Alexia’s POV

My nose scrunched up as I woke to an uncomfortable warmth. My eyes still closed, I wiggled around, trying to find a comfier spot so I could continue to sleep. 

Someone let out a groan, and I realized that there was an arm draped over my waist. 

Eyes shooting open in a moment of alarm, I calmed down once I saw that it was just Lee in my bed. 

He was still sound asleep, despite my desperate thrashing as I turned myself to face him. I took this time to admire how peaceful and relaxed Lee looked, eyes gently closed, mouth slightly open, and a little bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. 

I couldn’t help it; I giggled. 

He looked just like a child for once, completely at ease and in the middle of a good dream by the way his lips twitched upwards every now and then. 

I continued to stare at him, but then nearly shrieked as his eyes shot open, him bolting upright as he took in heaving breaths. 

“Aw man, that was weird,” he commented, voice hoarse and thick with sleep as his hand ran through his hair. 

“What was?” I asked, my heart rate going back to normal.

“Nothing, just a really vivid dream I had.” He shook his head, gazing out at the wall as if he could project his dream onto the wall. 

“Describe it,” I pressed, curious. 

Lee looked at me for a second, as if he was unsure as to whether or not to tell me. Finally, he shrugged. “Sure, it was just a dream anyways. So everything started out really nice, you and I were on a date in a Chinese history museum, and you were impressed with my knowledge of all the historical events.” I wanted to roll my eyes at this, but refrained myself from doing so. I should be used to this by now, and even though I wasn’t, I should be soon. “As I was explaining the Opium Wars, this guy came up to us.” Lee’s face contorted into a look of reminiscence with a touch of melancholy. 

“He was this blonde somewhat muscle-y guy, with really bright blue eyes. He asked to talk to you in private, and you agreed.” Shaking his head, Lee closed his eyes for a minute. “It was weird, you seemed eager to talk with him, and I could’ve sworn you were glad to ditch me.” When Lee opened his eyes again, I thought I saw something glimmer in his dark brown orbs.  “I remember that dream-me waited for a while, before deciding to track you down. And I did find you, right next to some artifacts from the Ming dynasty. But you were.. were.. kissing him.” 

My heart nearly stopped throughout the course of the story, and I couldn’t even utter a single word after Lee finished. Lee looked to me in the most heart wrenching way, and he looked genuinely sorrowful about this. It was nothing like his puppy-dog look, only pretending to be sad so he could get what he wanted. 

After a few moments of strained silence, Lee let out a forced chuckle, bringing a smile to his face. 

“But it was all just a dream, I know that wasn’t real. I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional about this, I guess I just can’t stand the thought of losing you.” Lee ran a hand through his hair, still clearly shaken by this ‘dream’. 

“Yeah,” I murmured. “Just a dream, that’s all it was. You don’t have to worry Lee,” I tried to reassure him. “I better go get ready for school.” I hurried out of my room and into the bathroom, where I leaned heavily on the counter. 

“Holy crap,” I whispered. “H-he couldn’t have known… but he described Colin perfectly. Is he trying to toy with me? Mess with my head or something?” I didn’t move, just letting my mind roam through all the possibilities of how this could be possible. My lips thinned. “No, it must’ve been a coincidence,” I decided. “Lee wouldn’t be so mean as to play with me like that, he would tell me straight up if he knew I had cheated on him. It’s not in his character.” 

With a bit of relief on my shoulders, I proceeded to get ready for the day. There was always that tiny inkling of him actually knowing something, but I pushed it aside, trusting fully in what I knew of Lee and how he would act. 

After I finished with my morning routine, I was slipping on a pair of black boots over my skinny jeans when Lee called to me. 

“Going to school already Lexi?” 

I turned to him as I wedged my left foot into the boot, giving him a smile and a curt nod. “Yeah.”

“But you’re like an hour early, is there something you need to do?” he asked as he checked his watch. 

“I, uh, lost my license and haven’t gotten a new one yet,” I said, sputtering out a lame excuse. 

“Really? Your parents won’t drive you then?”

I shook my head. “Too busy.”

“Then I’ll drive you to school today. I want to spend more time together anyways before I have to go back to uni.” Lee held his hand out to me, a kind smile on his face. 

I had to think about it for a minute. Then I shrugged, allowing my lips to quirk up as I grabbed his hand. 

“Sure, why not. So what do you want to do?” I took my shoes back off and put my bag down next to them. 

An hour later, I was climbing into Lee’s shiny white Porsche 918 Spyder, not a speck of dirt to be seen on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his car cleaned after every drive. The black leather seats were in impeccable shape, as if everything was new. However, I knew for a fact that he had this car for months. 

I felt a chill run through me even though I was in the car now, the freezing air from outside seeping into the car. 

“Cold? I’ll turn up the heat.” Lee reached over and turned a dial, and soon I felt heat blasting out of the vents. 

We started driving, the only noise coming from the vents and radio. We were about three minutes in when Lee spoke. 

