Eyes that see into Infinity

Part 2

Chapter Seventeen

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Everyone already knows how pleasing Phai is to the eye. Everyone knows he's one of a kind, one who can stop traffic with just a smile. Everybody knows my feelings towards him. Maybe not as a lover but as a friend. I expected that because it's impossible to hide it. It's impossible to realize how much I care about him even to me.

Nobody knows that Phai and I made love just less than twenty four hours ago. No one has ever known what I really wanted. No one knows what I wanted most... besides him. What I want most is what Cassy wants most and he knows it. As a prince, king and man I only had one weakness.

Alex kept an eye on Cassy who was noticeably following Phai around through out the mall while the others were off in secret shopping for the party. He hid behind racks and stayed cautiously behind just observing but trying not to look like a stalker. He had some security guards already looking at him weird.

It was an unfortunate issue, especially for Cassy. He wished to gain what I already had, but what I was torn between was, if he was in love with him, or in love with his looks. Either way I wouldn't accept Cassy in love with Phai and I wouldn't accept Cassy in love with Phai's looks. So I wasn't torn between anything. I was just torn.

Phai turned to see Cassy walking close by and glared at him. "What are you doing?" It wasn't the nicest of responses.

"Looking for something for our little Alex." The boy smirked in return picking up an object from one of the counters in a shop. Cassy put the item down. "You?"

Phai frowned. "The same."

"And are you finding anything?"

"No." They both turned and saw Alex far enough so that he couldn't hear them but near enough to know that he was watching. "Cassy stop trying to ruin this." Phai spoke quietly but instructively.

"Ah so you admit you two have something going on?" Cassy moved closer to the browned haired boy making him purposely uncomfortable.

"Why are you worked up about this? Why does it bother you so much?"

"It doesn't, I don't care." It was far from the truth but Cassy was good at making it sound believable.

"Then leave me alone if you don't care." Phai strongly directed.

Cassy chuckled and left seeing Alex coming there way.

"Hey Phai." Alex watched Cassy go off and then turned back to Phai.

"Hi Alex." Phai blushed mostly because of the way Alex was smiling but also hoping he wasn't coming to question him about anyone in particular.

"What are you buying?" Alex asked.

Phai shook his head. "Uh, I don't know yet, I'm just looking." He dropped his head playing with his fingers.

"What's wrong? You seem nervous."

"I'm not." Phai thinly smiled. "Come let's go look around." He snatched up Alex and they went walking. Tolem had texted Phai telling him to keep Alex as far from possible so Phai dragged the blonde towards the food court where they could sit and talk. Just them away from Roxanne and Cassy.

They bought two large boxes of Chinese food and sat eating. This should give Tolem and the others plenty of time Phai thought. "So Alex are you going to finish your schooling here, then?"

"Yea I already got my credits transferred."

"Which school?"

"Yours." The blonde smirked looking at his food.

The answer was simple and Phai cleared his throat before he ended up flushing more. "When you graduate from high school what do you want to be when you get to the bigger world?"

"Errm, I don't know yet. I haven't thought about it. What about you?"

"I haven't thought much about my future either." Phai confessed head bent down eyes focused on his hands in his lap.

"From what I know of you, you will make a great teacher." Alex said.

The browned haired boy grinned. "And from what I know of you, you will be a great cop."

Alex laughed. "A cop? What do you see that has you believe I would make a great cop?"

"Your confidence and you make everyone around you happy with your presence."

Alex smiled sticking his fork in his food.

"What makes you think I would be a great teacher?" Phai continued curiously.

"Because you love to learn yourself, you like to write and read. You are intelligent and you like to help out other people. It's one thing you are good at. And you understand everything about everyone; it's your strong point but a weak point to everyone else."

Phai stared amazed. He couldn't figure out how Alex knew all that about him. "How do you know that?" he could have sworn Alex just read the future, or past.

"Because I remember."

