One week. That's how long it's been since Chloe's first meeting and she's had 5 more since. Today was Wednesday and she called that day to just relax and everyone agreed.
Valentina left again and so it was just Alek, Chloe, Jasmine, and Zane. Zane told them he'd like to stay for a while and catch up, no one objected. In all honesty, Chloe was glad he was there. Alek seemed happier to have a friend there and Chloe really liked seeing him so happy. She wondered when the heck she first had thoughts like that about Alek.
Today was about relaxing, yes, but the four Mai were also going to get some lunch and Chloe had to check in on work. She was pretty sure she was fired since she hadn't shown up for work in the last week and hadn't called, but what's the harm in checking? She hated that all of her previous responsibilities were seeming so small now. Chloe still had so many thoughts on how much easier it would be to just be normal again.
Chloe was pretty sure she knew what the Mai were – what she was – but it was still hard to figure out. It wasn't something she could register and then a day later be fine with being the Uniter of a race she'd never heard of. It was all a new concept that she had to deal with and she wished it was easier. Getting so caught up in her racing brain, she didn't even notice when the other three Mai stopped. Not until Alek grabbed her arm.
"You okay?" he asked, voice filled with concern. Her heart melted at the look in his eyes. She shook it off.
"Yeah, fine. Just thinking too much." She gave him a bright smile that seemed to relax him a bit. He reached for her hand and she almost pulled away before remembering their role. She felt her silver ring tug when he squeezed her fingers together.
"Try not to think too hard, we're supposed to be relaxing." Alek smirked, brown eyes and all. She smiled lightly and shook her head, walking forward to where Zane and Jasmine were. Chloe was just about to tell Jasmine her order when something, or rather someone, caught her eye. Brian Rezza. She choked on air and spun quickly to face Alek. He looked at her like she was crazy before following her previous gaze.
When his eyes landed on the human, his whole body tensed. His jaw set as he glared at the boys' brown head. Chloe held his hand tighter, bringing him out of his moment. He looked down at her and saw her blue eyes drawn wide, one brow raised. She was asking a silent question. Are you okay? He nodded and gave a tight lipped smile, but she didn't buy it. She told Jasmine what she wanted and told her to get Alek whatever before dragging him to an empty table. She made him sit down and sat beside him, leaning rather close.
"What's up?" she whispered, both brows creased in worry. He smiled at the look on her face before shaking his head.
"Nothing," he hesitated. Then he shrugged and looked away from her bright eyes. "The guys has always bugged me." She narrowed her eyes and Alek wondered for a second – a short, worrisome second – if he'd given too much information. He could only hope she wouldn't figure out why he really disliked him. Since the start, Alek had a nagging feeling about Rezza and hated himself for it. Then he realized why; his feelings for Chloe. The girl had him fighting everything against everything he tried not to do. Getting caught up on a girl, the savior of his race, was definitely not on his agenda. But for some reason, she made him not care very much about what he was trying to do. Now, all he wanted was Chloe.
"But you'd tell me if something was really wrong, right?" she pegged. There was almost a pleading tone in her voice. He cocked his head, wondering what exactly she meant. He nodded slowly and she let out a breath. He held back a laugh and settled for a small smile. This girl was absolutely intriguing. Alek took her hand back in his, not even remembering letting go in the first place and stared at the ring on her finger. Her tiny pale hand seemed to glow with that silver band across the one finger. He smiled but it quickly fell as he realized it wasn't there for the reason he wanted. He dropped her hand, mood dropping along with it, and looked away from Chloe completely. He cleared his throat and propped his elbows onto the table.
"Chloe, that you?" Chloe's head snapped around as did Alek's, only to face a seemingly confused Brian. She cleared her throat as he walked closer to them and felt Alek's arm snake around her shoulder.
"Yeah, it's me," She waved shyly, letting out a nervous giggle. Caught between Alek and Brian, literally, was something she hadn't been wanting to face since she figured out she had feelings for them both.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." He seemed happy, a smile on his face. He took one look at Alek sitting beside Chloe and that smile wavered. Brian saw his arm and how it was hanging loosely over Chloe's shoulder and his stomach dropped.
"Oh, well, I've been busy." She admitted lightly with a small smile. He smiled back and his eyes flickered between Alek and Chloe. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Brian, this is Alek. Alek, Brian." She waved between the two, introducing them formally. They nodded at each other, both holding a dark glint in their eyes.
"Yeah, I've seen you around a bit." Brian nodded at Alek. The blond just smiled tightly.
"It seems it's a small world." He laughed lightly, though I think all three of them new it was forced. Chloe could cut the tension with a knife. Or a claw.
