After literally six years, here's chapter 2. I had this in my notes for a long time but for some reason am just now deciding to post this. Special shoutout to those of you reading this that should definitely be doing your homework but are here rereading this for the fourth time (you know who you are).

Kate's POV:

Ace? What was he doing here? Why would Ze'ev invite him over? Didn't he know we were having a date night? I turned to face Ze'ev who looked very guilty.

"You! What were you thinking? Why is he here? You dumb dog!" I shouted.

Ze'ev recoiled from my shouting. His ears were flattened to his head in fear. "I...I...I'm scc...ooorryy. I-I didn't kn-now that he wasn't all-lowed to be ov-ver." Ze'ev stammered.

"Him? Of all people Ze'ev? Haven't I had this conversation with you?"

"It'll be better next time. I promise." He said, looking slightly hopefully, reaching for my paw.

I slapped his paw away. "You stupid stupid excuse for a boyfriend," I muttered under my breath.

It wasn't that I didn't like Ze'ev, I loved him in fact. It was just that sometimes he was a little clueless, okay, a lot clueless. But we hadn't been dating for very long. Maybe I should just give him time.

Sighing, I realized I should probably look for Ace. I saw him go down this way, I thought casting a glance to the end of the hallway. I walked down and came to a split. It smelled like Ace went left, so I took it that way. I came to a room that had Ace's scent written all over it. It looked like the master bathroom. I walked in. Ace was in the bathroom the led off from the on-suite. He was curled in a ball sobbing and snot dripped from his red puffed nose.

"Why?" He wailed loudly and wiped the tears dripping from his eyes. "No, I can't believe it, won't believe it. She-he doesn't love him, she can't love him! I love her, why did he have to take her from me..."

I felt grief grip my heart so hard it almost burst. I loved Ze'ev but, seeing Ace here like this so was hard. Containing my breath, I managed to muster enough courage to peek around the corner and step out. Ace looked up at me in surprise, pushing the front of his lips in so it looked like he was trying to keep himself from crying. His eyes swam with mixed emotions; fear, hurt, broken trust, a hint of anger, and something else I couldn't place.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. The word sounded unnaturally, forced even, which it was. He sat there, blinking. It seemed like months while I was waiting for his reply.

"Hi," he muttered, turning his body away from me. Hurt ran through my veins. "Since when have you two been together?"

My response was delayed. What could I even respond with? I didn't even know where to start. Ace and Ze'ev were good friends, but it seemed that Ze'ev didn't inform Ace him and I. It's not the most ideal situation that him and I are together now, but there's just something that I couldn't resist about him…

"I'm sorry Ace," I mumbled. "I didn't mean for things to be this way".

"What do you mean you didn't mean for things to be this way?" Ace asked. His eyes were slightly narrowed and ears flat to his head, but not in fear as Ze'ev's had been. "It wasn't just by some mistake that you guys got together".

"No you're right," I responded. I debated on telling him the truth, quickly deciding it'd be for the better. "He asked me out on a date a couple of months ago, and things just went really well from there".

"Months?" He choked. "You have been together for months and he hasn't told me?"

I did find this kind of strange. Ace and I didn't talk anymore, at least not since the incident. But I figured Ze'ev had told him by now.

"I'm not going to lie Ace, I find that a little strange too".

Ace rocked back, now up from his curled ball form to sitting, face in his hands and obviously distressed. His eyes were wide as he kept rocking, taking several moments to think. "He lied to me Kate. He lied to me. He told me he had no potential more than lady friends. None. Not here in town, not with Green Peace, not from university. This conversation was a couple weeks ago. But you said it's been months seen you've been together?"

"Yes," I replied softly.

There was silence for a bit. Ace just sat there, thinking. And thinking. A couple minutes had passed, then I heard Ze'ev's familiar voice.

"Kate? Kaaaateee?" The words echoed through the hallway.

I hesitated but eventually decided to head out of the bathroom. I cast Ace one last glance, but he didn't look up. Walking out of the door, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if Ace and I were thinking along the same lines.

If Ze'ev so obviously lied about this, are there other things he could be lying about?