And I am still on! I stole some local wifi for many hours for this. Also, this certain someone on Tumblr (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) motivated me to write so I had to get this chapter up!

Chloe woke up on that Sunday morning and took in her surroundings. She almost had a heart attack when she noticed she wasn't in her room at home. Glancing at her phone, she noticed it was about ten-thirty so she got up reluctantly. Feeling the need for a shower she looked around. She totally forgot about a towel, shampoo, and conditioner. She sighed and left her room in search of a certain British Mai.

"Alek?" She tested once she reached the living room and saw no one. She heard a mumble from inside Alek's room and headed towards it. Not knowing why, but not bothering to knock, she walked in. That was a very crucial mistake. Chloe opened the door to see Alek, back turned standing in only a towel. Her jaw dropped and she stood, not able to say anything. It was only when he turned around and faced her did her face flame up as she stammered through a million apologies.

"I-I am so sorry! I-I just - I'll go now!" She practically shouted, slamming the door as she turned around. Her heart pounded in her chest as she placed her back against the door. What was really bothering her is how much seeing him in that state of undress got to her. Why was she acting like this?! She rarely looked at boys, other than Brian, let alone drool and blush horrendously over them. But Alek - he was different. He'd always made her feel different.

She shook herself off and turned around to the door again. Before she could knock, her brain thought of the image that was right through there. His back, toned, chiseled, and unbelievably perfect for a 18 year old. From behind, he looked like a twenty-or-thirty-something-year-old man. Not a teenager. Then he turned around and it only got worse. His chest, she was willing to bet, was as hard as a wall. Then his abs. Oh, his abs. Chloe shook herself off yet again and finally knocked. Not even a second later, a very cocky Alek answered the door.

"Was there really a point in knocking, King? You've already seen a bit much." He leaned against the doorway, smirking his usual smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"I need a few things." His eyes told her to continue. "I left a couple of things at my house and I can't just go there, so I need them from the store. Or maybe you have a few things here that I can use?"

"What things are we talking about?" He raised an eyebrow curiously. She ground her back teeth together.

"Things like a towel, shampoo, conditioner. Maybe a few other things?" She thought for a second though. "I don't even have any money so never mind." She sighed and waved to him as she walked away. Maybe she could borrow things from the main bathroom. Jasmine had to have something.

"Hey," Alek spoke, coming up behind her. "I'm sure I can get some things, Chloe. You don't have to go searching." She turned around and looked at him. On one hand, she hated taking people's money. On the other hand, she wasn't going to go long without getting a shower. She just nodded.

"Let me throw on some actual clothes and then we can go." She started for her room, but paused and turned to face him. He was already looking at her. "Thank you." She smiled and he gave a light smile back. She walked into her room, annoyed that she couldn't remove her smile now. She rolled her eyes at herself and threw on a blouse, dark-wash jeans, a pair of converse, and a jean jacket. She threw her hair up in a ponytail, not really wanting to mess around with it forever, and applied the basic makeup she always did. She grabbed her phone and walked out to see Alek waiting for her.

"Do you want to grab a coffee while we're out?" He asked as he grabbed keys and his wallet from the island. She just nodded as he came into step beside her. He grabbed her arm quickly before she get leave from the door. She gave him a weird look. "Valentina called this morning, before you got up. She told me that I have to keep a few things in mind."

"Like?" She pulled her arm lightly from his grasp.

"For one, we have to move your stuff into my room. She wasn't thinking when she made you your own room. If we're supposed to be engaged, then sharing a room would be most believable." Chloe's stomach sank a bit, but she nodded. "Second thing, is we have to keep up our couples status. We have to act like a couple when in front of people at all times. This just means I we may need to hold hands or something, nothing too big. Thirdly, we need to pick up something from the store, but I'll wait to tell you that one." He opened the door and held it for her. She gave him a questioning look, but he just smirked and ushered her out of the building. They were quiet all the way to the car when Chloe asked a question.

