Alice

The weekend was over within the blink of an eye, and all too soon I had to say goodbye to Jake, waving after the train that carries him to his new home.

I promised I'd be the one who visits next, simply so I can make fun of his room at campus. I'm really curious to see how he has settled there, how he lives his day-to-day life.

It seems like he has grown up, and I believe him when he says that he evolved into a neat freak. My brother was always very confident and able to manage himself, he didn't really have a choice in that matter when our parents left. I hate that he had to grow up so early, that he had to figure out how to make ends meet at such a young age... It's not fair.

That's why I'm even prouder of him for taking the path he wants to, for taking control of his life and aiming high, even if we have been taught to do the opposite.

Elijah avoided me after that moment on the couch, which wasn't that hard since Jake, Felix and I spent most of the weekend going out, and by the time Monday rolled around Elijah actually seemed like he'd be making an effort. He prepared breakfast on the mornings he was up before me, made coffee when I got back from work, and even asked about my day every time... The conversations were kept short, but he made an effort, showed an interest in my existence.

This morning I'm up before him. It's Tuesday, about two weeks after Jake left, and I'm usually in the office on those days, meaning I don't see much of Elijah for most of the day. As I'm making my coffee this morning I hear footsteps in the hallway, making me wonder why Elijah is shuffling around the house. "You up already?" I ask as I pull the mug from the machine.

"Yeah, got another appointment today..." He says, leaning against the kitchen door frame with a smile.

I never ask about his appointments, I don't know if they're for his busted knee or for something for the army... I really have no idea, and I don't want to push him. He should talk about it when he feels like it.

"Do you need me to drive you?"

"Oh, no, that's fine. Mason will pick me up."

"Mason is the guy that was here when I moved in?" I ask for clarification, and Elijah nods his head, moving from the door to the coffee machine when I screw the lid on my travel mug.

I can feel his eyes on me when I move aside, giving him space in front of the machine, avoiding any physical contact with all that I have. "Yeah, he served with me. He's a good friend. My best, somehow, even though he's an idiot..."

A smirk plays on my lips when I lean against the fridge and watch how he prepares his coffee, almost effortlessly by now. I learned that Elijah is a perfectionist when he wants to be, it took him a full week to figure out which way the coffee was perfect for him. "What are you smiling about?"

Heat creeps into my cheeks when I realize he's watching me now, his eyes dancing with amusement as I clear my throat. "Nothing. You just... You know how to treat Cecile now."

He laughs, a full-on belly laugh that makes my skin tingle, and I can't help but grin when he shakes his head with laughter. "Yeah, that's true. She's good to me."

I like this playful side to him. It's different, not as grumpy and broody, and more approachable.

"Do you always give weird names to objects?" he asks when his coffee is finished, leaning against the counter with a smirk.

"Yeah, I do. Don't ask why. I have some weird habits." I'm not ashamed of them though, and so I shoot him a wink as I straighten myself up, grabbing my bag from the kitchen counter and shooting Elijah one last smile. "Well, I'll see you for dinner, I guess?"

Elijah nods his head, his steely eyes studying me with a hint of curiosity and intrigue as I round the counter. "Yeah, see you for dinner..."

Shooting him another smile, I aim for the door, only to hear Elijah calling after me again. "Alice!"

I turn around to see him jogging up to me, and I raise an eyebrow when I see him holding out his hand, obviously holding something in his fist. "Your keys..."

"Oh..." I stretch out my hand, and he instantly places his palm above mine, our fingers touching almost unnoticeably. Almost. Because when they actually do, when I feel his fingertips on my wrist, when I feel his skin brushing against my fingers, it feels like sparks of flaming hot fire ignite my very being. I almost flinch from the sudden impulse, but his grey-blue eyes have me pinned to the spot as he takes a step closer to me, the keys digging into my palm as he exerts more pressure on our touch.

The strong scent of musk and citrus invades my senses when he's only inches away from me, my every nerve ending charged and ready to explode when he leans even closer, almost completely closing the distance between us. His eyes flick to my lips, and I see the hunger in them when they meet mine again, the steely grey in them now raging with fire.

But then it's like someone poured a gallon of ice-cold water over my head because he suddenly pulls back, every contact we just had replaced with the cold feeling of loneliness as he turns around and dashes toward his room, running a hand through his hair as he mumbles, "Have a good day..."

And then he's gone.

Great. How often does he want to turn us down? Ugh...

It's like the Howells want to haunt me today.

