"Well, here I am living out every girl's dream." Sarah dropped on the floor and arranged her skirt so it fanned over her legs.

"Are you serious?" Kyle sat too, leaning his back against the opposite wall.

"Probably not." She looked at her hands and then at him. "I just can't get over how different you are from the pictures."

That again. "Different how?"

"You're so... full of life."

"The real person is livelier than the photograph. Shocking."

She let out a laugh. "Stop doing that. I don't really want to like you."

"I'm sorry. I solely communicate in sarcastic quips and cheesy one-liners."

Sarah giggled and leaned her head back against the wall. "How can you be the same guy in that poster my roommate had in college?"

The air seemed to freeze around him even if the temperature in the elevator was steadily growing. "Wait, what? Did you just say poster?"

"And there's my next question answered," she mumbled. "I was about to ask you how you can pose like that."

"I never posed for anything in my life." He avoided everything involving the press like the plague. Sure, he couldn't avoid all paparazzi photos, but those were usually grainy or from bad angles.

"That makes a lot more sense." Sarah nodded and to her credit totally seemed to believe him.

"Are you sure it was me?"

"Yeah. Look." She started searching her purse, most likely for her phone. "I know we don't have any signal, but she sent me a photo the other day, showing me where she placed it in her new flat. She kept bugging me to introduce her to you, even if I told her I didn't know you. Just because my mom works for yours doesn't mean I know anyone." She took her phone out and started scrolling.

It took less then one minute for her to shove a picture at him. And the moment he saw it, he realized she was right. It really was him. And not only that, but he was naked from the waist up. He had jeans on, but nothing else and the photo was taken from an angle which showed him half turned, his face down as he focused on the t-shirt in his hands. What the actual hell?

His eyes scanned the background of the photo. It was blurred out, but he could still tell it was taken in the academy lockers, which made it at least two years old.

"What the fuck?" he murmured. It was also retouched and looked profesional enough.

"So I take it no consent for this?" Sarah asked.

"It was taken in the locker room at the police academy. Does that answer your question?"

"Yikes." She took her phone back. "Didn't figure it was that bad."

"Welcome to my life. It sucks." It was stupid and irrelevant, but the breach in privacy annoyed him more than he thought possible. "Damn. How did I end up a piece of meat?"

"Come on! With your looks, you must have been one in high school." Her eyes widened as if she'd just realized what she'd said. "I didn't mean it like that. Just that this hormonal teenager crap must be something you've dealt with before. Not that it makes any of this okay."

"Surprisingly, it wasn't. I was in a band in high school and on the basketball team so I was never just the hot guy everyone gawked at. I was always something more." And wow that came out conceded. "Don't get me wrong. Looks are totally irrelevant."

"Says the guy dating a model."

"That's not why I fell in love with her."

They both fell silent. The conversation had taken a sucky turn and he wanted out of that elevator more than ever.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to objectify you," Sarah finally said. "Our culture just encourages us to. And what I meant to say is how it's surprising you don't seem to want your fame. Especially since there are people out there choking themselves to death for fifteen minutes of it."

That was nice of her, but still exhausting to think about. "I don't deserve the fame, Sarah. I'm not making the world a better place."

"Yes, you are. You're protecting us."

He let out a bitter laugh. "Protecting you from us. Don't you see? Snitch Gravel is doing all of this just to push us. To test us. If he didn't want to break us, he'd still be in his comfortable shadow."

She felt silent at his words, chewing on her lower lip. It was fuller than the top one and the look worked for her. And slowly, the more he got to know her, he started filling the canvas of her look.

He hadn't lied. He really never mapped people out by how they looked. He built them bit by bit inside his memory based on who they were, so his first impression was usually only a stand in until and if he got to really know somebody.

"You shared something with me," she said unexpectedly.

"I guess so."

"Don't you feel better?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I guess so," he said again.

"Then maybe you should do it on a regular basis." She fished for something else inside her purse and handed him a card.

Suspicion building up inside him, he took it and turned it over. It wasn't as bad as he'd thought. She wasn't a journalist. She was a psychologist.

"Are you implying I need therapy?"

"That would be a psychiatrist you're thinking of," she said in a tone that showed she'd made this argument a million times before. "A psychologist is more of a resonance chamber that helps you figure yourself out."

