"You're not into this, are you?" Natalya ran a hand through her long, blonde hair, clearly irritated. They were lay on Chuck's bed, in the early stages of what had looked to be a promising hour or two of distraction. Half an hour in, however, things weren't looking so good after all.

"Of course I'm into it," Chuck said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You tell me," Natalya replied with a shrug. "We've been at this for thirty minutes and you've still got your shirt on."

"You're telling me off because I still have my shirt on?" Chuck asked uncertainly.

"No, I'm telling you off because you're showing no enthusiasm whatsoever. Do you like me? Do you even find me attractive?"

"You know I do." Chuck was out of his depth here. What did she want him to do, declare his undying love for her? Up until then, their 'thing', whatever it was, had been nothing but making out in places that they shouldn't, and having sex in even more places that they shouldn't. It was no strings attached, or so he'd thought. He hadn't been aware that his performance had been lacking in enthusiasm, but clearly he wasn't as good at multi-tasking as he'd initially thought. Whilst his body had been pressed up against Natalya's, one hand in her hair, the other keeping her leg in position around his waist, his mind had been elsewhere, thinking about somebody else.

"Then what's the problem?"

"There is no problem!" Chuck insisted. There was absolutely no need to mention that Jazmine had kissed him. And that he'd kissed her back. And that he'd liked it. A lot. There was no need to mention that at all. "Look, do you want to do this or not?"

Natalya surveyed him for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "Forget you. I'm not into it anymore." She swung her legs off the side of the bed and pulled her hair back up into her usual ponytail. No strings attached, which idiot had thought that one up? There were always strings attached, a lesson he was just now learning.

"Look, Nat, you don't have to go," Chuck said from behind her, in a last ditch attempt to secure his afternoon shag.

"Do you take me for an idiot, Chuck?" He opened his mouth to say that, no, he did not, but she cut him off. "I know what I am to you. I know that I'm your Jazmine substitute." Jazmine substitute? Where an earth had she got that idea from? His confusion must have shown on his face. "Do you think I can't see it? The way you look at her. Sometimes I wonder if you even realise it yourself, but when you look at her, it's like you're seeing the sun for the first time. And then you look back at me and you're disappointed."

Chuck was speechless. He hadn't been aware that Natalya had been paying so much attention. Then again, he hadn't been aware that he'd been looking at Jazmine in that way, so he hadn't realised that there was anything to hide. He didn't have any clever comeback, no way to retaliate, because any protestation on his part now would only make it blindingly obvious that what she was saying was true, even though he was convinced that she was wrong. She had to be wrong. There was no way that any of what she was saying made any sense.

Natalya sighed. "You're falling in love and you don't even know it." She gave him a sad sigh before leaving him alone.

"Falling in love," Chuck muttered to himself. "Like hell I am." Natalya had left his door wide open, and he couldn't find the energy to get up and close it behind her. Her parting words were still ringing in his ears. True or not, he didn't like them. He didn't like them at all. He wasn't falling in love with Jazmine. He wasn't. If he was falling in love, he'd certainly know about it. He imagined that those kind of emotions weren't something you overlooked easily. If he were falling in love, it would be pretty fucking hard to miss. "In love with Jazmine Becket," he sneered. "Please."

"You're in love with who?" His father's voice sounded through his open door. Chuck made a mental note to close and firmly lock his door the next time he wanted to make those sort of comments under his breath. Herc appeared at the door, Max in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. He let go of the lead and Max padded over to Chuck.

"I'm not in love with anyone." Chuck replied through gritted teeth as he bent down to stroke Max. Herc was the last person Chuck wanted to talk to about Jazmine. You know, if he'd wanted to talk about her at all. Which he didn't.

"Jazmine Becket, eh? Nice girl. Way too good for you." Herc teased his son.

"Are you done?" Chuck retorted with a glare in Herc's direction.

"Who did that?" Herc gestured towards Chuck's bust lip with his coffee mug.

"Jazmine," Chuck muttered. He was giving all of his attention to Max and next to none to his father in the hopes that Herc would take the hint and get lost.

Herc roared with laughter. "Brilliant." He took a swig from his coffee, almost choking on it when he saw the look on his son's face. Chuck was giving him a death glare, highly unappreciative of the input his father had given to an already undesirable day. "Alright, I get it. I'm leaving!" Herc said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Shut the door!" Chuck called after his father's retreating figure.

The mess hall was almost empty, which wasn't surprising given the late hour. The Kaidonovsky's were over in the corner, playing what looked suspiciously like strip poker. He could see Hannah sat at a table with a man that Chuck didn't know. There were a few others, dotted around here and there, but none that Chuck recognised. He couldn't see Natalya anywhere. He supposed she was avoiding him. He was certainly avoiding her. He turned around and saw Jin Wei tucked away in a corner with a long-haired blonde. He couldn't tell who it was from the back of her head, but he had a pretty good idea. Oh, who was he kidding? He knew exactly who it was. He'd recognise the back of her head anywhere. He could have argued it was because she had a very distinguishable back of a head, but she didn't. There was nothing about the back of her head that set her apart from any of the other long-haired blonde's here at the Hong Kong Shatterdome.

As he watched, Jin leaned forward to brush a strand of hair back. He whispered something and Jazmine cocked her head to the side. He didn't need to see her face to know that she was smirking. It made him feel sick. It was almost as if she knew that he was there, and was acting accordingly to set him off. He wondered if this was her punishment for him ending their kiss the night before. Was she really that angry that he'd put an end to a kiss, that could have easily turned into a lot more, that she would have almost certainly regretted in the morning? Was she really that angry that he hadn't taken advantage of her?

Falling in love, Natalya had said. Falling in love and he didn't even know it. Was this what love was? A feeling of sickening jealousy? A fiery rage in the pit of his stomach? An urge to march over and rip Jin's head from his shoulders?

If that was love, then he wanted no part in it.