They were interrupted before they spoke more seriously about life and themselves.

"Hey guys, we're done shopping?" Tolem said with a wide smile on his face while carrying two large bags of things.

Alex sat back. "Why are those bags so full? I thought you guys had no money."

"Remember we took our parents money." Roxanne said dragging another large bag.

"My god how much did you guys spend?" Alex was shocked.

"Uh about a hundred." Tolem answered even though it was closer to two hundred.

"With all those bags and only a hundred backs, that's good savings." Alex smirked. "What did you guys get at Party City?"

Roxanne looked down at the bag that had the big logo on it. "Oh, crap, ummm..."

"We grabbed the wrong bag." Answered Leon saving the moment.

Alex went home to check up on his dad and this gave Phai time to tell his parents about the surprise party. "Mom and Dad you can't let Alex know, but he's coming over now."

"Why?"

"I have to distract him over here because we are setting up a party out in the fields for his welcome back."

"Aw, how sweet." The mother replied.

"A party so soon. Why are we being notified now?" Amyntor asked while watching a foot ball game in the other room.

"Who cares dad? This is important that everything goes as planned."

"Who did you guys invite to this?"

"Alex's friends." Phai answered like he asked a stupid question. He moved passed his dad making sure the pillows on the couch were neat, and then he picked up all of Callista's homework books, and babies and tossed them inside a box scooting it at the end of the stairs. "Callista take your stuff upstairs!"

"So am I invited?" Amyntor joked, knowing his son took him seriously every time.

Phai stopped rushing and cleaning around the house and looked dully at his dad. "Why would you be invited? We didn't invite any parents."

"Phai that's rude, be nice to your father." His mother voiced.

Amyntor shut off the TV. "Well who is going to be your adult supervision, you guys aren't going to go out there with drugs and alcohol are you?"

"Of course not, were not old enough." Phai remarked.

"Everyone is old enough to drink; it depends on how mature enough you are to handle it."

"Dad I don't want to get into the adult talk. If you wanna come then come."

Phai saw his dad pick up the house phone then dialed a number.

"Who you calling?" he asked.

"I bet you guys forgot about the food, I'm ordering you guy's pizza."

Phai sighed. He wondered what else they forgot about. The mother smiled.

"I will run to the store and buy drinks." The mother said grabbing her keys from the counter top. "Come on Callista!"

It was disgustingly unordinary how supportive his parents were.

Alex entered Phai's house and straight away Callista dashed out at him giving him a hug before running towards the car with her mom.

"I'll be back Alex, don't go anywhere." The young girl shouted leaping into the car.

Then Cassy entered whistling. This was unexpected. "Hello Phai." the boy smiled devilshly.

Phai nervously smiled at Alex and then Cassy. "Oh, right hi guys."

"What are you doing here?" Phai took Cassy into the kitchen after Alex went upstairs to his room to get something.

"Well Tolem told me he didn't need my help and to make things less suspicious he sent me over." Cassy answered.

"How is that less suspicious? You never come over even Alex knows that."

"I came over once and was kicked out remember." The bully reminded him.

"You're lucky I'm not kicking you out now." Phai grunted helplessly frustrated.

Alex came down the stairs and grinned displeasingly seeing Phai and Cassy in the kitchen talking.

"Hey Cassy." He said.

"Hi Alex."

"Are you here to hang out with us?"

"You bet. Phai invited me over. I hope its no problem. I would like to spend time with you as well. After all you just got back." They both smiled at each other fakely.

"I'm glad you're here."

Phai watched the two step into the living room talking as old friends.

"This is going to be bad." He said to himself.

"Why do we have to set up and Phai doesn't. This was his idea." Roxanne complained her usual way while sweeping out the dirty shed.

"Your right you would probably be better at distracting him than Phai because of how annoying you are." Answered Leon hitting a rock with an abandoned golf club he found in the high meadow.

"Shut up Leon and help."

