A/N: Allison's dress for the date picture on the side. What do you think?

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Fourteen

When I was able to gather back my wits, I walked towards her. She finally noticed my presence and turned to look at me. A sudden recognition crossed her face.

"Excuse me. Do you remember me?" She asked as she turns her gaze at me, her eyes slightly weary.

"Oh. Hi." I greeted with recognition, my voice low and soft, my face impassive as I try to keep my emotions in.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked her face slightly flush for some reason.

"Sure." I replied my eyebrow's crunched up a little with curiosity. What if she would ask me who I was? Or do I know Logan? How am I going to respond to that?

"Do you know the tenant that lives at the door across from yours?" she asked. Though, from the tone of her voice, this wasn't the question she is about to ask.

"Yes. I know him." I replied, my eyes blinking rapidly, my face stiff as I try to look impassive.

"Could you help me with something? Please. I don't know what to do..." She trails off, her voice thick with desperation, her eyes teary.

"Okay... Sure..." I replied hesitantly, my lips in a grim line.

"Can you call out Logan for me? If it's alright with you, he's being..." She starts but trailed off again when she chocks on her last words. She takes a deep breath, her eyes closed.

"Would you like to come up? It's getting cold here." I offered, feeling sympathetic from her expression. This is a woman's desperate plea, how can I ignore this? "I could call Logan for you." I added my voice almost a whisper.

"Thank you." She replies as she opened her eyes, a small smile curved up on her lips.

We walked silently towards the elevator. I glance towards the old lady by the reception area, giving her a small smile. She looks at us with curiosity but returns me with a small nod of recognition and a smile. When we were finally inside the elevator, she broke the silence between us as she introduces herself.

"I'm Amada, by the way." She says with a small smile.

"Ally." I replied softly.

"Did you just move here? I haven't seen you around the building." She asked curiosity thick in her voice.

"Yes." I replied softly with a smile. She eyed me for a moment, trying to get something from my expression. I remain cool and impassive.

I felt a huge wave of relief when the elevator door opens at my apartment floor. I gladly walked ahead of her towards the apartment. I felt Amada's presence behind me as we strode towards my place. Suddenly, without warning, Logan's door opened. He walked out in a hurry, slamming the door behind him. I stood a foot from him stunned. When he looked up, finally noticing my presence, his troubled face slowly relaxes as his eyes gleamed.

"Ally! I was about to..." he started his voice soft and welcoming, but trails off at my impassive expression. I knew what he saw in my eyes as he looks at me, it was the same expression I gave him when I left. Emotionless and Empty.

"There's someone who wants to talk to you." I stated my voice a soft whisper, like a sad echo of a cry.

"Logan. Can we talk?" Amanda interjected aloud, walking towards him. From the shock expression of his face, he hadn't notice her behind me.

"What are you doing here Amanda?" he asked, gathering back his cool, his voice almost a hiss. He glances at me for a moment, his eyes weary and apologetic. "I'm sorry. Would you excuse us for a minute?" he asked, his voice almost a plea.

I nodded my head, still keeping my expression impassive. I went inside my apartment without looking back at them. As I close the door, I saw a small glimpse of Logan's back as he guides Amanda inside his apartment. I let out an exasperated sigh as I walk towards my bedroom. This is a sudden turn of events. I just met his girlfriend, or maybe ex-girlfriend. I didn't allow myself to think about the current situation. It wasn't worth it.

I didn't notice I fell asleep when the door bell rings, waking me up from my dreamless sleep. Begrudgingly, I roll out of my bed and see who is at the door. The bell rings a couple of times until I reached my living room. I was about to turn towards the hallway to the door when a familiar voice stopped me on my tracks.

"Ally. Are you there? Can you please open the door? I want to talk. Please." Logan begs, his voice muffled by the thick wall between us.

I stood there silently immobile as I listened to his quiet pleas. It went on for awhile until I heard a loud huff of breath then silence followed. After a few heart beat, I silently walked towards the door and listened to any sounds from beyond the wall.

"I didn't mean it to be like this, Allison. I'm sorry." A soft whisper suddenly broke the eerie silent; his admission lingers for a moment. Then, his light footsteps and a soft slam of the door followed.

I slowly slide myself down the ground, my knees getting weak. I just heard his silent confession, which he didn't knew I heard. My heart sudden swells with sadness, yet I felt light and complete somehow. I don't know how I'm supposed to approach him from now on. After his silent admission, I don't know how I'm going to act around him. But, the light of this situation is he doesn't know I was listening. Though I can freely pretend otherwise, I can never lie to myself about what I just heard. The question is what am I going to do about it?