"So, what store are we heading to?" She slid her seat belt across her as he did the same and started the car.

"Wherever one you want," he told her, no sarcasm or anything in his voice. Chloe smiled a bit at him being kind.

"Well, Westfield sounds good. I can look around there." She looked at Alek. "As long as that's okay with you." She said quickly. He laughed.

"Chloe, please stop acting like we just met. If we're going to have to act engaged, it might help if you stop acting like we're strangers." He gave her a small smile and she blushed lightly.

"We-well, okay. What do you have in mind exactly?" She twisted in her seat slightly. The ride to the shopping center wouldn't be any more than about fifteen minutes.

"I don't know," he said. "Questions? We could just question each other back and forth." He shrugged. Chloe actually felt intrigued at the thought of getting to know Alek better.

"Okay," she smiled. "But you start." He nodded with a smirk and thought for a second.

"What's your favorite thing about me?" He smirked at her as they stopped at a red light. She laughed.

"Okay C.B., I'll ask first." She thought for a second. She really didn't know anything about him. At all. "What's your full name?" He gave her a funny look.

"That's all you could come up with?" She gave him a glare. He sighed. "I, uh, don't really know if there's any length to Alek." He looked down but perked back up quickly. "My middle name's Johnathan though. Common, very common, I know. My parents weren't into the whole eccentric middle name thing." He paused, lips pursed. "My adopted parents at least." Chloe nodded.

"What were they like?" He just smirked.

"One question at a time, King. Wait your turn." She smiled but knew he was trying to lighten things. She didn't care if things got dark, she wanted to know everything and anything about the boy sitting next to her. The realization made her freeze for a split second. "This is going to sound odd, but it's just something I'm curious about." He paused, looking a bit troubled. "When you - when you died, how did it feel? Did you remember seeing anything, or was it just black until you woke up?" She paled. The light turned green and he pressed the gas peddle. How did it feel to die? Chloe let herself wonder over the thought. There was silence until she finally got the courage to answer.

"I-I guess it's like what you said. When I fell, I remember being so terrified, so scared that that was the end. When I finally hit the ground, instead of seeing black, I saw white. It was like an explosion for my eyes only. I couldn't grasp anything that was going on around me. I remember thinking to myself, is that really how my life ends?, and then the next thing I knew I was up and running. I felt pain in my back and a little in my head, but nothing that I thought falling off a building would feel like. That night, my back was covered in bruises and my head was pounding." She finished. It felt really weird, sharing such a personal experience with anyone. No one would ever know what it felt like to die, no one except Chloe herself. She looked over at him and noticed he was completely tense, eyes on the road. "I'm sorry. That probably made no sense-"

"I'm sorry that happened like that. We should have been there. We should have saved you before it happened." His voice was quiet, timid. She didn't know how to take it. She reached for his hand without thinking.

"It's not your fault, Alek." She told him truthfully. "It wasn't anyone's fault." The hand she was holding was taken out of her grasp and she blushed, extremely embarrassed with herself for taking it in the first place. She looked out the window until he took that same hand and held hers. She looked over at him. He was smiling, though his eyes were on the road. She couldn't help but smile too.

The next few minutes were silent until they finally reached there destination. They had to park in the parking garage next to the mall itself, so they did. He opened her door for her and she stepped out. He reached for her hand again as they walked and she let him. They walked in silence.

"So, what store did you have in mind?" He asked once they were inside, taking a look around.

"The Body Shop probably," she shrugged. He nodded and they made there way to the store. They both took a look around, Chloe getting what she needed and Alek carrying it. She laughed lightly when he offered, but let him anyways. She got two towels, 3 things of soap, and got what she could for her hair. Checking out, she felt bad that he payed, but he told her it was no big deal. Valentina gave him a credit card that she said he could use for whatever they needed. She took the bags from his hands and they exited the store.

