I'm home
Chapter 2
Alec and Max were standing by the window just hugging. Original Cindy smiled to herself and shut her door all the way and went to bed.
"Wanna sit down?" Alec asked Max still holding her tight. "Yeah," she replied as another whisper.
Alec sat down on the edge of the couch. Then he motioned for Max to rest her head on his lap. She did just that. She placed a pillow on his lap and curled up on the couch against Alec. Alec started to comb through her hair with his fingers. It was straight but getting curly. "Is your hair naturally curly?" he asked. "Yeah. I've been straightening it since Ben died." "Why?" Max laid her right hand on Alec's leg and laid her head on the other. Alec was playing with her hair in one hand and rubbing her back with the other. She sighed and then answered. "Ben.he use to say.he thought that I would look better with my hair curly. But he's dead. So I don't want.It just.I don't want to remember him I guess." "That I find hard to believe. What was up with you and Ben anyway? I mean, I know that he was your brother and that hurts to lose someone you love, but.it seems like there was more to it." Once again Max sighed. "That's just it." Alec wanted her to stop pausing and answer but he new this was a very vulnerable state that Max was in, so he knew he couldn't rush her. "Ben was my Best Friend. In fact he was my.first crush." Alec had a shocked look on his face. How could he be her crush if it was her brother, he thought. He even said it to her in a gentle voice. He wasn't rubbing her back anymore, but was rather using both his hands to play with her hair. " I thought you thought of Ben as your brother?" "Exactly. You thought that. I loved Ben. That's why it hurt so bad when I had to.stop him." "Can I ask you a personal question?" Max gently nodded her head to say yes. "What kind of stuff did he do that made you realize you loved him?" Max didn't move. In fact her eyes were closed. Alec guessed it her eyes were closed to keep her from crying. "Well.we would talk all the time. Because I have shark DNA, I can't always sleep. Ben would stay up with me. We would talk about everything. What we would do when we got out on the outside, what the good place would be like, how our days were.stuff like that. Also Ben would do shadow puppet shows for me. He even taught me how to do it too." "What's the Good Place?" Alec asked. "One of Ben's big stories was about the Good Place. Zack said he just made it up to make us feel better. Give us hope that the whole world and our entire lives wouldn't be like.Manticore. I told him to tell me the story when I killed him.to reassure me that he would go to the Good Place. Also I just wanted to hear that boy that I feel in love with all those years ago. I already miss him." There was long silence. Alec noticed that sometimes Max smiled when she told him about Ben. Then she shifted and turned to look in him in the eyes. "You know when I first met you, I thought you were Ben. Then you spoke and I saw your face." She sat up. She was still holding him with her eyes. Suddenly she reached up and gently touched his check. His eyes closed only for a second to take in the angel's touch. "I knew it wasn't Ben when you spoke and stepped into the light." Her hand was now at his neck. He opened his eyes. He watched her closely. Her eyes were on her own hands. He saw her swallow hard and then he felt her had slowly creep to the back of his neck. As soon as she touched the spot where his barcode was he shivered. That was his most sensitive spot. She began to rub his barcode gently. "Rubbing my barcode won't change my number to 453." "I know Alec." She continued to rub his barcode with the softest touch. He closed his eyes once again. She leaned so close to his face, that Alec actually thought that she had rested her head against his face. She moved until her lips were inches away from his ear. Then with the softest and most gentle voice she whispered into his ear, "I'm hoping it will change to Drew." With that she, let her words linger into is head. Alec bit his lip to keep from moaning from the feeling of her voice and hot breath against his ear. When she pulled away, he opened his eyes to see she was starring him in the eyes looking at him with an expression that said she knew something he didn't know. Or at least should. She got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate. You want some?" Alec nodded still in a daze. We walked over and leaned against one of the counters. He watched her make the hot chocolate thinking:
My god. She's beautiful. I wonder who this Drew is and why she wants me to be him. I should probably ask, which is what she's probably waiting for, but I've asked a lot of questions so far. Maybe I should just let her speak freely. Suddenly Max asked him, "just ask." She didn't say this harsh or in her usual in a hurry voice. He broke his train of thought to see that she was standing I front of the stove looking at him. "What?" it was the only thing he could get out of his mouth. "I know that look, Alec. You have a question, but you're probably too afraid to ask, but I'm giving you permission to ask. So ask." "Who's Drew?" She smiled at him, that smile when she knew something that he probably should know. "No one." She stated. She turned back to the stove and started to pour their drinks. Alec had his look of pure frustration. He knew what she was doing. She was playing with his head. He went through his memories trying