Amazed at all the reviews on the last chapter! Keep them coming! :)
Chloe's Point of View
"Who said you have to choose one?" Alek said, playfully.
"We could explore the park today. There are a lot of things to do there." I suggested. I didn't really know what Alek would like to do. I wanted to do something that would make him happy, because what he chose last night made me extremely happy. Exploring the park seemed like a fun thing to do, and Alek was pretty laid back.
"Doesn't matter to me, sounds fun." He agreed and I let out a sigh of relief. I knew that today would be nothing compared to what we did last night, but since we were here for a month I really could surprise him with something.
"Okay, well I'm going to shower. I had literally just woken up when Jason showed up." I explained.
"Me too. See you in an hour and a half." He said sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him, holding back a chuckle.
"You take forever!" He dragged out. I laughed and shook my head.
"I do not!" I argued. He laughed as I pursed my lips.
I tried to think of something to say as he crossed his arms and looked at me with one of his eyebrows raised, challenging me. I huffed and turned to go upstairs, he followed right behind me, laughing.
I showered and kept my hair down. I put on the usual makeup and went to get dressed. I wore a pair of jean shorts and paired it with a red tank top. It was close to being a hundred degrees, and that was without the humidity. I wore my gladiator sandals again.
I walked out and saw Alek sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms holding him up as he leaned back into it. He was already showered and changed into jeans and a black Henley shirt. I could see him making no effort to hide the smirk that was on his face.
"Don't say it." I warned. His eyes glowed as his smirk became wider and he threw his hands up.
I grabbed my purse off of the dresser, making sure my phone was charged and that I had my wallet. Alek got up and followed me and I wondered if we could continue our argument free day. This was almost two days in a row; I hoped we could keep it up.
When we got in the elevator I made sure to press the ground floor button. Alek, obviously in a good mood to tease me had pushed ten different buttons as the doors were closing.
"You do realize that it's going to take forever to get to the lobby now right?"
He didn't answer. He simply folded his hands behind his back with a smirk. We had stopped on three different floors already and I was getting aggravated. I decided that two could play this game.
The next time the elevator opened its door, I simply walked out and turned around to stare at him.
"Where are you going?" He asked mischievously.
"Just right here. I'll get back on." I lied. He raised his eyebrows in question. The elevator doors began to shut and I laughed, running towards the stairwell. I heard him yell my name and I was surprised that he didn't manage to stop the elevator doors from closing. I ran down the stairs, knowing I would beat Alek to the lobby. Then he would be the one that took so long.
I went down a few more floors and decided that I would just go ahead and be there when the doors opened on the next floor. I didn't need him getting too pissed off at me, it was a little too early to be playing games. I looked up and saw that the elevator was still a floor above me. I tried to contain my smile as it came down and the doors opened.
Alek's arms were crossed and he looked pissed. When he saw me, he didn't say anything to me, but his features softened. I gave him a small smile and walked back into the elevator as the door's closed and we continued down.
"Don't do that again." He said sternly. I laughed, thinking he was joking, but he still stood serious.
"What are you serious?" I asked him, my smile fading. He turned his head away and ignored me.
"Wow…okay! So much for keeping the peace." I said annoyed. I crossed my arms and leaned against the elevator wall.
Alek burst out laughing and I glared at him. "You really can't take a joke." He laughed, uncrossing his arms and letting them hang at his side.
"That was mean." I pouted, but I wasn't mad.
When we finally arrived in the lobby I practically ran outside for the fresh air. It was a beautiful day, despite the mugginess.
"Slow down!" I heard him from behind. I laughed, usually he was one to be ahead of me.
"I needed the fresh air! Plus, now we can get to the park sooner."
We walked through the beginning of the park. We decided we would visit the pond on the way back since it was basically across the street from the hotel. We passed under the inscope arch. Alek made a comment about how perfectly it was structured.
"I didn't know you were one for architecture." I stated.
"I'm not, but I know a beautiful thing when I see it." He said, and then glanced over at me. I nodded my head, not sure if there was another meaning behind his words.