"Where to now?" She asked him. He smirked a little bit and brought her into his side. She tensed a bit, but remember they were 'engaged' and let herself relax the best she could.

"This was that third thing I told you about." Was all he said. She didn't ask anything because she knew he wouldn't elaborate. They continued walking until they were standing in front of Kay Jewelers.

"Alek. . ." She trailed off. She looked up at him and he gave her a smile.

"Are you ready to pick out our rings, love?" He pushed her forward a bit but she was stuck.

"R-rings?" She choked out.

"We're engaged. We've got to have the rings to prove it." He gave her a look; she couldn't place it. It was almost as if he was pleading. After a couple of seconds of trying to find a way out of it, she finally gave in.

"Fine, sweetheart." She said, giving him a fake smile. He threw his head back and gave out a hollering laugh. She blushed and looked around. Only a few strangers were giving curious looks. "C'mon!" She hissed, grabbing his arm and dragging him inside the jewelery store. They both looked around awkwardly. The only people in the store were elders and people who were extremely sophisticated. The two teenagers were definitely out of place. "Are you sure about this?" She whispered to him.

"It's fine. Nobody can say anything. If we're in love, who else cares?" He grabbed her hand and squeezed. She squeezed back. His words were. . .She couldn't describe it. All she knew was that her heart and stomach both fluttered. She cleared her throat and walked ahead of him, hand still being held. They went to the male section first, deciding that would be quicker. Alek also thought they could just pick out both rings now, so they wouldn't have to come back for his. The pair decided on one ring and Alek pulled it out. Chloe refused to even look at the price. "What do you think, Chlo?" He gave her a smile, one that said he was truly asking her. She looked at his hand and bit her lip. It fit his big hands perfectly, the silver thick but thin, and it looked amazing on him.

"It's perfect, Alek." She smiled. He nodded in agreement and pulled her a bit closer and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed and looked anywhere but at him. He moved to her other side, took her hand, and pulled her to the female section. She sighed. She glanced at some, scoffed at the one's that were over a thousand, and finally gave one ring a second glance. She tried to brush it off, but Alek stopped her.

"You like that one?" It was barely a question as he got the person standing behind the desk, a woman who was roughly around Velentina's age, to pull it out in Chloe's size. Chloe bit her lip as the woman smiled and handed it to her. She thanked her and Alek stopped her before she could place it on her own finger. He took it out of her hand and and placed it on her left ring finger. She swear she stopped breathing. She tore her eyes away from Alek's enduring one's and looked at the ring. It fit her, and she didn't just see it as any other ring. It was like when reading the book, people say that they know it's 'the one'. Chloe always rolled her eyes at that, but right now, seeing the ring on her finger, she felt that exact way.

"I love it." She whispered. Chloe, the 16 year old girl who'd always had a semi-boring life, was wearing an engagement ring and standing next to her 'future husband', Alek Petrov. Even if it was all just fake, and it was all a hoax, and they were doing it so she wouldn't have to leave, she felt like she was dreaming. "What do you think?" She asked him. He smiled a big smile, one she didn't think she'd see very often, and grabbed her left hand. He laced his fingers with hers.

"It's the perfect ring, for the perfect girl." He stated like it was something anyone would say. She smiled and faced the woman behind the counter.

"We'll take it," She told her. The woman looked a bit torn, but nodded and rang them up. They both took their rings from the packaging and placed them on. Chloe never noticed that she was still smiling; she wasn't faking it either. Alek, who was also smiling a bit, took her hand again and they made their way to a kiosk that was selling coffee.

"I told you we'd pick some up, but we never did." She just smiled brighter and bigger. They ordered, a black coffee for him, and a latte for her, and started walking around again.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" Chloe asked while sipping on her hot drink.

"Well, if you want to pick anything else up we can. Something for our room maybe?" He looked at her sideways.

"I don't really know what to get. I have everything I need." She told him honestly. He nodded and looked like he was thinking for a moment.

