#all in hopes i'll hear his strained whirring again

[unimer]

trying to romanticize your computer is difficult when it's a piece of crap.

i know your organs are unfathomably old bits of crushed stardust made specifically to transmit trillions of electric signals into visual and aural stimuli that bless my senses like a prophet. but i still hate it when you can't run vanilla Minecraft and Spotify at the same time without crashing

[mackeydoodledoo]

The (Star Crossed) Lovers

Pairing: Lamina x (Fem!Tribute)Reader

Summary: You initially become Allies with Lamina out of pity after watching her district partner leave her for another group of tributes. But, you later realize you allied with her for different reasons.

Warnings: TBOSAS Spoilers, Bl00d/Injuries, Swearing, Lamina's PTSD

Key: Italics = Thoughts, +*+ = Time Skip, +++ = MC's blackout

Theme: Some Nights - Fun.

A/n: An AU if Lamina won the games. R is roughly the same age as Lamina

Tags: @bdscsjhb

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*Lamina's POV* "Lamina," Treech calls after you

You look at him, hopeful. You begin to make your way over to him.

"No, just you," The short red-haired girl says

You stop in your tracks.

"Just you," She repeats again

Considering how he looked at you... You hoped... You hoped that he wouldn't so you wouldn't be alone... However... He looks down at the ground, turning his back to you.

"You and me then," An unfamiliar voice comes up next to you

You look over your shoulder...

"You and me," She gestures to the both of you

Without even a second thought, you nod. The both of you look over to Treech; still looking downward.

"Don't worry about him," She tells you, "He may be from home for you, but we'll show him that he'll regret not choosing you. Y/n."

"Lamina," You introduce yourself

+*+

The bombing cut your surveillance of the arena short. But, Y/n made sure to keep you alive. You half-assed the interviews. But, it was enough to get some donations for sponsor gifts.

+*+

You avoided Treech the entire night. You were still in disbelief that he left you for other tributes.

"Lean on me," Y/n's voice whispers

"Excuse me?" You look at her

"Use me as a pillow is what I'm saying," She clarifies

You turn the other way, attempting to sleep.

"Suit yourself..." She sighs

+*+

"I'll find you as soon as possible," Y/n whispers to you

"Quiet!" A peacekeeper tells them

The peacekeeper keeping an eye on Y/n pushes them forward, making you lose sight of them.

+*+

Screams... Oh, all the screams... It went on for a little while until the echoes began to subside.

You take refuge atop a beam where the boy from District 2 was hung from. You look down at him, carefully reaching out to his head. You gently caress it and tilt his head up to you.

"Please..." He sputters, "Please..."

You gently let his head back down, but tilt it at an angle; an easy access to his neck. You take your axe and drive it into his neck. You cut the rope that bound his wrists and let him fall to the ground.

As you settle yourself on the beam, you hear the whirring of a drone heading right for you. However, you could see something that was attached to it. You slowly outstretch your hand to grab it. However, you saw it twitch and you drew your hand back before the bottle crashes against one of the columns...

So much for hydrating...

"Those drones are absolute shit," Y/n's voice echoes

You look down form the beam and sigh in relief, worried for a moment that it was someone else.

"And who to think using glass bottles would be smart?" She asks, sarcastically, "You doing alright?"

You nod.

"Do I have your permission to join you up there Lamina?" She asks

"How will I know you won't kill me later?" You ask

"Well, I've never killed anyone in my life," She says, "No way in hell I'd ever have that kind of thought, even in here..."

"Fine," You answer

You cautiously watch Y/n scale the column, making her way up to you.

"Don't know how you make it look so easy," She strains, hoisting herself up onto the beam

"Right there is enough," You state

Your axe; drawn, into her direction.

"Okay, alright," She raises her hands in defeat, remaining where she was

"Are you armed?" You ask

"Kinda ran up to the stands as soon as the countdown ended... So no," She answers

You reach for a knife you also snagged from your belt, handing it to them.

"Trust me already?" She says, taking the weapon

"It's more like you're going to need it," You clarify

It was uneventful the first day... Soon night had drawn itself over the arena...

*Y/n's POV* "Come on, rest up, Lamina," You tell her, leaning against the column holding one end of the beam

You gesture to her to lay on you.

But she doesn't move.

"Lamina, it's better than sleeping like a log," You add, "I'll take first watch."

*Lamina's POV* You slowly make your way up to Y/n, your back slowly laying itself against her. Your head resting against her shoulder. She was right...

Better than sleeping like a log...

You watch as Y/n drapes her over-shirt over your upper body.

"Even in the summer, it's going to be cold at night," She says

*Y/n's POV* Your back was not going to forgive you. But, you could have been in worse cases.