to think of whom this Drew was. She handed him the drink and smiled at him and walked back to the couch. He slowly made his way over. He sat down next to her, and took a sip. "Don't hurt yourself thinking too hard, pretty boy." She actually giggled when he gave her a look. "I wouldn't expect you too remember him anyway. He was one of my brothers. He was quiet. Never talked really. In fact, I don' really remember him ever speaking." She was watching him. He was still trying to remember. "He was weaker than all the rest of us. A lot weaker. But when you see him now.you would think he was the strongest. Whatever they did.they made him.perfect." She wasn't smiling but was once again starring at him. He looked over at her. Finally giving up on this guy. When their eyes met, it was like they both were entered into a trance. "One day he did really, really bad in his training. I couldn't sleep as usual and Ben was already asleep. I climbed into Drew's bed when the soldiers brought him back from where they took him for being really horrible in training." Max giggled once again, still staring him in the eye. "He looked so scared when I climbed in his bed. He must have been 6. I was like 4 or 5. I remember asking him if he was ok and telling him that he was still a good soldier. I remember telling him that one day HE would show Manticore that he was a great soldier. He never said a word. He must have been shy. Then I remember kissing him. He pulled away and his eyes were wide. But when I leaned in again he didn't pull away. I ended up pulling away and climbed out his bed and went back to mine. In the middle of the night, he woke me up and whispered in my ear. 'You're my home.' He went back to bed. The next day after training he didn't come back to the room and the officers were moving his bed out our room."
Max broke the serious eye contact from him. "My first kiss was with a shy, weak, and special boy. We later found out that they got rid of him because he was too weak. Ben took it the hardest. He was close to Drew even though he didn't say it. He told us that he went to the Good Place."
Max looked at Alec. He was giving her his puzzled look that made her weak in the knees. She leaned in to him and placed a gently kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she replaced her hand to his neck, rubbing his barcode. With a near whisper she spoke again. "Yep. Same kiss." She pulled her hand away and took her and his glass and placed it in the sink. When she turned back towards the living room, Alec was standing in front of her. He leaned in placing his hands around her waist. He was starring into her eyes. "You.are my home." He said. She just smiled. "I was right. They made you into a perfect soldier.Drew."
Chapter 2
Alec and Max were standing by the window just hugging. Original Cindy smiled to herself and shut her door all the way and went to bed.
"Wanna sit down?" Alec asked Max still holding her tight. "Yeah," she replied as another whisper.
Alec sat down on the edge of the couch. Then he motioned for Max to rest her head on his lap. She did just that. She placed a pillow on his lap and curled up on the couch against Alec. Alec started to comb through her hair with his fingers. It was straight but getting curly. "Is your hair naturally curly?" he asked. "Yeah. I've been straightening it since Ben died." "Why?" Max laid her right hand on Alec's leg and laid her head on the other. Alec was playing with her hair in one hand and rubbing her back with the other. She sighed and then answered. "Ben.he use to say.he thought that I would look better with my hair curly. But he's dead. So I don't want.It just.I don't want to remember him I guess." "That I find hard to believe. What was up with you and Ben anyway? I mean, I know that he was your brother and that hurts to lose someone you love, but.it seems like there was more to it." Once again Max sighed. "That's just it." Alec wanted her to stop pausing and answer but he new this was a very vulnerable state that Max was in, so he knew he couldn't rush her. "Ben was my Best Friend. In fact he was my.first crush." Alec had a shocked look on his face. How could he be her crush if it was her brother, he thought. He even said it to her in a gentle voice. He wasn't rubbing her back anymore, but was rather using both his hands to play with her hair. " I thought you thought of Ben as your brother?" "Exactly. You thought that. I loved Ben. That's why it hurt so bad when I had to.stop him." "Can I ask you a personal question?" Max gently nodded her head to say yes. "What kind of stuff did he do that made you realize you loved him?" Max didn't move. In fact her eyes were closed. Alec guessed it her eyes were closed to keep her from crying. "Well.we would talk all the time. Because I have shark DNA, I can't always sleep. Ben would stay up with me. We would talk about everything. What we would do when we got out on the outside, what the good place would be like, how our days were.stuff like that. Also Ben would do shadow puppet shows for me. He even taught me how to do it too." "What's the Good Place?" Alec asked. "One of Ben's big stories was about the Good Place. Zack said he just made it up to make us feel better. Give us hope that the whole world and our entire lives wouldn't be like.Manticore. I told him to tell me the story when I killed him.to reassure me that he would go to the Good Place. Also I just wanted to hear that boy that I feel in love with all those