"Then I guess we can head home. We need to get your stuff into my room anyways." She nodded and stopped his walking. He looked at her with a curious look.

"I-I just wanted to say thank you. It was just - I just had a really good time with you." She breathed out. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek again. This time she didn't even blush. He linked their fingers together and led her towards the exit. When they reached the doors, it was pouring down rain. Chloe hadn't even noticed since they were inside the whole time.

"Crap," Alek grumbled. "I think I can pull the car around." He suggested.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind getting a little wet." He just nodded, grasped her hand tighter, and they started walking. Chloe was thankful that he didn't start running. That was just way too dramatic in her opinion. Feeling like it took four hours, the two finally made it back to the garage and eventually to their car. Once inside, Alek turned the heat on high. Chloe shivered, rubbing her hands together and placing them in front of the vent.

"I didn't know it was supposed to rain," Alek told her, almost sounding apologetic. Chloe let out a small laugh.

"It's fine, not a big deal. Let's just get home so we can change." She paused. "And so I can finally get my shower." The corners of his mouth twitched.

"I think you got plenty of water on you," now he was smirking. She laughed again, her head tilting back a bit.

"So, do you want to ask more questions?" He asked once they were out of the garage. She nodded. She had to think for a few seconds.

"So, what were your parents like?" She asked. She figured she couldn't feel bad since he asked how death felt. He bit his lip, trying to figure this out.

"My mum's name was Elizabeth, but everybody called her Liz. Except me, of course. My father's name was William. They were older, and couldn't have kids, so they adopted me. When I say older, I mean they were in their late 40's." Alek smiled at the thought of his precious life. "They were the greatest people you could ever meet, always doing things for the community, and for other people. My dad worked, mum stayed home, I was at home, school, or hanging out with a few friends." He paused and looked at Chloe with a smile. "Would you believe I was the geeky kid with glasses? We were the perfect role model family. Then I turned 11." He sucked in a deep breath. He looked at the road for a couple of seconds before continuing.

"I started noticing more and more things. I realized that I didn't need my glasses as much. I would wake up in the middle of the night when my dad would get home. That's not too bad, I guess. But he hadn't even entered the house; I would wake up to the sound of his car pulling up to the curb. At school, I didn't have many friends, but the one's I did have kept making comments about me growing. I hadn't even noticed that part myself. My parents said it was probably puberty finally taking it's course and we didn't think much of it." He looked at Chloe and noticed that she was staring at him, listening intently to his story. "I got into it with this kid coming home from basketball one day - and yes I played it then, too. I don't even remember what about. Probably something ridiculous. It was pretty dark out, since practice usually ran until around seven or eight. We were still in the parking lot and we were waiting for our rides. He started pushing me around and I let him because I didn't want to fight. It wasn't until he actually punched me did I finally fight back. I'd never fought before in my life, being only 11. It just wasn't something that I did. So he threw a punch, I threw a punch, and then things got heated. Next thing I knew, we were both on the ground beating the crap out of each other

"I just remember feeling so impossibly weak and not wanting to fight anymore, just wanting to give up. Then it was like someone threw me some king of super juice; I threw some kind of defense move and he stepped off enough for me to stand up. When I did, he was ready for the rest. I saw my glasses on the ground and realized I could see perfectly fine. Even better than fine. It was like I could see in the dark - I just didn't think it was possible. To make a long story short, the geeky kid who never said a work to anyone had all but knocked out one of the most known kids in school. If my memory serves me correctly, he was two grades ahead of me too." He came up to the parking garage of him and Chloe's apartment and pulled in, turning off the car once they were parked.

