Alex POV:I decide to walk back to my hostel instead of taking the shuttle. I am pumped full of a mix of conflicting emotions. Extreme happiness. Zane just sort of kind of made our relationship official. It is crazy to even think about. I have to keep the squealing voice in my head suppressed with all my mental strength, it almost makes me dizzy. Extreme anxiety. Zane believes his ex-wife is a psychopath. That is the only explanation. Because in spite of the evidence to the contrary, a part of me can't seem to grasp the fact that Daisy's visit wasn't all innocent. She came to check in us through me. Hence that last question. I don't know what is scarier; that I could be gullible enough to let her in and believed her wholeheartedly, or that she still had me in mind after all these weeks. That she knew my hall of residence, up to my room number. And she actually showed up with that whole innocent repentant charade. Then more bliss. From the sex against the wall. Zane was dark and do
"Alex," Maggie moves fast ahead so she is facing me, and she walks backward, "Give me the full story. I literally just saved your life, Claire would have torn into you, both figuratively and literally, that bitch is crazy. I think I deserve as much." She says, her eyes narrowed comically at me. "What full story?" I say, doing the worst deflection I could manage. I yawn, Maggie frowns at me. "Don't you dare give me that." Maggie says, she grabs me by the shoulders and shake. I just laugh. I am deliriously tired that my dread at the possibility of Claire seeing us kiss, or how dangerous my recklessness was, diminishes. I will freak out about this later. I just need to lay down now. My body is still reliving my explosive orgasm. "Okay. I will tell you, though I have to warn you, there isn't much to it anyway." I say as we walk around the bend that brings my hall of residence to view. Maggie's dorm is down the road. A few blocks after mine. "Fuck that. That is what you always say. Wh
"There is nothing wrong. I had the opportunity to attend a seminar outreach for psychiatric nurses here in New York. If you had returned my call from two days ago, you would have known I was going to show up." She says, frowning at me. I shrink under her scrutinizing stare. It is irrational but I feel like she can see through all I have done these past few days. With Zane. I feel my guilt shining through my consciousness. "Oh." I say, biting my lip. I didn't remember to return that call even though I told myself that I would. I stopped checking her texts because she was always sending me cringy, most times, weird videos from the internet. "Laura is fine, she is with your aunt. It is just a two days trip. I am going back tomorrow morning." She says, she wipes a nonexistent stain off her pencil skirt. We watch each other and then other things in the room, at a loss of what to say next. We are usually like this. With a lot to say and yet saying nothing. "Okay. Good." I say, I sneak a
"Okay. Sorry." I say, suddenly tired. I feel defeated. I am nineteen, I can't continue throwing tantrums at my mom for doing her best for us when she also had her life turned upside down when she lost her life partner. I don't know if she dated after dad. I don't even know if she has anyone in her life now. I feel ashamed that I know really little about her. "That is okay. I just want to know you are doing okay. You are so far away from home, I think of you always. You know I hate travelling, but I agreed to come for this seminar because I knew I could come see you. No matter how briefly." Mom says, her voice unnaturally soft. I look up at her, her face is a mask but I can see her stern eyes are gentle and her stare is not as intense as I am used to."I am doing fine." I say and avert my eyes so she couldn't read the truth. I am doing fine because of my new relationship with Zane but I am also doing dreadfully, because of him. I have Daisy to worry about. Claire also. And then mayb
"Ugh, yeah, I guess." She says, looking from me to my mom who is staying quiet and watching us like she is studying something interesting. "Mom, we have debate club." I say pointedly. "I get it." Mom says, her tone carries the lightly veiled threat that we are not done with this conversation. I am just glad to be saved from it tonight. And since she is flying back home tomorrow, I should be safe for a while. Maggie sits on the edge of my bed, she pulls out her phone and gets busy, avoiding my mom's piercing judgy gaze. I busy myself with putting on my jeans and top. I am done too soon. "Uh, I don't know. Mom, where are you staying?" I say as I bend down to put on my boots. There is no polite way to ask her to leave after she came all the way to see me. I feel terrible but I know worse is in store for me if Maggie slips and Zane is mentioned in her presence. "Oh, I am at the Carlton. It is about twenty minutes from the hotel, I walked. I intend to walk back." Mom says. "Oh, okay.
"Daddy!" Luna shrieks, running into my arms as soon as she sees me standing in the den. I pick her up and hold her tight, breathing in the sweet warm coconut of her hair. "My princess." I say, pressing a kiss to her temple. She giggles, hugging me tight around the neck. My heart melts. Most of my nervous energy dissipates for a moment, then Daisy walks in and I feel an odd sense of foreboding at the perfectly neutral look on her face. "Hi." She says cordially. "Hi, how was the drive?" I reply. Keeping things neutral. It is a rule we have. Never to fight or argue heatedly in front of Luna. This is most important to me. I already feel like a failure about the divorce and having to raise her in two homes. It is of the utmost importance to me that she never witnesses us coming for eachother. I grew up with two people who couldn't stand each other and I would rather die than let my own child go through the same thing. I was willing to put up with the failing marriage as best as I could
She is a good enough mother in that she is affectionate and does her best with Luna, but she doesn't share my sentiments about raising a kid in an environment with two parents who don't hate eachother. She grew up in a foster home with other foster kids where the guardians didn't care much for them asides the monthly government checks it afforded them with, but she claims she turned out well because she became a doctor and all that, whilst every single one of the other kids got hooked on drugs or one vice or the other. Basically, it is a considerably huge feat she accomplished, managing to get out of that life and make something for herself. But there was something fundamentally wrong with her. She keeps it masked, but it becomes clear when you get close enough. I can't believe it was that peculiar darkness that drew me to her in the first place. She was my muse. It was great while it lasted till I unveiled the real woman behind the mask and she hated me for it. She didn't even gi
I hear Luna's small footsteps bounding up the walkway, I look back and she hugs my leg tightly. "Daddy, daddy, the tea is getting cold." She says, looking up at me with disarmingly innocent eyes. "Oh princess, I was just about to come in." I say, I glance at Daisy whose face is kept neutral. Our conversation is nowhere close to being settled and I suspect it wouldn't be. I have to act without the delusion that I can talk sense into her. I don't know what I was thinking, believing we could settle this amicably. "Say goodbye to your mom." I say, patting Luna's hair. Fairy soft and clean. "Goodbye mommy." She says."Bye Princess, be a good girl for daddy and I will see you on Sunday." Daisy leans down to give her a kiss on the mouth and she doesn't spare me a glance before getting into her car and driving off. I stare at the moving car and Luna's small arms tight around my calf feels like a noose around my neck. What am I going to do? ♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎Alex POV::I can't put a finger to it
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