"Well, Alek and I were just going to have lunch with two of our friends so. . ." Chloe trailed off, trying to get her point across nicely. She smiled meekly, hoping he would get it. Brian didn't seem to when he just smiled and asked a question that made both Alek and Chloe's heard stop.
"So, how long have you guys been together?" he asked dryly. "And were you planning on telling me or-?" he added. Chloe's heart panged with guilt but she didn't speak. If she did she thought she might crack. She glanced at Alek over her shoulder and he looked into her desperate gaze. He nodded.
"Well, it hasn't been very long. It just happened over the past week." Alek told Brian and almost enjoyed the way his eyes dropped. Alek's hand swooped down quickly and picked up Chloe's left hand; the one that held the ring. He smiled at the human as realization came quickly onto his face.
"O-oh." He let out in a breath. He cleared his throat. "Well, I'll just let you be. It was, ah, nice seeing you Chloe, Alek." And he walked away with his shoulders slumped. Chloe felt defeated as she sighed and looked down at the table. She pulled her hand from Alek's grip and glared at the ring.
"You know, we didn't have to tell him. We could have hid your hand." Alek tried. He nudged her shoulder, she looked up and shook her head.
"No, I – it's a good thing. We couldn't have been together anyways. I just got a clear way of doing it." She smiled sweetly, but Alek saw the pain in her eyes. So maybe he didn't like seeing her unhappy, but he didn't know what made him do it. He just now it happened. He leaned down and kissed her. Right on the mouth. So quickly he wasn't sure he did it. He was only sure he did it when he saw the look on her face, her cheeks reddening and eyes wide. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish in the water before he cleared his throat and looked away. Way to go, idiot. He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the feeling deep in his stomach.
Chloe sat there too stunned to do much on anything. Did he just - ? She swallowed deeply. She looked back down at the table and noticed Zane and Jasmine coming towards them, laughing about something. Chloe tried to smile too as Jasmine placed a plate of salad in front of her and a burger in front of Alek. Her appetite was definitely gone now, but she picked up the fork and started stabbing at the lettuce. Maybe a bit forcefully. She was about to take her first bite of food when Zane's voice entered her ears.
"Why do you two look like you've been up to no good?" he teased, but Chloe spit out her lettuce and Alek almost dropped his burger. Alek froze and Chloe tried to cough out the food stuck in her throat. Both Jasmine and Zane looked confused and surprised, then they shot a quick glance at each other. "I was only kidding," Zane tried with a goofy half smile and a shrug. He grabbed onto his own burger and took a bite. Once Chloe was done coughing she saw Jasmine giving her a questioning look. She bit her lip and shook her head, telling her now wasn't the best time. Jasmine dropped it and they all at their food in an awkward silence.
The first thing Chloe did once they entered the penthouse again was ran to her room and away from Alek. Jasmine followed quickly behind, but pulled Chloe into her room instead. Once inside, Jasmine shut the door behind them and they both plopped down onto the bed.
"What's going on? You two were doing fine and then we come back with food and you look like you're both avoiding some type of plague?" Jasmine asked, looking Chloe right in the eyes. After some silence and lip biting, Chloe looked away and suddenly her converse sneakers became very interesting.
"Well, uh, Brian was there." Chloe said quietly. She looked up to see the older girls' reaction but she revealed nothing. "And Alek told him that we'd been seeing each other for about a week." She spoke, relaxing a little with each word.
"That's why you were acting weird? Because Alek told Brian you were dating?" Jasmine asked. She obviously wasn't buying it. Chloe just wasn't sure if she should share the whole "kiss" situation. "Look, Chloe, I get that you like Brian, but you have to remember that it wouldn't have –"
"Worked out anyways, yeah, I know." Chloe cut her off, taking a deep breath. She looked around the room and tried to get the guts to say something about what was really bothering her. "That's not all that happened." She informed Jasmine who nodded her head, telling her to keep going. "After Brian left, I was kind of upset. I mean, I think I had a right to be." She raised her hands in defense. "But I don't really know what happened after that. All I can tell you is one minute I was upset about having to blow off Brian that way and then the other minute I was –" Chloe stopped, throat feeling tight. She sighed. "Then the other minute I was trying to register in my mind why Alek just kissed me." She admitted, head falling and wanting to be anywhere but there.
Jasmine seemed a bit shocked, but couldn't say she was exactly surprised. It was definitely one of those situation where everyone around the two people noticed the feelings they had towards each other but the people themselves. She smiled a little and reached out to awkwardly pat Chloe on the shoulder.
"I wouldn't be too confused you know," Jasmine said softly, fighting back laughing at Chloe's confused expression. "He's Alek. Always unpredictable," she shrugged. "Trust me when I say the longer you're around him, the more things like that are going to happen." Chloe bit her lip again.