"I waiting for my mum at a stop sign down the street, not wanting to see their reactions. I was completely sure I got knocked in the eye because I could feel it throbbing. I was only hoping she wouldn't notice. She pulled up and I got in and she didn't say anything, it was like there was nothing wrong. It was like I hadn't just pound some kids' head in. We went home, I washed up and went to bed. The next day was a Saturday so I was home doing whatever. Later in the afternoon, my dad told me he wanted to talk to me. We were sitting there and I just remember him looking so disappointed in me. My mum came in, holding a tissue, surely crying. They asked what had gotten into me, why I hurt that poor boy." He scoffed, not making any move to get out of the car. Chloe stayed put. "I just - I didn't know what to think. I lashed out I guess. I told them off and went to my room. I had a bathroom connected to it so I stepped in there. I still didn't have my glasses and I saw my eyes. They were like something you see in the movies. Or something you see if you have a cat. I looked went to splash water on my face, thinking I was seeing things, and I noticed the claws." He paused, smiling a little bit again. "Do you remember seeing your claws for the first time?" He asked Chloe. She nodded.

"There was this homeless guy and he was standing near an alley that I needed to pass to go home from work. He pushed me into a wall, and I slapped him." Chloe let out an almost unnoticeable giggle. "He called me a crazy bitch and I looked down. There they were." She finished off. He just shook his head, smiling.

"Anyways, I told my parents. I had no other choice. They saw me and. . ." He looked at Chloe. The smile was gone and he just looked sad, almost pained. "My mum screamed. Dad started putting his arm across her, like he was protecting her. Protecting her from me." He grabbed Chloe's hand, almost looking for some kind of reassurance that she was actually there. "I ran. I didn't know where I was going, but I ran. I only got a few houses down when a woman and a girl around my age, maybe a bit older, came up to me. I was young and naive, so I told them I wasn't going home and I didn't have a place to stay. They took me in, saying they knew what was happening to me, and that they could help me get through it." He swallowed, his throat feeling extremely tight. His guard was down and it was all because of Chloe. Had it been anyone else, he would have immediately spat at them to mind their own business. But this was Chloe.

"So, those two women were Jasmine and Valentina?" She asked, playing her hand within his.

"Yeah, and they kept there word. They helped me. They've always been there for me. They never made me feel like I was any different then I really was." He took a deep breath, let go of Chloe's hand and got out of the car. Chloe followed after him and got out, shutting her door behind her. Alek was waiting for her with his head down. She stepped in front of him and put her arms around him, her head resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt his head drop to her neck.

"I'm so sorry, Alek." She told him. She pulled away a bit, letting her hand rest on his face. "You have me now, too. I'm here for you." she told him with all honesty. He just nodded, not wanting to open his eyes. If he did, he felt like he would break down. He wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that.

"I know, King. Let's go fix out room." He took her hand from his face and opened his eyes. She smiled and he smiled back. To be honest, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But he couldn't; he knew that. With that, they made there way back to the penthouse.

"Come on, Alek! That is so not fair!" Chloe whined and Alek just smirked.

"If you don't want to share a bed, or a bathroom, then I guess I'll be seeing you around." He walked towards the bed and got a few articles of Chloe's clothing. He went to the closet and put the shirts up next to his.

"It's not like I want to leave. This is just so unfair. Why can't they just leave. Me. Be?" She groaned and fell onto the bed. He smiled and shook his head then turned around to look at her. She got her shower once they got home and her hair was still drying in the braid she set. There were small curls along the frame of her head. He walked over and sat next to her.

"Just think of all the fun we can have, Chloe." He nudged her, smirking. "I mean in the bed and the bathroom." She glared at him and sat up on her elbows.

"I set up my room yesterday, I think you should be the one to move my junk into here. It's not my fault it has to be moved." She shrugged and he gave a light smirk again.

"Well, I could just toss your stuff out and make you share everything with me." He leaned towards her, lips now brushing her ear. "And I do mean everything." She slapped his shoulder and stood up.

"Are we just using your bed spread and everything?" She asked while stretching a bit.

"Doesn't matter, but it would be easier since it's already here." He patted the bed. She nodded and went to go into her room.

