Author's Note: Hi dear readers! (: I'm trying really hard to not disappear off the face of the planet once again. Which would explain the reason why I'm trying my very best to give you guys an update! I'm aware that the CS fandom isn't as it used to be and most of us have moved on with our lives than sit around reading/writing made up fictions.

Having said that—I would just like to say that I'm not going to be giving up on my readers or my stories, no matter how dead the fandom is and how little reviews I've been receiving for my updated chapters.

Anyway, ending this long-ass author's note—enjoy the new chapter of Blue Ersatz! :)

| ~ | ~ | B l u e . Ersatz| ~ | ~ |

15
"A Song About Love"

-SuzieQuaKes-

"You told me you loved me and I tried to move on. It's so hard to get up when you fall, so I wrote about a song about love—but it's nothing at all."

"Man, I'm poofed!"

Drew exclaimed as he threw himself onto the bed, rather forcefully. The mattress bounced under his weight, the springs shaking appreciatively. He breathed out hard and flicked his black hair away from his face. I sat up straight from where I was laying and dropped the pamphlet I was reading about La Rousse City. Seriously? Did he not know how to say a word or two announcing that he was back before he tossed himself to bed?

"Drew! You startled me!"

He had left the room a couple of hours ago, claiming that he had a meeting with Molly. It was the second day of preparations and I wasn't needed for the most part, apparently. Not that I would be much help anyway, being new to this entire criminal business. He told me to feel free to order whatever room service I wished and explore a little if I wanted to—but to not get too far. He didn't want to be filing a missing person report. I simply rolled my eyes at this statement but I knew better and stayed at the hotel. The promise of all-you-can-order gourmet food was more than enough to entice me.

He turned around to face me with his head still on the pillow. A smirk crept its way to his features. "Sorry, scaredy-cat. What were you doing all day anyway?"

I turned away from him a little bit to create some distance between us. It made me uncomfortable to be so close to him on the bed. Not that I felt anything for him—it was just . . . awkward to be so near him in such an intimate way. I clutched my knees to my chest and placed the pamphlet back onto the nightstand. "I ordered all the food on the menu and paid a visit to the spa downstairs." I grinned at him and rubbed my shoulder muscles in pleasure. "Ah, a full body massage and a facial does wonders!"

The (newly) brown haired man grunted and rolled his eyes at me. "Well geez, thanks for rubbing it in. Here I am, working twelve hours a day on this heist and here you are, enjoying all the luxury you can." He closed his eyes afterwards for a slight second as if he was far too tired to keep them open. The green orbs did look stressed though, I noticed. Not that it was much of a surprise considering that to conjure up some foolproof plan to raid a multimillionaire's casino wasn't a piece of cake. "George called today."

I quirked a brow at him, the statement catching my attention. "And?" Surely, he wasn't too mad at my pretending to be his daughter. I mean—I was putting my own life in danger just so that they were able to complete this mission.

Drew shrugged his shoulders and rolled a little bit closer to me on the bed. His smirk dug deeper into his face as if he knew exactly why I had moved away earlier. That rat. "He's pleased that we're making fast progress. He also said your boyfriend and Posy just got caught by one of his men. They're being sent back to Petalburg."

I inched away slowly from Drew, making sure to give him a look—but the news was surprising. Posy and Danny were caught already? That was some short-lived honeymoon. "Are they going to get into a lot of trouble?"

"George wouldn't do anything to hurt his precious only daughter. Now, Danny—I'm not too sure."

"Drew!"

"What?" He smirked at me, his eyes glittering like little jewels. He slowly inched his body closer, and I knew now that he was totally aware that I was moving away every time. "Worried about your boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes but a flush made its way to my face as I gazed into my ex fiancé's twinkling emerald eyes. He knew exactly what kind of affect he had on me and he was using it to his advantage every time. Stupid Drew. I'd get him. I cleared my throat, trying to seem like I wasn't fazed at all by this sudden closeness. "First of all, Danny is no longer my boyfriend. I think that was established pretty clearly when he eloped with your fiancée." I curtly turned up my lip. "But I am worried though! If not anything—Danny's my friend! And he's so close to my family. I don't want to have to explain to my Dad why his assistant ended up in a body bag."

