Yes! Once again, there is not an 11 day wait for the next chapter! Isn't that exciting?
Anyways, thank you all so much for all of the excellent reviews. They really help me move along in my writing and give that extra push to not be lazy. Thank you to Kalilong7 (as always) for helping me make up my mind!
I feel like I should just inform you that the next update won't be coming as quickly as the last one. Provided, it won't take as long as the first one, but I've got a few things to take care of over the next few days which will prevent me from having time at my computer. I do, however, have the next few chapters outlined in detail, so it should take too long to update once I am free again.
Anyways, without any further ado, I present the fourth chapter of "Coke and Chocolates"
Amy had squealed until the early hours of the morning regarding Alek and Chloe getting together. When Amy had blatantly asked the two of them if they were dating, Chloe answered, without hesitance that, yes, they were dating. Amy had asked for details over and over again. Chloe couldn't help but enjoy giving them to her. Every time she said the words out loud, she felt more and more giddy. She probably told Amy everything at least twelve times throughout the night. While Chloe and Amy had been discussing this, Paul had crashed on the couch and Alek had fallen asleep with his arms still wrapped around the blonde in his lap and with a gentle smile on his face. It was the second night in a row he felt so happy falling asleep.
Sunday was spent with all five friends simply hanging out together. Jasmine, Amy, Paul, Chloe and Alek. The entire new "gang", I guess you could say. Now that Chloe and Alek were together, both groups of Chloe's friends, no matter how small they were, needed to get along well. And that they did. It was a very light atmosphere, filled with laughs. There were moments when Chloe forget that she was the Uniter and that she had a race to save. There were moments when Alek and Jasmine forgot that they had to protect Chloe. It was always in the back of their minds, of course, but at the moment, they were more than happy with just being around her as a friend, not as a job.
Jasmine was much more patient with Paul's questions than Alek was, and she constantly teased him for his lack of tolerance. Paul still had questions left at the end of the day, since Jasmine did have her limit, but she and Paul did have some fun coming up with random superhero scenarios. Chloe was just so elated that everything was going perfectly.
On Sunday night, Chloe was snuggled into Alek in her bed, her head tucked into his neck. They were both awake, but both silent. It was a nice silence, a comfortable one. However, Chloe could sense that something was up with Alek. She felt as if there was something that he wasn't telling her.
"Is everything alright, Alek?" Chloe's voice was on the border between a whisper and her regular voice, weaving in and out of the two categories.
"Of course, everything's perfect," Alek quickly replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, sweetheart. Don't worry," Alek smiled to her in the dark, knowing that she could see it.
They lay in silence for a few minutes. Chloe could still tell that there was something Alek wasn't telling her, but she didn't want to push him. She didn't need to, however, since Alek finally decided to speak up.
"Actually, there is one thing…" He seemed hesitant.
"Sure, I'm listening," Chloe sat up a little bit so that she was at eye level with Alek.
"Will you go out with me?" Alek asked slowly. Chloe looked at him with a confusion written all over her face.
"You're asking me this now?" A nod. "After we made out in the kitchen?" Another nod. "Twice?" Yet another nod. "And after all of yesterday and today, while you and I haven't spent more than fifteen minutes apart, excluding when you left to talk to Valentina?" Another nod.
"So, I'm taking that as a yes?" Alek had an expression on his face that made him look as if he was a naïve child asking for a cookie before dinner. He's hopeful, but not sure of the answer.
Chloe placed a hand on Alek's cheek and placed a chaste yet lingering kiss on his lips. She then looked him straight in the eyes, with only honesty and affection in them.
"Yes, Alek, I would love to go out with you," Chloe smiled at her new boyfriend. She figured it would come to this, but she didn't realize how much she was anticipating this moment until it actually happened.
Alek Petrov was her boyfriend.
Chloe King was his girlfriend.
Both wanted to squeal and jump up and down with glee.
Chloe felt like she needed Amy to come over immediately.
