Author's Note: Hello all! A guest review has asked me to bump up Alex's age and that is coming trust me, but there is a point in the story that I must get to before that can happen. There are a lot of twist and turns to this little story. Please stay with me!

Chapter 17: Empty

For the most part the beginning of dinner was peaceful and quiet. I was enjoying it but there was this stupid nagging insecurity in the back of my head that wanted to be confessed.

"Gloria wants you," I blurted out and the relief I was expecting never came, but dread quickly filled the air. I wanted us to be honest about what was going on but could tell Jose' didn't want to hear my thoughts right now.

"I don't want her," he responded. "You know that." I nodded he was right I did know that.

"I don't trust her. Women become evil when they feel their territory is being stepped on." I took another small bite of the dinner Jose' had prepared for us and of course it was delicious. I just wish I had been smart enough to pair with a better conversation.

"So I'm territory now? Like a piece of meat." He chuckled as he stuffed his face.

""Not meat Jo. More like personal property, like an expensive plot of land most definitely worth having." I had to laugh at my own analogy.

"You're crazy! If I was land I'm be a swamp, because I love the dark, I'm eccentric, and really messy." He shook his head and chuckled while he picked at the little bit of food left on his plate.

"You can be a swamp or whatever you want to be. All I know is Gloria wants you swamp man, and if I come up missing you know who's responsible." I snorted at the extreme nature of my joke, but I was partly serious. People have killed for far less than love.

"I'm nobody's property Al, you're the closest any woman has come to owning me, and for the most part you seem kind of nonchalant about my affections toward you." I took a moment to glance at Jose', I was really hoping he was joking. He was frowning at his food and didn't even look back up at me.

"Jose', how could you say that?" I was about to become indignant, but I took a moment to reevaluate my action toward "my man". Sometimes I have been standoffish and insecure, but I never felt indifferent were Jose' was concerned. The feelings I felt for him were too new to be able to mask.

"Sometimes you are kind of playful and aggressive, but you're not all into mush and romance like the other girls." I hated when he used the word "girl" in reference to me. I knew he didn't mean any harm, but I wanted him to call me a woman. I wanted to be a whole woman for him. I sighed as I twirled the noodles onto my fork.

"You do make me feel romantic Jo, it's just hard to reveal it … for so many reasons, especially because … never mind." I was giving up; he could believe what he wanted to believe. I really didn't want to have another conversation about my age.

"What?" Jose' was studying me now. I groaned inwardly he wasn't going to let this go. "Alexandria?" I hated when he called me by my full name it reminded me of a father reprimanding his daughter.

"You view me as a little girl." I revealed and braced myself for the backlash. He frowned deeply; I knew what he was going to say.

"That's not true … what do I have to do to prove that to you Alex. I mean we are here together for crying out loud!" He pushed his food away apparently I'd made him lose his appetite.

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do." I shrugged. "I'm sure that it will change once you deem our involvement appropriate by society's standards." I snorted, I sounded drab and bitter.

"I don't want to talk about your age every night Ally! I know you're young and you know I'm old … well older than you. I thought our feelings moved us pass this so called stigma, and for your information there not that many years between us, only seven." He mumbled the last part of his statement and then removed himself from the table angrily. "I just wanted to have dinner with you, a simple little romantic fucking dinner, that's all!"

"I didn't mean to make you angry Jo." I followed him into the living room. "I'm just tired of you viewing me that way, I know it's in the back of your head, because it's in the back of mind, and then there's that little outburst that your assistant just made." He stood frowning at me, he was listening but he was still pissed. Jose' was so hot when he was made. A few strands of his hair had fallen into his face and he smoothed them back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't give a fuck about what Gloria has to say. She doesn't rule my life. She doesn't change my views." He took a long breath, he was losing steam. "Do you still wanna do this Alexandria?" He plopped down and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Do what?" I'd obviously missed something, I was terribly confused. I stood in front of him with my hands on my hips.

"This." He pulled me to him and placed his forehead on my belly.

"Jose'," I started to protest but he talked over me.

"Baby, I need you to really give this some logical thought. We are struggling here, every day I feel like we are having the same conversation." He massaged the sides of my body with his fingertips and took another deep breath. "And if we can't get past this small issue, how are we going to get the opportunity to enjoy the good things we could have? We are always bickering over the little things that are so trivial."

I'd never been involved with anyone before but I had enough sense to know what this was. I scoffed and moved away from him. "Whatever Jose', it's whatever you want to do. Like you said I don't care right, so you make the call." He shook his head apparently he didn't like my response. I knew he probably wanted me to beg, but he should have known me well enough to know that wasn't going to happen.

"You don't care," he whispered the one thing he seemed to take away from what I'd said tonight.

"You're such a female! I swear you are so EMO! Of course I care dummy; if I didn't care I wouldn't have been with you in the first place!" I felt good to yell at him and let go of some of my rage.

"All I wanted from tonight was to hold you with hopes of making out with you a little bit, but now look at tonight. Ruined."

"Are you blaming me for that?" I huffed in a much louder tone that I usually speak in.

"No, it's the situation. I think … we could try again once you turn 18?" He was breaking up with me the old bastard!

"Oh please don't do me any favors like giving me a damned rain check! You go straight to hell Rodriguez!" I stormed up the twisted stairs I pulled my suitcase out of the closet and began to throw my belongings into it aggressively. I began to mutter to myself in a mixture of English and Spanish. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and called Mia. Mia and I had clicked I felt like we were related somehow we seemed to like all of the same things and shared a lot of the same mannerisms. I was surprised Jose' didn't like her first, after all she was old enough. Her ring back of Pretty Girl Rock blared in my ears for a few seconds before she picked up.

"You've got Mia," she giggled. I paused with emotion wedged in my throat. I couldn't talk … oh my God, I was about to cry! I rushed to the door and locked it. Rodriguez would NOT see me this way.

"Alex, Alex, ALEX dammit don't make me come through this phone!"

"He … broke … he broke … up with me." Warm liquid traveled rapidly down my cheeks. I had slid down on the floor in front of my door.

"Oh sweetie," Mia cooed. "I'm so sorry Alex, but you what I told you. Gloria wasn't going to let you stay with him anyway. That chick is a real piece of work."

"It wasn't her, he … it was me." I tried to sob silently, I was failing horribly. "It was me."

"I'm coming over." Was the last thing I heard her say before the click ending our call. I sat there for a moment wallowing in my hurt. I didn't think I could with stand another lost. I felt so empty.

Author's Note Part two: Hello again, I am curious as to who you think was right in the argument. Do you think they should revisit their relationship in eight months or so? I already have the answer as to what's going to happen but I want to know what you think. Your reviews drive me to finish the story so please send motivation my way!