Perfect Illusion (Claudia Tan) [PDF]

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Perfect Illusion By: claudiaoverhere Fandom: bad boy chick chicklit drama dream family friendship funny humor illusion justwriteit lit love mischief newest nomorebullying perfect popular romance teen Summary: Daniel Kerrington is a mul millionaire's son. He's got the whole package: blonde hair, piercing blue eyes.. killer lips. He's absolutely swoonworthy. Too bad his personality is so full of shit. Daniel Kerrington is arrogant. Cocky. Insufferable. A walking one night stand. Ever since our horrible encounter two months ago, we have pre y much established the fact that we hate each other. So there's no reason for the both of us to cross paths anymore, right? Wrong. Now that my parents' company has gone bankrupt, they have to turn to his father for help. Harry Kerrington offers to help the company and my parents on one condi on: I'm to be engaged to his son. So basically I'm thrown together with the guy I loathe for the next three years of my life. Daniel and I have to push our feelings of mutual hatred aside and play our own part in making our fake engagement believable. We've got a lot to do if we want to make this work. But li le did we know that we would be so wrapped up in our very own perfect illusion. BOOK ONE TO THE PERFECT SERIES Fic type: bad boy chick chicklit drama dream family friendship funny humor illusion justwriteit lit love mischief newest nomorebullying perfect popular romance teen Published: 2019-06-18 Last updated: 2019-06-18 Words count: 1366

Chapters count: 62

1. One - " I Don't Think We Got Off On The Right Foo ng." Copyright of claudiaoverhere No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmi ed in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without prior permission of the author. ? ? ? ? ? ??????? ? ? ? ? ? FOREWORD: "You promise." "I swear on the Angel. The hell with that. I swear on us." "Why us?" "Because there isn't anything I believe in more." - Cassandra Clare, City of Fallen Angels ? ? ? ? ? ??????? ? ? ? ? ? A U T H O R ' S N O T E: Order of the Perfect series: 1. Perfect Illusion - Daniel and Alex's story [completed] 1.5 Perfect Ruin - Jax and Sienna's story [completed] 2. Perfect Addic on - Kayden and Sienna's story [completed] 3. Perfect Redemp on - Jax and Blaire's story [completed]

All of these books can be read as stand alone novels. But it is recommended to read it in this order: Illusion, Addic on, Redemp on, Ruin (op onal) ? ? ? ? ? ??????? ? ? ? ? ? NOTE Please note that this book is in no way perfect in any way (I know, shocker considering the tle). It's not my best work. I was 16 when I wrote this and it was my first full length novel. But I can promise you that this book is a good me, regardless of the 91863781283 gramma cal errors in here. ??????????????? The guy in the denim jacket is cute. He's standing outside his door, fumbling with a set of keys that he took out from his back pocket. His back is turned towards me, but I already had a glimpse of his face when he looked back. He could not have been much older than me, perhaps nineteen or twenty. He has tangled black hair and hazel eyes. High cheekbones, long, thick lashes, and a full mouth. Oh, hell. He's fiddling with his keys, and when he finds the correct one, he inserts it in the lock and twists the doorknob to his place. And his place is next to my place. Which means he's my neighbour. Oh, double hell. I don't think he no ces me gaping at him like a silly school girl. It would probably be embarrassing if he actually did, considering I think I almost drooled on myself looking at him.

Yeah. I'm that pathe c. No wonder my parents made me live with Cara even though their house is just fi een minutes away from campus. Cara could probably teach me all the things I suck at like making my bed, buying groceries every weekend, or learn not to drool when you see a cute guy. Okay, maybe the last part was not why my parents wanted me to be independent. "Where are the rest of your boxes?" A familiar voice startles me. I whirl back and see Cara, my best friend, staring at me. I open my mouth, but no words come out of it. Cara li s her eyebrows in confusion. I think she's quite irritated, because we've been moving boxes containing all my things all morning. I feel fine, however, probably because I'm not the one running around in four inch heels up and down three flights of stairs. "Alex? Hello? Did you just space out again?" I shake my head and laugh to hide my embarrassment. "Sorry. Um.. they're at the back of my trunk. I got two more boxes le . I can go get it later." "Nah it's fine, I'll go get it." She places a few boxes on top of my pile. But before she leaves, she eyes me warily. I think she knows that I can't stop staring at denim jacket guy. Sighing, I set down the boxes I've been carrying, and fumble for my key. When I li my face, the keys in my hand, my eyes found denim jacket guy. He seems to be staring at me. Oh shit. He lts his head and looks at me like he's trying to figure me out. I don't know what to do. I stare at the keys, and then to the boxes next to me, and then back to him. He's s ll looking at me.

Then, he smiles. It's a very nice smile, one that reaches his eyes. I no ce he looks so much be er when he smiles because his dimples show, and his hazel eyes glimmer. I think his smile completely seals the deal about me staying here, because there is absolutely no way I'm choosing to stay in the dorms. I should probably stop looking at him. Tearing my gaze, I squat and li up the boxes with the key dangling around my index finger. I heave as the weight of the boxes press down on my arms, but I persevere, because I don't want denim jacket guy to think I'm incapable of carrying things. I can't see him anymore because the boxes block my view, which is a good thing because I can't get distracted. But due to my view ge ng blocked, I can't see where I'm going and I end up tripping over the last few steps and falling face down onto the ground. "Shit!" I curse. The boxes fly everywhere. They topple over the stairs beside me, some already torn at the sides. Some flaps fly open upon landing, and all my clothes from the box tumble out from it. I try to get up, but when I do I feel a sharp pain on my right foot. I wince and fall back on the stairs, holding my foot like I'm cradling a baby. "Oh my god, are you okay?" The denim jacket guy runs to me, concern wri en all over his face. I groan in response. "Shit," He curses, kneeling down next to me. He, too, does not know what to do about this. "Your foot." "It's..." I press my foot down on the floor, and my eye twitches. "It's fine." I manage to croak out.

I could tell he wants to laugh, because his eyes hint of laughter. "Let me help you up." I take his offer, because I don't think I could stand without falling again. He extends his hand and I take it, feeling the warmth that radiates from his skin. He slides his shoulder behind my back and I lean a li le bit too near, brushing my chest against his. He freezes his body, but then relaxes, and I'm relieved to know he doesn't think I'm trying to make a pass at him by pressing my boobs against him. I grab the railing for support and release a breath. "I'm so sorry," I wheeze. He laughs again and lowers his body to pick up the boxes. "You don't have to be sorry. These things... happen." He looks up and casts me a reassuring smile. I'm so grateful to him. "I swear I'm not that much of a klutz"." I say, trying to explain myself. "I mean, I used to be a waitress, so I'm usually good at carrying things." I don't know why I throw that informa on out. I guess I just wanted to jus fy my clumsiness. The edges of his lips curve into a smile. Then I add, "Sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Alex." He gives me two of the boxes, and picks up the rest of them. "Is it a nickname?" "Yeah. Short for Alexandria." "Alexandria." My name rolls off his tongue like silk. His lip curls. "I'm Nate. Short for Nathaniel." "Nice to meet you Nate." I smile. "I just uhh.. moved here. "I mean, you can already tell, with the boxes and all that." Sta ng the obvious much, Alex?

He smiles. It's genuine, and not forced. "It's freshman day tomorrow at Boston College. I'm assuming you just enrolled there?" I nod slowly. "You a freshman too?" "Sophomore," He pauses. Then adds, "You're moving in with your sister?" I take a second to register what he's saying. Cara, my sister? "Cara's not my sister," I clarify. "Though I'm glad you think I look like her. Because she's beau ful." His eyes twinkle when he looks at me. "You're beau ful, too." My face turns fi y shades of red. I try to think of something else to say when I realise Nate's not doing anything. He's staring at something on the stairs. I gasp. My undergarments are everywhere. All my laced bras are piled up on top of my underwear at the bo om of the stairs, and I mentally slap myself for being this stupid. Stupid boxes. Stupid me. "Oh my god," I look down, trying to hide the major flush on my cheeks. He laughs and looks away, clearly embarrassed as well. "That was not supposed to happen." Limping, I quickly grab my undergarments and shove them in the empty box, along with all my clothes. I look at him, and he's starts to chuckle at the mess I've made. Well, at least my stupidity makes him laugh. "I'm so embarrassed." "Nah, it's fine," Nate waves me off and starts to climb the steps with my boxes. "You need help with that box? Because I'm pre y sure you can't li that with one foot."

"No, I can do this." I a empt to limp up the stairs but all I managed is to jump and fall back to the ground. What the hell is wrong with me? There's a cute guy right in front of me and all I managed to do is make a complete fool out of myself. He bursts out laughing. "It's not funny," I say, but instead I start laughing along with him. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. It kind of is," He sets the boxes aside and joins me, si ng beside me. "Let me see your foot." "No, but-" "Come on, Alex." He nudges, and the way he says my name sounds like we've been friends for a really long me. Two fingers press under my chin, forcing my head up. His eyes framed with thick black lashes fix on mine. His fingers graze my skin, and... whoa. "Let me see it." I sigh and give in, tearing my gaze from him. My foot ends up on his lap and he inspects it, pressing on certain parts of it. His thumb caresses my ankle, and I let out a so gasp. "I think your ankle is twisted," He presses on it, and slowly circles his thumb around to massage it. "You're going to need some medica on and a bandage. I have them in my first aid kit back at my place. I'll go fetch it for you." I look at him, my eyes widening. "Let me guess, you're studying in the medical field." He turns to me and grins, "Yeah." "Hmmmm..." I murmur, "So, doctor, I don't think we got off on right foo ng."

He looks at my swollen right foot then back at me. "You think?" Our laughs echo the hallway. ~~~~~~ Se ling into a new place feels... weird. I know, I know, it's not exactly a new place. I'm s ll in Boston, less than 20 miles away from my parents' house, and living with my best friend who's been stuck with me since 10th grade. But going to college feels different for me. I've never been big on change, which is probably why Cara has been my one and only friend for three years now. I just never liked new company. It's always been Cara and I these few months, just like how it's meant to be. And I have a feeling that's going to change real soon. I watch silently as Nate moves in the last of the boxes into the apartment. I feel completely useless si ng on the kitchen island chair with my leg propped up, unable to help them. Those are my things they're carrying, and it doesn't seem fair to then that they have to carry it for me. Cara reappears at the living room, her arms rested at her hips. She's wearing a loose tank top and a pair of pink shorts. Her blonde hair's ed into a loose bun, and strands of curls falling down the sides of her face, making her look stunning. I'm kind of surprised Nate isn't making goggly eyes at my best friend by now. I've been watching him for a while now, and he never once glanced at her bu , or admired her long, tanned legs. He's not like most guys I've met; most of them just want to get into Cara's pants. Nate looks like he'd rather throw a brown paper bag over her and lecture her about the appropriate ways of clothing.

"Thanks so much for helping us, Nate." She casts a warm smile at his direc on. Nate salutes. "It's no problem, really." Breathing a sigh of relief, Cara walked towards the kitchen to get herself a drink. She takes a long look at the boxes piling on the floor. "Damn, Alex. You have a ton of stuff. Are you planning to keep a zoo in here?" I shoot daggers at my best friend. "Hah. Very funny." "So what do all those boxes contain?" She opens the fridge door and grabs a carton of orange juice. In fact, that carton of orange juice is the only thing in the fridge. I make a mental note to myself to go grocery shopping with her some me soon. I pursed my lips. "Clothes, shoes, sta onary... books...." There is a slight pause. She whips her head back at me. "Books? Shit, Alex. How many of them?" I keep silent. Nate no ces the silence and walks over to us. He li s his eyebrow in confusion. "What's going on?" Cara pours three glasses of orange juice and hands them to each of us. With her leg, she slides the nearest chair towards her and props herself on it, her face not pleasant at all. "She's obsessed with books. I'm pre y sure all of those boxes contain them." Nate slides in next to me, and glances at me, smiling. "You're a reader?" I bite my lip. "Yeah. Sort of." Cara rolls her eyes. "Sort of? She's crazy. She probably has at least eight hundred books."

I glare at her. Thanks for being such a good best friend, Cara. I'm trying to make a good impression on him, and in two seconds, you're already trying to make him think I'm super weird. Nate widens his eyes at Cara, then back at me. "Shit, is she serious? That many?" I push back my chair. "Hey! In my defence, I only brought my favourites, and not like all of them." Cara passes a look at Nate. "She means she only le one book at home and brought the rest." I reach over and twat her with my finger. She yelps and pulls away from me, shoo ng me a what-the-fuck-did-you-just-do face. A half grin appeared on Nate's face when I did that. Glad he finds it humouring. "I'd like to see them," Nate says, his body turned towards me as he took a sip of his drink. My eyes lock with his, and I smile. "Your books. I'd like to see them if you'd let me." Nate's interested... in seeing my books? That has got to be the weirdest combina on ever. Guys and books? Weird. But guys in books? That's a whole different story. I adjust myself comfortably on the chair, pu ng my sprained leg over my other one. I just stare at the glass of orange juice, pou ng. "They're really boring. I don't think you'd like them very much." Nate grins again. I think I'm star ng to like his grins. "Honestly? I don't really care. Your face sort of lights up the minute Cara talks about books, so I'm curious about them." My head falls and a smile creeps up my face.

He leans closer towards me, as if Cara isn't two feet away, and murmurs, "And I'm curious about you too." I look up at him and meet his eyes. His eyes promise me of adventure and romance. I let his eyes consume me. "I'll show them to you once I'm done placing them on my bookshelves." "Awesome." He leans back and takes another sip of his drink, "By the way, this place is amazing. I can't imagine furnishing my apartment like this." My eyes scan the place. I probably should not take credit for this. The living room is pre y awesome, thanks to Cara's amazing home decora ng skills. Beige wallpaper surround the walls, crea ng an earthly atmosphere. A dark forrest green rug compliments the wooden floor, along with two huge sofas facing each other next to a small fireplace. The coffee table is basically a flat wooden chest, with a vase of flowers on top of it. It's far different from how two normal eighteen-year old freshmen would actually decorate their places, which is exactly why Cara wanted it to be. She's all about 'daring to be different' and 'challenging the norm' and all that kind of stuff. "It's all Cara," I point out. "She's a beast when it comes to furniture." "I would definitely like my place to look something like this too," Nate says, pressing his finger on the edge of the glass. "But well, my roommates are dudes, and I don't think they would appreciate this sort of... style." I lean closer, curious. "Roommates?" I didn't think he had any roommates. Nate did seem like the person who enjoyed living alone. Then again, I'm probably not a good judge on people. Nate leans back against the chair, crossing and uncrossing his legs, then smiles, "Yeah. Two of them. My best friend, Simon. He's a major gamer. Doesn't like to go out much. He usually just stays locked in his room, playing video games." He pauses, swirling the liquid in the glass around,

"My other roommate's Daniel. I advise you girls steer clear out of him. He's a... womaniser. Lives and breathes on women." Daniel. Oh god. Could it be...? No. No way. Calm down, Alex. No reason to overreact. There are plenty of other people in the world with the name 'Daniel'. It's probably not the Daniel I'm thinking about anyway. No. I am not going to think about him. Not now. I immediately diminish all thoughts about him, not wan ng to dwell on it further. It's no use thinking about him anyway. Forcing on a smile, I dri back into the conversa on. Silence. Cara pouts. "Well, there goes my plans on seducing my neighbours." I make a choking sound at the back of my throat. Nate joins in. "Simon probably wouldn't give you the me of the day. Daniel probably would, but he would also give you herpes." "Really? Herpes?" I ask, bewildered. He looks at me. "Maybe. You don't know where his junk's been in." I make a disgusted face. He chuckles. "Oh, crap." Nate glances at me, and then at his watch. He looks at the me, then he bolts out of his chair as fast as lightning. "I go a go. Simon's got this gaming expo thing and I promised I'll go with him. I'll see you guys soon, alright?"

Cara and I nod. I feel kind of sad that he has to leave this soon, but I have a feeling I'm going to see him around again, and a lot. Nate glances at me before he leaves. "See you around, Alex." I wave goodbye as he leaves our place and locks the door behind him. A er he's gone, I release a breath I did not realise I was holding. I finish the last of my orange juice and place the glass on the table. When I glance up, Cara's giving me the look. I stare at her in confusion. "What?" She grins. It's a mischievous one. "He's cute." My eyes widen. "Nate?" She takes my glass along with hers and places them in the sink. "mmhmmm." I snort. "Okay." Yeah, I was so not going to talk about Nate with Cara. I don't really want to overthink anything. "Okay." She repeats a er me, as if mocking me. She turns back and smile. "Okay." "Okay." I say again, challenging her. She smirks. "Maybe okay will be our always-" "Shut up, Cara." She laughs. I shake my head. "I'm going to head back to my room. I should probably unpack the rest of my things." She turns on the tap and water comes pouring out. "Yeah, you go do that. And then, you're going to tell me all about what happened when I spo ed

you ge ng cuddly with Nate on the staircase with your leg draped across his." I gasp. Shit, she saw that? Dammit. "I'm so not going into that with you." I sing-song. Her lip curls. "Oh you so are." ****** A/N: Hey guys! Let me know what do you guys think about my first chapter yeah? Feel free to comment below! PS, I'm s ll sort of new to Wa pad, so anything I should know, please tell me!

2. Two - "Hope you have a great life!" Picture of Alex ^ heheh. Remember to follow, vote and comment! My class schedule is amazing. Most of my classes start late in the morning, which gives me ample amount of me to sleep. And yeah, I take my sleep really seriously. I feel like a god waking up this morning, no alarm needed. Laying on the so sa n sheets, I scoot to the edge of the bed, and check the me on my phone. I purse my lips. Perfect. I had about an hour to get ready, and grab a drink from the college cafeteria. I make my bed, then stroll into the bathroom to freshen up. Stripping down and twist the faucets, I allow the water to rain down on me. It's usually this me of the day in which I can be at peace, alone with my own thoughts. I mean, I've always been alone, apart from when I'm with Cara. My parents care for me, but they have an empire to run, so they are o en not at home. My dad and mom, both being the co-ceos of Woods and Co, are prac cally workaholics. The office is their second home. Some mes, I will not see them for days, because they're busy making a fortune. But when they are at home, they are seen arguing over prac cally everything, the recent stock market crash, horrible employees, nasty clients, and even pe y things like the broken coffee machine in the office pantry. So when I'm in the shower, the so pa er of water calms me down, and drowns all the other noises around me. I press my hands to my face as I shiver under the stream. Sucking in a sharp breath, I cleanse myself. My dark brown hair is drenched, s cking unto my body. I grab a towel, wrap it around my body and head for my room. Slipping into a a nice top and some skinny jeans, I make a mental note of

calling my parents. I know they are probably too busy to answer my call, but I should probably let them know how I'm doing. Before I leave, I dial my mom's number on my phone and press call. She answers on the last ring. Her voice is businesslike over the phone."Margaret Woods." I take a deep breath. "Hi, mom." A slight pause. "Hello, baby." Her voice turns so , "How's moving in with Cara?" "It's alright." I say, sighing. I snatch my bag and head for the living room. I scan around and find Cara si ng at the edge of the island table, with a cup of tea. Her hair cascades over her shoulders in a tangled heap, but nevertheless, she s ll looks amazing. She's watching something on her tablet and she doesn't even no ce my presence in the room. "I've already unpacked all my things." "That's good, baby." She murmurs, but she sounds distracted. She must have been doing something important before I interrupted her with a call. "Yeah," I reply. I decide to tell her about the incident on the stairs yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me blush. But I should probably leave out the part with Nate. Mom always never likes talking about boys. I doubt Nate will be an excep on. "You'll never guess what happened yesterday, though. I was carrying boxes up the stairs and tripped. Now I have a sprained ankle. But no worries, because I got it patched up." I expect there to be concern but there is none from her. "Glad to hear you're alright."

"I'm about to leave for the campus right now," I inform her, unsure of what else to say. "Kind of excited, actually." "Hmmmhmm, that's good, Alex." My rela onship with my mother has been on the rocks ever since she stepped up as co-ceo of the company. I used to be quite close to her back in the days, but nowadays, I feel disconnected from her. She seems almost like a stranger to me now. I roll my eyes. "How's work?" "Work's fine," She says. I hear her furiously typing on her computer. An awkward silence passes. "Can I talk to dad? Is he there?" I say, forcing a small smile on my face. Cara looks up and hands me a cup of tea. I gladly take it and drink from it. I wait for a response. I hear the sounds of tapping of keyboard for a few second before she replies. "I don't think that's a good idea." I li my eyebrows in confusion. "Why?" She sighs. "Your father's not in the greatest mood these days. Something huge has come up, and he needs to sort things out before things get real messy." Huh. That's weird. My dad has never had 'something huge' come up before. He is a skilled businessman, always knowing the cra s and tricks of the business world. Basically, he's never had a setback before. I wonder what changed. Maybe I should call him later and ask what has happened. But then again, maybe he would not want me to call him. "Oh." I say. "Ummmm.. Tell him I said hi." "Will do, honey." She replies, distracted once again.

Cara passes me a quizzical look and I just shrug. She knows my complicated rela onship with my parents, and she's always there for me when I need her. I love her for that. Another long silence stretches, but this me, my mom is the first one to speak again. "If there isn't anything else..." Her voice trails off. Tears burn at the back of my eyes. She sounds like she'd rather do anything than have a simple conversa on with me. "Um, no." I say, keeping my voice steady. "Bye, honey." I smile, heartbroken. "Bye. I love you." And then she hangs up. I slump into the chair, dejected. Cara leans forward from the opposite of the table, concern filling her eyes. She li s her shoulders and a smile passes her face. "It's nothing." I wave her off, taking another sip of my tea. It is fine. I am fine. I cannot convince myself otherwise. Cara stands up, and tugs at my hand, grabbing her keys. "Come on. Let's go." I stand up almost suddenly, but then my right leg gives out on me, so I have to grab the edge of the table for support. "Whoa. Wait... where are we going? Campus?" Her blue eyes burn into mine. "Yeah. Well, we're going to get smoothies, and then to class, because you need to get your mind off it." "Get my mind off what?"

She smiles at me. "Exactly." ~~~~~~ Stony Brook Commons, our apartment, is less than twenty minutes from college. Cara doesn't exactly have a car, so she o en carpools with me in my brand new Cadillac. Honestly, I think she doesn't want to get her own car, because mine is- in Cara's words- "absolutely amazeballs." It's true. My baby is awesome. My parents bought it for me as my high school gradua on present. I guess it's their way of saying "sorry we're always not around because we're too busy making money, so here's a new gi to compensate for that! Hope you have a great life!" A er parking a few blocks away, Cara and I walk towards the building in front of us. One look at Boston College, and one word fills my mind. Beau ful. It stands gloriously over the low hill, looming over the students mingling around below. The vast expanse of green cloaks the infinite ground as benches are sca ered on the surface of the greenery. The natural architecture that surrounds Boston College can easily steals one's breath away. The freshmen can easily be spo ed from of the rest of the students that roam around the campus. They always seem more overexcited than the rest. Cara and I grab some smoothies before heading to class. We sit by the bench and sip from our drinks, quietly admiring the place. She doesn't ask me about my parents, and I don't feel like talking about it either. She knows my situa on with my parents, so I don't have to explain. We talk for a li le while, but a er that, it is the silence that we find comfort in. A er a while, I check my phone for the me. "Crap, I should be ge ng to class." I mu er, throwing the cup into the trash can beside the bench.

Cara looks up, pou ng. "Really?" I shrug. "Don't you have classes too?" She frowns. "Yeah. But mine only starts in half an hour." I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder. I bat my eyelashes at her. "Well, I'm going to go first. Don't want to be late on my first day." My best friend rolls her eyes. She makes a face. "Goody-two shoes." I nudge her shoulder and laugh. "Shut up." I drag myself into crea ve wri ng class about fi een minutes early and pick the most inconspicuous seat in the middle of the amphitheatre-style classroom. The class is already half full, and I stare at the people surrounding me. They're mostly clustered in groups with their friends. Okay, perhaps I should have branched out this morning and go en myself some friends because I seem to be the only one si ng alone. This sucks. I don't want to look like I'm loner, so I take out my spiral notebook and slap some pens on my desk as company. My phone chimes and I check it to find an unknown number has messaged me. I see you. ;) - Nate. I li an eyebrow. I look around the class but I can't spot him. Is he even in this class? Looking back at my phone, I shoot him a message. I don't remember giving you my phone number. And where are you, stalker? :) My phone chimes again. In front of the class.

I scan the room once more, and my eyes fall on him. Nate stares back at me with a huge grin on his face. Today, he has his dark hair flipped back, and he wears a simple grey shirt with jeans and sneakers. His eyes lock with mine, and my face is on fire. He's in front of the class, but he's standing by the door. He obviously doesn't take this class, because he's wary of the people staring at him. I li my hand to wave hello, trying to be subtle. My phone beeps. Hi. Then, it beeps again. How's your leg? I type on my phone, smiling to myself. It's be er now. Thanks for asking. Then, I shoot him another message. Did Cara give you my number? He doesn't answer for a while. He looks up at me again, brows kni ed in a curious expression se le on his striking face. Yes. He replies. Just now. I roll my eyes. My fingers fly over the keyboard of my phone. Don't disturb me. Class is star ng soon. :) I see his chest rise and fall, and I think he's chuckling. Not exactly here to see you, Alex.

My cheeks burn. I'm embarrassed that I have jumped to the conclusion he's here to see me. Then why are you here? Keeping an eye on Daniel. He's in this class, and from the looks of it, he's not feeling well. He's got this major hangover. My mouth opens. Daniel. Daniel. Daniel. Nate points to the direc on beside me and I see him. Daniel. Fuck. When Nate had first men oned him yesterday, I didn't think it would be him. But it is. God, it is. His blonde hair is a mess of waves falling into his face, cas ng shadows over his ocean blue eyes. Thick lashes frame them. His cheekbones are broad and well defined. Oh god, his lips. They look full and so . A hint of stubble shades the strong curve of his jaw. He doesn't have dimples like Nate, but he doesn't have to. His biceps bulge underneath his shirt, which catches the eye of some other girls si ng at the back. They whisper amongst each other, and giggle, possibly thinking of ways they could ask him out later a er class. But there's one thing I agree with them, it's that he looks beau ful. Just like how I remembered. Too bad his personality is so full of shit. My phone vibrates again. You okay? Nate asks. Tearing my gaze off Daniel, I type in a reply. Yeah. I'll text you later.

;) Can't wait. Daniel looks around the class and finds the empty spot beside me. No. No no no no no no no, he's so not going to sit next to meAaaaaand he sits next to me. I muster a groan. He doesn't look like he knows me, because he glances at me briefly and looks away, clearly uninterested. I can't believe he doesn't recognise me. Perhaps he chooses not to remember me, if that even makes sense. Fortunately, the lecturer decides to show up, ten minutes later than scheduled. She sets her briefcase down, and starts to introduce herself. I try to listen to what she's saying, but I just can't. I think she just said her last name. Wellings? Hemmings? Or was it Lemmings? Urgh. I can't ignore the guy next to me. His presence is shadowing my mind and my sight. Why Why Why Is Daniel Kerrington, out of all the places in the world, enrolled in my college? Why is he here, si ng next to me in the exact same class, at the exact same me? Why is the world being so god damned cruel to me? I need to distract myself from him. I focus my a en on on the lecturer. She's talking about the concepts of wri ng, but I can't even fathom what

she's saying. I try to write down on my notebook, but the words are so messy, and jumbled, even I don't understand what I'm wri ng. I lt my head to the right, just a li le bit, to look at him. He seems to be doing a be er job than me in paying a en on, despite his hangover Nate had told me about. His presence scorches me like he's the freaking sun. He's bi ng on the cap of his pen, looking forward. He's not taking any notes, and I wonder why he even has a pen with him. I li my gaze, but quickly look away for the fear that he would look at me and immediately recognise me. I try to tell myself that it doesn't ma er if he's in the same class as me, it doesn't ma er that he's also possibly my neighbour. I was going to have a hard me avoiding him for the next four years of my life here. But I have to try. A er today, there is no way I'm going to cross paths with him again. A er the lecture is finished, I quickly shove my notebook and my pens into my bag and rush out of the class. I feel a sense of relief when I reach the doors, pan ng. Maybe I hadn't handled my mee ng with Daniel- if you can even call it a mee ng-, but I don't think I have to do so again. I lean against the wall, and tell myself to calm down. A er normalising my breaths, I start to run, naviga ng my way through the hallway to the le . Wrong move. Daniel is there, backpack slung over his shoulder, staring straight at me. His expression hardens when his eyes meet mine. I immediately stop my tracks.

"You." He says, and my heart tears through my ribcage. He recognises me. God dammit. I was hoping I could ignore him for the rest of my life here, but I guess that's not going to happen now. Pu ng on a brave face, I turn to look at him. He steps forward, his eyes hint of disbelief. "You're the girl from that restaurant. The bitch." "What the hell did you just call me?" The words fly out of my mouth before I can have a chance to stuff that back in. Instead of answering my ques on, he merely laughs. Then, he flips me the middle finger. "Screw you." I lose it. Clenching my fist, I hit him square in the face. ___________________________ A/N: Okay! I just want to let you guys know that I'm not actually from America and I have never stepped foot into America. So basing my story there is really hard for me. I have to do research on Boston College and the area, so please let me know if I have wri en any false informa on or basically anything I should know about Boston! Thanks! Feel free to comment below about what you think!

3. Three - "That Man Has No Shame!" A/N: chapter three and chapter four will be a flashback of when Alex met Daniel. So I'm doing both of these chapters in past tense. I hope you guys enjoy these two chapters! I had so much fun wri ng them! ****** Two and a half months before: "Do you have a reserva on, sir?" I stood there behind the mini concierge of the restaurant, my fingers hovering over the keyboard of the computer in front of me. I smiled slightly at the guy in front of me, though it felt forced. The guy smiled as well. However, it was not directed to me, but to the a rac ve girl beside him. He slid his arm behind his date's back, his hand gliding down her waist and almost touching her bu . I felt bile rise up from my throat. Not again. He spoke, his voice deep and smooth. "Yes. It's under the name Daniel Kerrington." Of course it was. It had always been under that name every single me he came to this place. "Daniel Kerrington," I pretended to type, my fingers just tapping lightly over the keyboard to create sound. I did not have to check whether he had made any reserva on. I know he had. He called every Saturday morning to place a reserva on for two at 7:00. He never failed to ask for the booth at the corner, next to the window, which is the best place to sit in the restaurant. He had been hogging that same booth for a month now, and I think my customers were star ng to get angry.

I clicked on the mouse several mes, pretending that I was scrolling through our database for his name. "Yes, Daniel Kerrington. Table for two." I looked at him, and -surprise, surprise!- he's can't stop looking at his date. His eyes skimmed over the red fiery curls that cascaded past her shoulders, to her huge breasts, then down to the rest of her perfect, size zero body. The way he stared at her made me want to hurl. He did not look at her with interest and wonder, not like how a man would look at a girl on the first date. He looked at her with hunger and lust, like he was going to take her to his place right a er dinner and have crazy wild sex with her... if she would allow it. But she would. They always did. Daniel Kerrington always got his way with girls... and I was pre y sure tonight would be no excep on. "Yes, that's right." Daniel said a er finally managing to tear his gaze away from the girl. My smile ghtened as I grab two menus from the counter. "Shall we, Mr. And Mrs. Kerrington?" I have wanted to say that for some me now, just to irritate the crap out of him. Just like I expected, he winced and tried to correct me. "Actually, uh, it's not-" The girl placed her hand seduc vely on his shoulder, her hair flipped to the front. "Mrs. Kerrington, huh?" She smiled seduc vely at Daniel. "Are you hin ng something to me?" She wriggled her eyebrows. I almost wanted to laugh. Li le did she knew she was not even going to be on another date with him, let alone be the next Mrs. Kerrington. I would know that. I had been working in the Basil Kitchen the en re summer a er gradua on.

My best friend, Cara had decided to ditch me by taking an impromptu trip to visit some rela ves over in France . She le me to rot by myself in Boston. For the first few weeks of summer, I literally had nothing to do. I was not that close to the rest of my classmates, and I was pre y sure they had forgo en about me the minute we le school for good. So, I figured I might as well make the best of my last summer before going off to college. A er my dad heard that I was up for hire, he persuaded me to work for Woods and Co. I, however, thought differently. When he knew I wouldn't budge, he immediately pulled in some favours amongst his clients, and landed me a job as a waitress in Basil Kitchen. I was thrilled, of course, as I could finally prove that I was independent. It was my first job, and I was already loving it. I found myself really liking it there. The staff at Basil Kitchen always had friendly smiles on their faces. I always looked forward to the li le gatherings in the back kitchen with them, cha ng and gossiping about the guests that poured through the doors of the restaurant. One of them had warned me about Daniel Kerrington. He was the son of Harry Kerrington, the owner of Kerrington Enterprises. I don't know if you've heard, but Kerrington Enterprises is pre y freaking famous. It basically specialises in every single product known to mankind: kitchen utensils, air-condi oners, shower heads, and even my very own iron curler. Yeah, it was that famous. Anyways, they told me about Daniel's scandals that took place in and out of the restaurant. Every weekend, he would bring a different girl to dinner. He always had a specific type of girl that was with him: blonde or redhead, hazel eyes, huge chest, and a tall curvy body. He and the girl would be seen having a simple pleasant dinner in his usual booth. During the date, he let the girl do all the talking. And of course, girls love to talk about themselves. He always listened, but never revealed much about himself when asked. My guess was that if that he did, it would make things much more complicated the morning a er.

The date usually took about half an hour. A er he paid the bill, he would take her by the waist, and usher her out of the restaurant with a mischievous grin on his face. Then he would take her to his apartment just less than ten minutes away and well..... Needless to say, he was a one-night-stand person. Because every Sunday morning, the Basil Kitchen morning staff would get a glimpse of his latest hookup, her clothes creased and torn, stumbling along the walkway with tears streaming down her eyes. I did not think I have ever disliked anyone as much as I disliked Daniel Kerrington. He used his good looks to get what -or who- he wanted. He treated his hook-ups like shit judging from the way they usually react a er he's done with them. And even though our conversa ons were only based on things like 'what would he like to eat' or 'would you like more champagne', I s ll felt like he was sort of a horrible human being. "Right this way, Mr and Mrs. Kerrington." I murmured as I weaved my way through the restaurant. The Basil Kitchen was always packed, especially during the weekends. It was one of the most popular restaurants in that area. Everyone who's anyone comes here. I ushered them into the grand dream of a restaurant. Modern ligh ng illuminated the room and complemented the design of the room itself. Wooden tables decked the floor which was already bustling with ac vity. The other waiters and waitresses held trays and swi ly dodged each other when they crossed paths. Not once glancing to see if Daniel and his date were following me, I con nued on my way. I heard them whispering to each other, and the sounds of the redhead girl giggling made me cringe. "Your table, Mr. And Mrs. Kerrington." I heard Daniel heave a sigh. I fought the urge to snicker.

When they were seated at their table, I handed them their menus and stepped away for them to decide what they were going to eat. Daniel handed me the menu right back before ordering his usual. "Just the salad, please." He said. Really, the salad? Even I eat more than you. And I'm a girl. He turned his a en on to his date, "What would you like, sweetheart?" The redhead looked down and blushed when he called her that. She probably wouldn't if she knew he had used that term of endearment to the girl last week, or the week before, or the week before that. "Um, I'll have the lamb shank, please." She closed the menu and handed it back to me. I nodded again as I wrote her order. A er that, I hurried to the kitchen to place their orders. As I barrelled through the doors of the kitchen, I spo ed Marianne wiping her hands on her skirt before heading out with a couple plates of food. She was a dark-skinned waitress whom I have become acquainted with for some me now. She had been working in the restaurant for a year now, and knew all about Daniel's hanky panky business. As she passed me, she blew out a short breath. "So, what does she look like?" She was referring to Daniel's new girl. "Typical," I said. "Red hair. Killer body. Long legs." "Of course." She laughed. "Did he give you any problems, Alex?" As if on cue, my stomach churned. I had a feeling he would be trouble. "Not yet." I reply, "But he will." ~~~~~~

And I was right. Some mes on Sundays mornings, I would visit the Basil Kitchen even if I have an evening shi . I guess I had grown quite a ached to the staff here. I found myself cha ng with some of the staff there in the back kitchen, with Marianne blabbering all about Mr. Kerrington's escapade last night. I guessed Daniel was their main source of gossip, because they never talk about anyone else. "Can you believe it? He slipped his hand underneath the table and started to touch her leg," Marianne said, disbelief crossing her face. "Poor girl was whimpering and moaning the en re meal!" I threw my head back to laugh. The other staff joined in. "Does he always do that?" "Some mes," She snickered. "When he's feeling... you know. Aroused." "Gross." I mu ered. "That man has no shame!" One of the kitchen staff called out. Others nodded in agreement. I guess it was pre y mean of us to judge Daniel Kerrington and his private business. But it was hard not to because he always came here every week with a new girl draped across his arm, like he was begging to be gossiped about. I wondered if he knew about us talking behind his back. No doubt he would sue the crap out of the restaurant if he knew about it. He's got the money to do so anyway. A er our gossip session, I decided to head back home. It was s ll quite early in the day. The sun hung high in the sky, the clouds stepping aside for it to cast its warm heat over the city. People started to arrive at the restaurant, eager for brunch. I said goodbye to Marianne and the staff when I spo ed a familiar redhead dashing through the streets, a look of pure anger crossing her face.

Damn. She trudged outside the restaurant barely clothed, only in a white T-shirt and the ki en heels she wore last night to dinner. She looked like a total wreck. Her bright red hair was in a mess and her face was... woah. Eyeliner smudged her eyes and mascara ran down the sides of her face. Her skin was pale, except for the slight flush on her cheeks. She looked like any other girl who has been royally fucked by Daniel Kerrington, but worse. Because she was angry. Fueling, even. I watched her from the restaurant window in curiosity. I didn't know if I should go outside and help her or something, maybe ask if she's alright. I mean, clearly she did not look alright, but at least it was worth a shot. Just as I was about to step out of the restaurant, I spo ed Daniel from afar, running a er her. He looked barely clothed as well, only in his black shirt and boxers. The redhead turned back and when she saw him, she just rolled her eyes and con nued walking away. Daniel caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. The redhead spun around and flipped him off. I laughed. At least she was not afraid to tell him to screw off. Both Daniel and the redhead started to argue outside the restaurant. By the looks of it, it seemed to be a really heated argument. I could only hear a li le bit of their conversa on, but it was enough to know that Daniel had seriously cked her off. "You lied to me!" She yelled, her hands flailing around like a crazy person. Some of the customers in the restaurant began to look outside to see what was going on. Even the staff got out of the kitchen to witness the commo on outside. "You promised me I would not be one of those random girls you fucked!" Daniel looked down, clearly smirking. "That's just a lie I tell gullible girls like you to sleep with me."

Oh he did not just say that. The redhead clenched her fist in fury. She walked up to him and pointed a finger at his chest. "Fuck you." Instead of wincing, Daniel just laughed. "Sweetheart, you already did." Then, bam! She slapped him across the face, hard. Some of the customers gasped. My mouth gaped open in astonishment. I heard Marianne behind me burs ng into fits of laughter. The redhead reeled her hand back and walked away from him, sa sfac on wri en all over her face. Daniel just stood there by the sidewalk, s ll shocked from what had just happened. I quickly turned away and processed what I had just seen. The way he had treated the girl was absolutely horrible. It totally contrasted from how he had acted around her last night. And I can't believe he talked to her that way. Like she was nothing but trash. Ever since then, my hatred for that man grew.

4. Four - "This Guy Is Bat Shit Crazy!" The next week, as if nothing had happened, Daniel Kerrington brought another girl to the restaurant. She looked quite different from the others he had brought here. Sure, she had the typical look: brown hair, blue eyes, tall and leggy. But there was something about her that screamed 'inexperienced.' She brushed her hair nervously like it was the only thing that's keeping her from falling apart at the seams. Her face was kind, she broke a small smile at me when they were wai ng to be seated. I could tell that she was excited about her 'date', seeing as how her eyes sparkled whenever she looked at him. Her dress was elegant; an off-shoulder champagne dress. It made her look simple and beau ful, and it did not show much skin, like the others usually did. She also wore a pair of black ki en heels, but from the way she walked, it seemed like she did not have much experience wearing them. When Daniel and the girl were seated, I took their orders. Daniel did not once look my way when he ordered his usual. His gaze was fixated on his date. The way his eyes skimmed over her with such intensity and lust made the girl blush. I did not think the girl knew what she was ge ng into. I recalled the way her date had treated the redhead last week, and anger crawled into me. Even though I did not know the girl, I certainly did not want her to end up like the redhead, or the previous girls he had been with. She did not need this in her life. Perhaps I should warn her about Daniel. I didn't know how, but I knew I should. I didn't want him to take advantage of her. Maybe if I told her what he was going to do to her a er dinner, she would reconsider about her 'date' with him. I didn't know. But it was worth a shot.

I glanced at them from afar as I served the customers their meals. As usual, Daniel let the girl talk. She cha ered excitedly with him, telling him about her family and friends. He listened pa ently, but his a en on was elsewhere. His eyes locked on the part of her dress that cupped her breasts. At one point, he licked his lips, probably thinking about what he was going to do to them a erwards. "I can't take it anymore," I murmured to Marianne in the kitchen. "I think I need to tell her." She raised her eyebrows. "No, you don't." "Why not?" "Don't s ck your nose to where it doesn't belong, Alex." She mumbled as she placed a customer's order. "I may have gossiped about Mr. Kerrington and his ladies, but there are certain limits we cannot cross." Oh jeez. "Does nobody have any care in the world for what's going to happen to her tomorrow morning?" I shot back. "The least I can do is warn her." She just sighed. "Always the selfless one, huh, Alex?" Me? Selfless? Please. I just didn't want any other girl to get completely fucked over. I didn't care what she said. If it was me, I would want someone to warn me about poten ally ge ng my heart broken. I was going to tell the girl, and if she brushed it off and s ll went home with him, at least I had tried. Plus, it wasn't as if I was going to lose anything just by speaking to her. I glanced at their table again and no ced that the girl was about to leave for the washroom. She grabbed her purse and casted Daniel a warm smile before standing up and walking across the restaurant.

There's my opening, I thought to myself. A er wiping my hands on the white apron ed to my skirt, I slowly approached her. Just as she was about to enter the washroom, I stopped her. She looked at me with confusion. "Hi," I smiled. "Um, you don't know me.... But I have a feeling you would want to know about this." Her eyes widened, puzzled. I tried to explain to her what I had seen over the past month working here. I told her about Daniel and how he had fooled every girl he brought in here. I told her about how he would manipulate them, telling them of dreams and empty promises. I told her about him bringing girls to his apartment, and a er he's done with them, he disposed of them like trash. She listened, her eyes gathering tears. At first she was hesitant on believing what I have told her, but a er a while, she began to accept it. God, I felt so bad for her. "He told me I was special." She said, leaning against the wall, defeated. "He said I was the best thing that's ever happened to him." I stood next to her, unsure of what else to say. "Um... it's alright?" Damn, that was a dumb thing to blurt out. Nice one, Alex. She wiped off the tears from her eyes, and forced a smile on her face. "Thank you for telling me." She took a while to gather herself before returning back to her table. I quickly got back to my sta on, pouring champagne and serving meals as if nothing happened. My gaze flickered to their table and I saw the girl arguing with Daniel in hushed tones. His eyes bulged out as he processed

what he had heard. No doubt the girl was telling him about what she knew. He tried to explain himself, but the girl did not want to have any of it. She shook her head, threw a curse at him, and walked out of the restaurant. Daniel was le confused by what have just happened. I blew out a shaky breath. At least I saved that girl from a horrible heartbreak. And throughout the next month, I con nued to sabotage all Daniel Kerrington's dates. The next me was a brune e with a Bri sh accent. I had to get crea ve with that one. When I had served her her meal, I sort of stole her phone from her bag and sent her a text message. When I came around the table another me to give them their desserts, I gave her back her phone and said that she had dropped it under the table a while ago. She sent me a grateful smile and when she checked her phone, her eyes burned with intensity as she read the message I gave her. It was basically the same thing I told the nice girl before. A er reading the text, the brune e stood up abruptly. Daniel stood up too and asksed her what was wrong. She didn't say anything. She kicked him in the balls. Yeah, ouch. Marianne and I spent a good hour laughing about that one. A er that was Fake Boobs girl. I knew I had to tell her what a lying traitor her date was. I sort of cornered her like a creep in in the bathroom where she was pu ng on her makeup. She got kind of freaked out, but when I told her what was up with Daniel, she completely flipped out. She trudged out back to the table, calling him a 'lying man whore' and le the restaurant. The look of Daniel's face was absolutely priceless. I think he must have known something was up, because he started to get super percep ve whenever he came into the restaurant. So I had to tone it

down, and lie low for a while. I guess I had to let him take a few girls back to his place to avoid suspicion. I didn't want to get into trouble. But eventually I did. A er staying invisible for a while, I decided to con nue my li le heroic stunts again. When Daniel came in with his next vic m, I took ac on. I didn't have a chance to tell her in person, seeing as how she never le the table. So, I uncapped my pen and started wri ng a small note. When I passed Daniel the check, I slipped the girl the note. I was not subtle enough. Daniel immediately saw what I did. He grabbed the note before the girl could retrieve it, and read it. I stepped back, knowing I had been caught red-handed. A look of fury flashed across his face. He stood up, poin ng at me with an accusing finger. "So it's been you that has been sabotaging my dates." Say something, Alex! My mind kept telling me, but I could not speak. I wasn't supposed to get caught. Now I did, what the hell am I supposed to say to jus fy my ac ons? I panicked. I didn't know what to say. I started to back away. Daniel's hand reached forward and grabbed my wrist. A sharp pain sliced my hand. "Ouch!" I yelped. "I'm not done talking to you!" He yelled, loud enough for the en re restaurant to have their a en on now focused on us. My cheeks were burning from the hundred pair of eyes glued to me. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nobody!" I a empted to wrench my hand away, but failed. Damn, his grip was like iron. "Bulllshit!" He hissed. Now, the kitchen staff had stopped what they were doing and came out to watch what was happening. I heard Marianne gasp. "Let me... go!" I tried to pull away. "Tell me why are you doing this!" he spat. "Why are you telling my dates off?" I finally managed to tear myself away from his grasp. My fingers wrapped around the place where he had caught my hand. God, it hurt. He was so going to pay for this. "You are a horrible human being! For trea ng all those girls like that! You fuck them, and then you throw them away like they're nothing! So of course I had to tell them off! They deserve to know what a monster you are." His eyes narrowed, and I swore they turned blood red. "Did I screw you or something?!" He asked, pissed off as hell. "Because if you are, then I get that you're angry at me for not calling or whatever. But honestly I really don't care..." This guy is freaking unbelievable. I stared at him in disbelief, "No! I'm not one of your stupid li le le over hookups!" Daniel eyebrows rose. His anger seemed to be radia ng off of him. "Then? My personal life is none of your fucking business, girl. You should have stayed out of it." He stepped towards me, and I had to back away from the suddenness of it. "You messed with the wrong person." I got really pissed.

"Oh I'm sooo scared!" I said with sarcasm, my hands waving around drama cally. "You look so in mida ng with your nice expensive suits and your money! Please forgive me!" I mocked. His jaw ghtened, gri ng his teeth. "You fucking li le-" Then, he forward and yanked on my hair. "What the fuck!" I exclaimed. Jesus freaking Christ, this guy is bat shit crazy! "Hey hey hey!" Finally, the manager of the restaurant stepped forward and pulled me away from Daniel. "That's no way to treat our staff!" Daniel's eyes whipped to the manager, s ll breathing hard. "This girl over here has been purposely sabotaging my dates, and I want her fired!" His pointed his finger downwards. The manager frowns deeply. "Now, now, Mr. Kerrington, I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement-" "Fuck that!" Daniel said, startling everybody. His date yelped. "I want her gone from this restaurant. I don't care how you do it. If she's not gone by tonight, I will press charges. I will sue this place!" Well, fuck. Then he turned to me, the veins in his neck pulsing. "And you." He hissed. "You dare mess with my dates, mess with me? Do you know who I am?" " Really? You're playing that card?" I laughed. "That's low, even for the pres gious Daniel Kerrington." His lip quivered when I said his name. "Why do I find it so freaking ridiculous that you know about me and my personal life and I don't even know who the hell you are?!" He shot back.

I didn't answer. I didn't know how to. He chuckled to himself darkly. "Yeah. That's right. You're just a stupid li le girl who doesn't even ma er in life." That did it for me. "Honestly?" I raised my voice. Pu ng on a brave face, I said, "I don't care. I don't regret what I did to your 'dates.' I may not know you that well, and you may not know me, but it doesn't take much to come to the conclusion that you are an absolute dick." I scoffed. "You think you're a big shot here, huh? Having all that money, and any girl you desire? Well, you're wrong. You're just a big nobody. And guess what? You can go fuck yourself." Then I did what I thought I would have never done in a million years. I grabbed a bo le of champagne and poured it all over him. The whole restaurant erupted. Everyone looked at me in horror. I spilled the champagne over his head un l the very last drop. Then, I let the bo le hit the ground, sending thousands of shards onto the floor. Daniel looked at me with pure fury. Actually I'm pre y sure it surpassed that. He looked at me with pure hatred. I let what I had just did sink in. I can't believe I had done that. Me. The girl who barely had any friends. The girl who always kept a low profile. The girl who had never go en into any trouble. Except now. I was breathing hard. My gaze darted to Daniel, then to my manager. The whole restaurant was silent now, wondering what I was going to do next. My hands fell to my sides. "I guess I'm so fired now, right?" The look from my manager only confirmed it. I glanced around, looking at the mess I just made. I fucked up so bad. I had just lost my job, a job that I

actually loved. Shamefully, I un ed my apron and handed it back to my manager. I walked out slowly, cas ng a sympathe c smile to Marianne before I le . When I passed the restaurant doors, I caught a glance of Daniel from the windows outside. He seemed to be looking at me, his jaw clenched ghtly. Then, he mouthed three words. Three words I would not forget. This. Is. War.

5. Five - "I'm Star ng To Think I'm In A Twilight Movie." Present Day Cara shakes her head disappoin ngly. "Mais pourquoi tu avais fait ca!" Ever since she went to France during the summer, she picked up on some French words. Now she uses it when she's super mad, especially at me. This me, I think she went along the lines of 'what the hell were you thinking!" Yeah. She totally sounds like a typical mom. I guess Cara could be considered sort of like a mother figure to me. My mom has not been around for, well, since I was legal, so Cara has taken that role. She has always been the more cau ous one in our li le duo, the one who always looks out for me. I would say I am perfectly capable of looking a er myself, but a er the stunt I pulled today, I don't think Cara would ever agree with me. "It just sort of happened...?" I say, but even I think I sound pathe c. Cara sighs, and con nues to wrap the bandage around my hand. We're back in our cozy li le apartment, which I'm so grateful for. I don't think I want anyone on campus to see my disaster of a hand. A er the immense pain I felt when I hit Daniel, I am glad to say I would never ever want to hit another person ever again. It freaking hurts. I know it has been four hours since I hit him, but I'm s ll overwhelmed from the s nging pain that burns my knuckles, numbing my en re hand. I have never hit someone before. Never.

I always kept my cool. It took me a hell lot of willpower when Holly Higgins from eight grade made fun of me for my A-cup boobs. Apparently every other girl in school had hit puberty and huge boobs was the best thing to have. S ll, when she teased me about that, I had wanted to hit her so bad. But I didn't. I had wanted to hit many other people since then for various reasons, but I kept my anger to myself. I have always kept the anger to myself. Well, except for that night two months ago when I poured champagne over a mul -millionaire's son. I'm not doing so good, am I? "You could get charged for assault, you know." She says, placing a li le metal thing on the bandage to keep it in place. "Yeah, I know," I mumble. I guess, if Daniel wanted to press charges, he would have done it a er I had humiliated him in Basil Kitchen right? So perhaps that's a good sign. But... he could always change his mind now and charge me for assault if he wanted to. I'm so screwed. "Let's just hope he won't," I add on, res ng my hand on the couch. Cara shi s so that one of her elbows are propped behind the sofa. "Seriously, Alex, what the hell were you thinking?" She says again, more adamant. Her eyes are filled with concern, and a li le bit of anger. "I...." My voice trails off. I rest my head on the pillow and pout. "I don't know... I guess I wanted him to pay for ge ng me fired from my job." Her eyebrows li in confusion. "Alex, I'm pre y sure you were the one that got yourself fired in the first place. Weren't you the one trying to sabotage his dates?"

I had told Cara about the whole incident with Daniel and I right a er she came back from France. It was two weeks before college started, and the minute she asked me how did my summer went, I immediately broke down. Yeap. I was a pussy. I told Cara everything. How I watched Daniel from afar, holding this grudge against him for so long. How I sabotaged almost every single one of his dates. How he found out about it and got really pissed off at me. How he threatened to sue the place if I didn't get fired. How I poured champagne over him, and humiliated him in front of the en re restaurant. And how I got humiliated when I got fired from my job. Now that I really think about it, I guess it was my sort of my fault. I was the one who acted out first, purposely sabotaging all his hookups when he had done nothing to me. I guess I was not thinking about myself at all. I was thinking about all those girls which he played with and dumped when he had no use for them anymore. Diminishing all thoughts, I sigh, "I guess you're right." Cara's eyes bulge out, almost as if it was going to come out of her skull. "Damn, Alex. That's the first me I've ever heard you say that I'm right. Can you repeat that so I could record it on my phone?" I roll my eyes. "Please? This is like a one in a life me moment!" "No way," I bark out a laugh. "I'm not saying that again." Her lips pout. "Please?" I look away drama cally. "Go away."

She rests her head on my shoulder and s cks her tongue out. "Please? With cherries on top?" God, I love Cara. She could make me go from sad to happy in a ma er of moments. My head swivels and my gaze lock with hers. I a empt to make an angry face, but fail miserably. "You and your stupid li le cherries can go somewhere else." She snorts. Then she turns away. "Well, alright, then. I was just going to make some popcorn, so I guess none for you." Her eyes twinkle with amusement as she says it. "And for your informa on, I have caramel too." God dammit. She knows exactly what bu ons to press when it comes to me. I'm a total sucker for caramel popcorn. "Fine," I bat my eyelashes. "Give me your phone." Now, Cara and I are both facing the television now with a huge bowl of popcorn in our hands, our feet propped up on the coffee table. My right foot has not completely healed yet, so I s ll have to keep the bandage on with the medicine I use to massage it. Now, with my right foot and my right hand both bandaged, I look like a freaking weirdo. But that's okay, I've always been a weirdo. At least now I look like one too. Cara cocks her head to the side as she watches the screen. We're watching some ac on movie that we don't know the name to, but we're already an hour into the movie so we don't really care. Right now, an ac on scene rolls and the protagonist of the story is bus ng out some kickass ninja moves to defeat all the bad guys. "Damn, this dude is badass," I murmur in awe.

