shoulders forward, trying for his best "unsuccessful and defeated" pose. Then he walked in the apartment, heaved a giant sigh (extra loudly, so Valentina would be sure to hear it), and walked into his room. He did all of this without saying a word. Alek closed the door and turned towards his bed, about to drop down and fall asleep.

But, much to his surprise, Jasmine was there. She sat upright in the middle of his bed, her legs crossed and her hands folded on her lap. Jasmine wore a Cheshire cat-esque smile, like she knew something he didn't want her to. Alek gulped. Jasmine's smile grew.

"Hello, Alek," Jasmine said. "Have fun at Chloe's tonight?"

"I wasn't- I just had to- I mean, really, it was just for..." he sputtered. Crap. He was so bad at this.

"Relax," Jasmine said, laughing. She swiped a loose curl out of her eyes, smiling at her cousin. "You're the worst liar in the world, you know that?"

He shrugged. It was true, after all.

"So, why didn't you take me with you tonight?" she asked. "I could've like, watched your back or something. Made sure she didn't see you."

Alek lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "I wasn't even sure she's Mai," he said. "I didn't want to drag you along and then have it turn out that she isn't. That'd be a waste of your time."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Right," she said, sounding like she didn't believe him at all. "Well, are you sure now?"

Alek flinched. "No," he said.

"Ouch," Jasmine said sympathetically. She gave him a little side-hug and said, "Well, she still might be, you know. It could happen to anyone."

"Yeah," he agreed, thinking of her ring. "It could."

"You know, I'm very aware of how you feel about her. Me and half the girls at our school," Jasmine said simply. She watched him carefully, anticipating his reaction. "You like her."

Alek's head snapped up, startled. "What? No, I don't!" He paused, collecting himself. Alek perched on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into his hands, suddenly exhausted. "Jasmine, I just met her this morning."

Jasmine rolled her eyes, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "So?" she said. "And you're using the word 'met' rather loosely, aren't you? I think you mean you 'stared at her shamelessly' this morning."

Alek lifted his head and gave her a small half-smile. "Actually, she started talking to me," he admitted. "We're friends."

Jasmine arched an eyebrow. "Who, you? Talk to a girl who's not under the age of six or over the age of sixty? My, my, someone's growing up fast," she teased, ruffling his hair.

He snorted and ducked away. "Yeah, well," he said lamely, his face flushing bright red. "Anyway, baby steps for now, right? It'll be fine. I'm not falling for her just yet, though."

Jasmine smiled triumphantly. "You said yet. That means you plan on falling for her!" Jasmine's eyes tone was playful, but her eyes scanned him seriously.

Alek shrugged, somehow managing to turn even more red. "Um, maybe," he managed to mumble. He sighed. "Alright, that's enough for you," he decided. He stood up, gently pushing his cousin out of his room. "Jasmine, I love you and all, but I am not spilling my guts to you at two in the morning. Try again later."

Jasmine had been waiting for her cousin for quite a while. Valentina had told her where he'd gone and around when he'd be back. Of course, that time had come and gone. Two hours past when Alek should've been home, there was still no sign of him. Jasmine had actually started to be a little nervous for him. But then she heard the apartment door slam, and heard footsteps headed down the hall that were loud and dramatic- definitely Alek.

He had burst into his room, probably exhausted, and looked surprised to see her. Alek didn't seem like he wanted to talk, but too bad. Jasmine had a story to tell. She needed to vent. The boy on the third floor had moved back in. Had smiled at her, and remembered her. For just a moment, Jasmine had let herself smile back and pretend that she was human. She'd felt hopeful. But hope was dangerous. Now Jasmine needed someone to bring her back to reality, because she knew she couldn't be friends with him, much less anything else. And Alek was always good for a reality check.

But then she made some sort of Choe-related joke. And Jasmine had seen his expression- Alek instinctively lit up when he heard her name, then quickly tried to hide his goofy smile. She wanted to talk about the boy on the third floor, she really did- but Alek had looked so happy in that split second, she just couldn't bring herself to pour all her neediness on him. Alek was clearly on some sort of happiness high, something she hadn't seen in him since he'd left London. And Alek deserved to be happy for once.

So she let the conversation drift away from herself. Jasmine pasted a smile on her face, and told herself that a distraction would be just as good as a pep talk. It worked unexpectedly well- part way through their conversation, Jasmine decided that Chloe and Alek would be her new pet project. Jasmine recognized Chloe from school and knew she was nice; Chloe was a good fit for Alek. And if setting them up just happened to help her forget about the boy on the third floor… Well, she wouldn't mind that, either.

"Alright, that's enough for you," Alek said. He stood up and pushed his cousin out of the room with a small half-smile. She rolled her eyes and put up a bit of a fight, but eventually let him kick her out. "Jasmine, I love you and all, but I am not spilling my guts to you at two in the morning. Try again later."

"I'm holding you to that," she joked.

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't doubt it, Nosey."

Jasmine laughed and let him close the door behind her. "Goodnight, Alek," she called softly. Then, soft enough so that he couldn't hear her, she added, "Hope your love life goes better than mine."

Alek exhaled sharply, then changed into pajamas and lay down on his bed, trying to shut off his racing mind. But everything suddenly reminded him of Chloe. When he looked out the window, he wondered if she saw the same stars as him. When he set his iPod to play some music, the first words that played were "Can you still feel the butterflies?". When he pulled his blankets over his head in frustration, he realized that the navy color was the same as her shirt.

Ugh. Alek groaned and hugged a pillow tight, finally giving in. He let his mind linger on Chloe. He could practically see her blonde curls and bright eyes, could almost smell her vanilla perfume. He allowed himself to wonder if maybe she could be someone he would like. And maybe, just maybe, she'd like him too?

Alek closed his eyes, drifting off at last into the first truly peaceful sleep he'd experienced since coming to the United States.

A/N: This chapter seems a little like filler to me, I'm sorry… I'm working on it, I promise. I know how this ends and I'm just working on getting there now =P

Oh, and the song Alek is listening to at the end is "For Me This Is Heaven" by Jimmy Eat World, and besides being a lovely song, I think it fits them quite perfectly... I'm gonna write fanfic to it soon, so be on the lookout for that! =)

Love you all, reviews are greatly appreciated!