"So why Central Park?" He asked. I looked over at him in confusion. "You could go anywhere in the city, but you decided to come here and you even came here the first day we were here."
I blushed, remembering how I snuck out of the hotel and immediately went to the park for a few hours.
"I don't know. I mean, just look around. It's peaceful and absolutely breathtaking. There are so many things going on in the world today and then you come to a place like this and you see people that look like they don't have a care in the world. It's like this magical place that's undisturbed by the outside world." I explained passionately. "I feel like anything can happen here. I don't think I have seen one person here that has been discouraged or looked as if they were about to breakdown."
I smiled and looked over towards him to see that he was looking right back at me, concentrating on what I had to say.
"Look!" – I pointed towards a father and son that were playing catch – "How often do you see things like that nowadays?"
"And there!" – I exclaimed, this time pointing towards a little girl chasing a butterfly – "When is the last time you saw anything like that? I know I haven't in at least ten years."
Alek didn't say anything; he just smiled at me genuinely. I continued to enjoy our surroundings. I eyed an older couple, holding hands as they walked along the path. I saw a younger couple behind them, holding hands as well.
"I bet that they" – referring to the older couple – "had their first date here or even met here and have been together ever since." I smiled at the older couple as they passed us. "And I bet that they" – now referring to the younger couple – "are going to follow in the same tracks as them."
"You seem very sure of that." Alek said, his hands in his pocket as he walked beside me.
"I'd like to think that were the case." I admitted, profoundly. We were just walking by the statues of Christopher Columbus, Robert Burns and William Shakespeare.
I admired what I saw in so many movies before. It was what was referred to as the literary walk or as some people called it 'the mall'. There were food vendors and other things around us. I couldn't help but gape at the beautiful elm trees that surrounded us. There were an endless amount of benches along the wide pathway. I saw some people being having their picture drawn by sketch artists and others sitting on the benches reading.
We walked in a calm and steady silence. We made a left at the Bethesda fountain and continued. I didn't really know where we were going, but I knew the names of everything only from the continuous list of movies I had watched that involved Central Park. We continued to walk until reached a slope that overlooked the lake. We were headed towards the Bow Bridge. I couldn't wait to get there, it was one of my favorite things that I memorized from the movies.
"You really like it here don't you?" Alek asked me. I had realized that I was still smiling.
"Yeah." I said as we walked across the bridge. I stopped in the middle and leaned against it, looking out to the lake.
"You don't?" I asked him.
"No, I do but you look like you're in your own personal wonderland." He chuckled. I looked down at the water and blushed.
We stayed here for fifteen minutes. Alek was unusually quiet and when I looked over at him, I saw him gazing at the lake as if he were able to see beneath the surface, or just deep in thought.
We went back the same path as we came. When we walked through the area with the three statues, it had struck me that Alek had yet to eat anything today. As if on cue, I heard his stomach rumble.
"Hungry?" I asked with a light laugh.
"Starved…you?" He asked. I nodded my head. He walked over to a vendor and got us both hot dogs and two waters.
We ate as we began walking down a path that was full of lilacs. The aroma alone sent me into a state of euphoria, as if it were possible to be happier than I had before. It was and it overwhelmed me.
We finished eating, throwing our trash in a nearby bin. I watched as Alek gulped his water down, letting out a satisfied "ahhhh" when he finished and tossing the empty bottle in the same bin.
"Thirsty?" I asked, astonished.
"Mmhmmm, refreshed is more like it." He declared with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.
We came across a huge meadow. Many people were having picnics or sunbathing. Alek looked over at me mysteriously.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh nothing." He said, looking away quickly.
"Alek." I pushed on.
"I was just going to suggest a race." I looked at the meadow and then back at him.
"A race?" I asked.
"Yup. From here until the end of the meadow."
"What's the catch?" I asked, wondering his motives behind all of this.
"We've got to get you back into training." He stated and I groaned.
"I've been thinking a lot about what you said last night. We need to be prepared and at our full ability if we were to be caught off guard." He explained.
"So, now we're training today?" I asked, peeved.
"No, I just feel like a race." He teased.