"He could save me any me," Cara gushes. "Cara, he's really old. He could be your grandfather." "I can't help it. I'm a sucker for older guys." She teases. I roll my eyes. "I just want his badassery. God knows I don't have that at all." Our eyes are glued to the screen again. The protagonist grabs to of his enemies and spins them around to kill the rest of his other opponents. Cara turns to me, grinning, "Was this how you imagined yourself just now when you decided to hit Daniel?" My cheeks turn a slight pink. "Yeah. But reality sucked ass." She laughs. "Don't I know it." A er I had punched Daniel in the eye, I was overcome with shock. I didn't know what to do. My hand had begun to hurt bad, probably because I didn't actually know how to hit someone. I stumbled back, and almost collided with the wall. Daniel had his hands over the place where I had hit him, his mouth gaping open, a look of absolute horror plastered on his face. I didn't know what to do next. What if he decided to fight back? I knew it was abuse if he did, but who knew? He definitely looked like he could beat me up into a pulp in a ma er of seconds. And I wasn't going to stay around to find out. So I ran away. I literally hit and ran. Wow, thinking about this really does wonders to my self-esteem. ~~~~~

The next week was a blur. Cara and I a ended all our classes, even though for Cara, the tempta on of skipping classes was super high. Cara takes business and marke ng (god knows why, economics was never her forte back in high school) and her lecturer puts everyone to sleep. So she has made it a habit to come to class late, but thankfully she doesn't bring me down with her. I, on the other hand, actually like my classes. I know, ge ng a degree in crea ve wri ng isn't probably something that would help me in the near future (God knows how many mes my parents have told me that.) But somehow, I find comfort in words. When I write, it's as if I no longer exist in the present, but to another me, another place, where I can create whatever and whoever I want. I not only find it relaxing, but to the point where it's consumes my en re life. I can't help it, I live and breathe words. My lecturer whom I finally know the name to, Mrs. Stemming, really likes my work. She gave me a high grade for my first assignment and I'm really proud of it. A er class, she told me I had a flair for wri ng and I should consider doing it as a full me job. I told her I would think about it, but I have my doubts. Sure, reading and wri ng are my passions, but could I actually do it for a living? Mom and dad would kill me. No, scratch that. They would actually cut my head off and put it on a pike. They really wanted me to take over the family business when they re red. But was I even capable of running an empire? I didn't want to end up like my parents, chained to the confines of the office, living off of paperwork, boring mee ngs, and always having to worry about the stock market. Maybe that's why I wanted to work at the Basil Kitchen two months ago. I wasn't much of a business person a er all. But if my parents did trust me enough to run an empire... Le sigh.

I don't know. Perhaps I should talk to my parents about it. I was heading home next weekend, and hopefully I could catch my parents before they leave for work. I chuckle to myself so ly. I can only imagine how that conversa on would go. Speaking of conversa ons, I have successfully avoided another confronta on with Daniel this en re week (yay me!). It had not been easy, let me tell you that. For one thing, he's my neighbour. And he's also in the same class as me. So, I have to be on alert at all mes, prac cally on my toes whenever I go anywhere out of the apartment. Although, there were a number of mes in which Daniel and I have made eye contact with each other. There was one me in class where I was looking for a place to sit, when my eyes locked with his. The intensity from his glare almost made me jump out of my skin. I could tell he hates me even more now that I have hit him. His eyes basically told me so. I quickly looked away, my cheeks turning crimson, and kept my head down for the rest of the class. The next day, I caught him shoving his tongue into a mouth of some random girl outside the apartment. Their make out session was ge ng really heated. He was feeling her under her shirt, and she was making weird moaning noises that prac cally scarred me for life. It was so horrifying, I had to look away. But before I did, his eyes pierced mine, making my skin boil. So ever since I hit him, we have only conversed through stares. And it's really creepy. I'm already star ng to think that I'm in a Twilight movie. ~~~~ "Tell me why are we here again?" Nate asks as we enter the bookstore.

I don't know what kind of hold the bookstore had on me. I don't know whether it was the smell of the freshly printed books or the sheer number of lives that have been penned on paper. But all I know is that it is heaven. My kind of heaven. The wooden panels hammered together support the books and present them in their utmost glory. A row of shelves itself hold the books in an spectrum of wild colours, illumina ng the whole store. I stand there for a while, taking it all in. It's been a while since I had been here. I have been ordering books online these past few months instead of going to a physical bookstore. I missed the thrill of visi ng the place, the excitement I get when I see the book that I want, a so white glow bathing it, as if it was just for me. Okay. Now I'm exaggera ng. But s ll. When I finally stopped gawking, I shake my head and pull Nate in with me. The both of us have just finished our classes. I was just about to go to the bookshop with Cara to pick up a few things when Nate approached me outside the apartment. He told me he was going out anyways so he might as well just take me. I felt sort of grateful for his offer because Cara always hates it when I drag her to the bookstore. She, unlike me, loathes books, and whenever we go there, she is always begging for me to hurry up so we could go get Starbucks or something. I don't know. Cara's weird like that. "What are we doing here?" Nate's eyes meet mine, a hint of curiosity glimmering in his eyes. "To get a pet giraffe," I said. "I was thinking a blue one with pink spots, maybe a li le bit shorter so she would be able to fit through our door-"

Nate rolls his eyes. "Okay, I get it. You're ge ng all sarcas c with me." Pa ng him on the shoulder, I gesture him to follow me. "We're going to go get books, dumbass." He chuckles, low and deep. "Lead the way, Alex." We navigate our way through the rows of bookshops. Occasionally, I pause to see which sec on we are at. I finally find the sec on that I intend to go, and I search for my books there. As I stroll down the rows of bookshelves, Nate follows behind me awkwardly, his hands shoved into the pockets of his ripped jeans. My fingers trail horizontally along every book, taking in the words on the spine, and the bright colours that reel me into the book. "What are you looking for?" Nate asks, and I feel his presence behind me. I turn around to say to him, smiling, "There are several books that have been released these few months that I need to get my hands on them." Need wasn't a strong enough word for it. I finally spot one that I wanted, and grab it from the second bookshelf. "There it is." Nate stands beside me now, and he peers over to see what book I have picked out. His eyes widen and then a low laugh rumbles from under his breath. "My Life With The Walter Boys?" I blush deeply. Dammit. I knew he was going to make fun of me for it. My grip on the book ghtens as I slide it underneath my arm. "Shut up. It's amazing okay?" Nate li s his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I didn't say anything." I narrow my eyes at him. "You didn't have to. I can tell you're already teasing me in your mind."

He casts a toothy grin at me. "You know nothing of what's going on in my mind, Alex." I whirl around and lt my head sideways. "Really?" He wriggles his eyebrows in amusement. "Really." A er a while, he adds, "You want to know what I'm thinking right now?" I gulp. I turn away again, and start to pace again, but he catches up to me. He places a hand on the edge of my shoulder and leans down to meet my ear. "I think," He says, his breath hot against me, "That you're really cute when you're excited about books." Nate thinks I'm cute. Hot dang. My heart hammers wildly against my chest. I try not to let him see that I'm blushing, because I don't want him to think his compliment got to me. Instead of replying, I con nue to make my way through the maze of books. I snatch another book up from another bookshelf. It's way thicker than the other one. I am about to place with underneath my arm together with the previous one, but before I can do that, Nate takes it from my grasp and his eyes scan over the tle. "City of Heavenly Fire," He reads the tle. His dark eyes scan over the book cover and grins at the picture of the main character of the book, "Nice. Badass girl in white with a sword." "It's not a sword," I grab the book away from him. "It's called a seraph blade." "A what?" He blinks in confusion. I roll my eyes and walk away from him. Mundanes. They never understand anything.

We go about like this for another half an hour. I scour through the rest of the bookshelves and pick up the remaining books that I intend to buy. We banter back and forth for a while, with him looking through all my books, and me having to tell a brief summary of the books. "This one is about a human girl who falls in love with an alien," I point to one of the hardcovers, "And they go around kicking ass and saving Earth from an alien invasion." "Nice." Nate nods his head. "How about this one?" He points to another book. "This book is about a devil and an angel falling in love, and they have to unite forces in order to stop the evil chimaera from ruling their world." "You read very hardcore books." He chuckles as he places the books back into the pile. "I like a girl who can handle deep shit like this." I laugh. "Okay, now you're being sarcas c." He grins. "You really read a lot, do you?" "Yeah." I blush. "I love reading stories. Plus, it helps me improve my crea ve wri ng." "You write a lot of stories too?" "Yes. But only short stories though. I can't really write any longer than that. My a en on span is too narrow." Nate smiles. Then I add, "you can come over later if you want. I can.. Show my short stories to you, if you want to read them." His face lights up. "I'd like that."

He takes the pile of books from me, and places them on the counter. The cashier asks for my membership card and I give it to her without any hesita on. Nate stands beside me, his huge arms folded over the books. As I wait for the cashier to print my receipt, I ask Nate. "You sure you don't have to do anything today? I mean, I know you'd rather be hanging out with your roommates than with me." Nate furrows his eyebrows. "No way." He replies, "Daniel's always not around because he's too busy having sex with every girl on campus. And Simon, as usual, is locked in his room playing this new game he had been talking about for some me now. So yeah. I'd rather be hanging out with you any day." The corners of my lips li to a smile. A er the cashier hands me my receipt, Nate helps me carry my books and the both of us leave the bookstore. It was a good day. But li le did I know I was not going to have one of those for a long me.

6. Six - "Something Bad's Going To Happen." Remember to follow, vote and comment! Cara frowns as I grab my purse from the counter marble top. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the wall with her hip. "Do you really have to go?" I look up and meet her eyes. "I should." I bite my lip as I walk across the room to the plug beside the television to grab my phone charger. I fold the wire and e a small rubber band over it so that the wire would not go all over the place when I put it in my bag. "Yeah. I should. It's only for the weekend though." I have decided to spend this weekend at my parents' place. I haven't seen them in almost two weeks and I sort of missed them. The short conversa ons over the phone with my mom and dad are really star ng to get on my nerves. I don't know why, but I think something really bad has happened to the company because my parents have been busier than ever. I'm star ng to get a li le bit worried. I can s ll remember my conversa on with dad just yesterday. I had tried to call him a few mes, but he did not answer. Maybe he was too busy to answer it, or maybe he just didn't want to talk to me. So I called mom instead and told her to pass the phone over to dad. At first she didn't want to, but a er a lot of persuading, she finally gave in. "What's happening over there, dad?" I asked, full of concern. I had been pacing around the living room of the apartment and even Cara was ge ng annoyed by me. She went back into her room a er a while, giving me some me alone to talk to my dad. He sighed. I heard papers rustling over the phone, his frustra on lapping off of him. "I don't think this is a good me to talk about this, Alexandria." God, I missed his voice. My heart ached for him, knowing that he was having such a bad me handling whatever he was handling.

"I've been trying to call you all week," I said, feeling the same frustra on he did. "I don't know why you think that avoiding me would solve everything, dad. Maybe I can help-" "No." He cut me off, his voice adamant. "You cannot help me here, Alex. But you can help me by returning to your studies and go about being the normal eighteen year old girl you should be." I knew my dad did not want me tangled up in the whole situa on. He was always that way, even before I moved out of the house. "I know," I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling every fibre. "God, I know. But I'm worried about you. You and mom. You guys have been ac ng really secre ve about this whole thing. I want to know what happened, dad." A long pause. "Why not instead, you tell me how was your first week in college?" I rolled my eyes at his stupid a empt at changing the subject. I guessed the situa on must be pre y bad if he wanted to avoid talking about it at all costs. "College is fine," I blew out a shaky breath. I suppressed the desire to tell him about my class and about Nate. "But don't change the subject. Tell me what happened." I heard him chuckle. "Aren't you stubborn." It had been a long me since I heard one of his laughs. I barely heard him laugh throughout my whole eighteen years of existence. He was always quiet, only speaking when he had to. Silence dri ed out. "Come back home this weekend," My dad finally said, "I'll tell you about it, I promise."

I sighed out of relief. "Okay. I'll come home." "See you then, Alexandria." I heard him smile over the phone, if that was even possible. "Love you, dad." I listened to the three short beeps that came a er he hung up before finally pu ng my phone down. Even though it is not much of my business to know about the company's affairs, I am s ll curious. A er all, if my parents are involved in this, I should be too. I am their daughter, possibly the heir to the en re company. And that thought alone scares the crap out of me. "Do you want me to come along?" Cara asks as she helps me pack my things. I don't really need to bring much with me, only some clothes and my computer. I had some assignments I needed to finish by next week and I should probably get started on it when I get home. "No, it's fine." I wave her off. "Are you sure?" Cara insists. I glare at her. "Cara, I'm fine. I just need some alone me with my parents, that's all." My best friend shrugs. She grabs a stool from underneath the kitchen table and sits down. I take my bag from my room and place it on the table as I e my hair with a pink scrunchy. "I don't know," Cara says a er a while, "I have this weird feeling. Like something bad's going to happen." Pressure clamps down on my chest. What if she was right? Cara always had this sickening feeling in her stomach whenever something terrible was

going to occur. Back in high school, she had many of those churning stomach episodes. And she was almost o en right. I try not to think to much about it. Maybe this me she would be wrong. "You're overreac ng." She arches her eyebrows at me. "I'm so not." I grab my bag and sling it over my le shoulder. My fingers clasp around my car keys from the small bowl on the table. "Whatever." I looked around to make sure I haven't forgo en anything important. "I'll see you on Sunday, okay?" She casts me a small smile. "Yeah. Just be careful." I send her a smirk as I approach the door. "Aren't I always?" She laughs at my sarcasm. "You're right foot and hand tell me otherwise." I ignore her comment. "Bye, Cara." I blow her kiss and she pretends to catch it, and placing her hand to her heart. I made my way to the carpark, and found my baby at the end of the row of other cars. The cars seem to be sca ered, which means some of the other students had gone back home too. I place my bag in the hood of my baby and slid into the driver's seat. My hands wrap around the steering wheel and I hit the exit. The drive to Kenmore square doesn't take very long. I arrive at the townhouse in about half an hour. I take out my keys and unlock the door. When I step in, I take it the familiar surroundings of the place. All I see is white. White walls, white curtains, white boulders. Then, other colours begin to seep in. Beige, red and black dot the en re living room. I see the long couch that I had spent many nights on a er falling asleep reading a book. I see the beau ful square

windows that allow the a ernoon light in. I see the stairs in which I have tumbled down so many mes I lost count. "Mom? Dad?" My voice echoes throughout the en re house. "Anyone home?" Silence greets me. Sighing, I glance at the stairs. My parents had draped rich purple carpet over it, making the colours of the room pop more. I take the steps two at a me, un l I reach my bedroom. If my parents weren't home, I might as well get started on my assignments first. Stepping into my room, I am overwhelmed by the familiarity of it. Light pink wallpaper cover the walls, a huge crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of it. White bookshelves huddle at one corner of the room, with a standing lamp beside it. My four poster bed filled with stuffed pillows stands opposite from my study table. Now that I have moved, the room feels barren. My wardrobe has li le clothes in it, most of them either too small for me or completely out of fashion. My bookshelves are almost bare except for a few paperbacks sca ered here and there. Se ng my bag down on my bed, I take out my phone and decide to shoot a text message to both my mom and dad, telling them I was home. A er sending it, I receive another text message. I smile to myself as I realise it is from Nate. Cara said you went back to your parents' place. I reply. Yeap. A er a while, he texts me again. Why didn't you tell me?

I arch a brow when I read it. I didn't think it was important. My phone beeps again. Can I call you? My heart stammers wildly against my chest. Did I want Nate to call me? I guess it is fine if he did. I could always start on my assignments later. I send him my answer, and my phone rings a heartbeat later. I press the green bu on. "Hi." "Hello, Alex." His voice is deep and husky over the phone, and I like it. "Where are you now?" "In my room," I say, my voice pitched embarrassingly high. "Where are you now?" "Alone in my apartment," Nate murmurs, "Well, technically Simon's here too, but he's pretending I don't exist." I laugh at this. "And Daniel went back to his parents' too, coincidentally." Huh. That's weird. "Thank god he's not here, though." Nate chuckles, "I don't have to hear him ge ng it on with some girl on our couch in the middle of the night." "Good for you, then." I smirk. "How's your leg?" Nate whispers a concern. "Is it ge ng be er?" "Yeah, I can finally walk like a normal person now, instead of like a penguin." A low laugh rumbles from his throat. "Damn. It's a shame though. You were a cute penguin."

We talk for another half an hour. Eventually, I have to lie down on my bed with my phone pressed to my ear. He tells me all about his day, which involved doing nothing. I don't know if I should tell him about my concerns with my parents' and their company. If I did, it seems as if I'm sharing a small part of myself with him, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I also don't want to tell him about what happened with Daniel last week. Thankfully, my hand had healed before he no ced anything. I'm certain of one thing, though. I know I like Nate. He's super nice and he makes me laugh. Everything about him is so easygoing and fun. Not to men on he's devilishly handsome. Some mes when I walk with him to class, I receive death glares from a few of the girls. I didn't realize un l then that I'm super lucky to have much of Nate's a en on. "Hey, Alex, you s ll there?" He whispers so ly over the phone. I don't know what me is it, but I know that it's really late. It's almost night and my parents' s ll have not arrived home yet. My mom had texted me some me just now that they were going to be late, but how long? And should I wait up for them? My eyelids start to flu er close. I guess I should just talk to them in the morning. "Alex?" Nate speaks. "Sorry," I yawn. "What did you say?" "I was going to ask you something." He says, "Is this a good me? If not, I can always call tomorrow-" "Just tell me." I bite my lip. "Well..." His voice trails off. "Um, I hate to ask this over the phone, but I can't wait any longer."

"Nate, just spill it," I smile. My heart pounds against my chest as the realisa on of what he was about to ask me dawns upon me. "Are you free next Friday?" His ques on almost made my heart burst. "I want to take you out to dinner." I gasp slightly. "Why, Nathaniel Albert Eloise Jones-" "I never should have told you my full name." He groans. "Are you asking me out on a date?" I say, almost breathless. "Yes." He breathes, "Yes. I guess I am." Damn. "Nate..." I start off, "We hang out a lot, but... I realize I don't really know you that well." "Isn't that what dates are for? So people can get to know each other." He says, "and I really want to get to know you, Alex. You're funny, smart, and beau ful, and you don't even know it. I like that about you. So of course, I want to go on a date with you." The smile on my face grows. "So what do you say?" Am I ready to take a leap and go out with Nate? What if he breaks my heart? I like him enough to know that it will hurt if he did. "Alex? Will you go on a date with me?" Taking in a deep breath, I tell him my answer.

7. Seven - "Beep." The next morning, I wake up to forty one messages, twenty three missed calls and seventeen voicemails. At first, I think they were all from Cara. Perhaps somehow she found out about Nate and I going on our date and she called to ask me about the details. But when I check my phone and scroll through my no fica ons, I realize they were not from her. They were from mom and dad. If my parents had spent their precious me trying to call me, it meant that all hell had broken loose. I bolt out from my bed and head straight to the bathroom. A er taking a super quick shower, I slip into a tank top and some shorts before heading down the stairs with my car keys and my phone. I scan the en re room. There is no sign my parents had even come home yesterday. Even though that is a normal occurrence, it didn't stop me from having this sickening feeling in my stomach. As I quickly search for something decent to eat in the kitchen, I listen to some of mom and dad's voicemails. "There's something we need to tell you, Alexandria. It's urgent." Beep. "Come to the office quickly. Please hurry." Beep. "Please get over here as soon as you can." Beep.

I stuff a creamy donut into my mouth before fleeing the house. The sounds of my parents' worried voices fill my mind. I wonder what has happened that needed to involve me. Holy shit balls. What if my parents had decided to re re and they were going to tell me to run the company now? If that is the case, are they out of their freaking mind? I can barely run, let alone run a company. And there is a teeny ny problem with my age. Hell, I'm only eighteen! But I guess if my parents did hand over the company to me, they must really trust me. But what if I was a super crappy CEO (for Christ sake, i don't know shit about business) and everyone else in the company decides to kick me out? Could they even do that? The company was under our family name. Oh my god. I don't even want to know. I get into the car and start to drive. My baby is going so much faster than it should be. I almost run into a traffic light, and almost hit a random passerby trying to cross the road. And I'm quite surprised I didn't get pulled over for going waaaay over the speed limit. When I finally reach Woods and Co headquarters, I park my car a few blocks away to avoid having to find parking in the building. A er shu ng the car door, I start to run. I make my way through the main entrance of the building and head straight for the concierge, ignoring all the businessmen dar ng back and forth the building in a frenzy. "Hi," I say, completely out of breath. The woman behind the desk appears to be raging over the phone, her hands flying around in exaggera on.

"I don't know! I thought so too, but they already announced it," The woman speaks, completely ignoring me. She flips her hair to the side and con nues to talk to the person on the other line. "They said there were sor ng things out, but who knows what else Mr. And Mrs. Woods can do about it." "Excuse me!" I say, this me a li le bit louder. The woman's eyes briefly meet mine, but she s ll doesn't put down her phone. She con nues her conversa on, this me speaking in hushed tones. "Oh for Christ sake," I mu er. I reach over the desk and pull the phone out of her grasp. The woman looks at me with pure shock. I don't think she thinks I would ever do that. But honestly, I don't care what she thinks now. I need to get to my parents ASAP. "Good. Now I got your a en on." She glares at me, and for a second there, I think she's going to hit me. But fortunately, she doesn't. "What the hell do you want, girl?" I grit my teeth. "I'm here to see my parents. John and Margaret Woods." The woman behind the desk blinks a few mes. "You're their daughter?" "The one and only Alexandria Woods." She sighs deeply and gestures for me to give me back her phone. I hesitate, thinking she was going to resume her conversa on and forget all about me, but then she presses her lips into a thin line. "I need the phone to call your parents." She rolls her eyes. "Oh, right." I hand her back the phone, red creeping unto my cheeks. The woman starts to press some bu ons on the telephone and I hear a so dial tone. She murmurs something I cannot hear. "Mmhmmm. Mmhmmm. Okay."

Then, she hangs up. She then bends down to open one of the drawers and hands a card to me. "Scan this on the elevator and it will take you to the 58th floor. Your parents will be wai ng for you there." "Okay." I snatch the card from her grasp and hurry to the elevator wai ng for me. As the doors close, I can hear my heart pounding against my ribcage, threatening to tear it open. My thoughts wander to what the woman was saying over the phone. She seemed really fran c... and scared about what's going to happen. And what did she meant when she said that there was not much my parents could do? The suspense is killing me. I watch as the floor number displayed on the panel in the elevator increases. My hands shake as I check my phone again for more messages. There are none. I'm guessing my parents know I'm here already. When I reach the 58th floor, the elevator doors burst open. Taking a deep breath, I step forward and scan my surroundings. The atmosphere of the 58th floor totally contrasts from the ground floor, where everyone was talking and cha ng at the same me. I no ce that there was almost no one on this floor. I walk along the hallway and finally spot my mom. She is a mess. Her hair is greasy, falling over her face in thick strands. Her beau ful chestnut eyes have dark circles underneath them. When she faces me, I no ce her cheeks are flushed. "Alex," She murmurs and I immediately fall into her arms. I don't care that we barely talked throughout the en re week. We hug for what seems like

forever, her warmth enveloping me. It had been a long me since I had last hugged my mother. I missed her hugs so much. When I finally pull back, I ask what happened. "Alex," She pulls me by the waist and kisses my forehead, a rare form of affec on she barely gives. "I don't know how to tell you this but... Woods and Co has gone bankrupt." ~~~~~~ "What?" I yell at her. I saw my mom's eyes bulge, and I apologise for raising my voice. "How... what... why..." How could this possibly happen? Woods and Co is one of the most successful companies in Boston. They basically ruled the business world here. So how could they have fallen so low? My mom shakes her head and urges me to follow her. We're walking along the hallway un l we reach a glass door. It is blurred so I cannot see what is on the other side of the room. My heart flies over my chest, and I gasp. She turns to me, cas ng a reassuring smile at my direc on. I want to ask what's going to happen now, and what are we going to do now that the company has gone bankrupt. I want to ask how are they going to pump money back into the company. I want to ask how are we going to get through with this. My mind is spinning with ques ons I don't have the answers to. "Alex, we don't really have much me le ," She says, "You have to listen to me, okay?" "What is it?" I manage to speak, my voice squeaky. "You have to go in there," She points to the room with the glass door. "Your dad's inside."

"Okay." I murmur as I take a step. But before I could go in, she grabs me by the hand. "Wait," Her voice is firm. "Alex, you need to know something." I wait for her to explain. She glances at the door briefly before returning her gaze next to me. "When you go in there, just... listen to what he has to say, okay? Don't act irra onally." "Who's he? And why should I act ra onally?" I li my eyebrows in confusion. "What the hell is going on, mom?" She closes her eyes and sighs. "Now that the company has gone bankrupt, we have no other choice but to... turn to others for financial aid." From the way her voice changes when she says that, I can tell she's ashamed. "Someone very important has stepped up to help us. It's an amazing opportunity, Alex." But... Alex is s ll confused. "I don't understand," I pull back and cross my arms over my chest. "No offence mom, but I don't understand how this involves... me." She forces a smile on her face, a smile that is pained. "It has everything to do with you, Alex." "I dont understand-" She presses her hands on my shoulders, "You'll know everything soon enough." I look back at her, wai ng for her signal. She nods, and I press my hand on the glass door in front of me and push. The first thing I no ce is the floor. It's beige carpet, and the ny fibres brush against my sneakers. When I finally manage to look up, I spot my

dad. He looks so much paler than the last me I saw him. Thinner too. As I approach him, I also no ce that his hair has several more grey streaks. Whoa, this whole situa on had wrecked him. His dark eyes lock with mine as I stand next to him. Then, he reaches forward to touch my shoulder. "Alexandria." The corners of my lips curve upwards. "Hey, dad." "Not quite the father and daughter reunion you would have liked, huh, John?" A masculine voice sounds. I tear my gaze from my dad and saw the man who was speaking. He looked much like my dad, except he is much more handsome, even though he looks like he is in his mid-fi ies. He has dark brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. He also wears a black suit, and a nice red e that my dad would have liked to own. And beside the man is the guy I never expect to see in a million years. Daniel Freaking Kerrington. My heart feels like the voicemail machine. Beep beep beep beep. "Excuse me but.. who are you?" I asked in a not so polite way. Then, I turn to Daniel, who looks just as surprised as me. He glances at his dad, a look of confusion passing his face. I have a feeling he doesn't know why he's here either. "And what is he doing here?" The man turns to my dad and chuckles. "So this is the famous Alexandria you've been talking about? Where are her manners?" Who the hell does he think he is? "Um, you're talking as if I'm not here."

His gaze flickers to mine, hard and narrowed, and I realise I shouldn't have said anything. There is something about this man that screams dominant. He can probably fry my ass right now if he wanted to. "Sit down, Alexandria." The man commands. I sit down. "Now," He says, a smile forming on his face. Damn, his guy changes emo ons as fast as a bipolar, "Where was I? Oh yes." He begins to pace around the huge table situated in the middle of the mee ng room. "Since Ms. Alexandria doesn't know who I am, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Harry Kerrington, the owner of Kerrington Enterprises." Holy fuck. This guy is Daniel Kerrington's father! But... Harry and Daniel look nothing alike. Daniel has blonde hair and blue eyes. Harry is the la er. How is this even possible? "You seem confused, Alexandria." His eyes lock with mine again. "Penny for your thoughts?" I blush. "No it's okay." I'm afraid of saying anything stupid. I have a nasty habit of doing that. "Go on." He cocks his head sideways and starts to pace again. "Very well. Now, as you probably already know, Woods and Co is on the verge of bankruptcy." I thought it was already bankrupt. Nope. I wasn't going to voice out that thought. "Your father and I have come to an agreement, Alexandria." Harry speaks, his fingers trailing along the curved side of the mee ng table. "Seeing as how my company is financially stable, I can get Woods and Co back on its feet. Possibly back to the way it has been before."

I almost jump out of my seat out of joy. I look at my dad, knowing I would see his happiness. But he merely shrugs. "That's great, Mr. Kerrington," I say, pleased. "That's wonderful." Harry approaches me, grinning. "Yes, it is. And this is where you come in, Alexandria." My eyes dart from Harry to Daniel. Daniel lts his head as if he doesn't know what his father is talking about. "You see, I am almost never this generous when it comes to money," Mr. Kerrington speaks. "Moreover, your father and I have never been friends. You also could consider us as enemies, even." I have absolutely no idea where this is headed. Can this guy not beat around the bush and go straight to the point already? "So why on earth should I help my own enemy?" He laughs to himself. I purse my lips. "Um, because you should keep your friends close but your enemies closer?" "Not exactly," Mr. Kerrington licks his lips. "Turns out your father has something to offer to me." He looks at my father, and my father looks away, as if he was embarrassed. What is my father not telling me? Daniel shi s from his seat, and leans forward. "Father, what are you talking about?" Mr. Kerrington merely grins at his son. Then, he turns straight to me. I'm afraid of what's he going to say next. My mother's voice echoes in my head. It has everything to do with you, Alex. I gulp nervously.

"I offered your father and his company a loan, Alexandria. But on one condi on: for you to be engaged to my son, Daniel." Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

8. Eight - "Everything goes poof." At first I don't say anything. My heart is bea ng so fast I'm afraid if I open my mouth, it will fly out. So I just sit there, for what seems like a really long me, unable to say anything. When I finally snap out of it, the word comes rushing out of my mouth. I stand up abruptly, screaming from the top of my lungs. "WHAT?" I can't even fathom what Mr. Kerrington had just said. An engagement? Between Daniel and I? The world has finally gone bonkers. I don't think I'm the only one that feels that way. Just almost a er my outburst, Daniel gets up, a look of pure shock glued to his face. He reaches for his dad so fast I almost missed it. "What the hell, dad? You can't do this!" He pleads. "You can't drag me into your stupid business deals! You told me I was not going to get involved in any of this!" "Sit down, Daniel." His father commanded. "No fucking way." A dry laugh comes out of Daniel. "This is crazy! Have you completely lost your mind?" He faces his dad. Irrita on picks along my skin as I face my dad, "You want me to be engaged? TO HIM?" I sneer, poin ng a finger at Daniel. Daniel looks at me as if he thinks he might just glare me to death. He steps up, facing me this me. His eyes flash red, jaw set in a hard line. "You think that I want to be engaged to you? You're a fucking child!" I clench my fists so hard, my nails are digging into my palms. "EXCUSE ME? You dare call me a CHILD?" He points to his eye. "You freaking punched me in the face!"

"You totally deserved it!" I scoff. "You were ac ng like such a dick!" Mr. Kerrington finally decides to speak up. "So you were the one who gave my son a black eye?" One of the veins in his neck pop as he looks at me, teeth gri ed. He's furious at me. Well Boo Freaking Hoo. I'm furious at him too. I'm furious at everybody in this whole room! "Yeah, and I'm not ashamed of it!" I spit at Mr. Kerrington. "Jesus Christ!" My dad finally decides to speak up, pushing his chair back. "All of you are ac ng like children!" "Don't you dare tell me that", I say to my dad, exasperated, "this is completely unacceptable. You want me to be engaged... to a manwhore?" "It's not called a manwhore,"Daniel snaps back, "It's called being ridiculously handsome." Oh. My. God. He can s ll be arrogant at a me like this? Really? "Shut up, Daniel." I seethe. "Please, Alexandria," My dad lays a hand on my shoulder. I immediately pull away, feeling his betrayal creep up on me. "Just listen to me for one moment-"

"I can't believe you agreed to this!" I say, my hands flying everywhere. I don't care if it makes me look like a crazy person. "My own father!" "Alexandria..." His voice trails off. "What am I to you, dad?" I cock my head to my side, my hands res ng on my hips. "God, I don't even feel like I'm your daughter anymore! You barely called me this past two weeks, not even bothering to check up on me. And then, you decide pull this shit!" I gesture in a wide circle in front of him. "Without even asking my permission! Or without even consul ng me first about how I would feel about all of this!" "Alexandria," My dad speaks, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry." I scoff. I am way past angry right now. Actually, I don't even feel the anger anymore. I just feel hurt. I can't believe my dad would do this to me. As if I am some slave, and he is going to sell me off. Just like that. "Is that all you have to say to me?" Tears start to swim in my eyes. God, I can't do this. The pain. My dad had just torn all heart out and smashed it into bits and pieces. "Alexandria, please sit down." He murmurs. I shake my head. "The hell I am!" My mother's voice somehow fills my mind again. Don't act irra onally. Am I being irra onal right now? I guess I am. But don't I have a good reason to be like this? I'm going to be engaged the guy I actually hate. A guy who had humiliated me before. A guy I spilled champagne on.

A guy that is a total nightmare. "Okay, enough is enough," Mr. Kerrington presses his hands against the mee ng table in frustra on. "Daniel and Alexandria. John and I knew the both of you would be mad about this whole arrangement-" "You think?" Daniel booms with anger. "This is the freaking 21st century, dad! I didn't even know we even have arranged marriages these days!" "Marriage?" My mouth gapes wide open. "You have got to be kidding me!" Of course. Marriage usually occurs a er engagement. Why the hell didn't I think about this before? This just makes the whole situa on even more fucked up than ever. Oh hell no. I'm so objec ng to this. I'm only eighteen! I can't get married, let alone get engaged! Before I could voice out, Mr. Kerrington slams his hand unto the table, causing a mini earthquake through the room. "Sit down, the both of you! AND LET ME EXPLAIN!" His voice shakes the en re room. Daniel and I both exchange brief glances at each other. We sit down. Mr. Kerrington looks at us, a bit pleased now that he has managed to silence the whole room. He adjusts his e, and starts to talk. "Good." He walks over to my dad. My dad appears stoic. Part of me wishes that I had never said what I said to him just now. I have never talked to my dad in that manner... like ever. I never had a problem with him. We always got along alright.

And then now, we didn't. "Now that the both of you have finally shut up," Mr. Kerrington speaks, "I can explain everything to you." I look away as I do not want to meet his gaze. I'm just so exhausted. Physically and emo onally. Daniel sits beside me, his hands over his head out of frustra on. "I know that the thought of engagement... is a bit odd, especially with the both of you being so young." Daniel's dad says, "But John assured that it was fine." My eyes shoot daggers at my father. He shi s uneasily. "The reason why I have come up with this condi on is because of Daniel." Mr. Kerrington con nues. "Everyone knows my son has a reputa on for being the... err, ladies man." I snort at this, briefly remembering what happened two months ago. From the way Daniel squirms in his seat, I can tell he's thinking about it too. "My son is the heir of Kerrington Enterprises, and he needs to start ac ng like one too. His reputa on has been tarnished by his escapades with different women all over the years. So with this engagement, the public as well as the staff at my company will be able to see him in a be er light." Daniel starts to get up from his seat. "You can't do this to me, dad. I have every right to object-" Mr. Kerrington clenches his jaw. "No you don't. You are going through with this engagement, whether you like it or not. If you want to be head of Kerrington Enterprises when I re re, you will do as I say." Daniel says nothing.

"What about me?" I ques on. "Why can't you get some other girl to do this instead of me? Trust me. I'm not that special. You could head over to Craigslist and get him a fianc� any me." Mr. Kerrington sighs. "Other candidates have been proven... hard to handle." "I can be hard to handle too, you know." I glower. But then, his words start to dawn upon me. Hard to handle. Oh. There is a reason why Mr. Kerrington wants me. He needs someone that he can control to be engaged to Daniel. He can't control any other girl as he doesn't have any leverage. Which makes me the perfect candidate. He can control me with leverage. It's money he intends to loan Woods and Co. If I am to step out of line... then everything goes poof. Money gone. Loan withdrawn. My parents company as broke as a joke. "Oh." I whisper as I let everything sink in. "Oh." Mr. Kerrington merely grins. "It's a chance for you to help your parents and their company, Alexandria." I cast a glance at my dad. He gives me a small reassuring smile. I look away, frowning.

"So what do you say?" Mr. Kerrington asks, his hands kno ed together. I don't know. God, I don't know. Gulping, I ask, "What are the terms of the engagement?" "Well," Mr. Kerrington starts off, "The engagement will only last three years. That will be ample amount of me for the public to get over my son's wild habits, and take him seriously as a poten al CEO to my company." I close my eyes and sigh out of a relief. At least it's only three years. No marriage. Thank god. So now the big ques on is: Do I really want to do this? I take a peek at Daniel. He looks absolutely wrecked by his father's decision for him. I know he doesn't want to do this as much as me. If I agree to this fake engagement, I will be selling three years of my life away. And for what? For my parents company to survive on Kerington's loans? Is it really worth it? Definitely not worth it to me. I have to spend three s nking years of my life with the arrogant snot that is Daniel Kerrington. Urgh. But... I guess it is worth it, to my parents. I know them. They wouldn't have come to Mr. Kerrington, their enemy, for help if they didn't have any other choice. They are really desperate.

But accep ng the deal also means that I accept the fact that my parents had gone behind my back to arrange this whole thing. But then again, if I don't accept it, there would be no financial aid for Woods and Co. They will be forced to close down. My parents hard work all for nothing. I'm furious at them for pulling me into this fucked up situa on, but I won't let fi een years of their hard work go to waste. What the shit am I going to do? Mr. Kerrington has already laid the contract in front of me. He tells me that everything he has said to me is wri en in here. My eyes dance over the unfamiliar words, trying to take everything in. I s ll don't know if I want to sign it. Should I? Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. .. .. .. Yes. With tears forming in my eyes, I ask, "Where do I sign?"

9. Nine - "Choices." Mom, Dad, and I are si ng around the dinner table, an awkward silence blanke ng us. I poke around the food on my plate, not having much of an appe te. I don't think it's because of mom's spaghe (which is an understatement because let's face it, her cooking sucks). Dad isn't even ea ng much of his food either. He's just mindlessly twirling the spaghe around his fork, not bothering to eat it. Mom sits beside him, quietly slurping away, but I can tell her mind is elsewhere. She seems to be looking at the wall, pretending to inspect one of the French pain ngs she bought last spring. The tension in our family is too overwhelming. It pours into the air, crackling with strain and anger. I can't do this. I can't sit down with my parents and pretend that everything's okay. Pretend that I haven't just learnt our family company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Pretend that I haven't just been offered a deal to help my parents. Pretend that I haven't just signed three years of my life away to be engaged to Daniel Kerrington. Releasing a slow breath, I push the plate away, and place my handkerchief next to it. "I'm going to bed. Good night." I greet with a false smile. My dad's lips twitch. "No, sit down." He points his finger downwards at the table. My eyes challenge him. "I'm not hungry. And I'm exhausted." "Alexandria." He clenches his jaw ghtly. I almost laugh. "What do you want?" He places his fork down, his eyes completely trained at me. "Please, Alexandria. We need to talk." The tension in his jaw didn't ease.

I fold my arms over my chest, leaning against my chair. "Haven't we done that enough already?" I can't help but say that with a bit of a slight edge to my voice. Mom decides to join in our pleasant conversa on. "Alex, don't behave like this." "Behave like what, mom?" I start to get really mad. I bolt out of my chair. "Be how you want me to be? I did what the both of you asked. I acted ra onally. I saved the freaking company for god's sake, even if it meant sacrificing three years of my life for it. So instead of trying to give me a lecture about my behaviour, you should probably thank me for saving both of your asses." My parents' stunned faces greet me. This is the only me that I have manage to completely silence them. "Alexandria-" My dad starts off. I thrust my hand out to stop him from talking. "No. Don't you dare 'Alexandria' me." My mom slaps her hand on the table, her anger reflec ng mine. "Alex, can you stop being so stubborn for one second and let us talk?" She says, hard and stern. I shrug. "I know you're mad at your father and I, but just bare with us, okay? Can you please do that for the both of us? Please?" Her tone hints of despera on. Shamefully, I slide back into my seat, avoiding both their gazes. "Good," My dad comments. "I know the whole thing with Mr. Kerrington has been quite a surprise. Your mother and I are s ll quite overwhelmed by all of this."

"Why didn't you tell me?" The ques on slips out of my mouth. "Why didn't you tell me the company was on the verge of bankruptcy? I know the problem didn't just appear out of nowhere today. You guys have been keeping it a secret ever since I started college, maybe even earlier than that." Mom sighs. She a empts to reach over the table and touch my hand, but I recoil. "I'm sorry." She murmurs shamefully, cheeks turning pink. "It was my idea in the first place," Dad cuts in. "I didn't want to overwhelm you." "Yes, they weren't your problems to handle, Alex." Mum says. "I guess they're my problems now, aren't they?" I mu er. "Alexandria," dad addresses me again, "We didn't mean for you to be dragged into all of this. We love you too much. The company has been barely keeping afloat these past few months. Your mother and I thought we could come up with a solu on before it got worse. But it did get worse, very fast. Our company sales were deple ng at a really fast rate, and there was nothing we could do about it." "I don't understand how. I thought Woods and Co was doing really well." I ques on. "We thought so too," My mum chimes in, "but there are a lot of bad people within the business that wanted us gone. Add that to the horrible sales we have go en these two years. It's overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, Alex. We did the best we could, but it just wasn't enough." Tears started to burn in my eyes. No I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry.

"We had no other choice but to turn to Harry," My dad con nues on, now his hand covering my mom's. "He was our last op on... our fail safe if we ever needed one. We were already desperate, your mother and I. So, there was no other choice le ." Mom nods. "Harry can really help us. He can help us kick start the business again." "We didn't mean to hurt you, Alexandria," Says dad, a look of regret in her eyes. "But it was either this... Or pu ng Woods and Co completely out of business." Silence consumes us for a what seems like a long me. I don't know what to say. I know my mom and dad have done everything they could, but is it enough for me? Is it enough to mend our broken family? "Say something, Alex." A small tear slides down my mom's cheek. "Please." I do. "So even though the both of you are sorry for the situa on you've put me in," I start off, "You're s ll making me go through with it? Ge ng me engaged to Harry's son?" They say nothing. But I know the answer when I see their faces. "I can't believe it." I u er. I don't know why, but I start to laugh. I finally realise it. How could I have been so fucking blind? My parents care more about saving their precious li le company than the happiness of their own daughter. They don't give two flying shits about me. If they did, they wouldn't have put me in the situa on with Daniel in the first place. My heart

Aches So Much I gasp. I get up from the chair again, keeping a cool composure, trying to blink back my tears. I don't want them to know they've succeeded in breaking me. Taking a deep breath, I start to speak, "I will go through with this engagement, if it means so freaking much to you." I can see the relief bleed through my mom and dad's eyes. "Alexandria, thank you." My dad praises me. "Wait, I'm not done yet," I stretch out my hand, "I will go through with the engagement. But, the minute I step out of this house tomorrow morning, I don't want to have anything to do with the both of you. Ever. You get me?" My mother gapes. "Alex!" "Alexandria, please. You're overreac ng." My dad forces out a laugh. Oh he thinks this is funny? Really? "Am I though?" I narrow my eyes. "You say you love me and you didn't mean to put me in this situa on. Okay yeah I get that. But you put me in the situa on anyway. I priori zed you guys first, rather than my own life, when I agreed to the engagement. But you guys priori ze the business first, and not me, your own daughter. What do you guys have to say about that?" My parents look at me with horror. "I will help you keep Woods and Co. Don't get me wrong, I will." I push the chair back under the table as a sign of me leaving, "But a er today, I don't

want to speak to the either of you again." ~~~~~~ They try to come in my room. I don't let them in. They try to speak to me, telling me how sorry they are for doing it, but they s ll love me. I don't believe them. They tell me that they would cancel the contract with Harry, if it means I would speak to them again. I tell them not to bother. They made their choices. I made mine. ~~~~~~ I leave the townhouse before the crack of dawn. A er my parents finally give up on trying to talk to me a li le a er midnight, they decide to head back to their room to sleep. I wake up at six to pack my bags. When I open the door, I make sure I do it as quietly as possible, for the fear that they might bombard me again and plead me to forgive them or something. Finally, I manage to creep down the stairs without any sound. Holding the straps of my bag, I take one last look at the house. I don't feel anything except heartache here. I need to get out. I leave the house and get into my car. I start to drive.

When I finally reach the apartment, it's almost morning. The sunrise is a display of radiant colours. Bright streaks of red, pink and orange slowly overcome the dark blue and purple of the sky. The so rays of light penetrate the apartment windows, illumina ng the en re place. Se ng my bag down on the counter table, I turn on the light of the living room and sit down on the couch. I don't know how long I just sit there, my hands over my face, as if I'm shielding myself from everything around me. I want to hide in my own hands and never come out of them. I'm want to tell myself that I'm not afraid of what's going to happen to me now that I made all the decisions I made yesterday. I don't know if I made the right choices. I don't know if I made the wrong choices. I don't know anything. "Alex?" A familiar voice sounds the room. I finally look up from my hands and my watery eyes lock with Cara. She's looks like she has just woken up from her sleep. "Alex? What are you doing here so early?" I don't say anything. Cara approaches me with cau on. "Alex, are you okay?" I shake my head no. "Jeez, Alex, you're freaking me out." I open my mouth, but there are no words. Cara slides in next to me and lts my chin up with her fingers. I see the worry in her eyes. "God, what happened to you?" I wrap my arms around her and all the the tears I've bo led up since yesterday come pouring out.

10. Nine Point Five - "I Can Ruin You." [Please read this otherwise you won't understand! This chapter is from Daniel's POV (probably the only chapter from Daniel's POV). The reason why it is so is because when I was wri ng chapter 10 and 11, my friend had pointed out a weird dras c change in Daniel's personality when he converses with Alex. So as I was figuring out how to solve the problem, I realised that I need to give my readers I li le glimpse of what happened to him during the weekend when he found out he was engaged to Alex. This chapter is completely op onal- you don't have to read it. But it is be er if you do so to make complete sense of the story. Don't worry it's really short!] Daniel picks up his father's lamp and smashes it against the table, sending millions of shards plumme ng to the ground. He stares at the destruc on he has made, completely out of breath. Beads of sweat cling unto the sides of his face and drenching his T-shirt. Blowing out a shaky breath, he slowly slumps unto the chair, his face hot red from fury. He has never been this angry before. Well... There is that me with the stupid waitress at Basil Kitchen two months ago. The waitress that finally has a name. Alexandria. He clenches his fists ghtly.

He can't believe that he has to enter an arranged engagement with her. Seriously, has his dad gone that low just to save Daniel's reputa on? Daniel knows he has been a major pain in his stepfather's ass these two and a half years ever since his mother died. His life had spiralled out of control when he got the call that his mother had passed in her sleep in the hospital bed. At least she didn't die in pain. Even though Daniel knew her death was imminent, he s ll couldn't grasp the idea that the only person who had stood by him and taken care of him was... gone. Just like that. His life just went downhill from there. All the booze and women helped numb a li le bit of his loss. It helped him to forget about her, forget about the fact that now he is forced to live with the man that she re-married, the man who hates Daniel but s ll needs him. Harry Kerrington never cared for Daniel, but when he realized that he could be useful to him when he was an adult, well, he would never let this good of an opportunity come to pass. Harry needs an heir to his company, but that proved difficult seeing as how he hadn't any children with the previous women he married. And being the businessman he is, he never trusts anyone. Except family. So Harry offered Daniel a proposi on. That he would con nue to support Daniel un l he is an adult in exchange for him to take his place as the company's CEO. Of course, even when Daniel is head of the company, Harry will s ll control him from the sidelines, making sure that he wouldn't fuck up. Daniel laughs at his. He will always find a way to fuck up. One way or another. It's an accidental habit of his. He thinks of his engagement with Alex. Harry has really done it this me. A fake engagement.

Wait ll the press gets a hold of this. His stepfather and his li le empire will be screwed. He knows he can't say a word about this arranged engagement. But it will be fun to see the look on his father's face if it leaks out to the media. No. He can't. But he should. It will be payback for everything he has done to Daniel... "Daniel!" The all too familiar voice echoes through their house. Speak of the devil. "Where are you?" He doesn't reply. But his stepfather finds him anyway. Harry Kerrington stands at the door, his hands folded and his face forms into a snarl when he sees what Daniel has done to the lamp. "What did you do?" His stepfather raises his voice. Daniel flinches. Harry walks over to where the lamp sha ered and picks up a long shard of glass among the other pieces sca ered all over the floor. He examines the glass in his hand, focusing on the sharp p of it. He laughs. "You know this shard of glass reminds me of the same one in Basil Kitchen when the girl dropped the champagne bo le a er pouring its contents over you?" He chuckles darkly again. All colour bleeds out of Daniel's face.

"Yeah. I was there the morning a er to clean up the mess you made." Harry grits his teeth. "How did you know about... that?" Daniel has the nerve to ask. "I made sure the whole incident didn't make it to the press. I even went through hell scouring the internet for any footage of news about it and removing it" "You are a fool to think I wouldn't know about it," Harry releases the shard of glass to the floor. "You can't hide it from me. I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know all about your escapades in that restaurant. I know that that girl humiliated you in front of everyone. I know that you have this hatred inside of you ever since she did that, and you have been wan ng to have your revenge on her." Daniel clenches his jaw. "I know what you're thinking," He con nues on. "That I had purposely arranged an engagement to someone you absolutely hated. Well, I didn't know the Alexandria who was the daughter of my arch nemesis is the same Alexandria who was wai ng tables at Basil Kitchen two months ago. I was shocked too when I saw her today. I now know why you dislike her. She is indeed a stubborn one, and she can never keep her mouth shut. It will be very hard to control her. But... I can now that she has signed the contract." "You know I hate her." Daniel says. "Why do you s ll make me go through with the engagement?" "I think it's good for you to get involved with someone you absolutely can't stand," Harry walks over to him, grinning. He is taun ng Daniel. Well two can play at that game. "I will make her life a living hell." Daniel sneers. "I will. She will regret having ever signed the contract in the first place."

"No." His eyebrows li in confusion. "No?" He repeats. Harry shakes his head. "No. I will not allow you to torment the girl." "Why the fuck not?" "Language, Daniel." Daniel rolls his eyes. "I can't let you as you put it 'make her life a living hell.'" His stepfather says. "You have to treat her nicely. You have no choice. This engagement is a ploy and you have to play the part. If the hatred shows, the media will know your rela onship with her is fake. You have to treat her like she's actually your fianc�. Treat her with love and all that kind of crap young adults do these days." "What? No freaking way!" Harry slams his hands down on the table. "You will do as I say, Daniel Kerrington, or god forbid I will strip everything you have and everything you are, and you will be living in my version of a living hell. For the rest of your life." "You can't make me." Daniel spits. He feels like an eight year old saying that, but at this point, he doesn't actually care. "I can and I will." His stepfather counters back. "I own you, Daniel. Ever since your mother died, you belong to me. And you will do as I say." "I don't need you anymore. I can live on my own, without your help or your money." Daniel gets up from the chair and starts to walk away, but Harry shoots forward and grabs him.

"Don't you dare walk out of this room." His stepfather growls. "You will regret it." Daniel chuckles. "I'm not afraid of you." "You should be." His fingers lt Daniel's chin up so they are now face-toface. "I can ruin you, Daniel." Those five words causes a chill to creep up his spine. Daniel knows that Harry has complete power over him. He feels helpless, like a lamb up for slaughter. If Daniel completely cuts off from his stepfather, there is no guarantee what he will do to him. "I'm not afraid to say that. You may call me harsh, and you may hate me for saying that, but I can care less. I don't want to do it, but if I have to, I will ruin you." His stepfather speaks, a low and dangerous tone, " You can say you don't need me, but you and I both know the truth. Somehow, in your own twisted way, you s ll care for me and you don't want to leave me." Daniel looks away abruptly. He hates that Harry is right. His stepfather smiles, a one that promises victory. He knows he has already won. "Be nice to the girl, will you? " He says before making his way towards the door. "Oh and by the way. This goes for the both of you: step out of line, and suffer the consequences. You do not want to cross me."

11. Ten - "Sweetheart." [Back to Alex's POV] The next day, everything goes back to normal. Well, except for me that is. Ever since I cut off es with my parents, I feel... different. I don't know. It's weird. My heart feels lighter than before, but I'm not sure if its a good feeling. I know what I did to them was harsh and wrong on so many levels, but I know that I needed to do what I did. It is me I separated myself from my parents for a while. They betrayed my trust, and I can't forgive them. Not yet anyway. A er my parents realised that I le yesterday morning without telling them, they went ballis c on me. They a acked my phone, calling me and sending me messages. At one point, it had go en really annoying. So, I stopped checking my phone a er a while. I don't think that will end very well. I have a feeling that they might pay a visit to me soon if I don't return their calls soon. If that's one thing I learnt about my parents over the years, it's that they're very persistent. God, help me. "Are you sure you want to go to class?" Cara asks me for the thousandth me today. "Cara, I'm not going to break," I inform her, tugging on my sling bag. We're standing in the hallway, the very one leading to my class. I no ce some people give us wary looks, seeing as how we're standing smack in the

middle, blocking their route. Cara runs her fingers through her blonde hair and pouts. "I know you're tough as a nail," She says, "But I'm just worried about you." A er what happened yesterday, Cara has been constantly up in my ass. She's always asking me if I'm alright or if I feel the need to rest. I get that she's coming from a good place, but I hope she knows that yesterday will never happen again. I poured out too many tears to be crying again any me soon. What happened yesterday was a moment of weakness. I keep telling myself that I am going to overcome this bump on the road, no ma er what. "You sure you're okay?" Her eyes searches mine. "Thanks, mom." I a empt at a laugh. "I'm fine, really." She bites her lips and smiles. "I know you're not, but I'm going to pretend to believe you anyway. For your sake." Cara knows me all too well. "You're the best," I wrap my arms around her and we hug. She pulls back and eyes the classroom. "If Daniel gives you any trouble..." Cara knows everything that had happened last weekend. She knows about my parents' company being bankrupt and the fake engagement with Daniel. At first she was dead furious at me for agreeing to the contract in the first place. But she knew I wouldn't change my mind about it. I laugh. "I can handle him. I think." Cara starts to walk away. "If you can't, just leave him to me."

"What the hell are you going to do? Eye him to death?" "You got any be er ideas?" She shoots back. "I can-" "You can't punch him again. Or pour champagne over him. Last me I checked, those two op ons didn't really end well." Ouch. I wave her away. "You suck." She blows a kiss at me. "But you s ll love me." A er I finally made her leave me alone, I enter class. I take my usual seat, the fi h row to the right. It's the best seat in the class because my lecturer almost never no ces me. As much as I like her, I hate to draw a en on to myself. Especially now when all my emo ons are all jumbled up. I start to pull out my laptop from my bag to start on my assignment when I hear a familiar voice. "You look like shit." A deep and firm voice sounds. I look away, mustering a groan. Daniel Kerrington plops down onto the seat next to me, making himself very comfortable in it. Once he has taken out his tablet, he stretches his legs and places his huge arms behind his head, le ng out a huge breath. Aw, jeez. "Thanks for poin ng that out," I say with an edge to my voice. I decide to stare straight ahead and not look at him. "Your welcome, sweetheart," He drawls, amusement radia ng off of him. "Thought I'd do you a favour by telling you. Your face isn't very appealing

today, and you should probably do something about it, considering now that we're engaged." Oh. My. god. He did not just say that to me. I turn my a en on to him. "You're joking right?" "Does it look like I'm joking, sweetheart?" He cocks a brow with disdain, "You need to do something about your appearance, if you want to pass off as my fianc�. We have to look equally good. I can't be the only one looking good in this rela onship. Maybe I should suggest some concealer to cover up those dark circles..." This guy definitely needs a filter in his mouth. Right now, he's definitely pissing me off. I flip him off, and stare straight ahead. Daniel grins. "Fiesty. I like it." Aw jeez. If this is how our conversa ons will go in the next three years, someone should probably shoot me now to put me out of my misery. "Can you please not talk to me?" I groan in frustra on. I really don't want him to talk to me. First off, he's an asshole. Secondly, he's an asshole. Thirdly, he's an asshole.

