Chapter 9

Chloe tucked her newly straightened golden locks behind her ear. She numbly looked at herself in the vanity mirror. She had applied her best mascara, and added nude colour tones onto her eyelids. Her lips were bare, and she couldn't find herself to put any thing on them though. As she stared at herself she found that her eyes looked tired, and no matter how much makeup she applies to her face tonight will not fix that. She had been up most of the night pondering how her life had spiralled out of control so quickly. She wondered how she would ever get out of this mess. The meeting tonight would not fix the problem it would only push the Mai away for awhile before they come running back questioning another aspect of her life. It was strange that the pride leaders still fought for her even though she stated she would be unhappy with a pride other than the one she is in. Chloe bit her lip trying to keep the frustrated tears at bay.

"I'm coming in," Alek said from behind her closed door. He almost admittedly opened the door not giving her any time to compose herself. She swivelled around in the plush vanity seat she was sitting on. Alek watched her for a moment taking in her dressed up frame from bottom and upwards. He eyes dilated as he looked over her little black dress clad body. Chloe sighed waiting for the flirty remark she knew he was doomed to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Chloe tilted her head at him, and smiled lightly. Of course Alek would see her distress. He always did. Alek was her rock, the one she could always depend on no matter what. It was a strange thought, Alek the boy who trapped her body against the wall near the stairwell had become her calm when her life starts getting stormy. He is that bastion of calmness, strength and understanding. It had only been a couple years ago that Alek was a cocky little bastard, who could hardly sit still, and only extreme happenings made him serious. Her lips start to quiver. Alek had to grow up so quickly because of her. He was all those things, but now he walked with less freedom, and joy. He was always breaking his neck to help her, to protect her, and yet he hardly had time off to be free. Chloe felt as if she stole his teenage years.

"Yeah," she tells him slowly, her lips lift up into a small faux smile. Alek rolls his eyes at Chloe before spreading his arms wide open and motions her to come in for a hug. Chloe jumps off the vanity seat and into Alek's arms. He wraps his arms around her slim frame, and pulls her in closer.

"I'm sorry Alek," she whispers into his shoulder, "I'm sorry you had to grow up so quickly, and that you have to play this charade with me instead of living your life."

"Chloe," he says pulling her closer to him. "I chose to do this, I, I wouldn't be able to watch you do this with anyone else."

Chloe pulls out of the hug, and takes a step back. She tilts her head up towards his, with one eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" She asks confused.

"Nothing," he pauses to look at her up and down again, "are you alright now?"

She laughs a little at that before tucking her hair behind her ear, "yeah I don't know why I got so emotional, thanks." She moves to sit on her bed, and grabs her red heels. She slips one on while Alek moves closer to her, his large frame looming over her with a smirk.

"Don't worry, Jasmine always got like that when she was on her period."

Chloe shakes her head, a real smile on her lips while throwing the red heel in her hand at Alek. The shoe barely misses his side as Alek swerves away from the heel.

"I am not on my period," Chloe tells him sternly.

"Well your acting like you are," Alek says smirking at her.

"Alek," she warns her hands reaching for the heel already on her foot.

"Okay, okay, sorry." He raises his hands in defeat, "but we have to talk about something."

Chloe's back straightens instantly, all amusement gone as she watches Alek run his hand through his blonde hair.

"What now," She asks, her heart beating quickly in her chest.

"A kiss,"

"Pardon?" she asks bewildered.

"We need to show them that we are insanely in love with each other."

She breaths a sigh of relief but her heart still continues to hammer in her chest at the thought of kissing Alek. The overall strange feeling of excitement washes over her, and than a new feeling comes. Pity. She had forgot under what circumstances she would be kissing Alek. It wasn't going to be a real one. She had many times wanted to relive those moments, the ones were their lips touched, and thinking of it now gives her butterflies in her stomach. Those thoughts always confused her, because during those little moments she had thought she was uncontrollably in love with Brian. Those moments meant more to her now than they did at the time. Maybe if it weren't for Brian they would have continue their relationship.

"I know it wont mean anything," Alek says filling in the silence. His adams apple bobs up and down as he swallows.

"Alek," Chloe whispers. She forgot how those moments also ruined their friendship. How because she couldn't be emotionally faithful towards Alek ruined them for a while. Chloe had such strong feelings for Brian, ones that were stemmed from the challenge of not being able to truly have him.
"Chloe im over it,"

"Alek," Chloe says again. Her eyes pleading with him.

"Okay maybe im not over the whole Brian thing, but you need to do this." He says giving her a fake smile.

"I,"

"I'm fine," He says his voice now hard.

"No Alek, listen I'm sorry. Okay? That you have to go through all this, I didn't know you still felt the same way as before." She told him truthfully. They could never try again, because if they did and it didn't work out everything they worked for would go to hell. No matter how much she wants to believe he still has feelings for her like he did before, and no matter how much she wants to try again with him, she cant. And he cant let her.

He doesn't respond. He didn't agree with her statement of feeling the same, but he also didn't argue against it. Her heart swells with hope before she throws water to those flames. It cant happen.

"If I could I would have asked for someone else," she assures him.

"Still not over Brian?" Alek spits out bitterly. Chloe knows that he knows she is, that he just wants to throw harsh words at her to hurt her like she's hurting him. If only he knew how much not admitting about her burring feelings for him, hurt her.

"I am, have been but," she stutters.

"But what?" He asks.

"I don't know Alek, I don't know how I feel."

A/N: Sorry for being so horrible at updating. This story is getting extremely hard to write, and the more i write i feel the more i ruin this story.

Next chapter: Alek's, or Chloe's point of view?