"So you're telling me he just randomly kissed you when you were upset?" Chloe joked, almost scoffing at the way Jasmine was making this all sound. Jasmine didn't know if she should laugh or gag, but settled for a laugh.
"No, no, he never did that." She told Chloe who nodded and looked away again. "Do you like him?" Jasmine didn't see a point in fighting for answers here. Chloe's head spun around quickly, eyes wide and she swear her heart stopped. Her stomach did a little flip.
"I, well, I mean, Alek and I –" she stopped talking and closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to go to her room, lie on her bed, and never get up. She nodded slowly. Jasmine squeezed Chloe's shoulder a bit before standing.
"I think you should tell him." Jasmine suggested and Chloe looked at her as if she'd suggested jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
"Yeah, I'll get right one that," Chloe laughed, the sounds gurgling up her throat. Jasmine shook her head, lips twitching upwards.
"I'm serious," she said, swatting Chloe's blond head. Chloe narrowed her eyes at her and stood herself.
"So not an option right now, Jas." Chloe gave her a small smile before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her. When she turned around, she came face to face with Zane. "Sorry, didn't see you there." She laughed awkwardly but he just smiled. Chloe side stepped him and went into her and Alek's room.
Speak of the Devil, he was sitting right on their bed. Exactly where Chloe hoped he wouldn't be. She sighed and shut the door behind her. He looked up and quickly stood up.
"Chloe, I – "
"Alek, don – " They both started at the same time. Chloe smiled, biting her lip as she did. Alek laughed a bit and told her to go first. "Well, I just, I don't really know what earlier was. But I want to." She tried, fidgeting in her stance. He stayed quiet for a second before grabbing her hand and pulling her down on the bed, right next to where he had been sitting. She looked up at him, almost afraid of what he would say.
"What I did, it wasn't really supposed to be that way. I guess I got too caught up in the role of being together with you, that I. . ." He trailed off but Chloe got the point. She let out a sigh, of frustration or relief, she couldn't actually tell.
"I just don't really know what that was supposed to mean, but right now, I don't want to think about us. I want to focus on getting me to stay in the pride." She said honestly and he nodded. She ignored the fact that actually being with Alek would probably make it easier. That maybe, just maybe, she could finally be happy with not being normal. That Alek's stomach and heart were both pretty deflated. That her own throat was starting to feel tight again. She just wanted to have one second to know exactly where everything was and how it was all planned out. Chloe glanced back up at Alek and saw he was already looking right at her. She gave him a goofy grin. "At least you got my mind off of Brian," she tried and she saw his lips twitch. She reached over and hugged him, for what she couldn't tell you.
The minute her arms were around his neck, Alek sunk into her like an anchor. All of his feelings about anything were out the door, just letting himself relish the feeling of her pressed right against him. His head dropped to her neck, inhaling her scent that he'd done on that day in the hallway. He smiled at the memory. What he wouldn't give to just have kissed her then and there. They wouldn't be in this situation. He pulled away and pressed a kiss right on her cheek. She was smiling when he looked back at her.
"I'm sorry that had to happen today, Chlo." He said, hands finding her own. "I know you how much you cared for him and I wish that would have gone differently for you." Just because he didn't want Chloe to be with someone else, didn't mean he didn't want to see her happy. At least that's what he kept telling himself.
"I don't want you to be sorry. I'm not sorry how it happened. It just gave me a better chance to get him away from me and out of danger." She spoke quietly. Alek nodded. Chloe looked up at him, staring right in his brown eyes. For a second she didn't want to speak, didn't want to move. She only wished she could tell Alek what she was feeling for him and how much she wanted him. But the thought of Brian made her head hurt. She closed her eyes and turned her body so her side was facing him. She rested against his chest, loving the feeling of him holding her, his chin resting on her head. For this moment, she could pretend everything was okay.
Half an hour later, Alek was still holding Chloe. They moved up on the bed so that they were lying down. Chloe kept drifting in and out of sleep as Alek rubbed her back or played with her blonde curls. Whatever he was doing had Chloe feel the most relaxed she'd been in a while. That was, until Valentina entered the room.
Chloe and Alek jumped apart at the sound of the opening door and the sounds of Valentina's voice.
"Something's happened and I need to talk to you both. Right now." With that, Valentina exited and Chloe looked at Alek. He shrugged and helped her off the bed, gripping her hand as he did. So even if they weren't together or even talking about how they felt towards each other, he didn't let go of her hand and she didn't pull away. When they left the bedroom and walked into the living area, the first thing Chloe noticed was Zane. He was sitting on one of the couches, head between his hands and they rested on his knees. He was murmuring things Chloe couldn't hear and when she looked at Alek, his face was pale.
"Wh-what's going on?" Alek asked, stepping towards Zane. Valentina stepped in front of him, giving him a look that could kill. He stopped but kept his eyes on Zane. "Valentina, what's happening?"