.. Did I men on that he's an asshole? "Now where's the fun in that?" Daniel teases. He thinks this is fun? Really? "What is wrong with you?" I glare at him. "I think the both of us have established the fact that we clearly hate each other ever since that night two months ago. So why bother talking to me now? What do you want from me?" He angles his body to mine and smirks. "Sweetheart, don't be so full of yourself. I'm not actually talking to you because I want to." There it is again! Sweetheart. I roll my eyes. "Don't call me that." He cocks his head to the side. "Call you what? Sweetheart?" I grit my teeth. "Would you rather I call you bitch instead, like last week?" My fists clench. I am soooo going to punch the crap out of this guy. When I don't answer him, he grins, "Yeah, that's what I thought." He says, "Besides, calling you 'sweetheart' gets you all riled up. I like it." I'm already star ng to regret ever signing the contract to help my parents in the first place. I aim my pen at him. "I'd rather you don't call me anything at all. In fact, just please don't talk to me."

Daniel crosses his arms and laughs. "Aww come on. I'm just playing with you." Anger rush through me, a sweet and familiar thing. My p of the pen poke at his arm. "Please." Poke. "Don't." Poke. "Fucking." Poke. "Talk." Poke. "To." Poke. "Me." Without much hesita on, Daniel snatches my pen away and at the same me, along with my hand. He bends down low, so his mouth is inches away from me. I forget how to breathe. Sweet baby Jesus. I'm staring at his lips. Oh my god. If he leans forward a li le bit more, our lips would touch. I turn away almost immediately, flushed. No way in hell am I entertaining that idea. "Listen, sweetheart," He mu ers, his breath hot against my ear, "I don't like this arrangement as much as you do. You think I want to be engaged... to you?" He laughs to himself. "You're fucking crazy. Definitely not my type. At all." "Then just end it. Tear up the contract." I say, even though I don't actually mean it. A low laugh rumbles from his throat. "You think it's that easy? Don't get me wrong, I've tried numerous ways to weave my way out of this stupid engagement thing that my father so conveniently arranged for me. But I can't get out of it. And neither can you since my father has you on a leash. So we're pre y much stuck together for the next three years of our miserable lives." Well, am I so fucked or what.

Then, he adds. "So we can hate each other all we want, but it won't solve anything. I'm trying to do you a favour by ac ng nice to you." "You call this 'ac ng nice to me'?" I shoot back. "You told me I looked like shit. Then, you said I had to do something about my ugly face and only then I will be able to 'pass off' as your fianc�." He lts his head. "Okay fine, let me rephrase that. I'm trying to do you a favour by ac ng nicer than usual." I lean back on my chair. "Ah, so you admit that when you're not ac ng 'nicer than usual', you're just a huge asshole." He clenches his jaw ghtly. Well, he's not the only one who can play dirty. Daniel rakes his fingers through his blonde hair in frustra on, "The point is," He says, his voice rough, "You can at least try to be nicer to me, too." I make a weird choking noise. "Yeah, not going to happen. You're always going to be a major pain in my ass." Half of Daniel's lips are lted up in a lazy grin. "And you're going to be a major pain in mine too. Can't say I'm not looking forward to it." "You're so freaking weird." My eyes did a one-eighty. He chuckles again. "I have a feeling this engagement thing is going to be so much fun." The bell rings, signalling the end of our class. I quickly pack my bag and start to head down the stairs by the side. But before I can manage to escape Daniel, he calls out to me. "Oh, and by the way, we're moving in together!" ~~~~~~ I come into a halt when I see it.

People. Moving all my stuff out of my apartment. Boxes start to pile up by the stairs, boxes filled with all my things- my clothes, my shoes, my ornaments and My books. All eight hundred and fi y seven of them. Oh hellll no. "What the damn hell is going on?" I drop my bag down and wave my hands around. The movers ignore me, con nuing their way up and down the stairs. I spot a random guy carrying some boxes filled with my paperbacks down the stairs. I run over to him and grab him by the shirt. The man is in his early twen es, probably about the same age as me. He has long dark hair that falls upon his shoulders and his electric blue eyes. They widen when he sees me. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my stuff?" I spit out. The man looks at me as if he can't quite figure me out. "We're moving them to the truck." What truck? "Uh, no you're not. You can't move all my things without my permission." I point out, crossing my arms over my chest. He frowns. "Sorry maam, but we don't take orders from you." "Excuse me?" I'm baffled by his response. "Then who do you take orders from?" "Our boss." He shrugs, then he con nues his way down the stairs. What the crap. "But wait..." My voice trails off. What am I going to do now?

"What the fuck," Cara materializes behind me, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open as she sees the scene unfolding in front of her. I whirl around and catch her gaze. Her eyes dart to the boxes and then to me. "Alex, what is going on?" "I don't know..." Then, what Daniel had said to me during class come crashing back to me. That son of a bitch. I take out of my phone and dialled that asshole's number. "Hello?" His smooth voice sounds over the phone. I bat my eyelashes. I start to yell at him. "You motherfu- what the hell were you thinking?" "What are you talking about, sweetheart?" "My stuff!" I exclaimed. "They're moving my stuff out of the apartment!" Then, a pause. "Well, if you even bothered to listen to me when I told you we were moving in together-" "I did!" I say, exasperated. Cara gives me a weird look. "But that doesn't mean I'm agreeing to it! There is no way in hell am I moving in with you." A small laugh escapes from him. "Do you think you have a choice? We are forced to do this, Alex. If you bothered reading the extended version of the contract, you will see it stated clearly in print. By living together, it will make our engagement more believable." I say nothing. My brain has prac cally shut down on me. "So, pack your bags, sweetheart, because we're moving in together."

God dammit. "How are you so calm about this?" I ask. "I know you definitely don't want to move in with me too." "Like I said, I don't have a choice in the ma er. And I have to accept that." "You sound so mature for a guy who had yanked on my hair two months ago." "Jesus Christ, Alex." He groans. " I'm doing the best I can to cope with this too, okay? I'm s ll trying to get a grip on the fact that I'm being forced to be engaged to you!" Cara nudges my shoulder and mouths 'what the hell is he saying?' I shrug. What am I going to do? I don't want to move in with Daniel. Hell, I just moved in with Cara two weeks ago. I absolutely love it here. If I leave, Cara will be devastated. "Alex?" Daniel's voice booms over the phone. "Alex!" "Jeez, calm down mister! You're killing my ear!" "I'm coming over there to get you, okay?" He says. "What? No way-" "Yes, way." What? "Why?" "I need to go get my things too. And I want to see how much shit you're bringing to the penthouse." "I'm not bringing any shit to any penthouse!"

And damn, a penthouse. Really? Harry Kerrington must be really invested in this engagement. "Has anyone ever told you that you're very stubborn?" I can totally picture Daniel rolling his eyes when he says this. "Daniel, I'm not leaving this apartment." He makes a deep frustrated growl. "You're killing me, sweetheart. You're absolutely killing me right now." He says, "Just.. stay put, okay? I'm s ll coming over." "Kerrington, I swear if you come here, I will-" "Can you just shut up for one second and do as you're told? Stay put. I'm on my way." "I can't just stand here and wait for your stupid ass to come get-" And then he hangs up. He freaking hangs up on me. A let out a sound of frustra on. Cara grabs me by the shoulders and forces me to look into her eyes. "You're moving in with him? With that bastard?" Her sharp eyes ques on me. Slowly, I nod. She has ly looks away, stringing together a bunch of curse words. I have never seen Cara this angry before. "Cara," I start to reach for her, "I'm sorry-" She held a hand up to stop me. "Is it part of the deal? You and him moving in together?"

"Yes." I gulp. "I have no choice." "Shit, Alex," She cusses. "What have you go en yourself into?" I open my mouth to reply, but even I don't know the answer. My mind is spiralling, trying to grasp everything that's happening to me. I can't keep up. I don't understand anything anymore. I press my palms on my forehead and force myself to take deep breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. The door next to my apartment suddenly flies open. I see Nate coming out of his apartment, confusion wri en all over his face. "Alex?" He sounds, "Alex, what's going on?" He says when he sees the boxes, and the movers going in and out of my apartment. Oh no. I have completely forgo en about Nate. I have been so caught up in this mess that I've forgo en to tell him about everything. Oh god, and we're supposed to be going on our date this Friday. How can I s ll possibly agree to that, now that I'm engaged to his roommate? This is seriously messed up. "Nate." I breathe. He walks towards me, his hands in his pockets. "Alex, are you moving out? Your things are in boxes..." I have to tell him everything. It's useless trying to keep him in the dark any longer.

"Yes," I reply, frowning. "I'm moving out." Nate seems puzzled. "But I don't understand. You just moved in two weeks ago. Why would you move out?" "I'm... uh, moving in with someone else." His eyes widen. "Huh?" Silence dri s out. From behind me, Cara voices out, "Okaaaay, I'm out of here." I whirl around to stop Cara. "Wait-" "No," Her voice is firm and icy. "We'll talk about this later." "I'm sorry." I plead. Pressure clamps down on my chest. She shakes her head. Damn she's really pissed at me for bailing on the apartment. "Yeah well, me too." And then she's gone. I look back at Nate. He seems more confused than ever. "Is everything alright with you and Cara?" He cocks his head to the side and folds his arms over his broad chest. I want to laugh. Everything is so going to shit right now. "No, it's not," My fingers trail along my hairline. "Nate, listen, now's not a good me to talk. As you can see, I'm in the middle of something huge right now and I'm s ll trying to deal with everything." "Um, okay?" He says, puzzled. "I'm sorry, Nate. Today has been complete u er bullshit for me..."

I stop halfway because a familiar blonde starts to come up the stairs. Gee. Today is officially the worst day ever. Daniel finishes the last flight of stairs, and lets out a deep breath. His face lts up, and his eyes lock with mine. "Sup, sweetheart." He drawls. Nate eyes him warily. Daniel scans our surroundings and no ces all the boxes. "Damn, you seriously have a lot of stuff. You're lucky we're going to live in a huge space otherwise I'm not sure if we can find a place for all of this." I feel Nate's gaze burn through my skin. "What?" "Nate, I can explain-" He takes a step back. I see his en re face breaking. "You're moving in with him? My roommate?" "Um..." "Yes, she is." Daniel answers for me. He takes a few steps towards me and loops an arm around waist, bringing me closer to him. "But I don't understand, you don't even know him, Alex." Nate turns to me, his eyes stony. Daniel chuckles. "She knows me longer than you think, Nate. She's my fianc�. We're engaged now."

12. Eleven - "Living With The Asshole." For what seems like a really long me, neither of us said anything. Nate stares at me, his eyes blinking. He, like me, also seems to be at loss for words a er what Daniel has said. I know I shouldn't be pissed at Daniel for telling Nate about the engagement. It is my fault in the first place for not telling Nate about it sooner. He is s ll my friend (perhaps maybe more) and it had completely slipped my mind to talk to him about it. Now, I have to face the consequences. I expect Nate to yell at me, or unleash his anger, but his actual response is not quite what I expect. He throws his head back and laugh. Really, really laugh. Like he finds this situa on hilarious. Daniel and I exchange glances. We don't know what to say. "God, that's funny. Really funny!" Nate con nues to laugh for a good thirty seconds before he realises that the both of us aren't joining in. He stops laughing. The amusement in his eyes quickly fades away. "It's not a joke, Nate." Daniel says, "We're actually engaged." Nate's whole body goes rigid, like stone. His eyes hardens as they flicker to meet Daniel's, then mine. His face unravels before me, the last of his sanity crumbling away to oblivion. "No," He whispers as he presses his hands over his face, "No."

Daniel ghtens his arm around my waist. I fight the urge to tear away from his grasp. "I don't believe it," Nate breathes. "I refuse to believe that the both of you are... engaged." He takes a second to say the last word as if he can't quite understand it. I know how he feels. I can't understand it either. My first ins nct is to tell Nate that it isn't real, that it is just some deal my parents had made just to save their company. I want to tell him the whole truth, the one that I had already told Cara. Daniel will probably kill me if he knows I told Cara. It's a total viola on of the contract. But I couldn't keep this big of a secret from my best friend. A er she found me crying my eyeballs out last weekend, she demanded to know what had happened. I couldn't hide it from her. She will see right through me. A er I had told her what really gone down, I made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone about it. I trust Cara. She always keep her promises. I trust Nate too, and I really want to tell him... but is it wise for me to do so? When Daniel is standing right next to me? "Is it true, Alex?" Nate's eyes search mine. Shamefully, I nod. I feel like a fucking hypocrite. I can hide from Daniel, the fact that Cara knows, but I can't hide this. I have to play along. He takes a few steps back to register everything.

"That's not possible." He frowns. "No, it's not possible. I didn't even know you guys knew each other!" Then, he turns to me, "You didn't even tell me you knew Daniel. I men oned him so many mes-" "How nice of you to do so." Daniel says sarcas cally. "-But you never even gave me any hint that you knew him." Nate furrows his eyebrows. "He's your fianc� for god's sake, Alex. Even if that topic never came up between us, you could at least have the decency that you were freaking involved with my roommate!" Ooookay. Yeah. He's pissed as hell. This whole situa on is really fucked up. I wish this wasn't happening right now. I'd give anything to reset me and relive any good moments that occur before this whole fiasco went down. "We shared moments, Alex." Nate looks down, his dark hair flopping over his face. His voice eventually so ens because I think he's actually more hurt than angry. He exhales slowly, and con nues. "We had a good two weeks. I made it very clear I liked you and... for a while, I thought you liked me too. Hell, you even agreed to go on a date with me." "Nate-" He li s a hand to stop me. "So this.. this thing we had," He gestured to the space in front of us. "Was it all a lie?" "No!" I say almost immediately. I push away from Daniel and stand in front of Nate. "No, it's not!" "Then, what? Help me understand because I'm just so confused." His voice breaks when he says that.

I open my mouth to speak but Daniel beats me to it. "You know what? Let me explain." Of course. Daniel Kerrington bu s in at the absolute worst moment. Nate glares at his roommate. "No. Because I'm pre y sure anything that comes out of your mouth is pure bullshit." "Now, that's not a nice thing to say about your bro." Daniel's lips thin. "Isn't it true, bro?" Nate walks to his direc on. "You've lied your way through every girl you've been with, so why stop now?" "Well, I-" Nate completely ignores Daniel. His a en on is focused on me now. "I don't get it, Alex. Why on earth would you want to be engaged to Daniel? I've been rooming with him for at least two years now and I know all about his wild ways with women. You don't know him like I do. I've seen him at his worst and he isn't any be er than when he is at his best. He is a player, trickster, and a manipulator." Don't I know it. "And you want to be engaged to someone like him?" Nate laughs. "I never knew you could be this naive, Alex." "How... could you say that to me?" I croak. "Because it just doesn't make any sense! I know you, Alex. I may not know you for a long me, but enough to know that you being engaged to him doesn't add up. It just doesn't." Nate shakes his head. "Either you're lying to me, or there's something else you're not telling me." I want to tell him. I can't tell him.

But I want to. But... I can't. "There's nothing else, Nate." I try to blink back tears. He just stares back at me. "Then, I got nothing le to say to you." "I'm sorry, Nate." A small tear slides down my cheek. I make no a empt to wipe it away. "I didn't mean to hurt you." "A li le bit too late for apologies, Alex." He says. "You know what angers me the most? It's that I thought you were different." "I am different!" "You're just like the rest of them." Nate chuckles to himself. "They always get involved with him." He glares at Daniel. Daniel blows out a breath. "And you're the worst of them all. Because you're going to spend the rest of your life with him." My mouth gapes open. Nate doesn't say anything else. He just disappears. ~~~~~~ "Well that was the shi est breakup I've ever seen." Daniel says as we watch the truck with all my things speed away.

I brush a stray lock of hair behind my ear, not mee ng his eyes. I don't want him to see that I'm hur ng. Now that Nate has just up and le , there's nothing more I can do. Part of me wants to run over to him right now and tell him the truth. But I know I can't, and it's so frustra ng. I don't know what this will mean for Nate and I. I've le him with so many unanswered ques ons and I don't think he will be coming to me with open arms any me soon. He seemed absolutely wrecked and what bothers me the most is that I can't even do anything about it. "It wasn't a breakup. We weren't even together." I sigh. "Right." He replies, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Though he acted like you guys were together." I'd like to think that we were together, but we haven't even gone on our first date yet. Whatever thing Nate and I had for the past two weeks died so quickly. "Can we please not talk about it?" I say, irritated. "I really don't want to be talking about boy problems with my fake fianc�." A low laugh escapes from Daniel. "As you wish, sweetheart." He winks at me. "You're so annoying." I glance around and no ce that we're just standing on the sidewalk with nothing to do and no where to go. "So what do we do now?" Daniel takes out his car keys from his pocket and dangles them in front of me. "We're going to the penthouse."

We walk towards the carpark, side by side. He doesn't make any a empts to touch me, nor do I. I spot my car from the corner of my eye and start to walk towards it, but Daniel reaches forward and grabs my hand. "What the hell?" I pull back from him. "We're taking my car." He nods to the other direc on. The sight of his car almost knocks the breath out of me. "Of course you have a Lamborghini," I note, "You're the son of a mul millionaire. Of course." "Yeah, so you should be honoured I'm invi ng you to take a ride in this beauty," His eyes roam over the cockpit of the car. "I'll pass on your offer." I purse my lips. As much as I want that car to rock my world, the last thing I want to do is to be si ng next to Daniel Kerrington for god knows how long. "What?" He cocks his eyebrow in confusion. "Did you not hear me? I'm not taking your car." My voice echoes through the en re parking lot. I take out my keys from my bag. "I'll drive there by myself." Daniel knits his eyebrows. "You don't even know where the place is." "I'll figure it out!" I shoot back. "Damn, you are the most stubborn woman I've ever met," he mu ers, loud enough for me to hear. "I can believe I'm going to be stuck with you for the next three years of my life." "Well, deal with it, Kerrington." I lt my head sideways. "Just text me the address to the penthouse, and I'll be there."

"Just fucking take my car, Alex." His eyes challenge me. "No thank you." "Alex!" "Why the hell do you insist on carpooling?" I fire back. "Look, if we carpool, it saves fuel, alright?" He says, as-a-ma er-of-factly. This is hilarious. "Daniel Kerrington, giving a damn about Mother Earth? Now that's unheard of." His face crinkles. "Just because I'm an asshole to girls doesn't necessarily mean I'm an asshole to the environment." That has got to be the weirdest thing that has ever come out of his mouth. And trust me, he has said some weird ass things. "Just get in the fucking car, Alex," he repeats again. "I know you don't want to have to put up with me during this car ride, and trust me, I don't want to have to put up with you either. But it's easier this way and it saves a lot of me." "And fuel." I add, just to make sure he didn't forget that. "And fuel." He nods. "But.. What about my car?" I gaze at my baby. "Give me your keys. I'll get someone to fetch it later." He s cks out his hand. "Are you for real right now?" I eye his hand. "I'm not going to let someone touch my baby."

He snickers. "Your what?" Oh jeez. I'm never going to live that one down. "My car." I correct him. "Nobody's touching my car but me." "Fine! I'll drive you tomorrow morning to campus, and you can get your baby." "Fine." "Fine!" "Fine." I li my hands up in surrender. "I'll get in your stupid car." We arrive at the penthouse in about half an hour. I'm secretly glad it isn't that far off from campus. We take the elevator up to the 5th floor of the second building, and we stop at the second door. Daniel produces the house keys and hands me one. When he opens the door, my breath catches. The penthouse is beau ful. It boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, which are hung with drama c ice-blue silk curtains. The floors are a rich, dark, hardwood, with Persian rugs adorning them, and the walls are a white taupe. In the living room, the large brown leather sofa compliments with the two matching leather club chairs that are angled next to the huge fireplace. It's like the ul mate book lover's dream to be reading in this kind of atmosphere. Si ng on the leather sofa with a hardcover in my hand and a cup of steaming coffee in the other, humming so ly to the classical music escaping the sound system... Yeah that's the dream.

"You look a li le weird with that orgasm face you have going on right now." Daniel smirks as he sets the keys down. My face falls. "Way to ruin the mood, Kerrington." "So I'm guessing you like the place?" he asks. If I seem too overeager, he might tease me about it. So I just shrug. "It's alright." "Bullshit, you love it." Whatever. He places his hands over his hips and stare at the space. "I'm surprised that it looks this good, considering the fact that dad had it bought and furnished only two days ago." Whoa. Cara has serious compe on to deal with if she wants to maintain her tle of 'ul mate apartment decorator.' "Our things will be arriving soon." He glances at his Rolex on his wrist briefly. "Right about now, actually." The door immediately bursts open and the movers start pouring in with boxes. "Nice." Daniel murmurs before he's lost in the sea of people. So Day One of Living with The Asshole That Is Daniel Kerrington has officially begun.

13. Twelve - "Rules." I want to live here forever. If Daniel ever hears me say that out loud, I'll never hear the end of it. Waking up the next morning in my room, I feel a giddy sensa on blanket me. My eyes scan over my surroundings as if I can't get enough of them. My new room is extremely spacious, painted in lavender. It's creepy how Mr. Kerrington knows what my favourite colour is, but I figure at this point, I don't really care. The furnishings are so yet firm, a small vintage couch is situated next to the tall window draped with beau ful velvet curtains. Five white bookshelves have been installed to the wall opposite from my huge four poster bed so I can admire all my books and li le ornaments I plan to place on them. Next to it is a dressing table coiled with mini decora ve lights. I have already lined all my lips cks and hair bands on the li le compartments that go along with the table. A huge crystal chandelier hangs from above the ceiling, cas ng a warm glow to the en re place, along with the mild scent of jasmine that fills the air. Hallelujah. Laying on the so sa n sheets of the bed, I watch as light pour through the window, signalling a new day. Sighing against the pillows, I wrap myself in the daydream that is my new bedroom. This place looks much be er than my ny room back at Cara's apartment. My face immediately falls. Cara.

She's s ll mad at me for ditching her. How can I ever forget? I s ll remember how hurt she looked when she found out I was moving out yesterday. Suddenly the daydream that is my bedroom doesn't really feel like a daydream anymore. I should probably apologise. It will be best for the both of us if we can put all this behind us. Huh. I realise I've been doing a hell lot of apologising these few days. With trembling fingers, I pick up my phone and dial her number. I have a feeling she won't pick up. She rarely picks up her phone in the mornings. It's a weird habit of hers. "What?" Cara answers the phone a er the second ring. "Um..." My voice trails off. Okay, I am so not prepared for this conversa on. Cara's pissed at me, and I don't want to mess with her when she's angry. One wrong move, and I'm dead. "Well... I didn't expect you to pick up the phone at all." "Do you want me to hang up so you can talk to the answering machine instead?" Her bored tone seeps over the phone. "No!" I say that with more edge than usual. "I mean, no, but you know what I mean." Then, a pause. "What do you want, Alex?" She murmurs, her ghtness slowly fading away. "I called to apologise," I purse my lips as I sit at the edge of my already made bed. Talking to Cara has never been this hard before "I um.. just want to say I'm sorry. I didn't know I was supposed to move out un l yesterday. I'm sorry that I needed to leave you."

Silence. "I didn't have a choice, Cara," I add on, "I signed the contract. I have to follow the terms. And so I have to move in with Daniel." I don't know how she'll respond. If she's angry at me, let her be. I guess I deserve to be yelled at. "I don't understand you Alex. I get that you have to do it, and I get that it wasn't your fault.." But then she con nues on. "I mean technically it is a li le bit because you signed the stupid contract which un l now, I s ll don't get why you did it-" "I told you I did it for my parents." "Yeah you did. The parents who had betrayed your trust and didn't give a shit about you unless they needed you." I close my eyes. I can't believe she pulled that card on me. "That's not fair, Cara." "I'm sorry, you're right," she makes a frustrated sound. "I'm just... pissed and a li le bit hurt. That's all. I thought we would be living together for the next four years. We've been talking about it since high school. And now.. Everything has changed. And I don't like it." "Me too." I run my fingers through my hair. "I mean how was I supposed to know that my parents' company would be broke and that the only way to save it is to get engaged to their arch nemesis's son?" "Well if you put it that way.." A small smile appears on my face. "I don't want a small thing like this to put a wedge between us. You're my best friend, Cara. Always have." "And always will be." I can hear her smile through the phone.

I start to get up from the bed. I really need to get some breakfast. My stomach is already growling. "You're right. I'm being dumb." She says a er a while. "I guess we'll s ll see each around on campus and I'll try to visit you in your new apartment.." "Penthouse." "What? You're living in a penthouse?" Her shocked voice almost pierces my ears. "Um. Yeah." "Damn. Kerrington spared no expense on this engagement." "True." I laugh. "Even though it's a fake one." The next couple of minutes are spent catching up. Cara tells me what happened a er our li le disagreement yesterday. She went to get some Starbucks (of course) to let off some steam and met this cute barista guy who gave her his phone number. They're going on a date together next week. She says that when the me comes, I'll get to meet him. I tell her what went down with Nate and Daniel. She knows that Nate doesn't know shit about how the engagement is just a sham, and she promises to keep her mouth shut about it if she ever converses with Nate. "So what's going to happen with you and Nate now?" She asks. "I don't think there's going to be a 'Nate and I' anymore." I frown. "Damn it. I was really roo ng for you guys. He seemed like a nice guy." "Yeah. Totally date-worthy material." I sigh. "Too bad I'm engaged." "Fake engaged. Maybe there's a li le bit of hope for him."

"Hah." I bat my eyelashes as I walk towards my door. "Not going to happen. The contract restricts me from having any other rela onships that the one I have with Daniel." "Boo." I can picture Cara totally making a face right now. "So does that mean you can't have any hanky panky business with other guys other than Daniel?" "Yeah. It sucks." "So... You going to hook up with Daniel?" I stop at my tracks. I can't believe Cara said that. "Are you nuts? He's a psychopath!" "A hot psychopath." Cara corrects me. "Don't tell me you haven't no ced. I hate to admit it, but he's very good looking." "Don't let him hear you say that. His ego is big enough. He doesn't need you to tell him he's good looking. He knows he's good looking." "S ll.." Cara smiles through the phone. "No. No freaking way. Haven't I told you this already? Daniel sleeps around. A lot. I bet he has banged his way through every girl on campus." I say fiercely. "Yeah Daniel and I? So not going to happen." "Aw come on. Maybe he's changed. A er all, it has been two months since the whole fiasco at Basil Kitchen." Cara pouts. "And plus you just moved in with him yesterday. He can't be that bad right?" I open the door to my room and step out of the living room. "Well..." My voice trails off. "See maybe he isn't that bad a er all."

I open my mouth to reply but the words get caught in my throat. My jaw drops when I see who is standing in the living room. A girl. Not just any girl. A naked girl. She's at our kitchen, her bare ass on the marble top as she pours herself some juice from the carton taken out from our refrigerator. Her freakishly long legs dangle in front of her and her boobs bounce a li le when she shi s slightly to angle her body from me. My anger boils. "I'm going to have to call you back, Cara." I seethe. "There is someone I really need to kill right now." "Um okay?" She says, puzzled. "Bye, Alex." "Bye." And I hang up. Then I walk towards the naked girl. "Who the hell are you?" I yell. The girl almost jumps out of her skin when she hears my voice. Her eyes widen when she sees me. "Oh boy." She mu ers to herself and immediately a empts to cover up her lady parts with her hands. Her en re face turns red. "You're not the girlfriend are you?" "I'm the fianc�." I grit my teeth. "Why the hell are you naked in my kitchen?" "Ah shit," she gets off the marble top and scramble to fetch her blouse that dangles on the doorknob of Daniel's room, "I'm in deep trouble now am I?

I swear we didn't do much last night- okay maybe we did but I wasn't enjoying it! Okay maybe I was but-" I point to the door. "Get. Out." "Okay," She quickly grabs the rest of her things and heads out the door. I'm soooo going to bust Daniel's balls right now. Trudging to his room, I throw open the door. Daniel is s ll in bed, his eyes closed, and his hands splayed over the pillows. My jaw almost drops. He's naked too. Only his lower body is tangled up in sheets. My gaze travels to his upper half, lingering on his stomach. Oh Lordy lord. His stomach is so perfect, I'm pre y sure I'm imagining things. It's as if he had glued on paint rollers under his skin. No doubt he has worked hard to get his body. Suddenly I picture him doing rigorous push ups and sit ups only in his pants, sweat glistening his arms and his chest... I seriously need to get laid. I li my gaze suddenly to his face. His lips are moving slowly and only a second a er did I realize he had said something to me. "What?" I blink a few mes. "I said, do you like what you see?" Daniel's sexy smirk appears on his face. This guy really needs to tone down his ego a notch or a hundred. He hoists himself up in a si ng posi on. His eyes meet mine and I almost want to look away. But I don't. I hold his gaze. "That's not the point, Daniel." I stand my ground. "I am shit angry at you right now because this morning my eyes prac cally burned from looking at a naked ass girl you probably had sex with!"

"I did." Daniel says. My eyebrows li . "I did have sex with her." Oh my god. I cross my arms in disbelief "You aren't even going to try to explain yourself?" "You should have known I was going to bring a girl over. I always do that. I didn't realize you would be surprised about it," He says like its no big deal. "I should have known?" I laugh at this. "Oh I should have known that the first thing I was going to see this morning is some girl's boobs!" "In my defense, I didn't know she was going to prance around in our apartment naked." Daniel li s his hands up. "S ll! You shouldn't even have sex with her in the first place!" I almost yell. "Calm down, woman!" Daniel starts to get up, his sheet s ll covering his you-know-what. "Your voice is giving me a headache!" "Good!" I press my lips into a thin line. "You deserve it!" "I'm guessing it takes an apology for you to stop yelling at me so I'm just going to do that. So here it goes: I'm sorry." Daniel shoots at me. "I'm sorry I had a one-night stand without telling you. But I thought I made it clear that I had a girl over the moment I brought her into our apartment. We were pre y loud last night..." "Oh my god!" My hands fly up to my ears. "I so don't want to hear about this." He apologizes. "Perhaps I was a li le bit careless about the whole thing." "You think?" I arch my eyebrows. "I had to lie to Nate, the guy I really like, that I'm engaged and that there is no chance for me to ever get involved with him. I made my sacrifices, Daniel. It's not easy, but I made them. Perhaps you should too."

Daniel frowns. "Okay. Fine." He slowly wraps the sheet around his waist and stands up. "There's only one way to solve this. We have to have some rules if we want to avoid another situa on like this." "Rules?" My interest is piqued. He walks over to his closet and grabs a shirt and some pants. "But first could you..." He mo ons for me to turn around so he can change. My face turns hot red. I oblige. I hear the sheet wrapped around his waist drop to the floor with a thud and I blush even harder. Then, the sound of pants zipping fills my ears and I turn to face him again. "Okay. Rules." He says as he slips into a plain grey T-shirt. "So I have one rule: never barge into my room like just now again. Even though you only barged in just to check me out-" "Oh god." I groan. "-It's a total invasion of my privacy." He finishes. "Not that I don't find it fascina ng that you were checking me out, but perhaps do it in the kitchen or the living room or something." "So you plan on lounging around the penthouse half naked?" "Not half naked, sweetheart. Naked." He smirks. Someone save me. Please. "We'll discuss that.. issue later." I clear my throat, blushing like a mad woman. "Meanwhile, I got one rule. Don't bring any girls to our apartment. And don't fuck them at any other places too. I really don't want to have to explain to anyone if they find out my fianc� is a chea ng whore. It will make me look very bad."

"That's two rules you have there." He points out. "But I don't think I can stand by your second rule. You're prac cally asking me to stay abs nent for three years." "Yeah. Like I said, we all got to make our sacrifices." I smile smugly at him. "It will be very hard for me though. A very hard habit for me to break." I give him the look. "Then break it." "It's not that simple!" "No excuses, Kerrington. If I can't be with Nate, you can't be with other women." "Okay. Fine. I won't have sex with anyone." He walks over to the wall and leans against it. "You do realize that that rule applies for you too right? You can't have sex with anyone either." I has ly look away. "I don't think that's going to be a problem." "Well... I guess that's true." He purses his lips, "It's not like there's any guys knocking on our door to demand for your a en on." I reach over to the bed to take his pillow and throw it at him. "You're really mean, you know that?" "Hey I'm just being honest!" "You are unbearable." I walk out of his room, but he slowly trails behind me. "You are too, but you don't see me complaining." He shrugs. "We need more rules. If I want to survive the next three years with you, we need to make sure there aren't any lines to cross." "Right." He nods. "Sugges ons?"

I pause for a while to think. My mind dri s back to the conversa on I had with Cara this morning. "I got another rule. We can't get involved with each other." "That's fine by me." He grins. "No way in a million years will I ever think of you that way." "Same here." "So let's have a penalty should any of us breaks the rules we just made." Daniel slips his hands into his pockets. I think back to his most prized possession. Probably his Lamborghini. I fight the urge to snicker. "I got it." I snap my fingers. "Should you break any of the rules, I get to take your Lamborghini out for drives." He furrows his eyebrows. "Okay. That's perfectly fine by me." I smile. "You don't know how I drive, Kerrington. I've been told I'm very reckless when it comes to driving. When I take your car out, you will finally know pain." "No." He shakes his head. "Not my Lamborghini." "Oh yes." "It costs just as much as the penthouse!" He complains. "No way in hell are you going to touch my car." "Come on. You're being ridiculous. It will be fine." "No it will not!" "As long as you follow the rules, your car will be fine." I cross my arms and smirk. "Come on, Daniel. It will be fine, I promise."

A er a while, he nods but I can tell he isn't too happy about his penalty. Good. He ponders for a while before thinking of my penalty. "And your penalty will be.." His gaze flickers to my books that are in piles beside my room. He grins evilly. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Not my books. "If you break any of the rules, I get to have a li le fun with these." He walks over to them and his grin grows. "A book lover I see? Would be a shame if I.. creased your books." I gasp. "Stay away from them." I snarl. "As long as you follow the rules, then your books will be fine." He mimics me, flashing a grin at me. I hiss at him. "Good now we got that out of the way..." His hands dig into his pockets for a good minute before finding what he actually wants. He takes out the object and my heart pounds. An engagement ring. I can't breathe. He li s the ring and slowly examines it. "Seems like the right size for you. Here." And then he throws the ring at me.

What the actual fuck. My heart almost just died right there. Fortunately, I manage to catch it. My eyes widen when I have the ring in my hands. This is so not how I imagined my proposal to go. "You have to wear it." He says, ruffling his hair. "Like right now." "Why?" I say, almost breathless. "We're going to get interviewed in..." He glance at his watch. "..less than two hours. So get ready, Alex. Because a er today, the en re world will know that we're together." ______ A/N: remember to vote and comment! The next chapter is going to be exci ng so stay tuned!

14. Thirteen - "An Alternate Ending." I am now si ng on one of those cool chairs tv stars and film directors usually sit, wai ng pa ently as a girl does my hair and another does my makeup. I don't know why I'm here. Okay perhaps I know why I'm here but I don't know if I even want to be here. I feel so out of place. I watch silently as producers run back and forth on set, barking out orders to the backstage crew. I'm almost blinded by the huge stage lights flickering back and forth on stage and off. My eyes blink, and the girl who is doing my makeup curses. "Sorry," I mumble. My mascara is now smeared and she has to redo it. The other girl doing my hair casts me a sympathe c look as my makeup ar st lts my head up harshly and wipes the disaster that is my face away. It's been half an hour since Daniel had prac cally forced me to do this stupid interview. Don't get me wrong; I did put up a good fight as to why I didn't want to do it. I was never good in public speaking, and just the thought of some stranger asking me mul ple ques ons I probably don't have the answers to in front of mul ple cameras scares the crap out of me. And since we had arrived to the studio late, there is no me for a run through either so our interview has to be done unscripted. My heart pounds. A er my makeup and hair is done, my li le helpers guide me to the standing mirror not far away from the dressing table. I gasp slightly. I don't recognize the girl staring back at me. She looks just like me- the same cheekbones, lips, and eyes. The difference is that her pale cheeks are now pinched with colour, her eyes smouldering with the touch of eyeshadow, her lips brushed over with a hot red lips ck. Damn.

The girl staring back at me is hot. Her hair is pulled back into a slick ponytail, with loose strands of hair falling over the sides of her face. She wears a beau ful cocktail dress that brings out her curves, and tall gli ery heels to compliment her ou it. The gold one-piece necklace above her chest creates the finishing touch of her looklike a bow on top of a present. I can't believe the girl is actually me. I squint my eyes for a while as if I can't quite really process it. I'm hot now. Like Cara hot. Suddenly skipping classes just to do this interview doesn't seem so scandalous a er all if it meant me looking like this for the rest of the day. A small laugh escapes my lips. "Ah there you are," One of the backstage crew calls out of me. I think his name is Pascao. He flashes a smile at me as he saunters towards me, a earpiece slung over the side of his face to his lips and a clipboard at hand. "You are the soon to be Mrs. Kerrington, am I correct?" I almost forgot people expect me to be marrying Daniel. My face falls slightly, but I quickly replace it with a forced smile. "Um yes." "You look beau ful," He gushes. "Totally TV star worthy." "Um thanks?" "You're welcome, darling." He glances at his clipboard and ushers me to another place. "Show's about to air live in five minutes. You okay?" "Yes."

"You don't have to be nervous. Charlize will make you feel very comfortable on set, so don't worry." I gulp. My head nods. "Great," He says. Then, he turns around slowly and murmurs something in his earpiece. Facing me again, he con nues on. "So Mr. Kerrington will be entering first. Charlize will be asking him some ques ons. A er a while, she will say "Let's have a look at your new fianc�!" That's where you come on. I'll give you the signal and then you will enter to join your beau." My beau. I almost snort. "Ah. There he is." Pascao gushes when Daniel materializes. My jaw almost drops. Daniel looks as if he'd just stepped out of every girl's dream. His blonde hair is slicked back, making him look very dashing and handsome. He wears a grey suit, fi ed perfectly like it was made just for him. Silver cufflinks show underneath his sleeves. My gaze falls to his pants, then to his expensive looking Italian shoes. I almost forget how to breathe. His head li s and his eyes find mine. He takes a moment to thoroughly scan me too. His gaze travels from my face to my chest, then lower body, then to my feet. His eyes harden, and I can't tell if he actually likes how I look. I don't even want to know. Or maybe I do. Yes I do. Just a li le bit. "You two are just the cutest," Pascao grins. Then, he leans to me and whispers. "I believe from the way he's looking at you, he is indeed a man in love." Pascao has no idea how far he is from the actual truth.

Maybe a man in hate, if that even makes sense. I tear my gaze away from Daniel's and force myself to look somewhere else. I hear someone- maybe Pascao- say that it's show me so I look at the li le screen in front of me instead. The huge words 'The Charlize Matson Show' shoots out on screen, then it cuts to the actual Charlize Matson si ng comfortably in her chair, her legs crossed, with a huge smile on her face. Her blonde hair cascades past her shoulders in waves, and there is a slight flush in her cheeks when she starts to speak. "Welcome! Welcome!" She says, and the audience applauds. She waits for the clapping to se le down before her mouth opens again. "I'm Charlize, and this is the Charlize Matson Show!" Apparently the Charlize Matson Show is some local television talk show that has gone big this year. Some people say she's the next Ellen or something. I don't exactly know- I am never into that sort of thing. "Alright! Let's start, shall we?" Her smile is huge. "So today we have on set someone who is very special. He is the son of the wealthy entrepreneur Harry Kerrington from Kerrington and Co. And if that doesn't already make him news worthy, he has also been catching the eye of many... many women from all over America." When she says the last sentence, the women in the audience scream and whistle. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage, Daniel Kerrington!" The audience goes crazy. I see Daniel sauntering in, all the cameras poin ng at him. He casts everyone a sexy grin and waves to the audience. Even I can hear the countless wolf whistles and 'marry me, Daniel!'s without the help of the speakers backstage.

Daniel finally places himself on the seat opposite from Charlize. "Nice of you to drop by the studio, Mr. Kerrington." Charlize addresses him. "Please, call me Daniel." He smiles. "Mr. Kerrington is my father." "Apologies," She returns the smile, then pauses for a while. "Speaking of your father, how is he doing? I can s ll remember his last appearance on my show like it was just yesterday." "He's... doing okay." Daniel hesitates a li le bit. I can tell he doesn't like talking about his father much. "He's really busy these days, I'm sad to say." "Well, he always said me is money." She smirks. "Anyway, how are you? S ll going a er the ladies, huh? I've been told you have been with many different women. I don't think I can even keep up!" Daniel doesn't even blush. He merely laughs. It's an easy going one, a laugh that I had never heard before. "Ah, well. That is all in the past now." Charlize seems confused as to what he had just said. "I'm sorry, I don't quite follow you. In the past? Are you saying something has happened?" "Actually not something. Someone." He corrects her. His comment earns him some 'oooooh's from the audience. "I'm liking the sound of this," Charlize leans back against her chair and crosses her arms. "So, you currently have a special someone in your life?" "Yes. She's.... amazing." I shake my head and laugh quietly. The audience has no idea he's fooling them with his lies. "I think we need to know much more than that!" Charlize cha ers excitedly. "Tell us, who is she?"

She knows who I am. She saw me before I was ge ng my makeup done. She also knows Daniel and I are engaged. My guess is that she's faking her reac ons for the cameras. "Well...' Daniel's voice trails off. "Her name is Alexandria. She's a college freshman, just like me. She's truly wonderful. I have never met anyone quite like her. She's funny, smart... and absolutely stunning." He stares away with dreamy eyes, as if he's thinking about me. Everyone watches him in awe. I want to puke. "My... my, she must truly be extraordinary if she had managed to grasp your a en on for longer than a night." Charlize smirks at Daniel. "Charlize, Alex changed me for the be er, " He chuckles. "And I'm forever in her debt." Awwwwww, the audience gushes. Charlize and Daniel exchange light conversa on about me for the next few minutes. He tells her that he is in a commi ed rela onship with me and he couldn't be happier. She then jokes about how he should put a ring on my finger before its too late. "Actually..." His voice trails off, hin ng mischief. "I already have." Gasp! "Oh my god!" Even Charlize seems surprised. "Well then, I think everyone here really wants to see the her! I heard she is on set right now! I'll tell my crew to bring her right up. Let's take a look at your new fianc�!" Oh snap. That's my cue. Pascao yells for me to get in stage. I take a deep breath and walk to Charlize. The lights blind me as I walk on the pla orm that is the set. The

excited screams from the audience almost bursts my eardrums, and I fight the urge to press my hands over my ears. Every single camera is trained on me. I force a huge smile on my face as I walk over to Daniel. He invites me with open arms. I fall into his embrace and the crowd goes berserk. I think someone is screaming for us to kiss, and when I gaze into Daniel's eyes, I seriously think he's going to do it. He's already staring at my lips, and my heart is about to leap out of my throat. Oh hell no. Thankfully, he doesn't. Instead, he presses a light kiss unto my le cheek. Regardless, I blush like mad. Daniel... just... kissed... me... on... the... cheek... what...? I numbly take my place next to him. It takes a while for the audience to se le down. When it finally does, Charlize is facing me. "So this is the girl that has casted a spell over the infamous Daniel Kerrington." She laughs. "I'm impressed." She says as she takes a good look at me. A nervous laugh bubbles from my throat. "Alexandria, right?" I nod when she says my name. "Call me Alex." "So, Alex," she purses her lips, "what's it like to be engaged to Daniel?" It's been hell. "It's like a dream come true." I gaze adoringly at him. "I truly envy you." Charlize says. "You two do look perfect together."

It is Daniel who replies. "Thank you, Charlize." "Tell me, how did this..." She gestures to the two of us. "Happen?" "Sorry?" I manage to say. "How did the two of you meet?" She smiles. The crowd cheers in unison. "I think everyone wants to know." My gaze flickers to Daniel in panic. We have never gone through this at all. The story of how we met. Oh my god, how are we going to answer this? "Alex is a good storyteller." Daniel chimes in. "She would love to tell you the story." He's pushing the problem to me! Oh hell no. He's not ge ng out of this. My eyes narrow at him, silently shoo ng daggers at him. "No no, I think Daniel should tell the story." "Sweetheart, you're be er at this than me. You should tell it." "No you should." "No, you." This is going nowhere. Even Charlize seems irritated. "Baby," I take his hand out of ins nct and kiss it. My lips s ng, "You tell it. I always love it when you tell it." Charlize widens her eyes out of interest. "Yes, Daniel. Why don't you us how you met Alex?" The crowd cheers.

Daniel gulps nervously. Hah. Gotcha. "Well... um..." He shi s slightly. "It's a long story." Charlize waves him off. "We have all the me in the world, Daniel. No pressure." I have no idea how he's going to get out of this one. I'm excited to see him try. "Um..." He looks down. "So.. uh... we met at a restaurant." I li my eyebrows. "Yes. We did." Where is he going with this? "It was in Basil Kitchen, three months ago." He adds on, "I love to visit the restaurant during the weekends. Li le did I know she was working as a waitress there, in her li le uniform with that red apron of hers." I feel as if all the air has been sucked out of my lungs. Is he saying what I think he's saying? Is he telling our hate story? "As you know, I love- loved women." He leans forward and presses his hands on his lap. "I some mes bring them over to the restaurant, you know, to.. woo them and what not. I take them out for dinner, we chat, we drink wine... and the rest is history." The audience laughs. I don't. "I no ced Alex the first me I entered with another woman in my arms." He runs his fingers through his hair. "I s ll remember how she looked. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, just like how it is now. Her eyes were so

and kind. She was so beau ful, like an angel in disguise. I was hooked then. Since that night, I watched in u er fascina on- the way she walked, the way her corners of her lips would curve into a smile whenever she cha ed to her customers. She was... good hearted. A good person. And I know I didn't deserve her." What. The. Hell. This is a whole load of bullshit. But somehow, I believed him. Could it be... true? What he's saying right now?" "I con nued my flings with different women- trying to ignore the fact that Alex had crawled her way into my heart without herself even knowing it. She con nued to take my orders and serve my food, and I knew she was irritated with the countless women I bring into the restaurant. I just didn't know how irritated she was because of it." "So without my knowledge, she had begun her one woman mission hell bent on 'doing good.' She secretly sabotaged all the dates that I bring into the restaurant." That earned several shocked gasps from the audience, even from Charlize. Daniel chuckles lowly. "You can say I was a bit confused as to why my dates were constantly kicking me in the balls and slapping me in the face." Daniel chuckles slowly. I almost choke. "A er some me, I eventually found out that she was behind all of that. The girl with a good heart and a pre y smile. The girl who was good. Turns out.. she wasn't so good a er all." He glances at me. "I was furious. That got her furious. We ba led it out in the restaurant like nobody's business. It was the worst fight with a woman I've ever had and trust me, I've upset quite a few in my en re life."

I open my mouth, but no words escape. I don't even know what to say because I s ll don't know where Daniel's going with this. I'm now afraid to find out. "A er that horrible night," Daniel con nues, "I.. decided I was going to apologize to her the next week when I saw her again. I found her again and I begged her to forgive me. She was stubborn, of course. She told me not to bother. But I wouldn't go away. I needed to set things right. A er a while, I think she realized that I was truly sorry. Then, she apologized too. We talked for a long me, and... I finally had the balls to ask her out." He smiles at me. "She said yes." I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Daniel is a shit good liar. I can't believe he just made that up. An alternate ending. To our horrible encounter. "And here we are now." "Here we are now." I croak out. "That's... beau ful." Charlize is tearing up. Really? I almost snort at this. "Absolutely beau ful. You guys are truly... meant for each other." The audience cheer loudly. "I think you guys are my favourite couple ever!" She wriggles her nose. Then, she turns to the camera and her lip curls. "So I guess that's all for today, folks! It has been a pleasure mee ng Daniel and Alex, and I think we'll be hearing more about their engagement in the later months! I'm Charlize Matson, and I'll see you next week. Bye!" ______

Thanks for reading! :) just a li le reminder that Charlize Matson and her show is purely fic onal, in case y'all are wondering. I also want to answer some certain ques ons that I think you guys might have been wondering about yourselves: Is Daniel Kerrington a celebrity? Yes and no. He is famous- perhaps only in Boston and other certain areas. His good looks and his name cause him to be on magazines and ar cles every now and then. And he gets followed by paparazzi every once in a while to check up on what he's doing. If Alex's parents and Daniel's dad are basically in the same line of business, why isn't Alex just as famous as Daniel? There are two reasons for this: one of them is because Woods and Co is not as popular as Kerrington Enterprises. Kerrington Enterprises is known everywhere- whereas Woods and Co is not. But Woods and Co is close. Just not quite exactly on the same level as Kerrington Enterprises yet. Now it stoops even lower because of the whole bankruptcy thing. Another reason for this is because Alex isn't very news worthy. She's just an ordinary girl trying to live a normal life- going to college and hanging out with her friends. Quite boring if you ask me. But that's all about to change in the next chapter ;) That's it! If you guys have any ques ons please don't be afraid to ask me! And I welcome feedback!

15. Fourteen -"An Engagement Sham." The next morning, my phone goes crazy every few seconds with tons of messages from distant friends and rela ves. You're engaged to a Kerrington? So lucky, Alex! OMFG Snagged yourself a fiance and you didn't say anything? Call me ASAP. Why didn't you tell me that you're ge ng married? Congratula ons, Alex! Wedding bells in the air! Pls let me be ur bridesmaid! Need to see you and your gorg fianc�! You sneaky li le bitch! Engaged to the ho est bachelor ever? Aaaaaand there's about 19846712503 more messages like that. I take another sip of my cup of coffee and sigh as I turned my phone off. Ever since yesterday, the news of Daniel and my engagement has hit everywhere. I didn't even know news can spread so far so fast. I've checked all over Facebook, Twi er and Instagram. Apparently the recent a en on I've been receiving got me five thousand more followers and a LOT of hate mail from angry thirteen-year-old girls. So I guess I'm liked and hated by almost everyone in America. Regardless, they all know about me. Being engaged to Daniel Kerrington sucks donkey ass. Daniel slaps three magazines on the coffee table and I almost jump. He smirks at me. "So we're famous now."

I glare at him and take a look at the magazines. We're on the front pages of tabloids, and smacked all over featured ar cles. They use the photos of us when we were on the Charlize Matson show- the most used photo is a picture of me kissing Daniel's hand and him gazing adoringly at me. The photo actually looks legit, like we're actually in love and happy to be engaged. That photo is a lie. But the media doesn't know that. And hopefully, they won't ever find out. "So they bought it," I say as I flip through the magazines. "They bought into our engagement." "Of course they did," Daniel rolls his eyes as he takes his seat opposite from me. "I was such an amazing actor on the show." I want to tell him that he's so full of shit, but even I know that that's not true. He was a good actor. He fed Charlize and the audience great lies about our love life that even even had me fooled for a moment there. "So is your dad pleased with our... charade?" I ask. He shrugs. "He called me this morning. Said that we put on a good performance." Daniel takes a bite out of the pancakes that he had just made. "But..." I groan. "There's always a 'but' when it comes to him." "There are some that don't believe us." He points out as he takes out a few more magazines. This me I realize they're tabloids. God, I always hate these. "Just take a look for yourself." I cast him a wary glance before examining the tabloids. One of the headlines read 'Daniel and Alex: An Engagement Sham.' I gulp nervously. "They can do this?" I ques on Daniel.

"Tabloids can do whatever they want. It's the people that choose to believe them or not." I take a closer look at the ar cle. By Edgar Sherman Don't deny it. We almost teared up when the mul millionaire's son, Daniel Kerrington told the story of how he met his one-true-love, Alexandria Woods in the restaurant that is Basil Kitchen. We don't exactly need a recap on that. But how true is their love anyway? In the past few months, Daniel has indeed been spo ed with many different women, especially during the summer before he was shipped off to college. Many know that Alexandria had not been in the picture then. Both Daniel and Alex were never seen out together, even some friends of his can vouch for that. Either the both of them have been really discreet about their rela onship, or they're lying. But why would they lie about their great love affair? Why does their engagement seemed a li le bit rushed? If Alex and Daniel had indeed started da ng during the summer, it would mean they were together for less than three months before he popped the ques on. Seems very suspicious. Personally, I don't buy it. I don't think they're love is as true as what they say it is. There is something fishy there, and it won't be soon before it comes blowing up on their faces. "Oh god," I close the magazine. "This dude, Edgar Sherman-" "Just got fired by his company." Daniel leans back and crosses his huge arms over his chest. "Of course, it is all thanks to my beloved father." I take a look at the ar cle again. If there were more people like this that think that our engagement is fake, it is me to step up our game. "We have to try harder, then." I say finally. "We have to make them believe that this engagement is not a sham, and that we're really in love."

"Just hearing you say 'love' makes me want to puke out my breakfast," Daniel shakes his head. "Come on. We have to do this," I insist. "I don't want your father to get shit pissed at our performance and then having him withdraw his loans to my parents' company. Everything is riding on us, you know that right?" "Fine," His voice sounds gruffer, deeper. "Maybe we have to do a li le PDA." "PDA?" I li an eyebrow. "You know, public display of affec on?" He says, "Maybe we can... hold hands or something." Holding hands? Dear god. "That's weird." I murmur. "You said we have to step up our game, right? Then we have to do this." Daniel smirks. "It will be fun seeing you squirm under the slightest of my touch." I am totally regre ng this decision a lot right now. I take a deep breath. "Okay. Holding hands. What else?" "Hugging?" "Fine. But no longer than five seconds." "You're really funny, sweetheart." Daniel drawls. "How about kissing? That would totally make a statement." "Nope. No kissing. No way." "Come on, Alex. It will be fun." He grins. "I've been told I'm a great kisser. These lips..." He gestured to his, "Are very talented."

My cheeks turn pink. "Absolutely not." "Kiss on the lips. No longer than three seconds." "No kiss. At all." "Two seconds, then." "Kiss on the cheek. Three seconds." "Fine." He says. "Fine." "Alright lets do this." He cracks his knuckles and grabs his backpack slung over his chair. I withdraw back. "What? now?" "Let's do it. On campus today. Everyone will be watching us for sure." He notes. My face falls. "You scared, sweetheart?" He teases. "You were the one who suggested doing this in the first place." He's right, I did. So I can't be a pussy. "I'm fine," I hide my emo ons, "Let's go do this." Today is going to be a loooong day. ***** As I said earlier, being engaged to Daniel Kerrington sucks donkey ass. That much is true.