"Do you write those lines yourself?" He almost felt like laughing. "So how much do you charge? I need to know how much I'll owe you by the time we get out of here."

"I'll give you the friends and family discount," she said with a wink.

"I thought you weren't supposed to treat friends and family."

"Good thing we didn't get married then."

He would have laughed, but her words triggered something else and he realized her opinion might actually be useful. She was a woman close to their age and she'd brought up marriage on her own.

"Hey, Sarah, I have a question. Let's say, hypothetically, that we would've hooked up all those years ago, to our mothers' delight. If that were the case, would you be expecting a proposal now?"

She stared at him and he could see the calculation in her eyes, that she clearly saw behind the hypothesis. But she chose to ignore it and took in a deep breath.

"First off, I don't think we would've lasted this long. You're not really my type."

"Really?" Even if it wasn't an answer to his question, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, I'm not into the whole alpha guy thing."

"Alpha what now?"

"You." She pointed at him as if the pronoun and the fact they were alone in the elevator wasn't enough. "You're an alpha type. A leader, a protector. The hunter type of the primitive era, born to provide. Of course, a lot more chiseled at this point in evolution."

Kyle raised an eyebrow, not sure if he should feel offended or amused. "And how'd you figure that out in the whole half an hour you've known me?"

"That's easy," she said with a wave of her hand. "The way you talk, the way you carry yourself, how comfortable you are with your body, with who you are. I've never seen you and Kay together, but I bet you're running the show."

"That's not true. We're equal partners."

"This adorable innocence. I'd lean right over on pinch your little cheeks," she said in a baby voice. "You may think you're equals. You may even want that. But an alpha doesn't have equals unless they're alpha themselves. Again, I don't know Kay, but she doesn't strike me as an alpha. Anyway... Moving on. Not my type. I totally wouldn't be marrying you right now."

He was struck dumb for a few moments as his mind struggled to find some truth in her words about the whole alpha reasoning. There were a few things that seemed to fit, but he pushed them back for later analysis.

"So what's your type?" Maybe it was the most irrelevant question, but in order to analyze himself and this supposed alpha bullshit, he needed to know what else was out there.

"The basics are alphas and betas," Sarah explained as if there was nothing more pleasant for her to do while being stuck in an elevator with a man she wouldn't marry. "While the alpha is the hunter, the beta is the gatherer. He's a lot more concerned with the home and family than conquest and bravery. The beta is the type of man who likes being led and focuses his energy on making the journey pleasant rather than reaching the target."

"Sounds a bit boring."

"Of course it would to you, mister alpha."

"So you're into beta guys?" Did he even know a beta guy? His first though was Jerry, except his brother could be so tough and resourceful if need be, so even if he didn't fit into Sarah's description of an alpha, Kyle didn't see him as a beta either.

"No. I tend to agree with you. They are a bit dull and a little like big babies you need to constantly care for. There are women who love that, but I'm not one of them. I love gamma guys."

Now he was getting confusing with her Greek alphabet. "What now?"

"The gamma is mostly a beta, but with certain alpha traits. Like he can make up his own damn mind about stuff, focuses on house and home, but will still wash your car and change your tires for you. He's usually mild, but has a wild side."

Kyle closed his mouth because he was about to point out that he might be a gamma too, but he didn't have a wild side. He had a mild side. And if house and home meant more than helping Kay a little around the house... Eh, he was certainly not into that.

"But that's not what you wanted to know," Sarah said. "You worded your question wrong. The hypothesis was, if I were in a relationship with the man of my dreams for the past five years, would I be expecting a proposal? Truth is, I would. But I'm twenty-five and really want a family. I'm also not in constant danger. So the variables aren't the same for you and Kay. Is that what your mother wanted? To pressure you into getting married?"

Though he'd had no intention to share this with her in the beginning, with the heat, the lack of light and their conversation, it didn't seem that dangerous anymore.

"Yes. But I don't agree. Kay and I are barely getting on our feet, so I don't think she's expecting anything."

Sarah hummed and drummed her fingers on her chin. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face.

"Before having this conversation with your mother, did you actively consider proposing to her?"

"Actively?"