"Help with what?"

"Leon, start setting up the tables."

Tolem was slaving trying to set up the welcome back sign on the shed with the help of Perdicas while Crater and Phil were setting up the party lights around the shed and sticking the torches along the deck to the pond.

Thais and Roxanne had to clean the inside of the shed and make it more suitable for guests. "How many people are actually expected to come?" Thais asked while decorating the inside with balloons and other ornaments.

"About a total of thirty or more!" Shouted Tolem from the outside.

"Alex has that many friends?" Roxanne asked.

"Yea, just because he used to be antisocial doesn't mean anything. He still has the same friends from middle school not to mention a lot of the kids down the block." Answered Thais.

"They only talk to him because he's hotter now."

"Good afternoon!" Phai's father entered the shed with an ice chest filled with drinks. "So this is where you young ones hang out? Not bad."

The girls just watched him weirdly as the handsome man dropped off the drinks and left with a jolly smile talking about the pizza being on its way.

"Who was that?"

"Phai's dad I think." Thais answered her.

"Oh." That was the first time she ever actually saw the guy.

She finished and loaded the canned drinks inside the refrigerator of the shack.

Phai sat uncomfortably while Cassy stared at Alex and Alex at him from separate couches across each other. He was sitting next to his sister on another couch.

"Are we going to do anything?" Phai asked just now realizing that they could have stayed that way the whole night.

The TV was on but only Callista was paying it any attention. "If I knew the TV couldn't distract me from the noise I am not hearing behind me I would have left the room along time ago." She said getting up and leaving. "You guys bore me."

Phai sighed loudly. Cassy ruined everything, it was a fact but he honestly didn't think it would end up this bad.

"I will go grab us drinks." Phai said making any excuse to get out of there. He then stood and went to the kitchen where his parents were. "This is horrible mom and dad."

He was glad he had his parent to whine too. Most kids his age had parents that worked all day and never came home, a lot like Alex's parents.

"What? Did Alex find out about the surprise?" The mom asked curiously.

"No it's not that, just Alex and Cassy together is weird."

"What are they doing that is so horrible?"

"Nothing. They talk and stuff but it isn't a normal way to have a discussion. What do I do about that?" Phai really needed the advice slumping on a chair and resting his head on the counter.

When just Alex was over he could have a good time but now that Cassy came in the picture things got weird and he didn't know what to do about it and he didn't want to be mean to him infront of his parents.

Amyntor smiled at his son. "You do know that this sounds almost like a personal problem."

His son looked stressed. "I don't know what it is."

Amyntor stared at his son. "Don't you guys have girlfriends to distract you?" he asked.

"I don't want a girlfriend." Phai mumbled and left the room dragging his feet.

"Why does he seem upset?" the mother asked.

"I don't know, he seems bothered by something. I mean what kind of boy doesn't want a girlfriend."

"Honey that's a good thing." she patted her husband on the shoulder.

It was time for the party and Cassy and Phai told Alex they were going to meet up with the rest in the fields and ofcourse invited him to come. He didn't question them and he didn't question that it was almost sunset and just went along.

Everything was set up, the food had arrived just on time and everyone arrived just in time. They all gathered around in the small party hut to surprise him.

Phai walked ahead of Cassy and Alex who were talking about things while heading towards the shed.

"So Phai is a pretty cool kid." Cassy said conversing. Alex wasn't shocked when the conversation was about Phai.

"It took you that long to notice eh." Alex looked to Cassy.

"I know where you are getting at Alex, I never hated him. Just picked on him." Cassy smoothly spoke.

"Have you told him that? Or are you expecting him to figure it out." Alex asked casually.

Cassy gave him a little wink "He'll figure it out."

They reached the area. "Alex I'm glad your back buddy." Cassy gave him a big juicy kiss on the cheek and backed away laughing.

Two loud popping fireworks set off high into the air. Phai turned and smiled tenderly at Alex. "Welcome back Alex."