"It seems we've run into a small dilemma." She spoke, keeping her eyes off of everyone. She looked around the room. Chloe couldn't place how she was acting exactly, but it immediately made her think she was guilty. Or, at least felt guilty about something.
"What kind of dilemma?" Chloe asked cautiously. She stepped forward and Valentina gave her a look that made her stop. Jasmine, who Chloe didn't really even notice, stepped from beside her mom.
"Zane's the dilemma." Jasmine spoke seriously. Chloe hated how she looked so emotionless. "We found something out about him. It turns out he's been tracking us for some other Mai." The venom in her voice, how she said it with so much distain, made Zane cringe.
"It's not like that! I'm not a spy, a traitor!" Zane shouted, standing up. His face was pleading with anyone who was looking. He looked right to Alek. "Alek, you have to believe me. I wouldn't do this if I had a choice!"
"I – I don't," Alek started. His face looked pained. Chloe understood why instantly. This was his friend, practically his only friend, and he was being pinned as a bad guy.
"What happened?" Chloe asked quietly. She looked around at everyone for answers, but Jasmine and Valentina looked away. Zane looked about ready to jump out the window, but looked right at her.
"You have to believe me when I say I never meant to do anything. Not to you or Alek," he pleaded. His eyes were starting to tear up and he looked around to everyone else.
"You could have stopped this!" Jasmine hissed, making Zane cringe again. Valentina gave her daughter a shake of the head and a small glare.
"None of this should have happened," she spoke timidly. Her eyes wondered to Zane's distraught face. He shook his head vigorously, agreeing with her.
"I know it shouldn't have. Valentina, I didn't mean for this –"
"I'll ask again," Chloe spoke over Zane's voice. She gave a glare to everyone. "What. Happened?" Alek walked back over to her, taking his place at her side.
"Chloe, Alek," Valentina started. "It seems some people have found out your relationship isn't as real as we made it out to be." Chloe's heart stammered in her chest, eyes bugging. She felt Alek stiffen beside her.
"Y-you told people?" Chloe asked, voice taking a turn into a growl. She walked closer to Zane, wanting to hit him or yell or do something. "How did you find out in the first place?" she hissed. Zane stood up. Chloe saw a look between Jasmine and him, and she knew that she was the one who told. But he didn't give her up.
"It was sort of obvious," he said quietly, looking down. Valentina's lips straightened into a line and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, you guys just don't seem like a couple. You seem like friends who like being close to each other." He shrugged.
"And that gives you a right to go and shout it all over the world?" Alek asked, voice rising. Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. He released a breath and stood his ground next to her.
"I told you, it wasn't like that." Zane tried, voice turning into a small whine. "Look, the Mai, the New York pride, they've always hated me." He looked at Valentina and saw a look come over her face. Her eyes darkened.
"Yes, well, this happens sometimes. That gives you no right to sit here and tell them everything that go-"
"I wish I didn't have to!" Zane shouted before she could finish her sentence. "I wish I didn't have to tell them, but I do. They have things on me, things that can ruin me. Only a few people know but those who do like to make it clear who those in charge are." He told her sternly. Silence fell over them. Alek was wondering what they heck they could possibly have over Zane that he would do this to people he cared about.
"So they threatened you?" Chloe asked. She sounded appalled. Well, everyone was quite disgusted at the actions of the pride. Valentina wondered how this ever became, Jasmine wondered what they had on him, and Chloe and Alek wondered the same. Zane nodded. He looked up, meeting everyone's eyes.
"Yes," he said. He looked away from all of them and stood up. "I get what I did was wrong, but if what they have on me gets out, I'd have no other choice but to stay on the run." He tried walking away, but Valentina caught his arm.
"You aren't going anywhere. I'll take care of this." She told him, Zane nodded. He looked like he was going to be sick. "We're going to protect you." She let him go and he walked away, back into the guest room.
"What do you mean we're going to protect him?" Jasmine said, looking furious. Chloe walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't react.
"Jasmine, I ask to speak with you privately." Valentina pointed towards the other side of the room and Jasmine obeyed. They left the room and Chloe face Alek. He looked ultimately still in shock.
"Alek," she said walking closer to him. Chloe looked down at her shoes. If all of this was true, this meant Chloe would be leaving anytime now. "Alek, I don't want to leave." Her voice stayed strong, but her eyes told a different story. Tears burned them as she looked back up at him. He shook his head, grabbing her hand in his.
"I'm not going to let that happen," he told her softly. His eyes held so much. So much of what, Chloe couldn't tell place, but they just held so much of everything. Before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her mouth and she pressed herself into Alek's arms. He held her tight.
You guys are just awesome. Yep. That's all I can say anymore. I love you all.
~Maria xoxo