//...cuz there'll be no sunlight, if I lose you baby. There'll be no clear skies, if I lose you baby. Just like the clouds my eyes would do the same; if you walk away, everyday it will rain...// Bruno Mars

Waking up alone felt so strange, go figure.

Just like the previous days, Iverson reached across the bed the moment he stirred awake, ready to cuddle up with her warm body and feel that birds-nest hair of hers tickle his face and give him his morning dose of faint apple scent, like it used to. Instead he was met with an empty space that made his eyes snapped open as he became grudgingly aware of his surroundings.

He had woken on the right side of the wrong bed again.

"Blue." He murmured, his hand unconsciously slipping into his brief to stroke his waking glory. Two days had passed and that stubborn woman hasn't caved and admitted missing him yet. Was she even?

He threw his legs to the side of the bed and brought himself to a sitting position, his eyes immediately landing on his broken guitar resting on the bare wall across from him, along with his unopened suitcase.

He gritted his teeth, the sight of that guitar especially still cause a deep ache in his chest, she knew exactly where to kick him to hurt like a fancy plate of hell. Yet it didn't make them even.

Was she aware she broke a large portion of his happiness when she went after his most cherished possession?

He shook his head sadly and rose, he should get his àss on the road if he want to make it to school in time for his exams. He has a three hours journey to cover and that wasn't any professor's cup of tea.

He used the princely bathroom adjourning his...the bedroom he was staying, to get ready for school. The place didn't feel like his, he was like a guest in there even though by law, the house was rightfully his.

It was another reason he hadn't touch or move anything out of place, silly perhaps but his father's ghost lurked around the house. Iverson felt it and could almost imagine his ghostly smile of approval whenever he walked past the hallways.

The man was most certainly pleased with Iverson's current residence and yes, Iverson wanted him to enjoy it as much as he can because as soon as Blue calls him back, he'd be happy to pick his bag where it sat and never look back again.

He grabbed his laptop and other stuffs he needed, checking the time on his phone as he headed out, he cringed at the unholy hour he had to wake up and hit the road to avoid getting late.

Back at Dan's place, he'd still be in bed with enough time to snuggle with Blue before going for a run. And as if to mock his lack of exercise thought, a mouth watering smell of sizzling bacon reached his nose and lured his legs towards the kitchen instead of the exist.

If care wasn't taken, he'd be the one in a terrible shape by the time the day of the photo shoot rolled by. Valeria had made it her life mission to spoil him rotten with sinfully delicious and simply irresistible breakfasts since he moved in.

He came to a stop at the entrance of the kitchen and watched the girl standing on her toes, swerving her hips from side to side in an almost mesmerising manner in front of the cooker. She wore a pink, loose cropped top and a cobra skin leggings that emphasised her hour glass shape. Her midnight coloured hair, longer than Blue's flew freely all the way to her bare waist.

She has really long and shapely legs. Iverson observed as he cleared his throat to make his presence known and she spurn around, startled.

"Hi, didn't see you there." She said in a high pitched tone, giving him a smile Iverson suspected was sly, before going back to twisting her waist and stirring the bacon in the pan.

"You love dancing I see." He commented.

"It's hula hooping without a hoop." She said over her shoulder, laughing. "It's a nice abs and hips exercise I do if I have to cancel my morning runs for whatever reason and it's also perfect for multitasking."

Iverson thought he was the best morning person out there until he met Valeria, while she was there talking about morning runs, preparing breakfast and hula hooping at barely 4:30 am, he was willing to bet his father's house and the 20 bucks in his pocket that Blue was still sleeping her pretty head off. And how cute she looked whilst she slept.

"Oh." He replied from where he stood awkwardly. He belonged in Blue's room, watching her drool. Not here, watching Valeria hula hooped.

"You shouldn't wake up this God awful early and skip your routines to make me breakfast, Valeria. I'm honestly okay with just grabbing whatever on the road."

"Please." She laughed, picking and transferring the bacon in the frying pan unto a serving plate. "It's no trouble at all, I love cooking and my father insist I cook for you. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude."

"It's not needed. You guys are actually doing me a favour staying here, it would have been empty otherwise."

And for clarification, they don't actually live together. The house was a duplex, Valeria and her father occupied the other wing. She just magically pop up in his...the kitchen every morning to make him breakfast.

"Are you kidding?" Valeria laughed briskly. "You could have rented the place out and make some really cool cash if you're so against living here but you gave it to us free without even knowing us. We'll forever be indebted to you Ivers. Please let me do this for you." She gave him a mournful look and then just as quickly smiled again,

"Besides, my mother, God rest her soul, always say the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach and the best time to approach a man's stomach is in the morning!"

Iverson's eyes widen in realisation, as if he needed a priest to tell him what Valeria was up to, she had always been as subtle as a gun.

He shook his head, now how would he make it clear he and her were never going to happen without coming off as an insensitive jerk?

"I'm flattered. Really." He took a step in, while Valeria picked up a loaded tray.

"If you'll grab these mugs please." She said and strutted to the adjoining dinning room. Iverson quickly did as he was told and followed behind her.

"Please don't waste your time on me Valeria. You are a lovely girl no doubt, but I love Blue and it'll take a whole lot to change that."

She gave him a tight lipped smile as she set the things on her tray down on the dinning table. Iverson sighed and added the mugs he held, his taste buds wasn't what it was only a moment ago, this conversation was pushing his morning to an awfully awkward place.

"Valeria," he started apologetically.

"It's fine." She quirked with a wave of her hand and took her seat across from him. "I'm well acquainted with fighting for things that interest me. You know what they said about nothing good coming easily? I'm the one making your breakfast now, let's see how much more persuasion you need to realise you belong with me and I can make you feel so good in ways Blue can't even begin to imagine." She finished with a sultry smile, bit her lower lip and winked at him.