Before the blonde noticed the lights turning on lighting up not only the field but the midnight blue sky, and his friends shouting out surprise, Alex was focused on the sincere and adoring sparkle that lay in his general's eyes. His lover's eyes.

The world kept quiet for a few seconds and nothing was more important to him.

"Oh so this is what you guys were doing at the mall. Shopping for me, trying to surprise me."

"Were you surprised?" asked Roxanne.

Everyone was hyper and loud. The pizza was the only food that didn't contain much sugar.

Alex glanced at Phai and gave him a private smile. "I was" and then turned back to the rest as they fought over which present he should open first.

It was the best party he had, probably the only one since his baby shower. His friend's were having a good time. Cleitus snuck to those who wanted it alcohol and set up more fireworks. Some used the shed as a make out area and others weren't private at all but nothing could turn this night down, even Cassy openly flriting with Phai. Alex ignored more often than not. However he had no real choice but to accept that down the road he would have to share him with others.

The night quieted after Alex opened all his gifts and thanking every single person making them feel like their present was as important as the next.

The friends settled in their sleeping bags outside resting for the night.

"Sorry Alex, I didn't bring you a present. I didn't have time." Phai apologized walking out towards Alex who was having alone time to himself as he stood watching the stars.

The blonde smiled when Phai came around him leaning his chin on his shoulder. 'I hope you don't mind."

Alex smiled. "Your present to me was you distracting me today. I'm having a great night Phai. Thank you. I can tell it was your idea. You always know just what I need."

"You say that like you knew me all my life."

"Because I do. How did you escape from Cassy?"

"You noticed?" he couldn't lie, Cassy was expressful about it.

"Yea."

"Does it bother you?"

"Only if it bothers you." he held out his hand. "Let's go swim."

The party was close to being over but his friends were still out there, some hanging around while the others were watching the highlighted sky from the ground.

Alexander decided he wanted to get wet and joined his friend in the decent enough temperature pond.

"It's nice to get wet in this weather." Phai said with a happy smile after jumping into the water.

Alex sunk in the pond and smiled back at him wiping the water from his face. "Yea, I hope you don't mind I removed my shirt." he joked charmingly.

"I thought you didn't know how to swim." Phai assumed not because of the accident that happened but he remembered Alex never wanted to be near the water and that's why he refused to join the swimming team. He had no problem joining everything else. In Phai's eyes he was almost like a cat because those animals hated water.

Alex averted his eyes down. "I do know how. What makes you think I can't?"

"Because. You don't remember when you sunk to the bottom of this water along time ago. Your mother said it was because you didn't know how to swim."

"I only fainted. I can swim though."

"I never believed it; you know when she told us that you couldn't swim. I knew there was something much more serious. Do you not like the water, you seem annoyed of it." blue eyes were interested.

Alexander didn't realize he was looking at the water hoping for it to disappear somehow. He contemplated how to answer. He remembered along time ago when the king always got in a lot of accidents involving water. The two most memorable were where he let himself fall asleep in a bath and his general saved him, then the falling through a iced over a lake, where the general also had to save him. He didn't necesarily hate water, he hated what water put his lover through just to save him. "I don't hate it, just it hates me sometimes." The answer was adorable and Phai laughed sweetly swimming towards him.

"Why do I feel right with you and want no other?" his eyes shined within the reflection of the water. His eyelashes flickered, while a droplet slid from it.

"Because I was born for you." The blonde boy answered staring at the beautiful glistening boy.

"What would I do if I ever lost you?"

"I hope you would miss me, if I was lost."

Phai lifted his arms over Alex's shoulders and containing the back of his neck pulled him closer and kissed him lovingly.

The comfort of his skin, how someone, one person, one man can make me feel this way.

If I was ever lost, I would hope he'd find me.

