Chapter 12! Woot, here we go.
Sorry about the cliff hanger last chapter, but I felt that it was slightly necessary, just to get things moving along a bit But that's what I've been trying for a really fast update! I mean, as I write this author's note, I genuinely don't have a clue as to whether or not I end up fulfilling my promise since my parents have suddenly decided to go psycho on me, but I'm trying
Also, fair warning/request… PLEASE DON'T HATE ME AFTER YOU READ THIS CHAPTER. AND PLEASE DON'T DITCH ME AND IGNORE THE NEXT CHAPTER! I'll make it worth your while…
Also, I have been receiving quite a few private messages and reviews saying that you guys want Alek and Chloe to have sex… And I don't really want to go there. I really want to keep this story T rated, but, if you want, you can private message me and maybe we'll collaborate on an M rated story to accompany this fic. Thanks
Anyways, without further ado, I present to you CHAPTER 12
He must have heard Chloe come downstairs and turned to face her. The smile on her face immediately disappeared.
"What the hell is this?" Alek said, holding up a piece of paper.
Chloe recognized it to be the letter she had gotten earlier in the week from Brian.
Shit.
Chloe felt so screwed. How could she have been so careless as to leave the letter lying around anywhere? Of course Alek was going to find it! Ugh, stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Um, that's a letter…" It was more of a question than a statement.
"Yes, good, Chloe. It's a letter. It also happens to be a letter from Brian." Alek looked at her accusingly. How could she keep this? After everything that he had said and after what she had told him and after what Brian had done to him?
"Alek, I get letters. So what if it's from Brian? There's no need to freak out about this." Chloe was trying so hard to stay out of trouble, to walk around the burning building.
Alek turned around to face away from Chloe. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. How could this happen? Alek placed his hands on the counter, leaning forwards on them, still facing away from her.
"When were you planning on telling me about it?" Alek whispered. Human ears might have missed his words, but Chloe could hear them loud and clear. She could also hear the hurt in his voice.
"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," she defended.
"That big of a deal?" Alek whipped around to face Chloe once again, eyes filled with rage. "He called you a whore for not liking him. He pressured you to move forward in your relationship when you weren't actually ready. He jumped me, your boyfriend and protector, and attacked me to blood and bruises. Not to mention the fact that the fucking Order helped him along, which, as it is quite evident now, he is a part of!"
"Alek, calm down," Chloe pleaded with him. She hated seeing him so worked up. I mean, seriously, was it that terrible that she simply got a letter?
A moment of silence between the two of them, awkwardness and tension filling in the space between Chloe, who was still standing on the last step, and Alek, who remained in the kitchen. Alek looked down, avoiding eye contact with Chloe.
"Are you planning on going?" he asked. He spoke softly, but this time, his voice could reach human ears.
"Yes," Alek's head snapped upwards. "But," Chloe put her hands up in an attempt to prevent Alek from being worked up again. "But, I'm going to see him to tell him personally that I don't ever want to speak to him again. So, if he tries to debate or convince me otherwise, there won't be the lagging of text or e-mail to prevent me from shutting him down instantly."
Chloe thought that she had convinced Alek. She thought that her reasoning was good enough to get him to be okay with her going. She figured that, due to the lack of response, Alek was okay with her going.
She thought wrong.
Alek was rummaging through his brain, trying to find some way, some excuse to get Chloe to stay home tonight. Maybe he would tell her to go, but then trick her into staying… No, then she'd be infuriated with him. Maybe he could enlist Jasmine's help… No, she wouldn't want to get involved.
He soon realized that the only way to get Chloe to stay was simply by asking her.
"Please don't go," Alek spoke as he slowly began to make his way towards Chloe. In response, she finally took a stepped off of the stairs and placed her foot in front of her, preparing to make another move.
"And why not, Alek?" She was about to yell at him for his, what she thought was, ridiculous demand, but then she saw the begging look in her eyes that caused her to reply in the same tone with which he pleaded.
"Because I don't want you to go."
"Tell me why you don't."
"Chloe…"
"Tell me why you don't, and I might consider not going." Chloe hated giving Alek these terms. She hated that she could hear how tense and how firm her voice was. But she knew that there would be no other way that Alek would talk to her.
"Because I…" Alek was trying so hard to find the right words to use. He just couldn't seem to find them, however. So he resorted to the most basic words that he could find that wouldn't get him into too much trouble. "Because I don't trust him, Chloe. I genuinely don't."
