Chapter 7! Yeah, we're going along pretty quickly, aren't we? Well, relatively. Haha.

Thank you all so much for the reviews and, as always, thank you to Kalilong7 for helping me with the outlines!

I've gotten a review or two about my missing a grammar mistake or two and I seriously apologize for that. When I edit, I really do try to fix those, but sometimes the occasional one escapes me. Sorry!

Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter 7.

The week went by as usual. The rumors at school had died down and most people, especially girls, were becoming accustomed to the fact that Alek and Chloe were now both off of the market. Of course there was the occasional girl who would try to give Chloe a hard time, but then she gave up once she saw that she wasn't affecting Chloe at all.

The three Mai still had training, but now Alek would sometimes let Chloe win, just because seeing her smile made him smile. And plus, if he didn't win a race, he'd still win somewhere else.

It was Friday morning when Chloe first woke up to an empty bed. The covers were still warm, so Alek couldn't have left too long ago. Also, just the night before, he had taken his dirty clothes to the wash in his apartment and traded them for some clean ones. Jasmine just gave him a joking look of disapproval, but she was totally fine with doing his laundry once or twice. Especially when he actually paid her a compliment saying that she was "the best cousin ever".

Chloe opened one eye to look at the clock that Alek gave her. The watch read 6:30, making it too early for her to get up. School started at eight, so there was no need for her to get up any time before seven. She shut her eyes again and attempted to go back to sleep.

She never really fell asleep, but she did manage to drift off into a semi dream world, where she was still capable of somewhat controlling what she was seeing behind her eyelids.

She was brought out of this by a pair of soft lips lingering on her forehead.

"Good morning, sweetheart. It's time to get up." A sweet and soft whisper filled her ears as she felt a smooth hand brush away a strand of her hair.

Chloe groaned in response and moving as if she was about to get out of bed, but didn't. This resulted from a chuckle from the blonde male.

"I made chocolate chip pancakes…" Alek sung. Instantaneously, Chloe's eyes shot open not only were they chocolate chip pancakes, but they were chocolate. Like, that stuff that basically got Alek and Chloe together in the first place. Or at least helped.

Alek laughed and pushed himself out of the squat position that he was in to wake Chloe up. Chloe swung her legs over the edge of the bed and took Alek's hand to get up.

"Come on, get ready and come downstairs. I'll set the table."

Alek leaned down for a kiss, but Chloe rapidly turned her head to avoid his lips and gave him her cheek instead. Alek looked at her with panic in his eyes, as if he had done something wrong. Chloe simply smiled at him in response.

"I am so not letting you kiss me while I still have morning breath," Chloe joked, slipping her hand out of Alek's and making her way to her bathroom. "See you downstairs!" Alek sighed in defeat before going back downstairs.

The pancakes that Alek made turned out to be delicious. Chloe was slightly apprehensive as to how they would taste, but, as it turns out, Alek was a fantastic cook. He said that, one day, he would make Chloe a legitimate dinner. And that she could be his little helper, of course. She scowled at the last part, but figured that it could have been worse.

Oh, and, if you're wondering, Alek did end up getting his morning kiss. More than once.

School passed by smoothly. The three Mai, Amy and Paul all sat at one table again. Chloe didn't have work that night, so Alek decided that they could walk around the city for a little while. They technically were dating for almost a week now, but, in that week, they hadn't been on one official date, even though they spent almost every hour of the day attached at the hip, sometimes even alone. But, Alek wanted to do things the right way and Chloe was far from complaining about it.

After school, Amy offered to take Alek and Chloe's back packs and leave them at Chloe's place so that their walk/date didn't have to be interrupted by bags. Chloe quickly reached to grab her wallet just in case, but Alek told her that she didn't need it. Chloe almost melted on the spot from affection for that. Alek didn't even have a clue as to how he affected her with the words "you won't need it. I'll get it."

Chloe had argued just a little bit, for the sake of social protocol, but she was so weakened, in a good way, that she caved in within a few seconds. Alek wrapped his arm around her shoulders while she wrapped hers around his waist as the proceeded to walk.

