Aftertaste (Sin #2)

XXIII.

Alexander clenches his jaw. "She was just being a bitch."

"You took her there with you!" I hate how bitter I sound. I bite down on my bottom lip. "What did she want from you?" I ask him, calmer this time.

He sighs. "Nothin'. I just had to be by her side all evening." He shrugs when he sees my look. "I don't know, okay? She's fuckin' weird."

"She likes you," I point out. And she doesn't even try to hide that.

"Yeah, well. She better start lookin' somewhere else because I have a girl already."

My lips involuntarily lift up at the corners. "I don't think she cares about me, though." I don't know why. I've been nothing but nice to her ever since she came here and I was genuinely looking forward to having a new friend, but I'm not happy about my friends going after my boyfriend, so I think that won't be happening any time soon. Besides, I don't think she wants to do anything with me, either.

"She gives you any trouble, you come straight to me. Got it?" Alexander says seriously. He read her, too. She's not fooling anyone, actually, although I don't think she's even trying to.

"Why? So you can be an asshole to me again?" I ask, still hurt about how he acted towards me.

Alexander flinches at my words. "I'm sorry. I was just frustrated and pissed off when you brought it up."

"You could've at least told me you're going to the race with her, Alexander. I might start thinking you're trying to hide something from me."

He scowls. "I'm not hiding anything from you. Ever," he deadpans completely seriously.

"Why did you take her in the first place, Alexander?"

"It wasn't intentional, I promise. She was bugging the fuck out of Sam, but she ignored her and then she started calling me, saying that she just wants to experience one time. And then my mother called me and, shit, I was just under pressure, you know?" he mutters.

I purse my lips, suddenly interested in my nails. "You were being a huge ass to me for no reason and I'm telling you now that if you ever do this again, I will leave."

"No," Alexander suddenly says fiercely, pulling my legs so they're scratched and lies his head on my stomach, his arms wrapping around my body. "You can't go anywhere. You can't, Gabby." He sounds so desperate that my chest clenches. I resist putting my hands in his hair, knowing how much he loves that.

I just sigh and he wraps his arms around me even tighter. This is his kind of apology. He messes things up regularly in our relationship, but so do I. We're both very defined by our pasts and we're both broken in some parts. Neither of us knows how to have a relationship, especially when we're both so different. We're just trying to figure it all out together.

The phone ringing disrupts our silence and Alexander groans, not wanting to move off me. I take the phone out of my pocket, wiggling under him so I get some space. He doesn't give me any. "It's Sam," I murmur.

He lifts his head up at this. "Just tell her to fuck off. I'm pissed at her."

I raise my eyebrows at him, noting that we have to talk this out later. I answer Sam's call, "Hey."

"Gabby! Are you okay? What's going on?"

Oh. The text. I almost forgot I sent her a text before. "Oh, no. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did you and Alex have a fight?"

I'm reluctant to answer her because I don't want her to beat herself up and think she's responsible, but she probably already knows anyway. "Yes, but it's all okay now. We made up." Party, at least.

Alexander's arms tighten around me at that. I can't help myself this time and push my free hand into his soft hair, running my fingers through it. He relaxes almost immediately. "God," Sam says, a pained sound coming from her throat. "I'm going to stab that bitch if she ever comes near him again."

I wince at her harsh words and the venom she says them with. I would never like to come on Sam's bad side. "And I just might strangle my boyfriend if he ever keeps things from me again." Alexander playfully pinches me and I yelp, giggling afterwards and trying to squirm away from his hands.

"Okay! Hanging up now before you two start having make-up sex over the phone." She makes a gagging sound. "I'm happy to hear you two talked it out. Sorry again for those pictures. They're already deleted from my phone because I never want to hear of their existence again."

I chuckle. Me and her both. "It's okay, it's not like they were kissing."

I feel Alexander pinching me again and I let out an, "Ouch!" and grimace. "Stop doing that!" I scold him, giving him an angry look.

"Yep. My cue to hang up. See you 'round, Pretty face!" Sam sings into the receiver.

"Come around some time," I invite her.

"Sure," she says happily.

Alexander gets up when I hang up. I sit up on the couch, too, rearranging my clothes.

"By the way, I'm having some guys over tomorrow. If that's alright," Alexander suddenly says on his way to the kitchen.

I shrug. "Sure," I say, standing up, too. He invites them over often so they watch a race together on the TV and drink beer. Well, others do. Alexander drinks water.

I walk after him to the kitchen and lean against the counter, watching him pouring himself a glass of water. "You can't hold a grudge against Sam for the pictures."

"It wasn't any of her business sticking her nose into that."

I raise my eyebrow. "She didn't take them on purpose." I'm convinced of the fact because I believe her. And even if she did take them purposefully, I had a right to know.

"Whatever," Alexander says, setting the empty glass back down. "If she has problems with Snake, that's on her. She can leave us the fuck alone."

I lean backwards, looking at him with wide eyes. "Why are you so angry at her and the fact that she showed me those pictures? Would you even tell me Lena was there with you, obviously having a great time thanks to you?"

By the way his mouth forms a straight line, I suppose the answer is no. Now I regret asking because I'm getting mad again. "Honesty is the only thing I'm asking from you, really."

"Are you going to let her be a problem for us?" Alexander asks me with a challenge.

I tilt my head to the side. "That depends entirely on you," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighs, rubbing his face. I notice how tired he is and I wonder if he had trouble sleeping after I went out of the bed. "I really don't want to fucking talk about her anymore, alright?" He crosses his arms over his chest, mimicking me. "I'm more interested in knowing who you punched in this face last night and why."

"Huh?" I ask, my forehead scrunching.

He just looks at me, waiting.

I rub at my temple. "Oh, I told you about that? Ah ... it was just silly. It didn't have to do with me, but rather one of June's friends. One guy was so annoying that he just didn't want to go away."

"But no one bothered you?"

I know what he's doing. I roll my eyes. "They pretty much got the memo I have a boyfriend since I had a phone in my hands basically all the time."

He looks at me for some more seconds, a serious look on his face, until he nods, beaming. "Good. Although that tattoo idea you had about my name on your forehead doesn't sound that bad to me, either."

I let out a loud groan.

* 

If you think that this book is good, just wait for the third one. I go all out. I repeat - ALL OUT. In a good way. ;))))) 

Sorry for hyping you up, it won't come out for another year/2 years though.