"You're really warm," Lamina states

"Sorry," You say

"No no it's... Nice," She sighs, "Back home we normally didn't have much to keep us warm during the cooler months."

"Well, glad I can be your blanket," You say, chuckling

+*+

You weren't sure how much time passed... But, you could feel how heavy your eyes were getting...

Maybe it'll be okay... If I just... Close... My... Eyes... For a bit....

+*+

Your body felt like it was falling: making you jolt awake.

Lamina.

You look down at her; still sound asleep. You take a deep sigh of relief.

"Everything alright?" Lamina yawns as she sits up

"Y-yeah, just unexpectedly fell asleep," You say, "Did I miss anything?"

"Two capitol boys were right below us earlier in the night," She tells you

"They didn't attack you did they?" You ask

She shakes her head.

"Good," You sigh

+*+

"Your little friend from home and her girlfriend is next," Coral viciously tells Treech, having it echo in the arena

Lamina's head lifts off of your shoulder. You register the footsteps coming. Lamina immediately draws her weapon. You do the same. But, you could see the fear in her eyes.

"Lamina," You call out to her

She doesn't register your voice calling out to her...

"Lamina!" You grab her attention

You gently grab her face to turn her attention to you.

"We're going to be okay," You attempt to reassure her, "Only two of them can come up at a time. As long as we have our backs together, we can take them on. Do you trust me?"

Lamina nods.

You instinctively lean into her, but leaning your head upward: giving her dirty forehead a kiss before standing onto your feet, helping her up in the process. The both of you draw your respective weapons: facing opposite of each other, backs nearly touching.

The pinky from your non-dominant hand brushes against Lamina's. Hers links to yours as Coral and her district partner menacingly climb up from both sides: cornering the two of you

"The two little lovers," Coral attempts to taunt the both of you, "The good thing is you'll be dying together!"

You don't waver in the slightest.

Coral swings the trident. You take a step back, but your back is greeted with Lamina's, nearly throwing you both off balance.

Shit.. I don't have space to back up... Or move around...

Coral swings again... But, this time, you catch a part of the trident that wasn't sharp. She attempts to draw it back to herself, however, remains within your grasp. But, Coral thrusted it towards you. You fall onto the beam back first; Coral attempting to lodge her trident into your face. The only thing keeping you from meeting the spectral plane was how much force you were exerting to counter the force Coral was exerting.

Your eyes scramble around to look for a possible counterattack.

Thinkthinkthinkthinkthink........

Still gripping onto the non-sharp part of the trident, you kick the pole attached to the three pronged weapon as hard as you could: breaking it. It knocks Coral off balance, but steadies herself from he protruding column.

You scramble to your feet. But, Coral's reflexes were slightly faster. She draws the now-makeshift spear and thrusts it forward. Right at the last second, you move your head. But, it was a few hairs too late.

The sharp pain courses throughout your body as you felt warm trails of blood trickle down your cheek. You wanted to grip at it to stop the pain from taking over, the throbbing making you feel the temptation to stop fighting.

Then you hear a yelp.

Shit...

You again forgot to consider the fact that Lamina was mere inches behind you.

You only had a few mere milliseconds you had to throw together some kind of plan...

+++

It all happened so fast... Like a single maneuver...

You were attempting to keep your distance from Coral since the start of the fight, however, the next moment you saw here face inches from yours. But you look down and felt warm blood trickle onto your hand. You look back up at Coral: blood seeping from her mouth as she tries to collect herself...

"I... It's not fair..." She wheezes, gripping at your shirt, "I couldn't have killed them all for nothing..."

Her grip eases on you as your grip on your weapon ceases... Letting her fall...

Everything felt numb....

You just killed somebody... An actual human being...

You were trying to avoid that the entire time since the games started... Your tactic was to simply stay alive. To keep Lamina alive.

"Y/n!" Lamina's muffled voice echoes

"Y/n!" Her voice echoes again

You blink, slowly turning to Lamina's voice.

You began to adjust to reality again. When your vision adjusts to its shallow depth of field, the boy from 4, clearly horrified at the death of his district partner, he made the decision to traumatize you by attempting to kill Lamina.

You noticed how he was exerting his weight onto one leg.

Did Lamina injure him?

"Go for his leg!" You tell Lamina

However, he whips his net forward, making Lamina draw back into your legs. When he attempts to whip the both of you with the net, you thread your fingers in between the openings, yanking the net behind you, but pulling him forward. Lamina, still crouched onto the ground, propels her arm forward, swinging her axe across both of his legs. Making him fall off of the beam. The sound of his body making contact with the ground echoing throughout the arena.

"You two boys want to come up here?" You look down at them, attempting to intimidate them

Treech; Lamina's district partner is the first to walk away: which he looks to the ground. The boy from 10, was the last to walk away. Looking like he contemplated on climbing up.