Just as Daniel had predicted, when we had arrived on campus, everyone's eyes are glued to us. Their eyes follow us as we walk from the car to the hallways. Some whisper amongst each other. I catch a few words like 'engaged' and 'too young' and 'fake'. Daniel is totally fine with it though. In fact, I think he is enjoying the a en on that is directed at him, regardless of it being posi ve or nega ve. Me, on the other hand... not so much. Most of the people staring at us do no harm. They just watch silently as we walk to class. I think their a en on is more focused on the huge rock on my finger. Daniel hand brushes against mine. I close my eyes. "That disgusted by my touch?" Daniel laughs quietly as we pass by a random group of girls glaring at me. "Shut up." I growl. Daniel chuckles as he slides his hand in mine. Our fingers weave together, and I suck in a deep breath. "See? Not as bad as you think right?" He smirks. He's right. There's something calming about his touch, how it hums through my en re body. I feel be er now about having the a en on on me. For once, Daniel has done something good. I'm so not going to admit that to him. "I don't like them staring at me." I say instead. "Sweetheart, from this day forward, they're always going to stare at you. So I suggest you get used to it." "Easy for you to say. You love the a en on." I snap back.

"It's nice. Makes me think that I'm very desirable." He says. One day, I'm going to rip his huge ego into shreds. I fold my arms over my chest and con nue to walk. But before we enter class, Daniel stops at his tracks. "Why are we stopping?" I ask him. He doesn't answer. Instead he pulls me to him and now we're mere inches apart. His move his so sudden I gasp. Our faces are lined together, the both of us breathing hardly. I don't know what he's about to do. One of his hands li s up to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. There is no air le in my body. "Easy, sweetheart. You look like you've seen a ghost." He murmurs. "I only want to do this." Then, he lts his head slightly to press a kiss on my cheek, close to my lips. "There." He says a er he pulls away from me. There. There are no words to what he had just done. The shadow of his kiss s ll lingers on my skin, sparking my en re body. He smiles at me before he takes my hand again and drags me back into class. I wonder why he had just kissed me like that. There isn't much of a crowd to see his latest display of affec on towards me. I have the sudden urge to look over my shoulder. Taking a sneak glance behind me, I now figured out why. Nate stands by the sidelines, his hair tousled and his face hard. This is the first me since our last encounter that I have seen him. His eyes lock with mine and I feel the intensity of his gaze down to my bones. "Nate." I breathe his name.

He looks down and shakes his head. I want to run over to him and throw my arms over him. I want to tell him that I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry and I s ll want to be friends please I want that so much But I don't say what I want to say to him. Because I know he's hur ng inside and I know I'm the cause of his pain. I will hurt him even more. So I just watch him as he walks away from me.

16. Fi een - "You. Are. Mine." "You son of a bitch," I hiss at Daniel when we get back to the penthouse. He closes the door behind him with a huge sigh. "Great. What have I done now to call forth your wrath on me?" "You know." I sneer at him. He crosses his arms and faces me. "No actually I don't." "You... You... kissed me on the cheek!" He throws up his hands in an exaggerated manner. "So scandalous!" My face is red. "Daniel, you kissed me just to prove a point to Nate. I saw him a er you did it. He was absolutely wrecked." "I have no idea what you're talking about." He throws his bag unto the floor and jumps on the couch. "Bullshit," I spit. "You did it just to spite him. I can't believe you would do that. Isn't he your friend?" "Not really." "Not really?" I say, almost baffled. I always assumed that Nate and Daniel were friends because of the whole sharing an apartment thing. "Well, we never actually got along very much," He explains as he shuffles through the channels on the television with his remote. I heave a sigh and sit on one of the club chairs opposite from him. "He never agreed with my... ways of sexing up to women." I snort. "I'm pre y sure that's a legit reason for someone not to like you, Daniel."

"First off, everyone loves me. Especially the ladies," He se les on some cooking channel and the both of us watch as Jamie Oliver cooks up some meat loaf. "Secondly, Nate and I... we just don't like each other okay? There's no way to explain it. The only reason why we manage to put up with each other is because of Simon." "Simon?" I echo. Then I realize that Daniel and Nate's other roommate. Well, ex-roommate. "Yeah. Red head. Hazel eyes. Gamer dude. Doesn't like to talk much. Super an -social when it comes to mee ng new people." Daniel tells me. "It took me a lot of balls to pluck up the courage to even talk to him when we first met. He's a super nice and cool person. We got along pre y well. Nate and him too. So yeah, Simon's like the glue to keeps the three of us together." Okay. So another men on of this mysterious guy Simon I have never met before. If he's Daniel's best friend, he must be running along the same lines of crazy as him. "So.. without him... Nate and I? Probably not a good combina on ever." "Okay. That is so not the point I'm trying to make here. That s ll doesn't jus fy what you did to him today," I shake my head. "I like Nate, okay? He's a nice guy. You can't do that to him, regardless of whether you hate him or not." "God, Alex." He throws the remote on the couch and turns his a en on to me now. "You don't get it do you? I have a perfectly good reason to why I did what I did. Nate's s ll pining over you. He can't get over you, and I need to make it very clear that you. Are. Mine." That sounds kind of roman c. "So yeah, I kissed you to prove a point." His shoulders li . "So he can stop believing that there's even the slightest of chance that you will fall for him. He needs to stay the hell away from you, and from us. If he's too stubborn

to realize that you are taken, then he's going to be a complica on for the both of us." "He won't be." I breathe. "I'll.. make sure of it." "Good." He says. "So... I can't even be friends with him?" I ask. "Only if your friendship with him is purely platonic." He sighs. "And even if you guys are just friends, please don't bring him over to our place. I really don't want to see his puppy dog eyed face following you everywhere you go. It's annoying, you know?" "Now you know how I feel when you have girls over." He glares at me. "Jesus, Alex. Let it go, will you? It was just that one me! And I told you I won't do it again." "Fine. Fine. I'm sorry." I li my hands up in surrender. "I won't bring him over, I promise." "Let's add that to our lists of rules, shall we?" His eyebrows li . "I think we're going to have to write down all of our rules, otherwise I won't be able to keep up." I groan. "Good idea. Hand me a piece of paper and a pen, woman!" "I'm not some slave you can order around, Daniel. Go fucking get it yourself." I roll my eyes. "Well aren't you a ball of sunshine today." He teases. It takes a while for Daniel to find what he needs. He ruffles through his books for a spare piece of paper and rummages through his pencil box for a ballpoint pen.

"There we go," He places the paper on the coffee table and starts to write down all our previous rules we have made yesterday. "Number one, no naked girls in the apartment-" "Or anywhere else." I add for him. He grits his teeth and write that down with much hesita on. "No barging into each other's rooms." He writes down below the first rule. "No ge ng involved with each other." I chime in. "No bringing Nate over to the apartment." He grins. "Really? That specific? So I can bring other guys but him to the apartment?" "No." He narrows his eyes at me. "That would break the next rule: no ge ng involved with other people." Dammit. When he finishes jo ng down all the rules, he counts all of them. "So we have five rules altogether. We can add more rules later on if we need to, but no abusing that power okay?" "Fine by me." He takes up the piece of paper and tapes it to our front door. "There." "Kind of looks weird with it over at our door. What if people see it?" Concern pinches my face. "Maybe they'll think we're adorable for pu ng rules on our rela onship." He smiles. "No, they'll find it creepy." I correct him. "Just put it on our refrigerator."

"Fine." He takes it down and pastes it on the door of our fridge. "Speaking of rules we have to follow, my dad has a proposi on for us." "What kind of proposi on?" My interest is piqued. "He says that we should have an engagement party." Papa Kerrington say whaaat? I'm confused. "Wait, I thought that the whole point of having an engagement party is to announce that we're engaged. We have already done that on the Charlize Matson show. So why do we need to have a party?" "I don't know," His shoulders li . "I guess it's to show that we're happy in love or something. And to show that we care enough about our family and rela ves to tell them the good news personally?" "Right." I purse my lips. "When is it?" It takes a while for Daniel to answer. "This Saturday." "What?" I shriek. "That's less than a week away!" "Yeah. So we be er get planning." He casts me one of his stupid smirks. "It's going to be at our place, by the way." "So I say we divide the tasks among each other." He adds on. "Which one do you want to do? Get a DJ to spin at our party? Or do the flower arrangements?" ****** Cara and I are si ng at Starbucks as I tell her my recent conversa on with Daniel.

It feels good to be on the same page as Cara again. A er our disagreement, I'm glad we s ll get to do the li le things we o en do. Namely catching up with drinks at the nearest Starbucks. "An engagement party?" She smiles. "That's going to be so much fun!" I almost spit out my green tea cream. Okay that was not what I expected Cara's reac on to be. "What?" "Why not?" She takes another sip out of her drink. "There's going to be music, and cocktails, and handsome millionaire guys walking around.." "Okay you really need to get a boyfriend." I snort. "Yeah I will. At your engagement party! Maybe I'll snag myself a hot fianc� while I'm at it." "Wait a minute... what happened to barista guy you told me about? I thought you guys are going on a date?" I ask her. "Is he not boyfriend material?" "Unfortunately no," she shrugs. "I called off our date. Didn't feel like going." "WHAT?" I shriek. Some people glance our way. I send them an apologe c look. "What do you mean you called it off? You were really excited about it!" "We hung out again yesterday.. And I didn't feel it, you know? The connec on." She sighs. "You know how when you meet someone, and you just instantly click. That spark you feel that ignites your en re body.." "Ooookay.. you've been watching too many rom coms, Cara." "I have not!" She defends. "But.. even if I have, isn't it true? You need to have that connec on in order to be with someone. Kind of like how you got that connec on with Daniel."

I immediately burst out laughing. Cara is really something. "Come on, Alex. Its not funny!" "Kind of is." I snicker. "That's the most ridiculous thing that has ever come out of your mouth. A connec on with Daniel? Please. I mean you haven't even met him! You only saw him in that interview and yesterday when I was walking with him to class. You know nothing, Cara." "I do know about this, Alex." She smiles reassuringly at me. "You're right. I only saw glimpses of him this en re week. But the way he looked at you in that interview.." "It's called ac ng, Cara." I finish for her. Then, I lower my voice so nobody can hear us. "Look, he's been manipula ng and tricking women into sleeping with him for months- years. He knows what to say and what to do in order to get his way. The way he looked at me in that interview, sure it looked like love and all that crap.. but I'm not fooled by it. It's a charade, Cara. Nothing but a game Daniel and I have to play." "Alex.." "Can we not.. Talk about this?" I choke out a laugh. "It's weird. I'd rather not talk about anything related to Daniel." "Fine." She says at last. "Speaking of ho es, how's it going with Nate?" Another sensi ve topic for me. "He's s ll... hurt, I guess." I bite my straw. "I don't blame him. He thinks Daniel and I have been da ng since last summer and that I really liked him. He thinks I played with his feelings, Cara. I don't think that's a small thing to just get over." "True. But you really did like him." "Yeah, I did. It's a shame. I kind of missed him."

"Your love life is seriously messed up." Cara notes. "It's not much of a love life considering I have a fake fianc� whom I almost can't stand, and a really nice guy who I can't be with due to many complica ons." "You know, Hollywood should make your love life into a drama series. I would totally watch it." "Very funny, Cara." She chuckles. "I wish I was you, though. Having two ridiculously handsome guys pining over me? Now that's the dream." "Daniel's not pining over me!" I laugh. "And really? That's the dream?" "That's the dream." She smirks.

17. Sixteen - "In A Totally Platonic Way." I tell Daniel not to bother driving me to campus today. I'm going to take a ride with Cara in my baby today. "I bet Daniel didn't like it that you guys weren't driving together," Cara says as she slides in the passenger seat of my car. I back out of the parking lot and start to drive. "Didn't you tell me he's like obsessed with carpooling or something?" "Yeah," I sigh, my hands sliding over the steering wheel. "He's weird like that." "Watch out!" Cara shrieks as I almost run into a stop sign. I almost jump out of my seat before ge ng my head out of my ass and swerving my baby away. My baby was seconds away from destruc on. It's a mystery to me how I even passed my driving test. "Holy shit, we could have died." Cara takes in a few deep breaths, her hands clutching her handbag real ghtly. "But we didn't!" "I think it's me for me to get a car," she sighs against her seat, "you are a driving menace, Alex. It's amazing how I'm s ll alive." "Hey my driving skills are not that bad!" About a minute a er I said that, I almost got run over by a truck. Well. We arrive on campus with about an hour to spare. Cara insists that we get here early so she can do some assignment with a few of her friends from class. So, while she's off doing that, I got plenty of me to kill.

I decide to find a nice shady sport under the tree and making it my own space. Placing my bag on the base of the tree, I sit cross-legged and contemplate on what I am going to do now. It's been a while since I read something. I take out my paperback copy of the newly released 'Blood of Olympus' and open to the page where I stopped last week. It's mes like this that I find slows down the pace of my now hec c life. These past few days have been hell for me. Daniel and I have been very busy planning out the engagement party that is going to happen in two days me. I can tell you that it's been a breeze planning something as huge as this with Daniel, but even I know it's a lie. It's not fun doing something with Daniel Kerrington. I see a li le bit of his father's hardened personality bleed through every single day I'm with him. He gets super control freak on me at the li lest things -whether it is to tell me I had ordered the wrong type of champagne or if I had managed to snag a caterer for the party. He is constantly telling me what to do- and I hate it. I hate him. But what can I do? He's my freaking fianc� so I have to deal with it. Sigh. Only two more years and 11 more months to go. I start to loose myself in the story that is in front of me, forge ng all of the undying urge to ring Daniel's skinny li le neck. My eyes dance over the words in supersonic speed, immersing myself in the beau ful world that has been created for me. Then, I hear someone clear his throat. I look up from my book and the first thing I see is the denim jacket. My mouth hangs open. "Are you... Busy?" Nate asks me, his eyes searching mine.

He's here. He's actually here, standing in front of me, talking to me. I feel all the relief seep out of my heart and unto the grass I'm si ng on. "N-no." I stammer. "Can I sit?" "Yes. Please." I scoot to make some space for him. He places himself next to me, his backpack se led next to him. For a while, neither of us talk. It's like there's so much to say, but neither of us want to break the comfortable bubble that is our silence. Finally, Nate does. "I'm sorry," he whispers, "I've been giving you the cold shoulder this en re week and I feel bad about it." "No!" I stop him. "No you shouldn't feel bad. It was my fault- completely and u erly my fault. I should have told you about Daniel-" "And I should have asked you if you were involved with anyone first before making any move-" "I should have forced myself not to like you-" "And I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. I was so angry-" "I didn't mean to hurt you-" "And I should have talked to you about it a er I cooled down-" We stop talking.

Then, we burst out laughing. It's strange how Nate and I can be mad at each other, but we s ll find ways laugh about it. I like it. I like him. "Looks like we had a lot to say to each other," he smiles, and it is the same smile that made my heart flip the first me I saw him outside his apartment. "Yeah," I nod. "I'm sorry, Nate. Really. You have no idea.." "Me too. I'm sorry too. What I said about how you were naive and how you aren't any different because you're engaged to Daniel.." Yeah. Those words he u ered to me that a ernoon s ll hurt a li le bit. His eyes look at me with sadness. "Can we just.. put all of this behind us? Bury the hatchet? I really missed you, Alex. As a friend. I missed your craziness, your clumsiness and your smiles. It drove me crazy this week not talking to you." "Me too," I lean into him, my head touching his shoulder. A huge smile creeps on my face. "But I'm really sorry, Nate. I really am. I put you in a situa on that was totally not okay." "That's.. well... it wasn't fine, it hurt like hell a while, but I'm fine now," He sighs. "Honestly, I really don't want to talk about the whole thing. Probably ever." I put that hurt in him. God, I want to erase what I did to him really badly. He's probably s ll confused over the whole engagement thing and how he played a part in it. I just want to tell him that it was all a lie and that I'm not actually in love with Daniel.

The words are at the very p of my tongue. But I just can't force myself to open my mouth and let them slide out of me. "But I guess I'm about 80% over it," he adds quickly. "I don't want to push you to talk about it. I just want us to start fresh again. Of course, in a totally platonic way." "Yes. Totally." I confirm. "So what have you been up to?" He lays back more casually, pressing half of his body against the grass with his arms suppor ng him from behind. "Engagement stuff," I say without much thought. Then I realize I shouldn't have men oned anything regarding the whole engagement thing with Daniel. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to. "Sorry, if you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to-" "No it's fine." He brushes me off. "It's a part of your life now, right? The whole thing about us being friends as that we can tell each other things. So you know you can tell me anything." I release a small breath. "Thank god," I breathe. "Because I don't want to withhold anything from you." He nods. "So you were talking about engagement thing." I tell him everything that I had been worrying about this en re week. The whole engagement party- down to the details. I can't help it, everything comes tumbling out of my mouth. It does not bother Nate, though. He listens pa ently, and I like him even more for that. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling." I say a er a while. "I just hate planning stuff. This whole party is going to be a disaster."

"No it will not," Nate sits cross legged now, and he reaches forward to tuck a lock of hair away. "It's going to be fine. You will be fine." "You should come," I automa cally say, and then I immediately regret it. Oh god. The rules. Daniel said that I can't invite him over. Ever. But our engagement party is an excep on right? Nate has to come over. He's my... friend. "Nah, I can't," he looks down, "you and Daniel have your fun without me. I really don't want to intrude." Screw Daniel. His rule was stupid anyway. "No, really. Come." I smile. "Cara's coming too. It will be so much fun when you're there." "Really?" "Absolutely." Daniel is so going to kill me. ****** A er Nate walks me to class, I gave him a huge hug. He is taken aback by it, but a er a while, he eases into the embrace. "Alex.." He murmurs. "Thank you for forgiving me, Nate." I pull away from him. "I know it was hard for you to do that considering what I did to you." His lip curls slightly, but it was slightly forced. "I may not know exactly what is going on with your engagement with Daniel but I'm trying my best to be okay with it."

I cast him another small smile before turning on my heel and walking to my seat. Daniel is already wai ng there beside my seat, his pen clicking against the table. When he sees me, he shakes his head. "I didn't expect you and lover boy to make up that fast," he says with an annoyed tone as I slide into my seat. "He says he's over it." I reply without looking at him. "Is he really?" He li s in eyebrow. "Or perhaps he's trying into ease his way into a friendship with you and then make his move on you?" Is he shi ng me right now? "Are you serious?" I laugh. "You said that you were completely fine with Nate and I being friends." "I am. But that doesn't mean I trust him," he growls in a not so subtle way that catches the eye of a few students in front of us. He ignores them. "Well, I do. I know he has good inten ons so stop trying to make him a villain." Class begins and we fall into an uncomfortable silence. I constantly shi around my seat and concentrate on the lesson, but the tension between Daniel and I has increased. It's like an itch on the back of my head that won't go away. A er a while, I sneak a glance at him. He doesn't seem to be concentra ng either. Instead he's staring right at me. He frowns, then focuses his a en on in front of him. But his lips start to move. "He doesn't deserve you."

I think I may have imagined it, but I hear a hint of something in his voice. Jealousy. ______ A/N: OOOH! So things are ge ng heated up eh? I think it's about me a li le something happened between them. Things are about to go down in the later chapters, so be sure to stay tuned!

18. Seventeen - "Pass Me The Brothel!" The next two days are spent making tons of phone calls, emailing guests to check their RSVPs, and running around town to get the supplies we need for the engagement party. All that plus balancing my school work (two new assignments, are you kidding me right now?) and a sad social life. It's definitely not a good week for me. When I finally come back from campus a er she spending three hours typing out a ten page essay in the library, I am exhausted. The lack of sleep has been ea ng me up these past two days and I do intend to make up for lost me tonight. But of course, I can never catch a break. Because I'm Daniel fucking Kerrington's fianc�. "Oh, finally you decide to show up," Daniel's voice echoes throughout the living room. "Why aren't you answering your phone? I called you a bunch of mes." He is on his laptop by the kitchen table, his face peering out to see me. I set my keys down and plop myself on the couch. "I was doing my work in the library," my eyelids already start to close, "unlike you, I actually care about passing this class." He chuckles. "I don't intend on flunking, sweetheart. I've got all my assignments done way ahead of me." "You're lying." I accuse. "You don't have all your assignments done. I live with you. I've never once seen you do them." He nods over to the direc on of the stack of papers beside him. I walk over there and examine it. Sure enough, two fully wri en essays ready to be handed up.

I sneer at Daniel. He winks at me. I guess I can add 'not a procras nator' to my list of facts that surprises me about Daniel. It's been a habit of mine lately. Here's what I have so far: 1. Loves the environment. I think we have already established that ever since the first me he prac cally forced me to carpool with him. 2. Plays the guitar. Never thought I'd depict Daniel as the musical type. I sort of accidentallyon-purpose went to his room yesterday and saw his guitar tucked underneath his bed. It's covered with a fine sheet of dust, so I'm guessing he hasn't used it in a really long me. But s ll, I assume he does know how to play it. 3. Makes killer pancakes in the morning. I got to admit, they're pre y good. He made some for me this morning and prac cally blackmailed me into taking a bite out of it (in exchange for him not telling everyone he knows that I thought a brothel was a pot. It was definitely not one of my good days. He laughed so hard when I yelled "pass me the brothel!" to him during my dish washing duty night.) 4. Has a weird obsession with Desperate Housewives. [conversa on with Daniel and I as I wrestle him for the TV remote] Me: give me the fucking remote so we can watch something other than this trash. Daniel: What's be er than this? Gilmore girls? Please. Me: *grunts in frustra on* why do you even like DH so much? You're a pervert if it's because of the hot middle-aged women in that TV series. Daniel: DH is amazing, okay? It has the perfect blend of mystery, drama,

and sexy- me. Plus an added bonus: Eva fucking Longoria. Me: .... And the recently added fact: 4. Does all his homework. Not a procras nator. .. .. I can't believe he's more hardworking than me. "Whatever," I murmur and my eyelids flu er close. "Whoa, don't you dare fall asleep on me." I hear his voice clearer now as if he's standing right in front of me. I open my eyes. He is. "I'm red, Daniel. I need sleep." "Not today you do. We don't have me. We go a do this today," He sits down beside me and places a huge binder on the coffee table. My eyes widen in confusion. "What is that?" I eye the binder. "Every record of all of our rela ves, close friends, as well as business associates of my father." I start to sit up. "These are the amount of people coming to our party tomorrow?" He li s his shoulder. "Well, about 85% of it." Jesus.

"Okay," I cross my arms over my chest. "So... what are you trying to say?" "You and me are going to run through every single one of these names and know about their background, their likes and their dislikes, and etc." "What?" I shriek. "No way. Absolutely no way. I'm so red." "Come on, sweetheart. It'll only be for a li le while." "No!" I say firmly. "I don't even understand why we have to do this." "Look, I don't know anyone of your family and friends, and you don't know mine either. And we're engaged. We have to know all these things, Alex. When the guests start pouring in tomorrow, we'll be ready and we can make a good impression. Especially on my dad and your parents." My parents. Shit. I totally forgot they were coming. They haven't tried to contact me ever since the last me I saw them. I think they're trying to give me some space, and I'm grateful to them for that. But now, I have to face them again tomorrow, and there's no way I can escape it. A li le part of me is afraid that I'll just forgive them for what they did to me. I shake my head. No. I won't. I wonder what they think of me right now. How I managed to uphold the end of their deal and be engaged to Daniel. I wonder if they had seen the interview. I wonder how they're business is doing now that Harry Kerrington had pumped in money into it. I wonder if they're okay. I guess I will know when I see them tomorrow. "You okay?" Daniel asks. "Your face just went pale."

"It's fine," I say a li le too harshly. "I'm fine." He recoils from me. "Jeez. I was just trying to be nice. You don't have to give me the a tude." "I don't have an a tude!" I say, exasperated. Okay maybe I do. But I swear it's because of my lack of sleep. He shakes his head. "Whatever. Let's just focus on important ma ers like this one over here." He pats on the binder. "Shall we?" I really want to tell him no, but I know that won't do anything. Daniel does not take no for an answer. "Fine. Let's just get this over with." "Excellent." He says. He opens the binder. We get cracking. Seconds turn to minutes.. minutes turn to hours. Daniel and I are flipping over the pages of the binder, trying to remember every single one of each other's rela ves and friends, recalling almost every detail about them. He passes me added informa on about his side, I do the same about mine. We go back and forth like that, asking each other ques ons, tes ng and remembering as we go. Outside, the sun begins to set, the sky flaming orange like a bruised mango. The clouds ignite with sunset colours, and I'm almost afraid that something might catch on fire. Sighing, I return my gaze to the person in front of me. The both of are are now si ng cross legged on the couch, facing each other. Somehow the papers had go en out of the binder and are now flying all around us, mimicking our frustra on. "Aunt Freeda." I sigh.

"My side of the family." He adds quickly. "She's in her six es, had two husbands- one died and the other one ran away with all her money." I tried to recall. "But now she has her five children and your father suppor ng her. She has been in cardiac arrest and she owns like three cats-Louis, Petra and Momo-" "Mimi." He corrects me. I glare at him. "Mimi." I echo. "And she's coming to the party with her new boyfriend who's thirty years her junior." "Not bad," he compliments me. "Okay my turn." I show Daniel a picture of one of my distant cousins. His eyes flash of familiarity and he starts. "That's your cousin Sean, son of Julia and Robert Has ngs. He's twenty and in the NYC ge ng a degree in architecture." Daniel narrates my cousin's life. "He has a girlfriend named Ta ana- brown eyes, dark hair- smoking hot-" I snap my fingers in front of him. "Focus, Kerrington. Focus!" "And they live together in a lo with their pet iguana named Max." He finishes off. "Yeah that's good." I smile, and we high five. "Holy shit, we're on a high roll here, Alex!" He grins. "Okay okay. How about this?" I flash him another picture of one of my rela ves. He snaps his fingers as if he's trying to remember. "Uh... That's your uncle Burt?" "Go on." I nudge him.

"He's in his early thir es, but from tons of work stress, he looks like he's eighty." Daniel says, "he has a wife named Carrie-" "No. Try again." "Sydney?" "Nu-UH." "Mary!" Daniel shrieks. "And he has three children, all of which are now studying in Finland." We con nue like that for another hour, un l the the sky turns dark and the stars blink at us, signaling for me to call it a night. But I can't. I don't think that's a good thing. "Kerrington and Co employees (under tech) names, go!" I take a deep breath. "Finn, Bradley, Ginny, Ming, Damien, Luca, Ashley, Peter-" Daniel takes over for me. "Jones, Lov, Quen n, Grant, Amy, Zachary, Chase, Laden, Lee and.. West!" The both of us take a deep breath. "We did it!" I cry out of happiness. "We fucking did it! We memorized every single name that is in that stupid binder." "That was.. amazing." He slumps against the couch. "And very fun." I laugh. "Never again." "Never again." He laughs along with me. A er a while, he closes the binder and flashes his stupid cheeky grin at me. "We should celebrate."

"Totally." "With... Tequila!" I shake my head. "Hell no! Tequila and I don't go very well. I think I'll pass." "Oh come on, Alex!" He jumps out of the couch, "Live a li le! It will be fine!" "No!" I try to say that with all seriousness but fail. "Come on." He pinches his fingers together. "Just a ny bit." Oh what the hell. "Fine." I get up from the couch and follow him to the kitchen. "One shot." He grabs the tequila bo le out of the kitchen cabinet and grins at me. "One shot." He promises. Then he slides the glass at me. I stare at it. "You afraid, sweetheart?" He teases. My eyes challenge him. Without another thought, I take the glass and pour all of its contents into my mouth. I feel the liquid burn down my throat. "Damn. That's some strong stuff." "When was the last me you drank tequila?" He asks as he finishes the glass. "Probably on my eighteenth birthday," I slump to the chair. I'm already star ng to feel lightheaded. "Had the worst hungover ever. I swore from then on I was never going to drink again." "And here you are." He laughs. "Here I am." I say, "what about you? When did u last drank?"

He doesn't even pause a while to think of his answer. "The weekend when I found out I was going to be engaged to you." "I guess I was not the only one who had it bad that weekend." I frown. He sighs. "Yeah. I didn't take the news well. End up stealing a bo le of vodka from my dad's office and drowning all my sorrows in it. Wasn't my finest moment." Then, he pours the tequila into my glass and pushes it to me. "Drink?" "I said I was only going to drink one shot." I push the glass back. "One is enough for me." "Aw, come on." He nudges the glass at me. "You need it. I need it. The both of us can be bat shit drunk tonight and puke our guts out tomorrow." I eye the glass. Daniel leans forward. "Look, sweetheart. The past few weeks hasn't been easy for the both of us. Adjus ng to this new life? It's s ll a li le bit weird to me. And I'm guessing for you too. Won't it be great to just... Forget?" His words did make sense. It's either that or the tequila talking. Forget. I will do anything to forget just for one night about everything: Nate, my parents, the whole engagement. Without much hesita on, I take the glass and drink every last drop of it. Huge mistake. Because that glass leads me to another then to another and another and another. My vision soon becomes very hazy, allowing me only to see bits and fragments. Then as the night progresses... My vision goes dark. Then, I see nothing at all.

19. Eighteen - "Let's Go Shopping. Or whatever." The morning light streams through the room, forcing me to peel my eyes open. I groan slightly as I shi away from the light, tangling more of the sheets with me. The effects of last night have start to dawn upon me, and now I wake up to a killer headache. Goddammit. Why was I so stupid last night? I promised- no, I swore to- myself on my eighteenth birthday, a er Cara had taken away my alcohol virginity, that I was never ever going to drink again. I hated what comes next a er the drinking- the hangover. Stupid stupid stupid me, I mentally slap myself. Why didn't I listen to my past self? Sighing against the sheets, I turn to my side and try to squeeze in another power nap before I'm actually supposed to wake up. But the minute my eyes start to close, I hear a groan beside me. My eyes shoot open. Someone's sleeping beside me. On my bed. My head slowly turns and my eyes fall upon the intruder. Every muscle in my body locks up. Daniel Kerrington is sleeping beside me. On my bed. He sleeps soundly next to me, his mouth slightly open as he snores. Hands are splayed on either side of him, one of them almost touching my face. He s ll has his shirt on, but it rides up above his chest, giving me a beau ful view of his well-defined abs. I shrug. Well. At least waking up next to him has its perks.

Suddenly, his body moves and now his face is mere inches from my face. I gasp slightly. He gets comfy on my bed, one of his hands fly over and land on my bu . Of course. Daniel snuggles closer towards me, now pressing his body next to mine. He buries his nose in my hair, and inhales deeply. I'm not sure if he's aware of what he's doing, and I don't think I want to know. Because that will be weird. "Uhhh.." I say uncomfortably. I am so not in the mood for this. Peeling my body away from him, I slowly roll off the bed and land on my two feet. I contemplate on slapping him in the face to wake him up but... that would be mean. But then again, since when was I ever not mean to Daniel? So my hand makes contact with his face. His eyes bulge out and he immediately gets up from the bed. "What the fuck, Alex?" He yells. "You were sleeping. On my bed." I cross my arms and eye him. His eyebrows li . "Are you freaking serious right now? You were sleeping on MY BED!" "That's a lie-" Then, I see it. Instead of lavender walls, blue ones stare back at me. The bed isn't a four poster bed, but a round one, and a huge one at that. I peer down underneath the bed and sure enough, there's a guitar case covered with a fine sheet of dust. My face turns hot red. "Oh."

"Yeah 'oh'," Daniel rubs the part of his cheek that I slapped, "and did you really have to slap me? Seriously? You couldn't have just nudged me awake or something. Jeez." "It's too early in the morning for this argument," I wave him off, "God, how did we even... go to bed together?" "Tequila, remember?" He falls back unto the bed. Wait a minute.. If alcohol did this to us, I wonder what other things it did. Or what the alcohol had made us do. "Oh my god!" I shriek. "I didn't.. We didn't..have...?" Did Daniel and I had sex last night? Just thinking about makes me want to puke. I expect him to deny it, but his reac on confirms it. "Shit." Daniel curses. His shocked expression matches mine. "SHIT SHIT SHIT-" No no no this cannot be happening. "NO." I look away harshly, my fingers already taking through my hair, "no. NO. We s ll have our clothes on. You s ll have your pants, and well, I'm not exactly naked- wait my bra is unhooked- no! It's.. not... possible.." I stare at him, wai ng for how he will respond. Daniel just starts laughing. "Oh jeez, that's hilarious." He throws back his head and chuckles. "I can't believe you think that we had sex. I won't even want to touch you- drunk or sober, trust me on that." I grit my teeth. Then, I started to hit him on the shoulder. "You." Hit. "Fucking." Hit. "Asshole!" Hit.

"You deserved it!" He backs the hell away from me to avoid ge ng hit again. "You slapped me in the face!" "Fine." I cross my arms. "Guess we're even then." He sighs. "So if you know.. we didn't.." I say, "then what did we do last night?" I can't believe I don't remember. He pulls his shirt down, "You drank way more than you should have-" "I'd like to think that's your fault for making me drink so much." I glower. "Hey, I didn't force you to drink. Well, not much anyway. A er the fourth shot, you prac cally begged me to pour you more tequila." Like I said, tequila and I don't go so well. "Okaaaaaay, great. So, I got shit drunk. That would explain the major headache. Ow." My hands fly up to my head. "Yeah, I have it too. Don't worry." He sighs. "So what happened a er I got shit drunk last night?" I ask a er I had managed to clean myself up. Daniel shrugs. "Nothing much. You were pre y boring company. You started singing for a while, then you talked about Nate- that was really annoying. You have no idea how many mes I heard you say 'oh em gee he's so niiiiiiceeeee.' and 'he's going to be a doctor. That's... Seeeeexy. Rawrrrr!'" I'm blushing like mad right now. I really said all those things about him? "A er that the effects of the tequila started to kick in and soon a er you were puking in the kitchen sink. Then, you passed out." Daniel says.

Wow. That was really sucky. "So I dragged you to your room- I guess, I was too woozy, so I dragged you to my room instead. Then, I might have passed out a er you did." He says, "yeah. It was the shi est night ever." "I didn't realize I was bad company," I mu er. "Sweetheart, you're always bad company." He replies. I show him the middle finger. I finally manage to pull myself to the room and take a shower. This me the pa er of water doesn't calm me down, it makes my head pound. I'm out of the bathroom as fast as Cara when she spots a hot guy, and slip into some nice clothes. Wrapping a scarf around my neck, I head out to the kitchen to scour for food. Daniel is already there by the stove, with a new set of clothes, making his signature pancakes. It's a mystery to me how he's making pancakes with a hangover. I don't ask him to make me some; he already knows. When he spots me, he flips the pancakes into the air and catches it with a plate. "Show off." I roll my eyes. "Here," He hands me the pancakes along with a glass with some kind of green liquid in it. He takes a sip of it too. "What is this?" I ques on. "It helps with the hangover, trust me." Reluctantly, I take a sip of the liquid. It has a somewhat bi er end taste, but other than that, it's alright. Suddenly, my head feels lighter than before.

"Helps right?" He grins. "I call it Kerrington's Kure- with a 'K'." "Crea ve." I mu er. "So... today's the day," he notes as he takes a sip of his orange juice. Ah, fuck. The engagement party. I almost forgot. "What's the plan?" I fork some pancakes into my mouth. "I'll deal with all the arrangements and stuff," he says, "meanwhile, you should probably go get something nice to wear. Preferably something sexy." "I don't have anything sexy!" "I'm sure you have skimpy ou its somewhere in your closet.." I li an eyebrow. "Um, as you can see, I don't really go around dressing... provoca vely." I gesture to my ou it. "A nice shirt and jeans are the only things I wear." "You're not serious." Now he's really staring at me as if he can't figure me out. "You go a have something.." I li my shoulders. I wasn't that kind of girl. The only excep on was that me on the Charlize Matson show. "Fuck," he swears, "this is bad. Okay, it's fine, it's... Nevermind. We have to go shopping then." My eyes narrow. "Shopping." "Yeah. We need to get you a fucking hot dress." He finishes the last of his pancakes before reaching forward to yank me out of my seat, "and get you makeup and all that typical girl shit that you desperately need... You need to look presentable. Like you're actually worthy of being my fianc�."

"Okay I am not that ugly." I yank my hand away. Daniel gives me the you-really-wanna-do-this-right-now look. "Fine," I surrender. "Let's go... shopping. Or whatever." ~~~~~~ Daniel pulls me into some fancy dress shop in a nearby shopping mall. My eyes scan over the spectrum of colors on the racks and shelves. If Cara can see me now, she'd freak. She always had a problem bringing me along when she goes on her shopping adventures. I never followed any of the fashion trends and I was perfectly fine with my stash of clothes at home. It feels weird being here. I want to teleport myself to a bookstore and replace all these different fabrics with books. Yeah. I'm definitely not a typical girl. At all. Daniel is talking to the saleswoman of the store, and from what I can hear, he's telling her about our situa on. I'm surprise he's not distracted by her beauty. He never once glances at her boobs. I guess that must be progress for him. The girl seems to be interested in Daniel, though. She flips her hair constantly, and giggles way too loudly and way too much. She's so full of shit. Because Daniel is NOT that funny. I walk towards them, and place my right hand on his shoulder, the hand with my engagement ring on it. "Baby, what are you guys talking about?" I slur my words. Daniel eyes me with humor.

The salesgirl no ces my ring, and quickly rights herself. She plasters a fake smile on her face. "He's.. just telling me what kind of dress he's looking for you. I.. um... If you'd like to see... I have a few choices you might like." "Very well." I smile back at her. The salesgirl quickly hurries away to collect some dresses for me. Daniel turns to me, a toothy grin on his face. "You were jealous that she was checking me out." He teases. "Uh no I wasn't!" I defend. "I was just staking my claim. Remember, you're engaged to me." He con nues to grin at me. "Admit it, sweetheart. You were jealous." "You're full of yourself." I start to walk away from him and join the girl. She hands me a few dresses and pushes me into the dressing room. "These look about your size," she mu ers, "if anything, just.. call me or something." "Okay." So I try on the dresses. The first one is beau ful gold dress embedded with ny crystals. When I show it to Daniel, he shakes his head. "You look like a fucking champagne bo le. No way." "Why? Does it remind you of the same champagne I poured all over you three months ago?" I wriggle my eyebrows. He doesn't answer. The next dress is a strapless gown, ght around my waist, but flows lightly as it reaches down to my ankles.

"No." He shakes his head again. He says the same thing for the next four dresses. The next one is a simple, body hugging dress. The fabric is super ght, and it barely covers my ass. "Yes." He shouts. "NO!" I shout back. "This covers nothing!" "But you look hot in it!" He counters. I growl at him. "Screw you, I'm not ge ng this dress." I hear Daniel say "awwww come on!" before I go back to the dressing room to try on the last dress. It takes me a while to get it on, but when I do, it's absolutely beau ful. I stare at my reflec on in the mirror for a good five minutes before heading out to show Daniel. The dress makes me feel like a mermaid- it fits closely to the body from the chest to the knee, then flares out at the hem. The fabric is a shimmery black- very classy and makes me look elegant as well as stunning. When I step out, Daniel takes a good look at me. He scans me from top to bo om, and my body feels hot when he does it. A er a while, he smiles. It's a smile of approval. "Nice." He compliments, "Really nice. I like it." "Me too." I say. He gestures to the salesgirl who's hidden in view, and yells, "We'll take it!"

A er exi ng the store with the purchase, Daniel and I visit some more stores, scouring for a bag and heels to match with the dress. We even visit Sephora to nab myself some makeup and as I quote 'all that typical girl shit'. Since I didn't know much about makeup, and Daniel actually knows more about it than me but is too chicken to help me out, we end up going to a salesgirl and ask her to help us pick out stuff. Just when we are about to leave the mall, my phone beeps. I fish out my phone from my bag and check who had messaged me. Caffeinated at 3. Just you and me. Totally platonic. You in? -Nate A small smile crawls on my face. "How long more do we have ll the party?" I ask as we get into his lambo. "About 4 hours." Daniel checks his watch. "Why?" "Um, nothing." I say as he starts to drive. I decide to text Nate back. I'm in.

20. Nineteen - "It's Our Thing." I don't know why I just tell Daniel that I'm hanging out with Nate. A er all, isn't it just an innocent ou ng with Nate? Why do I have to keep it from Daniel? It's not like it's a date or something. But I sort of feel guilty as I enter the coffee shop. I probably shouldn't feel that way. "Hey," Nate beams at me when I take my seat opposite from him. Caffeinated is the cutest li le coffee shop near campus that sells the best fraps ever. I make a mental note to bring my caffeine-addict best friend here someday. I glance over at Nate as I place my bag down. He has his laptop plugged in, and when he finally catches my a en on, he closes it and pushes it aside. "Oh don't stop doing... whatever it was you're doing... on my account." I gesture to the laptop. "I'm just here for coffee." "And I'm just here for the company," Nate winks at me. "What were you working on?" I ask as I take a sip. "It's an assignment I have to do weekly." He shrugs. "I really have no chill. Studying medicine is hard." I laugh. "Trust me. You don't want to see what assignments my crea ve wri ng teacher gives us. We're prac cally up to our eyeballs doing them." "At least your course is fun. I have to do surgical procedures," he tells me, "Maybe I shouldn't have taken medicine due to my surprising lack of tolerance on the sight of blood." I burst out laughing. "You're joking right? A doctor who's afraid of seeing blood? That's new."

"A doctor-in-training," He corrects me. "And I'm not exactly afraid of blood. It's just looking at it for long periods of me would make me sick. But.. let's not go into that, shall we?" "Okay." My eyes twinkle with amusement. "So what have you been up to, lately?" Nate cross his arms and lay back against the chair. "Nothing much, the usual. Engagement party stuff." "Oh right. It's today. I almost forgot." He shakes his head. "God, I'm being rude. I shouldn't have invited you over if I'd known you had your hands full with all the party stuff-" "No, it's fine!" I say, "I needed to have some me off anyway." He smiles. "I haven't go en your RSVP yet. Are you coming to the party?" I ask him, wide-eyed. "I can't." His response is not what I expected. I thought he was definitely coming. "I'm going home to visit my grandma." This is almost the first me I ever heard about his family. I lean in, my interest piqued. I want to know about his grandma. "Oh. Something happened?" I frown. "No- I mean yes, but nothing you have to worry about," He informs me, "Ever since my parents died, she was the one who swooped in and took care of me. Now, she's... hi ng her nine es, and there are some complica ons to her health. I'm going to loose her soon. And I think I need to spend more me with her, you know. Visit her more o en. I'm the only family she has le ."

I was not expec ng that at all. I didn't know Nate's parents had died. Was it because of some accident? How was he a er they died? There are so many ques ons about him swimming in my mind, and I want to ask him about them. "That's... horrible. I'm sorry." I reach forward and take his hand. It fits nicely against mine. He looks down and stares at out entwined hands. He smiles reassuringly at me. "It's.. fine. I learn to live with it," His thumb brushes against the back of my hand, and I shiver in delight. "My grandma is amazing. You should meet her some me. She'd really like you. Her sense of humor... is a bit off, but other than that, I have no doubt the both of you would be fast friends." "I would like that, very much." I return his smile. "I'm sure she's very proud of you for ge ng this far in life. Ge ng a degree in medicine? That's going to be a huge accomplishment when you graduate." "Yeah, she's really proud of me." He drinks ,his coffee. "Speaking of accomplishments, I realized I haven't read any of your works yet." I blush. "I told you that you wouldn't want to see them. They're not that good." He grins. "And I told you that I don't care. I s ll want to see them. I know you're a good writer." "How do you know I'm a good writer if you haven't seen any of my works?" I tease. "How will I ever see any of your works if you refuse to let me read them?" He counters back. Goddammit. "Fine, you win." I put up my hands in a mock surrender. "Maybe I'll show you what I've been working on..."

"Awesome," He clasp his hands. I fish out my tablet and open one the document in my files. I start to regret the decision of showing him when I hand the tablet for him to see. He casts me a mysterious look. "Blankets." "Yep. That's the name of the story I've been working on." Nate nods his head and then starts to read. I half expect him to shove the tablet back to me and say that my story sucks, but he doesn't do that. He seems really engrossed in my story, his finger swiping over the tablet, his eyes dancing over every word I have wri en. I count the number of swipes. Thirteen... Fourteen... Sixteen... Twenty... And he's done. Shit. When he passes back the tablet to me, he has this huge grin on his face. "That's... amazing, Alex. That story was really really good. And I mean, publish-worthy good. I love it." "Thanks." I say with a daze. "It's not finished yet so..." "I don't need to finish it to know that that story could be the real deal." He says. "Are you going to publish it once you're done?" "I'm not sure." I place my tablet back into my bag. "It seems like a long shot for me. I mean, your opinion is prac cally biased because you're my friend" "That's not true!" He defends, "Not the friend part. I mean the whole biased thing. I'm speaking the actual truth, Alex. You're story is really good. I think you should finish it and send it to a publisher." "I don't know..."

"Alex," He calls my name again, and my heart flips, "Do it. You wouldn't loose anything, right? Even if your manuscript gets rejected- and I don't think that will ever happen because it's that good- at least it would be an experience and you can try harder. But I know nobody's going to reject that story. It's too good. You're an amazing writer." Nate just complimented me. A whole lot. "Thanks, Nate." I smile, "I'll... take your advice and finish 'Blankets'. Then, I'll see where it leads me." "Awesome." He says. Then, he glances out of the window. "We should go." He slaps a twenty dollar bill on the table and then grabs my hand. I laugh. "Where are we going? I have to leave soon! Engagement party, remember?" "Yeah, I know," He starts to pull me away from the table. "Don't worry. I'll have you back on me. I want to go somewhere." "Where?" "The bookstore, of course." He casts me a toothy grin. "I've been in the reading mood these few days, and I recall you have a killer collec on of books. So, you must be a real expert on them. You're going to recommend me some books." "We're really going book shopping? Right now?" I grab my bag and we exit the coffee shop. "Why not? You have about...," Nate checks his watch for the me, "an hour or so to spare and I got some me to kill before my road trip back to grandma's. I'd figured if there's any place you would love to go, it's the bookstore. Well, you're in luck because I intend on heading there." "Alright," I follow him, "Okay. I'll help you get some books. It's my thing."

It's our thing. ~~~~~~ "Tell me about your parents," I say to Nate as we scour through the bookshelves. I thought we should start out simple, so we're at the 'What's Hot?' sec on. I don't know why but as I look at the books with Nate, one thing suddenly pops into my mind. His parents. I want to know all about his childhood and his family. Nate has always been the nice guy; he always allowed me to talk about my own life, never sharing about his. He doesn't quite seem to open up about his own life- his grandma is the only thing I know exists in his life right now and I know there's more. I want him to know that he can share anything with me. I'm his friend... right? Nate arches an eyebrow at me. I shrug. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable talking about it. But I'm curious. I want to know more about you." His face lights up when I say that. "Where do I start?" "How were they like?" I ask him as I pick out another book for him. "My parents... they were good people." He starts off, "They loved me a lot. Always wanted the very best for me. My mum was a den st, and my dad was a surgeon, so it was natural I ended up in the same field as them." I nod my head. "We lived in this really huge townhouse and I loved it there. When I was small, I would always get lost in it because it was so big. Mum, dad and I would play hide and seek just for the fun of it," Nate tells me. "That's nice." I smile.

"Yeah. My parents and I were really close. We were this perfect family that everyone wanted to be like, you know? I always thought I was really lucky to have them as my parents, because they were perfect, and I wanted to be perfect too." I wasn't picking out books anymore. My a en on was focused on Nate. "Everything just went sour a er I turned ten. My dad had decided to pick my mom up from the den st a er work. They were going on one of their 'monthly dates'- that's what they used to call it. It was raining heavily that night so my grandma stayed in with me and we watched some horror shows. A li le a er midnight, we got the call. They said that my parents had drove the car off the road and their car was found in a ditch. Neither of them made it." "God, I'm so sorry." I take his hand. "I didn't... you don't have to tell me anymore. I understand." "No, I want to tell you." He ghtens his grip around my hand. "A er my parents died, my grandma took custody of me and I lived in her ny li le apartment. It wasn't much but we got along just fine. I was torn up over my parents death and she helped me get through it, making sure I was loved and cared for. Then, when I turned eighteen, she sent me here. Told me I had to get my ass out of the apartment and get a degree. I wanted to stay with her and take care of her, but she didn't want to have any of it. She basically told me to fuck off in the most nicest grandma-ish way." I laugh. "She sounds very cool." "Yeah she is." He leans against the bookshelf and crosses his arms. "Okay, now it's your turn." "Huh?" I cast him a puzzled look. "Tell me about your family." He grins. "We're supposed to be looking for books!"

Nate starts to look around and plucks up a random book from a shelf. "Here. Got one already." "Bad Boy Stole My Bra?" I snort. His eyes widen and he actually looks at the tle of the book. "Okay, not this." "You think?" I roll my eyes. Then I move to the next bookshelf. I take a book out for him. "This one's be er." "All The Light We Cannot See," He glances at the book, "What's it about?" "It's very complicated to sum it all up," I frown, "But trust me on this. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing." "Okay." Then he throws the book into the basket with the other books we had picked out. "Done. Now tell me about your family." "You can't just let it go, can you?" I smirk. "Nope." He shakes his head, smiling. "Alright, then." I say, "My parents are the co-founders of Woods and Co." "I've heard of their company," He nods his head. "Yeah. The company's kind of famous. Anyways, my parents are not the typical parents you would normally have. They used to be, but a er business had bloomed, they became workaholics. Some mes, I barely see them for days. So I'm mostly alone all the me." I say. "That's... unfortunate." He pouts his lips. "It's okay. I had Cara with me. She was the one who had taken care of me throughout my last few years of high school. She's my family."

"It's nice how you have her to look out for you." He says, "She's really cool. Now that you're not... living with her anymore, I some mes find myself at her apartment, making light conversa on with her. You guys are really ght, huh? She talks about you all the me." Maybe because she just wants you to get involved with me, I think silently. Oh, Cara. I laugh. "She's cool. I love her. She can be crazy at mes, but I love her." We go around the bookshop for a li le longer, looking at books and picking out the best ones. Our basket is already full from the piles of books we currently have. I ask Nate if he's okay buying this much, and he says it's fine. "You know, I no ce you don't talk about Daniel a lot," He looks down. "He is your fianc�, a er all. Are you guys... okay?" I am a li le bit taken aback by his ques on. Daniel and I... are we ever okay? "He's fine. We're fine." I force a smile on my face. "No really. We're cool. It's just... engagement stuff, you know? Gets the both of us... you know, stressed out." At least that's half the truth. "Alex, I know I haven't been suppor ve of you and your engagement, but I want you to know that I'm okay with it." He says, in low honeyed tones, "I've seen the both of you together on campus. You guys look good together. He really has... changed a er he met you." "Really?" Now I'm confused. "How can you tell?" "The way his gaze sort of lingers on you when you aren't looking. Or that smirk he has on the pick up girls, but he now only does it to you. It's nice

how you bring out the be er side of him. The one that I never saw before." I don't know if Nate is bullshi ng or not. "Sure, he probably hasn't changed a lot, but it's... progress." Nate says, "He's lucky to have someone like you." I don't know what to say. I only nod. A er we pay for the books, the both of us leave the bookstore. We head towards Nate car, and before we get in, he takes my hand and pulls me to him. I gasp at the suddenness of his ac on. He merely grins. "Thank you for accompanying me today." "No problem," I reply, breathless. "See?" He says, "We can totally do platonic. It's no big deal." "Yeap. No big deal." I echo his words, but somehow I know it isn't the truth. It's far from it. And I think Nate knows it too.

21. Twenty - "We're Supposed To Be Happy and In Love." Don't forget to vote and comment! A er Nate sends me back to the penthouse (I couldn't invite him in, because you know... rules), I rush straight to my room before Daniel can see me. But, before I can close the door, his foot comes up and jams it. I sigh. Reluctantly, I open the door. "Where the fuck have you been?" Daniel leans by the side of my door frame, his jaw set in a hard line. "Nowhere," I scowl and try to close the door again. He pushes it away. Now, his eyes literally glowed red. "Wrong answer. I'm going to ask you one more me: Where the fuck have you been?" He's so angry his nostrils might as well be flaring right now. I roll my eyes. I might as well just tell him where I've been. There is no point trying to hide it. "I was out with Nate, okay?" He clenches his jaw, his eyes hardening. I put out a hand to stop him. "Before you can say anything, you said I could hang out with him if it was totally platonic!" "Doesn't feel very platonic to me if you had to hide it from me!" He raises his voice. "I wasn't trying to hide it from you." I say, but him and I both know that's a lie. "Bullshit," he sneers. "Whatever. Don't believe me. Not my problem," I murmur.

He huffs. "I can't believe it. All this while, I thought that Nate was the one who was going to jeopardize our engagement, but I finally realize it's not him. It's you." "Me." I say, bewildered. "You. You have feelings for Nate that you can't control," His eyes flash red. "You like him. Or you wouldn't have tried to hide the fact that you went out with him. Let me make this perfectly clear for you, Alex. Keep your shit together when you're around him, or you're going to blow this whole thing up and end up throwing us both into the deep end." I look down shamefully. Because I know that Daniel's right. "Can you do that? Or do you have a problem with the rules we've set? Because you're pre y damn close to breaking one of them." He says. I remember the rule. Don't get involved with other people. I close my eyes and nod. "Good." He seems pleased. "Now go get dressed. We have guests arriving in an hour." I roll my eyes and finally manage shut the door at his face. I try not to let whatever Daniel had said get to me. Nope. Not going to let his words sink into me. It takes me about half an hour for me to get ready. Ten minutes to hop into the shower and cleanse myself. Five minutes to towel myself off. Two minutes to slip on the dress that I had bought earlier today. Another five minutes to put on my shoes and my necklace. And eight minutes to quickly smack on some lips ck and blush. A er I put on the finishing touches on my face, I glance at my reflec on in the mirror. Not as hot as how I looked on the Charlize Matson show, but at

least I look presentable. Grabbing my purse, I head down the staircase, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor. As I'm walking down the stairs, the hustle and bustle of ac vity grows more obvious and the voices of people mingling gets louder. When I finally set my eyes on the party, my eyes widen. Damn. Chandeliers hang on the high ceilings, cas ng an elegant light on the guests who are seen laughing, as if unaware of the luxurious spread around them. The men are all dressed in tailored suits that fi ed them well and the women wear dresses adorned with lace, silk, velvet and all sorts of fabric that had to be way beyond Chanel worthy. Not to men on their jewelry which sparkle and garnish the scene. "Wow." This is definitely a Kerrington-worthy engagement party. My eyes search for Daniel, and I find him wai ng for me at the staircase, looking up to me. He wears a beau ful tuxedo, as if fi ed especially just for him. Most of his anger has vanished from his face, and now he looks fine. Not smiling, but not scowling either. His stormy blue eyes trace every movement of mine as I make my way down the stairs. When I reach the end, he reaches out to take my hand and kisses it. As much as I hate him right now, I can't deny that my skin ngles from his kiss. Why does he have that effect on me? Why why why? Then, he pulls me towards him and takes a good look at me. "You clean up nicely." "You don't look so bad yourself," I manage to say. He leans closer to me, his breath hot against my ear. I can feel his anger radia ng from his mouth. "I'm s ll mad at you."