The second I step inside the office Kate pulls me over, saying Mr. Howell requested a meeting with me.

"Do you know what he wants?" I ask as I lean on her desk, waiting for my boss to invite me in his office.

"No idea, Alice in wonderland. He just asked to talk to you. Oh, by the way..." She turns in her chair to look at me with wide eyes, wiggling her brows in amusement. "Guess who came back?"

I cock an eyebrow, wondering what the hell she's getting at, when I ask, "Fred?"

Fred's one of our accountants and the only one I haven't really seen around here anyways, so it's my only guess, really.

"Eww, even if I knew he was here I wouldn't even want to know that... No, I'm talking about Mr. Hemsworth."

"Wait, Dean?!" My eyes widen. I thought he was supposed to come back by the end of the week...

"Yes, girl! Mr. Eye-Candy got back a bit early. Jerry is running around like a little kid finally seeing his mommy again, it's actually kind of sweet." She laughs, redirecting her attention back to the monitor on her desk.

I use that moment to glance at the IT department, somehow feeling the nervousness wash over me at the prospect of seeing him again now.

God, what do I even say when he asks about the date again?

We only texted a few times, keeping the conversations light as he mostly just kept me updated on his schedule. I wonder why he hasn't told me about his early arrival.

"Oh, he's in Mr. Howell's office right now." Kate smirks when she notices my glance. "You'll be up next. Maybe he'll ask you to lunch again"

"Shh!" I try pressing my palm on her lips but she just rolls away, laughing out loud when I whisper, "How do you even know that?!"

"Hey, no need to shush me." She grins. "IT technically doesn't belong to our firm so you two can do whatever you want. And I spoke to him the same day after you went to lunch, and I swear the guy just could not shut up about you. That's how I know."

Of course he did. And of course, when I avert my gaze and look back at Mr. Howell's office, I'm met with Thor himself stepping out of it, a huge grin on his face when he sees me. "Alice!"

Oh God. He looks like a lost puppy, somehow...

"Hey, Dean." I shoot him a smile when he reaches me, both of us obviously not knowing if we should hug or shake hands or just stand there awkwardly... Why is being human so damn awkward?

"How are you doing?" He beams, running a hand through his golden hair.

Fucking hell, he actually looks like Thor...

"I'm pretty good, thank you. What about you?"

"Even better now." He winks, although there's a hint of a blush on his face after that statement. I can only imagine he's surprised by himself.

"Alice," Kate interrupts our awkward conversation with a giggle in her voice, "Mr. Howell is ready for you now..."

I didn't think the day would ever come, but I'm actually glad to hear those words right now. "Alright. Sorry, Dean, I have to get in there..." I mumble while pointing at Mr. Howell's office.

"Yeah, sure. Let's talk later?" He almost whispers the question and I just nod my head, absolutely not knowing what else to say as I step into Mr. Howell's office.

I close the door behind me, seeing how my own boss looks at me like he wants me to give him a strip tease right now.

God. Maybe this is not the right job after all...

"Good morning, Miss Epione." He waves his hand toward the chair on the other side of his desk, and I follow suit, shooting him a thin smile as I take a seat. "I won't bother you for long. I just have a few questions."

"Oh, okay. What can I help you with?"

"Well, first of all, tell me how you feel here at the firm. Have you settled in alright?"

He continues to glance at my cleavage as he asks the question, and I can't help but sigh, straightening myself up in an effort to give him as little a show as possible.

"Oh, yes, perfectly. I'm almost done with my first blog entry, I actually wanted to send it to the editors by the end of the day. Everyone has been super friendly, but I think I still prefer to work from home."

"I see. Wonderful... Well, speaking of home... How is it?" Mr. Howell asks, and I can't deny that the question makes me more than just a little suspicious.

"Um, I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure what you mean."

He smiles, nodding his head when he rests his elbows on the table as he answers, "Well, I mean, how is it, living with my son? How is he doing? Has he been seeing his therapist?"

Elijah has a therapist? That's new...

"I uh... I noticed he went to the doctor's a few times, but, uh... I can't really tell you anything specific..."

"Well," he interrupts me, "It would be really good if next time you could tell me something more specific. We just want to make sure he's okay..."

Ah, there we go...

From what I can tell, they really don't give a damn about Elijah. That weird agreement they have only strengthens that suspicion, honestly. It's not like they're actually calling him to ask how he's doing... At least not as far as I know.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know if I feel comfortable with that. We have an agreement in which I need to live with your son for another five months, and I'm fairly sure that if he knew I'd report back to his father like he was a little child that needed surveillance, he'd make my life a living hell. I think I'd prefer it if I didn't have to face his wrath."