“So,” he began, expertly maneuvering his car through the roads. “Where’s your school again? And I’m expecting to meet some of your friends next time I visit.” Lee was giving me a broad smile, brown eyes glimmering in determination. 

I blushed at the mention of ‘friends’, too ashamed to admit that I didn’t really have anyone I considered close enough. “Sure, they’d be excited to meet you,” I mumbled, before turning my head to look out the window. That was the end of the conversation. 

The car sped smoothly down the roads, Lee confidently driving with both hands. We reached the school just as the clock turned to 7:00. 

Even through the tinted windows, I could see people gawking at the glinting white vehicle, and I immediately felt uncomfortable. 

“You can let me out here,” I told Lee before we got any closer to the school.”

Lee stubbornly shook his head. “No way, it’s freezing out and you don’t have a jacket,” he said, eying my choice of clothes. I was wearing a light pink knitted sweater with a white tank top underneath. 

“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “It’s not that bad and it’s not a very far walk.”

We were even closer to the main doors now, and I could see many of the students pause on their way into the school, to stare at us for a moment. Then they turned to whisper to their friends. 

“I don’t want you getting sick. You were shaking like a leaf when we climbed into the car,” he pointed out, and I had no rebuttal for that. Lee pulled up to the curb outside the doors, and it took a second for me to gather my wits. 

“Thanks,” I told him earnestly. I really was grateful for the ride, and I could deal with a few questioning stares, right? After I had stepped out of the car, the cold had enveloped me in its grip and I was already starting to quiver underneath the sweater. 

“Bye! Have fun at school!” Lee replied quite loudly as he rolled down the window for a second. Then he drove away, leaving me with the whispers that seemed to intensify by the second. 

“Nice ride!” a brave soul yelled at me, and my head whipped around to find the source. A guy waved to me, grinning, and I blushed before I held up a hand in a meager attempt at a wave back.

“Thanks,” I called to him, my voice shaky due to the slight embarrassment I felt. I blinked as my breath curled up and around me, a light white fog in the cool air expanding before dispersing. I let out another shiver, my teeth starting to chatter. I saw the guy grin, proving that he had heard me. Then he walked inside with his friends, and I followed suit.

I walked through the glass double doors, the warmth that hit my cheek soothing on my icy skin. Even with the sweater, that short walk to the doors had me shaking violently, my teeth clicking together involuntarily. 

By the time I got to my locker, the shivering had luckily ceased, and I felt incredibly grateful to Lee for being there and giving me a ride. I couldn’t imagine walking in that frigid air for more than a few minutes without going numb, much less an hour. 

Grabbing my books and binders out for first period, I had just slammed my locker door when I was frightened by a solemn presence next to me. 

“Oh, it’s just you Ashley, hi,” I managed to say once I had collected myself. There were a few beats of what appeared to be a saddened silence, in which she looked absolutely conflicted and weary. Her eyes were drawn in an expression of thoughtfulness, and I could tell she was plotting out our conversation. 

“Colin told me about what he did to you,” Ashley finally started, skipping over the useless chatter to get straight to the point. 

“Oh did he,” I deadpanned drily, monotonous. I didn’t want to deal with that right now. I still couldn’t sort out my own feelings about this whole mess. I was selfish for keeping Colin and stringing him along, but playing me wasn’t much better. Saying that this all started because his friends bet he couldn’t do it still hurt just as much, even though if he would also be hurt if he knew I was engaged. 

I swear, I’m going to go crazy before I get myself sorted out. 

“Yes. And I know that what he did and what he said was downright terrible, but you have to hear me out.” She paused, pleading me with her eyes to listen. I nodded for her to continue. I needed to start doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences were. So I needed to at least listen to her, instead of giving in to my confusion and walking away. “Colin really does like you, more so than I’ve ever seen him like anyone before. Whenever we’re together, he never shuts up about you. In fact, I think he—“ she paused, breaking herself off. She remained silent for a terse moment before she shook her head. “No, he has to explain this himself.” She took out a sticky note from her backpack, and quickly scribbled something down. “Please give him one last chance to explain himself,” she begged, handing me the bright yellow note. 

Then she walked away into the crowded halls, and I glanced down at the note. 

Meet him after school at 2:15 in the gym. 

Why would she want me to meet him in the gym after school? 

I walked to homeroom, debating whether or not to go. 

“What would be the right thing to do?” I muttered, thinking deeply about this. “I guess… I guess I should go, and I’ll hear him out. Then I’ll just have to tell him that I’m engaged.”

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well..  at least she finally made a decision on what she's going to do .-. and i'm sorry for all the filler like chapters, i'm trying to make it stretch to 50k words for NaNo and i'm at like 32k >.< so at least you know there will be another 10 chapters or so at the very least. not sure if that's a good or bad thing either...

but lee and alexia are soo cute together, i'm going to miss him when he goes back to uni D: they'll have to skype a ton. and what was with that dream lee had? o.o creepyyy

predictions for the next chapter?