Alek had never felt more like a girl than he did now. But, hey, no one else had to know about his feminine moment.
Because of his excitement, Alek practically pounced on Chloe. Gently, though. His lips fell into a pattern with hers as he kissed her, pushing Chloe into the pillows of her bed. He pulled away once he needed air, and before they could get carried away.
"We really need to get some sleep. We have to go back to reality and face school tomorrow," he glanced at his watch quickly. "Well, today, really, but that's beside the point. Shall we sleep?"
"Uh…. Fine. Good night, Alek," Chloe once again slid down to snuggle her head into Alek's chest.
"Good night, sweetheart," Alek whispered. He managed to drift off into sleep within a minute.
Chloe, on the other, had a little bit of trouble falling asleep. She was just in such a good mood. She was too happy for sleep.
It had only been 48 hours since their first kiss, and it almost seemed like things were going very quickly. But maybe it was because the time that Chloe and Alek had spent together was so dense throughout that weekend that Chloe wasn't worried that they were moving too quickly. She knew that Alek wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want her to do. She knew that Alek would move at any pace she needed him to. He was her protector first, so she knew that it was her interests before his.
This made Chloe feel a little bit guilty. She didn't want their relationship to be Alek giving and Chloe taking. She made a mental note to herself to do something special for Alek.
Chloe knew that Alek was right about falling asleep, so she tried to find a way to get herself to go to bed and to sleep. She decided to focus on Alek's breathing and his heartbeat. Chloe closed her eyes and, within just a few minutes, she fell asleep.
Chloe awoke to an alarm clock and to, unfortunately, an empty bed. Her head shot up and her vision narrowed down to a note, along with a single red rose, resting on the other half of her bed. A single red rose. How lovely.
Good morning, Chloe
I ran out quickly so that I could change and grab my school bag. I had a feeling that, since you don't have your mother yelling at you to get up, you might forget to wake up. Hence, the alarm clock. I'll be back as soon as I can be to drive you to school.
Love, Alek
Love, Alek. That shouldn't mean much, right? Chloe thought. It is, after all, simply a common and polite way to close a letter. Especially one that was accompanied by a red rose. Right?
Chloe shut of the alarm clock and decided to finally roll out of bed. She was completely awake now, so there was no use in lying around anymore.
After a quick shower and making her bed, Chloe turned to her closet to figure out what she was going to wear today. She stood in her pajamas and stared for a solid three minutes before finally deciding upon an outfit.
The weather was still a bit gloomy, so Chloe decided on black skinny jeans with a blue tank top and a grey cardigan, leaving it unbuttoned. She wrapped a think white scarf around her neck and put on a pair of black ankle boots that had a one inch heel.
She waited downstairs for Alek while munching on an apple. She wondered what she should do while they were walking to school together. Should she take his hand into hers? Should she intertwine her fingers with his? Or should they just walk like they normally would, before everything happened this weekend?
She was brought out of her thoughts by the honking of a horn. She wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion and frustration. It was probably someone for a neighbor, but Chloe was ready to give them a piece of her mind for honking so loudly in the morning.
She stomped to door, prepared to yell, when the door flung open on its own and Alek was found leaning against the outside wall on her porch.
He was wearing, yet again, a tight shirt. This one was black, and a pair of dark blue jeans accompanied it. Alek wore black low top converse and was holding a grey hoodie in one of his hands.
"Are you ready?" As if he was some sort of weather god, the skies boomed within milliseconds of Alek uttering those words. Heavy rain followed quickly.
"Ugh, we have to walk through the rain? Well, this is going to be a lovely start to the day…" Chloe whined.
"Walk? Silly Chloe, I would never force you to walk to school in the rain. Train in it, yes, but go to school? I'm not that mean!" Alek mocked.
"Then how do you propose we get to school, oh kind one?" Two could play at this game.
"Um, by that car that is standing at the end of your driveway to which I have a key…"
Chloe glanced over his shoulder as he waved his keys in front of her face, as if to prove a point.