Mr. Howell laughs, slapping his hand on his thigh with a bright grin on his face. "I see you got to know my son!"

"Yes, sir." I nod my head, letting out the detail that I generally find it extremely concerning that he thinks anyone would do that, reporting back to him like a spy... It's outrageous, really, that he wants to spy on his son like that.

"Well, okay then. I guess we're done here. Thank you for your time." He dismisses me with a wave, and I shoot up from my seat, getting the hell out of that office and away from that man.

"God... What is wrong with people..." I mutter to myself as I take a seat in my cubicle, taking a deep breath as I bury my head in my hands for just a minute, letting my mind roam free.

Maybe this job really isn't the best thing. I love the job itself, but the work environment is less than comfortable. There's a reason I spend most of my days at home, working from the small desk in my room.

"Alice?"

Dean's voice startles me, and I almost knock the coffee out of his hands when I jump from my seat. "Oh my god, Dean! Jesus..."

"Shit, sorry, sorry..."

"No, you're okay, I'm sorry, I just..." I sigh. "I had one hell of a morning. Sorry."

He shoots me a smile, sliding the cup of coffee on my desk with a smile. "Well, maybe some coffee will be good for you."

I glance at the cup in front of me, noticing the watery brown liquid from the thing they call a coffee machine in our staff kitchen. "Thank you."

He tried, so I might as well be grateful.

"Umm... Okay, so, I've been thinking..." Dean runs his hand over his neck, and I instantly get an idea what exactly he has been thinking about. "How about tomorrow?"

Shit.

I know I already said yes to him, but things with Elijah have been so intense lately, I really don't want anyone to feel affronted by my behavior. Then again, Elijah really only ever pushes me away, and I'm honestly getting frustrated by his hot and cold behavior lately...

"Tomorrow...?" I know I'm buying time by not giving him an answer.

God, Alice. Get your shit together..."

"Yeah, for our date?" He actually looks nervous now, scratching the back of his neck with more ferocity now. "Or don't you want to anymore? I mean, I was gone for two weeks so..."

"No," I interrupt him, suddenly feeling like a total bitch for leading him on like that. "No, I mean... Yes. I mean.... Okay. Um. It's just that... There might be someone else, even though I'm not even sure if it is anything, but I kind of feel like there could be something, but I'm not sure, and I don't want to lead you on or make you feel like I used you or him and I just don't..."

"Calm down, Alice..." Dean interrupts me with a smile. "I'm the one asking you out, and that's all I do. I'm asking you for a date, not ten years of commitment. I appreciate your honesty, though. But, really, it seems like that guy doesn't show he appreciates what's in front of him: A beautiful, charming woman."

His words make me blush, and I mull them over for a moment. He's right, Elijah really doesn't show much of an effort, he never really lets me know what he thinks or wants. Not that I do, either, but still...

"You know what? Why don't you go talk to the guy and let me know about your decision tonight after you took care of things?"

God, why is he so nice?

"Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks, Dean."

"No problem. Just shoot me a text and we'll figure out the details then, alright?"

I nod my head, being absolutely glad that he's so understanding and way too kind, honestly. "Sounds good. I'll see you then, Alice."

He shoots me a wink and walks back into his office, leaving me at my cubicle with the cup of disgusting coffee-like liquid in my hands.

Guess it's time to talk to Elijah, then...

Elijah

"What is it?" I answer the phone with a sigh. Great, I really didn't want to talk to my father today...

"What a nice way to greet your father, son."

"Cut to the chase. We both know we don't need to exchange pleasantries, it's not like there's anyone around who could hear..."

I stopped the polite act with my father years ago. When you realize your father only cares for you when it benefits him, you definitely stop giving a damn.

"Alright then, I just wanted to know if you went to see the therapist we're paying for you."

Of course. His precious money...

"No, father. I told you, I don't need that."

"Well, if that's the case I'll stop paying him, then. No use in shoving money down his throat when you don't even see him. But I gotta say I'm glad you're seeing your physicians, at least that's what Miss Epione told me. It's a start, I guess. Maybe you will grow up one day after all..."

My blood runs ice-cold at his words. Did he just say Alice told him about that?

So she was reporting back to him?!

Fucking hell, and I thought there actually was something between us...

Whatever it was, I fooled myself, thinking she wasn't playing me.

That will not happen again, though.

I'm done.