"One more thing; do you have a bathroom or do we use the one in the hall?" He pointed to a door on the other side of the room, near the closet. She nodded again. "Put those away for me, if you would, and I'll go and grab the rest of my things." He did as told and put away the rest of the clothes that were on the bed. When he was finished he went out to follow Chloe and offer her help. He found her gathering things from her desk. He came up behind her and grabbed her laptop and charger, but she jumped right into him and almost made them fall back.

"You are truly as skittish as a kitten, Chloe King." He told her while smirking. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes but she was smiling.

"Just take that in, please." She asked him while grabbing the other things from the desk. Since she was only there for a day, she didn't do much to the room. She left the room, shutting the door on her way out, and entered Alek's room. "So, do you wanna eat lunch soon? I'm starving."

"Yeah, we have pizza in the fridge from last night if you feel like eating that."

"Okay."

They both went into the kitchen and microwaved pizza fore the both of them.

"So, are Jasmine and Valentina coming home today or tomorrow?" Chloe asked once they were seated on the couch with their food.

"They said Monday, but Valentina said they were a bit ahead of schedule. They might be back by tonight, no promises though." She nodded. They ate in silence.

"So, do you feel like doing the whole question thing again?" She tested. She knew she made him say a lot earlier, so she didn't want to force him to so anything he didn't want to.

"Alright," he said, finishing his first piece. "My question?"

"Sure," he thought for a second.

"What exactly happened to your dad?" Chloe almost choked on her food. Was this the day they told each other their deepest and darkest secrets or what?

"Uh, well, there's not much to tell." She squirmed a bit. "He went to work one day when I was 6, but he never came up. He never sent any kind of letter, gave us any kind of call," Chloe sighed, getting a bit sad thinking about her father. "I think my mom hired a P.I., but they didn't find anything on him either. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth." Chloe shrugged. Alek didn't say anything, and Chloe was thankful. When anyone knew about her dad, they would apologize over and over again. She didn't want pity. She wanted people to just get the point she didn't have a dad and get over it. "So, why basketball?" She asked him, smiling. He smiled back.

"It's just something I've been playing since I could walk. I just like it, I guess." He shrugged. He put his now empty plate on the table and thought for a second. "So, I guess we know the actual life stuff. What about our favorite things? Like movies, music, hobbies." He suggested to Chloe who nodded.

"You first though," she told him.

"Favorite movie?" He sat back and put his feet on the coffee table. Why was it when asked a question like this, you could never give a straight answer?

"Well, I kind of have a lot. But the one movie that I always go back to is Dead Silence. It's a thriller of some sort, I guess." She told him.

"Isn't that the one with the puppet and the old lady?" Chloe laughed at his effort to try.

"Yeah, we should watch it sometime."

"Okay," he smiled, knowing a certain late night activity for the future.

"What's yours?" She asked, crossing her legs to get comfortable.

"Like you said, I have a lot. I'm gonna say Star Treck - the remake at least - or Hoosiers." He paused. "Hoosiers is a basketball movie." He smirked and she laughed. "You're turn,"

She suggested they do favorite Tv shows. Hers was either Criminal Minds or C.S.I. - she couldn't decide - and his was Lost. They went on like this for minutes, or maybe hours, until they turned on the Tv to whatever was on. They both fell asleep on the couch.

Well, I think this was my longest chapter yet. I really hope I did it justice. I'll admit, the whole thing with Alek's past was hard. I really wish I had more to go on for him, but I sadly don't. And the whole thing with the Westfield place I did was strictly based off of me searching Google - I have no idea what the place is really like. I used the online directory and all that. x] It is an actual mall and/or shopping center though.

Please, please, please, please tell what you think! Are they moving too fast, too slow? Are they too out of character? Any suggestions or ideas you have PLEASE leave them below!

One more thing. If you haven't watched any of the movies/shows I listed above, you seriously need to. They are all amazing.

~Maria xoxo