"You're always mad at me." I counter back. "True. But this me, I'm furious. Because you fucked up," He bends lower, his lips grazing my cheek, "I guess I shall have to let the anger slide just for tonight. Don't want people ques oning me for staring at you like I want to kill you." I narrow my eyes at him. "Remember, we're supposed to be happy and in love." I snort. "I'm serious, Alex. So play along." I pull away from him, plastering the fakest smile on my face. "As you wish, baby." He quickly kisses my cheek, and weave his fingers with mine. "Follow me." Then, we walk into the crowd together. It parts for us, all eyes trained on Daniel and I. I feel the nervousness bubbling inside of me, but when Daniel squeezes my hand, it slowly goes away. Knowing that he's beside me, makes me feel like I'm not the only one going through with this alone. A few of the guests smile at me, and I do the same to them, even though I don't exactly know them. Because I ran through all their faces with Daniel two days before, I can see some familiar faces. I spot Mr. Kerrington wai ng for us by the main door, his hands clasped together in front of him. When he sees us, he waves us over. He puts on a friendly face, definitely a contrast from how he looked the first me I saw him. "Alexandria," He greets me, and he kisses my other hand, "You look ravishing tonight." "Thank you," I mumble back.

He turns to Daniel and his smile disappears. "Daniel." "Father." He nods back. "How are you enjoying the party?" "I like it," Harry looks around and nods in approval, "You made the penthouse look like a mansion. I'm proud of the both of you." Daniel doesn't answer, and I can tell he doesn't like talking to his father. I don't know why, but I'm guessing something has happened between the both of them. I'm not sure whether I should ask him about it. Maybe not. Harry turns to me now, smiling. "Alexandria. I'm glad to hear that you're holding the end of your deal." I shi uncomfortably. "How is Woods and Co doing?" "Fine." He replies, "with the help of my loan, they're doing just nicely. Keep up the fa�ade and the company will be doing just fine, even without my loans." Well. A er talking to Harry, we mingle around for the rest of the night, talking to more guests, and exchanging brief conversa ons with them. Eventually Daniel and I separate. I talk to some of Harry's business associates -boy, that was uncomfortable- and some of his rela ves. They compliment me on my ou it, and ask me what the future holds for Daniel and I. I give them the same answer, every me. "We're just going with the flow, see how everything goes," I smile, "But no doubt it will be an adventure." Finally, (finally!) Cara decides to grace me with her presence. She arrives an hour late, of course, wearing a drop dead gorgeous red gown with a slit along the side. With her blonde hair curled and pushed to the side, she looks amazing. I watch as she parts the crowd, her face beaming when she

sees me. She prac cally jumps on me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. "You look AMAZEBALLS." She compliments me. I grin. "Thanks, Cara. Apparently it's couture." I twirl around, le ng my dress flow around me. "Everything these days is couture." She rolls her eyes. "God, I need to get drunk tonight." I instantly grab two glasses from a waiter passing by us. "Here. Champagne." "Shall we toast?" She asks. I li an eyebrow. "To what?" "To life!" She exclaims, "Or fake fianc�s-" "Shhhhhh! Cara!" I slap her arm, "You're not supposed to say that!" She lts the champagne glass and drinks up the whole thing, "Oops." I drag her to the side of the living room, and cast her an annoyed look. "Cara... did you drink before you came here?" She pouts. "Weeeellll...." "How much?" I cross my arms. She pinches her fingers together. "Just a weeeee bit." Christ. "Cara!" She's supposed to be the responsible one of our li le duo!

"I'm sorry!" She frowns, "It's been a while since I got psy, and I couldn't wait un l the party." If she's drunk, it will mean she may accidentally expose to everyone that our engagement is a sham. There's reporters swarming everywhere! I can't take any chances. "Cara, I don't think you can be here." I whisper. "If you accidentally tell someone that our engagement is fake-" "I WON'T!" She shrieks. "I'm your besssst friend! I would nnneever do that!" "I know, but you're drunk, and who knows what might come out of your mouth?" I hiss. "I can't risk that." Her face falls, and I know she's hurt. "Are you kicking me out?" Just as I am about to answer, Daniel pops up behind me. "Alex? What are you doing hiding at the corner of the room?" I almost jump. "Jesus." He grins, "Nope. It's just me. Although I may have been called that among other names during sex-" "I cannot handle this right now." I walk away from him, bringing along Cara with me. "Okay, I'm sorry, sweetheart," He nudges my shoulder. "I may have drank a li le bit too much." I am definitely not equipped to handle two drunk idiots right now. "You think?" I glare at him. But he's not looking at me anymore. He's looking at my best friend. He reaches for her. "Hello, there. Who are you?"

My best friend squints her eyes. "Cara." He glances at me. "Your best friend, right?" I don't answer. He has all the confirma on he needs. He kisses her hand lightly and his eyes brighten. "A pleasure to meet you, Cara." "Shoo away, Daniel Kerrington," She twists her head so she's not looking at him. "What's her deal?" He's facing me now, confused as ever. "She's really drunk," My hold on her wrist ghtens. "I need to get her to my room." "Why?" Cara decides to bu in at the worst moment. "So I won't blurt out her secret!" Now that catches Daniel's a en on. "WHAT?" Oh boy. I'm in deep trouble now. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone!" Cara's words slur. She wobbles a li le bit, and I manage to catch her before she falls to the floor. "That your engagement with Alex is..." Then, she lowers her voice, "Fake." Daniel's eyes murder me. "Okay, she doesn't know what she's talking about," I force a laugh at Daniel, "I'm going to take her upstairs and lock her in my room so she won't say anything." I quickly rush up the stairs, with Cara trailing along behind me. She misses a step and almost ends up tumbling to the ground. Daniel catches her arm

and manages to stabilize her. When I finally got her in my room, I heave a sigh. She stumbles unto the bed, her hands splayed wide. "Stay here, alright?" I warn her. "Don't go anywhere." "Boo. You're no fun," She whines, s cking her tongue out. "You'll thank me when the night is over." I sigh before closing the door. Just when I am about to go down, Daniel yanks on my hand. "Not so fast, sweetheart." "What?" I say, frustrated. "You told Cara that our engagement is a sham?" He ques ons me, "I can't believe you can be that stupid!" "Hey!" I almost yell. "First off, Cara's my best friend. I can't hide anything from her, even if I wanted to. And I had to tell her! I came home that weekend a er I found out and I broke into tears. She found me and demanded to know what happened. I had to...tell her." "God, Alex," He runs his fingers through his gelled up hair, "I can't believe you told someone about it." "I didn't have a choice!" "You are really ge ng on my nerves, Alex," He shakes his head, "First Nate, now Cara. What are you trying to do? It's like your begging for this whole deal to be over. Do you want that? Huh? For your parents?" I keep my mouth shut. "I'm not even mad. Now I'm just disappointed." He says. "I thought you would have thought this through. A er all, your parents company is on the line because of what you've done!" I gasp slightly.

"You already screwed up twice. Don't let there be a third strike." He warns me. "I'm sorry," I murmur. "I didn't mean it." Daniel's right. He's absolutely right. I did screw up. Big me. With Nate and with Cara. What if I hadn't find Cara drunk tonight? She would have just blurted out our secret and the whole fa�ade would just come crumbling down. All because I told her. And in the end, it would be my fault. Why why why is he always right? He sighs, le ng out some of his anger. "Sweetheart..." His eyes lock with mine. We just stare at each other for what seems like a really long me, neither of us saying anything. My breath hitches up. I don't know why I do it- maybe I'm just so flustered, or my emo ons are running all over the place- but I do what I never thought I would ever do. I hug Daniel. He seems so taken aback by it. His hands just stay frozen by his sides, but a er a while, his stance eases and his arms wrap around me, holding me together just when I'm about to break. He buries his nose against my neck, breathing me on. His body warms me, envelopes me in some kind of bubble I never want to get out of. When we embrace, it's as if our emo ons mirror, and we feel whatever each other is feeling. His fury radiates from his body, but instead of me pulling away from it, I catch the feeling and I numb it for him. He slowly relaxes, sighing as he ghtens his hold on my waist. This is the first me we have ever been this close together. And as much as that thought disgusted me a week ago, I now think that it isn't such a bad idea a er all.

"I'm sorry," He says a er a while, "I would have done the same thing if I was in your situa on. Cara's your best friend. She's bound to figure it out one-way or another. Hell, I'm pre y sure Simon knows that it's fake." I retreat from him, but smiling. "Thanks." He cups my cheek and grins, "No problem, sweetheart." I reluctantly pull away from him and wrap my arms around my body. "I should..." "Yeah. Um." Now the awkwardness floats in the air surrounding us, and the both of us are le confused as to what has just happened. Did I actually just hug Daniel? Whoa. "Yeah." I echo. "I'll just..." He doesn't stop me when I walk down the stairs without him. I am greeted again by the huge crowd in front of me, most of them congratula ng me of my engagement. I plaster on my biggest smile and thank everyone for coming, telling them how happy I am for them to be here. But my mind is elsewhere... Something strange happened when I embraced Daniel. And I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or a really really bad thing. I'm not sure whether I want to find out. I didn't realize I had bumped into someone un l I hear them make a grun ng noise. "I'm so sorry-" I start off, but my words immediately die down when I realize who it is.

"Alexandria?" The familiar voice sounds. No it's not him, it's not them. "Alex!" the other voice rings in my ears. "Is that you?" I gulp. I want to escape, but I can't. It's me to face them. It's me to face my parents. ______ A/N: Thanks to Yi Mei for the lovely party descrip on! And thank you so much for the beau ful 1.05k views and 100 votes! You have no idea how happy seeing that last night made me! It's such an accomplishment for me because I've been only on Wa pad for one month plus! This chapter is dedicated to everyone who follows my story ;) And let me know what you guys think of this chapter! I love the Alex and Daniel moment! *girlie squeals*. What about you?

22. Twenty One - "Let It Happen." Remember to vote and comment! My en re body goes on full lockdown mode, my hands and legs turning to stone. I find it almost impossible to turn around to face them. I move inch by inch, my breathing coming out in ragged breaths. When I finally lay eyes on them, the en re crowd vanishes, and now it's just my parents and I. I am definitely not prepared for this. But since when I'm ever prepared for anything? Take a look at the past three hours alone. I hung out with Nate in the coffee shop and bought some books with him at the bookstore. Then, when I came home, Daniel gave me a lecture on that. Then, I find Cara drunk on her ass and lock her in my room. A er that, I hugged Daniel. I actually hugged him. Definitely the weirdest day I had in a long me. Now, my parents are right in front of me and I have no choice but to face them. "Alex," My mum calls out to me. She's wearing a beau ful blue blouse and a black pencil skirt, no doubt her office wear. She, along with my dad, must have just came straight from the office to the party. Of course. "Hello." "Uh, hi." I don't know what else to say. "You look gorgeous," She smiles, and I think it's genuine. My eyes meet with hers and it hints of longing. "I'm surprised, I didn't know you wore these sort of dresses." I don't know why her comment makes me angry. It sparks something deep inside of me, a feeling I had compressed ever since the last me I saw my parents.

I scoff. "Well, you wouldn't know, would you? You were barely there for the past three years of my life." Her body immediately goes rigid at my response. Her thoughts probably go about the lines of 'well, fuck.' "That's no way to talk to your mother," My dad snaps at me. His cold eyes meet mine. He is expec ng me to look away, but I don't. I'm stronger than that. "You can't tell me what to do anymore, remember?" I snap back. "I said that I didn't want to speak to the both of you ever again." Mum forces a laugh, suspec ng that I'm joking about this, "You were exaggera ng, Alex. We know that now. I get it, everyone was all very tensed up from the mee ng with Harry, and you were being your snappy usual self. We didn't think you actually mean what you said." "We gave you me to calm down," My dad chimes in, "It's been two weeks, Alexandria. Don't you think it's finally me to let go of the grudge you have against us and start talking to us again?" "Listen to your father," Mum says, speaking at low tones, "I think the whole engagement thing isn't as much of a big deal as you thought it is. It's not ruining your life, is it? By the looks of this penthouse, Daniel seems to be trea ng you well-" They don't understand. My fists clench, and I'm trying to contain the whirlwind of hurt and anger that is raging in my body right now. "I don't think the both of you ever got it," I shake my head, my hands res ng against my hips, I try to keep my voice as low as possible. "It's not just about the engagement, for god's sake! I know the both of you think I'm being stupid and bra y for overreac ng about that. Sure, the whole

engagement thing sucked donkey ass. I had to sell three years of my life away- I can't date, I can't be seen with anyone else, and I have Daniel and my reputa on to keep. Yeah, those things really sucked. But you know what sucked real bad? That the both of you actually went behind my back to arrange this whole thing without telling me. That betrayal really s ngs. It made me wonder how much you even cared about me in the first place." "Of course we care about you, Alex!" My mum pleads, "You know we do! How can you even say that?" I glare at her. How can she be any oblivious to this? She's my mother. But she never really has been, hasn't she? She knows li le about me. "You were barely at home ever since the business started to bloom! It's like I never even existed in your lives anymore. Poof. Gone. Just like that. I felt neglected, unwanted. A teenager shouldn't have to feel like that ever. But the both of you acted like you couldn't even give two shits about me." My dad opens his mouth to protest but I shush him. "And don't say that you guys cared by buying me things! Those were material things. I didn't want any of that." My voice starts to break already and I realise I'm about to cry. So many emo ons hit me, and if I stay here any longer, I think I might break down. My dad frowns at me, as if sensing me. He rubs the part above his heart in a circular mo on, as if he's in pain too. "I wanted the both of you to be my real parents, "I force a smile, "Parents who asked how I was doing and gave me advice when I felt conflicted. Parents who woke up to make me breakfast and tell me corny jokes that I could care less about but secretly like. Parents who got mad at me when I drank beer-" "You drank beer?" My dad's eyes hardens. "Thats- that's not the point," I shake my head. "The point is, when I really needed you both, you weren't there."

Silence falls upon my parents. The truth has finally dawned upon them, a er so long. I feel a li le bit sa sfied now. "Mum and dad, you cut me out of your lives a long me ago," I say, my voice dry, "Now, it's my turn to cut you out of my life." And then, I walk away. But before I get too far from them, I turn back and add something. "Oh, and please don't try to contact me. It's be er that... I'm to be le alone." ****** Needing some fresh air, I step outside the first floor balcony and pressed my hands against the railing. I take a few breaths to calm myself down. It's not working. I think I've been trying to use that tac c for so long that my brain decides that I need a new one. My eyes wander from my hands to the scene in front of me. The night sky is an explosion of stars. It lights up the night as well as a li le bit of my spirits. The air is s ll and heavy, and the clouds a empt to blot out the stars, but they s ll manage to shine anyway. Now I'm finally alone, alone with my own thoughts. I want to dive myself into them, recalling what had just happened and how do I feel about it. But when I a empt to do so, I just feel and see nothing. Maybe it's because I'm just so sick and red of it. I'm red. I'm red of wondering if I'm doing the wrong thing or if I'm making the right choice. I'm red of everything. Everything. I get so much shit, and I'm red of it.

"You okay?" A voice startles me. I yelp. A red haired guy stands in front of me, his hazel eyes trained on mine. He wears a white tuxedo, but he doesn't look very comfortable in it. He waves his hand over my face and pouts. "Hello?" I shake my head and try to form words. "Yeah. I'm- I'm fine." "You don't look fine." He comments, then stands beside me, gazing out from the balcony. "Just trying to escape from that," I gesture to the party, "It's a li le bit too much for me." He nods. Then, it goes silent. "Um..." My voice so ens, "What's your name?" He glances at me briefly. "Simon." Simon Simon SimonSimon. Daniel's best friend. The guy who plays computer games and never likes to socialise. Oh. "I know you," I say, "You're Daniel's best friend. I've heard so much about you." One side of his lips curve into a smile. He doesn't say anything. "I'm Alex, his fianc�," I s ck out my hand and he reluctantly shakes it, "Nice to meet you." He nods.

"So what are you doing out here?" I ask. "Same reason why you're out here." He mu ers, "To escape." "Not your scene?" He shakes his head no. "Sooooo.... Have you seen Daniel yet?" I ques on him. "Yeah. For a while," He joins his hands together and leans against the balcony, "He's really busy." "Yeah." I nod. "I think he was looking for you," He notes. I sigh. "I really don't want to be found right now." He nods again. What is with this guy and his nods, and head shakes? The silence between us now is overbearing and I really can't stand it. If this is Daniel's best friend, I really want to know more about him. That is if he wants to talk to me. I prop my elbows on the railing and face him. "How long have you been best friends with Daniel?" He li s up two fingers. "Cool," I say, "How did you guys meet?" He doesn't answer. "Simon?"

Suddenly, he tears his gaze away from the sky and his eyes lock with mine. There is so much intensity in them that I almost take a step back. "Can I tell you something?" He asks. "Yeah. Sure. I guess." I reply. He takes a deep breath. "Alex, I know you're only asking me ques ons because you're avoiding something more important," He tells me, and I'm almost shocked by the number of words he has just spoke to me. "Excuse me?" I blink at him. He shakes his head, "You're hurt inside, and I can see it. You aren't that good in hiding your emo ons. I think you should talk to someone about itmaybe Daniel, since you two are forced to be engaged to each other anyways." I widen my eyes. "You know." "Of course I know, he's my best friend," he rolls his eyes, "And I also know that the both of you aren't quite so different at all. Maybe its me the both of you know that and actually talk to each other instead of the usual bantering you guys normally do." "How do you know-" "I'm quite an observant guy on campus and I some mes eavesdrop on your conversa ons- and no, I'm not going to apologise for doing so," he li s his shoulders, "Yeah. So take my advice, Alex. Talk to Daniel. You may not know this, but he's hur ng too. The both of you can really help each other out, if you guys let it happen." I am at loss for words at the amount he has just said to me. Daniel? Hurt? If he is hur ng, he does a pre y good job at hiding it. But... why is Daniel hurt? I am about to ask Simon, but I have a feeling I should

find out on my own. I'm star ng to get why Daniel calls Simon his best friend. Even though he's quiet, and doesn't talk much, he understands you and tells you things you don't want to hear, but things you need to know. I smile at him, "Daniel is lucky to have a best friend like you." He nods, and then, he goes back to his usual, quiet self. We stand together in silence, not talking. There are no more words to be said. I can hear his words echo in my head, and I keep them at the back of my mind, knowing that one day I will need it. Suddenly the balcony doors fly open and Daniel stands there, looking straight at me. I search for the hurt that Simon has men oned in his face... but nothing. Damn, he's good. "I've been looking for you everywhere," He approaches me, his eyes hard. "Why did you disappear- oh hey, Simon." Simon shrugs. Daniel has his a en on fixed on me again, and he nudges my shoulder, "Come on, Alex. Let's go." "What are we doing now?" I ask him as I let him drag me away from Simon. His casts me a toothy grin. "Party's ge ng boring as hell. We're going to entertain them for a bit." I arch my eyebrows. "By doing what?" He presses a small kiss on my forehead and whispers, "We're going to dance."

23. Twenty Two - "Do You Trust Me?" Daniel leads me downstairs, where the guests have start to move aside and make space for dancing. The music starts to play, a so melody that sings in my ears. I look around but see that no one has approached the dance floor yet. This makes me frown a li le. Daniel glances at me, a mischievous smile playing on the edge of his lips. "Let's dance, sweetheart." I bite my lip. "But... I don't know how to dance." It's true. Reading and wri ng, I can do. With my eyes closed. But dancing? Hell to the no. "Everyone can dance," He urges me as the crowd part for us. I'm star ng to get a bit nervous. I force a laugh. "Not me. Please don't make me do this." "Come on, it'll be fun," He winks. "You said the exact same thing when you made me drink tequila, and do you remember where that got me?" I hiss. "In your bed with a major hangover! I'm not falling for your 'come on, it'll be fun's again!" He pulls me to him, closing the distance between us. I gasp slightly, suddenly aware of how close we are. He presses his forehead to mine, his breath leaving him fast and hot. "Yes, you are." "Excuse me?" I say, breathless. Daniel grins again, and presses a light kiss on my cheek before turning away from me. I blink, confused as to what has just happened. He steps forward, and raises his voice, catching everyone's a en on. "Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your a en on please?"

What the hell is he doing? Every single pair of eyes are trained on him. "I hope all of you have enjoyed yourselves immensely tonight." He says, "My fiance, Alex and I would like to thank you for joining us in the celebra on of our engagement." His eyes snap to mine, and nudge me to come forward. Reluctantly, I take a step. He takes me by my waist, and even though he's not exactly touching my skin, I feel hot from his touch. "With that said, we would want everyone to join us by closing this lovely night... with a dance." As if on cue, the music rises. He's now looking at me as he takes my hand. "Shall we?" "You son of a bitch," I mu er. "Don't be ha ng on me now, sweetheart," He whispers, "I'm about to rock your world." Then, he drags me to the dance floor. My heart slams against my chest, telling me that this isn't a good idea at all. My mind's telling me to abort mission, abort mission right nowHe slides his hand in mine and twirls me around as we proceed to the middle of the dance floor. I almost want to die of a heart a ack. Finally, we reach to the centre, with Daniel's hands on my waist, and mine slowly making their way to his shoulders. I feel the gazes of a hundred guests burning at the back of my body. I gulp, and level my gaze with Daniel. He wears a smirk on his lips, watching me. Wondering what I'm going to do next. "Please tell me you know how to dance," I murmur, "Otherwise, everyone will be laughing their asses off when they watch us make a fool of ourselves."

"That won't happen," He tells me, "I won't. You just have to trust me." I nod, because I can't say anything. His eyes search mine. "Do you? Do you trust me?" Somehow, I feel like there's a double meaning to what he has just said. "Y-yes," I stammer. The musicians begins, the cha ering hushed, and Daniel begins to move. To my surprise, he is actually a good dancer. Not as skilled as a professional, but decent enough for me to know that we won't fuck up. He sweeps me along the dance floor, guiding me about corners, flowing perfectly with the music. Who knew Daniel can dance? I definitely have to add that to my list of random facts I learnt about him. Feeling the need to be closer to him, I press into him, my cheek on his collar and taking a few deep breaths. It smells of cologne and fresh linen. A er a while, the dancing slows down, and I feel Daniel's cheek pressing the top of my head. His lips touches my hair. Well then. Soon, other couples start to join us on the dance floor, swaying and moving to the beau ful tune. I feel sort of grateful now that it's not just the both of us. My arms ghten around Daniel's as he does the same on my waist. He looks down at me, grinning like a mad man. "What?" I say. "Say it, I'm an awesome dancer." He tells me playfully. "In your dreams, Kerrington." I roll my eyes, and lean against his shoulder sighing.

There is something very comfor ng about this moment, something that I've never experienced before. The feeling wraps around me, consuming me, deligh ng me. My troubles and worries start to slip away Away Away Into nothing. Un l it's just Daniel and I. He brushes a thin strand of hair away from my face, and his fingers linger on my cheek. As if on ins nct, I lean into it, craving his touch. His touch lights up my en re body, sending a rush of adrenaline through me. I can't believe I admi ed that. "You're not doing so bad," He notes as he twirls me around again. "You should see me in ballet class." I laugh. "You did ballet?" He prods, baffled. As if the thought of me being a ballerina is the weirdest thing ever. "Yep." I nod. "Whoa. I never pictured you being a ballerina at all. With the whole tutu and ballet flats going on-" "I agree," I li my shoulders, "I hated the tutus. Drove me crazy. That's why I stopped." "Because of the tutu." He smirks. "Because of the fucking tutu." I correct him.

The music starts to slow down, and suddenly, I don't want to leave the dance floor. I want to be in that moment again, but Daniel's grip on me as started to loosen. My waist feels empty without his arms around me. "Sweetheart?" "Hmm?" "You're arms are s ll around me." Flushed with embarrassment, I recoil from him. "Oh." The guests start to clap as the music ends, filling my ears with cheers. As the night progresses, guests slowly start to leave, congratula ng Daniel and I once again for the engagement. I see the reporters checking their cameras for footage of tonight, and have this sickening feeling as I realise they're most probably going to air it on television tomorrow. I search around for my parents, but they are no where to be found. They must have le already, without telling me goodbye. Somehow, that hurts. Mr. Kerrington is the last to leave, of course. He pulls me to the side and tells me I did a good job today. "Thanks, I guess." I mumble. "Keep it up, Alexandria." He slips his hands into his pockets, "And I'll see to it that Woods & Co is back on top again." "Right. Of course." Then, he disappears. A li le a er midnight, all the musicians and the caterers have packed up and gone, and now our place is empty once again. I stand in the living room, somehow loss for words. Tonight is definitely a handful.

Some memories are bad. Some are good. "So tonight was a success," Daniel's voice echoes through out the living room. A warm smile appears on my face. "Definitely." "Did you enjoy the party?" He asks me as we plop ourselves unto the couch. I manage to get my heels out and now my feet are res ng on top of the coffee table. "It was okay," I pout. "So it would have been great... if it weren't for your parents?" He asks. I freeze. How does he know about that? "I overheard your conversa on just now with them," He says like he read my mind, "Sorry." "No it's fine..." I lean against the pillows, "I.. don't know what to say." "I didn't know you had troubles with your parents." "You don't know a lot of things about me, Kerrington." I heave a sigh. "That doesn't mean I don't want to know. I'm curious about what happened with your parents." I prop my elbow on the pillow and face him, "There's not much to say. My parents... they're difficult people. They've had their heads wrapped up in the business world for so long that even I can't connect with or even talk to them anymore." He sighs, and props his legs on the coffee table beside me too. "Yeah. My dad too."

"I can tell. Your dad is one scary ass motherfucker when it comes to doing business." That earned a throaty laugh from Daniel. "You have no idea, Alex. No idea." I start to stand up, and Daniel casts me a curious look. "We need to have a toast." I come back from the kitchen with two bo les of beer. I hand him one bo le and he helps me open the cap. He li s his bo le up. "To the engagement party." "And to shi y parents!" I add. Then, our bo les clink. I lt the bo le up, and cold beer rushes into my mouth. The silence pours into the air. I gulp down the beer. "We need music." Daniel gestures to the right side of the television. "I have some albums over there. You can go check them out." I walk over to the shelf, examining all of this albums. I roll my eyes when I see one of them. "Really? Des ny's Child?" He doesn't say anything. "God, you're such a girl." I scan through the rest of the albums. Then I pick one up. "Now that's what I'm talking about," I smile, "The Beatles. Classic." "Put it on." He nods to the disc player. As soon as I place the disc in, 'Hey Jude' starts to play, making me sway my hips a li le.

"This song is awesome," I gush. "You know what?" Daniel tells me. "I'm taking out my guitar." He disappears into his room for a li le while, and I hear rustling from his underneath his bed. He materialises a few second laters, his jacket off, his sleeves rolled, and the guitar strapped over his body. If there's anything that beats Daniel looking hot as hell, is Daniel looking hot as hell with his guitar. When he approaches me, his lips twitch with humor. Just as the song starts to hit the bridge, Daniel strums to it too. "Na... na na na na na na! Na na na na... Hey Judeeee!" he sings. It's terrible. I bark out a laugh. "You're a horrible singer!" "Na na na na na na na! Don't... Careeee!" He sings even louder now, off sync to the song. My hands fly over to my ears, "Please stop!" I laugh so loud I'm star ng to get a sore throat. A er a while, Daniel makes me turn the music off so he can play the guitar without the distrac on. "You just want your moment to shine," I tease him. "Let me serenade you, sweetheart!" "In your fucking dreams, Kerrington. Go serenade your dick." He chuckles, and then strums again. This me, it's a low, slower tune, something that calms the atmosphere around us.

I shi my posi on so my legs are propped beneath me, and I watch as Daniel leans against the edge of the couch, his eyes closed like he's feeling the song within him. "Is this a song... you wrote?" I prod. His electric blue eyes find mine, and slowly, he nods. I lie against the pillows again, his beau ful tune ringing in my ears. He now takes his place on the couch, his legs splayed open, his fingers moving against the head of the guitar. "It's nice," I comment a er he finishes the song. "It's really good. Do you have any lyrics?" "Yeap. But I'm not done with it yet." He tells me as he sets his guitar down, "S ll needs that extra oomph, you know?" "I get you. Same goes for wri ng." I tell him. He sighs. "It's been five years since I played that guitar." My ears shoot up. "What?" I assumed he hasn't played it in a while, but I didn't think it would be five years. "Yeah. A er..." His voice trails off. "Nevermind." "No. Tell me." I nudge him. "A er what?" "I haven't played the guitar a er my mom died." Christ. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Daniel." I frown. "I didn't know."

"It's fine. I'm over it," He waves me off. "She didn't die in pain, so I'm grateful for that." "S ll, that's something really huge to get over," I say. "How was she like? Your mother?" Daniel's eyes light up. "She was beau ful. Kind. Loving. Told me that I should always pursue my dreams." He smiles to himself when he says that, "you know she was a painter. She didn't care if the pay was shit. She just kept on pain ng because she loved doing that and it made her happy. It.. made me happy." I lay my head down, beside his. "She sounds wonderful." "She is," He says, dry and hoarse. "Well, she was." "No don't say that," I lightly brush my hand against him, "She will always be alive. In your heart. Don't ever forget that." I will never know what Daniel had gone through when he lost his mother. It must have been excrucia ng to loose someone you loved like that. "Alright," He lets out a shaky breath, and his eyes start to dri close. "Tired?" He answers, "Very." "Want to call it a night?" I start to get up from the couch but he pulls me back. "No." He brings me down, and I'm now leaning against his chest. I'm stunned by his gesture, but I don't say anything. We're now lying on the couch together, our legs tangled together in a mess. I hear the unsteady breathing from his chest, and my hands slightly touch his white bu on down shirt, tracing his arms. "I'll tell you more about her someday..." He murmurs so ly.

"I'd like that." He smiles redly. "Good night, sweetheart." "Good night, Kerrington." And then we dri into darkness together. _______ A/N: Finally! An Alex and Daniel moment! I was star ng to get restless. HAHAHHA. Anyways, what do you guys think of this chapter? Perhaps the start of their brand new friendship? NAH. Alex is too stubborn to even call it a friendship. Stay tuned for more Alex and Daniel! :) thank you for the 1.4K views!

24. Twenty Three - "Pancakes? Pancakes." I wake up to Daniel Kerrington's huge arms circling around me. We're on the huge couch, with him against the cushions, wrapped around me. We're s ll wearing the exact same clothes as last night. My black gown is bunched up underneath me, but I make no a empt to do something about it. Somehow, a blanket has been draped over the both of us, so I'm guessing he had go en up to do that just so we can keep warm. That's... nice of him. Wow. Daniel Kerrington being nice. Never thought I would see the day. I shi slightly, so I'm now facing him instead of having my back towards him. Daniel is beau ful when he sleeps. His face is so relaxed, so peaceful. His eyes are quiet, flu ering slightly. His cheeks are a slight shade of pink and his lips are drawn into a long, thin bow. I have never seen Daniel like this before. There is always a certain hard emo on flickering in his face, whether if he's mad at me, or the hint of arrogance that laces him as well as his words. Now, when he sleeps, I don't see anything at all. He's just so calm. And I like it. Somehow, my hand acts on his own and start to brush against his face, tracing his jaw. My touch is light, feathery, so I don't wake him up. A er a while, I stop doing what I'm doing and just stare at him, trying to memorise every single inch of his face. A month ago, I would have probably threw up at the mere thought of sleeping beside him, looking at him. But now... It's weird. I feel weird.

Daniel's eyes slowly open. I hold my breath and watch him. His eyes lingers on my face, and I feel so vulnerable because it's like he's doing the exact same thing I was doing to him just seconds ago. Staring at me. Tracing me. Memorising me. A lazy grin starts to grow on his face. "Morning, sweetheart," He drawls as he touches my hair. "Morning." I smile back. Something shi s in the air, something unfamiliar yet welcoming. I think it has been there ever since last night, and I s ll can't quite put my finger on it. "So..." He says, his voice low and husky, "how was it? Sleeping with me? I've been told I change many women's lives in just a single night." "Way to ruin the mood, asshole." I slap him hard on his chest. ****** A er I dress myself in something a li le bit more decent, I head over to the kitchen. Daniel is at the stove in a black T-shirt and jeans that hang dangerously low down his hips. As if he no ces my presence in the room, he turns back and casts me a warm smile. "Pancakes?" "Pancakes." I moan because my mouth is already watering from the so crackle of the pan over the stove. Daniel chuckles. "You love my pancakes."

I slide into one of the seats beside the island table, and lean my head over my hands. "Is it just me or does that actually sound a li le bit dirty?" He grins at me. "You're naughty this morning, sweetheart." He flips the pancake into the air and it lands directly on the plate he's holding in his other hand. He hands me the plate and I pour maple syrup over it. Then, I fork some of the pancakes into my mouth. I roll my eyes. "I'm just saying." "So... is pancakes like a metaphor for my balls?" I spit out the pancakes. "Ewwww! That's disgus ng!" I cough out. "I'm just saying." He mocks me. Damn him. "Great," I groan. "I can never EVER unsee that metaphor. Now every me I eat your pancakes, I'm just going to think of your balls." I push the plate away. He throws his head back and laughs. "That's the whole point of the metaphor, sweetheart." "I'm going to go rinse my mouth with detergent now." I announce as I head over to the kitchen sink. "Aw, come on. I'm just joking." He nudges me. "Truthfully, my balls are much more of a finer specimen than these pancakes." "Let's add one more rule to the list of rules, shall we?" I turn to him and say, "Rule number 6: Never talk about your balls. Ever." "So does this only apply to me, or the both of us?" He teases.

"I will never talk about your balls." "Have you even seen them, sweetheart?" I pretend to look down at his jeans. "They're prac cally non existent." He slaps his hand over his heart as if he's wounded by my comment. "Well that hurt." "Let's stop talking about your balls. Please. Rule number six commences right now." I walk over to the piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator and scratch the latest rule on it. "So have you seen the news today?" I ask instead, just to change the subject. "Are our engagement party pictures slapped over the magazine yet?" "I think you overes mate our popularity, sweetheart." He says as he sets his plate of pancakes down, "we may be popular, but we aren't the Kardashians. The media doesn't actually revolves around us." "Right." I say, a li le bit embarrassed. "So no news, then." "Well..." He takes out his phone and shows me a website. "There are a few." I walk over to him and li his phone so I can see it. There is a picture of Daniel and I, our arms around each other, smiling, as we dance. Daniel's looking down at me like I'm the most beau ful woman in the world or something. I suddenly wonder if he's looking at me like that because he actually means it or if it's just for the cameras. Probably just for the cameras. Nevertheless, it's a really good picture of us.

"So what are they saying about us?" I hand him back the phone. "They're saying that we could be this year's golden couple," his grins, showing his dimples. "And you said we aren't as famous as the Kardashians." I tease. "Isn't being branded 'The Golden Couple' a huge deal?" "I guess so. It would mean be er publicity," he forks some pancakes into his mouth. He licks his lips, and I swear it's the most ero c thing I have ever seen. "But I say we're fine now, minus the whole Golden Couple thing. Most of the media has now switched sides and are believing our love story. So that's good." "So no more Edgar Shermans, then." Edgar Sherman is the reporter who wrote that ugly ar cle about us that resulted in him ge ng fired by Daniel's dad. "Barely." I grab my orange juice and clink my glass against him. "Consider this a job well done." I smirk. "We should celebrate." Daniel says. "With movies and snacks." "Now?" I eye him. "Tonight." He grins. "We don't have anything to do anyway." "Okay. But we don't have snacks." I glance over to the cabinets. Ever since we moved in, none of us had the me to do some grocery shopping. The only thing we have in stock right now is a half empty carton of orange juice, one egg, flour, and and a pinch of cinnamon. Yeah. That's kind of pathe c.

"There's a Wal Mart not too far from here. We can get everything we need there." He grins. "Dibs on picking the movie." "God dammit!" I snap my fingers. "Now I have to sit through back to back episodes of Desperate Housewives. Tonight is not going to be a good night for me." "Actually... I was thinking more of the lines of an ac on movie." He smirks. "We'll see what I'm in the mood for." "Please no porn." I groan. "What do you take me for? A horny bastard?" He says, baffled. I give him the look. "Okay. Nevermind. Forget I said anything." "So are we going to go or what?" I place my plate into the sink and cross my arms. "Calm down, woman. I'm s ll ea ng." He gobbles up his pancakes. "You're a slow eater." "And you're moody. But you don't see me complaining." I bat my eyelashes at him. "Okay, I'm done." Daniel finishes the last of his orange juice and grabs his keys. "Let's go." *** We head back from Wal Mart with six bags filled to the brim with food, majority of which Daniel insists we eat tonight as celebra on. Grocery shopping with Daniel is definitely something. We stocked up a lot on vegetables because Daniel needs to have his salad. (Is he being such a girl or what?).

We also spent two hours figh ng over what type of ice cream to eat. He insisted on Ben and Jerry's while I was more inclined towards Haagen Daz. In the end, we bought separate pints, which is a win win situa on considering that I get to eat my vanilla ice cream all by myself. A er food hun ng, we went to the DVD sec on and got ourselves some movies. Since Daniel called dibs on picking out the movie, we ended up with Predator and The Godfather. Very manly movies coming from a guy who watches Desperate Housewives. We checked out at the cashier -thank god Daniel used his dad's credit card otherwise we would not be able to pay that bill at all- and manage to arrive home around 3 so we got some me to spare before dinner. A er se ng all our bags on the table, I have this sudden urge to go to my bedroom and open my laptop to con nue 'Blankets.' I start to think about Nate and how suppor ve he has been about me finishing the story. It gives me a boost of confidence knowing he's roo ng for me. And... he's right. I shouldn't be scared about finishing it and sending it to a publisher. Who knows? Maybe someone out there might really like my story. Just as I'm about to open the door to my bedroom, it flings open from inside. I come face to face with a very pissed off Cara. Her hair is in a huge mess, as if a tornado had gone through it. Part of her gown had been torn at the side, and her heels had been flung over the floor. "Oh shit." I mu er. I completely forgot about her! Suddenly what happened last night comes back to me in a whirlwind, hi ng me hard in the face. Cara's so going to kill me. "I'm so going to kill you!" She yells at me, pulling me into the bedroom. Outside I can hear Daniel shou ng my name. "Before you say anything, I just want to say I'm sorry-"

Cara whirls around to face me, her nostrils flaring and her eyes blood red. "I can't believe you locked me in your room for the en re night! You are officially the worst friend ever!" "Hey!" I say, "in my defense, you came to the party drunk as HELL, and you almost blew up our secret- the one I specifically told you to never tell anyone about!" "Well I'm sorry I got a li le bit psy at your party! I was drunk! I didn't know what I was saying!" She jus fies. "But you didn't have to lock me up in your room like some rabid dog! Are you out of your mind, Alex? Best friends don't do that!" "Best friends don't almost spill each other's secrets while they're drunk too!" I hiss. A muscle throbs along her jaw. The door bursts open and Daniel stands at the doorway, looking confused as ever. "Now's not a good me, Daniel." I hiss at him. He blinks a few mes, registering the situa on in front of him. "Cara." He addresses my best friend. "URGH." She rolls her eyes. Daniel stares at me. "Did I do something to piss her off?" "No." I sigh. "I did that all on my own." "Yeah you did," she pushes me. "Imagine my horror when I woke up to this unfamiliar bed in a very unfamiliar se ng. I thought I had been drugged or raped! Or or... sent to some kind of whore house or something!" "Huh?" I gape at her.

"You can't blame me for thinking the worst!" She raises her voice, pacing all over my room. "I couldn't remember what actually happened last night. And when I got up from the bed and took a look at the living room, I remembered. The memories of last night came rushing back to me. And I am now pissed out of my mind at you." She seethes at me. "You actually forgot about me, didn't you?" She dares me to answer, "I bet you did. The look on your face just now when I confronted you says so." "Cara." I frown. "I'm sorry. You have no idea." "Too busy sexing up to your fake fianc� over there, huh?" She fires at Daniel. Daniel starts to speak. "Okay, um Cara. I don't know you that well, but I think you need to calm down." "Calm down?" She laughs. "The guy who fought with my best friend in a restaurant three months ago is telling me to calm down." "Yes," he says, making no hint that he's bothered by the men on of our past, "I'll make you some pancakes- And yes, I do make amazing ones." Daniel winks at me. "We can talk about this in the kitchen when you're not hungry and in a bad mood. Sounds good?" I reach over for Cara. Daniel's tac c might actually work. She ponders for a while, and then asks, "Pancakes?" "Yeap." Daniel confirms. Cara looks at me, and then looks at Daniel again. She sighs. "We'll con nue this conversa on later." She glares at me before following Daniel down to the kitchen. ______ A/N: SO Cara's pissed! HAHHAA. You haven't seen her yet! She fights dirty!

25. Twenty Four - "We Are Not In A Rela onship." Yeah I know the picture doesn't exactly scream Daniel and Alex, but it's a cute picture and I'd like to think of them as cute. Remember to follow, vote and comment! A er Daniel makes Cara pancakes (he made her plenty since we already stocked up on groceries), she finally calms the fuck down. The three of us are now si ng around the table, Daniel and I watching silently as Cara finishes the last of her super late breakfast. A er she pushes the plate aside when she's done, she folds her arms over her chest and bites her lips, as if she's deciding what's her next move. Then, she faces Daniel and puts on her fakest smile yet. "Will you please leave us?" Daniel clears his throat. "Well..." I cast him a look. "You can go. I can handle this." He shrugs a whatever and then gets up to go to his room. Finally, when he's out of earshot, Cara's en re expression changes. She is now looking at me with the meanest face I've ever seen. "I can't believe you locked me in a room all night," She hissed at me. "I can't believe you almost spilled the secret!" I spit back. "If I hadn't stopped you, the whole sham would all be over! And it would be because of you." "I wasn't going to spill your fucking secret, Alex." She rolls her eyes. "What do you take me for? I'm a good best friend. Unlike you." "Excuse me?" I say, baffled. "You were drunk off your ass last night. You were this close to telling some random stranger that our engagement was

fake. Of course I had to take ac on! I'm not sorry I locked you up in my room all night if it meant keeping the secret safe!" Cara scowls. I scowl back. The next five minutes are spent on a scowling contest between Cara and I. I swear to god, this is the worst fight I've ever been in with Cara, and it isn't actually much of a fight. "Cara, just admit it. You screwed up." I eventually sigh. "I'm not going to be pissed at you about this. I just want you to know that you should have been more careful, that's all." "God damn you, Alex." Cara curses at me, "I'm not as stubborn as you. I actually admit my mistakes. I know I shouldn't have drank so much last night. But I'm more hurt than angry, and you don't even know that. I mean, do you even trust me?" "Of course I do!" I say immediately. "Otherwise I wouldn't have told you the secret in the first place." Cara frowns, and something tells me it isn't because of my response. "I don't think you told me about the secret because you wanted to, Alex. I think you told me because you didn't have a choice. I guess I didn't give you a choice, didn't I?" I clamp my mouth shut. It's true. She didn't give me much of a choice when I came home that day in tears and she demanded to know what happened. "And I get it," she con nues on, "You weren't supposed to tell anyone about the whole engagement thing being a sham and everything, and I'm

definitely no excep on. But the thing that hurts most is that you don't trust me enough to keep the secret." I don't... trust her? How can she even say that? I open my mouth to protest but she cuts me off again. "I'm your best friend, Alex. I would never ever tell your secret, whether I'm drunk or not. You of all people know that even when I'm fucking wasted, I have at least a 50 percent chance of ra onality le in my brain." I snort. "I may have let some words spill out of my mouth last night... but you know I wouldn't inten onally do that." She murmurs so ly now. "That's why I had to keep you away from the crowd before you said other things you didn't have any inten on of saying.." I say. "You swept me off to your room before I even had the chance to get my shit together and explain myself to you," She sighs, "When I was in your room, I felt really hurt and betrayed." "Christ, Cara." I reach over and entwined my fingers with hers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel that way." "You are a shi y best friend." I close my eyes and laugh. "I guess I am." She glares at me. "Instead of locking me up in your room, alone, you could have stayed with me and waited ll I sobered up." "You're right." My eyes saddened. "I could have held your hair up while you puked your guts out in the toilet." "And I could have cursed at you like an angry old woman, but I would apologise later and we would make up, cuz we're best friends and we

would never let anything break us apart." Her eyes twinkles with hope and apology. "Cara, I'm sorry. I really am." I brush my thumb against the back of her hand, "I don't want you to ever feel like I don't trust you. I do. I trust you with my life. And I guess I might have overreacted a li le bit last night." "Yeah you did," She nods, "But I guess I'm sorry too. For you know... making you think that I might actually blurt out your secret." "I fucked up." I admit. "We fucked up." She smiles. And the both of us laugh. A er we make up, I feel like I can finally breathe again. Cara's a huge part of my life, and when she got angry at me, my heart felt really empty, fearing that she might never forgive me. At least we finally got what we felt off our chests. She's finally back to her usual self, her happy, bubbly self. "So are we good?" I prod. "Because I'd hate it if we can't get past this." "We're good," Cara nods her head swi ly. "I don't think you're that much of a shi y best friend anymore." My eyes twinkle with amusement. "You stupid li le shit." I roll my eyes, laughing. "I'm your stupid li le shit," She blows a kiss towards me and I pretend to catch it, placing it in my heart. "That's.... So sweet guys," Daniel materializes from his room, pretending to be awed by our make up. He clasp his hands together in the most, notDaniel way. "Gosh, I'm so happy you guys are BFF's again!" "Fuck off, Kerrington." I li both of my hands up and show him the middle finger.

Cara bursts out laughing. "Is this how your rela onship with him is like? God, that's horrible." I turn towards her and sighs. "I know." Daniel makes his way down the steps, now in a fresh set of clothes. He's wearing a navy blue bu on down with black jeans. His hair is pulled to the side, which makes him look damn sexy. Not like I'm actually going to admit that out loud. "It's worse, actually." Daniel informs my best friend, "We even have a set of rules to dictate our en re engagement, in case you know, things get out of control." Cara raises her eyebrows at this. "Holy crap, really?" I don't know why, but my cheeks turn a slight pink. "We have the rules taped on the fridge right there," He gestures to the space in the kitchen. Almost immediately, Cara gets up from the chair and runs over the the refrigerator. She pulls out the piece of paper stuck onto the door and gasp. "This is legit?" I nod shamefully. She giggles and points at the third rule. "Don't get involved with other people." "Yeah. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the whole being engaged to each other thing if we're involved with other people." She pouts. "No chance for Nate, then." Daniel li s his head up at the men on of Nate's name. "Huh?" "Nothing!" She says to cover up what she had just said. She con nues to inspects the list again.

Her eyes scan over the rules on the paper, and then she chuckles. "Never talk about Daniel's balls? How the hell did that rule even come to pass?" "Well..." Daniel smirks as he leans against the counter top. "Let's not talk about it, please." I force a small laugh. "What? Is his balls not good enough for you?" Cara casts me a pointed look. My mouth hangs open. A low laugh rumbles from the back of Daniel's throat. "I... what?" I am at loss for words. "She's never seen them before." Daniel points out. "WHAT?" Cara shrieks, making my ears almost bleed. "Wait... You guys haven't even had sex yet?" "Cara!" I say, shocked. She li s the paper with our rules. "This is bullshit. Don't get involved with each other? Isn't that the whole point of the engagement in the first place? To get involved with each other?" Daniel and I both say nothing. "You guys have the weirdest rela onship ever." She rolls her eyes. "We're not in a rela onship." Daniel and I say in unison. "And apparently you guys are also stupid blind about your feelings," She sighs drama cally. "Well, I think it's me for me to go home." My eyes widen. "I can take you back to the apartment."

"But my car is downstairs." She tells me. "You drove to the party drunk?" Daniel chimes in. "Hell, even I don't do that." "Wait, you have a car?" I ask Cara. "Yeah. I sort of bought one last week." Her heels click against the hardwood floor as she crosses the room. "Got sick of you having to send me everywhere, you know?" "I want to see it!" I get up from my seat and follow her. "Your car! Let me see it!" "You can walk me down and see it, how does that sound?" She links hands with me. I cast a look at Daniel. "I'll be right back." He sends me one of his boyish smiles. "I'll be here." As we take the elevator down to the carpark, Cara casts me a very pervy look. I cross my arms. "What?" I ask. "What am I going to do with the both of you..." She plays with her car keys, avoiding my gaze. But she says something that makes my skin ngle. "You and Daniel are totally into each other, and you guys don't even know it." ______ A/N: hell! Even Cara knows they're a racted to each other! Why don't Alex and Daniel just kiss already? Wait.. Oh yeah. It's my story. Hmmmmm... Maybe kissing soon? Maybe not. Stay tuned bitches Xx

26. Twenty Five - "One Day." ^ Nate and Alex ge ng cuddly in the picture above? Or Daniel and Alex's 'One Day'? I can't tell! Remember to vote and comment! Follow me too! The next week goes by in a daze. Daniel and I are kind of falling into a rou ne: in the morning, he makes me pancakes. I don't think I'll ever get red of them. It's like nirvana in my mouth. I also stop being a useless fuck and actually make hot chocolate for me and him. I think he likes it but I'm not quite sure because he always likes the marshmallows I put on top of the hot chocolate be er. A er breakfast, we go to campus together, and I meet up with Cara while Daniel hangs out with Simon. A er my mee ng with Simon during the engagement party, I don't actually talk to him again. There's just something weird about him, like the way he just gave me rela onship advice on Daniel the first me I met him. Sigh. But Daniel seems to like hanging out with him. Some mes when Simon's with Nate, Daniel texts me and tells me he's going to class early. He doesn't wait for me. He lets me spend me with my best friend. So, Cara and I o en meet up at Caffeinated and we talk about the randoms. She always asks me about Daniel, and I always have to tell her that there's nothing going on between the both of us. Even though Cara so desperately wants something to happen between us. When it's me to get to class, I take my usual seat beside Daniel, and we banter back and forth (you know, the usual) ll we get so sick of each other, we stop talking. And then, a er class, we resume talking again. More classes, more breaks, and then he takes me back to the penthouse. Then, on most evenings, we get together in the living room and watch a movie.

Some mes, when neither of us wants to pick one out, we end up se ling for anything that's on cable. Throughout the en re week, I've learnt so much more about him that I'd like to admit. I think my list of random things I've learnt about Daniel is so long I can't even keep track. So this is what I remember so far: 5. Doesn't like to talk about his father. I have no idea why. When I tried to bring up the topic, he merely just shrugs me off. I think something horrible has happened between him and his father, and I'm sort of afraid to find out what is it. 6. Li s weights. Score for me. During the weekend, I caught him doing li ing weights in his room, grun ng and swea ng all over the place. I got to admit, it's sort of a turn on. No wonder his biceps are the size of fucking Mount Rushmore. 7. Is a le -hander. Not really important. But I like to point that out. One me, Daniel got super irritated at the right handed scissors when he was cu ng some papers and went on and on about inequality for le handed people. Then, I bought him a pair of le -handed scissors and he shut up. 8. Uses a Samsung. Really, Kerrington? Really? Apple for the win. When I told Cara about the fun facts, Cara's tells me that the only reason I'm making the whole list in the first place is that I want to get to know him... and I want to fuck him real bad. "Christ, Cara." I curse. "For the millionth me, I don't want to have sex with him, okay?"

"You do. You totally do," She winks at me. "I can smell it in the air. The sexual tension between the both of you is making me so damn flustered even I can't think straight." I throw out a laugh. "Go get laid, Cara. You need it." "I know," She sighs. "But every me I look at a guy, its like... he's not on the Daniel scale, you know?" "The Daniel scale?" I snort. "Yeah. How hot a guy is compared to Daniel." She tells me. "You're joking. It's so not a thing." I roll my eyes. "It totally is a thing!" She protests weakly. "Daniel is like... living proof that god exists, you know? He's that good-looking. And nobody can compare to him. Nobody." "You're exaggera ng!" I laugh. "Nate is-" "Nate's fine, I guess," She leans back against her seat and takes a sip of her Caffeinated drink, "He's a close second to Daniel." I wriggle my eyebrows at her. "Go have sex with him, then." "Ewwwww no way!" She says, baffled. "He's totally into you. Trust me, he wants to have sex with you." "Again, exaggera ng." I fold my arms over my chest. "I can't believe you're so oblivious to all the signs!" She says, "I know you told me that you and Nate are strictly platonic, but even I can see that it's so hard for him to look at you without wan ng to kiss you." "Nate and I are just friends-" "I know. But he totally wants to be something more." She smirks.

"Well..." Now that I come to think about it, maybe there were signs? I don't know. I guess I'm not good at reading them. But maybe it's the simple things. Like the fact that Nate's always lingering around class, wai ng for me. Or when he talks to me about this new book he's been reading. Or when he tells me about his grandma- it's so cute every me he men ons her to me, I feel like I've already known her my whole life. I already love his grandma. We have definitely go en a lot closer this whole week. Some mes, when Daniel's off with Simon, I get to hang out with Nate under the shady tree on campus, and we'd just talk about anything. I tell him about my progress in wri ng 'Blankets', and he'd proofread my chapters and tell me what to improve on. I'd write notes about his comments. He'd tell me I'm an awesome writer. Every single me. Then, we'd just talk about our classes, and some mes I'd men on about Cara. He always likes to listen to me. He's a great listener. Some mes, when I want to get something off my chest, I'd just rant to him about it and he'd be so pa ent with me. Nate's so perfect in every way I can't imagine why we're just friends. I guess in some alternate universe in where I was never engaged to Daniel, I'd definitely be with Nate. He's charming, and funny, and just easy to hang out with. When I'm with him, I'm my normal self. Just Alex. The girl who just has to worry about college and whether the boy she likes will like her back. The girl who reads and writes and always has a story to tell. I don't have to worry about a fake engagement. I don't have to worry about what the media will think of me or how my parents' company is doing. I don't have to worry about rules and contracts and shi y parents who don't understand me. It's just so simple with Nate.

Some mes, I want simple. Not complicated. Just simple. "You're thinking about Nate, are you?" Cara says a er a while. I nod wordlessly. "Your love life is a complete mess." She shakes her head. "Honestly, I'd be telling you to forget about him and just focus on Daniel. But... a part of you can't get over Nate." "Yeah," I frown. "You think that.... Maybe you and Nate have a chance?" Her eyes searches mine. What she says circles around my mind. "I don't know." I say. ****** It's finally the me of the year again. Nope. Not Christmas. Fucking Halloween. Urgh. The only me girls get to dress up to be whoever they want (minimum clothing required) and do whoever they want. Definitely not my favorite me of the year. Sigh. Though it used to be.

