Alison's POV.

I found myself standing in front of Luke, in a defensive stance, my hands spread to the side.

"Yeah."Luke grunted, raising his eyebrow as if challenging Blake to make a move.

Both men weren't stupid though, they knew that consequences could be fatal if they started a brawl in a public place. Blake flexed his jaw, his Adam Apple bopping in irritation. His knuckles were pure white now, and I'm sure his nail were digging harshly into his palms.

"So are you two a thing or something?"

The coldness in his voice made Luke smirk, and he wrapped his arm around my waist, bringing me to his chest.

"Yes, still strong on a three year relationship aren't we babe?"

I frowned, prying at Luke's fingers but ceased when I spotted Blake's pained face. He was looking at me in remorse, a twinge of hope flashing in his eyes as he awaited my affirmation of our relationship.

"Uh yeah."

I'm not sure why agreed to Luke and I's supposed relationship but the satisfaction from his pain eased the guilt that prayed at my heart.

The effect was immediate. It was as if he had just been told that both his parents were murdered by the hands of a vicious serial killer. A glassy look covered his eyes, and it was clear that he was holding back his tears.

"Well,"his voice cracked and he cleared his throat,"that's great news. My sincere wishes that you'll have a happy ending."

He nodded at us, a strained smile on his lips. A sense of disappointment settles at the pit of my stomach.

There was a part of me that hoped that he would fight for us. For me. As pitiful as it may be, a flicker of me still loved him. He was my first for everything. My first kiss, first husband and first love. People say that your first love is nearly impossibly to forget, and it is. It's unbearable to see them with another even when you two had established the end of your relationship. And so a part of me still yearned for Blake's touch. His warmth. His love.

But I wasn't stupid anymore. I wasn't the naive little girl who had thought that Blake would sweep me of my feet and take me to the hills where the sun would begin settle down. I wasn't that girl anymore. I knew his ways. I knew his tricks. I knew how manipulated anyone to his advantage.

I had built my own walls. Ones so high that no human nor animals could reach. Ones that were constructed for my safety, guarding my heart from future hurt. And I would not take them down for anybody.

So what if part of me still loved that cruel man? I know better than to follow their instincts. I wasn't stupid enough to fall into his trap.

He should know that.

He was the one who made me how I am.

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For the rest of the day Blake had retreated to his office, not emerging from the dark room. Many of the staff had rose their eyebrows, frowns etched on their faces. We had grown accustomed to our boss breathing down our necks as he sampled the food or watched us as we worked, but his sudden disappearance had certainly sparked interest in us.

Luke frowned, flicking the coin in his hand, his eyes fixed on the door of Blake's office.

It was the end of the work day and as I had not had much to do, I had decided to stay back and help clean up. But I had immediately regretted my decision after spotting the sickening green looking food that was splattered against the dinning tables, yet I still remained as Luke continued to clean up.

Two girls has taken over our job for now, as we rested.

I sighed, my back pressed against the counter as I watched the coin flip in the air, the flimsy ray of light flashing brightly against it before the coin landed in Luke's palm.

"The dude's messed up."Luke exclaimed, breaking the silence that hung between us.

I rolled my eyes, internally agreeing.

"I mean why is he so worked up about our 'relationship', if he willingly dumped you before?"

I winced at his choice of words, pressing my back harder against the counter. Luke turned around, sending me an apologetic glance to which I waved my hand dismissively to.

"But seriously Al, think about it? Why is he so pissed?"

I shrugged, playing with the fabric of my blouse,"I dunno."

He exhaled deeply, running both his hands in his air. His once messy hair now looked completely ruffled yet seemed to remain attractive. Scowling in jealousy, I glared at his hair. If I had run my hands through my hair, I would end up looking like I just woke up in the morning. In other words, I would like hell. But yet, his hair remained appealing.

He turned his back to me again, facing Blake's office,"It's not right. Our company could possibly suffer because of his feelings for you. It's not fair to us, who work hard for a living but this asshat could ruin this shit for us."

I can't help but agree, silently. If he continued to keep himself in his office and not engage himself in the restaurant many of the staff would begin to slack of, meaning that the customer service would weaken and attendance to their restaurant would decrease.

But what could we do about it?

Unless...

"Luke, no."

My voice cracked, as I furiously shook my head. He couldn't possibly be thinking what I was, was he? He raised his head, his eyes silently pleading with mine. I could see the guilt tearing him up as he debated with himself internally.

Minutes passed between us as Luke remained unresponsive, the only sounds filling the air were my pleads and shouts of disagreements.

"Alison please."he begged, striding forward and grasping my hands.

I couldn't talk to that man. I wouldn't talk to that man.

"Please, the whole staff is depending on you. The stake of this company is in your hands. Presume that Blake maybe has feelings for you, meaning he would definitely listen to you. And if he doesn't have feelings for you, we could say we tried, couldn't we?  But from his actions so far, I'm certain that he likes you. Didn't you see who jealous he was when I claimed that you were my girlfriend? He was heartbroken!"

I stayed silent. It was true. He had truly looked like his whole world had fallen apart at Luke's words. But I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was his whole world. He had never shown any sort of affection towards me when were married.

"Please Al. This job is a home for so many people. Mrs A showed us how to love a job, no matter how shitty the customers are. She introduced us to new people. So for the respect of André please try and fight for this company? Please Alison."

He pressed my hands to his chest, kissing my knuckles lightly.

"And I can assure you if that asshole tries anything on you, I will personally rip of his balls and feed them to him, okay? There's no need to be scared."

I didn't reply, instead looking deeply into his blue eyes. Luke's eyes had always made me feel safe. His eyes were the waves crashing against the beach, the soft hiss winding through the hair as it slithered backwards. His eyes were the shapes that were created from the great blue water. His eyes were my lifeline. He made me feel worthy.

I sighed, pressing my cheek to his chest as I fondled with my decision.

I loved my job, deeply. The staff. The food, which I would occasionally be allowed to take home after a long day of work. And of course, Luke. Yes, the customers tended to piss me to such levels when I was wishing to storm into the kitchens and pull out a knife before waving it threateningly in front of their faces. But this place was my second home whether I liked it or not.

Luke pulled away from our embrace, but no before pressing a kiss to my hairline.

"I'll let you think about this."he said, smiling.

I nodded, turning around to grab my bag as I he too went to get his. We walked to the exit in silence. A tense feeling filled the gaps between us, and I found myself itching for his touch. Awkwardness was not normal in our friendship. We were usually extremely loud, joyful and smiling.

I cleared my throats, facing him, unable to resist the tension between us. I opened my mouth to speak but I was quickly pulled into a hug, my face smashed against his chest. A strangled yelp left my lips, but I quickly winded my hands around his back, returning the gesture.

"I love you, Alison."he smiled, gently, tucking a strand of lose hair behind my ear.

I grinned, brightly,"Love you too, Lu."

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QUESTION: What is your biggest fear?
ANSWER: The fear of being alone.