Zane Orion Pov:::The rehabilitation facility was pretty easy to find once I input the address on my GPS. The drive took less than twenty minutes. It is in the suburbs of New York, the parts that scream luxury and generational wealth with its old well maintained houses and streets. I drove down quietly, navigating the high gated communities, checking my automatic driving assistant to be sure I was on the right track. When I saw the building layout, I knew immediately that I was in the right place. The facility was more acres and acres of land than it was a building. Several buildings were layed out fanning the centre one that held the reception, I imagine they are residential halls and built for whatever other activities people in rehab do. Once I got past the gate and talked to the overly enthusiastic front desk person, arranging a room to meet Shane in was simple and easy. Though I did wonder briefly why I wasn't being met with more resistance to my request, then I figured Mrs. B
"Is she here?" Shane looks around the room like Daisy would be hiding in thin air in the bare room. The look of actual fear in his eyes makes me uneasy. I shift in my chair. I am suddenly very uncomfortable. As much as I want to know what their connection was about, I feel like I really don't. Because I don't want to have to deal with the aftermath of getting that knowledge. What would I do about it? What can I do now?"No. She is not." I tell him. The fear and tension in his features doesn't ease up. Oh God. I feel terrible. He has just confirmed one of my biggest fears. And that is the fact that Daisy got to him. She wasn't only going after the girls in my class, she must have gotten to him too. But for what reason? And what did she do to him? Christ. How did I manage to miss all that when it was happening right under my nose? "Shane, please can you sit down? Sit with me for a few minutes, please?" He is still at the door, his eyes dart around the room, he looks from me to the four
It takes me a while to process it. But Shane sits back down and his incessant tapping fades to a less frequent pace, still there, just subdued now that he feels he is no longer the one being bombarded. Except I am playing the emotional act too well. I have gotten to a place where Daisy's personal actions could never hurt me emotionally. Since I had the idea planted in my head and asked her at that lunch meeting, I have gotten over whatever hurt it could cause me. Yes, it stings that I was married to someone like that. I fell in love with a façade and I now have a child with someone who I don't really know. We are bound for life whether I like it or not. I put my career over everything else and just went about my life believing everything was fine at home when in fact, it wasn't. I was like the metaphor that compared customers who walk into a high end restaurant, enjoy a great dining experience and then go about their lives, not knowing or caring about the absolute chaos that goes on
"Did you just say Daisy got you hooked to the drugs?" It doesn't sound believable even to my own ears and yet Shane doesn't look like he is lying or has any reason to. The confusion and hesitation to accept his words makes me feel like my brain could split apart. But Daisy doesn't do drugs. As far as I know. She didn't even smoke weed in college when it was all the rave. She is a doctor for Christ's sake. She was always cool like that. I surreptitiously tip my phone on the table closer to him, I had almost given up hope of getting anything out of him but my heartache at realising that Alex and I didn't really stand a chance is proving to work in my favour because Shane interprets my reaction as regret and sympathy for him. So he is willing to part with more than vengeful jabs at me and my failure as his mentor. He is willing to talk, even as he does so like he is bored with the topic."She didn't get me hooked on anything. I did that all by myself." He says and pulls a hand across h
"Shane, you must have realized that she tricked you. Daisy does not do drugs." I say gently. He looks away from my gaze and I can just tell that he knows. The shame is written clearly on his face but he keeps his head high. "Yes, so I was a dumb kid desperate to get the love of a woman I believed I was in love with." He says bitterly. Now I am the one who looks away. There is a torrent of emotions in the air between us and I don't know what to say. I can't apologise again. It is futile. It would only make him mad. "Anyway, I got addicted quick. She supplied the drugs, I don't know where she got them from or how, but she never actually offered them to me, she just kept them around so they were easily available when I needed them. And I needed them a lot then. The relationship was eating into me. At some point, I realised Daisy didn't even like me. I asked her what she wanted with me if she didn't even like me and she just avoided the question. I was always having to be high to be aro
Alex Pov::It is past 10p.m, and I am freezing outside Zane's front door. Nervous as all hell and I don't know why. It is just something I feel in my bones that something is not quite right. I called him all day and he didn't pick the calls or called back. I sent texts. Same thing. My heart is beating hard right now and all I have to do is ring the doorbell but I can't bring myself to. Something nags at me and tells me to just go back to studying with Maggie for my exam tomorrow. I left her in a hurry when I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't focus. Going back to continue that fidgeting would drive us both crazy. I know Zane was meeting Shane today and I am dying to know how it went. What Shane told him. I need to know immediately and it is killing me that he didn't call me first to tell me. That felt weird and unlike him. He promised to tell me. I raise my hand and ring the doorbell. His neighbourhood is always quiet and yet I feel like I should hide because I know I wouldn't have
