a/n bonsoir mes amies! Merci pour les critiques et profitez ce chapitre.

-August 4, 2010-

"We, uh, need to talk." I tried my best to sound confident, like I was totally fine with the impending conversation. I was shit scared, though. For obvious reasons.

"About?" he asked with a bored tone of voice. I sighed with frustration.

"The stunt you pulled last night." Mike seemed less than interested. He looked half asleep and barely out of bed. Despite the fact that we were in the hotel's restaurant, he hadn't bothered to do his hair or even wash his face and it looked as though the clothes he was wearing were what he had slept in.

"I'm eating, can it wait?"

"No, not really." I sat down opposite him, "Because if I let you get away now, you'll leave before I can find you again. I'm not interested in playing hide-and-go-seek."

"Does it have to be here, then? Because you're going to yell and I'd prefer if the whole world didn't know my life story." He pushed a last forkful of eggs into his mouth and stood, walking away. I watched him and only followed when he turned back to look at me.

"You look terrible." I mumbled under my breath. I knew he heard me because his shoulders stiffened and he ran a hand through his flat hair. The two of us stopped at the back of the hotel in a secluded corner and he looked at me, telling me to start talking.

"In case you forgot… We broke up. People who have broken up do not kiss. What the fuck happened last night? That was not supposed to happen!"

"People have been waiting for a long time for that to happen. I gave them what they wanted." He sounded so careless and looked even more so.

"Alright, that part I understand. But…" I looked at my feet, "Why was it so real? You denied having feelings for me before we happened. You shouldn't care that we're no longer together. You don't love me! You never did!"

"That's bullshit, Claire!" he shouted, finally showing some emotion. "You want to know the truth? I've liked you for quite some time." I felt all the colour rush from my already pale face, "Probably since New York, alright?"

"Then why the fuck did you deny it? Everyone knew how I felt for you. Everyone. You had to have fucking known!"

"I thought you did. I hoped you did. But I thought I had to have been dreaming it. I thought I wanted it so much that I was seeing things." He told me. Boy did I know that feeling. "Why did I deny it? Because I didn't want to look like the tool that couldn't see what was right in front of him. For so long I felt fucking pathetic because you didn't like me back. I had chicks coming at me from all directions and there you were, completely uninterested. That hurt."

"Why didn't you say something? Make a move at least?" I asked him quietly, swallowing the ever growing lump in my throat.

"Why didn't you?" I fell completely silent. Well played.

"We're still broken up. You shouldn't have kissed me." I eventually managed to mutter.

And he kissed me. Just as I was about to actually talk about the break up because that really needed to happen. But he kissed me. Slowly. Sadly. Almost like he was never going to see me again. I know of those kisses because Randy had done the same thing before he left to join the Marine Corps. No other body parts touched. Just our lips. He pulled away and spoke quietly.

"I hope you and Kevin are happy together." I couldn't respond because the kiss shook me to my core. My body reacted, though. My eyes widened and my head did a double take movement.

"What?" I called out rather loudly to the man who had walked away with incredible speed. He didn't even flinch.

"You. I need to speak to you."

"What have I done?" the bewildered brunette managed to ask me as I pulled her down the hall.

"I need a female point of view. Someone completely unrelated to the situation." She nodded. "I broke up with Mike not long ago. You obviously watch NXT. So you saw him kiss me. So I confronted him about it this morning. He said a whole lot of stuff before he kissed me. Then said he hoped Kevin and I are happy together."

"What do you need me for?" Gwen asked with confused look, "Seems to me that you know what's going on."

"Why does he think Kevin and I are together?"

"Oh, you aren't?" I gasped at her honesty and started to feel sick to my stomach. "I just thought… You're so close… And he obviously has feelings for you. I haven't even been here and I can tell."

"Oh mon dieu. Everyone thinks I'm with Alex Riley."

"That's not a bad thing." Gwen tried to make me feel better, "He's a great guy."

"I'm in love with Mike. I… No. Alex and I wouldn't work."

"I don't feel comfortable talking about this. It's weird and awkward."

"Don't go. I really need someone to help me." I sound like I was begging her. But it got her to stay so, whatever.

"Why did you confront him?"

"He kissed me… We're not together."

"Did you tell him that your feelings for him haven't changed?" I shook my head, "I hate to say it; he probably thinks you're over him. He does, though. Because he thinks you're with A-Ri."

"Oh mon dieu. Je suis très stupide!"

"He kissed you again?"

"I hope you never have to experience a kiss like that. Movies glorify the goodbye kiss." I began to tear up, "Slow. Sad. Goodbye." The brunette hugged me tightly and I was thankful that she didn't speak anymore. I already knew I had so many things to fix and absolutely nowhere to start.

To make matters worse, when she finally pulled away: "Do you know where Cody is?"

"Probably with Orla."

"Who's Orla?"