"Oh, May. You are so dramatic." Drew scoffed at me. "George isn't going to go that far. Besides, I was only kidding. I think George accepted the fact that his daughter just married some stockbroker instead of his top man." He smirked at me. "I guess I know where your feelings stand now."

It was my turn to scoff. "Don't work yourself up. I'm over him."

I guess I was over him. I knew that I had spent literally ages crushing on Danny Parker, but somehow—it remained just that. Just some stupid schoolgirl crush; nothing more and nothing less. It was nothing like the way that I had felt for . . . him. Drew. Yet, I couldn't be thinking of that. Not now. Not anymore. I had already spent too much of my time on him. He would laugh out loud if he knew how long I had spent moping over him, all the days that I spent in bed—unable to get up because the pain was just too much. He would definitely label me as that obsessive, stupid girl that couldn't get over a guy that left her like that.

Said-man smiled at me, evidently unaware of the thoughts that I had, and closed his eyes once more. "And I guess I'm over Posy . . ."

"That's quite fast to get over a fiancée." The words left my lips before I even had a chance to think and I sounded bitterer than I had even intended to. I bit my lower lip and cursed myself for letting the words slip out that easily. What was I thinking? Yet, deep inside—I knew what I was thinking. I wanted to know whether it was that easy for him the first time when he left me at the altar. I wanted to know if he even felt the slightest bit of resent when he walked away . . .

Drew was quiet for a slight moment before he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with a straight face. The words hung in the awkward air and I wished that I could get them back. Finally, he spoke. "I was never in love with Posy." His tone was steady and soft and he kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Yes, I loved her—but it was only as a brother would love a sister. I was like that to her, you know. She doesn't have any siblings, any relatives or friends at all, so she relied on me and I looked after her." His eyes tore away to stare into my own, the green orbs flickering with emotion. "I'm actually glad she found somebody that could love her in the way that I never will."

I rubbed the stitching on my shorts and hugged my knees tighter to my chest. Drew's words repeated in my head. My heart ached despite how much I tried to make it go away. I shook my head and forced a smile onto my face. It's too late, May; I told myself. It's no use to feel these things anymore. "I'm glad for her too!" I chirped in the best possible voice I could muster and stood up from bed, heading to the direction of the small kitchenette. "I'm going to fix a snack. Want anything?"

"May."

I stopped and let out a caged breath. The sinking, tight feeling in my gut just wouldn't go away. "Yeah?" I whispered, not daring to turn back to look at him. Not daring to see those piercing green eyes and taste that bitter rejection.

"I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes and swallowed back everything that rose up to my chest. All the tears, the hurt. I couldn't let him know how much it hurt me—how could I? That would just be stupid because I knew he didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain when he left me like that. His apology meant nothing after all the damage that he had done. Yet, I still faked cheerfulness in my voice. For my dignity. For Drew. "What about?"

I heard him sigh before he spoke. "Look at me."

I winced and turned around slowly, taking a deep breath. I tried to keep the same cheerful smile on my face, as if everything was right in the world and nothing hurt. Drew's eyes were serious as he looked at me from the bed. He had sat up and leaned against the wooden bedframe with his back. Brushing a hand through his soft hair, he sighed again. "I just want to let you know that it wasn't easy for me to walk away from you."

I couldn't help it anymore. I felt the tears rising up to my chest, threatening to spill out from my eyes. I swallowed again as the words repeated inside my mind. So many things were swirling inside my brain now that it was hard to even think. It wasn't easy to walk away from me? Wasn't easy? Oh, Drew. It killed me. But how would you know? I forced the tears to go away and for my voice to be strong. "I'm glad to hear that."

"May, honestly. What do you want me to say?"

"You said you loved me!" I couldn't contain it. The lid I kept tight on my emotions just popped open. The words were just too overdue—the confrontation was too late. I had a million things in my head that it felt like a tornado was brewing inside my brain. For so many days, I had thought of the words to say to him once I saw him again. For so many days, I worked up conversations in my head and collected words that would hurt him—maybe not in the same way that he hurt me, but to some slight degree. Yet, now that the confrontation was actually happening, everything left my head and in the end, all I wanted to say was how much I missed him and how much it hurt. I breathed out roughly, my rib cage aching. I whispered out the next words. "Was that a lie?"