After a few minutes, Alek pulled Chloe into a small coffee shop just to grab a quick drink while they walked. Chloe, by instinct, reached for her wallet that was supposed to be in her pocket, but then remembered that Alek had told her not to bring it. She was silently taken over by yet another wave of affection towards her boyfriend. She and Brian didn't go Dutch once. And he made a big deal out of it. Ass hole.

They resumed their previous positions as they left the coffee shop with hot drinks in hand. They talked about dear goodness knows what. They managed to be able to have a conversation about anything. Alek was humorous, witty, curious and intelligent, and so was Chloe. With those four traits, you can have any conversation possible, no matter the situation or the mood.

Their conversation was light, not dipping into any serious matters, but spreading out over a large variety of topics. They subconsciously were surprised themselves that they could talk non-stop about anything they wanted. It was just so comfortable and blissful.

Alek and Chloe decided to go into a store and rent a movie. Maybe their entire new "gang" could start a tradition of watching something together on a Friday night. Alek opened the door for Chloe, proving, yet again, that he was a classic gentleman, even if he was a cocky bastard sometimes.

Chloe went to one side of the store while Alek went to the other, thinking that they could cover the store faster by working their way to the middle.

Of course Alek had "accidentally" sent her to the romantic comedy section. There were three options: Alek could have been taunting her, Alek knew that, if Chloe had a movie of her choice, then he would be able to watch a movie of his choice, i.e., an action movie, or Alek was just being perfect. Again. As always. Surprise, surprise.

Alek ended up taking some action movie, but he actually seemed excited to watch Chloe's choice, which was quite surprising. They paid for the films, but decided to browse a little bit more just for the sake of knowing what this store has to offer. Once again, they took the store from two sides.

Chloe's browsing was interrupted by a voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but not familiar enough to start dreading the prospect of seeing the person to whom the voice belonged.

"Hey, sexy lady," Tyler had one arm against the wall, ready to trap Chloe, once again. "How about you and I ditch this place and go have some fun in an alley?" Tyler began to walk closer to Chloe, who just stared at him with shock. Seriously? Has this guy completely lost it? I mean, after their encounter in the hallway, you'd think that he got the picture. But nope. Not this one.

Alek was in front of her within a millisecond, Chloe didn't even have time to comprehend how that was even possible. And boy, did he look pissed.

"I suggest you step away from my girlfriend, Tyler." Alek spoke through clenched teeth and practically spat out the name as if it was acid.

"Hey, man, you said you'd hurt me if I laid a finger on Chloe. I have yet to do that. I will, but I haven't yet." He was too smug for his own good.

"Seriously, it would be in your best interest if you left. Right now." Alek's hands had transformed into such tight fists that his knuckles were white. Not even Chloe wrapping her hand around Alek's arm could calm him down at the moment.

"Come on, man. You can't be that selfish to keep such a fine piece of ass like that all to yourself!" Tyler crossed a line there.

Chloe barely managed to let go of Alek's arm as his fist whipped through the air and collided with Tyler's left cheek, sending him stumbling backwards. He never fell, although his cheek was red and his nose was starting to trickle a little bit of blood. Tyler put his hand to his bruising cheek and stared at Alek in awe.

"'Laying a finger' is also a figurative expression," Alek growled as he put his arm on Chloe's back and led her out of the store after throwing a final glare at Tyler.

Chloe couldn't stop staring at Alek in awe. She should have known that chivalry wasn't dead, especially not with a guy like Alek around. She didn't say a word for a few minutes, waiting for Alek to calm down. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to Chloe.

"If he ever comes within a hundred foot radius of you…" Alek trailed off with a hanging threat. Chloe simply smiled at him in response.

"Alek, as much as I love the fact that chivalry isn't dead and that my boyfriend knows how to throw a very good punch, I can handle myself. Especially around a human like him. Remember? Super-human Mai powers? Yeah, I have those." Chloe laughed a little bit, attempting to lighten the mood a little bit. And that, thankfully, worked.

"Just promise me that you won't even say yes to one of his propositions?" Chloe raised her eyebrow at him. "I mean, I know you won't, but still? Promise me?"