The next morning I went to work even though I promised Annette I would have a day off. I texted her to meet me around ten and told her that I had an important errand to run. But, in truth, I was running away from Logan. I got out of my apartment bright and early so that I wouldn't be crossing paths with him. I skipped my favorite coffee shop and asked Kate to get me one instead. It was like I was avoiding the places I might meet him.

When Annette arrived, she wasn't hesitant to drag me out of there. As we got inside the warm, confines of her car, she finally asked about my well-being.

"So, tell me. What is bothering you?" She asked outright and blunt.

"Sometimes, I hate that you know me too much." I remark, ignoring her question, sighing heavily to myself.

"So, are you going to spill? Or, do I have to get it out of you?" Annette asked with mock threat, though her eyes gleamed with amusement.

"I'm talking... I'm talking..." I replied with exasperation, shaking my head.

Before I get on with it, I took a steady breath and calm my suddenly frantic heart. I'm mentally praying that I'm able to tell her without sounding affected or choked up.

"I met Logan yesterday. He gave me a ride home when we coincidentally crossed each other outside my work place." I started my voice steady as I summarized the event. "Then, I asked him to drop me off by my favorite coffee shop across the apartment. We parted ways after that; but then, after drinking my coffee, I came across with someone outside the apartment building as I got back." I pause, my heart beating fast again.

"Go on." Annette whispered after a few short moments.

"She asked me for help. She wanted to talk to him, and I accepted." My voice low as I continued, my eyes looking at the view in front of me, though I see nothing. "As we got up to the apartment, he was there." I paused again as I took a steady breath. "I thought I could just walk away from it. I wanted to tell her that I would just be there as she knocks on the door, and I'll be gone before he answers it."

"What happened next?" she asked, after a few short moments as she drove to a stop in front of a red light.

"His expression was... I don't get what he said then, or why he looks so guilty that I found out. Then, a few hours after that, around dawn, he knocked on my door..." I trailed off, slightly chocking on the last words. "He confessed." I whispered after I gain back my voice.

"What do you mean confessed?" Annette asked, shocked.

"He thought I wasn't listening. I think he didn't mean to say it out loud." I fumbled my explanation, which I've debated for the rest of the night after hearing it. "He said he didn't want it to be this way with us and that he was sorry." I stated as I turn to look at her.

There was silence as Annette drives the car towards the mall. She sighed heavily after I said those words, yet she didn't comment on it. When we finally reached our destination, and she parked the car, she turned off the ignition and look at me.

"What are you going to do, Ally?" She asked sternly, her eyes blazing as she looks at me seriously. Annette is rarely serious.

"I'm stuck on that too. I absolutely don't know what to do with that information." I admitted with a sigh.

Annette's lips were in a grim line as she stared and assess my expression. "Don't do anything yet. Play it out first. I want to see if he meant what he said." She stated after a few seconds.

"I don't know how I'm going to face him, Anne. This is... it's just... I'm shock." I stutter told her my fears.

"Don't think about it now, Ally. Think about your date with Brit hottie, Andre Pierce." She said sternly with conviction, her eye gleaming with confidence.

"I hope I'm that positive, Anne. I feel so bad to go on a date right now." I wined, which is very unlike me, but I did.

"Don't you dare go back on this, or I'll have to kill someone. I don't want to hear anymore talks of this ex-boyfriend problem anymore. They're the past and your future is waiting at your apartment door at exactly six tonight." She scolds me, pointing her fingers at me like I was a child caught doing something unforgivable.

"Okay, will do. But, please, don't scold me like that again. You sound like my mother." I agreed, as I stared at her in mock horror.

"Wow, my first parent act, and it's not even my child." Annette beamed, not affected by my remark.

I smirked at her reaction and shook my head. We both got out of the car and walked towards the mall. Being a weekend, the place was pack. Though it doesn't have the same amount of people during holiday sales, the still had places where you had to tell someone excuse me to pass. We entered a clothing boutique first. The place looks classic store interior. Stacks of clothes on the wall attached with a steel bar, few mannequins wearing display clothes, the usual. Annette grabs me by the wrists and drags me towards a section of the store where dresses have been hanged. She grabbed a black and white printed dress. My eyes went wide as she hand me the dress. It was almost skin-tight and a tube dress. I've never worn a dress that a garter was the only thing helping it stick to your skin so that you wouldn't be nude.