"Alek,… Are you… jealous?" Chloe looked at him, fearing the answering. On one hand, she hoped that this wouldn't be the answer, because then that would mean that Alek might not trust her as much as she thought he did. On the other hand, however, she hoped that that would be the answer. Maybe then she would be able to laugh it off, assure Alek that there wasn't any need to worry.
Chloe couldn't understand why she was so desperate to see Brian. It's not like she was looking forward to his company. She never had looked forward to it before, at least, not as much as she had lead on, and she still couldn't forgive him for what he said to her and especially for what he did to Alek. But she just needed to see him. She knew that she wouldn't be able to relate what she needed to say and how she needed to say it to Brian through technology. But, still, there really shouldn't have been a need. But there was.
"No, Chloe, that's not it. You told me that you never really liked him, and I believe you." Alek paused to take a deep breath. "But, still. Chloe, he works for the Order. You remember, that organization that has been out to kill you? And take away every single one of your remaining nine lives?"
"Alek, he doesn't know that I'm Mai or that I'm the Uniter. He would have done something about it ages ago if he did. Trust me, I've seen him walk by the store. He truly looks remorseful, and not the kind that you can fake!"
"Seriously, Chloe? You're going to trick yourself into thinking that? You know better than that!" Oops, wrong choice of words.
"'I know better than that'? What the hell is that supposed to mean? That I'm being immature? That I'm being unreasonable? Really, Alek? This is what you have resorted to? Attempting to make me feel stupid for going?"
"Chloe, you know that's not what I meant…"
"Then what did you mean?" Chloe crossed her arms, waiting to see how the always witty and never speechless Alek Petrov was going to weasel his way out of this one.
"What I meant was that you're choosing to overlook and ignore something. Chloe, I know you know that this isn't a good idea. I can't stress to you enough how much it bothers me that he works for the order and that you're about to see him. Alone. He's bad news, Chloe, and you know it. And it's not just because he's a jerk. This could be a trap!"
"He's meeting me at a café on the waterfront. One that is actually quite popular. I'd be surprised if we even get a table. I can assure you that Brian isn't stupid enough to pull anything in such a crowded place, in front of so many witnesses. He's human. He won't have the time or the strength or the agility to take out that many people. What can't you just trust me?" Oh, that question. The question that always puts the guy into the most uncomfortable situation, one where the chances of him weaseling his way out were close to none. Either he said what was on his mind and he lost the fight and the girl, or he could give in, panic all night and still lost the fight, and maybe even the girl.
"It's not you I don't trust. It's him." Alek looked down shyly.
"Well, if you trust me, then you should trust my judgment."
"Your judgment is clouded by your emotions. I don't want you going anywhere near him. I don't want you contacting him, let alone going to see him on a Saturday night. I don't want him within a five mile radius of you. I want him out of your life. For good."
That was the final straw. Chloe couldn't take Alek and his opinions any more. This was absolutely ridiculous.
"Alek, I'm going, whether you like it or not! I don't give a fuck about what you say! I'm not some stupid dog that you can order around and expect to listen to you every. Damn. Fucking. Time."
The moment those words escaped her mouth, Chloe regretted saying them. She saw Alek's facial expression change from firm concern to infuriated hurt and disbelief within a millisecond after she uttered them. Chloe had never hated herself more than she did in that moment.
Alek didn't even bother responding. He knew that he couldn't. He just stared at Chloe in disbelief for about ten seconds before he tore his gaze from her and stormed past her, running up the stairs.
"Alek…" He could hear the tears in Chloe's voice that she was holding back but he was so not in the mood to care. And, even though all he truly wanted to do at the moment was come back downstairs and apologize like he'd never apologized before, he knew that he couldn't betray himself like that.
He slammed her door, not caring about how immature he seemed at the moment. He'd never gotten dressed as quickly as he did that morning, rushing out of Chloe's window and away from the girl that just shattered his heart into a million pieces.
Chloe still stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring up the steps. She couldn't believe that that just happened. Now that she thought about it, Alek did kind of have a point. Oh, why did she have to be so stubborn!
Chloe felt her knees slowly start to give out. She bent down to sit on a step, holding onto the railing so that she wouldn't completely collapse, and, resting her elbows on her knees, buried her face into her hands.
For the first time since she was eight years old and realized that her dad really wasn't coming back, she cried like a little girl, letting her tears flood over her hands, her arms, her knees and the floor.