I don't know why I do it but I straddle him on the couch, he doesn't react immediately, instead his body relaxes but he doesn't hold me, I lean down and place my lips on his exposed neck, I kiss him on his Adam apple and then he reacts, he reaches a hand up and pulls me away from him. I feel like the ache in my heart could actually kill me. "Trust me. Just go. We will talk after your exam." He says weakly. His eyes are closed and my myriad of emotions come to a sharp focus and it is just anger and annoyance at this new side to the man I love with all my heart. He is not making it easy for me, acting like I am disturbing him. "You always demand that I don't ever pull away from you for any reason but you are doing the same thing to me right now." I say as I get off his legs. Shame, anger and hurt making my eyes go blurry in the dull light of his living room. "You keep asking me to go because of my exam tomorrow but you are failing to realise one important thing, and that is the fact
I know I am not passing out and yet the intensity of the moment tips me so close to the edge of oblivion that I feel like I am losing my mind to the intensity. Zane pulls us both down to the floor, he is kneeling behind me and he is thrusting into me at a fast pace that could rip me apart. He hits all the spot inside me and even the ones I didn't know existed and all I can do is roll my eyes to the back of skull and scream. I can no longer moan quietly anymore. It is too much. The rapture of emotions travels straight to my brain and whilst I know that nobody ever died from an orgasm, I genuinely feel like I might. It is too much. Too soon. Too high. Too intense. Zane is breathing harshly behind me. He is also moaning without inhibition, it only makes me wetter, my juices slide down my legs, the sound of our bodies moving against eachother is the most erotic thing ever and I can't get enough. I stretch my hand behind me to hold his thrusting hips, he grabs the hand and pulls me back
He gives his charming smile and nods, "Hello to you too, Madeleine." He says good-naturedly. The audience is still cheering and clapping. Someone uses the teleprompter to ask for silence, and it still takes a few seconds for the studio to go quiet so Madeleine can continue. They love him. My heart fills with pride. And love, too. I am so grateful that we are past that dark phase in his life two years ago where it felt like he was losing everything, and it was my fault. "Let's get right into this book!" Madeleine says, and the audience erupts with cheering and applause again. But it is quickly controlled. "First off, I want to talk about the process. It is very rare to see projects like this. I know of authors coming together to write biographies or translating books. But actually writing together? That is new and different. Alex, I want to know what the writing process was like for you. Orion is already quite established and experienced, but this was your debut!" Madeleine asks me.
"I have no idea." I say, truthfully. I really don't. I have still not come to terms with the thought that I am not going to return to the college for the new session. Since Zane is not going back, it makes no sense for me to. That is how it works now. That is how it will be from now on. "Okay. We can put a pin on that for now, then. Back to my offer, what do you think, Alex?" Zane squeezes my knee with one hand, his eyes stay on the traffic ahead, as he navigates the car. I recognise this highway and where it leads. He is driving us to the cabin. His cabin. Our cabin. My heart is so full, I can barely breath. "You want me to co-write a book with you?" I ask him again, just to be sure I am not in a dream. Just to be sure that this is real. The sound of his laughter reassures me. It is real. I am going to be an author! "Yes, Alex. I want to work with you on a book that is going to be more successful than all the books I have ever released." He says as he pulls into the countryside, i
Alex POV::"Oh my God! What do you mean?" My voice comes out as a really loud scream that is very uncharacteristic of me, Zane just smiles, he takes my hand and leads the way out of the hallway, I follow him still confused but feeling a swirl of excitement ramp up in the pit of my stomach at the mere thought. I can't even begin to fathom it! "Come, let's go before you summon the whole department." He says and I laugh but the laughter bleeds off my face as soon as we step out of the department and there are a lot of people around and they all stop to stare at us as if we were stars in a movie and the director yelled for everyone to stare at us. I blush under the scrutiny. I didn't expect this much people to be out and about but I guess most people are already resuming. I think it is only my class that is resuming a week later, the rest of the department are resuming this week. I try to pull my hand from Zane's grip, he doesn't let go, he looks down at me with a questioning look in hi