It took a while before Drew said anything. The tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to blink them away as much as I could. I didn't even notice how tensed I was until I felt my nails digging into my palm from where I was clenching my fist in tight balls. I waited for his answer that would change everything. Finally, Drew spoke in a strangled sounding voice—so soft that I had to strain to hear him. "I wasn't supposed to love you."

"What does that even mean?" I exclaimed. He wasn't supposed to love me? I just couldn't understand him anymore. In fact, I don't think I ever did.

Drew sighed, appearing fifty years older. His eyes dimmed and he looked so tired. "It was a job, May. I had to play my role and you had your own."

After he said those words, it was like something inside of me had snapped as I stomped over to him. I had kept it inside for too long and now it felt like I would burst if I didn't let him know. All the pain and hurt over the past two years came rushing back to me like a sudden tornado. I couldn't contain myself anymore. "So I was just a pawn in your stupid little game?" I demanded. "Is that it? Do you always just go and propose to a girl before leaving her on the day of her wedding for the sake of your little business? Do you have any morality whatsoever?!" By then, the tears were definitely falling as they cascaded down my cheeks and soaked my t-shirt. My heart hurt so much that it felt like it would explode from my chest.

"It's not like that . . ."

I sniffed roughly and bit my lower lip as the tears fell down my face. "Then what's it like, Drew Hayden?!"

"I told you —it wasn't supposed to go that far!" I had never seen him so livid with emotions as Drew stood up from the bed and exclaimed the words. His hair fell into his shining eyes and he brushed them back with annoyance as he stared deep into me. "I was never supposed to have proposed to you! Never supposed to have loved you. And I'm so sorry that I did!"

The clenched fists of mine fell down to my side as the words left his mouth. My dry mouth opened and closed, trying to find the right words to say. He did? He actually . . . loved me? "Drew . . ."

He refused to look into my eyes as he inserted both hands into the pocket of his jeans and rushed past me to the open balcony. He slid the glass door open and stepped outside into the cool La Rousse air where the sky was slowly darkening into a shade of indigo. I stared at him for a moment before brushing away the tears from my face and following him. I wouldn't let him run away this time—I couldn't. I slid through the open glass doors and approached him slowly. He had his head turned up to the city skyline, appearing lost in thought. I stared at the man that I had fallen in love with and whispered out the next words: "Why didn't you call?"

He stiffened before he turned around slowly to face me with those piercing green eyes. His eyes widened before staring down at the ground. "May, I—"

"Why couldn't you have just picked up the phone and gave me a call? I waited, Drew. I waited every single day." I noticed that I was taking steps closer and closer to him. I didn't know what I was doing; all I knew was that it felt right. He finally looked up at me with hurt deep inside his eyes. "It wasn't over for me . . ."

He didn't face me anymore and his head was down. "I-I couldn't."

"You couldn't?" I demanded, repeating his words. I felt myself getting enraged again. "You couldn't have explained to me why you left? You couldn't have just picked up the phone and tell me that you weren't going to come back—that you had gotten engaged with someone else? You thought that little of me that you couldn't do that?"

He reached out and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. His eyes revealed so much hurt deep inside, so much resent that he had hidden away. He shook his head slowly and hesitated before speaking in a soft voice. "Just hearing your voice . . . would've made me run back here." He stared into my eyes and brushed away a stand of hair that was falling across my face. A slight smirk came onto his face as his eyes softened. "You say it wasn't over for you? It wasn't over for me either."

Before I could say another word, he pulled me deeper into him and took me into a tight embrace. I closed my eyes as my cheek hit his chest and his wonderful scent drifted up my nose. A tear slid down my face as his arms around my frame. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to take in that moment—that feeling of having him so near to me. I needed just one last embrace, just one last taste of his warmth. Swallowing hard, I took a deep breath before doing the one thing that I didn't want to do at all. I pulled myself away from him and ignoring the look of confusion that sprung into his eyes, I turned my back. I couldn't do this—not anymore. I loved him, it was true—but I couldn't let myself open to that kind of rejection again. I couldn't have him leave me again. We were only on a mission that would be over in three days and he would walk out of my life like none of this even happened.