**********

"I'm disappointed in you." Claire stated loud and clear as she stepped out of her boyfriend's car. "Do you know how hard I rooted for you?" She asked, walking up to where Iverson stood, leaning against his car as he awaited Biggie after school.

He smirked remorsefully at the short blonde approaching him with flared nose. "Hello Claire-bear."

"Don't Claire-bear me." She glared at him but blushed nonetheless, her four inch heels doing nothing to elevate her height past his chest.

"I told her you were the nicest guy in all of Metropolis and beyond because I truly believed you were. I held you in such high esteem," she curved her palm above her head to show him just how high. "And you disappointed me."

"Yup that's his name." Biggie said with a smug smile as he too got out of the car and joined them at the curb.

"Iverson Disappointment Benson." He joked and earned himself a glare from Iverson and a smack on the chest from Claire.

"Oi," Biggie flinched and shouted dramatically. "what did I do? I was helping you roast him."

"I know it happened before we started dating but how can you also not tell me? Why'd you all kept it like a dirty little secret."

"It wasn't a secret, Cupcake." Biggie said with a snort. "Things that happened before dinosaurs went extinct are bound to fade from memory at some point. Bella is over reacting."

"She's not over reacting!" Claire exclaimed with wide eyes, then turned back to Iverson. "She had a right to know and you should have told her. Especially when she agreed to go out with Derrick."

"I know."

"No you don't, she was starting to trust you and you ruined it."

"I know." He repeated, shuffling from foot to foot. On a regular day, Claire's shrill voice could be really disturbing under direct sunlight, her shouting at him was headache inducing.

"Have you seen her today?" He attempted to tame the subject, glad when she nodded grimly. "How is she?"

"Grumpy. Daniel's not talking to her, he avoids her in the house like she's a breathing bill. You also left without looking back because apparently you already got what you wanted."

He grimaced like he could taste something sour at the back of his throat. "Got what he wanted"

Wasn't she was the one who packed his things and gave him no other option but to leave? "Got what he wanted" where the hell does she get her ideas from?

"The last thing I wanted was to leave her, I'm staying away like she asked me, out of respect for what she wanted. It's not been easy for me."

"Whipped." Biggie whistled and Claire stomped on his foot to elicit another painful groan.

She reached for her phone and faced the screen to Iverson. "Why don't you tell her then?"

He swallowed in hesitation for a second when he saw the 'incoming call: Isabella Wright' on the screen. Then he snatched the phone form her hand and looked between her and Biggie before pressing the green button.

"Are you coming or what? Jenna and I are almost at the gym."

Her voice filtered soothingly through his ear like a cold balm on a sore skin, he resisted the urge to close his eyes in relief with both Biggie and Claire watching him like a hawk. But the love that tugged on his heart strings and the pride that filled his mind at her words was truly gratifying.

With another look between the two, he moved away from them to have some privacy. "Claire, you there?" Blue was saying at the silence.

Iverson swallowed again. "You and me, Blue." He said gently and heard her sharp intake of breath like she was standing right next to him.

A moment of silence passed, then she let loosed strings of curses. "How did this happen? I was calling Claire."

Her instantly stone cold voice shattered whatever illusion he had that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', like his voice would have the same effect on her as hers did on him, like she might have missed him and be coming closer to forgiving him. 'Come home, let's talk about this' he had hoped she would say but evidently, he was a hopeless romantic.

"You are calling Claire." He said with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. At least she hasn't hung up yet. "I'm with her and Biggie. Blue, we are supposed to be getting you fit together."

She scoffed. "Like I need you? I can get fit on my own if I bloody want to, not for you and certainly not for your bitchy-diva sister."

Iverson's lips morphed into a thing line, he didn't prepared himself for the disdain dripping with her words and they hit him in the cores.

"Your mouth," he said with one narrowed eyes though she couldn't see him. "the way you let it open and close when you're upset is really not the best. She's my sister, Blue, show some respect when you talk about her, especially to me!"

"Like she respected me?" She bristled on the other end.

"She didn't call you names!" He snapped back. Whatever Claire expected with that phone call didn't seem to be working out well, he'd almost forgotten how infuriating Blue can be and how easy it was for her to get him simmering.

"I'm only doing this damn photo shoot because I gave my word okay, I so can't wait to be done with the both of you. If you still need me, you text me the schedules and if not you can have a nice life!"

"Is that it then? Just the photo shoot, you don't want to be a part of my 'nice' life?" He asked with baited breath.

Blue didn't miss a beat before she said, "Congratulation jerkface, you finally figured it out."

Iverson felt like he was punched in the gut. It was the way she said it without hesitation, like what they had never really meant anything to her.

"You're breaking up with me, Blue? You want to leave me?" He sounded pathetic, he knew and the disgusted sound she made confirmed it, but it was the way he felt.

He thought she just needed some times alone, a few days to get over the blow of his past that Pete unceremoniously dumped on her, then she'd give him a chance to explain. With everything they've been through together, with how far they've come how could she just discard him like a useless trash?

"Fine then, if that's what you want, then so be it." He gritted out.

"Fine." She replied.

"Fine." He said again.

"Fine." She repeated.

"Cut the damn call then, we are done here." He snapped.

"Fine." She hissed one last time before the dial tone filled his ear.

Iverson's fingers curled tightly around the device in his hand, almost crushing it as adrenaline pumped ferociously in his veins. The desire to punch or damage something was almost unbearable, he needed his guitar.

But then he remembered the state of the instrument and an animalistic growl ripped through his chest. He was going to kill her but he needed something strong to drink first.