10 years ago..
"Not dying nor living nor healing, there is no pain in my sickness for I am not kept from her love."
Gwen laughs gingerly at his words and goes to move a strand of hair out of her face but he is there before her hand is. His fingers have a purposeful movement; they trail slowly down the pane of her cheek, across her lips and finally to her forehead where he pins the bothersome piece of hair with a sparkly pink pin.
"Pink was never my color Alejandro. But thank you. And get your half naked ass back over to that stool."
He rewards her with one of his breathtaking smiles but his hands linger on her forehead idly tracing circles on her forehead.
"Alejandro please…" His eyes wander down to her lips and travel languorously to her lips.
"Is that what you really want chica? For me to back off?" He is leaning dangerously close now his breath ghosting down her on her cheek, one hand tilting her face upwards to make her stare into his pale viridian eyes.
There is a deadly silence between them; she is staring through him with her old, soulful grey eyes and all at once her lips are on his and his fingers are pulling her hair. One hand has traveled down to press against her hips and circles her back making her press her body against him even tighter.
She finds herself gasping and moaning, his lips attacking her, first soft then harder, more intimate and passionate kisses are pressed against her lips and neck.
Just as soon as it started, it is over with the ring of the bell in the mess hall and the figure of Duncan can be seen by the both of him. He carrying a bouquet of her favorite flowers, small blue forget-me-not's.
"Has the hard ass punk gone soft for this…delicate little flower?" Alejandro licks his lips and places a possessive hand against Gwen's hips. Duncan's eyes meet hers, he sees the fear and lust and longing but cant help leaning forward and pressing one of the tiny blue buds in her hair.
"If you ever change you're mind pretty girl, you know where my cabin is" Duncan whispers softly against her ear and he quickly kisses her cheek before exiting the mess hall.
Gwen's eyes open for the fifth time as the house line rang. It was Duncan, wanting an explanation for why she had thrown him out of her house and her actions at Club Knight.
She curls herself up under her covers and pushes the pillow under her away.
It smells like Duncan…
She forces herself to rise as the phone beeps, telling her that the said man had left yet another voicemail.
"Gwen, please talk to me. I'm sorry okay? Stop ignoring me." Gwen sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging as she listened to his latest voicemail. The pattern was getting old, 10 years of this push and pull between them and they still had no resolution.
"I really can't deal with this right now Duncan…" She whispered out loud as she leaned against the worn walls of her apartment. The rare moment of peace was broken when her 10-year-old daughter, Izzy wandered down the hallways, her mahogany mussed and knotted and her eyes still dropping from sleep.
"Mommy why does the phone keep ringing so loudly… Essie keeps tossing and turning and she can't sleep and …" Izzy's voice trailed off as her mother pulled her into her lap and smoothly raked her hand through her child's hair.
"Hush love…" Gwen stood her child up and picked her up in her arms. Izzy mewled happily and curls up against her. It was a luxury for her mother to ever pick them up or hold their hands, so she took it for all of its worth.
"You're getting heavy little girl. I shouldn't be picking you up. You need to learn to…" Izzy's snore cut Gwen's gentle teasing and she sighs as she places her oldest child in her deep purple comforter.
She turns to pull Izzy's twin sister Essie into the bed with her sister. She had fallen asleep curled up in the plush seat that Duncan had bought for the twins on their 9th birthday.
"Mama…Daddy…where's Duncan… I want Duncan…" Essie murmured softly as she curled against her pillow, looking like a ten year old with not a care in the entire world. She managed to find the warmth of her sister and she rests her forehead in the cradle between Izzy's face and collarbone. Gwen couldn't help but smile, the two were closer than blood and it was one of her small joys to see her daughters like this.
"I love you…my children…" She leaned down to kiss Izzy on the forehead, and then Essie.
She quietly closes the door, pulling her worn college hoodie over her and turns on the kettle for a pot of tea. The cat the twins conned her into keeping was meowing loudly outside, so she walks to the doors.
She cracks the door open and stoops down to collect the black kitten. He mewled happily and pushed he small wet nose against her palm.
"You damn cat."
"You look beautiful Gwen." Duncan's voice catches her completely off her guard and she topples backwards, the cat flying into the air and hissing at sight of the man.
"What the-" He brings his finger to his lips and picks her up, pulling her out of the house and into the warm morning air.
"Here, these are for you." He thrusts a bouquet of small blue flowers into her hands and moves to play with a strand of her hair.
"Forget-me-not's… Do you really think you can waltz here with your flowers do you even remember the last time you gave this to me? It was the day...Alejandro...You made it clear where the girls and I stand in your —"
Duncan's face darkens, the lights casting deeper shadows across the lines on his face and he cuts her off with a smooth kiss but she pushes him away, more vexed.
"I know I promised we'd be a real family. I know I promised I'd marry you but that was before Alejandro showed up."
"You said yourself you were just seeing things. I'm sorry, you know I love you Gwen please… Forget about him, you have me and the girls... Don't say his name, just forget the bad..." She presses the flowers to her nose and inhales the scent and subconciously moves forward to lean into his chest.
"Does this mean you forgive me pretty girl?" Duncan wraps his arms around her, and she closes her eyes, letting the scent of axe body spray and gasoline wash over her.
And she finds herself desperately wishing that it was Alejandro's arms around her, and it was the scent of cinnamon and tea tree oil and sex that was washing over her.
Several hours later in a shabby apartment
Alejandro doesn't remember walking out of the club; he doesn't remember driving back to his shabby apartment so he isn't all that surprised to find Noah curled up against his chest snoring softly. The smaller man moves to snuggle his face in the curve of Alejandro neck.
"This really isn't okay Noah."
"You'd take any chance to be with me huh. It's a damn shame I'm not into you." Alejandro pushes himself up and roughly pushes Noah away from him.
"Bebé volver a memoir...comes back…" Noah said, his words still slurred but Alejandro only pulled the other man out of the bed and unceremoniously dumped him in the tub (which just happens to be full of cold water).
"What the hell Alejandro!" Noah's arms were flailing, his eyes opening wide wide shock and indignation, but Alejandro grabs a fistful Noah's hair violently jerking his head backward.
"You said she'd be alone." Alejandro voice was cool; no anger was betrayed in his voice. He grips the back of Noah's chocolate locks harder making the smaller man whimper loudly in pain.
"Alejandro…"
"You are going to figure out who. No. Forget it. You've been feeding me half truths for ten years haven't you? Blink once of yes, blink twice for no." Alejandro pulls the hairs on the back on Noah's scalp making tears roll down the other man's cheek and blood rolls down Alejandro's knuckles.
He blinked once, tears streaming down his tanned cheeks and Alejandro released him, turning his back and he began to walk out of the apartment, throwing a contemptuous glance over his shoulder.
"I'm just going to have to get her myself."