Two days rolled around and now Chloe sat in her and Alek's shared room, shaking with anxiety. Today was Thursday and that meant Chloe and Alek were announcing their "engagement" to the rest of the Mai. Or, the ones that were attending todays gathering. Jasmine was supposed to be helping her get ready by doing her hair and makeup and all other preparations, but she was shopping for food at this minute. Valentina was setting up the house to look more presentable, she said. Even though Chloe found nothing wrong with the place, Valentina said it needed cleaned and a few pieces of furniture needed to be rearranged. When Chloe offered to help, she shut her down.
As for Alek, she had no idea where he was. Only that when she woke up, he'd left a note on his nightstand telling her he'd see her later. And that he can't wait to see her in that dress. Even if it didn't come directly out of Alek's mouth, Chloe knew she blushed furiously. On Tuesday, when she found those items in Alek's drawer, she could honestly say she was being way too dramatic. That night, after Alek left, she felt horrible for being so emotional and went out to apologize to him. He was almost asleep when she woke him up and told him to come to bed. She made up something about being nervous for today's events and he told her it was fine, that there was no need to apologize anyways.
Even if she didn't know why those condoms were in his drawer, she blew it off the next day. She didn't own Alek and he was free to do what – or who – he wanted. The thought still made Chloe gag a bit.
"Knock, knock," Chloe heard Jasmine say from the doorway. She spun around to face her and gave her a smile.
"Finally! I've been waiting here," Chloe jumped up and helped Jasmine with the bags she was carrying. "What are these?"
"Makeup and other things we need to tonight, along with the other meetings." Jasmine told her while unpacking a few of the things and setting them up on the bed.
"Jas, I have cosmetics. You didn't need to go and buy a whole bunch of stuff." Chloe pointed out. They'd been doing so much for her, buying her so much and giving her a place to stay, along with help to stay, she felt bad. Jasmine just shook her head.
"Chloe, it's not a problem. As you said before, the Mai are doin' okay." Jasmine laughed and so did Chloe. Jasmine made Chloe change into the silver dress they'd chosen on their day out. Chloe walked out of the bathroom and Jasmine gave her a smile. "That dress really does look good on you," she said honestly.
"Thanks," Chloe bit her lip. Not that she was insecure about herself, but every girl had their doubts. Buying clothing was tough for any girl, she thought.
"Well, sit down and let's get started!" Chloe laughed and sat down in the desk chair and let Jasmine get started.
Barely ten minutes later, she was finished and let Chloe glance at the table mirror she had also bought earlier. Chloe felt extremely happy with the way she looked. As she guessed Jasmine could tell, she hated wearing makeup that was terribly obvious, and the light silver color across her eyes and blush that stained her cheeks was perfect. She gave the other girl props for being so good with a brush.
"I look absolutely amazing, Jasmine." She turned and gave her a big smiled. Jasmine gave her a smile that was just as big.
"Now time for your hair," Jasmine said as Chloe turned back around in her place. Chloe took her curly hair down from the bun that was formed on her head and let it fall. Without products or some kind of curling or straightening iron, her hair got very big and made a huge mess of unruly curls.
"Do whatever you want with it," she said with a laugh. Jasmine got started by plugging in a 3 inch curling iron. She spritzed Chloe's hair with a straightening spray and got all of her together before finding the piece of round metal hot and got started.
Nearly a half an hour later, Jasmine was finally finished. Chloe turned her head to look in the mirror. The mess she called hair previously was now a silky amount of loose curls around her face. It made her look . . . mature. She bit back the smile and turned to Jasmine again.
"So, do you wanna tell me how you got so good at doing hair and makeup?" Chloe asked in amazement. She'd been doing her own stuff for years, but never to the amount of almost perfection Jasmine had done.
"It may not seem that way, but I love doing this stuff. I've always had to take care of myself when it came to these things, so I guess I trained myself to do it all." Jasmine told her with a shrug and a smile. "Plus, you look pretty damn good if I do say so myself." Chloe laughed and stood up.
"What time does this thing start?" She wondered, smoothing out her dress and heading to the closet for the matching heels. She slid them onto her feet, adjusting the straps. She stood again and walked towards the bathroom to make sure she looked alright.