"Really?" I asked in challenge, pouting at her as she hands me the dress.

"Are we going to have the same conversation dress after dress? Or, you'll keep quiet and let me do my work?" She asked back, her face stern and business-like. Another rare expression from Annette. I think I'm off my game for making my bestfriend uptight today.

I grabbed the dress without answering and walked towards the dressing room. Even though I work for a fashion magazine, my eye for style doesn't come close to Annette's. I do know the difference between a Louis Vuitton and a fake Louis Vuitton. My sense of style is accepted. I always look decent - my judgment since people never looks at me weirdly and my workmates never gapped at me in shock. So, my fashion sense is above average. Yet, Annette, the woman loves fashion and dressing up. She may not look like it, but she knows what she is talking about when it comes to fashion.

When I finished putting on the first dress, I gapped at myself as I gazed at the mirror. The dress fitted me right. The plunging neckline wasn't that revealing, but enough to want someone to see more. The strips of black and white pattern outlines my small waist and curvy hips, it extenuates my slim figure that I thought I never had. I think I could live with this, and I've never been wronged by my fashion expert best friend. I look Hot.

"Ally, are you done? I want to see." Annette asked, lightly knocking at the door.

"Yeah." I answered, turning away from my reflection and opened the door.

Annette's eye widen as I stepped out of the cubicle. And, with a popping sound - to add drama - her mouths hangs open, gapping at me in surprise. I felt suddenly self-conscious with her over-reaction but I rolled my eyes and pushed the thought away.

"What do you think?" I asked, twisting sideways to showcase the dress.

" Ally. Wow. That is defiantly a killer. Buy it." She gaps and beamed at me, nodding her head in agreement.

After I paid for the dress, we went to other store to broaden my choices. We also went to shoe stores and shopped some accessories that would go well with the outfits. By noon, we took a short break and ate lunch at an Italian restaurant, eating pasta and ravioli. After that, we resume shopping for a while before heading to a beauty salon at three. As we walk up to the receptionist, I didn't assume she made appointments for us.

"You just couldn't help it, can you?" I hissed silently at her as a woman guides us to two empty seats in the salon.

She smirked at my reaction and ignored my question, lightly humming to herself as she sat to one of the seats the woman asked us to take. I let out a huge sigh as I sat beside her, shaking my head. She can be controlling sometimes. The hairstylist and make-up artist came like an army, swarming around us. I turned and looked at Annette, eying her deadly. She ignored my stare and stared straight at her reflection in the huge mirror in front of her. My hairstylist orders me to turn my head in front. Begrudgingly, I followed through, but I was not smiling as they do some work to my head.

I don't know how long we were in the salon, but it was long enough that the sky had changed colors outside as we walked back to Annette's car. When we finally reached my apartment building, Annette dropped me off and didn't anymore bother going inside. Tristan had called on our way back to my place, asking for her. She kissed me on the cheeks for good luck as I got out of the car. I stood outside as I waited for her car turned on the pavement by the stop light until I couldn't anymore see the tail light.

Walking up to my floor to the elevator, I gave a small wave to the receptionist, the same old lady who I talked a few days ago when I did my snooping. I clicked the button for the elevator, whistling as I waited. When it opened, I was too preoccupied with my thoughts that I bumped into something. I think that it's becoming my hobby to bump into people these days.

"Ally! How are you?" Rayne greeted with sheer delight, beaming at me from ear to ear.

"Rayne. I'm fine, thank you. You?" I asked back with a smile.

"I'm fine. I'm going to the coffee shop. Do you want to come? I'll give you one cup free." She offered with a smirk.

I walked pass her and stood by the door of the elevator, keeping it open for me. "Thanks for the offer, but I have something planned tonight." I replied with a small apologetic smile.

Rayne eyed me for a moment in reply, like she was trying to read me. She knew I love coffee enough to have it more than once a day. This was an offer any caffeine addict couldn't refuse unless something better is up. From the slow smirk and twinkle in her eyes, I think she understood why I refused her offer.

"Well, maybe next time. Good luck with the date." She called with grin before turning around as I let the elevator door close.

I chuckled to myself when the door closes. I was still grinning when I got out of the lift until I got inside my apartment. I was oozing with good vibes as I got myself ready for tonight's special event after weeks of unfortunate events. All thoughts of Logan and the accident, my ex-boyfriend, and work - which are something new to me - they were all gone and shoved back behind my mind. There is one thing running in my train of thoughts in this moment, and that is to have fun and make it work.