You're the risk I'm willing to take

Chapter 17

"You OK?"

I looked at Alice, she had been distracted since our little conversation earlier. I had meant what I said, I cared about her and wanted to be there for her.

She looked at me and I could see that she was going to try and talk her way out of telling me anything.

"Don't try and tell me you're OK. I know you're not. What's wrong, pixie?"

She sighed, knowing it was pointless. I knew I'd get her to tell what was bothering her eventually.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about what you said. I was just over-thinking everything, I really missed you."

"I missed you to. I never considered whether this was worth it though. I know we need to be careful, but I know how I feel, and it's not going to change."

She shook her head, looking at me. OK, I think I've annoyed her.

"Bella, I was thinking about you. I'm not the only one who could get in trouble for-"

"Alice, I'm not the one who will lose their job. We're getting nowhere, arguing about this. We would both be in trouble. You, more than me, but it'll be OK. Now, will you please relax?"

She shook her head, looking away. I knew she was worried, she must've thought about this a lot.

"I don't care about-"

"What did I say about us both being in trouble? I care about you. You're a great teacher, and I don't want to be the cause of you losing that."

"I know that, Bella. I just thought about this a lot."

I shook my head. That was obvious.

"Silly pixie. I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

I moved and she cuddled up beside me. She seemed tired, so I wasn't surprised that she fell asleep a little while later. I kissed the top of her head, smiling. She sighed, moving closer to me. I was afraid to move, in case I woke her up. Her couch was a corner unit and we had been cuddling, so we were quite close. I looked down at her, and she was smiling in her sleep. I shifted, so she would have room and she muttered something I couldn't understand. I ignored it, and since my arm had been around her, I started running my fingers through her hair. She shifted and I stopped, she didn't wake up and I noticed he smile had faded. She was frowning, and I was worried something was wrong. I kept an eye on her for a while, and I knew I was right. She started moving and muttering. I knew something was wrong. I knew she was dreaming about something that was really upsetting her, and I had an idea of what I could be.

"Chase, no!"

I put my hand on her shoulder, to gently wake her, and she jumped. I hadn't actually woken her though, she'd woken up on her own. I was being really careful, so I wasn't adding to whatever she had been dreaming about. She looked up at me, and I could see that she was upset. She sat up, away from me.

I knew I was right, when she acted like that. I didn't move any closer, but I wanted to make sure she knew she was safe, here with me.

"Alice, it's OK. It's just me, no one I going to hurt you."

I could see she was shaking, it had really frightened her. She was good at putting up a front of being happy and perky, but she couldn't do that all the time. She took a deep breath and turned to me. She didn't look at me, but it was progress. I wasn't looking at her back anymore.

She looked at me, and I could see she was about to cry. I was afraid to move any closer, there wasn't to much space between us as it was, and I was glad she hadn't gotten off the couch. This really showed me that she trusted me. I know I say that a lot, but when she gets upset like this, I'm glad I can be there for her and she can talk to me. I was sitting on the couch, and she started getting upset. I was surprised though, when she grabbed me. She grabbed onto my t-shirt, and wouldn't let go, not that I wanted her to. I started rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. I hated seeing her like this.