"It should be starting soon, which is why I need to go get ready. Try not to mess up my masterpiece." Jasmine told her seriously. Chloe bit back a giggle and continued peering at herself in the mirror. She played with a few curls and decided she needed to pin some of them back. She went to the shelf and grabbed a sliver clip and pulled the curls at the top of her head to the right and set it in place. She also got out her lip stain color and applied a small amount to her mouth before exiting to room. She made her way to the common area and saw Valentina still setting up a few things. She also noticed Alek. Who was wearing a suit. Her eyes widened as he glanced over at her, looking a bit shocked before throwing out a smirk.
"I must say, King," he nodded in approval. "You clean up well." Chloe blushed and kept her mouth shut as Valentina gave Alek a small shake of the head and turned to Chloe.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Chloe." She gave a small smile and kept doing whatever it was she was doing in the kitchen. Alek stood up straight from the counter and walked over to her. She noticed the silver tie he was wearing and how it matched her dress.
"Where've you been all day?" she questioned as Alek's eyes wondered over her form. She held her head a bit higher. He gave her a grin.
"I had to get ready myself, you know. I don't just wake up and look this good." Alek pointed to himself, holding back a laugh. Chloe smiled and shook her head, looking around. The space around them was more opened than before. She noticed the couches and chairs were now mostly against the wall, or at least out of the way and so was most of the other furniture.
"This is looking great, Valentina." She informed Valentina who just gave a small nod. Alek laughed quietly at Chloe's attempt and Chloe gave him a glare. "When does everyone start getting here?" she pondered. Alek gave a shrug and walked over to the counter where some food was laid out.
"Don't you dare touch that food, Mr. Petrov." Valentina warned while turning around and giving him a narrowed look. He smirked and put his hands up in surrender. "Some guest will be arriving shortly. You and Alek need to go and sit in your room and wait until Jasmine gives you the go to come back out." The two younger Mai nodded and walked back into the room, Alek shutting the door behind him.
By the time Jasmine called Alek and Chloe in, Alek was starving and Chloe was shaking. She was terrified something was going to go wrong. Alek kept telling her everything was going to be okay, but she was nervous. Alek took Chloe's hand and pulled her into his side as they entered the main room. All eyes were on them. Chloe noticed some adults who were looking at the two with smiles and others were looking at them like they both committed a horrible crime.
Alek guided Chloe to Valentina and it was then she noticed there were also several teenagers giving the two glares. Especially the girls. Apparently, she had to deal with girls that Alek didn't even know.
"Everybody," Valentina announced. "This is Alek Petrov and Chloe King. Our Uniter and her protector are engaged and have been for some time now. They were just waiting for the right time to announce it. Valentina smiled at the couple and Chloe tried her best to smile back. Alek was doing a fine job at pretending Chloe was his, and enjoying every minute of it.
"Aren't they a little young to be – engaged?" One woman whom Chloe couldn't see shouted and Chloe bit back her gasp. Alek held her hand tighter and placed his lips against her ear. She shuddered.
"People are going to have their doubts. Just keep going like they don't know anything." He whispered and she was sure she was the only one who heard him. She nodded. "We may be young, but age doesn't mean anything when it comes to love. I'm sure some of you know that." No one said anything in reply.
"I assure you that these two are responsible enough for marriage. They mean everything to each other." Valentina explained and again, there was silence. "Well, everybody continue on with their time here. These two will be happy to interact with anyone who wants to speak to them." Chloe's heart pounded in her chest.
"Come on," Alek tugged her hand and pulled her to a spot near the kitchen. He looked her over and then pulled her into a hug. "Smile a bit, would you? I know it's not exactly what you have in mind for being engaged, but I can't be that bad." She did smile at that.
"You aren't. You're perfect." She said and was glad they weren't facing each other. She buried her head further into his shoulder. "I'm just nervous. I don't want to leave and I don't know if I can do this, Alek." One of his hands that were placed on her waist ran up her spine and landed on her shoulder, pushing her away lightly.
"Then start believing you can, because I do." Alek looked like he was unsure about something, Chloe noticed, but the look went away as quickly as it came. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek, right beside her ear. "Just act like you're in love with me," he whispered. She felt like collapsing in his arms. Her legs felt like jelly as he pulled away. She was sure there was a huge blush running up her neck and across her face. All she could do was nod.
Alek took her hand again and led her out to where most of everyone was and a friendly couple made their way towards them.