"We'll resume to some light training on Sunday." He stated. I replied with another groan.
"You ready?" He jerked his head towards the other end of the meadow.
"Fine." I agreed. Before we could even say when to go, Alek started running at full speed. "Hey! That's not fair!" I yelled after him as I quickly followed behind him.
We ran. Alek stayed in the lead the whole way. I was picking up momentum as we neared our finishing point but Alek won. I slowed to a stop, catching my breath.
"Not fair. First of all, you got a head start. Second, you are wearing sneakers."
"Always be prepared." He winked
We caught our breath and started back in the direction of The Plaza.
"So, are you ever going to tell me what went on between you and Jason?" I asked cautiously.
"Nothing really." He sighed. "When I was here last, he would drink to the point of delirium. Not only that, but it would be in public where he was vulnerable to do anything and not really be aware of his actions. He was completely careless. I had to practically drag him home once because he was so drunk that he began hitting on the humans, just completely reckless. When I confronted him we exchanged words. It wasn't the drinking that bothered me as much as his…advances." He explained.
"Advances?"
"Yeah. Jason is known for having his way with women. He uses his status and self-assurance as a way to get whatever he wants...especially with women, so you can kind of see why I didn't like you hanging with him." He gave me a serious and concerned look.
"Well…it didn't work with me."
"That's because you're a smart girl." He nudged me in the side.
Alek and I walked over the Gapstow Bridge that overlooked the pond. We were close to the hotel now and I assumed that we would be going back there until we decided what to do next. I didn't even know what time it was. I checked my phone and was shocked to see that it was 5:30.
"Is there any particular theme to tomorrow's ball?" I asked, curiously. Alek shook his head.
"Nope, just a welcoming ball." He looked over at me. "Do you know what you're wearing?" He asked.
I briefly explained the dress that I was going to wear and he just nodded his head. I was worried that he didn't like the one I was talking about. As if he could read my weariness he told me that it was the perfect dress.
When we got back to The Plaza and got back up to our suite, we immediately went out to the terrace. We were both standing and overlooking where we had spent the day.
"Can I ask you something?" Alek looked at me uneasily.
"Yeah, anything." I answered, wondering what was wrong.
"You said that Jason reminded you of someone. Who were you talking about?" My face automatically reddened when he asked this. I wasn't sure what to say and I didn't want to tell him it was him.
"Nobody." I said firmly, not meeting his gaze.
"Chloe…you can tell me." He said calmly. I bit my lip in question, not answering him as I heard him sigh.
"You know Chloe, you haven't been answering my questions at all." He said angrily.
"What do you mean?"
"Meaning everything. I ask you the simplest of questions and you do everything you can to avoid them."
I opened my mouth to protest at his argument, but looked off to the side.
"Like right there. What you just did!" He yelled, pointing at me.
"I'm not avoiding anything Alek!" I yelled back.
"Then why won't you answer me?"
"I have been answering you!" I argued.
"Fine. Answer me two things. Who does Jason remind you of?" I gulped, looking over at him not wanting to answer. He shook his head at my silence.
"And more importantly, what the hell did you mean the other night when you said it was too late?" My eyes widened that he still remembered this and I raked through my brain, looking for excuses.
"Alek…"
"I thought we were making progress here Chloe." He said, his face falling.
"We are…but"
"No…we're not. I've been honest with you, you haven't been honest with me once." He stated firmly, this triggered my anger.
"Excuse me? I haven't been honest with you? Let's talk about you!" He looked away, crossing his arms. "How about the photo strip in your wallet? Why was that there?" He ignored me, his jaw tightening.
"Or how about the other night when I told you all the things I tried telling you two years ago!"
I yelled, I could feel my skin boiling.
"What about it?" He asked, irritated.
"Oh gee, I don't know…maybe the part where you pushed it out of me to finally tell you and when I did you fell asleep right after!" I felt my heart twist at the memory.
"It was jetlag!" He insisted.
"Jetlag my ass!" I retorted.
"Well, it was!" He shot back.
"Somehow I find that very hard to believe." I said, my voice flat with no emotion.