"As in considering it as more than a distant possibility."

"No."

"Then that's your answer. Even if Kay is expecting it, you're not ready. So any proposal would be just to appease her which is very, very wrong."

"How's making her happy wrong?"

She gave him a smile so full of sage knowledge that he was torn between wanting to laugh and scoff.

"It's wrong if you do it at your expense, alpha. You're your on person, Kyle. You deserve to be happy on your own terms. Not just as leftovers from her or others."

He frowned at this because it was so wrong and judgmental coming from a stranger. "That's not the case at all."

"Okay." It sounded just like one of those fines Kay usually used to end arguments.

"Seriously. You've never even met Kay, haven't seen us together and are passing judgement because?"

"You're very right," she said with a nod, then took a deep breath. "I'm only basing this on you, on the expressions on your face and the second hand knowledge I have of both of you separately and you as a couple. Not reliable at all which means I can be wrong.".

"But you don't think you are."

She hesitated a second before shaking her head. "There's something about you that makes me not want to lie to you even if it would be a comforting lie. No, I don't think I'm wrong."

They fell silent after this. She looked upwards, her breathing even more labored than before, sweat dripping down her brow, while he tried to figure out how he felt about what had just happened. He could tell he liked her, though.

She was honest, straightforward and didn't seem to give a crap he wasn't exactly normal. And it was refreshing.

"How much longer do you think we'll be stuck in here?" she asked.

"I don't know. But you don't seem to handling it very well."

"I'm not a fan of satanic red lights. Or heat. Or narrow spaces."

He had to admit it was getting too hot for comfort and fresh air would be great. "Let's get out then."

Sarah huffed. "How? You gonna break through a wall there, Superman?"

"Not exactly."

He stood and tested the ceiling of the cabin. He didn't even need to push too hard before it dislodged and showed the outer walls. As expected, there was a small trap door there. He had no trouble pushing it open. Cold air filled the elevator, sending goosebumps up his arms.

"Hallelujah!" Sarah stood too and leaned her head back to take in the little fresh air.

"Come on." He held his hands together to give her a boost.

She tilted her head. "Um..."

"Do you want out of here or not?"

"Getting out of this cabin will not increase our chances of getting out of the elevator shaft."

She was so funny and so innocent. "You're with me. If I said I'd get you out, I will. Now come on."

She still didn't look convinced at all. "I can't do that. You'll look under my skirt."

"Wow, you have your priorities straight." But she did have a point that it would be much easier to pull her up. So he shrugged, propped one foot against the nearest wall and grabbed the edge of the trap door.

He pulled himself on top of the cabin and lowered a hand. Sarah fortunately took it without further comment, and he pulled her up with ease.

"You're making me reconsider the whole alpha thing," she mumbled, getting to her feet and looking around the dark shaft.

"Don't. I'm really not into redheads."

"Lucky for you I'm not a natural redhead." She winked, but he could tell she was joking. Which was impressive seeing as she stood on top of a defective elevator in a dark, tight space.

He didn't tease back this time, just took a small flashlight out from a compartment on his belt and shone it around.

"You have a flashlight on you?" she asked, rightfully confused.

"Yep." And a gun, a knife and his magnet. Basic survival stuff he never left the house without. That and his bulletproof vest.

Fortunately, the door to the next floor was very close, so he didn't even need to use the magnet. He just walked over to it and pried it open by brute force. Light and annoyed voices flitted through the darkness.

"Come on." He bent one knee so she could use it to climb out.

She did without further ado and had the sense to ask a few men on the other side to hold the door so he could go out as well. And just like that, their little elevator adventure was over.

"Thank God," Sarah whispered as the two of them headed for the stairs. "I can even make it to my interview. Though I won't have time for coffee."

"Sorry about that. Where's your interview?"

"Three blocks down. Simmons. It's and HR thing. Not sure I'll get the job, but oh well." She shrugged. "Need some cash until I set up my own therapy business."

"Sounds like a decent plan. Need help to avoid selling out?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you offering me money?"

"Not offering. Loaning."

She turned to him, one of those calculating expressions on her face. "You're quite something. Impressive and nice."

He made a face. "Nice. Right."