"Chloe, Alek," the older woman said with a smile and a nod. Her husband – or at least Chloe guessed him to be her husband – did the same. Chloe smiled lightly back and wrapped an arm around Alek's waist while he put one around her shoulders. "Some people here just don't get it. Love can come from anyone, at any time. I'm just glad you two found it early enough to know you don't need to keep searching." She gave another soft smile before dragging her husband off somewhere else.
"See? Not everyone's bad," Alek pointed out and Chloe glanced up at him. She smiled and pulled away slightly.
"Those girls over there don't seem to like the fact that you're taken," Chloe teased. Alek gave her a wink and leaned closer.
"I'm fairly sure you weren't the only one who was getting glares." He nodded his head towards the teens and sure enough, some boys were giving Alek the stink eye. Chloe hid he face and tried not to laugh. Alek pulled her in again and walked her over towards the group.
"What're you doing?" she hissed quietly while trying to slow him down a bit.
"Relax, I'm just mingling with those our age." He winked again. She sighed and let him pull her along. One they were there, a girl with olive colored skin and a long black dress gave Alek a smile. She felt him tense and his arm wrap around her tighter. The girl's black hair hung flirtatiously to one side as she held a glass. She looked at Chloe and gave her a smile, but Chloe knew better. Her and Alek had a history.
"It's so wonderful to meet you, Chloe." The girl held her hand out and Chloe shook it quickly before pulling away and looking anywhere but at her. "I must say, I never took you for one to settle down so quickly, Alek." She joked with her hand now playing with her hair.
"That's what happens when you find the right girl, Mimi." He said, emphasizing the word right. Her eyes narrowed a bit.
"Well, hopefully you aren't making a mistake. I remember all the times you told me how good I was after we –" Alek cut her off quickly.
"Doesn't matter," he rushed. "I'm with Chloe and everything we had is in the past. It doesn't matter anymore." Chloe could tell he was getting nervous and she knew exactly what Mimi was saying. Her face blanched at the thought of the two of them being intimate, along with her stomach dropping. She glanced away from them both.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Mimi gushed fakely. "She didn't know? Such a pity." She gave a sad smile, but her eyes lit up with satisfaction. "Well, I'll just leave you two alone now." She sauntered off and Chloe noticed the extra sway to her hips that was there. She took a deep breath.
'Chloe, I was hoping that was something you'd ever find out." He hurried and turned her to face him. His eyes were sad and he looked torn. "I'm so sorry, Chloe." She just smiled at him, not feeling as bad as he thought she was.
"Like you said, it's the past right?" she queried and leaned closer. "Plus, I'm fairly sure I don't own you and you are free to do what you want." She bit her lip. "Or who." When she pulled away he was shaking his head, but she gave another smile.
"I have you for the rest of our lives, so what does one dumb fling mean to me?" she played along with their intended plot. She raised her eyebrows and he breathed deeply.
"You're right," he nodded and then his lips twitched into a smirk. "Which is why I'm sure we'll have plenty of 'good times' ourselves." He licked his lips and Chloe blushed.
"I don't kno-ow," she dragged on, shaking her head a bit. "We aren't actually married yet. No clothes are coming off until there's been a legal ceremony." She blinked sweetly and he fought back laugh. He pulled her into another short hug.
"Thank you," he kissed her cheek and pulled away. A boy came up to the both of them and she saw Alek's face light up a bit.
"Alek, good seeing you again." The boy nodded and Alek smiled. Chloe couldn't miss the unmistakable sound of another British accent from the boy. She looked closer at him. His blue eyes were lively and curly brown hair topped his head. He was just about as tall as Alek and his smile was bright. Chloe immediately knew they had to have known each other.
"It's been forever, hasn't it?" Alek laughed and reached to shake the boy's hand. Chloe stood a bit awkwardly until Alek faced her again. "Chloe, this is Zane. Zane, this is –"
"Yeah, Chloe, got it." He laughed and Chloe smiled. His eyes wondered around and then finally went back to Alek and her. "Have you, uh, have you seen Jasmine around?" He tested, and Chloe noticed how shy he asked it.
"I think she's with her mom," Chloe told him, pointing over to the area they were in. Zane's smile grew and Chloe held back her smile.
"I'll catch you later, yeah?" Zane pondered and Alek nodded surely. "Oh, and congratulations on the engagement!" he shouted as he walked away. Alek smirked and Chloe shook her head as she looked at him.
"Two questions," she began. "First off, you guys obviously know each other, so how? And secondly, how long as he had a thing for Jasmine?" Alek's eyes widened when she brought up liking Jasmine, then he looked confused.