When I was young, I used to love Halloween. It was one of those rare mes my dad and mum would sit around the table and help out for the fes val. Dad and I would carve out pumpkins to place out on the front porch while mum would buy fabrics to piece together my costume. It was family me for the three of us. Dad would tell me horror stories that I didn't want to hear but I s ll wanted to. It would always start out different each me. He was always the good storyteller. Made up whatever I wanted to hear. A er all, he is a businessman. Mum would tell him to shut up because she hated horror stories. Just the men on of gore and blood would send her into a frenzy. Dad and I some mes laugh when she overreacted. Those were really good mes. Gosh, that seemed so long me ago. The last me my parents and I really got together and had fun was.. Three years ago. "Penny for your thoughts?" Daniel sits down beside me. I'm si ng cross legged on the sofa with a laptop on my lap. I glance over at him and frown. "No it's just.." I a empt to tell him, "never mind." "No seriously, what is it?" Concern pinches his face as he slides closer to me. "Is it about your parents?" Damn it. "What are you? Some kind of mind reader or something?" I roll my eyes. "So... It is about your parents?" He narrows his eyes at me. I nod my head. He chuckles briefly. "I'm ge ng shit good at this."

Lately, he's been trying to guess what's on my mind. Some mes, I do that thing in movies where I just stare off into the distance and think about random things. At mes, it's about my parents. Other mes about Nate. Some mes Cara too. But most of the me it's about whether I want to have Chinese food or just regular takeout for dinner. "Yeah..." I sigh as I close the lid of my laptop and place it aside. "It's this me of the year that makes me miss them... so damn much." Daniel smiles, and it's a sincere one. I place my elbow on the edge of the sofa and face him, "Is it weird that I kind of miss my parents? A er what hell they've put me through?" "No. It's perfectly normal." He tells me. "No ma er how much they hurt you, they're s ll your parents. And you love them. No ma er what." "That sucks." I pout. "Yeap. Don't you wish you could have chosen your parents instead?" He says, and I'm thinking that he's asking himself that ques on too. "Like you could have avoided so much bullshit if you could have chosen be er parents that loved you uncondi onally." I wonder if he's s ll talking about me.. Or him. "Uh oh. Having daddy issues again?" I ask him. Lately Daniel's been super tensed up and I've been dying to ask him what has happened. Now, I think I kind of figured it out. It must have something to do with his father. "I've been having daddy issues since my mom died." He says, like somewhat of a statement. My eyes widen at the suddenness. I did not expect for him to say that at all. "Oh shit," I swear. "You wanna talk about it?"

"You want to talk about your parents?" He asks me instead. I shake my head no. "Then, if you're not sharing. I'm not sharing either." He s cks his tongue out like a child. I throw my head back and laugh. "One day." I promise. "One day." He promises too. I start to think back about what his best friend, Simon, had said to me the other night. Talk to Daniel. You may not know this, but he's hur ng too. The both of you can really help each other out, if you guys let it happen. I want to take his advice. God, I do. I want to tell Daniel about everything. And I want to know everything about him too. But it's like if i do that, I'm sharing a part of myself, a part that even I rarely talk to Cara about. And what will this mean for Daniel and I if we share these vulnerable parts of ourselves to each other? We will mean much more... I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Diminishing all thoughts about it, I force a smile on my face. "So are we going to Cara's halloween party this weekend?" "Why the fuck not," He starts to reach for the tv remote and turns on the television. "Unless we throw our own halloween party-" "Uh no. That's a horrible idea," I cut him off immediately. "First off, that would totally steal Cara's thunder. And she will hate me for eternity. Second, we just threw an engagement party less than two weeks ago. I'm really not up for another one in our house. With a bunch of freshmen.

Who know's what they'll be doing in our closet, our kitchen, our bedrooms-" "Okay I get it." He chuckles. "So you rather pass on that responsibility to Cara." "Totally." I laugh. "Since we're going to the party, what are you dressing up as?" "I don't know, actually." He shrugs as he switches between channels. We finally se le on Law and Order, something I actually like, since this en re week he had been hogging the TV for reruns of DH. "Maybe I'll go as a sexy detec ve." "Boring." I pretend to yawn. "You know what we should do? We should match customes. It's like the ul mate couple thing." "Good idea," He grins, "What do you have in mind?" "Let's go as..." I ponder. "Ron and Hermoine or something. Or Harry Po er and Cho Chang-" "You cant be Cho Chang. You're not even asian. You need to have the eyes to pull her off." He states. "Okay. Fine. Um... how about..." I take out my phone and start scrolling through the op ons I had noted down earlier. "Jace and Clary from TMI?" "Who the fuck is that?" He squints his eyes at me. "Oh my god. I can't believe you haven't even read the Mortal Instruments!" I shriek at him. "It's the most awesome book series ever!" "Okay. So it's totally a book nerd thing." "Fuck you, Kerrington," I huff.

"Okay i'm sorry!" He chuckles lowly, "I didn't mean to insult your inner book nerd-" "Whatever." I roll my eyes. "You know what? If you want the ul mate sappy, we should just go as Edward and Bella." "Holy shit!" He exclaims. "That's a good idea!" I eye him. Well, I didn't expect him to agree to it so easily. "Seriously?" "Why not? It's completely corny and stupid. And we get major couple points for dressing up as the best fic onal couple that has been raved about by thirteen year olds." He tells me. "You're actually serious about it." My mouth gapes open. "You do realize you have to be a skinny, sparkly vampire, right?" "Sure, I can pull it off." He smirks. "I have the blonde hair. And you can pull off Bella. You have Kristen Stewart's plain eyes, plain nose, and your mouth o en hangs open most of the me just like her." I immediately clamp my mouth shut. I am not going to be compared to Bella. Nu-uh. "So Edward and Bella it is," He chuckles. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be your eternal love. Forever and ever and ever." Laughing, I chuck a pillow at his face. ______ A/N: hello my lovelies! This chapter is super short and not all that complicated. I didn't want to bombard you guys with drama drama drama. But maybe you'll get more drama in the next chapter! Stay tuned for more!

27. Twenty Six - "The Whole Eternal Love Thing." OOOH hot dang! Kerrington's abs! Remember to follow, vote and comment! I don't know if you'd no ced, but there is no such thing as a Bella costume. In most of the movies, she's pre y much normal. Normal dark hair. Normal complexion. Normal clothes. Normal everything. So it's pre y hard for me to throw together a costume when I can just come as myself. Normal Alex is basically normal Bella anyway. .. .. I can't believe I just related myself to her. When Daniel shows me his costume, I want to laugh. He's wearing this bu on up shirt that he didn't actually bu on. So it shows his part of his chest, and his well-defined abs. Not that I'm complaining, though. Those are some nice abs. He also decided to put so much gli er all over his face as well as his body. It's pre y funny. My eyes prac cally burned from all his sparkliness, if that is even a word. "I don't understand how can you agree to be this...?" I laugh. "You know, I thought you would think that vampires are gay." "They are gay," He insists. "But I thought I would make an excep on this year. Girls love hot vampires. And I am a hot vampire." "Okay, you cocky bastard," I slap his shoulder. "Let's get going then. We don't want to be late." He cocks his eyebrows. "Wait. Where's your costume?"

"What do you mean?" I ask him. "I am wearing my costume." "What the fuck is this?" Daniel takes a step back and thoroughly inspects me. "This is not a costume. You just look like... yourself." "Isn't that the point? Bella is normal," I tell him. "She's human, remember?" "I thought you're going as vampire Bella." "You never said anything about it!" "Well, I thought it was understood." He arches an eyebrow. "How the hell can it be understood if you never said anything about it?" I place my hand on my hips. "Fucking misunderstandings," He mu ers, "You go a be vampire Bella. So we can be Vampire Edward and Vampire Bella. It only makes sense you know? For the whole eternal love thing." "Fuck the whole eternal love thing!" "But it's a couple thing!" He insists, "We have to do the couple thing! You know? When people ask us why we dressed up as them, we can tell them some sappy shit about how their never ending love is like ours or something. People believe that sort of stuff." I roll my eyes. God, Daniel is so annoying. "Fine!" I raise my hands in surrender. "Fine. I'll go curl my hair or something. And go get me some fucking yellow contacts so I can be a vampire." "Fine." He huffs. "Fine." I glare at him.

And then I go back to work on my costume. Instead of slipping on my engagement ring, I slip on a wedding band (basically a gold ring that my mom had given me a long me ago) and turn on the curler to do my hair. It takes about half and hour to do that, and finally Daniel reappears in my room to pass me the coloured contacts. I put it on reluctantly, and a er pu ng on lighter founda on, I'm done. "Thank god." He praises me once I step out of my room. "You look be er now." "Glad it's up to your standards." I say in a bored tone. "Not quite up to my standards, but close enough." He slides his hand down and curls his fingers around mine. "Let's go, shall we?" ****** "Oh my god!" Cara bursts out of the door and hugs me. "You look AMAZEBALLS!" "Makeup!" I wheeze and pull away from her. "Please don't ruin the makeup." She smiles sympathe cally, then pats my shoulder. "Sorry." She apologizes. Then, her eyes focus on the person beside me. "Oh hey, Daniel." "I'm a vampire," he says huskily, trying to imitate Edward from the first movie. "Yeah, I no ced." She stares at him a li le while longer. Her eyes trace his body, and then gasp slightly when they find his chest. "My my my.." "Get your head out of your ass, Cara," I roll my eyes. "And invite us in!" She shakes her head to get herself together, and then she laughs. "Right. Sorry! Come on in, guys!"

She swings the door open and Daniel entwines his fingers with mine. I inhale slowly as I take in what I'm seeing. Cara's party totally contrasts from the engagement party Daniel and I had two weeks ago. Instead of silks and candeliers, there are dim lights and party streamers everywhere. The men and women dressed in beau ful coloured dresses and classy tuxedos are replaced with sweaty teenagers in the oddest looking costumes I have ever seen. Red cups are sca ered everywhere, on top of the kitchen counter, the couch, the coffee table, and even on top of the tv. Music blares through the speakers, filling the air with noise that is already crowded with people cha ering excitedly about who wore it be er and who's going to bang who. Yeap. Welcome to just your average college Halloween party. There is so many people in this small space that I feel super claustrophobic. Sweaty bodies brush against me, and I fight the urge to gag. "Cara..." I say, "Do you even know half of these people?" "Don't think so," She bites her lip. "I told some people in my class that I was having a halloween party, and I guess word got around everywhere." I laugh. "This party is huge. And from the looks of it, a major success." "Thanks," She smiles, "I tried my best." "By the way, I love your costume," I compliment her. "You like it?" She twirls around slightly. "I made it myself." It's nice, alright. She looks gorgeous in her witch costume. She even had the hat and broom and everything. Purple fabric wraps around her body, making her boobs s ck out. It becomes jagged and tears down at the

middle, showing off her long, tanned legs. She points the broom at me and s cks one of her legs out. "I'm a sexy witch," She tries to growl, but it fails completely. I burst out laughing. "I love your costume too." She tells me, her eyes glossing over the yellow contacts I have on. "You're a really cute Bella." "Holy crap!" I exclaim. "You're the first one who guessed my costume right!" "It's not that hard, Alex." She laughs. "The smoking hot sparkly vampire man hovering over sort of gave it away. I s ll can't believe Daniel's an Edward this year." "Yeap. I can't believe it too." "It's so unlike him," She shakes her head. "I would have thought he would go... naked or something." "He's sort of naked now anyway." I glance over at Daniel who's ge ng us some booze from the keg. "Loves to flaunt his abs." "I'd lick those abs." She eyes him seduc vely. I slap him on the shoulder. "Cara!" "Right, I'm sorry!" She says, "He's yours. I get it." "He's not mine!" I say almost too loudly. My response earned a few curious glances. "Yeah, you saying he's not yours is probably a major turn off for him." She wraps an arm around my shoulders. "You should claim what is yours, Alex!" Aw jeez.

Before I can protest, Daniel comes sauntering towards us with two red cups in his hand. He passes me one and I lt the cup, finishing every drop of liquid inside it. Tonight is about celebra on right? I'm going out tonight with a bang. "Whoa, sweetheart," He takes the cup away from me. "I am not carrying your drunk ass back tonight." "More." I point to the cup. "That's good stuff. I want more." He eyes me warily. "You really want to repeat the tequila episode again? I thought you swore off alcohol?" "I won't go overboard, I promise," I plead. "Just get me more." He hesitates, but then I push him to the direc on of the keg and he starts walking towards it. I whirl around but Cara is now no where to be seen. Probably flir ng with some guy. Just as I'm about to head on to the dance floor, someone taps on my shoulder. I come face to face with Nate. His hazel eyes find mine, and suddenly my spirits rise. "Hey," I say, beaming. "I didn't know you were coming." "I'm kind of obligated to since I'm the neighbour." He says, "I didn't think you were coming too." "I'm kind of obligated to since I'm the best friend." I mimic him and then laugh. "It's good to see you." "You look great," He compliments me. My cheeks are flushed. "Let me guess... you're Bella." I nod. "And you're..." I examine what he's wearing. I chuckle.

"You ambi ous bitch." I say, "You're a doctor. Duh." "I know. It's stupid." He looks down at his costume, a grin appearing on the edge of his lips. "I didn't have much me to figure out my costume, so I figured I'll just wear one of my previous costumes. It's a li le bit too ght on me, but whatever." "I like it," I smile at him. "It's cute." "Thanks." He chuckles. "Honestly, I hate par es. I'm not exactly sure why I'm here." He looks around and makes a face as two sweaty bodies of opposite sex grind against each other as if they're screwing each other's brains out. "Me too," I nod my head. "The music's always too loud. And you're thrown together with a bunch of people you don't even know. Plus, the dancing. Grinding and twerking. Urgh." "Exactly!" He shrieks. "It's totally not my scene." I look around and find that more people are star ng to dance. The speakers are now playing Icona Pop's I Love It. Everyone's throwing their hands up in the air and cheering. "You want to get out of here?" I hear Nate yell over the music. "Um." I mumble as I tear my gaze away from him to find Daniel. He has totally forgo en about my drink and is currently flir ng with two blondes in their bunny costumes. Typical. He runs his hand down the arm of one of the girls and cast her a flirta ous smile. She giggles too loudly and whispers in his ear. He bends down and trails his fingers down her jaw to her neck, making her moan slightly.

A bi er feeling crawls down my spine. I know, I know. I should have expected this. It's just what Daniel Kerrington does. But s ll... it makes me feel... i don't know. Uncomfortable. Weird. Jealous. I can't look any longer. I quickly look away and force the biggest smile on my face. If Daniel's having fun with those women tonight, I should have fun too. "Yes, Nate." I murmur. "Let's get out of here." _______ A/n: sorry but this is the last good Alex and Daniel chapter before all the drama happens. BUT NEVERTHELESS, THE KISSING CHAPTER IS NEAR I CAN FEEL IT. Ps: I won't be pos ng as frequently for the next twelve days because I'm in Japan and I'll be too red to update. Heh. Sorry. But I'll try! LOVE YA GUYS AND THANKS FOR READING THIS FAR!

28. Twenty Seven - "Has Anyone Ever Told You To Shut Up?" Remember to follow, vote and comment! My mind's telling me that this is such a bad idea such A Bad Idea. But... Fuck ra onality. I follow Nate out of Cara's apartment. He takes me by the hand and guides me to the staircase. Cas ng me a toothy grin, the both of us start to climb up and up and up. "Where are we going?" I laugh as I almost stumble and fall down the last flight of stairs. "You'll see." He winks at me. He leads me around the hallway un l we come across an open space. I stop at my tracks and gasp. Flowers of every kind and colour dot the green leaves that sca ers beau fully everywhere. The so murmur of water trickling down the fountain and the low rumble of waves cascading across the man made ponds whisper in my ears. Rocks are strewn in places to compliment the natural beauty of the plants. Vines curl down from wooden structures, making the whole scene look almost fairytale-like. I step forward, my eyes trying to take in everything. My mouth gapes open in astonishment. "A roo op garden." I say in awe. "Holy crap, this is beau ful."

"I know." He smirks as he stands next to me. The both of us are standing in the middle of the roo op garden. I place my hands on my face and laugh. "How did I not know this place existed?" I ask myself. "I've been living under this..." I gesture to the garden, "I'm so mad at myself!" He chuckles, low and rough. "Not many people know about this place." I smile at him, my eyes twinkling under the night sky. "Thank you for taking me here. This place is... unbelievable." "I knew you'd like it." He says, his hand brushing against mine as he walks past me to take a look at the flowers. "Some mes, in the morning, I would come here. Just to clear my thoughts. The smell of the flowers is so... refreshing. It helps to calm me down. Relaxes me." I nod in agreement. My eyes wander to the spectrum of colours displayed in front of me. "Breath-taking." I murmur as I touch the petals of one of the flowers. "I agree." Nate comes behind me, but instead of looking at the flowers... He's looking at me. My en re face turns red. He smiles, and my god, it's the same one he had cast me the first me I met him in the hallway. It's a crooked smile, the edge of his lips li ing slightly higher than the other. His arm rises and his hand cups my face. I lean into his touch on ins nct, pressing my face against it. Suddenly, his hand drops, and he immediately recovers himself, expression changing. "Sorry, I..." He shakes his head, and laughs, his cheeks turning a slight pink as well, "I got caught in the moment."

"Um, it's okay," I mumble, and then swi ly look away. I'm ge ng so worked up over Nate. God dammit. I'm star ng to think that Cara may be right; Nate may have feelings for me. And I... I don't know about me. I'm so confused. What do I even want? When I saw Daniel with those women just now, hot jealousy immediately washed over me. How can I feel like that when I hate the guy and everything he stands for? These few weeks with him have been tolerable... but I can't forget how he was the first me I met him. I can s ll recall the intense hatred I felt for him when he dismissed those girls he had sex with... over and over again. It was heartbreaking to watch. He showed li le remorse for them. How can I be jealous of someone like that? How can I have any feelings for someone like that? It's impossible. And then there's Nate standing in front of me. Nate, who goes out of his way to be nice to everyone. Nate who smiles, whose smiles always li my spirits up. Nate, who talks to me about books and my wants and needs and my troubles. Nate, who always listens to me. Nate, who I can see having a future with. So why is there this odd feeling inside my chest that's telling me otherwise? Why do I feel like every me I'm taking a step forward with him, someone else is tugging me back? "Alex, are you alright?" Concern pinches Nate's face. I shake my head to clear out the heavy thoughts from my head. "I'm fine." I force a smile on my face. "You're not fine," He tells me. "You had on your 'thinking face'." I cough out a small laugh. "My 'thinking face'." I echo.

He chuckles. "Yeah. Your 'thinking face.' When you're in deep thought, you always scrunch up your face, your cheeks puffed, your nose wriggling, your lips curved into a frown." "You're percep ve." I note. "I can't help it. You tend to do it a lot," Nate says, "And by a lot, I mean all the me." "I'm sorry," I murmur, "A lot of things have been running in my mind lately." "Want to talk about it?" He smiles and nudges me to the railing. I follow him, and the both of us lean against the glass, inhaling the picturesque view in front of us. The sky is so dark it's as if someone has thrown a blanket over it, with li le holes to allow the stars to shine through. "Is it about Daniel?" He asks. Par ally. I nod my head. He sighs. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But nevertheless, I'm here for you. You know that right, Alex?" I turn my head to face him. "Yes." He leans over, closing the li le distance between us. He reaches forward and tugs a stray hair away from my face and to the back of my ear. I hold my breath as he does that, my heart galloping, pounding out a beat that is too fast, too hard. Is Nate making a move on me? He's not.

"Some mes I wonder what's going on in that pre y li le head of yours," His fingers linger on my hair. His lips curve into a boyish smile. "I'll tell you what's going on. Books. Wri ng. Books. More wri ng. More books." I say, laughter hin ng from my tone. "It's pre y boring." "Ah, but its not," He corrects me, "You're more brilliant than you think you are, Alex. I know that, first-hand. You're intelligent. An intelligent writer. And you're a great storyteller. The way you tell stories, it's like I can imagine everything perfectly, like a movie playing in my head." "I don't know exactly know where you're going with this, Nate." I laugh. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm trying to understand you." He tells me. "I want to know how you think and what you're thinking. Even if a part of you is thinking about Daniel or if you're just thinking of crea ve lines to feed your characters-" "I do think about that all the me," I nod my head. "Yeah, and I don't mind at all." His fingers trail my cheek. "It's kind of amazing how some mes you just stare into space mu ering things like you're actually having a conversa on with your characters in real life." "It's a writer's thing," I li my hands. "I know. I'm totally weird." "You're not weird." "You say that because you're just as weird as me. Trust me." "I'm not weird!" He defends himself. "Yes you are! You're all kinds of weird!" I say, laughing. "You eat a sandwich with only the bread and the pa y." "It was just that one me!" He chuckles.

"And for some reason, you're totally against the act of pu ng ketchup on fries." "It's disgus ng. Why can't you just dip the fries into the ketchup instead of having to squirt it all over the fries, where your hands can get dirty-" "Did I men on you're a major clean freak? I think you have major OCD problems, my friend." I pat on his shoulder. He takes a step closer to me, a look of bewilderment plastered on his face. "And you say I'm the percep ve one." He murmurs. I shrug. "I guess we're both percep ve, then." "Or maybe we're just super fascinated about each other." "If you think I'm fascinated about you for one second, I think I need to do some rearranging in your brain." A low laugh rumbles from his throat. He reaches forward and cradles my face in between his hands. "God damn you, Alex. Has anyone ever told you to shut up?" "A couple of mes." He shakes his head, s ll laughing, and leans closer so our foreheads are touching. "Well, I'm telling you to shut up right now." "Why?" I say, breathless, as I realize our faces are so close to each other. "So I can do this." And then, he closes the remaining space between us and presses his lips against mine. ******

It's a gentle kiss, lips slightly parted. I wrap my arms around his shoulders just as he does the same around my waist. His lips meld into mine and I am awed by the way they feel. They are so , but firm- I didn't even know one thing can be both. They follow the curve of my lips, like he's tracing them, mapping them out. Holy crap on a cracker. I can't believe it. I'm kissing Nate. I'm kissing Nate. I'm.... What the fuck. I'm kissing Nate! I pull away from him so fast I almost fall to the ground. Before I can do that, Nate circles his arms around me and catches me before I can even stumble. We stare at each other, breathing heavily, trying to process what the hell had we just done. "Fuck," He swears as he lets go from me. He buries his hands in his hair and pulls, his face completely pained. "Motherfucker-" "Nate." I call his name. His eyes meet mine, and his en re expression crumbles. "Fuck, Alex. I kissed you! I can't believe I did that. I fucking kissed you!" My mouth opens, but no words come out of it. He places his hands against the railing, trying to catch his breath. "God, I kissed an engaged woman. What the fuck is wrong with me-" "Nate, wait-" I lay my hand on his shoulder but he jerks away. "I'm so sorry, Alex." He faces me, but he stands away, as if the thought of even standing next to me is unbearable. Somehow, that freaking hurts. "It was- I didn't know what I was thinking. I mean I did at first, and I did it

anyway- fuck. Daniel's so going to bust my balls if he finds out I kissed his fiance. I... I... kissed an engaged woman. God." I close my eyes and purse my lips. I can't bear looking at Nate like this. Like he just commi ed a horrible crime, and he is ready to pay for it. He looks so broken, so hurt, and maybe that's why I did what I do next. It's about me I do it. I've been harbouring this over him for so long, and it's a miracle how he s ll forgave me over that. I'm not sure if he'll forgive me now when I tell him. He's going to be pissed and even more hurt... Or he's going to be relieved. Either way. I know it's me. It's me I tell him the truth. "Nate," I start off. "Nate, the engagement... it's... fake." ________ A/N: SOOOO.. How are we doing with this chapter? HAHAH. A li le Nate and Alex ac on! You guys like? Don't like? Tell me in the comments below!

29. Twenty Eight - "Playing With Fire." I tell Nate everything. The en re truth, not the edited one that I've been feeding him. I start by telling him about my parents, and how their company got bankrupt, which resulted in them having to borrow money from Daniel's dad. Then, the condi on that I was to be engaged to Daniel so he can step up as head of Kerrington Enterprises without a tarnished reputa on. Then, the lies we have to tell in order to make out fake engagement believable. A er telling him everything, Nate just stares at me blankly, trying to digest everything in. "Wow." Is the first word he said. He places his hands over his head and blows out a long breath. "So the engagement is fake, huh." "Yep." "And you and Daniel aren't together together." "Um NOPE." "But you guys are engaged anyway. By force." "Well, yes." Nate runs his fingers through his hair. "Shit. That's..." "Fucked up? Yeah." I say, "I totally get if you're mad at me for lying to you. You can yell at me or tell me to piss off and never be in your life again. I mean, technically the whole me this was happening, you thought I was playing with your feelings." "Yes that's true but that's not what I was going to say at all," He shakes his head. "I don't blame you for lying to me. I mean, I'm pissed as hell I was kept out of the loop about this but the both of you had your reasons."

"So... what you're saying is... you're not going to hate me for it?" I ask with a glint of hope. "I can never hate you, Alex," Nate reaches forward, the pad of his thumb stroking my bo om lip, "Never." I lean into his caress. "I don't understand how you can be so calm about this." His face falls. "Well, I kind of suspected something like this would happen." "You did?" I arch my eyebrows in confusion. "I'm not stupid, Alex." He laughs, "I've been rooming with Daniel for two years before this happened. I know how he acts, and how he behaves. Trust me, if he's involved or engaged to some woman, its not because of love." I throw my head back and laugh. "And there's the fact that I met you," He strokes my cheek now, smiling. "From the way you looked at me, I knew you liked me." "Did I just detect a hint of arrogance right there-" His so chuckle cuts me off. "So yeah, it didn't add up. I knew it didn't add up. I was so confused for so long, but a er a while, I learnt to let it go. If there was something you were keeping from me, I had to accept it and waited ll you were ready to tell me." "I'm happy I told you," I sigh. "I feel so relieved now." "Me too." "You sure you're not mad?" I pout. "Please don't say you're not mad, because if I were in your posi on..." "I'm not mad." He shakes his head.

"Not even a li le?" "Well..." "So you are mad." I cross my arms. "I'm not mad, Alex." He chuckles. "But I do feel something else." "What?" "I feel like this huge weight have been li ed off my shoulders." His eyes lock with mine, and it takes my breath away. "Why?" "Because now I don't have to feel guilty when I do this." And then, he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me. Our lips meet, warm, gentle, his mouth so against mine. Then, just as slowly, the moment pauses, and our lips part again. Kissing Nate is warm and bubbly. Simple. I like simple. Suddenly, an image of Daniel flashes through my mind in a blur, startling me for a moment. I gasp and pull away from Nate almost immediately, somehow feeling bad. "Hey, you okay?" Nate looks at me, his hands sliding from my face to my hair, his fingers tangling in it. "Yeah, I'm... fine." I manage to croak out. Why did I see Daniel's face when I kissed Nate? God, I feel so horrible. Kissing a guy while thinking of another. What is wrong with me?

Get it together, Alex! I put on a small smile on my face, and kiss Nate on the cheek, a light brush against his skin. "I'm sorry." "You don't have to be sorry," He says, "I think I should be sorry. I should have asked you if you wanted to be kissed-" "It's not that," I interject. "I like the kiss." "Which one? The first one or the second one?" Laughing, I say, "Both." His grin widens. "Really?" My cheeks burn. "Really." "I feel like there's a 'but' coming." He groans. "But..." "There it is." He chuckles lowly. "Now that we know we like each other..." My voice trails off, "I don't know what's going to happen next. I'm s ll with Daniel. I can't be with anyone else. The contract forbids me to." He frowns, deflated. "What if we get caught?" I tell him, my hand sliding around his. "I will be screwed over. Daniel and I will be screwed over." "You're right," He shakes his head, "It's selfish of me to think that there's any chance for us." I close my eyes, pained that it has to end like this. I've been wai ng for so long to be kissed by Nate, to be with him, and now that I have, it's over.

Just like that. Somehow going back to Daniel seems like such an ugly op on. I'll go back to him and I will never know how it will be like to have an actual future with someone else, someone I really like. And that thought scares me. But what about my feelings for Daniel? Do I even have feelings for him? The way he has made me feel this few weeks have been... really good. I like spending me with him. He had changed ever since I met him. He's different. But how can I be so sure about that? When I saw him just now with those women, it took me straight back to the Daniel I saw three months ago. The Daniel who didn't give a shit about anything. The Daniel who was mean, filled with hatred burning inside of him. Ge ng involved with Nate is safe. Secure. Simple and carefree. Whereas ge ng involved with Daniel would be playing with fire. Fire that will guarantee me ge ng burnt into a crisp. "Alex..." Nate murmurs, his fingers tangling in my hair, "What if we do it in secret?" I blink to make sure I heard him right. "You mean..." "We can see where this goes," He brushes his fingers down my cheek, staring into my eyes. "And Daniel nor anyone has to know about it." I am stunned by what Nate has just said. A secret... rela onship? "You're okay with that?" I ask him, l ng my head sideways. "That's a lot of sneaking around we have to do, you know." "I know," He shrugs, "But I really like you, Alex. I want to make this work between us."

I sigh heavily, leaning my head against his, "Yeah, me too." "And I don't really care how we do this, as long as you want to be as much as involved with me as I want to be involved with you." His words haunt me. I do want to be with Nate. It's been what I've wanted since the first me I saw him. But since the first me I saw him, things have changed. Lots of things. Maybe... just maybe... this thing with Nate can actually work. I mean, Daniel doesn't have to know about it. And it's not like Daniel and I are together anyway. No hard feelings, though. Nate and I just have to be super careful where we meet, and what we're doing. It's not easy, but we can make it work. "Let's just see how it goes," I smile at him and he presses a kiss on my forehead. "We can do this." "We can do this." He promises me. I nod quietly, making myself believe those words. But a li le part of me tells me that I'm believing a lie. ****** We were gone for an hour. Nate and I decide to head back down to the party. He slides his arm around my shoulder, but the moment we entered Cara's apartment, he immediately drops it. I cast him a sympathe c smile. I don't know how but the music has go en louder since we le , and now the speakers are blas ng with techno music. I no ce several people leaving already, but most of the freshmen are s ll here, pumping their fists into the air, synchronising their bodies to the rhythm of the music.

I spot Cara at the side, with a red cup in her hands. She's laughing at something the guy next to her had said. When I edge closer to her, I realize the guy who she's talking to is Simon. "Oh hey guys," I say when both of them spot me. Cara waves me over, and Simon gives me one of his infamous nods. "Where the hell have you been?" Cara grabs my hand and yanks me towards Simon's direc on. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" "I was on the roo op garden." I tell her. "Did you even know we have a roo op garden?" "No," She narrows her eyes at me. "You were up there? Alone?" I bite my lip. "Well..." She gasps and pulls me to the side, away from Simon. "You sneaky bitch. You were with someone! Spill the beans, Alex!" Goddammit. "I was with Nate." She gasps drama cally and almost spills the liquid in her cup. "Holy mother of god- you and Nate?" Slowly, I nod. "Shit!" She squeals, jumping up and down, "Shit, Alex! Details! I want details!" "Shhhhh!" I smack my hand over her mouth. "There's shit loads of people here! I can't tell you now. When I get back, I'll call you okay?" Cara pouts. "But, Alex-" She protests, her voice muffled by my hand. Eventually, I let her talk. "I need to find Daniel. Do you know where he is?"

She gives me a look. "Oh my god, you, Nate and Daniel? You li le bitch! Keeping all the hot guys to yourselves?" I roll my eyes. "No, you shithead. I need to find Daniel because he's my ride home!" Cara's expression shi s. "Oh." I smack her on the shoulder. "Yeah 'oh.' Now, where the hell is he?" Her eyes drop, and her lips fall into a huge frown. "Cara, what's wrong?" I touch her shoulder. "I don't know how to tell you this, Alex." She looks at me sympathe cally. I cock my head sideways, and place my hand on my hips. "Just spill it." She gestures to the front door. "Daniel le without you." "WHAT?" I shriek. "I'm sorry, Alex." She shrugs. "He told me to tell you not to wait up." "Why the hell did he leave without me?" She pauses for a while before answering. "Because... he didn't leave alone. He le with two girls dangling on each arm." I grit my teeth, clenching my fists. "That motherfucking piece of-" I stop midway through my curse. How can I be so hypocri cal about this? Daniel le with two girls. I can't call him a piece of shit for doing so, because that would mean I am a piece of shit too. A er all, I was just upstairs kissing Nate, and telling him that I want to be with him. I want to be mad at Daniel, but I can't be. Because it's both of our faults.

Don't get involved with other people. Daniel and I completely sha ered that rule to pieces. I shake my head, not wan ng to dwell on it any further. It will only s r up some very intense emo ons I'm not willing to feel right now. "Can you take me home, Cara?" I ask her. She looks around for a while before answering me. "Sure. I'll send you back as soon as the party is over." I only manage to nod my head. She casts me a sad smile. "I'm sorry this happened, Alex." She pats on my shoulder. "Yeah. Me too." I croak out. _______ A/N: SOO... Don't be ha ng on me or Alex that she chooses Nate now. YALL know she's going end up with Daniel one way or another. So don't be calling her annoying because she chose Nate. The thing with Alex is that she's a confusing character. As she has said in the first chapter, she hasn't got a lot of experience with boys. So some mes she feels conflicted about her feelings. She thinks that she should end up with Nate because it's simple, no drama included. And just the thought of her being with Daniel is like breaking everything she has ever stood for. She always told herself to never fall for a guy like him that could use her like how he did to other people. So of course, she denies her feelings for Daniel. Soooo.. Yeah. That's ALEX, EXPLAINED. Stay tuned for more!

30. Twenty Nine - "Maybe." Anyone else no ce my chapters are ge ng shorter? I'm sorry! this one is the shortest, but I have a good reason! It's just.. This is the 'tension' chapter. It's be er for it to be short so you can feel stuff. Anyways, remember to follow, vote and comment! "Did anyone see him?" I ask when I'm in Cara's car. Since Daniel had decided to ditch me, I had to beg Cara to drive me back home a er the party is over. It's about 2 in the morning, and I'm fucking exhausted. I think Cara feels the same way judging from the way her hands always slip from the driving wheel. I think I should have go en a designated driver to send me home. "What are you talking about?" Cara yawns. She's not wearing her witch hat anymore. That's because the p of the hat kept poking against the top of the car and it got really annoying. So it got thrown to the backseat of the car. "Daniel. Did anyone see him when he le with those girls?" I say, concerned. A er anyone saw him and knew who he was... It will be all over the news by morning. "I don't think so," my best friend answers a er a while. "I think everyone was too drunk to no ce." I breath a sigh of relief. "Thank god." "Why do you sound so calm about it?" She turns to look at me briefly. "Don't you want to like.. I don't know... cut his balls off or something?" "I want to, so badly. You have no idea. But I can't," I sigh against the seat. "I did something bad too."

"You had sex with Nate." She confirms. "What? NO." I gasp, horrified when Cara says that. She laughs. "Kidding. I know the both of you only kissed." "Nevertheless, Daniel and I both broke the rule." I say. "The rule in which you guys can't get involved with other people?" She prods. I nod my head. "Is it such a bad thing, though?" She pouts. "Uh, Duh. If the media gets a hold of this-" I start off but she cuts me off. "Yeah yeah I know... the both of you will be dead." Cara says, "but didn't you agreed to see Nate roman cally in secret? I mean, Daniel can do that too. The both of you just have to be careful." "Yeah.. I'm star ng to regret the whole secret rela onship with Nate." I confess, "I don't want to get caught. This will look really bad for Daniel and I." "Then don't get caught," she casts me a small smile, "Sure it's risky, but you can't just be a fucking nun for the next three years with Daniel. You got to have a li le fun, too right?" "I guess...?" "So there you have it. Go have fun with Nate." I arch an eyebrow. "So you're totally okay with Nate and I being.. You know. Together." "Honestly, I don't really see the both of you together in the long run or whatever. You probably won't get married to him or have children and all

that-" "Whoa." I whistle. "That's... We're just seeing how it goes. What you're saying is going further than that." She gives me the look. "I know. That's what I'm trying to say. That it won't go further than that. Your rela onship with Nate will probably crash and burn." She shrugs, "sorry, Alex. It's the truth. Don't get me wrong, I know you and Nate are super into each other and everything, but you are meant for someone else." "And who would that be?" I tease. "Daniel, of course." She winks at me as she pulls into the parking lot. I roll my eyes. "But since you're too god dammed blind to see your true feelings for Daniel, go ahead and test the waters with Nate. Have fun with him." She smiles at me. "Have fun while it lasts." ****** The penthouse is dead silent. Which means that no one is home. Releasing a deep sigh, I set my keys on the table and fall into the silence. It's a weird silence. Most of the me when I come back, Daniel's always wai ng for me by the couch, watching his movies or he's busy on his laptop. Either way, the minute I walk through the door, he will always have this toothy grin on his face. Some mes, it's annoying. But mes like this, I miss it. I miss him.

I hate that feeling. I hate that I miss him. His stupid grins, and his stupid face. His stupid laptop laying on the kitchen counter. His stupid dishes in the sink that he never cleans. His stupid CDs that are always seen sca ered all over the coffee table. His stupid guitar laying by his door. His stupid room. Stupid stupid Daniel. I drop myself on the couch, wrapping my arms around myself, wrapping myself in the defeaning silence that consumes this en re room. Seconds turn to minutes and minutes turn to hours. Eventually, I realize I'm just was ng my me. Was ng my me doing what? Wai ng for him to walk through that door? How pathe c of me. I get up to go to my room to retrive my laptop. I should do something useful. I open my 'Blankets' file on Scrivener and click on a new chapter. I should write. Yes. I should. My fingers linger on the keyboard, hovering over the keys, thinking of what to write. I start typing. I come up with bullshit. This is the worst thing I have ever wri en. The words I've typed don't even go together to form a legit sentence. It's two paragraphs of pure bullshit. If my lecturer saw this, she would kick me out of her class immediately. Get yourself together, Alex! My mind screams at me. So I try. Again and again. I delete my first dra and write another one. It's just as shi y as the first one so I delete the second one. Then, I start on a third. I'm making progress but it isn't enough. Delete delete delete. I start on a fourth dra . Then another. And another.

It gets easier because I'm no longer thinking about Daniel. It's 6am and I'm haven't even slept yet. I'm s ll wri ng. I'm halfway through my latest dra when I hear rustling outside. Someone fumbling for his keys. Daniel. Fuck. He ra les the doorknob, and eventually the door flies open. I don't turn around to look at him. I want to but I don't. I hear him throw his keys into the basket on the counter, and I hear his footsteps drawing closer to me. It gets louder. Thump. Thump. Thump. He's right behind me. My fingers pretend to fly over the keyboard, pretending that I'm wri ng, when really, I just want to turn over and greet him with a smile. Why don't I do that? Oh right. I'm a pussy. I'm so afraid that when I look Daniel in the eye, I will see it. The guilt that lay in his eyes when he slept with those girls. The guilt he will see in mine when he finds out I kissed Nate, and that I agreed to see him roman cally. I feel his weight press down on the back of the sofa, inches away from me. I inhale deeply, wondering what he's going to do. Maybe he'll say good morning. Maybe he'll tell me where did he go. Maybe he'll yell at me. I don't know I don't know I don't know.

I feel his presence weigh me down a ton. One of his fingers hover over my shoulder, ready to tap it. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can talk to him. His finger s ll hovers. It doesn't make contact with my shoulder. My heart's slamming against my chest wildly. I wait and wait and wait. Nothing happens. Eventually, he sighs and pulls away from me. Then, he walks away. Maybe... just maybe, he's walking away from me forever. And maybe... just maybe I let him.

31. Thirty - "There Are No Words Le To Speak." I feel bad for the previous chapter. Except, not really. Okay. Maybe I do. Just a li le bit. I'm sorry. But I'll make it up to you guys. Pinky promise. AND HOLY CRAP. 62800 words. 30 chapters. And we're not even done yet! Yay, I feel so accomplished. Remember to follow, vote and comment! "You alright?" Nate asks as I get into his car. Yeah. You guessed it. For the first me in forever, someone else is driving me to campus today. When I finally got my ass out of my bed half an hour before class starts, I was ready to start the day. The minute I walked out of my room, I was greeted with more silence. No smell of pancakes filling the air. No Daniel standing by the stove. No keys by the kitchen counter. Nothing. He fucking le . Without me. I cursed for a good ten minutes before having to call Nate to pick me up from the penthouse. I can't believe Daniel ditched me today. I knew he was mad at me (I s ll don't know the reason for it, but I think I may have an idea), but I didn't think he would actually... do this. He didn't carpool with me. That's probably something he would never do. But he did it anyway. Which means, I probably pissed him off real bad.

"I'm fine," I force a smile on my face, tugging on my bag. "Feeling superb. Absolutely fantas c!" Nate looks at me, confused. "I'm not sure if you're being sarcas c with me, or if you're telling the truth." I roll my eyes. Then, I lean forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Just drive." He casts me a boyish grin. "Okay." When we finally get to campus, Nate and I keep a fair amount of distance between ourselves so we won't raise suspicion. I'm guessing it's a hard thing for him to do, because at mes I see his hand twitch, aching for mine. I look around for Cara, but see no sign of her. So, I end up hanging out with Nate for a while un l it's me for class. "So I want to take you on a date tomorrow night." He whispers when we're outside class. I tug on my sling bag, and smile at what he had said. "We can't be seen together in public, remember?" I tell him nervously. "I know," He grins, "So we're having the date at my place." I li my eyebrows. "Okay." "Yeah," He nods, "Dinner and a movie. How does that sound?" That sounds like a me and Daniel thing. But I'm not going to say that out loud. "Sounds perfect," A small smile appears on my face. I'm not going to think about Daniel at all. Nate is my priority now. "I'll be cooking for you," He notes. "My famous lasagna. And a er that, we can pick whatever movie we want to watch."

"I'm loving the date already." When anyone isn't looking, I press a light kiss on the square of his lips. "Do you know that it's our first date?" "Yeah. Well. I did ask you to go on a date with me like a month ago.." "And then you found out I was engaged to Daniel." I frown. "I promise, this me, there will be no interrup ons." He grins sillily. "I like the sound of that." "I got to get to class okay?" I tell him. "I'll see you later." He reveals to me another one of his cute grins. "Bye, Alex." A er waving at him, I decide to enter class. My heart is pounding so fast against my chest when I take my usual seat. I stare at the seat next to me, the seat that Daniel usually occupies. The ghost of his presence deeply unse les me. I'm not sure if he will show up for class. He tried to avoid me at all costs last night and this morning. I don't know what lengths he will go in order to ignore me for good. As expected, Daniel doesn't show. My heart sinks as the lecturer starts the lesson without him. I keep looking at his seat, wondering what would happen if he did show up and how is his mood. There are usually two ways it will go. Bad or good. Bad: he will be scowling at me, throwing insults at my face which in result, would get me super riled up. Good: he will be grinning at me, telling me I look slightly above average (because let's face it, Daniel never compliments me), and we would just talk about random things and never get bored. Being with Daniel is super hot and cold. You'll never know which side of him you'll see everyday. I guess that's what keeps things interes ng.

Sigh. I look away from his seat, keeping my focus in front of me. Classes go by in a blur, and I'm coun ng down the minutes I can finally go back home. Home. Funny how I call the penthouse Daniel and I share a home. Maybe it's because I've lived there for what seems like so long, that it actually feels like I belong. But lately I've not been feeling that at all. A li le part of me tells to get used to the feeling. I call up Cara once I'm done, and she agrees to take me back. When I meet her by the hallway, I spot her and Simon sharing a friendly chat. He seems to be really engrossed in the conversa on because he nods vigorously at what she says, and some mes he opens his mouth to speak. I wait pa ently for her to finish her talk with Simon. I wave goodbye to him and walk with Cara to the car, our arms linked together. "So... Simon, huh?" I wriggle my eyebrows at her. She rolls her eyes. "He's nice." "So did you manage to get more than a sentence out of him?" I prod, laughter lacing my tone. She blushes. That's probably the first me I've ever seen her blush over a guy. And let me tell you, Cara's been with a lot of them. "Yes. And he's really cool." "So.... what did you guys talk about?" I smile. "Nothing much. We talked about the halloween party," She grins, "And about gaming." "Gaming?" I say in disbelief. "Since when were you ever interested in gaming?"

"Since yesterday when he told me about it!" She defends. "Oh shit," I cover my mouth. "You like him." "Do not!" "Do too!" "No!" She tries to say it in a serious tone, but totally fails. I laugh so hard, I'm prac cally wheezing. "Shut up, Alex!" I laugh even harder. "Okay... whatever you say." She eyes me warily as she turns on the igni on of the car. When she drops me off at the penthouse, the temporary happiness I felt with Cara begins to fade away. All that's le in my body is dread. Daniel's most probably not going to be there in the penthouse. I probably won't be able to see him the whole day. How long is he going to keep this up, anyway? I fiddle with my keys and unlock the door. When I enter the penthouse, I see him. Daniel's si ng by the sofa with a mug in hand, while listening to an all too familiar Beetles tune blaring from the speakers. Hey Jude. I wince as I set my keys and my bag down. The music prickles in my ears. It s rs up some feeling within me, the feeling that I wanted to suppress for so long. I'm speechless. He doesn't even acknowledge me when I'm in the room. Hurt crawls into my chest. I just stand there, watching him as he moves his head slightly from side to side, synchonizing himself to the beat of the music.

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it be er. Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it be er. Hey Jude, don't be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, Then you begin to make it be er. Somehow, tears start pooling in my eyes. I wipe them away and sniff. I can't listen to this song anymore. This song reminds me of that me when we had so much fun lounging on the couch, singing our hearts out to it. That was a really good moment. And somehow, that makes me really mad. Hey Jude, don't let me down. You have found her, now go and get her. Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it be er. Anger boils my skin as I listen to the song. Without much thought, I trudge over to the player and turned the fucking song off. Then, I whirl around and my eyes lock with Daniel's. "What the fuck is going on?" I yell, my voice echoing throughout the en re penthouse. Daniel doesn't answer. "What's happening, Daniel? What's going on between us?" Tears fall down my cheeks but this me I make no a empt to wipe them away. I watch as his face crumbles bit by bit. He has come completely undone.

We both have. Sighing, I walk over and plop myself on the couch beside him, u erly defeated. The both of us don't look at each other. We just stare ahead, not speaking. There are no words le to speak. Tears stream down my face uncontrollably. Each tear burns through my skin, somehow a reminder of how much I think I have hurt him. How much he has hurt me. How much we have hurt each other. Eventually, I scoot closer to him and lean my head against his shoulder. Daniel doesn't tell me to go away. He welcomes me. We stay like that for so long. Neither of us want to move. Neither of us want to be the first one to speak. Neither of us do anything at all.

32. Thirty One - "I Don't Deserve Nice." That's a picture of Alex up there^ sorry it took so long to post a picture of her. I had to find the perfect Alex. And the perfect Alex is Alexandra Daddario! HAHA. Anyways remember to follow, vote and comment! Btw, sorry for the two previous chapters. I know. I want Alex and Daniel to be together as much as you guys. The next morning, Daniel and I barely talked, although I think we're making progress. We fall back into the usual rou ne- He makes pancakes and I make the hot chocolate. We eat breakfast together in a very awkward silence, neither of us wan ng to talk about what happened at the Halloween party. I think the both of us established the fact that we'd rather not talk about the problem. What problem, you ask? I'm not exactly sure. The ri between us. The tension. The ugly feelings that we caught since we le that party. Everything rolled into one. Nevertheless, we don't talk about it. Not even a slight hint of it. I think that it's because we think that if we don't say anything, it will fade away soon enough. But I know that will never happen. "Thanks for le ng me use your bathroom," I say to Nate as I towel off my drenched hair. Before that, I have already slipped into a nice cropped top and some high waisted jeans. I stuff all my dirty clothes into the bag that I had brought over from the penthouse. A er I came back from campus today, I decided not to head back to the penthouse. I'd rather not repeat the whole awkward silence thing with Daniel. It messes with my brain. So instead, I headed over to Nate's house with a towel and some clothes, avoiding the s ff atmosphere that is in the penthouse.

A er I pack my stuff, I pass the hallway and catch Simon in his room, his face glued to the computer. He has a mouthpiece strapped to his face and he's yelling "Open fire! Open fire!" to the screen while constantly tapping on his keyboard. He doesn't see me as I pass by his room. I close the door for him, and make my way to the living room. I lean my body against the wall, my arms crossing over my chest, wearing a smirk on my face. "No problem," Nate replies me, only a minute later. I laugh quietly at his late response. He must be really busy. The smell of food consumes my nostrils, and I smile when I realized how much effort Nate had put in order to make me dinner. I catch a glimpse of him as he takes the lasagna out of the oven with a cloth. He lays it down on the table for it to cool. When he no ces me watching him, he flashes me a huge grin. "Did I men on I find guys who can cook super a rac ve?" I say as I approach him. He forgets about the lasagna, turning his back on the table, and faces me. Then, he wraps his arms around my waist to pull me closer to him. I bite my lip nervously. "Did I men on I find girls who bite their lip super a rac ve?" He murmurs, his nose grazing my cheek. I squirm in his arms, and manage to duck under to avoid his embrace. "Don't do that again." I warn him. "It's cklish." Nate throws his head back and laughs. "Only you, Alex. Only you." "So are we going to eat or what?" I say instead, trying to steer him away from the topic, "Because I'm famished."

"Yeah let's eat. Sorry the food took so long," He says as he pulls out a seat for me to sit, "I wanted everything to be perfect." "It doesn't have to be perfect, stupid." I take my seat at dining table, and Nate does the same opposite from me. "Calling me stupid when I prepared all of this?" He gestures to the display of food on the table. The aroma ckles my taste buds. "Ground beef casserole?" I lick my lips when I see it, "Damn. Spaghe . Lasagna. Roast chicken. You really outdid yourself, Nate." "Lets just hope it tastes as good at it looks," He says, rubbing his hands together. "Shall we?" We devour the food. God, every single dish is good. I didn't realize how much I missed homecooked food un l now. Daniel and I usually order takeout- whether it was Chinese, or Japanese, or (HAHA) Mcdonalds. When we get bored of all three, we would go to some nearby restaurant that served less than average meals. We didn't really care about the food. It was the company that kept us going most of the me. Stop comparing everything to Daniel. Your life is with Nate now. Funny how I feel like I'm being torn in half- one with the past that is Daniel, and another with a future with Nate. Funny how just a week ago, the roles were reversed. As we eat our food, we talk about anything and everything. This is not a usual date where two people got to know each other. Nate and I already knew each other all too well. So, the topics we talked about varied a lot. We talk about his classes, my classes, my progress in wri ng 'Blankets', our favourite movies, and books. We talk about books a lot.

"I manage to read a couple of books this month, all thanks to you," He twirls his fork, gathering the spaghe . "My favourites are all the Mitch Albom books." "Yeah, I love him." I gush. "He's amazing. Definitely one of my favourite authors out there." He raises a curious eyebrow. "Damn girl, is there any book that you haven't read yet?" "Do you really wanna know the answer to that ques on?" He shakes his head, chuckling. A er we're done with dinner, I help him clear the plates. He tells me he'd handle it, but I don't want to feel like I'm not doing anything. So I help him anyway, even without his permission. We take our me washing the dishes, lightly cha ng up each other. "Thanks for the dinner tonight, Nate." I smile as I scrub the plates. "The food was amazing. You're not as bad of a cook as I thought." "You thought I was a bad cook?" "Well no, but Cara told me she was an amazing cook, and I sort of believed her for a while. But then, she cooked me noodles, and it was the worst food I ever tasted. Yuck." I s ck my tongue out. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to pass on the opportunity if she ever offers to cook for me." "You hang out with Cara?" I ask him. He shrugs as he wipes the table. "Some mes I'd catch her when she's leaving the apartment. We talk about stuff." "Stuff?" A playful smile forms on my face.

"It's not what you think," He chuckles lightly. "She asks about Simon a lot." "I know she has a crush on him." "I think they're s ll in the whole friends phase." He shakes his head. "Simon really likes her, though. It's pre y cute. I swear I've never seen him talk as much as when he talks to Cara. It's a miracle." I snort. "Why doesn't he want to make a move?" Nate pauses for a while. "He thinks Cara is out of his league." "No." I turn back to look at him. "Really?" "Yeah. If I were him, I'd feel pre y in madated too. She is, a er all, very beau ful." I pretend to pout. "If she's beau ful, then why don't you go date her." He chucks the cloth aside and walks towards me. "Because I don't want to." I smile mischieviously. "And why is that?" "Because I have you." He smirks. And then he leans down to kiss me. I nudge him away from me, pretending to be appalled. "You don't get to kiss me when you just called my best friend beau ful. It doesn't work like that." I laugh. "Dammit. I was hoping it would." He snaps his fingers. A er I'm done with the dishes, Nate brings me to the couch so we can have our desert and watch a movie. He pickes out some blockbuster ac on film that I don't actually like, but I don't want to tell him. He has done so

much today and the least I can do is to spend two and a half hours watching some movie I don't like. I lean my forehead against his, his body curling with mine. I close my eyes, and for a flicker of a moment, want to think that it's Daniel's arms that are wrapped around me, not Nate's. What an ugly thought that had crossed my mind. I gulp, and look away from the screen, feeling u erly disgusted. I feel ashamed. That I would think of Daniel that way. That I would hurt Nate that way by thinking of Daniel. Nate no ces that my mind is somewhere else, and he pauses the movie. "Are you okay, Alex?" He taps on my shoulder. I swivel my head around and sigh. "I guess I'm not in a mood for a movie tonight," I pout, "I'm sorry, Nate." "It's fine." God damn it, why is Nate so forgiving? I want him to tell me that it's not fine. I want him to yell at me, demand what the fuck is going on with me. For once, I want him not to be nice to me. I don't deserve nice. At all. "Come here," Nate coils an arm around my shoulder and I press my face against his chest. Why can't I just be perfectly happy with Nate? Isn't this what I wanted? I wanted Nate. He's good for me. We are good together. Right? He presses a small kiss on my forehead, then on my cheek. God, I don't deserve his kisses.

I don't deserve anything from Nate. And I definitely don't deserve him. I look into his dark chocolate eyes. He stares down at me with such interest, such vulnerablity, like he's already planning to share everything with me. He carresses my cheek, whispering soothing words to my ear, making me feel wanted and loved. He presses a small kiss on the edge of my lips, and lingers there. I wait for what's coming next. He moves his lips right over mine, and kisses them. It's slow at first but I can feel the fire slowly burning. His lips start increasing its pace and starts to move in a steady rhythm. They are so and loving and treat me with such care. His hands found their way to my back and his fingers starts aimlessly tracing on my shirt. I try to kiss him back with all the tenderness he is kissing me with but I can't. He is the perfect one for me, yet some part of my heart knows he isn't. These thoughts swim in my head like sharks in water, ea ng away anything in its path. I gasp and scramble away from Nate. He looks at me, confusion wri en all over his face. "I'm sorry," I squeak, tears threatening to swim in my eyes. "I- I... I can't. It's not right. I need to..." I grab my duffle bag filled with my clothes and I stand abruptly. "Alex?" Nate reaches for me but I don't let him. I make my way for the door. "I'm sorry. I need... I need- I'm sorry, Nate." And then I disappear. _______

A/N: GAHHHH. Alex, what are you doing? YEAP. She's all kinds of fucked up right now. But she's only human, you know? At least she knows there's something wrong with her being with Nate! One step closer her being with Daniel yay!