"A Jaguar? Really? Is there some law of irony that forces all Mai to have Jaguars, by any chance?"
"No, but only the extremely epic Mai are cool enough to ride Jaguars. It's more of an unspoken rule or dignity issue than it is a Mai law."
Chloe paused for a moment, attempting to come up with a witty retort. However, it was too early in the morning for her to do so, so she just sighed in resignation.
"Just let me grab my bag," Chloe turned around and walked quickly towards the island in the kitchen where her bag rested. She then walked back to Alek, who pressed himself up against the wall as if to say "ladies first". He allowed Chloe to pass and then closed the door behind him.
Chloe was just about to open the passenger's seat in the car when Alek's left arm snaked around her waist to hold her back and his right arm came to grab the door handle and open the door for his girl. Chloe thanked him quietly before sliding into the car.
They drove in a comfortable silence, Alek focusing on the road and Chloe looking out of the window. Suddenly, she heard Alek chuckle.
"What's up?" She sat up more so that it would be easier to face him.
"I just realized that the guys on the team are going to give me hell starting today." Alek continued to laugh to himself.
"And why would they do that, exactly?"
"They're going to mock me and tell me that I am completely and utterly whipped"
"Well, are you?" Chloe asked this hesitantly. Alek was laughing, but maybe it was an inside joke for himself and only himself.
"Well, I call you things such as 'darling' and 'sweetheart'. What do you think?" Alek managed a quick glance at Chloe with his eyebrow raised before he transferred his attention back to road.
Chloe's mood changed instantly from slightly concerned to smug.
"Alek Petrov is whipped, and it's because of me…" she trailed off. She wanted to skip around in joy, but she refused to give Alek the satisfaction after he admitted something to her which was completely out of character.
"Now, now, don't get too cocky, King." And he's back.
Alek pulled into a parking space relatively close to the entrance, so that everyone with a car and everyone walking to school would see them arrive together.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked.
"Why in the world wouldn't I be?" Alek smirked in response.
"Yeah, confidence is definitely a color that you wear quite well." He exited the car quickly enough to prevent Chloe from answering. She did not, however, go into shock at his remark. Instead, she quickly grabbed her bag and opened her door before Alek had the chance to do so himself, once again refusing to give him the satisfaction.
Once Chloe reached Alek in the front of his car, he took her hand, weaved his fingers with hers, smiled at her and led her inside of the school.
The moment the doors opened and Alek walked in with Chloe, it was like a wave of gossip fell from them to the end of the hallways. Within seconds they could hear rumors starting up like wildfire.
"Is she blackmailing him?"
"Has he gone completely mental?"
"That bitch stole him from me!"
Alek could hear the rumors and each individual word just as clearly as Chloe could. He feared that she was panicking on the inside and that she was feeling tormented by all of the words. He worried that she was hurt because of this.
That wasn't the case for Chloe at all. She ignored the sudden rumors and all of the means words. She knew that, as long as her friends knew the truth, it didn't matter what anybody else thought.
She still didn't complain when Alek's lips came crashing down on hers in the middle of the hallway.
Alek poured every ounce of assurance and sympathy into the kiss, along with his usual affection and appreciation for having Chloe in his life. But this kiss wasn't just to comfort Chloe and to help her mark him as her own. This was also his own territorial marking. This was his way of telling every single male specimen in the entire school to back off from Chloe, because she was his and nobody else's.
Chloe was taken aback by the kiss. It was honestly the last thing that she was expecting at the moment. Had it not been for the fact that Alek wrapped his arms tightly around Chloe's waist, her knees failing her would have caused her to fall in the middle of the hallway. And wouldn't that have ruined the moment?
Alek finally pulled away and noticed that Chloe's eyes lacked all worry. He smiled proudly at her, understanding that she was above all of the gossip. He whispered a goodbye to her and let her walk to her locker. He watched her for a moment before heading to his jocko friends.