In about an hour and a half, Chloe had finally worked up the strength to call Amy. She didn't say a word, just let one sob escape, and Amy immediately informed her that she would pick up Paul and they would be at her house within the next half hour.
By the time her two best friends got there, Chloe had managed to force herself onto the couch and curl up under a blanket. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that Amy and Paul had entered her room. She even jumped a little bit when Amy placed a hand on her back to rub it sympathetically.
"If Amy were an assassin, Chloe, you would be dead by now," Paul spoke softly in an attempt to cheer Chloe up.
Chloe's lips began to quiver.
"That's what Alek used to say…" And thus, she erupted into yet another fit of sobs.
Amy managed to pull Chloe up into a sitting position so that she could hug her more easily.
"Shhh, Chloe, it's going to be alright. Just calm down, everything will be fine." Amy didn't know about the truth of her words, but it seemed to be working just a little. She then shot a look saying "Really, Paul?" to her boyfriend, who shrugged in guilt. Amy knew that it wasn't his fault, but still, that wouldn't have been the smartest thing to say even if Alek hadn't said that.
After another crying session, where the air was only filled with Chloe's sobs and where Paul actually helped comfort her, and an action film that had the least amount of romance possible, accompanied by sheer junk food, Chloe seemed to have calmed down. Her eyes were still puffy and her nose was still stuffy, but she had managed to cry out everything that she had within the past four hours.
Finally, and although no one really wanted to do so, it was time to talk.
Chloe didn't want to talk about it, but she knew that she had to tell someone. Amy and Paul didn't really want to hear about what caused Chloe to bawl for four hours, although that might have been mostly out of fear that she would start crying again.
Chloe began to tell the story, and somehow managed to not cry again. She shed a tear or two, of course, and she felt herself reach the edge several times, but then she would pause, take a deep breath and continue. She knew that she had cried too much for one day. She had to stay strong. And talking about what had happened really did make her feel better. But only a little bit.
"So, are you going to go?" Paul asked the question they were all avoiding.
Chloe took a moment to really think about it. On one hand, she needed to tell Brian what she needed to say. On the other hand, there was Alek. Was Brian really worth it? That is, if there was still something worth fighting for…
"I think I will. I don't know what's going on between me and Alek right now, but I really need to talk to Brian and tell him to piss off once and for all."
"What about Alek?" Amy asked,
"Alek… I don't know. I don't know if we're even still together after that fight. I'm not entirely sure where we stand, but, no matter what, I need to talk to Brian. He needs to hear what I have to say."
"If you're sure…" Amy said.
Suddenly, Chloe's phone rang. She picked it up to see Jasmine's face on her screen. After getting over her momentary confusion, Chloe answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Chloe? Thank god you're still home."
"Jasmine, what happened? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. Well, not really. Alek came in a while ago and has been a complete and utter mess ever since. He wouldn't tell me what happened until now, and I'm still only getting a few words, like 'fight' and 'letter' and 'Brian' and 'Chloe' and 'coffee shop' and 'waterfront'. Care to connect the dots for me?"
Chloe took a big breath before she continued.
"Alek and I got into a huge fight because I got a letter from Brian asking me to meet him at a coffee shop in the waterfront. Basically, I wanted to go because I need to set him straight and Alek didn't want me to. He said he didn't trust him."
There was no response on the other end of the line for a moment. Chloe began to worry that Jasmine suddenly began to hate her.
"Chloe, listen, I understand that you probably won't listen to me, since you didn't listen to Alek, but Brian isn't good news. Alek doesn't just lack trust for him because of what you had. I don't trust him either, for some of the same reasons that Alek doesn't." Jasmine's voice was surprisingly calm, reassuring Chloe that she didn't hate her, but it was still firm. She was trying to convince someone of something but was obviously going to be ignored. That had to be a tough job to do.
"I know, I know. But there will be someone watching me, right?"
"Well, yeah, I guess…"
"And Brian wouldn't dare do anything in public."
"Chloe…"
"Jas, trust me."
Jasmine couldn't respond for a moment. Back in the apartment, she glanced over to Alek to see him sitting on the couch, head in hands. She knew that he was listening in.
"Alright, Chloe. But please, for both my sake and Alek's, please be careful."
"I will be, don't worry." And with that, Jasmine hung up the phone.
"How can you be so calm? How can you just agree to let her go?" Alek asked her. Jasmine turned around to him, seeing that he was still staring at the ground. She felt so bad for him. She just sat down next to him, as it was all that she could do.