"Don't even tell me something like that Chloe. Let's just remember everything you did from two years ago."
"What are you kidding me?" I wanted to scream that he was bringing this up again.
"I told you how I felt and you dismissed it. You didn't care how I felt, all you cared about was your human and look where that got you!" He shouted, harshly, his words full of venom.
"That's not true." I could feel my eyes welling up.
"Oh please, you couldn't stop running after him. You couldn't stay away. You just had to keep pursuing him." He threw his words that felt like a knife cutting into me.
"I told you why!" I protested. He ignored me.
"And we're back at square one. You don't elaborate on anything." He spat. "I've tried so hard to make this work while we're here. Nobody is more sick of arguing than I am but you continue to close me out. That's not how things work Chloe." He said, his voice calmer now. I scoffed.
"It takes two." I firmly stated.
"You're right. It does take two. Practice what you preach." He spat. I saw him turn around and go back inside. I followed after him.
"Me?" I asked in disbelief. "You're the reason this happened in the first place!"
"How's that?" He turned around when he reached the bottom of the stairs and cocked his head to the side.
"Why do you think I close you out? Who shut who out first Alek? Tell me that!" We were somehow in the living room now.
He went to say something but I interrupted.
"You! It has always been you with the problem!" I yelled. He turned around and headed for the door. He made no attempt to answer me.
"There's your answer right there!" I screamed after him. He whipped around as he reached for the door.
"What?" He raised his eyebrows, he was still very angry and it showed in all aspects.
"This is exactly what I meant when I said it was too late." I said flatly, I saw his face flicker with a wave of unreadable emotions.
"Stay here, I'm going out." He opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him.
As soon as the door shut, I clenched onto my stomach. Everything that had built up inside me was starting to come out. I grabbed onto the railing for balance and fell back to sit on one of the steps.
Tears started streaming down my face that I couldn't control. I had no idea where Alek was going or even if he was going to come back. I sudden wave of panic flooded throughout me as the next round of emotions erupted. Then, I felt angry again because he was allowed to leave when he wanted and I couldn't.
I could hear myself gasping for air as I tried to contain my emotions. It was impossible at this moment. That was by far the worst argument and it had pushed me to my breaking point and obviously to his as well because he had never stormed off. I was always the one to do that.
I said everything that needed to be said, everything that I had been holding inside. My face was soaked and my vision was blurry from all the tears. I wondered if he would come back, I thought of all his harsh words.
I stumbled up the stairs and into the bathroom, grabbing tissue and wiping the tears off of my face. I looked in the mirror and was horrified at what I saw looking back. My mascara was smudged all over my face and my face alone was as red and puffy as a tomato. I still couldn't stop the crying after the countless attempts I had made.
I went into the bedroom and got my phone out of my purse. I contemplated calling Alek, but ended up throwing my phone of the bed in frustration. I sat on the bed, holding my stomach in my arms as I cried even more. I decided that I was going to call Amy for advice. I dialed her number and ended up getting the voicemail. She must have gone to Hawaii with Paul after all.
I was devastated at this point and was sure that Alek would really want nothing to do with me after this fallout. He had been the one to walk out this time.
Alek had left around seven. It had been two and a half hours since he left and I didn't think he would be coming back. Then I heard the door open and his familiar, surprisingly calm heartbeat.
I told you Chloe and Alek would have a breaking point. I'm sorry it happened like this, but here's the thing…you're going to love the next chapter. It's going to start in Alek's point of view and he's going to …I don't want to spoil it! *ZIPS LIPS* I think you'll like it regardless!
I don't really care for the snippet in the beginning with the elevator, but I left it in there.
I'm going out of town today, but I'll be back later tonight. If you want the next chapter tomorrow I'm really going to need people asking for it. I'll be getting home late and exhausted.
So, I guess I should tell you the events of the next chapter at least? The Ball! Oh, but in the beginning, you're going to read Alek's point of view and what happened the rest of the night. So, that chapter should be even longer than this one! Excited? Good! Review and tell me what you think!
You know you want to! ;)
