Suddenly Chloe realized just how often Alek had been around in the past few weeks. Whenever she'd been close to breaking down he had made excuses for her to her teachers and her friends. He had held her when she cried and comforted her. They hadn't even talked about the things she'd said to her mother and to him before everything had happened on that awful day. She had yet to apologize for hurting him. She felt even worse. He had to be suffering more than her, yet he had been the one taking care of her the past few weeks. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve, sitting up so she could look at Alek.
"Alek, I want you to know I am so sorry. I don't know what I would have done without you the past few weeks. I know you heard me tell my mom that I thought I loved Brian-"
Alek interrupted her, "Chloe, we don't need to talk about this right now. It's okay."
"No, Alek, it's not," she said firmly, "I know I said I loved Brian, but I was confused and scared. That all seems so far away now. I think I held onto him like he was my last chance at a normal life and," this was the hard part, "and because it scares me a little how much I need you." She swallowed before continuing, finally understanding herself the things she was saying to Alek, "I don't love Brian. The kiss we shared was reflexive. I still feel badly that I killed him but only in the same way I would feel bad about doing it to some stranger on the street." The half hopeful look in Alek's eyes warmed her from the inside the same way the sweet and spicy Chai tea did as she sipped it. She put her mug down and continued, "Alek, you are the one who has been here for me since the beginning. You've protected me, and put yourself in harm's way in the process. You've been patient with my stubborn-ness. I don't know when it happened, but I've started to feel like I'm not quite complete unless I am with you. Even though all these awful things have happened, being around you makes me feel happy. I think, I think I love you."
Chloe looked down, a little surprised at the words that had seemed to tumble from her lips with a mind of their own. Her senses felt heightened, she could feel her nervousness pulling her cat to the surface. She could hear Alek's heart beating faster than usual and sensed the warmth radiating from his hand a moment before it slipped under her chin and tilted her face to meet his soft brown eyes.
"Chloe, I know that you've been under a lot of stress, and you know how I feel about you, but are you sure you aren't mistaking gratitude and guilt for love? Those are not words I take lightly and I'm willing to wait to hear them until you are sure," Alek said softly. She knew he was lying though, he wanted to hear those words and he wanted her to be sure now.
"Are you trying to make me take them back?" she demanded with a bite of her old sass in her voice, "Because it sounds like you're trying to talk me out of my big declaration of love moment." She was teasing him and it made her happy to hear his laugh, it startled her to realize how long it had been since she'd heard it.
He tucked a stray curl behind her ear and leaned forward, his lips headed for her forehead. She didn't want one of the chaste, brotherly kisses he was wont to give her of late though so she tilted her head at the last moment to ensure his lips collided with her own. His lips were soft and gentle as they glided over hers and away, then back. He softly rubbed them over her own. Chloe was far from experienced and suddenly felt insecure. She had expected his lips to be slick and hard over hers but instead they were tender and gentle. She wondered if she could stand up to all the other girls Alek must have kissed to get so good at this. She hoped that he didn't feel like he was kissing a pillar. "Stop thinking about it so much, just let your instincts take over like when we fight," Alek said, once again reading her mind. The last thing she thought before his lips met hers again was that she wasn't sure if she liked putting kissing on the same level as fighting but as soon as Alek's lips met hers, this time with more heat behind them, she forgot how to string a coherent thought together. Suddenly her lips were moving with his, creating just the right amount of friction, instinctively feeling what to do. Alek rocked against her and she realized that he'd somehow managed to get her horizontal on the couch and he was on top of her.
She loved the way he felt on top of her, all hard places where she was soft. A slight moan left her throat as she arched her back and felt all of her rub against all of him. Suddenly she felt a vibration originating somewhere around her torso, tickling her. She pulled away from Alek, giving him a curious look. "Did you just purr?" she asked, incredulous.
He laughed as he rolled off of her, pulling his cell phone out of his chest pocket. "No, my phone is ringing," he said, still chuckling to himself as he answered it. She stayed where she was, panting. Her whole body tingled and she wished they hadn't had to stop. Alek's cheeks were flushed and his hair was sticking straight up in the air where she'd run her fingers through it. She was glad to see some color in his face. He'd been too pale and worn lately, he looked more like the old Alek but even more adorable with his lips slightly puffy from their kissing.
I hope this chapter makes my wonderful reviewers happy! Please continue to let me know your thoughts. Let me know what you want to see happen between Alek and Chloe. Do you think it's time for the Order to make an appearance again? Should Jasmine live or die? Are you feeling the lack of Amy and Paul? I know I felt like a lot of things were left hanging after the finale, what cliffhangers do you want resolved the most? Thanks again guys, I appreciate all the reviews.