You sigh out loud as you slump against the column, slowly sitting down on the beam... The thumping in your ears beginning to cease.

"You're hurt," Lamina states

"So are you," You sigh, looking at her arm

"Yours looks worse than mine," She counter argues

"It's only a scratch," You chuckle, touching the now-dried blood that trickled down your cheek, refusing to believe her.

*Lamina's POV* You kneel down to Y/n to inspect her wound.

"Lamina, I told you it was only a scratch," She attempts to shoo you away

But you doesn't listen to her.

"Hold still 'hero'," You say, cocking a small smile

Your hands cup herr face as you attempts to rub away the dried blood.

*Y/n's POV* But, the both of you hear the familiar noise of the sponsor drone. Your hand reaches up and catches a glass full of water. Unconsciously you hand it to Lamina.

"Drink," You say

"It's yours, you earned it," Lamina says, trying to push it back to you

"You earned it as much as I did," You say

You gently place the bottle into her palms. Keeping your hands over hers.

"It was a team effort," You smile, "Now drink."

Almost immediately she uncaps the bottle and chugs it like her life depended on it. You hear another drone coming in... Again, you catch the little parcel attached to it...

"What did they send this time?" Lamina asks

"'To prevent infection, apply to wounds generously' - Pliny Harrington," You read aloud

"My mentor?" Lamina asks, drawing herself close to you to read the note

You kneel down and begin applying the ointment upon Lamina's arm. You gently massage it into her wound... She winces, but sits through the little pain.

"What about you?" She asks

"I'll be fine," You say, beginning to close the ointment

However, she gently grabs it out of your hand, reopening it.

"You deserve it too, I don't need to be coddled twenty-four seven," She says

*Lamina's POV* "If you say so," Y/n says

As you gently apply it to her cheek, you noticed how she was leaning into your palm that cradled the other side of her head.

"You're a pretty good fighter," Y/n says

"I'm not," You chuckle

"Don't doubt yourself Lamina," She smiles, "I was zoned out for like... What a minute and you were still dealing with him. You also managed to injure him and be the one to deliver the final blow on him."

"That's because you helped keep the net away from me," You continue to argue

"It did hurt when I caught it," She says, showing her hand, "Kid really put up a fight... The both of them did."

*Y/n's POV* The both of you had uneventful things happen for the rest of the day.

"You okay Y/n?" Lamina breaks the silence

You didn't get to register the fact that you had been silent since killing Coral.

"Y-yeah. I'm," You suppress a sniffle, "I'm fine."

"You don't sound okay," Lamina says

"Well," You begin, not even hiding the tears that streamed down your face, "The entirety of Panem watched me kill somebody... I hoped... I didn't have to..."

*Lamina's POV* You remember when she told you that she had never killed a person in her life, and that she never had that certain thought.

"It'll be in my conscience for the rest of my life... Depending on how this goes..." She says

*Y/n's POV* You felt a pair of hands wrap around your head, gently. Fingers coiling into your hair, brushing it.

"I'm so sorry you had to do that," She tells you

You bury your face into her shoulder, attempting to suppress a scream mixed with sobbing.

"It's okay," She coddles you

You bunch her sleeve into your fist. Continuing on sobbing and letting out short periods of screams.

+*+

Same sleeping situations... A different night...

"Y/n, is... Is this weird?" Lamina asks

"What does?" You ask

"This..." She says

Her calloused fingers take your wrist and hoists one arm over her shoulder, the other coiling around her midsection.

"That... Even in the middle of all of this... I feel calm... Safe... With you," She says

Her hand travels up your arm draped over her shoulder. She lifts herself off of your body and turns to fully face you.

"Everything oka-"

Before you could ask her, her lips connect to yours. The feeling was the exact opposite of what you expected.

It felt soft...

"Just... That," She smiles, "In case either of us die here... I might as well be the one to confess..."

You push your upper body off of the column; reaching out to Lamina and brush more hair behind her ear. As you do so, you continue to lean forward, giving her enough time to pull sway if she wished. However, she didn't.

You gift her a light, feathery kiss, matching hers and to reciprocate the feeling back to her.

"I uh- never thought my first kiss would be in a fight-to-the death arena," She smiles

"Neither did I," You smile back

+*+

The night drags on...

You couldn't get an inch of sleep: your mind was still attempting to process the fact that you killed a person for the first time. However, you look down at Lamina; sleeping peacefully in your embrace. You gently kiss her forehead.

Knowing that the both of you survived because of the trust you put into each other, was enough to ease your mind.

+*+

The both of you felt confident enough to climb down from the beam, hearing the whirring of a helicopter: carrying a giant tube...