"Jasmine? He doesn't like Jasmine." He looked at Chloe, almost as if she were crazy, with one eyebrow raised.
"You keep telling yourself that." She laughed at his senselessness. He just shook his head with a small smile.
"I've known Zane for years," he told her. "He visits occasionally and we always play a game of basketball." His eyes shined a bit more as he talked. Chloe realized Zane was probably the closest thing to a best friend he had. She smiled bigger and leaned into his side.
"I'm already getting tired of people," she admitted and he squeezed her bare arm.
"I know, so am I." He glanced at his watch that Chloe hadn't noticed before. "Hopefully it won't be much longer. It's almost 8 so people will probably start fleeing soon." Alek walked with her at his side to a group of older Mai and they chatted for what seemed like forever until Valentina finally made her way to them.
"So, are you two doing well?" she probed. Alek nodded and so did Chloe.
"I think it's going well," Chloe noted. Alek agreed. Valentina gave nod.
"We should be ending this soon, so feel free to chat amongst others until then." Valentina went to walk away, but turned back around. "Oh, and Alek. Zane's going to be staying with us for a few days. After everyone leaves, would you mind setting some sheets and blankets in the guest room for him?"
"Of course," he assured her. She smiled vaguely and walked off. Chloe smiled, too.
"Are you and Zane close then or . . . ?" she trailed off. He thought for a second.
"I wouldn't say close. We just do a lot of basketball and talk about random things. It's not like we sit there and do our nails and talk about who the cutest boy in school is." He smirked. "But we all know it'd be me." Chloe snickered and Alek gave her a grin. "Shall we?" he offered his arm.
"We shall." Chloe grabbed a hold of it and they walked around, greeting random people. Alek was talking to an older man about a 49ers game and Chloe zoned out a bit. She felt someone tap her waist. When she turned around, she had to look down to see a little girl with big green eyes and fine black hair. The girl giggled and Chloe smiled.
"Hi, Miss Chloe." The little girl said with another giggle.
"Hi there," Chloe knelt down beside her the best she could in her dress. "Is there something I can do for a cutie like you?" The girl beamed and reached for Chloe. Chloe picked up the girl from the ground and turned to see Alek's face, a smile lighting it up.
"I know I move fast, King, but that seems quiet impossible." He pointed to the little girl, playing with one of her small hands. Chloe shook her head, rolling her eyes.
"Now, you see, that's what an annoying boy looks like. They're bad." Chloe explained sweetly to the girl whose nose scrunched up a bit.
"Boys are icky," Chloe didn't miss the surprised and amused look on Alek's face when she said that. She almost exploded with laughter.
"Yes, yes they are." Chloe stuck her tongue out at Alek who just glared at her teasingly. 'So, what's your name, little one?" Chloe bounced the girl on her hip and she squealed. Chloe walked away from Alek with the girl.
"Ella," she said, giving Chloe another grin. She only had a couple of teeth and Chloe felt her heart swell.
"Well, love that name, Ella. It fits you." The girl looked confused, her green eyes shining.
"No, I get called Ella. I don't wear it," she shook her head and Chloe laughed again.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry. Either way, it's a very beautiful name for a very beautiful girl." The girl beamed again and squeezed Chloe with her small little arms. "Where's your mommy?" Chloe asked the girl, looking around.
"She, uh, isn't around really." A man's voice spoke. Chloe spun around to face a stranger. She thought she'd see an older man, but no. This boy barely looked older than her. He had grey-blue eyes and black hair that lay lifelessly around his face. He was just about her height and looked a bit nervous.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed." Ella squealed in Chloe's arms, reaching for her father. Chloe handed her over.
"It's fine, most people do." He smiled and held out his hand. Chloe took it. "My name's Connor." Chloe smiled.
"Chloe," she introduced. He smiled again.
"Yeah, I kind of knew that." He chuckled lightly. Chloe blushed. Of course he knew. She was the reason he was even here.
"Well, thank you for coming and you have a wonderful little girl on your hands." She complimented and his eyes lit up.
"Yeah, yeah. I do don't I?" he teased Ella, tickling her sides and she let out a loud giggle. Chloe laughed. "Thank you for picking her up. She ran off while I used the bathroom."
"It's fine, not a problem." She assured him and waved a goodbye to Ella, walking over to Alek who was looking directly at her.