Like none of this meant a thing.

I couldn't let myself go through that pain again. I didn't think I would be able to take it this time. So I walked away, my heart crumbling with every step I took. I murmured four words that would change everything and throw away every word we had said in the past fifteen minutes.

"This is a mistake."

Saturday. The fifth day that we had arrived to La Rousse. The day that Drew and Molly had set as the day of action. Saturday was the beginning of the weekend, the day where Drew's uncle made the most money out of all the days of the week. It was the day when the high rollers came to blow off some steam from a long week of business deals and moneymaking. La Rousse was a city full of high end businessmen, top paid lawyers and millionaires and their weekly retreat came from booze, gambling and women—all of which were offered at Casino Valencia.

Of course, after the heated confrontation between Drew and I, the air around the hotel room was a little awkward for a few days. I guess we had established exactly what we were to each other: partners in this mission—nothing more and nothing less. I tried to remain positive and upbeat whenever Drew was around though and thankfully he wasn't around most of the time. He was always busy having conferences with Molly and phone calls with George. Needless to say, the mission was important and he obviously did not want to fail it. It would land him and all of us in prison—not to mention losing his father's legacy.

The night before Saturday, we had a group dinner and a conference with the 'Gang' where Drew and Molly explained in detail everything that we were going to be doing and what everyone's roles were. I wasn't exactly pleased at mine. Apparently, I had one of the most important roles—to keep Drew's uncle busy. Me, out of all the experienced criminals in the Gang, had to have direct contact with Drew's uncle. Wasn't that just a blast?

Saturday night, Drew and I were in our suite, getting ready for the most important event that we had been preparing for. I guess it was unnecessary to say that I was literally freaking out. Butterflies flapped wildly in my stomach as I sat in front of the dressing table, doing my makeup. Drew's uncle apparently had a soft side for dark haired, exotic looking women full of charm and grace. With my newly black hair and contacts, I had that 'exotic' department ticked off. It was the 'charm' and 'grace' that worried me.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" I asked for millionth time that day as I brushed back my carefully curled black hair to the side. Drew stood behind me, fixing his red bow tie. He smirked at me, whipping his hair to the side.

"Just trust me, May. Do as I say and I promise that you won't end up sitting in a jail cell."

"Well thanks for that image." I grumbled as I applied dark red lipstick. My makeup had been done to perfection, the dark red lipstick matching the blood-red dress that draped my body. It was surely the most gorgeous dress that I had ever seen—the silk fabric clinging to my body in all the right spots. It was revealing and at the same time, it allured the exact amount of mystery of wanting to see more. It was definitely the effect that I was going for.

Drew had dressed charmingly as well. He was dressed in a fancy, twelve thousand dollar tuxedo and appeared exactly like one of those young, confident businessmen that had inherited most of their money from their parents and were only getting introduced to the high-end party scene. He looked dashing, to say the least. I was his date, Sierra Ersatz.

"May." I was lifted out of my thoughts to look at Drew in the mirror. He smirked at me before reaching out to dig something from his jacket pocket. Finally founding what he was looking for, he got out a rectangular velvet box. I looked at him curiously and his smirk grew further in his face before he flipped open the box. Inside it laid the most beautiful necklace that I had ever seen. It was sparkling, with a giant ruby in the center with tiny diamonds and emeralds surrounding it. The light caught the jewels and it glinted. I gasped as I turned in my seat to face him.

"It's beautiful!"

"I know." He smirked at me once more and lifted the necklace from the box, reaching out to clasp it around my neck. "My uncle is big on classy women. With these jewels around your neck, he will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame." I tried not to blush as his warm hands brushed my neck. He stood back after hooking it and admired the glinting jewels. "You don't look bad for a klutz."

I rolled my eyes at this and turned back to face the mirror with a smile on my face. I looked at the glittering necklace around my neck and stroked it with my fingertips.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Author's Note: Hehe, I'm ending it here :) The chapter is already quite long so I hope you're satisfied guys! I'll try to update sooner from now on. The heist scene is definitely coming in the next chapter and you'll see exactly whether they fail or succeed at getting the casino!

Yay, I'm excited about the next chapter!

Anyway, review guys! PLEASE. Love you all!

-Suzie x