The sun hid away from the moon. Hephaistion rode back to camp after taking a long refreshing walk. He was tired and had been out all morning. He did it to keep his mind off things. The generals have given him more sympathy as of late; for it's been a full two weeks and still his king hadn't awakened. Little movements were still being made and rough breathing but the eyes he loved so much stayed closed to the world and to him. The good news was that the generals thought that enough confirmation to keep him alive and not pull him out of his misery.

He jumped off of his horse, and settled her back in the stables and headed back to his own tent to clean himself up.

It was windy. The camp was oddly quiet than before he left and he thought the moon wasn't high enough for all to be in bed this early.

His page wasn't anywhere to be found after he called him more than once. He sensed something wasn't right and headed to the main tent. He opened the flaps and saw a group of weary men sitting around the table including his friends.

From their faces he knew something bad had happened. He couldn't possibly think of a reason these men were this silent and this cheerless. It didn't look like there was an attack on them and everything around him seemed relatively ordinary accept for the silence.

"What's happened?" the general asked worriedly.

He almost didn't want to open his mouth after Ptolemy came to him and told him something he didn't wish to hear. The brunette general didn't believe it. "What?" he was dubious.

"We are doing the best we can. Craterus is leading the search team now." The curled haired general said miserably and then left the tent quickly fearing the others expression.

Alarm formed inside the brunette generals eyes. "How did this happen? Who was guarding him?" he demanded to know immediately, as he turned extremely tense.

Cassander stood to explain. "The guards' throats were cut. We found this blade in Alexander's tent." He tossed it to Hephaistion and the general snatched the bloody blade from the air. His head roiled and the blood was making him nauseous jus looking at it.

"Whose blood am I looking at?" the general was growing angry clenching the knife firmly.

"We don't know. It could be the guards or it could be the kings." The sharp eyed general spoke generally.

"Don't say that!" Hephaistion barked at Cassander taking the bloody knife he had given him to his face. "Where were the rest of you when this happened?" he accused rightfully. He had the right. He knew them all to well and their thoughts about him and Alexander.

Cassander let the general release his fury and grief. He knew Hephaistion was too much of a nobleman to take his life through anger without proof first of who actually was the cause of taking the kings body.

"Hephaistion, put the knife down. We don't know ourselves." Exclaimed Perdicas already up incase the knife dug any deeper in Cassanders jaw but the green eyed man stayed calm and focused on distressed blue eyes.

"They came obviously when we weren't around which was hours after you left during the morning." Perdicas spoke up again.

"Why did you let this happen? Why did I let this happen?" the plagued general backed away from Cassander dropping the knife and abruptly left the tent.

"Stop him." Cassander told Perdicas with Leonnatus following him out while he sat back down at the table.

"Hephaistion, Craterus is out looking. It's unwise to go search now without reinforcements." Perdicas stopped him.

"And this late!" Leonnatus added.

"Were there any signs of foot tracks leading out and towards Alexander's tent?" Hephaistion asked them both sternly.

"None. We searched far out the perimeter, no indications of any thieves or bandits."

"Please don't do this Hephaistion."

"I f there are no tracks, Craterus won't find him. The winds must of blown the foot prints away, there is no way one bandit or even group would be able to flee that quick and not leave a trace of tracks. Whoever took the king are professional assassins not our typical group of robbers. " He hurried and retrieved his horse and leaped onto him. "I will search all night. Hope I am back before the sun rises."

"Hephaistion, what if the king's body wasn't stolen? What if this is a misunderstanding and Alexander is awake looking for the murderers of his guards."

"Alexander wouldn't leave his own men without saying where he is going first, besides after his long sleep he would be far too weak to even move that quick." The general replied then rode off towards the nightfall.

"Should we follow him?" Asked Leonnatus ready to go get both of their horses until Perdicas told him to stand down.

"No, we need to stay here incase the bandits come back."

"He believes we have something to do with it?"

"And he has the right to. Come." They turned back towards the tent.