"Be the bigger person" Amy said to me from across the table, I looked at her in disbelief. Who's side was she one? Mine or Alek's? "I'm just saying, it's awkward hanging around a bunch of sexually frustrated mai all the time"

"We aren't sexually frustrated" I mumbled, I wasn't. Never had sex crossed my mind when it came to Alek- OK you caught me. It crossed my mind all the effin' time, the way he moved, how he was so close to me all the time and how good he looked without a shirt on.

"Speak for yourself" Jasmine appeared out of no where, like usual. She sat down in the chair next to me, she was getting about as snarky as Alek lately. Again, she was another one of the people that didn't understand the little battle I had going on. It had been three days without a kiss, yes I wanted to kiss him, and yes he couldn't deny he wanted the same thing but I wanted to win. Wanting to win and defeat over road everything that had to do with this little bet.

"Alek's drooling over you all the time, you're such a tease" I felt like she was quoting him, she probably was. "Speaking of teasing boys...What are you wearing" I blushed and coughed a little.

"I have a dinner party I have to attend tonight with my mom, and she picked it out"

'It's hot" Amy and Jasmine agreed on that "I hope you don't wear it over to the house" Jasmine laughed as I stood up when the alarm on my phone went off. She was giving me ideas but if Alek did break with me wearing this way too short black club dress I would freak out and do somethings I hadn't planned on. I walked home a little bit in a daze thinking about my mate, My MATE how different that sounded. I still couldn't get over it. I was wearing a jacket on my back so my mark wasn't exposed to the world though, this dress showed it clearly. I would take it off in the safety of the dinner party, that's it. Or maybe not, I didn't want people to think my mom raised a bad kid. Not that tattoo's were bad to me, this was a sign of love. My love for Alek Petrov. I walked into my house, hearing my mom rushing around and my dad reading the paper. He hadn't talked to me since that awful dinner.

"Chloe" My mom said "Let's go, and leave your father to his paper" I looked at him one last time before leaving him alone in that chair. His chair, the one that had been sat in only a little bit by my mom. The one that just seemed wrong to be filled by him. I got so used to looking at an empty chair seeing it filled was- shocking. "Are you going to wear that jacket the whole time?"

"No" I turned up her stereo "Why is he still here?"

"He's been gone for ten years..He belongs here"

"NO. He doesn't, he's been gone for ten years mom. We were moving on" We rode in silence after that, like I was wrong. I was so right. My mom pulled up to a fancy place and some random guy opened the door for me, I left my jacket in the car. I walked in and began to follow my mom's lead. It was a little awkward though, I didn't know a soul here. I listened into conversation after conversation waiting for someone to say something about Meredith's sixteen year old daughter with a tattoo of claw marks down her back.

"Hey King" A voice said from behind me, A jock's voice. OH GREAT. WAY TO GO CHLOE, I scolded myself "You got that tattoo too?"

"Um.. Yeah when we were on vacation" I nodded, good cover- up story.

"Hmm... Alek's is thinner." So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing for people to see my mark. They didn't know what it meant, it wasn't like Alek kept our friendship a secret...Just our other things. The guy touched my back "Whoever did it did really good work, I know this is awkward and everything- my brother's a tattoo artist"

"I don't remember who did it actually, just a random choice one time"

"Are you thinking about getting it removed?"

"No way!" I spoke a little too loud, but he thought nothing of it "Actually I like it a lot, like you said really good work. The only person not happy about it would be my father"

"Ah..." This kid was just trying to make friendly conversation.

"Okay, this sucks. This happens to be the most boring thing I've ever gone to" I said and he nodded laughing in agreement "What are they passing out to eat? It looks like something you'd see in the bad parts of Japan"

"You travel?"

"A little here and there"

"Cool"

"Yeah... Well I'm going to check on my mom" I lied and walked over to my mom just to listen in on what she was talking about, "Hey mom" I laughed as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Chloe..." She said questioning... "What do you want?"

"Money for a cab" I begged "I have something I have to study for and this party is already running a little overtime"

"Yeah, sorry Kiddo. Let me get that for you. Where are you staying?"

"Away from dad" I answered in a frown, my mom looked upset by my response. "I'll come home soon, I just got to do a few things"

"I get the married life, I know you're more alone but can you please come home every now and then?"

"When dad leaves, I'd rather not fight with him" I promised her I would be back once he left, I really would. I just couldn't take my mom. I kissed her on the cheek and then left the place calling a taxi, and jumping in giving him the address of the place. "Why are parents so annoying?" I asked the middle age guy.

"Oh, that's easy. They care about you. You aren't running away to a boyfriends house are you?"

"Not that it would matter if I was, but no I'm married" He looked back at me "Eyes on the road"

"Sorry Miss" I gave him his cash and then walked into the building, this place had become a version of home in the last few weeks. The doorman would wave, unlock the elevator I would get in smile to myself about temptation and walk out and open the door to the lovely home of the mai.

"Honey, I'm home" I called hearing my heels click against the floor, Jasmine looked at me funny.

"Where's your jacket I thought you were covering up what you are showing" I was showing a lot of skin tonight, Alek walked out of his room with a bowl of ice cream.

"Is this your way of giving in?" He smirked "Because I like it"

"You never know" I was serious about that "I'm staying here for a while. My dad is sleeping at my house! Tonight one of your Jocko friends was making conversation with me- about Tattoo's because my mom wouldn't let me wear my jacket."

"What'd you tell him?" Jasmine snorted "That you were drunk and Alek and you decided to get matching tattoo's"

"It might of sounded like that, more of It was a spur of the moment choice and the guy who did it did very good work- After he asked me if I was going to remove it."

"I did do a good job didn't I?"

"He likes yours better" Meaning I win in that too. My phone started going off like always, it was Paul's ringtone when he thought he was going to be America's best Asian rapper.

"Wow Chloe didn't know you listened to that" Alek chuckled "No hands"

"Hey... "

"Can Mai have kittens?"

"WHAT?" I squealed in disgust "No we don't have kittens!" Jasmine spit out her drink all over me "Great I'm all sticky now"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Amy screamed and I dropped my phone putting it on speaker "I thought you said you were going to win this! You gave in didn't you?"

"You're disgusting Amy, get your head out of the gutter? YOU TOO ALEK!" He was smirking widely.

"Okay another question, when mai have sex..."

"I wouldn't know" I wished Alek wasn't feeling the way he was feeling, if he said let's find out I would choke him.

"Oh that's right, well when you do have sex can you tell me what the difference is between human sex and mai sex" Paul was seriously interested in how we 'do it'

"How would I know the difference"

"Good point"

"Okay, I have a question for you" Amy said. I hung up on her before she could ask it, looking at my handsome mate. He walked over to me.

"I give" He said before he picked me up and took me to his room, he just started kissing me with the most passion ever. I heard Jasmine slam his door shut and that was it, I was lost in his mouth. His hand traced my mark on my back and I was hit with his waves of emotions. I reflected those emotions- I needed Alek. I felt so stupid for not giving in sooner to him, we really were lost without physical contact. I was attacking him with kisses when he broke away to breathe. "Rematch starts tomorrow night" He said, rematching me? Wow.

"No" I moaned into him "I don't want a rematch" He looked down at me in shock, not a smirk not a comment "I need you"