"Stop being a macho. Being nice is a good thing." She stopped once they reached the door out of the building. "Thanks, but I'll pass. And I don't think you need therapy, but I meant what I said. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can call. And I promise you'll get full therapist confidentiality."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because every girl wants a celebrity friend they can brag about. Plus, you're interesting."

So was she. "What's the deal with you and the bad boy?"

She let out a laugh and waved him off. "That's a story for another time. You should've asked while we were in the elevator and I had nowhere to evade." As it was, she haled a cab with impressive success.

"Don't be a stranger, Kyle," she said, opening the door. "And I meant what I said about the other thing. Don't let your mom get to you. Do what feels right for you, not for others."

"Yeah, bye, old sage." And he closed the door after her.

Yet, as he watched her go, a master plan formed inside his head. She was too good to pass up. So if there was one way he could mingle her in all the madness she wanted to be part of, he would.

He took his phone out as he headed for his car. "Hi, Jerry. I need you to do me a favor."

♠️

This was the strangest favor Kyle had ever asked of him, but there Jerry was, in front of an office building with two cups of Starbucks in his hands, waiting for a girl he'd never seen before. Why exactly he was doing this, he wasn't sure. Maybe just because Kyle asked and it was so rare for his brother to ask for favors, he sort of felt he had to do it.

A girl which matched the description of the infamous Sarah exited the office building, her head in the ground, a small pout on her face. She wore a white shirt and a checkered plaid skirt like Kyle mentioned, but her reddish hair was no longer in a braid, but falling in loose tresses around her face.

"Um, Sarah?" he asked, already feeling like an idiot.

Her face snapped up and she glanced at him with light-blue eyes surrounded by round glasses. There were a lot of freckles of her cheeks, right under her eyes and on the bridge of her button nose.

Since she'd stopped, he assumed she must be Sarah.

"Wow," she whispered. "Um, hi. I'm going to assume Kyle sent you because genetics like that must only run in one family because God is so fair."

"Yes, he did. Hi, I'm Jerry." He reached out his hand, but realized it was full of coffee, so he passed her that instead. "He asked me to give you this."

She glanced at the coffee cup as if she'd never seen on in her life. "Wow, it has my name spelled right."

"I know. I spelled it out for them."

She smiled, and her entire face seemed to light up. "Thank you. That's very nice of you. And Kyle."

He just nodded and took a sip out of his own coffee for lack of something better to do.

She drank too, her eyes still on him. She suddenly hissed and lowered the cup. "Oh my God."

"What? Is it too hot?"

"No, it's incredible. Did you make this?"

"No. It says Starbucks on it, so they made it."

"No, I mean, did you tell them how to make it?"

"Isn't that how Starbucks works?" The conversation was getting a bit weird.

"Yeah, but most people either choose something generic from the menu or ask the baristas to just whip something up." She looked at her cup again with new appreciation.

"They do? Well, I told them how to make it."

"Impressive." Sarah eyed him up and down again in a way which made him feel very uncomfortable, like he was being judged by some criteria he didn't even know.

"You're very different from Kyle," she said, taking another sip of her coffee and closing her eyes as if to truly appreciate the taste.

That was an understatement. "How do you know Kyle again?"

"We got stuck in an elevator for about an hour earlier today. My mom also works for your mom."

"Oh, okay." He fought the need to say hi again.

This girl was giving him a bit of a headache with how straightforward she was. He was used to that, but only coming from Kay, Angie and Jessie and usually directed at one of his brothers. No wonder she and Kyle had hit it off. He had a knack for people who tended to overshare.

She hesitated too for once, as if she wanted to keep talking, but didn't really know what to say. So, ever the gentleman, he decided to give her a hand.

"What were you doing in there?"

"He didn't tell you?" She took a much bigger drink out of her cup. "I was at a job interview."

Ah, this was small talk he could get behind. "How did you do?"

"What's the opposite of great? Horrid? Yeah, it was that one."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Her shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah. I guess I don't have the right mindset for a corporate machine. I've always done freelancing, even in college. But enough about that. You've made me feel notably less depressed."

The thought made him smile even if he had no idea who this girl was. But it always felt good to brighten someone's day, even as a weird favor to his brother.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You're gorgeous when you smile. Did anyone tell you that before?"