"Dude! Chloe King? Took you long enough! I could tell that you've been crushing on her for weeks!" One of his friends said. These boys may have their minds in the gutters practically 24/7, but at least they understood the concept of territory. Except for one of them…
"Hey, where's Tyler?" Alek noticed, slightly concerned. He usually followed the rest of the pack like a tail.
Meanwhile, Chloe was rummaging through her locker, trying to find a pencil. That is, until she was interrupted by an unwanted presence.
"You know, whatever you want to find, you could probably find it better with me," it was none other than Tyler leaning on the locker next to Chloe's.
"You haven't spoken to me ever. What makes you interested in using horrible pick-up lines now?" Chloe rolled her eyes in annoyance. Now that Alek showed interest, every stupid boy would show some, as well.
"Silly, naïve Chloe. I've been interested for a while. I just never worked up the guts." His tone wasn't sincere, it was lusty. Chloe say right through his act and knew that all he wanted to do was get her into the sack.
"Sorry, Tyler. As you may have guessed by now, I'm with Alek." Chloe was about to close her locker and walk away until Tyler slammed the locker for her and trapped her against the wall.
"So, why don't you dump that loser and upgrade to me?" Tyler whispered into Chloe's ear. He ran his hand down her arm and trapped her in an uncomfortable embrace.
Chloe was racking her brain, trying to figure out what to do. Thankfully, she never had to make up her mind.
Alek managed to thrust Tyler's arm out of the way and pull Chloe into his arms before more damage could be done. Chloe curled up into Alek. She thought that had the situation under control, but then Tyler got very up close and personal and she actually became scared.
Chloe was burying herself into Alek's warmth as his arm wrapped around her and his hand moved up and down slowly, attempting to calm her down and soothe her. You'd think that his eyes would express the same concern as have been reflected in his actions, but, if you took a closer look, you'd see pure fury. His eyes were almost red from the anger. Tyler obviously could sense this.
"Alek, come on, don't flip out. I was only having some fun. Right, babe?" Chloe did answer and just snuggled herself deeper into Alek's chest.
"First of all," Alek growled at Tyler, "don't you dare call my girlfriend 'babe'. And, second of all," Alek stepped away from Chloe, still managing to keep his arm around, and towards Tyler. He towered over him easily and he could see Tyler wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. "Second of all, if you lay even a finger on her again, I promise that it will be the last thing that you will ever do at this school. And trust me, I am a man of my word."
Alek stepped back and pulled Chloe away with him, sending a final glare in Tyler's direction before walking away.
"If he ever even tries to lay a finger on you, let me know immediately," Alek's tone had softened greatly as he addressed Chloe, but it didn't lose the seriousness it had before. She waited for a moment, collecting her composure, before replying.
"I like this side of you," she smiled at him, changing the mood around them instantly.
"What? My being jealous?" Well, this he wasn't expecting…
"Some guys can pull off certain shades of green pretty well."
"Are you saying that I was hot back there?" Alek teased. Oh boy, the cocky bastard was coming back.
"Mmm… I was aiming for cute…" Chloe learned how to play this game from the master.
"'Cute'? Seriously? I'm cute?" There flew away his dignity.
"Yes, Alek, I called you cute and you are going to like it." Looks like she was winning this match.
Alek starred at her in awe. Where was this sassiness coming from? He should have befriended her ages ago! Then he wouldn't have been so bored with all of his witless jocko (as Chloe loves to call them) friends and he could have had more interesting conversations outside of his family.
"Ugh, just let me walk you to class without any more casualties to my manhood," Alek grumbled after a pause.
He was trying hard not to let a smile sneak onto his lips and ruin his attempt at making her feel at least a little bit guilty, but the moment he heard Chloe start laughing loudly, he couldn't help but break his façade and join her.
Yes! Done! Woot! Let's have a party and celebrate!
Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Please review, they're always deeply appreciated! Again, thank you!