Zane Orion POV::"We were just trying to determine how this scandal started. If you get what I mean." Mrs. Tyrell tells me, she sounds like she would rather be anywhere else, but Mrs. Manson looks exactly the opposite, I understand she wants to be rid of me and sent that announcement of my job termination to the press. I understand that as vice president of the college, she can't afford the fallout from the scandal, so she must do what is in the best interests of the college, but this is going too far. They are still trying to pin everything on Alex. They want a different story. "I thought the panel was referencing the interview. You should already have your answers to that." I say, holding Mrs. Manson's narrowed gaze. Alex squeezes my hand under the desk, I interpret it as her being nervous. I have missed her so God damned much, it is unreal. Sitting beside her, I keep taking full lungful of her scent. She smells just as I remember, the nostalgia of us together at my cabin, naked
"These feelings, you didn't consider them inappropriate seeing as he was your Professor and a respected member of this faculty?" Mrs. Tyrell asks when the rest of the room remains silent. "No, I didn't." I say, deciding to be truthful and straight to the point."Did you act on these feelings first?" They are trying to determine if I should be the one to place most of the blame on. So it becomes a case of a student seducing her lecturer and they can get Zane back since he is obviously more valuable than I am in terms of who contributes more to the college. I didn't come here to be crucified so I wouldn't give them that satisfaction. It is becoming clearer to me that I definitely wouldn't be allowed to finish my degree here. I nursed a pipe dream, hoping that I could do anything about this case that has now spiralled into something more than me. "I can't answer that as I can't say. I don't know who acted first. It was mutual and consensual from the beginning." I tell them, the confid
Do I even want to continue schooling here? I don't know. I have not been able to really think about the impact of this situation and what it meant for my interests. I came to this school because of Zane, if he is not going to be here, do I want to stay? I mean, I have to think about myself and what would work best for me, but I can't help thinking about him too, I can't help it. He was summoned too and he promised me he would show up after they were done with me, I can't wait to see him. Though it would feel weird meeting again in this department after everything that has happened, but I look forward to it regardless. I missed him so much. "You said you chose this college solely because professor Orion taught here?" Mrs. Tyrell asks, she is obviously going to be the one doing all the questioning while the others sit in, I can feel their sharp gazes trained on me, I can't bring myself to look at any of them, I keep my eyes set on a spot above their heads. "Yes, I did. It was the tru
"I told you to be careful because you are young, Alex. He is almost twice your age. I told you that he had more life experiences you can only dream of. This relationship, it isn't fair on you. You probably can't see it now but you are getting the short end of the stick. I can't watch you spend your youth like this, Alex. This is the time of your life to be young and free and unburdened, you can't spend it dating a man with a kid and a mad ex wife." It is one thing we have come to agree on. That Daisy is insane. She didn't hesitate to believe me after I told her about how Daisy was stalking me and being weird. "Mom, I am young, but I am not naive. I matured almost ten years above my age after we lost dad. I am not a kid. I am not going to spend my 'youth' being free and unburdened as you put it because it would never happen for me. I am already burdened, Mom. I understand your worries and I am sorry that I have disappointed you or that I am not going to listen to you, but it is someth
"How did you know where she is? Did her family home location get leaked online?" My heart is racing so hard, I can barely breath. I can't follow all else that Madeleine said, I can't get past the part about her getting an interview with Alex. The last time we talked, we didn't agree on talking with the press. My dumb strategy was waiting out the outrage. I know that it would eventually fizzle out. I didn't mind being the worst hit. As long as Alex was safe and shielded."Is that the only thing you heard me say?" Madeleine leans forward, intense eyes narrowed in interest. "No, her location wasn't leaked, Orion. I found her because I was interested, it takes little to find someone these days." She says, leaning back, arms crossed over her chest. "Why were you interested?" I will get back to the interview bit but there was something about Madeleine's presence in this cabin that felt different. We are friends but we hardly get involved with eachother's lives. She has made it clear that
"You look like shit." Madeleine pushes past me and the half open door to make her way inside the dark living room. "What are you doing here?" I ask, reluctantly turning on the lights, knowing I look exactly like shit as she said. Madeleine is more than an acquaintance, I would say we have a friendship of sorts. We have kept in touch over the years since my debut, she invited me to her wedding three years ago. She is a wildly interesting woman with a diverse group of friends. Artists and writers and everyone in between. She is also three years older than me. There might be some kind of maternal undertone to our relationship, but it isn't weird. I like her. We work really well together, she is always the first person my books are sent to for a review. And it is a mutually beneficial relationship that has held grounds for years now. All this doesn't explain to me why she is here. She is not the kind of journalist to chase after scandalous stories like the one I am currently involved w