Until Death Do Us Part? (Completed)

Chapter Thirty: Alex's Story

"Your—what?"

"My story," said Alex, sounding uncomfortable. "Would you like to know my story?"

"I—" I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the same guy who'd acted like a dog poked with a stick every time anyone asked him about his past, and the same guy who'd left me alone, despite being my guide, on my first day here, was offering me to tell his whole story. On his own. It was kind of hard to believe.

"I mean, if you want to, that is," he said, scratching the back of his neck and looking like he regretted speaking his earlier words. "I don't want to force you to hear it or anything if you don't want to. I just—I thought that, since you and I—"

"Yes," I interrupted him. "Yes, I want to hear your story."

Alex bit his bottom lip and nodded, still looking a bit uncomfortable. "Alright. Don't—don't interrupt, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

He took a deep breath, gazed down at the water below, and didn't say anything for a long time. I kept quiet, giving him time to collect his thoughts. "Her name was Ariella," he spoke finally. "And she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid my eyes on."

I kept quiet.

"You see, Tara, I wasn't like you. I wasn't beautiful or popular or had a group of friends surrounding me twenty four seven. I was...different. The quiet kid, the shy kid. The one which faded into the background, like wallpaper. And I liked it." He took another deep breath, before speaking, his voice sounding almost awed. "But Ariella wasn't like that. She was beautiful, she was charming, she loved to be the center of attraction and she was friends with almost half the school. I know that you don't probably remember her. You were so busy with your own life, you probably didn't notice what happened around you."

Alex was right. I tried to remember Ariella, I tried to remember how she looked, something about her—anything—but couldn't. It didn't surprise me one bit. I had always been so busy with Tris, with Heather, with Ethan and my other friends, I didn't even remember who I'd had homeroom with.

"I don't know why she went out with me. I don't know what saw in me. But in my junior year, I started seeing the girl I'd had a crush on since two years, and to say that I was happy would be an understatement." Alex smiled a little. "It was the best year of my life. Junior year, I mean. I had never felt so—so alive, you know? So full of emotions."

"I did everything she asked me to. I bought her gifts, I took her out on dates, I did everything to keep her happy. And it was like I was living a dream. Like she was my dream girl come alive. I couldn't bear to see her cry, I couldn't bear to see her sad. We were perfect together, like a match made in heaven. At least, I thought so." The smile on Alex's face faded when he said that, and I had to resist the urge to say what, afraid that if I said anything, he'd stop speaking.

"We went out for one year, and then one day, Ariella came to school with another guy. At first, I thought that he was her cousin or something, you know? She had a big family. I thought that one of her cousins from Seattle had come to visit her or something. But then she kissed him in front of my eyes. Right in front of my eyes." Alex's voice was quite now, barely rising above a whisper. I had to strain my ears to listen to it, despite my superior hearing.