"No," he said shocked. Because no one had. Not using those words anyway.

She frowned up at him, though a smile was tugging on her full lips. "Really? Not even that girlfriend of yours? What was her name again?"

"Tina?"

"Yeah, that one. Don't mean to sound creepy, but my roommate in collage was a cult follower of yours and I got an earful without really meaning to."

"Oh, dear Lord." And he couldn't believe he'd said that out loud.

"I know what you mean. It was so cringe. I never got people obsessed with celebrities. Well, now I do, but it's a legit medical condition."

"Celebrities?" His tone had come out a little too aghast, but he'd been mostly spared what with being away a lot over the past few years.

She stifled a laugh. "Nice to see that you and Kyle have the same view on this. I mean in general. To me, you're just a normal human being."

"Good to know." People like Sarah were becoming increasingly rare.

"So Tina never complimented you?"

"Tina and I broke up ages ago."

"Haven't you been on again, off again?"

He cringed. Yes, at some point two years ago they'd tried to reconnect. And they did sometimes go out. But once they decided to try the relationship thing once again, it took him one full moth to realize it really wouldn't work. Tina hadn't changed. She was still needy and insecure and he couldn't handle that, as awful as it sounded. He didn't want to unbreak someone. He wanted an equal partner. So he'd called it quits again and hadn't seen her since unless she was over visiting Christine while he was at Sam's or something.

"No. We only tried getting back together once, two years ago and it didn't work out."

Sarah's features softened, as if she realized this wasn't a joking matter to him and she really didn't want to hurt his feelings. "I'm really sorry."

"I am too. But life's like that sometimes."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled, looking away.

The bitterness in her voice spiked up her curiosity, but she was a stranger, so it felt inappropriate to ask.

"So, is your full name Gerard?" she asked all of a sudden.

"No," he answered, fighting a shudder, because he hated that name . Probably because it was Tina's father's name and he hated that lying, manipulative douche nugget with a passion. "It's Jeremy."

"Huh. Jeremy." Sarah said the word as if trying to taste it. "I like it. Though I have to admit I like it shortened to Remy more than Jerry."

Jerry fought back a laugh.

"What?"

"It seems like whatever I do with my name, I just can't shake off cartoon mice." Though Remy at least liked cooking so he had more in common with him.

"Oh, right." She laughed and it was such a rich, pleasant sound. "I didn't realize that. Well, my middle name is Colette, so if you were Remy, at least we'd be in the same cartoon."

He smiled. "Please don't call me Remy, though. I'm too used to Jerry and would most likely never answer you."

"Fair enough." She looked at her cup again, at the name scribbled in black marker on it. "But what if I used it as a pet name?"

He frowned. "A pet name?"

"Yeah. Like instead of sweetheart, or darling, or baby, I'd call you Remy?"

Jerry's jaw dropped and he had to push it back with his free hand. Sarah's face also caught fire, but she kept analyzing her cup instead of looking at him.

"Hypothetically of course," she added, her voice steady and light.

"Hypothetically, I'd have to see how that works before I could tell you how I feel about it."

"Once again, fair enough."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Was she hitting on him? If she was, she was pretty good at it, but it wasn't like he'd given her any reason to like him. She was the one who talked more, who turned out to have a good sense of humor and who threw a compliment at him. He was being polite. She was being interesting.

And for once, he decided to do something reckless. "My coffee is cold. Want to get a new one?"

Her posture straightened and her eyes lit up, but she wasn't quick to jump on it, which he really liked. For a few moments she just watched him, as if trying to determine something.

Finally, she smiled and said, "Sure. But this time, it's on me."

♠️♠️♠️

I'm back with the much more interesting half of chapter 2. Yep, still doing some writing while I can and choosing to share it with my favorite people. Yes, that's you.

So I'm curious what you think about this chapter. It was a little hard to get into, but I ended up liking it in the end. And you get to see Jerry and what he's been up to.

What do you think about Sarah after this? I'm not telling you where I'm going with her, but history tends to repeat itself so look out for trouble.

The next chapter is almost done and it's about time to get this show on the road and get into some heartbreaking stuff, because that's what I promised and I shall deliver.

Please let me know what you think and don't forget to hit the star.