Chloe looked at him straight in the eyes, grabbed hold of Alek's hands for balance and lifted herself on her toes. She planted a kiss on Alek's lips and lingered for a moment, pouring in all of the assurance and serenity that she could, before resting the heels of her feet back on the ground.

"I promise."

"Thank goodness." Alek draped his arm over Chloe's before continuing to walk forward. Chloe smiled to herself about how… perfect, for lack of a better word that would come even close to describing him, Alek was. Just perfect.

As they continued to walk, the gravitated towards the park right next to the water. The sun was peeking through the clouds for the first time in a week and, since they knew that it was supposed to be gloomy for another week or two, they took advantage of the sunlight streaming in and took a seat on a bench right by the water. Alek kept his arm on Chloe's shoulder while she placed her hand on Alek's leg right about his knee and snuggled closer to him.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they admired the view they had. Alek would occasionally stretch his hand, the one he had used to punch Tyler. His knuckles were a little bit sore and Chloe could feel him trying to make them feel better without disrupting their moment. Chloe simply rested her hand on Alek's and her cool touch would soothe him instantly. It was like magic.

Alek stared at Chloe in awe. How in the world did he get lucky enough to be with this girl? She was so original. She didn't let rumors of people who didn't matter in her life affect her. She could stand her own and fight her own battles, but wasn't afraid to ask for help, or at least allow for it to come. And even if she didn't need anyone's help, she let him fight a battle or two for her, as if she understood that it was something that he simply needed to do. He loved the fact that she let him make it known that she was his without freaking out about him being so possessive.

She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, literally and figuratively. She wasn't constantly aware of what she looked like and she never really worried. Well, she worried enough to make herself look presentable, but Alek always thought that she was beautiful at all times. Her smile lit up a room, and she constantly had one resting on her face. When she needed to get something done, she would try as hard as she could to finish it. She cared so much for the people around her that sometimes, she even forgot to take care of herself. She had a solid head on her shoulders and Alek knew that she wasn't planning on losing that any time soon. She was perfection personified.

Chloe was staring out at the water with a soft smile on her face. She looked so serene and Alek couldn't help but allow a smile to appear on his own face. She had this aura about her that just wanted to make Alek run to the highest mountain and scream with pride that he was the only one at the moment to have the honor to be called Chloe King's boyfriend.

A sudden thought hit Alek that, just a few weeks ago, would have scared the living daylights out of him. He knew that it was something he was trying to suppress, but, now, it had surfaced in his thoughts and he couldn't have been more relieved to have that sorted out.

I'm falling in love with Chloe King.

Alek smiled wider to himself and readjusted his grip on Chloe's shoulders, bringing her just a little bit closer to him.

Meanwhile, Chloe was admiring Alek in the same way as he was admiring her. She was thinking about all of the wonderful things that Alek presented himself to be. Sure, he could be a cocky bastard sometimes, but at least he was funny and always put some sort of a smile on Chloe's face. And, if she really needed him to be, he would be serious, and he would be her rock. But he wasn't afraid to be vulnerable. When she was cleaning him up in her kitchen after his encounter with Brian and the Order, he didn't make a show of how he didn't need to be babied. He allowed Chloe to take care of him without a complaint or without a blow to his manhood. The best part about being with Alek was the fact that, with him, she always felt so safe. It wasn't like a boring relationship, there were most definitely a few questions hanging in the air, but she knew that, no matter what, Alek would always stand up for her and have her best interest at heart.

She realized that she was falling for Alek, and she was falling for him quickly.

It probably has been a long time coming, Chloe thought as she rested her head on Alek's shoulder when he brought her closer to him. She remembered when he was about to kiss her in the hallway before this whole Mai stuff happened. She pretended like she was apprehensive, but, deep down, she wanted it so badly…

Wait a minute.

Before the whole Mai thing… The kissing curse… Alek was going to kiss her…

"You tried to kill me!" Chloe sat up abruptly with an amused expression on her face. Not only was she amused by her epiphany, but now she was also amused by the expression of shock and confusion that Alek wore.

Alek just stared at her in shock and panic before he sat up as well to try and clear his name.

"What? Chloe, you know I would never do that! How could I ever—" Chloe cut him off with her laughter. He actually thought that she was mad at him when she was grinning at him like an idiot!