33. Thirty Two - "We Hurt Each Other." Remember to follow, vote and comment! My phone has been constantly ringing all morning, screaming at me to pick it up. I grip it in my hand as I pull my car into the driveway of the penthouse. What the hell did I just do? I just... le . Nate was being so nice and loving to me and I just le him. Once I get through the door, I take a deep breath. I am a fucking mess right now. Emo ons running all over the place. My brain, scrambled to bits. And here I am, mascara running down my eyes, with a phone in my hands, a phone that has been fucking up my ears since I le Nate's place. With trembling fingers, I unlock my phone and answer the call. "H-hello?" I stammer. "Thank god," Nate praises. "What happened, Alex? Why the fuck did you just leave like that?" "I..." Because I'm confused about my feelings for you. Because I don't deserve you. Because I'm all kinds fucked up. "I don't know." "Christ, Alex," He swears, "I thought everything was going fine between us. We were okay. And now we're not. And I'm trying to understand what went wrong." "No. Nothing went wrong," I reassure him, "it's just... I need some me to think." "About what?" "About things." "You're not being very specific, Alex."

"I know," I sigh, "God, I know. I just- I have a lot going on right now. I need some me. But we're okay, Nate. I think. We're okay." "How can you say we're okay? We're definitely not okay." "I'll call you back tomorrow. I promise." "Alex." "I'm sorry." And then I hang up. I lean against the door, my body sliding down ll I meet with the floor. Closing my eyes, I let the hot tears flow down. ******* My head fucking hurts. Somehow a er the crying, I had fallen asleep against the door, my hands hugging my legs. I move my head from side to side, and a s nging pain a acks me. "Ow," I rub my neck with my fingers. Note to self: Never fall asleep against the door. It fucks up your neck. Sighing, I heave myself up into a standing posi on, needing to stretch my back a li le. What happened last night starts to come back to me in pieces and fragments. Me having a great me with Nate. Me watching a movie with Nate. Nate kissing me. Me storming out of his apartment. I'm an absolute disaster. Shuffling to the kitchen, I have the urge to pour myself some coffee to get some caffeine into my system. Maybe that will clear my brain a li le bit. Just as I cross the living room, I spot him.

Daniel's by the stove, making pancakes. He hums to himself quietly, flipping the pancakes into the air and catching it with a plate. He does it a couple more mes and when he's finally done, he turns the stove off and places two plates on the table. Then, his eyes lock with mine. I hold his gaze. A thousand emo ons flicker in his deep blue eyes, but the one he chooses to show is annoyance. "Are you going to eat or what?" He asks me in a bored tone, making himself comfortable on his usual seat. My mouth gapes open at his abruptness, wondering if I should respond or not. That's the most he has said to me since the Halloween party. I don't know what to say. So I don't say anything at all. With one hand behind my neck, I make my way to my seat and plop myself down. Silence hangs in the air as we eat our food. I peek a glance at Daniel. He looks like his usual self, his blonde hair spiked up, a small flush in his cheeks as he forks some pancakes into his mouth. He wears a navy blue T shirt that looks two sizes too small for him and some khakis to match with his shirt. A er a while, he no ces me staring at me, and his eyes meet mine yet again, this me something flickering in his eyes. Like he's challenging me. Daring for me to speak up. The old feelings start to crawl back into me, my skin, my heart, my en re body. I start to feel what I felt a er I found out he had ditched me at the party and le with those girls. My gaze hardens, and I lt my head up. If he's challenging me, then I accept. Whole-heartedly.

"What the fuck happened at that Halloween party?" I sneer at him. He smirks. "Now we're talking." "Yeah, because you didn't want to do that for the past two days!" I roll my eyes. "What the fuck is going on with us? I thought we were going along fine. And then, you had to give me the a tude-" "I give you an a tude?" He says in disbelief, "You're fucking unbelievable, Alex." "I'm fucking unbelievable?" Is he serious right now? "You're the one who ditched me at that party to go fuck some girls!" "Yeah, and that was a hell lot of fun," He spits at me, and my heart aches. He's hur ng me. Deliberately. "I loved every second of when our tongues met. I especially love taking off those girls' clothes un l there's absolutely nothing but skin-" I choke on my words. "Fuck you, Kerrington! Just... FUCK YOU!" I push my seat away and start making my way to my room. Daniel trudges a er me. He grabs my arm, and hisses. "We're not done here, Alex! You don't fucking get to leave when things get tough. It may work in the past, but it sure as hell won't work now." "What the fuck are you talking about?" I yank my hand away from him. He chuckles darkly. "You're a coward. You run away when things get tough. Isn't that exactly what happened with your parents? The minute they did something wrong, you turned their back on them. That's fucking cowardice if you ask me." Red hot anger seizes me. Without much thought, I slap him on the face. "Fuck!" He turns away from me, his hand flying over to the place that I have hit him.

"Don't you dare call me a coward when you're too afraid to speak to your own father. I don't know what the deal is with the both of you guys, but I see fear in your eyes every me you look at him," I point an accusing finger at him. "Don't you DARE bring my father into this!" He screams, his voice s cking needles in my ears. "You know nothing, Alex. Nothing." "You're a fucking loser, Kerrington," I scoff. "When the going gets tough, you turn away and you loose yourself in women. Just like what you did last summer. And just like what you did at that Halloween party." "You know nothing about what happened at that Halloween party." He sneers, his eyes turning to stone when he looks at me. "THEN TELL ME!" I yell, my hands raking over my hair in frustra on. "Tell me what the hell went wrong with us!" "You kissed him!" He screams. His face is red from the rage, his skin boiling. "YOU KISSED HIM! You fucked everything up for us, Alex! All because you fucking KISSED HIM!" The air suddenly grows s ll, only the sounds of our huffing and breathing filling the air. My face immediately crumbles. This is what Daniel has been mad with rage about? "How did you know about that?" My voice becomes so , all the anger leaving me as just as fast as it came. "I saw you," He says, his voice now dry and hoarse. "When I couldn't find you a er a while, I ask Simon where you went. He told me he saw you leaving the apartment with Nate. So I looked for you everywhere. Then, I heard laughing from upstairs. I went to see what was going on. That's when I saw you. Kissing..." He chokes on the last word. "Him."

I close my eyes, sucking in a deep breath. "I knew he had feelings for you, but I didn't know he would act on those feelings, when he knew you were engaged. But he did it anyway," He mu ers, his expression unreadable. "When I saw him kiss you, all I wanted to do was to punch him in the face, repeatedly and then throw his fucking body against the wall." I open my mouth, but no words escape. "I was mad with rage, Alex. You have no idea. He had your fucking hands all over you and he doesn't fucking deserve to live because of that. He doesn't deserve to touch you, kiss you, or fuck you. He doesn't deserve you." "Then, who does?" I li my shoulders. "Who deserves me, then?" He doesn't answer. "WHO?" I yell louder this me. He doesn't need to answer. I already know. The minute I look into his eyes, I know. He thinks he is the one who deserves me. I take in deep breath. I wish I never said anything at all. Because the pain that now consumes me, so raw, is destroying everything that I ever thought was true. "I heard the both of you agreeing to see each other in secret. That I wouldn't need to know," he glares at me like he wants to kill me. "That's when I le . I took those girls and I had sex with them. I needed... I needed to forget. About you. About him. About us. Every single fucking thing. And those girls, they made me forget. At least for a li le while. But the next morning, I remembered again. How much he touched you, talked to you, kissed you. And It fucking hurt, Alex. I don't know why, but it hurt so much."

"I couldn't talk to you. Couldn't see you. Because every me I do, I saw you kissing him. Over and over again. And I didn't want you to see me too. To look into my eyes and see what I did to those girls." He strains to say, "A part of me regre ed hooking up with those girls, but I knew it was the only way to temporarily get you out of my system." "I'm sorry." I choke out, "I'm so sorry, Daniel. I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have kissed Nate. Even if he did kiss me." He laughs, but it's a humourless one. "It's a li le bit too late for that now, isn't it?" I lean my head against the back of the couch. "You should have told me this sooner." "Would you have told me you kissed Nate?" I shake my head. "Then, I wouldn't have told you about my hook ups too." I bite my lip, my throat constric ng. "Why do we hurt each other like this? We got along fine, and then a er that party, we didn't. We hurt each other, Daniel." He scoots closer to me, heaving a sigh. "Yeah. We did." "Why? Why does it hurt?" I look at him, searching the answer in his deep blue eyes. "Because we don't want to admit what we should have admi ed a long me ago." "And what is that?" He swallows hard, and pauses before giving me the answer that I already know, deep in my heart.

"We're falling in love with each other." ________ A/N: YAYYYYY! they finally admi ed it! Or at least Daniel did. Meanwhile, Alex is kind of fucked because she's got the whole Nate thing going on. Is everyone pumped up about the Alex and Daniel kiss that is looming? BECAUSE I AM! Probably a few more chapters before it actually happens. Oh and by the way, thank you so much for the number 35 on Chick Lit! It means so much to me that more people are reading my story! Stay tuned for more!

34. Thirty Three - "One Day You Will." We're falling in love with each other. Seven words. So much trouble. They spur in my mind, causing havoc, doing damages to every par cle and fibre of my being. Completely sha ering what I once thought was impossible. "No," I shake my head abruptly, "No." Daniel chuckles darkly, running his fingers through his hair. He o en does that when he's stressed out. "But..." My voice trails off. I can't be falling in love with Daniel. I knew that there is something more between Daniel and I, but me? Falling in love with him? No way. No fucking way. "I'm with Nate." I say when I can finally find my voice again. This me, my voice is steadier. "I like Nate. He's... I'm with him." He shakes his head. "You don't have feelings for him. You only think you do." My eyes shoot at him. "You don't know anything about how I feel." "Oh trust me, I know a hell lot more than you do," Daniel rasps, "And trust me on this. You're running away from how you feel for me. So you throw yourself into someone else's arms. Nate. He makes you feel comfortable. Safe. You think you want that. But trust me, your heart says otherwise."

"You cocky bastard," I start to get up from the floor, my hands twitching, "I don't have feelings for you. I hate you." I seethe. "You don't hate me," He gets up a er me, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him. His eyes are hard as stone. "You're a racted to me." "Fuck you, Kerrington." I flip him off. "I can't be a racted to you. You're a selfish, manipula ve, arrogant li le twat." "Li le twat?" His eyes so en, radia ng humor. "Really?" I scrunch up my face and place my hand on my hips. "You know nothing about me." "I don't?" He says like its a statement and he's ready to prove me wrong. His eyes lock on mine, and they go dark and wild. As dark and wild as the flu ering in my insides. "Come here, sweetheart." "No." "Come here." It's not a request, it's a demand. I gulp. "I'm not going to hurt you," His face falls slightly. Taking a deep breath, I take a few steps towards Daniel hesitantly. He slides his hands around my waist, grabbing me and pulling me un l there's li le to no space in between us. My breath stalls in my throat. I don't know what he's going to do. "I know all about you, Alexandria Woods," He spins me around so my back is against his chest. One of his hands snake in my hair and another glides down my stomach, res ng on my hip. "I know that you're crazy for me as just as much as I'm crazy for you." "Don't." I seethe. "You're bullshi ng me."

"I know how I make you feel," The deep roughness of his voice scrapes my flesh, "I know that some mes when I touch you-" He buries his nose in my neck, growling so ly. His deep inhale reaches me, and a shudder runs through my body. "You feel electrified. Wanted." Daniel is trying to make me feel flustered. And it's working. One minute we're at each other's throats and the next, we're.. touching. In a totally sexual way. We are very weird. "The way you're gaze some mes lingers on my lips," When he says that, one of his fingers trace my bo om lip, and I completely forget how to breathe. "You look at my lips like you want to kiss me. Real bad." "You're clearly mistaken if you think I want to kiss you." I manage to gasp. "Why are you lying to yourself?" He murmurs, his breath hot against my ear, "You constantly wound me with your lies, sweetheart." "I'm not lying." His hand cups my face and turns it so I face him halfway. The intensity in his eyes almost makes me loose my composure. "Don't tell me you don't want this." His lips graze my cheek, slowly making its way down my jaw. Shit. I'm losing. I can't lose. He's making me feel so damn flustered I can't think. It takes me a hell a lot of effort to pull myself away from his lips, his hands, his grasp. But I do it. Immediately when he lets go, I feel the absence of his skin against mine. I ache to feel him again. No Alex! You are strong. You can do this!

What am I doing? Just minutes ago he has just confessed that he had a threesome. Just thinking about it makes me want to gag. Suddenly, his touches fall flat. His words no longer sway me. "No." I say. "I don't want this." He steps away from me, his arms folding over his chest. He wears a huge grin on his face, as if telling me he has already won. "One day, you will." "See you're doing that thing again, trying to predict what I would do. Which will always be wrong." I cast him my fakest smile yet. He shakes his head. "I'm not wrong about this one. Don't worry, Alex. When the me comes, you would be begging for me to kiss you." I gulp nervously as I walk away from him, a li le part of me telling me he may just be right. ****** "He did what?" Cara shrieks over the phone. My ear bleeds. "I know, I know." I say, hunching my shoulder so my phone stays next to my ear. A er the li le episode with Daniel, I needed to calm myself down. I scrub myself clean of his essence, making sure I didn't smell of him anymore. It took me a long bath and two showers to convince myself I'm Daniel-free. "It's completely unbelievable." "I think it's kind of hot." She gushes. "The way he just grabbed you like that, and whispered into your ear, making your skin ngle... damn. Even I'm ge ng flustered just trying to picturing it." I had to tell Cara what happened. My mind was about to burst just thinking about it, and I had to let off some steam. And Cara was more than happy to hear about what had happened today.

"Stop saying stuff like that," I tell her, "he had sex with those girls during Halloween remember?" "And you kissed Nate and agreed to be his girlfriend, remember?" Cara teases me. I roll my eyes. "It's different." "How the hell is it different?" She laughs. "Is it because he used his dick to think instead of his heart? Because trust me, Alex, all guys are like that." I sigh. "Uh huh, you know I'm right," Cara says a li le too proudly. "Alex, It's not about who's more wrong in the situa on. Or who deserves the pity card. It's not even a fight, Alex. It may just be the beginning of a very.. odd rela onship." "A rela onship." I echo, laughing. "Yes!" Cara says. "Uh no thanks," I tell her, "I'm already in a rela onship. I have a boyfriend that I really appreciate-" "You appreciate Nate?" She chokes out a laugh, "you ran out on him in the middle of your date!" I stay silent. I can already picture Cara shaking her head. "You're a complete mess, Alex. I have no idea what to do with you." "But you love me." I air kiss her. "I know," She says, fake disgusted. "That's the horrible thing. Kind of wished I branched out and made more friends."

"How about Simon?" I say, smiling to myself like an idiot, "isn't he one of your new friends?" Cara pauses for a heartbeat, unsure of how to take my ques on. "Yeah..." She says with uncertainty. "Come on, Cara. You got to claim what is yours!" I snort, echoing the exact same words she said to me at the Halloween party. "Screw you, Alex." "CARA AND SIMON SITTING ON A TREE, K I S S I N G-" "Shut up!" I can't stop. This is too hilarious. "FIRST COMES LOOOVE- oh wait no, FIRST COMES GAMING, THEN COMES LOVE, THEN COMES LITTLE BLONDE AND REDHEADS COMING OUT OF YOUR VA-" "Okay that's enough!" Cara squeals. "You really are one horrible person, Alex." "I'm just PREACHING THE TRUTH!" I defend myself. "Whatever." "You know I'm right." I wriggle my eyebrows. "Speaking of truth.." Her voice trails off, "aren't you going to talk to your beloved?" "My what?" "NATE. I'm talking about Nate." "Oh." I say, "right. I completely forgot. I was supposed to call him."

"Uh-UH. So go do it." "I... Can't." "Why not?" I bite my lip. "Because I don't know what to say." It's true. I can't just call him up and say sorry I couldn't stay last night. Had mixed feelings about you. Daniel thinks I'm falling in love with him. YEAP. The big 'L' word. I mean, not Lesbian. Love. He thinks I'm falling in love with him. I think he may just be right. Anyways, wanna have lunch? Yeah that would too weird. "Tell him the truth!" She tells me. "Didn't you just say you preached the truth?" "Well.." "You fucking hypocrite!" She teases me. I throw my head back and laugh. "Okay okay. I'll call him." "You be er." She warns me over the phone. "Call me and tell me how it goes." "Yeah whatever." "Don't 'whatever' me. Only I get to 'whatever' you." "WHATEVER WHATEVER WHATEVER WHATEVER WHATEVER WHATEVER-" Aaaaaand she hangs up on me. Chuckling to myself slightly, I scroll through my contacts and my index finger lingers on Nate's name.

I know I should call him. He needs to know what's going on with me. If I were in his shoes, I would want to know. But what do I even tell him? Before I can even answer my own ques on, I press call. Nate answers on the third ring. "Hi, Nate." I breathe. "Alex." His tone doesn't sound very en cing. I try to ignore it. "I know, you're very pissed at me. And I just want to say that I'm okay and I truly appreciated everything you've done for our date last night. It was a really great date-" "Un l you ran out on me." "Well, yes. And I should apologize." A pause. "I'm sorry, Nate. I'm a messed up person. I'm indecisive and some mes I don't know what I want. I'm stupid and I make stupid mistakes. And running out on you like that was a stupid mistake. One that I will regret for a long me." I hear Nate's uneven breaths through the phone. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." I tell him. Then I come up with a brilliant solu on. "And I know just how to do it." "How?" Curiosity laces his word. I smile knowingly. "What are you doing this weekend?" ______

A/N: so what is Alex planning for this weekend? HMMMM... Anyways, can you believe we're at CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. I mean, that's a shit load of chapters. And I know everyone's growing restless. LIKE ALEX AND DANIEL GET IT ON ALREADY. Well, YALL got to be pa ent. But I think you may just like the ending of the next chapter... Stay tuned if you want to know what that is!

35. Thirty Four - "Living A Huge Lie." Nate in the picture above! Damn he's good looking *insert smiley face with hearts*. Too bad, I'd tap that if Alex doesn't want to. Heh. Remember to follow, vote and comment! Pancakes. Hot chocolate. Same old, same old. Except that this me, the en re dynamics of our so called 'friendship' has changed. Daniel and I eat together in a very tense silence, one that I'm so willing to break but even I can't do it. Le sigh. "Do I even want to know where you're heading off to?" Daniel groans as he finishes the last of his pancakes. I clear my plate by the sink and frown. I'm assuming it's a ques on that I wouldn't want to answer. But Daniel presses me even further. "Are you going to see Nate?" He doesn't even bother to hide his curiosity. But he's damn good at hiding his jealousy. I turn the faucet off and glare at him. "Why the hell do you care?" "I think I have a say when where my fake fianc� goes and who's she fucking." Aaaaand he doesn't even bother to hide his vulgarity. My nostrils flare. "Fuck you." Yep. I don't bother to hide it either.

Daniel's jaw clenches, like what I had just said stung him. He runs his fingers through his blonde hair, and shakes his head. "You used to tell me everything." My breath falters. A part of me feels guilty that I'm being a bitch to him. But... I'd rather be mean to him. At least, he will hate me rather than like me. It's easier this way. For him to move on. For me to move on with Nate. But why is he making it so hard for me to do exactly that? "Daniel, please don't do this." I sigh as I grab my keys from the countertop. "Do what?" "Try to make me feel guilty about being with Nate." He li s his eyebrows. "I wasn't implying that at all." Then, slowly his lips curve into a crooked smile. "You came up with that one on your own." God dammit. I walked right into that one. "Okayyyyy," I roll my eyes and head for the front door. "Whatever. I'm spending the whole day out. Don't wait up for me." "Wasn't gonna," Daniel replies sourly. ****** Nate picks me up about ten minutes later. He doesn't wear his usual grin this me. He's a li le bit more wary of me now, eyes constantly flickering to mine, silently wondering if I'm going to flee again like how I did on our first date.

My heart aches knowing that I put that doubt in him. I want him to trust me again, and I hope by doing this, I will be able to gain back a li le piece of his heart that I sha ered so many mes over. "Hey," he says as I slide into the front seat. I hug my bag ghtly as if it's the only thing that's keeping me together. Keeping me sane. "Hey," I cast him a small nervous smile. He doesn't seem affected by it. He grips the driving wheel harder and starts to back the car out of the parking lot. When we're on the road, his gaze meets mine again. I hold my breath, wondering what he's going to say. "You okay today?" He speaks in a low tone. I nod my head. I know I should apologize about what happened on our date. I did so on the phone yesterday, but it doesn't seem enough. "Look, Nate, I'm so sorry about-" He cuts me off almost immediately. "You sure you want to do this?" He asks instead. I'm deba ng whether he's annoyed or angry at me. Either way, it's not good. Slowly, I nod my head again, this me firmer. "Yes. I do." He sighs, and looks straight on the road in front of him. I fiddle with the straps of my bag, unsure of what else to say. Ever since I screwed up our date, there's this invicible barrier between us. I feel it when I place my hand over his, but he hesitates at my touch. I feel it when I look at him, and he greets me with a very forced smile. I feel it when he leans towards me and places a kiss on the square of my lips, a kiss that has never felt this awkward before.

I don't know how to fix it anymore. I don't know how to fix usanymore. When Nate pulls over a block away from the house, I release my breath. He cuts the engine and helps me get out of the car. I'm grateful by this small gesture, because at least I know he doesn't hate me that much. As we walk towards the house, I see it in full view. It's a cute li le englishthemed house; the exterior walls are a pale green, but it stands out from tall tress leaning towards it, its leaves ac ng as an armor to protect the house from unwanted visitors. The glass on the cream coloured windows reflect the clouds which shield the sun's rays from falling on the house. The heavy wooden oak doors sit on the centre of the house. Perfectly trimmed bushes grow in front of the house, below the windows and stop at the small porch, crea ng a low border. "Wow," I say. I've never seen much houses in Boston before. Especially one this breath taking. I've mostly lived in the city so there weren't much houses there. "It's... huge." "Yeah." Nate stares up at the house too. "My great uncle died recently, and seeing as how I was his only rela ve, he le some of his fortune and this house to me. It was totally unneccessary because the loca on was too far from campus, so grandma agreed to take care of the house while I was gone. She's lived here ever since." "It's a beau ful place." I say in awe as my eyes roam around the garden. "Wait ll you see the inside." He takes my hand and guides me towards the porch. When we're inside, I make sure to keep behind Nate. He flashes me a reassuring smile, and for a second I think that he's okay with me now. That he's forgiven me and that we can move past whatever I did wrong.

I gasp slightly when my eyes fall upon the huge space in front of us. Beige wallpaper line the walls, along with beau ful framed pain ngs and photos of unfamiliar people. As we walk, I catch a glimpse of Nate when he was a teenager, his dark hair cut in the shape of a mushroom and his braced teeth flashing at me. I laugh quietly. Nate no ces what I'm looking at and blushes. "Even back then you were trying to woo people with your flashy grins." An easy laugh rumbles from his throat. "I couldn't help myself. I'm a natural." He takes me upstairs and as I ascend them two at a me, the floorboards beneath me groan as they take my weight. Okay. I'm not that fat. Finally, when we reach the top, he glances briefly at the door before looking at me again. "I'm fine, Nate." I say before he can say anything. "You can let me see her. I mean, if you want me to." "I want you to," He squeezes my hand. "She'd want to see you. She'd kill me if I didn't let you see her." I laugh. "Open the door, Nate." He releases my hand and does what I say. Then, he places a hand behind my back, guiding me inside the room. "Hey, grandma." Nate's face breaks into a huge smile as he walks over to the bed. "Nathaniel Albert Eliose Jones," She addresses him mockingly. Her voice is sweet and raspy at the same me. Like old honey, if that makes any sense.

Her eyes spark with life as she looks at Nate. Her eyes crinkle with crow's feet as she smiles at him. "Not a surprise seeing you here." "You know you love my visits." He teases. "I should have known you were coming. Danielle took the day off today. I assume you told her to." She rolls her eyes. "Yep." Nate sits at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms, "She needed to rest anyways. It takes a lot of work to put up with your daily insults and fusses." "Don't insult me, boy," His grandma frowns, "I deserve some respect from you considering I went through hell try'na raise you." "Come on. It wasn't that bad. I was a good boy." Nate chuckles. "Only because I made you into one!" Nate laughs even harder. I snort at her wi y comment. I'm surprised at how at ease Nate is with his grandma. He relaxes around her. Only because I made him tense in the first place. "Oh, this is Alex, by the way." Nate finally addresses me, and I straighten when his grandma turns her full a en on to me. Her eyes scan me, from my eyes to my face, to my body down to my feet. I'm not sure what she thinks of me, and I'm eager to know. Her eyes hide her thoughts well enough. "Alex," She breathes and I slowly make my way to her. "So this is the girl Nate has been talking highly about these few weeks." Nate's en re face turns as red as my lips ck. An easy laugh flows out of me. "It's nice to meet you."

"Please." She extends her hand, shaking midly as she does it. Warmth and kindness frame her face, "Call me Pepper." "Okay, Pepper." I nod. "How are you feeling?" "Urgh. I hate it when Danielle asks me that. Please don't be like her." She tells me. I li an eyebrow in confusion. "Danielle's her nurse." Nate clears my confusion. "She works weekdays and some mes on the weekends when I can't come over." "Okay," I take this informa on in. "So I guess I'll refrain from anything she says that makes you ickish." "Ickish?" Pepper makes a face. "What are you? Five?" My mouth gapes open at her forwardness. Nate clears his throat. "Excuse my grandma. She's always like that." "It's okay," I shake my head. "It's refreshing to meet someone who isn't afraid to tell someone off, whether she likes them or not." Grandma swivels her head to Nate and nods in approval. "I like her. You can keep her." "I wasn't looking for your permission to keep her, grandma." "Nonsense, boy. As long as I'm alive and breathing, I have to approve of who you date. It's a grandma thing." "You are unbelievable." Nate chuckles. I laugh along with him. Pepper turns her a en on to me again. "Can you believe this boy? He hasn't any manners at all."

"Oh, I got to disgaree with you on that. He's usually quite gentlemanly. At least around me." I smile. "Only because he's trying to get into your pants, hon." I burst out laughing. Nate's face turns even redder. He stands up, covering his face with his hands. "I'm going to go down and get myself a drink if I want to survive the rest of the day with you, grandma." Grandma li s her finger. "Make that drink a strong one." Before he leaves the room, Nate glances at me. "You want anything, Alex?" "Nah. I'm good." I wave him off. "You okay staying with her for a while?" "I'm fine." I lean towards Pepper, who's annoyed by Nate, "Pepper and I got a lot of catching up to do." Nate grins. "Alright, then. Call me if you need anything." "Okay." He takes a hesitant step out of the room before pausing. "You sure-" "Boy, get the hell ou a here before you run the girl off," Pepper interrupts him, ba ng her eyelashes, "she looks like she's about to hit you for asking her too many ques ons." Nate grumbles. "Fine." Then he leaves the room. I scoot closer towards Pepper, eager to know more about her. I've never met someone quite like her before.

Pepper asks me to help her into a si ng posi on so I do so. I heave her up un l she's res ng against her pillow that is placed beside the wall. When she's comfortable, she returns her gaze to me and frowns. "Is something wrong?" I ask her, a li le bit worried. She glances at the door again, as if checking that Nate is out of earshot, before making eye contact with me again. "Why are you with Nate?" She ques ons me accusingly. "Huh?" I'm confused about her ques on. "Why the hell are you with Nate, girl?" She narrows her eyes at me. "I've seen you on the television. You're that guy's fiance- Kerrington, I think. I saw you in that interview with him. So why the hell are you with Nate, now?" Oh, boy. That is not what I was expec ng. At all. "It's... complicated." I shrug. "Please," She rolls her eyes, "Are you playing any games here, Alex?" "What? No!" I say quickly. "No, I would never.... it's just... very complicated." How am I supposed to explain to her? I've told too many people that the engagement between Daniel and I is fake. Too many. But then again, Pepper has the right to know. If I were to gain her trust, I'd have to tell her. But I'm not sure how to do it. She shakes her head. "You got to tell me what's going on with you, Alex. I don't mean to be boas ng or anything but I'm pre y good at reading people, and I can tell you're conflicted about your feelings. Now, I didn't want to say anything in front of Nate because he's so taken by you. Every

me when he comes over, he'd tell me all about you. And I wanted to meet you for so long, but I didn't know you were... with another man." "It's not what you think." I reply with a shaky laugh. "It's really not." "I think it is, Alex." She says, frowning. "I know that your heart is not with Nate. It may have been for a short me, but it isn't now. It's with another man. And I bet it's that guy who I saw on television." I open my mouth to deny whatever she's saying, but no words come out. Because I didn't want to admit it for so long, but I know Pepper's right. "Don't be stringing my boy along, Alex. You may think that you aren't, but you are. I know you're a good girl, and you have a sensible heart. You want to do what is right. So do what is right and end things with Nathaniel before its too late." Tears swim in my eyes because I know she's right. "You can do it," Pepper urges me. "You have to, Alex. Your heart is not in the right place. It's sure as hell not with him. And don't make him believe that he has it. Because then the both of you will be living a huge lie." ****** A/N: Sooo Alex and Nate aren't meant to be and Grandma Pepper knows it! YEAH. WAY TO TELL ALEX THAT SHE SHOULDNT BE WITH NATE. Maybe finally Alex will get her head out of her ass and start accep ng her feelings for Daniel! Stay tuned for when that happens!

36. Thirty Five - "Every Broken Piece Of You." Remember to follow, vote and comment! I try to digest what Pepper is telling me. As much as I'd like to think that she's talking nonsense, I know that she's right. She's absolutely right. I've been blind for so long. I like Nate. I do. But I don't think it has ever been in a roman c way. I wanted to like him like that, because he made me feel so special and loved. And I may have been infatuated with him ever since I met him, but how deep does my feelings run for him? Not enough. Not enough to sustain a rela onship. Nate and I are supposed to be together. I used to keep telling myself that. We're right for each other. We fit well; we share similiar interests, we are so taken by each other. It makes sense that we'd end up together. But somehow... it doesn't. And I know why now. I see the answer clearly now, and I can't deny it any longer. It's because of Daniel. Daniel's right. I do have feelings for him. Strong feelings. I hadn't wanted to admit to myself because those feelings scared me. I was absolutely terrified about how I felt for Daniel that I pushed myself away from him and into the arms of Nate. Nate was my safety net: he'd always be there when the going gets tough for me. But I can't let him be that anymore. It's not fair for him. I know that now. I need to tell Nate. I need to end things with him. It's just not fair. How can I do this to him? Was I that selfish and stupid to want Nate but have feelings for another man?

God, I've never been this angry at myself. I hate myself for being this way. I have to turn over a new leaf. "You know I'm right, Alex," Pepper temporarily disrupts me from my thoughts. "Don't go stringing my boy along anymore. You know what to do." I nod my head, blinking away tears. I briefly glance at the door, wondering when he's going to come back, and how am I going to break it out to him. But as my gaze falls on the door, I realize that it's ajar. And I see a flash of Nate passing by. That's when I know. Nate had heard the en re conversa on between Pepper and I. ****** The next few hours is absolute torture for me. The minute Nate materializes in the room with a steaming cup of coffee for Pepper, the tension in the room has been denser than ever. As Nate crosses the room and takes his seat opposite from me, I expect him to confront me about what Pepper had told me. Maybe he would yell at me? But Nate doesn't seem like the person who would yell. But then again, how would I know? I did such a bad thing to him. It's horrible. I feel horrible. And I'm certain he does feel it too But he doesn't confront me. He doesn't say anything at all. He just avoids my gaze, his eyes glued to Pepper, sparking when his grandma rambles on and on about her days and about her nurse. I laugh too, a li le bit more false than usual, because my mind isn't exactly here. My thoughts keep dri ing to what's going to happen when our visit is over and when Nate sends me back home.

I'm scared about what might happen. This whole week with Nate had been great, and I will always treasure our memories, whether good or bad. A li le part of me tells me not to let him go, but I fight against it, knowing that this is the right thing. Pepper told me so. And I agree with her. I can only keep lying to myself for so long. Nate, Pepper and I con nue talking for a couple more hours, exchanging stories with one another. Nate and I don't exactly talk with each other, only talking to Pepper but he glances at me briefly when Pepper gives a dirty remark about how impolite it is to avoid eye contact with the guest (namely me). I think that perhaps Pepper would ease the tension a bit and confront both Nate and I but she doesn't do that. Pepper doesn't tell Nate about what she's told me either. I think she's trying to let us sort it out by ourselves. But I think she too feels the tension that pours into the air. "The both of ya are really ge ng on my nerves. What the hell is going on?" Pepper asks innocently, "you guys are as tensed up as my s nkin' feet." Nate shi s uncomfortable. I avoid Pepper's dar ng gaze. A er a while, we decide to part ways with Pepper. The sun outside begins to sink back into the earth, cas ng a bright tangerine colour unto the sky. I glance at the me and realize I should be ge ng back home. I bid goodbye to Pepper, hugging her ghtly, knowing this is the last me I'll be able to see her again. She knows it too, so she presses a kiss on my forehead and beams down at me. "You do what is right, Alex." She murmurs. "I will." I nod swi ly. Nate clears his throat, signaling its me for us to go. I smile briefly at Pepper once more before heading downstairs, where Nate's car waits for us. He helps me into the front seat and starts the

engine. The ride back to the penthouse is awkward. Nate and I don't look at each other. His eyes are glued to the road in front of him and mine to my phone. I keep fiddling with the lock bu on, the me on my home screen mocking me. Sighing, I click again so my phone goes blank. For once I wish that me would pass faster. When we reach the parking lot, Nate cuts the engine. I contemplate on ge ng out of the car, but I know I should do it here. Now. "Nate-" I start off. "I know what you're going to say." He sighs, leaning against his seat. I don't say anything. My silence only confirms what he had just said. He lts his head so he's facing me. His hazel eyes gleam under the dull rays of light. "I heard what my grandma said to you. About how you don't have feelings for me. How you have feelings for Daniel. Real feelings." I close my eyes, my throat constric ng. "Is it true, Alex? What she said?" His eyes search mine. I nod wordlessly. He sucks in a sharp breath, like he can't quite believe it. "I know you're confused, but I didn't think-" he pauses, "there's always this uncertainty in you. I can see it in your eyes every me you look at me or touch me. Or kiss me. I thought it was because you needed me to get used to this. Us. But now I know it isn't that. We were never an 'us' in the first place." His words completely sha er me.

"You know I wanted to be with you," I tell him truthfully, my eyes moist with tears, "I wanted to make myself believe that I'm happy with you. That I can make this work. But..." My voice trails off, breaking slightly, "I don't know how to do that. You are so good to me, Nate. But I can't keep lying to myself that I truly... have feelings for you." His en re expression crumbles, and my heart aches. "I can't do this." Tears begin to pool in my eyes, "I like you, but it's not the way you like me. With passion. With sincerity. With love. I can't return those kinds of feelings, and I don't want to lie to you or to myself anymore. I'm so sorry, Nate." He lets out a shaky breath, tearing his gaze from me and looking down, as if he doesn't want me to see him hurt. "So I can't make you happy." He says, like its a statement. "You did," I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze, "I'm so grateful to have experienced this.. with you, no ma er how short it was. You made me really happy, Nate." "But not as happy as you are with Daniel." He finishes off my sentence, as if he has taken those words straight off from my deepest, darkest thoughts. Tears stream down my cheeks. Because I know he's right. Eventhough the past week with Daniel had been.. Difficult, we always had a good me together. Whether it was screaming our lungs out to 'Hey Jude', or busying ourselves in the kitchen with hot chocolate and pancakes or banter back and forth about whether Gilmore Girls is be er than Desperate Housewives, we always enjoyed ourselves immensely when we're together. Kind of made it hard to believe I hated the guy before. Now... I actually liked him.

Maybe even love him. How fucked up is that? "I know it's so screwed up, and I'm so sorry I played with your feelings..." One edge of his lips curve upwards. "I know. And the screwed up thing is, I'd let you play with them. I don't care if you think you're falling in love with Daniel. I'd give you my fractured heart a million mes over no ma er what, knowing that you would sha er it to pieces." "You can't do this, Nate." My voice cracks, vulnerable. "I can't... it's not fair." "You're right. It's not fair." He sighs. "I won't ask you to choose, Alex. I'm not that kind of guy. I will let you go. I have to. But that doesn't mean I don't think you should be with me." A sob escapes my throat. "You're a good guy, Nate. I don't deserve someone like you. I'm messed up. Broken." He leans forward, so our foreheads are now touching. His breath comes out uneven and ragged. "I would s ll want you. Every single broken piece of you." The tears just start coming down in streams. "This is why... this is why you're too good for me." I whisper, choking on my tears. "You love uncondi onally. I'm not worthy of that love. One day, someone will come along and will be worthy of it. But that person isn't me, Nate. I'm sorry." He exhales deeply, closing his eyes like he cannot take the pain anymore. "I have to let you go, don't I?" Somehow through those tears, I manage to nod. "Fuck," He curses. "I don't know how to do this."

"I don't know how to do this either." I shake my head. "So do we.... just break up and not talk to each other again?" He suggests. I choke out a small laugh. "I don't want to not talk to each other. That sucks." "So... friends?" "Maybe. But it will be awkward at first. I mean, we kissed. Friends don't do that." "Yeah. That's pre y awkward." "Maybe... maybe we can not talk to each other for a while," I say so ly, "Give each other some space." "Yeah." "Then maybe a er a few weeks, we can be friends again." He chuckles but its a humorless one. "Some mes I think we're only des ned to be friends." I can only offer a smile. I reach up to touch his cheek. He leans into my touch. "I hope you can find someone who is worthy of your love." His hazel eyes hold mine, and this me emo ons flood them. "I wish you the same." We stay like this for a few more moments, afraid that once we break apart, the awkwardness and coldness will seep in, and we will be nothing but strangers yet again. "I have to go." I murmur a er a while. The sun had already sunk back into the ground, replaced by the silver globe hanging in the sky. "Yeah." He says in a defeated tone.

I drop my hand and grab my bag, fiddling with the straps. Then, I glance at Nate one last me before exi ng the car. "Goodbye, Nate." "Goodbye, Alex." As I get out of the car, I shut the door behind me. My legs are like jelly. They wobble as I slowly cross the carpark, away from Nate. But before I can get very far, I hear the car's window roll down. "Wait!" Nate yells. I swivel my head to his direc on, confusion wri en all over my face. "Do you love him?" Nate asks me. My heart leaps out from my throat. "Daniel?" My voice sounds hoarse. "Yes. Do you love him?" It takes a while for me to answer his ques on. Mostly because I don't actually know the answer myself. Do I love Daniel? I know that I'm falling in love with him. But loving him is en rely different. Loving him is accep ng every single part of him, every ugly thing he's ever done and every beau ful promise he's ever given. Loving him will be hard. Almost impossible. Instead of saying that, I answer. "Maybe. We'll see." Nate doesn't look sa sfied with my answer, but he accepts it anyway. He merely offers a smile. "Like I said before, you guys are good for each other."

Those are the last words he said before he rolls up the window and speeds out of the parking lot. ______ A/N: HALLELUJAH. Finally got that break up done and over with, now I can focus on DALEX. HEHEHHEHE. Stay tuned for more because there WILL BE LOTS MORE OF DALEX MOMENTS, I can promise you that.

37. Thirty Six - "Rules Are Rules." Remember to follow, vote and comment! I sigh against the door, feeling u erly deflated. It's been a hell of a long day -you know, breakup and all that- and all I want to do is to a ack the bed and go to sleep. As I cross the kitchen, the eerie silence coils around me, causing a small chill to run down my spine. The lights are dim, and nothing looks like it has been touched, so I'm guessing Daniel hasn't come back home yet. My bad mood turns even sour. I check the house phone for voice mails, and no ce that I have one. As I listen to it, my heart pounds against my chest in a wild manner. It's from my father. Beep. Hello Alexandria, ummm.. It's your father here. Before you delete this voice mail, I just want to say that I'm really sorry how things turned out between us during the engagement party. It's been a long me since your mom and I last heard from you. I know you're s ll mad at us, and now I understand why. I would want to talk to you.. If you let me. Perhaps we should talk over thanksgiving. Your mom and I are taking a break from work and we're gonna do the whole.. turkey- dinner- gathering... thing. And we would really like for you to join us before I... Um. Yeah. It would make our day- no, our year. Call us back okay? We miss you. I miss you. So much. Beep. Tears start to glisten in my eyes again. God, I hate crying. And I have been doing a lot of that lately. Of all the mes my parents decided to contact me, it's now. What a bad ming. But.. It's true what my dad said. I haven't spoken to them for about

a month. I have never gone that long before not talking to them. And a part me wants to pick up the phone right now and call them. My hand hovers over the phone, my fingers itching to dial the number. I miss them. I do. And perhaps I was a bit bra y about how I handled things with them. But, can you blame me? I had been hurt by them countless of mes. I only want to protect my heart- or perhaps, what's le of it. I don't ever want to get hurt again. Maybe... maybe.. I've been trying to protect myself for so long I didn't stop once to think that I was pushing people away. I even pushed Daniel away. I think that's one of the mistakes I'll never forgive myself for. I retreat my hand from the phone, telling myself that I will call my parents tomorrow and sort things out. I need to rest my head. A shit load of things has happened today and for a moment, I really need to relax. I have no chill. Seriously. A er taking a quick shower, I slip into my pajamas and head off to bed. Just as I'm about to turn off the lights, I hear the front door downstairs burst open. What the fuck? Taking the bat I had hid under my bed in case of a break in, I p toe towards my door, slowing inching it open. My heart slams against my chest wildly. My grip on my bat ghtens as I hear noises echoing through the living room. Crap. Should I call the police? "Bri any..." A deep male voice says, and my eyes widen. It's Daniel. "Shhhhh. Let me make you feel be er." An unfamiliar female voice sounds.

Are. You. Kidding. Me. Right. Now. My head peers through the door, curious to know what's happening. I see the Daniel with the girl.. tangled in each other's arms as they stumble through the living room. Their lips meet in a frenzy, as if they can't get enough of each other. She tangles her hands in his blonde hair, and he slides his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She takes that opportunity to wraps her legs around his hips and con nues to shove her tongue down his throat. I'm no longer breathing. The bat drops from my hand to the floor with a thud. The both of them gasp for air, and the girl- Bri any- starts trailing kisses from his jaw down to his neck. Daniel doesn't stop her, although from the way he looks, he's trying very hard to fight it. She tears her mouth away for a heartbeat to tug off Daniel's shirt. He doesn't help her pull it off, in fact, he doesn't seem to want his clothes pulled off at all. "I can't- stop." Daniel pulls away from her as fast as lightning and Bri any drops to the couch. She stares at him with disbelief. "What the fuck, Daniel?" Her eyes glows red. "I can't do this," he runs his fingers through his hair and then straightens his shirt. "You need to leave." "You're fucking serious right now?" She gasps, "you were the one who invited me over in the first place!" "Well, change of plans," Daniel shrugs, avoiding eye contact with her. "Get out." She rolls her eyes. "You are fucking unbelievable." She bu ons the top of her blouse and gets up from the couch.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this with you when I'm trying to get over someone else." He sighs in frustra on. "It's not fair to you." Trying to get over someone else? I thought to myself. He doesn't mean... Bri any just ignores him and heads over to the door. "Whatever. Don't call me. Ever again." "Wasn't planning on it." She rolls her eyes again and leaves the penthouse. My mouth gapes open in shock. Daniel... dismissing sex? That's a first. He leans against the door, staring at it for a long me before drawing a deep breath. At that moment, he looks so broken, so unsure of himself. As if he knows I'm looking, his head li s and find me peeking out from my door. His blue eyes hold mine, and for a long me, we just stare at each other, unsure of what to say. "You saw that?" Daniel asks so ly. I can only nod. My hand presses against the door, pushing it open. He chuckles, not there isn't any humor in it. "You liked seeing that? Me ge ng tortured like that?" "What?" I squeak. What is he talking about? Tortured? He looks down, shaking his head, "I'm a fucking goner, Alex," his voice cracks when he says that, "I can't think straight. I can't fucking look at a girl without thinking about you. I can't kiss her without wan ng to devour your lips. I can't even touch her without picturing how it would feel to have your skin against mine." I suck in a sharp breath.

"It's been fucking hell for me, and you don't even know that because you're living in fucking nirvana with Nate." He says, barely a whisper. His words cut me straight through my heart. I didn't know Daniel has been this way. I did this to him. I don't want him to feel that way. "I broke up with Nate." I blurt out. He blinks rapidly, unable to process what I had just said. "What?" "Yeah," I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms. "I... broke up with him. It's about me anyway. And you were right. Absolutely right. I couldn't keep lying to myself that I have feelings for him." The tears start falling in in unsteady rhythm. I wipe them away, trying to stay strong. But the feelings overwhelm me so much I crouch down on the floor. "I'm a fucking mess," I sniff. "And a horrible person. I let Nate into thinking I had feelings for him and went into the rela onship freaking blind for my feelings for you. And I hate myself for it. It's disgus ng." Daniel's face so ens. He walks over to me and sits down on the spot beside me. He reaches to my face and cups my cheeks, his fingers wiping my fallen tears. "You should hate me, Daniel. Hate me for doing that to you. Hate me and never talk to me again. Because I deserve it." "No." He shakes his head. "I used to be angry at you, but in a way I get you. I used to be a horrible person and that scared you when you realize you have feelings for me. But instead of confron ng your feelings, you went with Nate instead.. And that may have hurt him, but it hurt you even more."

I nod my head. "I don't want to be this person anymore, Daniel. I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to be be er. And I will be. I want to be be er for me. For you." He smiles crookedly. "I'll help you." I sigh, leaning against his shoulder. He takes that opportunity to slide a hand around my waist to pull me closer. "You have always helped me, Daniel. Thank you for that." "No problem, sweetheart." We stay like that for a long me, neither of us wan ng to talk any further. That's when I realize that we may fight and talk and do stupid things, but when we're together We can mend each other. ****** The next morning, my heart feels lighter than ever. I think it's because I finally have everything in check. Even though my break up with Nate was hurt donkey ass, I didn't regret it one bit. I needed to break myself out from the illusion that being with Nate would be perfect. A er ge ng dressed, I stand in front of my bookshelf with my sling bag, contempla ng on which book should I read today. I have been in a reading slump lately, and I desperately need a book that can get me out of it. My fingers dance along the spines of the books, aching to hold one in my hand. I decide to pick up one of the Game of Thrones books when I see it. The book is creased. And not just a mild crease, the spine has several deep creases on it, severely damaging the en re book.

I'm stare at it puzzled. I would never EVER crease the spines of my books. Not even if my life depended on it. So there is no way this could be my bookMy bookmark is s cking out of the pages, along with several post it notes stuck in the middle of them. Yep. That's definitely my book. I take a step back and examine the rest of my books. Sure enough, there are several other paperbacks that have been creased. WHAT EVEN. Anger crawls into my chest. Who the hell would come into my room and crease the fuck out of my books? "KEEEERRRRINGTONNNNNNNN!" I shriek, my feet stamping unto the ground. I burst out of the room with the stack of creased books in my hands. Trudging down ths stairs, I set the books down on the kitchen counter where he's making pancakes. The abrupt sound startles him temporarily, causing him to not catch his pancakes mid air. The pancakes fall flat unto the ground. "Fuck!" Daniel curses, then glares at me. "What the shit is wrong with you? I was on a high roll here!" I gesture to the stack of books. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" "WHAT THE FUCK IS- oh." Daniel gulps nervously. "Oh shit." "YOU CREASED MY BOOKS!" I yell, waving my hands all over the place. I don't care if I look weird, I'm so mad at him right now. "YOU FREAKING CREASED THEM! What is WRONG with YOU?"

"Well... it was an accident." Daniel tries to jus fy himself, "I mean in the beginning it wasn't but-" "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? YOU CAN'T JUST ACCIDENTALLY STUMBLE UNTO MY BOOKSHELF, ACCIDENTALLY PICK SOME RANDOM BOOKS AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY CREASED THEM?" "CALM DOWN, WOMAN!" Daniel tells me, his eyes wide with horror. "Calm the FUCK DOWN-" "Don't you DARE tell me to calm down!" I shriek at him, my anger boiling. "You creased my books! Do you even know how much they're worth? How much I care about these? They're not cheap, Daniel! They're freaking expensive! SO why on EARTH did you want to FUCKING CREASE THEM?" Daniel looks down, his ears pink, "Because I was mad at you." "THE FUCK FOR?" "The whole Nate thing!" He says, avoiding eye contact with me. "Yesterday, before you came home, I was pissed alright? I told you I couldn't stand thinking about you with him. Then, I remembered the rules we established and the consequences should we ever break them." I groan. "So because I went out with Nate, you PUNISHED ME by CREASING MY BOOKS." "Hey! You can't blame me!" He defends quickly, "You broke the rules, remember? Do not get involved with other people?" "Oh my god!" I say baffled, "You do realize that you're a fucking hypocrite right now? You hooked up with those girls during Halloween remember? SO YOU BROKE THE RULES TOO." He pauses as if that had never occured to him.

"You shithead," I sank down unto the kitchen counter chairs, burying my face in my hands. "You stupid stupid shithead-" "Fuck," He swears under his breath, "That had never occured to me at all." I li my head up and glare at him some more. "I can't fucking belive you." I snatch a book from the stack next to me. "THIS is LIMITED EDITION. I saved up for two months so I can buy it on Amazon!" Before Daniel can say anything else, I take another book out. "And this? This is a signed copy of one of my favourite books from my FAVOURITE AUTHOR, Cassandra Clare!" Then, I take another one, "This, is FUCKING HARDCOVER. It's a hardcover book! How the hell did you even manage to crease that?!" He's absolutely speechless. I shove the books away and hide in my hands. "And I thought a er last night... we were fine again. AND THEN YOU WENT AND PULL THIS SHIT." "I'm sorry, you have no idea," Daniel sits beside me, his face inches from mine. Hie eyes drop, and I can tell he really is sorry. "I didn't mean to.. Fuck. I got caught in the moment. I'm fucking sorry. I'll get you new books. I'll scour through every bookstore and get you brand new copies. I promise." I'm almost ready to forgive him. Just almost. But there is something I need to do first to fuel my anger. "No," I shake my head. "No?" He stares at me, puzzled. "No." I repeat again. "You destroyed what is precious to me. And now..." I eye his car keys si ng on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to destroy what is yours."

Daniel sees me eyeing his keys. He immediately stands up, a look of fury crossing his face. "You wouldn't." I smile mysteriously. "Alex." He says my name with cau on. "Don't-" I snatch his keys and bolt towards the door. "COME BACK HERE!" He screams. "Rules are rules!" I call a er him before racing down to the carpark to get his car. ______ A/N: so they're back to being playful with each other. Except, I don't think Alex is being playful. I think she really means it when she says she's going to destroy his car. HAHAH. Stay tuned for the next few chapters! KISS SCENE SOON, I promise!

38. Thirty Seven - "That's Why I Like You." I really like this chapter because it's a DALEX moment. I hope you like it too! Remember to follow, vote and comment! "I'm sorry I totaled your car." A pause. "By totaled, I mean keyed the sides. And destroyed the bumper. And lost the car plate." Another pause. "And gave you two parking ckets." Another pause. "I know that the paint job won't come cheap. And I guess I went a li le too far with the whole 'destroying' your car thing. Because it's a fucking wreck." I snort not too subtlety but Daniel doesn't think it's funny. He just glares at me, his eyes as hard as stone. "Sorry. No I really am. I went too far." "You went too far." He repeats it, like he's trying to convince himself too. "Yeah, I did," I shrug, my fingers digging into the sand. "I got some money saved up. I'll pay for the expenses, I swear." He shakes his head. "It's okay. I got it. I deserved what was coming anyways." He glances briefly at the car. No doubt it looked like a wreck, but it was s ll func oning and had managed to get us here. Where is here you ask? The beach. Yep. Tonight is a good night to be at the beach. The night sky is an explosion of stars, cas ng a so glow over the waves that splash against the shore, the

only sound accompanying us. Daniel and I are both si ng on the sand a few feet away from the waters, burying our feet into the sand. Neither of us was in any mood to get back home since I trashed his Lambo. I felt the adrenaline s ll pumping in veins, and didn't feel like going to bed any me soon. Whereas Daniel didn't feel like sleeping early and waking up the next day having to deal with the car, so he thought he's prolong the night by driving us to the beach. He's s ll pre y mad at me about he whole car thing, and he does have a good reason. I may have gone a tad bit too far (and when I mean a tad bit, I mean a whole shit load too far), but I think all is fair in love and war. "I'll think it's about me I get a new car anyway. Ditch this piece of shit." He tells me, chuckling so ly. "Come on, it's a perfectly nice car," I say, "with a few repairs-" "Do you know how much it will cost me to do the front alone?" He eyes me. "It's costly. Very. It will be be er if I just get a new one." "Oh come on, you're making me feel really guilty about it," I pout. "No, it's okay." He waves me off, eyes mee ng mine. Then, he smirks. "My dad has to pay for this. He owes me big me a er that killer engagement party I threw for him." I throw my head back and laugh. Daniel's eyes sparkle with humor. "I can't believe I trashed you car." I smirk. "I can't believe I creased your books." He replies, "you looked like you were about to shove a knife down my throat and give it a good twist." "I was!" "But I believe I paid dearly for those books the moment my car hit that lamppost this morning. Over and over again."

I look down, my face hot. "Sorry about that." "Remind me never again to cross you. Ever." He chuckles. His voice gets drowned by the crashing of waves against the rocks. As if on ins nct, I scoot closer to Daniel, my hands propped behind me, and my legs brushing against his. He sucks in a sharp breath when his skin meets mine. The both of us stare out to the ocean, falling into a comfortable silence. Eventually, I rest my head against his shoulder, needing to feel closer to him. I think he feels the same way about me too because he slides his arm around me, cupping my waist. He sighs deeply a er a while, his eyes locked on the ocean. "My father- I mean, Harry, he used to take me here some mes with my mom during the summer holidays. That was when my mom was s ll healthy, and Harry and her were deeply in love." I li my head so I can see him. He clenches his jaw ghtly, as if the memory s ll cuts him deeply. "Those were good mes, you know?" He con nues on, "those were the mes when mom was s ll around and Harry hadn't hated my guts. I used to think that life couldn't get any be er than that. I had a mom I loved uncondi onally and a nice stepdad to provide for the both of us." I used to think that Harry was Daniel's real dad. I bite my lip in curiosity. "What happened to your biological dad?" "He died before I was born," he winces, "My mom said he was a fire fighter and he had died trying to save a family from a burning house." "Oh." I can only manage to say. "I'm so sorry." "That's okay. I got over it," he shrugs like its no big deal, "I only had the memory of him to cling unto my en re life. Mom would tell me that my

father would be so proud of what I become." "He should be," I nod in agreement. Daniel shakes his head. "He shouldn't. I mean, what have I even done that would make him proud anyway? I cower behind my stepdad, allowing him to assert power over me because I'm so fucking desperate for someone to give a damn about me. I fuck girls and I don't give a shit about them a er wards. You know that, Alex. You told me I'm a horrible person that night when we met." "No," I say quickly. "I was wrong to judge you like that. Back then, I was a complete stranger. It was wrong of me to say those things." "Don't apologize," he murmurs, his hand stroking my hair, "I deserved what you said to me that night. Every single word. Because I am not a good person." "No, you are." I face him this me, my fingers l ng his chin so his eyes level with mine. I only see sorrow and despair in his irises, and that makes my face fall. "You are a good person. I've seen you. The real you. Not the guy who's a womanizer, the guy who fucks around. I don't give two flying fucks about that guy. I've seen your heart, Daniel Kerrington, and it's beau ful. Absolutely beau ful." I con nue. "You're the guy who loves with your body and your soul, the guy who no ma er how many mes you get screwed over, you stand up stronger than ever. You're the guy who's passionate, passionate about playing the guitar and wri ng songs because you love it. You're the guy who never fails to put smile on my face when you tease me or joke around. So you're wrong that you think your father won't be proud of you. Because he'd be fucking pleased to see the person you've become." Daniel stares at me with u er disbelief. His mouth parts open like he's about to counter me, but eventually, he clamps it shut and a huge grin forms on his lips.

