NICOTINE || Alex Ramos

Chapter 37

"You're so beautiful." He traced his thumb against my cheek. "You're mine." He spoke before placing a tender kiss to my lips.

Alex's P.O.V
I quietly left the house making sure not to wake the sound asleep Sarah upstairs.

I drove around for awhile debating on what to get her to eat for when she wakes up and ended up deciding soup would be best.

When I arrived back home, I set the paper bag on the kitchen counter and made my way upstairs to check on her.

When I entered the room, she was no longer in the bed.

"Sar!" I called, but didn't get a response.

"I was only gone for a damn hour, why the hell did she leave?" I groaned to myself.

I slowly walked my annoyed self back downstairs to the kitchen, sat at the table by myself and stared at the bag containing the fresh, hot soup.

"God damn it." I mumbled, still upset at the fact she left without even having the decency to inform me.

I tried to perform an act of kindness towards her but it clearly didn't work out or go as planned.

I thought about texting her to ask why she decided to leave but I decided to just avoid it.

Lauren's P.O.V
"Does Will and Alex know when you're going back?" I asked Sarah, technically confronting her since I already know what her answer will be.

"I don't know how to tell them, I just got here." she sighed.

"It's better to tell them now compared to showing up at their doors with your luggage to say goodbye." I didn't mean for it to sound the way it came out but she understood that I'm only trying to help her.

"You're right." She admitted. "But what the hell am I supposed to tell Alex about completely ditching him earlier? He's so mad, I know it."

"Tell him the truth." I said. "Wait, why did you escape anyways?" I added with a slight laugh trying to make light of the stressful situation.

"I felt so uncomfortable. Well...not uncomfortable, I don't know it just felt different. I was freaked out because I must have been so tired to the point I didn't even remember leaving Will's with him." she spoke.

"I just felt awkward, okay? I felt fucking awkward for the very first time with him. The way we fell off, we never corrected it properly and we just pretended like things were okay but no...they aren't. There is so much left unfinished." her words were serious and held many emotions.

-

Sarah and I stood around waiting for Alex and Will in an empty lot at the random event Will invited us all to.

We had no idea what it was yet since we're distanced from everything, waiting at the meeting spot.

We finally noticed the two late boys heading towards our direction after parking the car they arrived in.

"Finally!" I messed with them.

"You guys got here early, not our fault." Will playfully raised his arms in defense.

Sarah's P.O.V
"So about earlier..." I started.

"It's fine, I totally understand." he seemed cold to me.

"Alex," I tried once more.

"Sarah, I said it's okay." he looked me dead in the eyes as he spoke, soon after he continued on trying to walk at a faster pace than me.

"I have to tell you som..." I started but Will cut me off without realizing.

"Sarah, tell this lil hoe to stop giving me shit for being late." he was laughing, his arm around Lauren with a bright smile plastered on his face.

Watching them so happy and realizing how currently broken me and Alex are, my heart felt compacted.

I forced him a soft smile, slowly following behind Alex's large, distanced steps.

"She's acting like we wasted so much damn time within those short few minutes." Will joked with Lauren again.

I stopped and it took a few seconds for anyone to notice but Lauren looked back at me with a concerned look.

"Sar, you okay?" her words caused Alex to actually stop and look at me.

"Yeah, I just gotta tie my shoe. I'll catch up." I lied.

"Not the perfect timing." I watched Lauren quietly nudge Will, even though he didn't know the truth either.

"He was just making a joke, Lauren. It's okay." I defended Will, but him and Alex just stood there confused.

"Lighten up, it wasn't even anything serious. Why is everyone being so weird tonight? We have weeks to do whatever the hell we want together, let's make the most of it."

My eyes tried to find their way to Alex but after those words, I couldn't even force them to.

I painfully looked towards Lauren and that's when I pretty much lost it.

I couldn't hold it in any longer, it hurt.

I turned around storming off as Alex looked towards the edgy Lauren for answers.

He quickly followed after me and grabbed hold of my arm.

"Hey," he started reaching for my hands but I pulled them away.

"It's no use, what's the point? I'm gone in the morning...maybe if we had more time..." My eyes were swelling with the tears I remained holding.

"I offered to move near you, to make us work." he sympathetically looked at me, not trying to start a fight, not trying to argue, he just looked at me.

"No, this is just the way things are. We've always had bad timing and this time it's nobody's fault, but..."

"But?" he cut in.

"Maybe it would be easier for both of us if we..." The unfinished sentenced cut through my soul.

"Yeah." Was all he said, knowing what I meant, knowing that it was right, but also holding onto the fragment of knowing it was wrong.

He stood there looking at me, I couldn't help the tears as they finally forced their way out.

The heavy drops fell down my cheeks as his hands found their way to the skin on which each tear glided across.

A hand per cheek as he looked into my drowning eyes, once again he didn't say anything, he just looked.

His lips melted against my forehead before struggling to separate them from the place they probably missed so dearly.

His lips, followed by his hands, left my body.

I remained standing there as he walked away, looking back at me an extra time before being sure.

My sobs tore through my lungs and my throat as I attempted to silence them.

This was it.

A/N: R.I.P Salex, I know. My heart, it's gone. I know this chapter took me ages, but I'm losing motivation in life lmao anyways I'm sad to announce that there is only one more chapter left to this story and maybe an epilogue.