Alek just stared at her as if she was from another planet. Not Mai, not human, not from Earth.

"Just to clarify things, what exactly where you referring to when you said that I tried to kill you?" Alek could feel a blush begin to creep up on his face. Oh, this girl…

"Before we found out that I was Mai but after I threw the basketball, remember when you cornered me in the hallway? Had it not been for Jasmine, you would have kissed me. And, since we didn't know that I was Mai at the time, that would have killed me!" Chloe was trying to formulate her words clearly, which was slightly difficult to do as she was cracking up between every phrase.

"Well, uh… I, uh…. See, the thing is… um…" Alek was trying to find some sort of way to not make it seem like he really was the bad guy here. Even though he knew that, no matter what he said, Chloe would laugh at his answer. No matter what.

"Um, I figured out from the basketball shot that you probably were… So, I kind of knew in the back of my head… which is why I tried to kiss you…" The last part sounded more like a question than a statement.

His prediction came true as Chloe laughed for a second and then snuggled back into his body on the bench with a smile of victory.

"Oh, silly Alek."

She may have won this round, but the war is not over, Alek thought to himself after a while. But, for now, he was more than happy with hanging out and being together in silence as they were now. He'd get her back eventually.

Later that night, Amy and Paul were taking up that couch as the two of them, Alek and Chloe waited on Jasmine to show up for their movie night. They were going to watch Chloe's choice of film, He's Just Not That Into You. It was possibly her favorite movie in the entire world, and she couldn't believe that Alek was the one who suggested that they watch it. Alek was already sitting on the armchair, waiting for Chloe to come to the living room area with the popcorn.

Eventually, Chloe came towards the TV with three bowls of popcorn. Somehow, she managed to balance them all together. Before Chloe even had the chance to straighten up after placing the snacks on the table, she felt Alek's arms snake around her and pull her into him onto the armchair. Chloe simply threw a playful glare at him before readjusting herself in Alek's arms. One arm was under Chloe's back and the other rested across her stomach while Chloe leaned against one arm of the chair and threw her legs over the other, placing on arm behind Alek's head and the other by her side. Alek then draped the blanket that was hanging on the back of the chair over them, kind of placing them in their own private world. Chloe, meanwhile, had the remote control in her hand, ready to press play the moment that Jasmine walked through the doors.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jasmine graced the two couples with her presence. But, she wasn't alone. A guy that was tall and dark, and quite handsome, came with her.

"Hey, guys, I hope you don't mind that I brought Eric with me. Honestly, we're watching a chick flick and I don't want to be the awkward fifth wheel," Jasmine chuckled to finish her explanation.

"Hi, I'm, uh, Eric." He said awkwardly. The four people already in movie watching position introduced themselves as Jasmine and Eric got comfortable on the loveseat. Chloe and Amy looked at each other and then at Jasmine, giving her a "we will be talking about this later" look. Paul and Alek exchanged a look that read "oh, boy".

Paul became beyond excited that he had just shared his first look with Alek. Had Amy not been in his arms, he would have done a jig.

They began to watch the movie in silence. Jasmine and Eric somehow ended up snuggling together, Jasmine purposefully avoiding the eyes of Amy and Chloe, knowing what is going to come eventually, avoiding the inevitable. Amy and Paul were just being their awkwardly adorable selves together. Alek and Chloe had somehow managed, although it was thought to be impossible, to snuggle closer to one another.

"You are my exception" Justin Long spoke in the movie. It was nearing towards the end, where some people finally were getting their happy endings.

"And you are mine," Alek whispered in Chloe's ears.

Never had she ever heard sweeter words spoken to her. She looked up to Alek to find only love in his eyes. She was positive that hers reflected the same exact emotion.

No words were needed to be said as Chloe placed her hand on Alek's neck and pulled his head down to place his lips on top of hers.

Yes! Yet another chapter finished! Sorry it took longer to update, I had a very busy weekend.

This chapter turned out to be a lot more mindset description than action description. Sorry about that, if you didn't like it, but I promise that the next chapter is going to have SO much fluff in it, especially towards the end ;)

Thanks for reading and I hoped that you liked it! Please review! They're always loved and appreciated