years ago. I already miss him." There was long silence. Alec noticed that sometimes Max smiled when she told him about Ben. Then she shifted and turned to look in him in the eyes. "You know when I first met you, I thought you were Ben. Then you spoke and I saw your face." She sat up. She was still holding him with her eyes. Suddenly she reached up and gently touched his check. His eyes closed only for a second to take in the angel's touch. "I knew it wasn't Ben when you spoke and stepped into the light." Her hand was now at his neck. He opened his eyes. He watched her closely. Her eyes were on her own hands. He saw her swallow hard and then he felt her had slowly creep to the back of his neck. As soon as she touched the spot where his barcode was he shivered. That was his most sensitive spot. She began to rub his barcode gently. "Rubbing my barcode won't change my number to 453." "I know Alec." She continued to rub his barcode with the softest touch. He closed his eyes once again. She leaned so close to his face, that Alec actually thought that she had rested her head against his face. She moved until her lips were inches away from his ear. Then with the softest and most gentle voice she whispered into his ear, "I'm hoping it will change to Drew." With that she, let her words linger into is head. Alec bit his lip to keep from moaning from the feeling of her voice and hot breath against his ear. When she pulled away, he opened his eyes to see she was starring him in the eyes looking at him with an expression that said she knew something he didn't know. Or at least should. She got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate. You want some?" Alec nodded still in a daze. We walked over and leaned against one of the counters. He watched her make the hot chocolate thinking:
My god. She's beautiful. I wonder who this Drew is and why she wants me to be him. I should probably ask, which is what she's probably waiting for, but I've asked a lot of questions so far. Maybe I should just let her speak freely. Suddenly Max asked him, "just ask." She didn't say this harsh or in her usual in a hurry voice. He broke his train of thought to see that she was standing I front of the stove looking at him. "What?" it was the only thing he could get out of his mouth. "I know that look, Alec. You have a question, but you're probably too afraid to ask, but I'm giving you permission to ask. So ask." "Who's Drew?" She smiled at him, that smile when she knew something that he probably should know. "No one." She stated. She turned back to the stove and started to pour their drinks. Alec had his look of pure frustration. He knew what she was doing. She was playing with his head. He went through his memories trying to think of whom this Drew was. She handed him the drink and smiled at him and walked back to the couch. He slowly made his way over. He sat down next to her, and took a sip. "Don't hurt yourself thinking too hard, pretty boy." She actually giggled when he gave her a look. "I wouldn't expect you too remember him anyway. He was one of my brothers. He was quiet. Never talked really. In fact, I don' really remember him ever speaking." She was watching him. He was still trying to remember. "He was weaker than all the rest of us. A lot weaker. But when you see him now.you would think he was the strongest. Whatever they did.they made him.perfect." She wasn't smiling but was once again starring at him. He looked over at her. Finally giving up on this guy. When their eyes met, it was like they both were entered into a trance. "One day he did really, really bad in his training. I couldn't sleep as usual and Ben was already asleep. I climbed into Drew's bed when the soldiers brought him back from where they took him for being really horrible in training." Max giggled once again, still staring him in the eye. "He looked so scared when I climbed in his bed. He must have been 6. I was like 4 or 5. I remember asking him if he was ok and telling him that he was still a good soldier. I remember telling him that one day HE would show Manticore that he was a great soldier. He never said a word. He must have been shy. Then I remember kissing him. He pulled away and his eyes were wide. But when I leaned in again he didn't pull away. I ended up pulling away and climbed out his bed and went back to mine. In the middle of the night, he woke me up and whispered in my ear. 'You're my home.' He went back to bed. The next day after training he didn't come back to the room and the officers were moving his bed out our room."
Max broke the serious eye contact from him. "My first kiss was with a shy, weak, and special boy. We later found out that they got rid of him because he was too weak. Ben took it the hardest. He was close to Drew even though he didn't say it. He told us that he went to the Good Place."
Max looked at Alec. He was giving her his puzzled look that made her weak in the knees. She leaned in to him and placed a gently kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she replaced her hand to his neck, rubbing his barcode. With a near whisper she spoke again. "Yep. Same kiss." She pulled her hand away and took her and his glass and placed it in the sink. When she turned back towards the living room, Alec was standing in front of her. He leaned in placing his hands around her waist. He was starring into her eyes. "You.are my home." He said. She just smiled. "I was right. They made you into a perfect soldier.Drew."