"Well, it seems we have a mother-in-training, don't we?" he teased. Chloe noticed his eyes shining and had no idea why, but blushed under his gaze.
"How could you not love her? She's adorable," she said honestly. He smiled at her. He pulled her into his arms again and whispered in her ear. "I must say, Chloe. Seeing you with a child gives me a lot of tempting thoughts." Chloe squirmed a bit, blushing feverishly and glaring at him. He let her go, practically laughing his butt of. She just continued to glare at him until he finally stopped laughing.
"Oh, come on! You know I'm kidding," he grabbed for her hand and she let him hold it. She shook her head and looked out over the throngs of people. She spotted Jasmine and Zane who had been talking since he walked off earlier. She smiled. Jasmine was always so responsible and practically a younger version of her mother, that Chloe didn't feel like she lived like a teenager. Now, maybe if Zane asked her while he stayed, she would get the taste of being in a relationship with a guy as sweet as he was.
Okay, so maybe Chloe didn't know him that well, but he had to be semi decent if Alek liked him, right? Well, she thought. Look at Alek. She smiled at herself.
"What are you smiling about?" Alek's accented voice brought her from her thoughts. She glanced at him and nodded over to the two she'd been thinking about.
"Those two. You can't tell me Jasmine doesn't look the least bit happy talking to him," she reasoned. Alek looked over at them and Chloe saw the look of shock mixed with realization come across his face.
"Looks like you were right," he laughed. "Zane does have it out for Jasmine." Chloe nodded and kept her eyes glued to the pair across the room.
"If Zane doesn't make a move, you need to talk to him. Jasmine obviously has some interest in him, too." Alek narrowed his eyes a bit at Chloe's advice but didn't say anything more. Chloe took the silence as a chance to check out the room once more.
People were starting to leave and the place was becoming more and more empty by the second. A lot of the teenagers had left only shortly after it all started and only people that Chloe took had an "important" status were left. She spotted Valentina alone near the kitchen and walked over to her, Alek surely right behind her.
"Everything going according to plan?" Chloe asked, almost teasingly. Valentina didn't seem to notice. She glanced over at the two of them.
"I think everything's going perfectly." She stated. Chloe nodded and faced Alek who was already staring at her. She felt his hand slide into hers and she let him take it. She even gave it a tight squeeze. When she glanced back at Valentina, she was gone. Chloe looked around the room and saw her laughing with and elderly woman.
"I'm not exactly sure how long this is going to be dragged on for," Alek started and Chloe turned back to him. "So I was thinking I would help try to get people out of here. I need sleep and I'm not going to be able to while there's strangers in my home. Would you like to help?" Alek held her hand up, bringing it close to his lips. She could feel his breath on her hand. A short live jolt wound up through her spine.
"I think that would be the best thing to happen all night," Chloe told him while holding back a smile. He grinned back and started for groups of people, telling them it was getting late and it was time to leave.
About an hour later, everyone – excluding Zane – had left the penthouse and the teens were now cleaning around the house. By the time they were finished, Chloe felt like she were ready to sleep for a couple of years.
"Who knew barely two hours of people and cleaning could be so tiring?" Chloe said aloud as her and Alek got into bed. He lifted the covers and she sat down, knees to her chest. He placed them at her feet and lay down on his side, facing her. His eyes were bright in the dull lighted room.
"I think I'm just as beat as you, King." He said honestly, letting out a yawn to make his statement even clearer. Chloe shook her head and settled herself into the warm covers. She thought it would be awkward every night, laying down next to Alek whom she barely knew and trying to sleep. Truth be told, she slept better in the last few days than she had in who knows how long.
She curled up next to him, feeling herself already drifting off. Alek's arm went around her waist and he pulled her to his chest. She relaxed even more.
"This is getting to be a really comfortable thing for me, Chloe." His voice sounded sleepy and his accent almost made it hypnotizing. She smiled. Alek's fingers playing on her waist was the last thing she remembered before she went into a dream world.
Haha okay. I'm gonna say it myself before you do: this was a boring chapter. It was just one of those filler slash informational chapters. I'm gonna start actually getting into stuff within the next few chapters and I hop you guys still enjoyed this. Tell me how I did and what you liked/disliked! I love hearing your virtual voices!
Wait, before I go, I need to say something else! Your reviews are still making me do happy dances when I see the amount there are so please remember to give me some before you hit exit!
~Maria xoxo