"Because she would have gone anyways. But, this way, she might be stronger, have a clearer mind, be less vulnerable if she knows that one of us is supporting her."
There was a silence between them, something that had been occurring all over San Francisco today, before Jasmine spoke up again.
"You still love her, don't you?"
"Of course, I do, Jas. What kind of a question is that?"
"I don't know, I'm just making sure."
"I still love her. I've loved her for forever. And I will love her for as long as I possibly can. I just don't know what to do right now…"
"Just give her today to cool off. There's always tomorrow. You'll go and talk to her tomorrow. I'm sure that she's just as regretful about what happened this morning as you are. I could hear it in her voice."
Alek was eternally grateful for his cousin and her wise words. They didn't make him feel completely better, but they certainly cheered him up just a tad.
"Can we send a few extra Mai to watch over her tonight?"
"Sure, let me just make a few calls." Jasmine got up to walk to the phone, looking back at the poor sight that Alek was as she dialed a few numbers.
Soon, it was time for Chloe to meet up with Brian. Amy had selected an outfit of jeans, grey Chuck Taylors, a black long sleeve shirt and a blue scarf for her. She claimed that this outfit screamed "presentable, but the last thing I am trying to do is impress you".
It was already getting dark as Chloe reached the coffee shop. She saw Brian waiting for her and she saw how his face showed a little smirk before lighting up like it used. She technically should have been concerned by this, but she decided that she should just get this over with and approached him.
"Hey," Chloe croaked. Her voice was a bit hoarse from all of the crying that she did today.
"Hey. Is everything alright?" Brian asked. At first glance, it seemed like genuine concern, but Chloe knew better than that by now.
"Yeah, I just got into a fight with Alek, that's all." She didn't know why she said that. It just kind of came out. Like word vomit or something.
"Aw, I'm sorry." Brian draped his arm over Chloe's shoulders in attempt at being comforting.
Chloe could hear the insincerity seeping through Brian's voice. She had had enough of this.
"Don't give me that bull shit, Brian. You're the farthest thing from being sorry." She shoved Brian's arm off of the shoulders with such force that Brian was momentarily taken aback. Chloe saw the flash of anger on his face, but once again, decided to naively ignore it.
"You know what, you're right. I'm not sorry. Not sorry at all."
Chloe and Brian were steps away from the entrance of the coffee shop before she turned around and stopped, anger pulsing through her veins, reaching her eyes that glared at Brian.
"Listen up, Brian. I came here for one reason and one reason only. That is to tell you to back the fuck off. In the exact words of someone I know, I don't want you going anywhere near me. I don't want you contacting me, let alone asking me to see you. I don't want you within a five mile radius of me. I want you out of my life, for good."
Chloe stared at Brian with such an intense glare that even he was a bit startled. But he wasn't having any of that.
"Chloe, those are completely unreasonable requests…"
"Unreasonable, my ass. You even think of contacting me one more time, and I swear, you'll regret it instantly. That's a guarantee, and I can assure that I am a woman of my word." And, with that, Chloe turned on her heel and walked away, heading home so that she could forget all of this happened and think of a way to apologize to Alek.
She walked by an alley as she heard rushed steps behind her. She should have more aware of her surroundings, but her mind wasn't in the right place at the moment.
Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm and yank her into the alley. She got the wind knocked out of her back hit the wall. Someone was standing over her, but, with the little lighting that was provided, along with her cat-like seeing abilities, she could tell that it was Brian.
"Here's another thing I'm not sorry about." Chloe saw him smirk at her.
Before Chloe could register anything in her mind, she felt Brian's fist collide with the front of her face. The hit sent her head backwards into the wall, hitting the brick with great force. Chloe could see the edges of her vision becoming blurrier and blacker.
She felt herself slumping and heard Brian cackling. She heard him speaking to someone else, saying something along the lines of "I've got her, dad".
Before she passed out completely, all she could think of was one thing. One word. One person.
Alek.
That was an intense chapter, don't you think?
Now, please don't hate me for what I've done. First of all, Chloe and Alek never said that they were breaking up. I guess it's a just a rough patch. And Alek obviously still cares about Chloe, asking for back up for watching her, right?
And Chloe obviously still loves/needs Alek, right?
Don't worry, they won't be apart for long
Just please, bear with me for a little bit longer. I promise that I won't disappoint!