"That's why." He smirks. "That's why what?" "That's why I like you." He whispers, his face close to mine. My heart leaps out of my throat when I realize how close he is. "You see the best in people. Even the worst people like me." "Christ, Kerrington. You're talking a whole load of bullshit here," I say, hiding the fact that I actually like his compliment. "And there's the fact that you're so damn stubborn," he rolls his eyes, "even when someone is trying to compliment you." My cheeks are flaming red. He li s his hand and cups my cheek, his fingers trailing along my skin. "Fuck, Alex. You have no idea how much I want you. And I'm talking about wan ng you physically- with you naked in my bed, because that would be fucking awesome-" "Daniel!" I say, horrified. "I want you in any way you let me," he leans closer and his lips brush against my cheek. I gasp at his kiss. "I want your brilliant mind, your weirdness, your cocky comebacks, your smiles- damn, your smiles. Every me I make you smile, I feel like I've won the fucking lo ery. I want you so bad, and I don't ever want to share you. Not even if Nate wants to have another chance at owning your heart. Because I want it." I'm at loss for words. Because whatever he has just said melted my heart, turning my legs to jelly. "I want to say I feel sorry about him breaking up with you but I don't." He rambles on, "I'm so fucking happy right now if you told me to go fuck myself, I wouldn't even care."

I laugh shakily. His lips s ll linger on my cheek, and I can feel him smiling. "He doesn't deserve you. You know that. Because you know who does. It's me, Alex." If I move my head even just a li le bit, our lips would meet. And I want so desperately to be kissed by Daniel right now, in fact, it's the only thing I'm thinking about right now. How it would feel to finally has his lips on mine. I'm so tempted right now.. If I can just turn a li le bit to my le "I can't do this right now, Daniel." I blurt out. "I can't. It's not fair to Nate. Not when I just broke up with him three hours ago." He sighs, knowing that I'm right. "You're right." He moves away from me, and the absence of him near me washes over me in despair. "I'm sorry." I murmur. "I can't do it right now. Otherwise, the thing that Nate and I have- no ma er how short it was- would mean nothing. And I can't do that to him." He nods his head, pain filling his eyes. "It's fine. I understand." Needing reassurance that he was okay, I cover my hand with his. "We're okay." He forces a smile on his face. "We're okay." He echoes. Instead of leaning against his shoulder, I take his arm and slip it over my shoulder so I can feel his embrace. We stare out into the ocean for another good ten minutes before Daniel checks his watch for the me. "We should go." He groans. "It's way past midnight and we should get some sleep. We have classes tomorrow." "But I feel so comfy like this." I pout. He shakes his head, chuckling. "Let's go." As he stands up, he gives me a hand. I pat off the sand from my jeans and the both of us try to find our

shoes that we've ditched before we entered the sand. Once I've slipped my sneakers on, I feel a drop of rain hit my forehead. My eyes widen. "Is it just me or is it about to rain?" I whirl around and ask Daniel. Before he can even answer, more droplets of rain start to fall and next thing we know, it's a torren al downpour. "Oh my god," I look up to the sky and laugh. Our clothes are drenched, but I don't think Daniel cares. He brings his hands up, relishing the feel of the rain over his body. I laugh and kick a puddle of water, drenching him even more. "Hey!" He calls out when the water hits him. He casts me a hidden smile before kicking water at me too. "KERRINGTON!" I shriek as water seeps into my sneakers. "You're going to pay for this!" The next half an hour is spent on jumping in puddles and laughing our asses off. Daniel decides to get cocky and jump on a huge puddle of water, but he slips and falls unto the puddle instead, covering himself in mud and ny pebbles. I burst out laughing. "You idiot!" I scream over the rain. I extend my hand and help him up. He merely grins, his hand s ll in mine, and then he yanks my hand and places it over his shoulder. Then he slides another to the back of my body, res ng above my hips. Our bodies are pressed together, our clothes stuck unto our bodies like band aids. We're gasping for air, the rain pel ng over us. Daniel leans forward so our foreheads touch. He grins mischievously.

"Dancing and playing in the rain? What a cliche." He murmurs, and I can barely here him from the loud thundering of rain. "I bet you know what comes next." I close my eyes. I know. Kissing in the rain. "You're not kissing me tonight," I shake my head. "Maybe not on the lips," he says seduc vely. He leans even closer and then presses a light kiss on the edge of my lips. It's enough to make me feel like my heart is about to explode. "There." He pulls away, and takes my hand. I blink at him dumbly. "Let's go home, sweetheart." He winks before pulling me towards the direc on of his trashed Lambo. ______ A/N: is ANYONE out there FANGIRLING about this DALEX moment too? BECAUSE I AM.

39. Thirty Eight - "Falling Is The Best Part." Picture of Simon above! He's actually pre y good looking ;) Remember to follow, vote and comment! The next day, instead of Daniel taking me to campus in his Lambo, I have to take him in my car, because he says and as I quote 'I can't bring this piece of shit to school. I'm a son of a mul millionaire. I have standards.' This earned him one of my famous eye rolls and a response that went along the lines of 'who the fuck cares about your trashed Lambo? You have a trashed reputa on anyways.' OOOOOOH BURNNNN! Daniel however, did not find it funny. At all. In fact, when he gave me the silent treatment for the en re morning. It was absolutely horrible. He kept giving me sour looks every me I would ask him a ques on, and this earned a couple of weird looks from people on campus. Someone even went up to me and ask what's going on between the both of us. I merely told her that it was a 'lover's quarrel' so she would know what to tell the paparazzi if they ask if we're breaking off our engagement or something. Yep. The media tends to come up with those kinds of bullshit. A er apologizing for that comment about his reputa on, Daniel finally gives in and starts to talk to me. We banter back and forth during class about whether or not the comment was actually offensive or not or it could just be depicted as a joke. But before we could se le the argument, our lecturer stops teaching and glare at the both of us. "I don't tolerate noise making during my class, Daniel and Alex." She shakes her head. "I don't care if the both of you are engaged, please se le your wedding planning arguments a er you are dismissed."

That earned a lot of glances from the rest of the class. I feel my whole face turn scarlet. "No worries, Mrs. Stemming," Daniel smirks then looks at me. "She was just about to give in to me." I snort. "As if." "Sweetheart, you know I'm always right." Then, he presses a kiss on my cheek, which makes my whole face burn even more out of embarrassment that everyone's watching us. Mrs. Stemming sighs and resumes her class. Shoo ng a death glare at Daniel, I mouth to him. I hate you. No you don't. You looooove me. He winks and turns his a en on to our lecturer. A er class, Daniel and I both decide that we're sort of red of seeing each other's faces, and we go our separate ways for lunch break. Cara spots me from a mile away and runs to my direc on, trying to catch up to me. "Hey," she smiles, and it's a gleeful one. "What's up with you?" "What's up with me?" I li a curious eyebrow as I no ce she's prac cally glowing. "What's up with you?" "What do you mean what's up with me?" She brushes a lock of blonde hair away nervously. "I'm fine. Totally fine. Why would you think otherwise?" "Well, your smile is as bright as the fucking sun," I note, "and you're happy. Like not just happy. Ecsta c. So what's up with you?" "Oh.. Nothing.." She mumbles, looking down. Her whole face is flaming. "Not fair. We're best friends. We share everything with each other. So spill the beans, Cara. Let me know who's been in your pants."

She stares at me, clearly shocked at what I had just said. "ALEX!" and then she turns even redder. "OH MY GOD. SO SOMEONE HAS BEEN IN YOUR PANTS!" I slap her shoulders repeatedly, excited about what happened with Cara. "OH MY GOD. WHO IS IT?" "I'm not telling!" "Is it a one night stand thing? HOLY SHIT HE BETTER BE HOT. LIKE CHANNING TATUM HOT. Let me see a picture-" "No!" She clings to her bag as ght as possible, swinging it away from my grasp. "DON'T YOU DARE-" "Gimme that!" I go from behind her and make an a empt to grab at her bag. She squeals and ducks from my grasp, kneeling on the floor and hugging her bag. "Okay! Okay! Wait!" She puts a hand out to stop me. "It's.. It's... Simon." "OH MY GOD! SIMON! SIMON? Really?" My face is scrunched up, unsure of how to feel about this. I guess I should be happy that Cara likes Simon, but how do I feel about him? He's fine I suppose, but there's something about him that confuses me. If Cara really cares for Simon, I guess I should make an effort to get to know him be er. "SHHHH!" She places a finger over her lips, "JESUS CHRIST, ALEX. I THINK THEY CAN HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY FROM CANADA." "OPPS!" I cover my mouth instantaneously. "Sorry." I mumble. "I'll tell you all about it later. Let's go Caffeinated." She tugs my hand and starts to walk to the direc on of the cafe. "You read my mind." I smirk.

It's a five minute walk from campus (thanks god, I don't take suspense very well) and when we reach there, we go over to the counter to grab our drinks. One of the male baristas no ces Cara, and when he's making her drink, he tries to flirt with her. Cara dismisses his a empts and tells him he's not really interested. I shoot a confused look at her. "What happened to my best friend?" She casts me a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" "Come on. You never shoot down any a empts of flir ng. What has happened to you?" She merely shrugs. When we finally get se led down, I take my seat opposite from her and slam my drink down. "Okay. Talk." She frowns, knowing that I will never let this go. "Fine." She says, "so I kissed Simon." "Okay. That much I predicted." I lean forward, eager to know more. "So how did it happen?" "Well... we were talking about Call Of Duty... you know, the game with the guns... and he told me that he had the game. So he invited me over to play." She tells me. "Play, huh?" I wriggle my eyebrows. She rolls her eyes, trying not to laugh. "Anyways, we were having such a great me. I beat him twice, something that apparently no one has done before. Simon s ll had more wins than me, but whatever. He told me that I was pre y impressive. We con nued to play un l it was really late. Probably around midnight." "And where the hell was I when you were off doing Simon?" I exclaim.

"I don't know. You haven't been around much lately." She sighs, "anyways. We stopped playing because I was ge ng super red. So I ended up lying on his bed." "I think I know where this is going..." "And then, my mind acted on its own. I pulled him unto the bed with me." She says, her cheeks flushed. Her smile is so wide, I can see her pearly white teeth. "We started talking for a while. Not just gaming though. About life. And college. And friends. And about our families. And then.. Well.. I leaned over and kissed him." "Gasp!" I say drama cally. She swats my shoulder. "Shut up, okay? Mind you, it was a great kiss. He was so sweet and gentle with me, unlike all the other guys I've dated who was always in a rush to get to third base. Simon really took his me with me, and it was nice. Really nice. I really like him, Alex. I do." I nod, happy for her. "So did you guys do it?" She shakes her head, frowning. "No. I.. uh.. It wasn't me. He understood, of course. He wanted to take me on a real date first before we got to that stage." I clasp my hands together. "That's great, Cara. I'm so happy for you." If I had to force myself to like Simon, so be it. He made Cara happy, and I want her to be happy. "Thanks," she murmurs, "speaking of dates and such, how's NATE?" She wriggles her eyebrows. "I bet you've been pre y busy with him lately, huh?" My face immediately falls. "Um..." I mumble. I completely forgot to tell Cara about how things had went between Nate and I yesterday. "Nate and I broke up."

She gasps loudly. "WHAT?" I take a sip of my coffee, pou ng. "Yeah. We decided we would be be er of as friends." I say. "But.. I don't understand." "Didn't you say that my rela onship with Nate was going to crash and burn anyways? It did." For a while, there is silence. Cara just stares at me, her mouth gaping open. "I just.. I didn't expect it to end so quickly." Her voice trails off, uncertainty lacing her tone, "so ... how do you feel about it?" "A li le bummed, I guess," I shrug. "But mostly, I feel okay. I knew it wasn't right. It wasn't meant to be." "Of course it wasn't meant to be," she rolls her eyes as if it is so obvious. "Nate and you didn't have the connec on." "Not this again," I lean against my chair and cross my arms over my chest. "You and your connec on bullshit." "I'm serious!" She rasps, "you and Nate didn't have that! And see where that led you two? A nasty breakup-" "It wasn't that nasty." I tried to jus fy but Cara ignores me. "You guys broke up because there was no connec on! But you and Daniel on the other hand, there's some serious connec on going on there." I laugh and Cara eyes me curiously. "You're not denying it." She says. I stop laughing. "What?" "You're not denying that you have a connec on with Daniel."

I open my mouth to deny, but the words get lodged in my throat. Should I tell Cara? That I have feelings for Daniel? But that just means... Cara's right. She told me I would fall for Daniel. And if I were to admit it.. Oh god. It will be torment. I merely smile. Time to change the subject. "Soooooo.. I got a voicemail from my dad." I wince, thinking that she will know that I'm trying to steer the conversa on away from Daniel. But she doesn't. She widens her eyes at what I said. "Really?" She furrows her eyebrows, "you haven't talked to your parents since-" "The engagement party, I know." I finish for her. "I told them I didn't want to speak to them again. But now... I don't know. I think they're really sorry about what they've put me through." "What did your dad have to say about it?" "He said he finally understood why I've been so angry." I tell her, "and he invited me over for thanksgiving." "But I thought you were coming to friendsgiving at my place!" Cara says. Friendsgiving is basically thanksgiving with friends. Cara got the idea from that one episode in Vampire Diaries and now she swears we have to have one during thanksgiving. She had invited Simon, Daniel, Nate and I just last week. I had almost forgot. "I know.. But.." "It's okay," she shakes her head. "You should spend Thanksgiving with your parents. It's only right."

"But if I show up next weekend on their doorstep, it's like I've already forgiven them." Cara sighs, her head shaking. "Isn't it me that you do? You've been holding a grudge over them for so long. I think you've punished them enough." I glare at her. "I hate that you're the be er person." She winks at me. "At least I'm always there to set you straight, Alex." I laugh. "You're right. I'd be lost without you." Cara snatches my phone on the table and hands it over to me, a hard expression on her face. "Call your parents back. Tell them you're coming to Thanksgiving." I sink down to my chair. "But-" "No buts, missy," she squints her eyes. "Call them back." Is it finally me I let go of the grudge I had over my parents? It's been a month now since the whole fiasco with the fake engagement thing happened. Since then, I have finally come to terms with it. I had gone into the engagement thinking that my life would be over because Daniel would make my life a living hell. Now, it seemed like I can't stop thinking about him everywhere I go. He's constantly invading my thoughts with his sexy smirks and cockiness. I never thought I would be able to actually like him. But I do. And he means so much more than I thought he would be. He makes me want to be a be er person. I like the person I've become when I'm with him. He is my strength. He makes me feel wanted and cared for. I've definitely fallen too far. But.. I don't care.

Falling is the best part, isn't it? Without my parents.. I wouldn't have met him. Somehow that very thought makes my heart sink. At least I have something to thank them for. I take the phone out of Cara's hands and put on a huge smile. "Thanksgiving with my parents. Great." I say sarcas cally. "What could possibly go wrong?" ______ A/N: this chapter isn't much, but it's something! I promise it will get be er! next chapter. NEXT CHAPTER. You'll thank me.

40. Thirty Nine - "He Is A Changed Man." Look how happy Alex and Daniel are in the picture above! Hehe. Remember to follow, vote and comment! A er calling my dad and le ng know I'll be there for Thanksgiving, I feel a lot of weight li of my shoulders. It felt good to listen to his raspy voice again, hearing them tell me he missed me and that he wanted me back home. He wasn't businesslike when he handled me at all, at that moment, he was just plain ol' dad. If this is him turning over a new leaf, then I like the new side of him. I like it very much. Cara and I finish the last of our drinks and head back into the campus for more classes. I manage to snag Daniel away Simon (and at the same me wriggle my eyebrows at him, silently telling him I know about him and Cara. He blushes madly and Daniel cast me a puzzled look, wondering what the hell do I know). Classes pass by in a blur and next thing I know, Daniel and I are heading back to my car. I start towards the driver's seat when Daniel shoots over me and slides in instead. "Hey!" I call out. "Get out of there. I'm driving!" "Let me drive, please," He begs, "I want to take you somewhere." "Hopefully not dead in a ditch somewhere," I groan. "Haha. Very funny," He rolls his eyes, similiar to how I do it. I place my hands on my hips and make a face. "So where the hell are we going?" I ask him irritably. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat," He starts the engine. "I was thinking Jap food?"

"We always go for Jap food." I pout. "How about Italian?" "Fuck no, I'm wearing white. I'm not going to risk dirtying it if we're ea ng bolognese." "Some mes, I swear, you're such a girl." I bat my eyelashes and slide into the front seat. "Why do I even put up with you?" "Because you're wildly a racted to me," He winks at me. "Wrong. I'm wildly repulsed by you." I a empt to correct him. "Oh, sweetheart, why do you keep lying to yourself..." He smirks, shaking his head. Then, he presses his foot forward and the car starts to move. ******'' A er we have lunch at Applebee's, Daniel insists we have dessert at the nearby cafe because he needs his sugar. But that's okay with me because I myself have been craving some ice cream since this morning. Outside, the leaves fall from the trees, sca ering the pavements. The early winter wind has arrived, lightly teasing my face with its talon-like fingers. I shiver in delight and hug my coat closer. Daniel no ces I'm cold and drapes an arm around me, tugging me to his side. The li le gesture makes me gasp slightly. "There," he presses me closer against him. "Feel be er?" I close my eyes and relish the warmth radia ng from him. "Yes." "So what are you thinking of ge ng?" He asks me as we con nue walking. "I wonder if they have pancakes with ice cream.." "We have pancakes every morning, Daniel. As much as I love them, I'm star ng to get sick of it. Aren't you?" He shakes his head, chuckling. "I will never get bored of pancakes."

I swivel my head to his direc on. "How do you even know how to make them? Last me I checked, you were horrible cook." "I am not-" "Uh huh. You are." I nod my head vigorously. "You screwed up my eggs this morning. EGGS, Daniel. It's prac cally impossible to screw up eggs." He throws his head back and laughs, his crystal blue eyes twinkling under the a ernoon sun. "Sorry about that. I only screwed it up because you were arguing with me about how Harry Po er was much be er than Lord of the Rings. That, I'm afraid is an argument you couldn't have won because Lord of the Rings is the best movie series I've ever-" "Finish that sentence and I'll stab your eyeballs." I scowl at him. He laughs even harder. "With what?" I fish in my bag for something pointy and sharp. I wrap my fingers around it and show it to him. "With this!" "What the fuck?" Daniel eyes my weapon in confusion. "That's a-" "Plas c fork, UH huh. And I'm not afraid to use it!" "How the hell do you even have a plas c fork with you? Do you always carry them around in case you want to threaten people?" I blink a few mes, wondering how the hell am I going to answer this ques on. The truth was I had no idea how that plas c fork materialized in my bag. Just as I am about to answer, I'm interrupted by a random passerby. "Oh my god!" The feminine voice exclaims. "It's YOU!" She sneers. I whirl around to her direc on and no ce her immediately. You can never forget that thick red hair.

It's the girl whom I had watched fight with Daniel a er a one night stand three months ago. Daniel's face has gone so pale. He widens his eyes at the sight of the redhead, and I know he knows exactly who she is. She places her hands by her hips and hisses at him. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" "Whoa!" He stands back with two hands up in the air, a universal sign of surrender. "Chill woman-" "Do you even remember me?" she seethes, glaring at him. "I bet you don't considering that I was trash to you!" "I'm sorry-" Daniel says helplessly. He casts a quick glance at me as if to say 'help me get rid of this bitch!' "And I can see that you're s ll whoring around, huh?" She eyes me warily, shoo ng daggers at me. "You should stay away from this man. He is poison. He will only hurt you, just like how he did to many other girls." I widen my eyes, her words digging into my very skin. Not because she's right, but it's because that's the exact same thing I would have said to any girl that hung out with Daniel back then. But that was four months ago. Circumstances have changed.. Hasn't it? Yes it has. Because I know that Daniel has changed. I know it. I feel a rush of anger run through my veins. I open my mouth to tell the redhead off. "You have no right to speak to me like that, girl. As a ma er of fact, I'm his fianc�." I snake an arm around Daniel's. I can feel him sag in relief that I have finally come to his aid. "Yes. I'm engaged to him. Which means that

he has fully commi ed to me because he loves me. I'm sorry that my fianc� has done you wrong in the past, but I assure you, he is a changed man." Her mouth hangs open, gaping at me in u er surprise. "I.. D-didn't-" "You didn't know?" I finish her sentence for her. "Yeah, well now you do. I'm sorry you got screwed over but I think my fiance's really sorry about that." I nudge his shoulder. He nods. "Yes, I ah- I'm sorry I treated you that way, ummmm... What's your name again?" She clenched her jaw, and says through her gri ed teeth. "Elaine." "YES. Elaine. I'm really sorry." He says, his tone as apologe c as possible. "But I hope we can manage to move past this and get on with our lives. What do you say?" Her face so ens, and I'm star ng to believe she can actually forgive Daniel for what he has done. She extends her hand, I'm guessing to shake hands, but no sooner when Daniel reaches for her, she li s her hand and slaps him in the face. "Jerk." She spits at Daniel and walks away. I can't help it. I burst out laughing. "Oh god." I pry his hands of face and take a look at the part where she slapped him. "Son of a bitch," he hisses, "that fucking hurt." "Let me see it," I say, half laughing. "Oh shit. I think there's going to be a nasty bruise and -oh, I can see her handprint on your cheek-" "You're not helping, sweetheart!" He complains.

"Let's get you ice on it, okay?" My eyes search his as I touch his cheek. His body relaxes under my touch and my heart does a somersault. "Come on." "Damn that girl hits hard," he groans as we buy some ice from the ice cream parlor. The guy behind the counter gave as a suspicious look before handing the pack over to us. I press the pack of ice on his cheek. "That okay?" He nods, and presses the ice over the red area. "Yeah. That feels good." A er a while, I start to recall what happen again and can't help but snort. He rolls his eyes. "You think this is funny?" "Yeah it is." I laugh. "I'm sorry. I can't help it." "Yeah. Well," Daniel winces, "She kind of reminded me of you." I pause at his words. "What? Why?" He shrugs, "remember the first day of college? You punched me." The memory of that comes rushing back to me. I had almost forgot I had been where that red head stood. Fueling with anger that was directed at Daniel. "I almost forgot," I look down in embarrassment. "Yeah. I forgot to apologize for that. I should have." "Nah it's fine," Daniel waves me off, "I deserved that slap. Same like how I deserve this one." My face is figh ng against a smile. He con nues on. "I really am sorry though. I treated those women like shit. I didn't give a damn about them. And now.. " he gestures to his cheek, "this is the consequence of my ac ons. And I have to take it as it is."

"Do you feel guilty about trea ng those women like that?" I ask him. I never thought to ask him that before. It was never discussed, and suddenly I want to know. Because if he's not guilty... it would hurt. "Of course I feel guilty," he nods his head, "you made me feel damn guilty about it ever since I met you." "So it's because of me that you feel guilty." "It's not just you. A er we started to.. You know. Grow closer.. I started to think about the asshole I used to be. I was a rich, spoilt brat who didn't give a shit about anything except to have my way with girls. I was lost, Alex. But you helped to set me straight. And for that I'm forever at your debt." A grin forms on my lips. "Forever in my debt, huh? I like the sound of that." "You're going to use this against me for the rest of my life, are you?" Daniel groans. I wriggle my eyebrows. "No. But I think we should start somewhere." "Oh shit. I never should have said anything. I never should have said-" "Oh shut it, will you?" I roll my eyes. "If you do feel guilty about how you treat those girls, I think you should be the one apologizing to them." At first he looks confused at my sugges on. But then, he finally gets it and lts his head. He narrows his eyes. "You're not sugges ng that we.." "Oh yeah," I nod my head. "We're going around the whole of Boston and you're going to apologize to every single girl you've hooked up with." ______ A/N: a li le Alex and Daniel scavenger hunt, eh? Stay tuned for the next two chapters. You guys will like it. I hope. *wink wink brow brow* ;)

Thank you guys for helping me reach over 50K views and 1K likes! Its amazing how this story has go en much a en on! Thank you guys also for the beau ful comments! They always make my day so keep commen ng okay? Love you guys, really!

41. Forty - "The Real Me." I reached number 10 on Chick Lit! YAY! What an accomplishment! I'm going to dedicate this chapter to one of my schoolmates who absolutely adores Dalex as much as I do, harshenixx. Love ya girl. ;)� The next week and a half, I constantly drag Daniel to the cyber cafe. We spend the next two and a half hours scouring through all the social networks- Facebook, Twi er, Instagram, for all the twenty one girls that Daniel has screwed over. It's really hard to trace down every single one of them because Daniel can't remember most of the girl's names. So he has to describe to me how each girl looked and I have to use my skills -or the lack of them- to track down every single one of them. Out of the twenty one girls, I have found seventeen. Out of the seventeen, fi een were not sentenced to prison. Out of the fi een, twelve were s ll in the states. Out of the twelve, eight had addresses posted on their social network (seriously though? Who would be stupid enough to put their addresses on the web where everyone can see them? Daniel must have been with some pre y dumb girls). Anyways, we jot down their addresses and got into my car. I take the wheel and glance over to Daniel who's nervously rolling the window up and down. "Cut it out, will you? You're going to break that thing." I say irritably. He glares at me. "I'm nervous, alright? And when I'm nervous I tend to.. Do weird things."

"What the hell do you have to feel nervous about?" "Excuse me if I'm not so keen about ge ng slapped or kicked in the balls!" He exclaims, "I've le a lot of angry women out there. Some even want my blood." "What?" I exclaim. "You mean some are vampires?" He gives me a dead look. "Are you serious right now? It's a metaphor!" "Right," I stare straight, my eyes on the road, my cheeks red as a tomato. "I knew that." He sighs. "I really don't want to do this." "You have to! It's the only way to move on from your past! Don't you want to start over with a clean slate?" I tell him as I take a turn to the le . The car swirls around in a not so smooth way. "Fuck!" He says when he hits his head against the window. "You're driving skills are horrible!" "I'm sorry!" I yell. And then I hit the brakes just before the traffic light turned red. "I think I'll take the wheel from now on-" Daniel reaches over to my seat. I swat him away. "No!" I push him back to his seat. "If you're driving, you're only going to send us back home. You have to go through with this, alright?" Daniel eyes me curiously. "Why is it so important to you that I do?" I press my lips together in a firm line. To be honest, I don't really know myself. Would it help me confirm my feelings for him? Would it allow me to let go of my own guilt, the guilt that I've been carrying ever since I poured champagne on the guy?

Would it help me move on from my past- the past when I hated the man and everything he stood for? Maybe. I hope. I don't answer his ques on. I clamp my mouth shut and con nue driving. A er a few more minutes, we arrive at our first des na on. It's a small li le townhouse, similar to my parents', except for the fact that it looked way older. The fencing was rusty, a faded orange red glistening over the gate. Ivy and moss cling unto the walls, crea ng an eerie, somewhat unwelcoming ambience. I get out of the car just as Daniel did. The both of us stand by the pavement, looking up at the house, gulping. "What if the girl who lives in this house wants to kill me?" His lips tremble. "This feels like the perfect place for murder." "First off, the girl's name is Melanie, and this is her grandfather's house, as men oned here in her photo album on Facebook," I fish out my phone and search for her profile, "and she's a nice young girl- barely legal in fact. You're lucky you didn't end up in jail for hooking up with her." He rolls his eyes. "I knew she was eighteen. I don't hook up with girls younger than that. I'm an asshole, but I'm not that much of an asshole." "I'm think you're just an asshole. Period. But that's just my opinion." Daniel glares at me. I blow out a so whistle. "Anyways.. let's just get this over with." I mumble and walk over to ring the doorbell. "Coming!" A feminine voice yells. The door flies open to reveal a pre y blonde with doe-like eyes. "Who are you?" The girl li s her eyebrows when she sees me.

"Hello.. Melanie, right? My name is Alex, and I know someone who would want to say sorry to you." She blinks at me a few mes then focuses her gaze on the man behind me. Daniel casts her an uneasy smile. Melanie's en re expression changes, turning extremely sour. "You." She sneers, baring her teeth. "So you remember me, okay." Daniel scratches his head. "Um yeah. So I'm here to apologize for hooking up with you and never calling you back. Yeah, that really sucked for you and it wasn't fair. And I'm sorry." But the girl wasn't hearing any of it. She trudges forward and knees him in the groin. "Apology not accepted!" She scowls and heads back into the house, slamming the door on both of us, leaving a very pained Daniel lying on the floor, cupping his private area. "Well, that went well," he wheezes. I run over to him and help him up. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was going to do that. I swear if I'd known, I could have stopped her." I say out of distress. Daniel shakes his head. "No.. Let's just.. Keep going. Who's next?" "Are you sure?" I pout. "I don't want you ge ng hurt anymore." "Sweetheart, we both knew what we were ge ng into when you wanted to do this. So let's just get this over with." He mu ers and staggers back to the car, me aiding him. "who's next?" "Um... Scarle Rivers. Ring any bells?" "Oh yeah. Bri sh accent girl. She kicked me in the balls once too." He said as he gets into the front seat. "Let's just hope she won't do that again."

I wince at just the thought of him ge ng kicked in the balls. At this rate we're going, there won't be any balls le to be kicked. ****** Thank god nobody else tried to kick his balls. There were a few a empts, but I manage to stop the girls before their knees made contact with Daniel. I can see that Daniel's really grateful to have me along to do this. It makes things much easier for him. We spent the en re evening going around Boston, apologizing to the rest of the twelve girls. Some were just as vengeful as Melanie, and a empted to do harm on Daniel. But the minority accepted his apology, some of them even offering us something to eat before we went back on the road. Daniel and I kindly declined and went on our way. It was around dinner when we finally got the last girl done and over with. She was the minority who actually forgave Daniel, and told him that all was fine. And she also gave us her blessing for our engagement. "Well that was weird," Daniel says as we finally reach home. "Who? The last girl, Julia? Yeah.. She was a bit off." I say, locking the door behind us. "I don't think she's been ea ng her meds lately-" "Not her," he interrupts me. "The whole scavenger hun ng. It's so weird.. Now that I have this feeling of relief." I offer him a smile. "So it worked, then." "Yeah. I feel lighter than before. Like I can finally move on." He tells me, grinning. "It's a good feeling, Alex. I like it." "Glad I can help." I say, then head over to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat? I'm starving." I open the fridge and stare at the food.

"I think there's some le over Chinese takeout somewhere.." Daniel's voice trails off as he plops himself on the couch. I grab the Chinese food and hand it over to him, placing myself on the space next to him. "Dibs on the remote!" I say as I snatch it from the coffee table. "Fuck!" He groans. "Please no more Gilmore girls." I chuckle and throw a pillow at him. "Yes Gilmore Girls! Or maybe.. Vampire Diaries?" "Fuck no. I'm sick of Elena having to fawn over Stefan and Damon. Like everyone knows she's going to end up with Damon anyway." "Oh come on! You take the fun out of everything!" I pout and turn on Ne lix. Just as fast as colour appears on the screen, it quickly disappears. The screen goes black. In fact, everything goes black. "Oh this isn't good." I mu er as all the lights go off. I can see Daniel standing up and walking over to the windows, inspec ng the other buildings. "Yep. The whole area's black." He sighs. "I guess we should light some candles and wait for the power to turn up again." "Fine. I'll go get some candles. You have a lighter?" The next half an hour is spent on ligh ng candles and placing on every corner of the house. If I didn't know there was a blackout, I would think this is sort of roman c. The silence is overwhelming. Without the so rumble of the heater, or the background music that blares from the speakers, there's nothing but the sound of our heavy breaths to keep us company.

Beads of sweat cling into my face, and I wipe them off with the back of my sleeve. Daniel watches me with a so expression on his face as he places the last candle near the dining table. "I haven't had the chance to thank you for helping me out today." He murmurs, his gaze watching me. I smile lightly at him. "It's no big deal." "It is," he's in front of me now, looking down at me with those blue eyes of his. "Nobody would have done that for me. Nobody. Only you, Alex." His face is close to mine, his breath hot against my cheek. He presses his hands at my back and trails his fingers along my spine. I moan slightly at his touch, and look down quickly, hoping that he wouldn't see I was blushing like mad. Daniel chuckles. "You like that?" "No." I lie. He grins, "always lying to yourself, huh, sweetheart?" "Shut up." A low laugh rumbles from his throat. "I can't believe I'm a racted to you." His words take my breath away. "You know I am, and I don't want to deny it." He con nues on, his cheek grazing mine. His finger con nue to circle around my back, making me shiver. "You helped me today. A lot. You helped me let go of my own guilt that I had held for so long. You broke my walls, Alex. I don't know how the hell you managed to do that, but you did. Every single one of them. There's nothing le but me. The real me."

My bo om lip trembles. "I've always seen the real you, Daniel. You just never realized it." His lip curls. "Maybe. But s ll, you managed to weave your way into me, breaking all my rules, and crawled your way into my heart. And I love it. The way you make me feel. I don't know how to explain it, it's this light feeling in my heart, every me I look at you or touch you. Or watch you smile. It's an amazing feeling. Euphoric." I don't say anything. He takes this as a sign to con nue. "I'm obsessed with you, sweetheart." He murmurs. "Every single inch of you." He takes my hand and guides it to his heart, breathing heavily. I gasp when my hand makes contact with his chest. "Can you feel how much I want you, right now?" Yes I do. His heart is galloping at a fast rate, pounding against my hand. He doesn't know that my heart is doing the same thing. "I know that you're s ll trying to get over Nate..." He frowns and I suddenly miss his smile. I want to do anything to put it back on his beau ful face. "And I will wait however long you want me to but-" "I don't want you to wait." I blurt out without thinking about it. Daniel pauses, his eyes searching mine in the dark, searching for a reason. I lean closer to him, our faces merely inches apart. I place my hands on his shoulders and pull myself closer to him. "What?" He breathes. "I don't want you to wait for me, Daniel." I tell him, my lashes li ing. "Because you can have me now."

I can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth. I never had the courage to say that to him before.. And now that I have.. I'm afraid. I'm giving him my heart and I don't want him to crush it. But looking at him like this, vulnerable under my touch, I never want anything more in my life. His presses me against his chest and his lips graze my jaw. I gasp at the wonderful sensa on. His lips are talented: brushing against my collarbone, pressing ny kisses on my neck all the way to my arm. I mad with pleasure: something that I have never experience with Nate or anyone else. My hands ghten around his neck, tearing his lips away from my skin and bringing his face as close to mine as possible, our noses touching. The both of us are breathing heavily, our lips so close yet so far away. "Is this our 'one day', sweetheart?" He whispers so ly, his hands traveling down to my hips. "Is it?" Yes Yes Yes. God, yes. "It is." I nod my head. "Thank fucking god," he praises�and crushes his lips against mine.

42. Forty One (Part One) - "I Want You." Warning: steamy scene ahead. If you are uncomfortable reading such a thing, you can skip to part two of this chapter. Sorry bout that. Both parts of this chapter is dedicated to my darling Yi Mei, who has been eagerly wai ng for this chapter to be posted. (; Remember to follow, vote and comment! The instant he takes my lips, fireworks explode in my body. All the pent up desire of days and weeks have acculmulated to this. This. This is what I wanted ever since I saw the real him. This is what I was afraid of feeling, the feeling of being consumed with passion. This is what I finally have a taste of, and I'm not backing down. Not now. Not ever. My fingers stroke the nape of Daniel's neck, pulling his head closer, like I can't get enough. His kiss completely obliterates me. He grips me ghtly by the hips as I part my lips and our tongues meet in a frenzy. He brings his hands up and slide them through my hair, brushing his thumbs across my cheeks. We pull apart from each other to catch out breaths, our eyes s ll connected, never leaving each other. "Alex..." He says under his breath, his fingers con nuing to send sparks through my en re body by touching me everywhere. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this." I take a fis ul of his shirt and pull him towards me again. "Just shut up and kiss me."

And then I bring his lips over mine again. His tongue slides over my lips, then dips inside, tas ng me, devouring me. Claiming me. I don't think I'll ever get enough of his mouth. Daniel drops his hand and rests it on my hip, while the other grips the back of my head, pressing our lips together. It's a slower kiss, different than the first one. Our lips part again, and this me, he takes the opportunity to slide his lips down my jaw, giving me a hell of an adrenaline brush. I moan when his lips make contact with my skin, eager to feel more of him. "Daniel..." I whisper his name in between breaths. "Fuck, sweetheart," He groans as I kiss his collarbone. "You're going to be the death of me, I swear." I laugh, my breath against his neck. "God, I hope not. I don't want you dying in the middle of something like this." He cups my cheeks, forcing my gaze to level with his. His expression is hard. "I don't care if the world has been torn apart by earthquakes, tsunamis or hell, even a zombie apocalypse. Nothing is going to make me walk away from this. Nothing." And then he seals my lips with another soul-sha ering kiss. We tangle ourselves in each other, my hands buried in his hair, his hands sliding down to cup my bu . I take that opportunity to wrap my legs around his waist. He grabs my face with his callused hands and drags his tongue from my neck, breathing roughly as he heads for my shoulder. A so whimper feathers out of me as he tastes me again. I murmur so ly. "Please, Daniel. I want you." I want him like I want my next breath.

He groans, pleased with my answer. "Where do you want me?" "Your room." I manage to gasp. He merely smirks. "You read my mind." With me s ll clinging unto his waist, he pushes the door open with his leg and drops me gently unto his bed. I begin to grow apprehensive. I tug on his T shirt, a smile playing on the edge of my lips. "Take it off," I tell Daniel. He chuckles and does what I say. When he chucks the shirt aside, I gasp at his beauty. From the top of his messy blonde hair to his full lips, down to his chiseled pecs and the ghtly roiled stomach. He's so goddamn gorgeous. Every since inch of him. I place my hands on his shoulders and guide him down to the bed with me. We roll over un l he's on top of me. He reveals to me another one of his sexy smirks before descending upon me again. There is li le despera on in his next kiss, this me, his lips take their me on my collarbone down to my chest. Next thing I know my shirt is off and my upper area is exposed. As if on ins nct, I fold my arms over my chest, shying away from him. But he doesn't let me. As he hovers over me, he pries my arms away, and a low, hungry sound rips from his throat. "Don't." He tells me. "Don't ever cover yourself up. If you're with me, you can't be embarrassed, okay? You have no idea how breathtaking you are." I can only nod. He tastes my skin, travelling from my shoulder all the way to the curve of my breasts, merely hidden by my bra. I gasp at his kisses, yearning more. He pauses, his lips hovering over my chest and he looks up to me, asking me for permission. I nod again. He reaches around the clasp of my bra and unfastens it. "Beau ful," His eyes rake me, "Absolutely beau ful."

My fingers wrap around the base of his neck and closes the remaining space between our mouths. Daniel's kisses are doing crazy, wonderful things to me. I whisper his name repeatedly like some kind of mad prayer. Every me we take off a piece of clothing, Daniel asks me through his eyes in a silent permission, asking me if it is okay to con nue. And each me I tell him yes. The rest of our clothes end up in a pile on the floor. The moment our bodies are flushed with one another, a sense of wildness overcomes me. I deepen Daniel's kiss, telling him that I want this through my own kisses. He pulls away slightly and frowns. "Are you sure you want this?" "Christ, Daniel." I roll my eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" "I'm just making sure," He grins and then he reaches over to his nightstand and reveals a foil packet. "Well, aren't you prepared." "I wasn't going to let this happen without any protec on," He says like its so obvious. I laugh and peck him on the lips. "I hope you're okay with this." "Why the fuck would I not be okay with this?" His hand trembles against my flushed face. "I know.... I never told anyone this, but I haven't done it before." The moment those words le my mouth, Daniel li s his head, a shocked expression on his face. "You-you're a... virgin?" He stu ers, suddenly loosing his confidence. My cheeks grow even redder. "I'm sure you've been with plenty of virgins before."

"As a ma er of fact, I haven't." "What?" Now I am shocked. "You've been with so many girls, and you've never I don't know... devirginized a virgin?" Daniel bursts out laughing. "Devirginized? Really?" "I don't know what you call it!" I say, exasperated. He chuckles again. "I don't know what you call it either. And to answer your ques on, no I've never slept with a virgin. So, I guess you can call this my first me too." "And you're okay with that?" I ask him. "I'm okay about you if you're okay about me," he says lowly, "I know I've um.. done a lot of bad things in the past, and if you want out right now, I understand." I pull him forward and press a light kiss on his lips. "Daniel, I don't care about your past. I don't care about how many girls you've been with. I would s ll want you. I would s ll want this." He closes his eyes like what I just said is the confirma on he needs. His eyes flu er open, and he drops his head, our noses touching. "I may have given myself away to my first, and more a er that, but I swear, Alex, to heaven and back, that you'll be my last." I smile. "Good. Because you'll be mine too." And just like that, our promises are forever. Somehow sensing my nervousness, Daniel's next kiss is gentle and sweet. I sigh against his lips, feeling the last of my doubts slowly leave my body. Then, he's everywhere- in every touch, every so moan. I can't tell where he is, he's roaming everywhere all over my en re body, igni ng the flaming passion within me.

I hear the crackle of foil, and I hold my breath. He looks down at me again, with doubt tracing his face. I know he's going to try to ask me if I want this again, and I don't know how to get it through that thick skull of his that this is all I ever want. "It's okay." I murmur, reaching up to touch his face, a small smile forming on my face. He relaxes under my touch. "Daniel. It's okay." His breath falters, his en re expression crumbling. "I'm just.. I'm so afraid I'll-" he pauses. "I don't want to hurt you." "I trust you." He slowly nods, his breathing uneven. I cling unto his shoulder, my fingers roaming over his back, clawing at it as he presses against me. I feel pain at first, but a er a while, Daniel slowly eases, and then the pleasure of it washes over me. Next thing I know, I'm gasping for breath, chan ng his name over and over, and he does the same to mine. We're mel ng, entangling, colliding like we can't get close enough to each other. It seems like these four months have finally dawned on us and we're grasping for each other now, needing, wan ng To feel. To love. Rivulets of sweat glisten on our skin as we familiarize ourselves with each other. Daniel and I mold together, clumsy, uncoordinated, but passionate and hard. I reach forward to kiss him, but my lips fall open into an 'o' as his pace quickens. "Please," I beg, "Don't stop."

He li s his face just enough for me to see the small smile on his face. "I won't. I promise." His words sha er the last amount of control I have le as I let myself to spiral into euphoria. *******

43. Forty One (Part Two) - "I Think We Broke The Bed." The power came back on somewhere around 2 in the morning. But Daniel and I could care less. We had been too wrapped up in each other to no ce. Now, it's eight in the morning and the sunlight tears through the windows, burning my gaze. We haven't had much sleep last night, and we don't plan to either, because we've been up talking since 6. I tuck myself closer against Daniel's chest, and his right hand trails seemlessly down my spine, making me shiver in delight. My hands travel down his chest to his glorious abs, outlining every pack. He chuckles so ly as he watches me in fascina on. "Aren't you red?" He asks me. "Are you?" I ask him instead. "Nope." I can feel him shake his head. "I can never get red of this." His response makes me sigh. I prop myself beside him now, one of my elbows suppor ng me and my other hand clinging unto the sheets, covering my chest area. "I think we broke the bed." He laughs, his blue eyes twinkling. "No, we actually did break the bed. Look at my headboard." I see it. The headboard had completely come off, and is now lying on the floor. "Well, fuck." "Honestly, I don't really give a shit." He presses me closer to him, a mad grin on his face. "I think you should replace it." I suggest. "I don't think so. If this is how we're going to be like in bed, I'll be going through beds as fast I go through my underwear."

I throw my head back and laugh. "God, I love your laugh." He says as he trails a finger, outlinining my lips. I blush, and look down but he doesn't let me. He uses his fingers to lt my chin up so my gaze levels with his. "Alex..." His voice trails off as he tries to catch his words. "Thank you for last night. Thank you for trus ng me." My lips curve into a small smile. "I trust you with anything, Daniel. I trust you with my heart." "Good," He nods, "Because I'm not sharing it. Nor you." "I am yours, Kerrington," I murmur so ly, "If you want me, I am yours." And then he leans down to kiss me. His lips against mine makes me want to do things. Crazy things. His kiss is possesive, like he's marking me for life. I kiss him back with feverently, raking my hands in his blonde hair. His tongue is already in my mouth, gently caressing mine. And I'm pre y sure he just groaned. His hand moves from my waist and glides down to my leg. My breath falters. "Tell me to stop, sweetheart." He growls against my ear. "Tell me to stop or we're never ge ng out of this bed." Shaking my head, I give him an answer. "If you stop, I swear to god, I have my plas c fork right next door, and then you will know pain." "Your threats don't scare me." He challenges me with his eyes. "It should. Especially when it comes to this." I trail my fingers down to the lower half of his body, a seduc ve smile playing on my lips.

"Fuck." He throws his head back and a small groan rumbles from his throat. "You sure about this?" I nod. Then, the possesive gleam in his eyes takes fire as he grabs my waist and pulls me on top of him, my legs straddling him. He growls so ly, "When I'm done with you, you won't be able to fucking walk." "Good." Then, I pull his head back to me and my lips fall upon his again. _______ A/n: THERE IT IS. THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN DYING TO READ. It's finally here and DAMN, it's more explicit that I thought it would be. Sorry for those who can't take those kinds of stuff. But thank god it didn't fall into the ero ca category. Otherwise YALL would be scarred for life. It was so awesome to write this considering I had to wait FORTY freaking chapters for them to get together. That's ten more than what I originally planned. But WELL, it's here. AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME AND FOR GETTING THIS FAR. More DALEX moments to come, I promise! And they will be SO CUTE. This is not the end guys. I PROMISE. We s ll got like twenty more chapters to go. I hope yall won't get bored of me. #Dalexforever

44. Forty Two - "My Kind Of Perfect." Picture of Kerrington's abs! YUMMM. Remember to follow, vote and comment! "Why do you look like that?" Those are the first words Cara says to me when we finally meet up at Caffeinated. She squints her eyes, taking in my ruffled hair, and my flushed cheeks. "You look like you just had sex." I pretend not to hear her as I look at the menu, trying to decide what drink to order. Actually, I already know what to order, but it wouldn't hurt just looking at the menu one more me"Oh my god!" Cara shrieks. "You're not denying it! WHICH MEANS YOU DID HAVE SEX." She says that loud enough for several people to glare at us. "SHHHH!" I whirl around and shoot daggers at her with my eyes. "Shut up, Cara! You can't just go blur ng out that kind of stuff in a public area!" Cara totally ignores me and instead starts to jump up and down, her hands clasp together. "Oh my god, you li le whore. YOU ACTUALLY DID IT. For the first me! I'm so happy for you!" I roll my eyes and place on a wide smile at the girl behind the counter, wai ng impa ently for me to order my drink. "Sorry about that," I mumble, "she doesn't know what she's talking about." The girl eyes me warily. Cara con nues to do her li le happy dance beside me. "I can't believe you HAD SEX. Alex Woods is finally A WOMAN! So how does it feel, huh? Did it hurt? Who did you do it with-" "Cara." I hiss at her. My cheeks are fuming red from the scene she's making. I have no choice but to drag her outside the cafe.

"The fuck, Cara?" I glare at her when we pass through the doors. "I'm sorry!" She whispers excitedly, "I'm just so happy for you!" "Can you be happy for me on the inside?" I tell her. "Because you were making a huge scene at the cafe." She frowns. "Sorry. It's a best friend thing." I sigh heavily and sit on the bench. She joins me half a heartbeat later. "It's okay." She pats on her thighs in an excited manner, her face plastered with a huge grin. "So.. Did you.. do IT?" Can I actually tell her something that is so personal, something that I've only shared with Daniel? But Cara's my best friend. I tell her everything. "Yes." I say in hushed tones. Cara gives an excited squeak, but changes her expression as she knows not to repeat what has just happened inside the cafe. "Who did you do IT with?" I don't think I can hide it any longer. Not when I think I'm falling in love with Daniel. Not when we shared last night together and certainly not when he just deemed me his girlfriend this morning. So I tell Cara. "OH MY GOD!" Her mouth gapes open in shock. "Really? The Daniel Kerrington? The Daniel that you swore you would never EVER get together with? That you thought you hated?" I give a small nod, my en re face turning red. Cara breaks into a huge smile. "I'm so happy for you! well-" her expression suddenly changes, "unless it's a one me thing.." She eyes me with

uncertainty. "No." I shake my head. "It's not a one me thing." "So you guys are together now?" She asks me, happiness gleaming in her eyes. "Like together together?" "I think so." "What do you mean you think so? You're either together with him or you're not." I sigh drama cally. Cara is always never happy with vague answers. "Yes, Cara." I murmur, and I can't help but feel excited as well. "We're together." Cara closes her eyes and looks up. "FINALLY." She li s her hands up like some kind of praise. "THANK GOD you've finally come to your senses!" I cannot help but laugh. "Yeah. I finally got my shit together." "I'm so happy for you!" She kisses me on the cheek, "so how did it feel, huh? Doing IT with him?" "I really don't want to say.." Those moments between Daniel and I should stay private. "Was he good though?" She wriggles her eyebrows at me. A low laugh vibrates from my throat. "Yes. He was amazing." "I knew it! I knew he would be great in bed!" Cara exclaims. "But how was it though? I know it was your first me and everything." "It did hurt for a while, but a er that it was fine. He took care of me, making sure I wasn't sore."

Cara gushes. "God, he's perfect." "Far from that, actually," I bite my lip, figh ng a smile, "But yes, he's perfect. My kind of perfect." ****** As Cara and I walk back to campus, I spot Daniel having a conversa on with Simon by the tables. Cara bids me a quick goodbye before running over to her boyfriend and kissing him senseless. Simon widens his eyes at her sudden gesture, but relaxes and wraps his arms around her, and kisses her back with equal passion. "Wow." I murmur as I approach Daniel, my eyes glued to the happy couple. "They're really big on PDA." Daniel smirks. "I think the whole PDA thing is totally one sided. Cara just wants to jump his bones real badly." Laughter gleams in my eyes. "True that." Daniel snakes an arm around my waist and tugs me closer to his side. He lowers his eyes, mee ng mine with tenderness. My heart literally dances when he touches me. "So how was lunch at Caffeinated?" He asks me. "We didn't get to eat," I pout, "Cara was making a huge scene about- UH, something, and we ended up talking outside for our en re lunch break." "What was she making such a huge scene about?" Daniel ques ons me, curiously lacing his tone. "Um." I look down, pink n ng my cheeks. Daniel narrows his eyes. "What is it?"

I force out a laugh because I seriously don't know how to tell him. "You didn't tell her..?" Daniel searches the answers in my eyes. "You did?" My silence just confirms it. He clenches his jaw ghtly, redness seeping into his eyes. "Well I didn't actually tell her," I a empt to jus fy myself, "she figured it out by herself." "How the hell did she figure that you and I were having...?" "I guess I was glowing a li le," I mumble, tangling my hands into his hair to keep him calm, "I don't know. I kind of smell like you. And of course, my hair is a mess thank you very much." I laugh lightly. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I didn't mean for her to find out." He takes a deep breath in, and sighs, his forehead touching mine, "it's okay. It's just that.. I don't necessarily want other people to know how I'm spending my private moments with my girlfriend." My grin widens at the men on of 'girlfriend'. "Call me that again." He li s an eyebrow. "Call you what? Girlfriend?" "Yes." I nod my head, bi ng my lip. Daniel chuckles so ly. "You're my girlfriend, Alex." "And you're my boyfriend, Daniel." I bark out a laugh. "Damn. That sounds really weird when I say it." "What? Is it because I'm not boyfriend material?" He places a hand on his heart like I've wounded him with my words. "You're definitely not boyfriend material, Kerrington."

He fake winces. "Ouch. I'm deeply offended by that." "Maybe I can teach you or thing or two about being my boyfriend." My hands snake around his neck, bringing him closer to me, mocking him with my smile. "I think I have a pre y good idea of what that entails." He brushes his lips briefly along the edge of my lips. "You know nothing, Jon Snow." I a empt to say it in a fake accent that causes Daniel to burst out laughing. "You're very strange, Alex." "Like you haven't already figured that out." I roll my eyes. Daniel imitates me by rolling his eyes too. "You got to stop doing that." "Doing what?" "Rolling your eyes. It's annoying." "You're annoying." "Screw you." He huffs. "Screw you too." I play along. A er a few seconds of silence, he grabs me and kisses me roughly. I pull away, dazed. "Well, I certaintly did not expect that." "Sorry," He shrugs. "Your lips were just screaming for me to kiss them. I had to. Or there might have been vast consequences." "I can't believe I'm stuck with you." I roll my eyes. Daniel merely chuckles, and presses me close to him.

"Sorry, sweetheart." He says, "Look on the bright side. At least I'm good at sex. There will never be a dull moment in bed." I snort. As I glance over to Cara's direc on, I bat my eyelashes. Simon and her basically full on making out right now. "Hey!" I yell to Simon. "Stop ea ng my best friend's face!" The both of them recoil from each other. I see Simon's ears turn pink, refusing to meet eye contact with me. Daniel goes over to him and slaps a hand down his shoulder. Cara places her hands on her hips. "Speak for youself. You two-" She gestures to Daniel and I, "Have been making googly eyes at each other since just now." I open my mouth to protest but I close it because I can't deny it. I seriously can't take my eyes off Daniel. Maybe it's a couple thing. I'm not exactly sure. "Dude, you're soooo whipped." Daniel says to Simon, slapping him on the back. Simon eyes him curiously. "I'm not the only one who's whipped. As I recall, you've been pre y busy lately too." He jerks his head to my direc on. Cara shakes her head. "Okay, can we not talk about this right now?" She tugs on Simon's arm. "We have date tonight and I certainly don't want to be late for it." "Great." Daniel says then turns to me, "what are we doing tonight?" "Surprise me." I smile.

He casts me one of his arrogant smirks and presses a light kiss on my lips. "You're going to regret the moment you said that when you see what I'm planning to do to you." "That makes things so much more fun." I grab his hand and pull him to the direc on of my car. "Come on, let's go." ______ A/N: dang I just love Alex and Daniel as a couple. SO DAMN ADORABLE, I swear. Stay tuned for the next chapter! More DALEX fluff!

45. Forty Three - "Destroy Me." Happy Valen ne's Day Eve everyone