"Is it over?" Wovey asks, crying

"Wovey," The boy from 11 calls out to the kid

"Can we go home now?" She continues walking towards the glass cylinder

"Wovey," You attempt to call out to her as well

Your eyes widen as the glass began to crack.

"Wovey get away from there!" You yell

But it was like Wovey couldn't hear you... The cracks on the container grow...

"Lamina. Run. Now," You tell her

She doesn't question your statement as the glass broke; who knows how many snakes escaped from it... You and Lamina climb onto s horizontal slab of concrete; It was enough leverage to have one's upper body peek over into the stands, but not enough to boost oneself over.

"Step on my hands," You say, linking your fingers together

Lamina steps onto your linked hands, and attempts to step onto your shoulder, but nearly falls over. But, you use any strength you had to keep yourself steady. You hear a screams, many of them. You look over and see a rainbow dress...

"Lucy Gray!!" You scream, watching her fall onto the ground

You didn't know Lucy Gray at all... But, watching her die broke your heart... You enjoyed her song at the reaping, and her little song in her interview...

The hoard of snakes were drawing near...

"Lamina, hurry!" You look up at her

"I'm trying!" She strains

As Lamina's foot was trying to balance in your linked hands, she was also struggling to lift herself up into the stands. You were running out of strength to hold her up... You look at the ground to see the snakes closing in on you. You shut your eyes.

For a minute, you see your life flash before your eyes. Lamina sleeping peacefully in your embrace.. The kiss she gave you, should either of you die in the arena...

You open your eyes again, and with all of the strength you had left, you boost her over the stands. Nearly losing your balance.

*Lamina's POV* You heard her yelp. You turn to look at her, she had just hoisted herself up from the ledge.

"Y/n!" You yell

You curl your arms under her armpits and drag her away from the snakes, and further up the stands with whatever strength you had from a quick adrenaline rush.

"Get to higher ground," She wheezes for air

"Then come on Y/n," You say, beginning to make your way up

However, she doesn't move.

"Y/n?" You call out to her

"I..." Her voice trails down

Both of your eyes look down at her leg: noticeable puncture holes near her ankle, blood trickling from the two bite marks.

"Whatever those kinds of snakes were... Were venomous..." She says, "I... I don't know how much longer I'm going to last..."

"I'm not going without you," You sit down, taking her into your arms

"They can't trek up here," She says, "I deal with snakes all the time back home... They need a coarse surface for their body to travel..."

She looks up at you: her nose beginning to bleed... You begin to brush her hair, the back of your fingers brushing against her cheek.

"Lamina..." She sighs, "I need you to promise me one last thing..."

"Anything Y/n," You try to hold back tears

"Once you get out of here... Live your life," She begins, "Never let them change the kind, selfless, human that you are..."

You choke on a sob, but nod.

"Hmmm... Don't cry Lamina... No matter how far apart we are... I'll always be with you," She smiles, trying to wipe your tears

The corners of her mouth begin to seep blood... Y/n was just beginning to bleed everywhere... You hated seeing her in such a state...

"Everything hurts," She whines, "But... At least you're the last thing I get to see... You're the best thing that I got out of these games..."

Her hand weakly reaches for your cheek. You reach for it and hold onto it, bringing it up to your cheek.

"And you were the best thing I got out of these games too," You smile through your crying

You hold onto Y/n as you watch the life being sucked away from her, the smile fade into the natural way her mouth hangs. Her grip on your hand loosens, her hand growing heavier every second her life was dissipating. Your hand reaches up to her eyes and you gently close them.

You attempt to clean off whatever blood was seeping from her face..

+*+

You held onto Y/n's dead body for the entire night, you never left her side like she did for you since becoming allies... Like she had told you, none of the snakes had trekked up into the stands.

"Ladies and Gentleman, the winner of the 10th annual Hunger Games, from District 7, Lamina," The announcers voice echoes throughout the arena

Even after being announced the Victor, you didn't feel like it... The peacekeepers had to pry you out from your embrace with Y/n's body as they were collecting the dead tributes and the now-dead snake mutts from the arena.

The only thing you were able to retrieve off of her body, the only piece you had left of Y/n was her over-shirt that she had always draped over you during the nights in the arena.

+*+

Even after going home to 7, your life wasn't the same.

You either woke up screaming or crying...

Screaming, you nearly experienced death.

Crying, you lost the girl that saved your life, that you grew feelings for. On many occasions throughout the games. Not once Y/n had ever thought to save herself. Only thought about your life.

You told your friends in the district about Y/n... She was hailed a hero in 7: for giving her life so that you could go home.

But, even so... The nightmares never went away...

Another night... Waking up screaming or crying.

As you sit up in your bed, you attempt to wipe your tears away. However, you feel a cool pressure against your back and your midsection...

"Don't worry, I'm right here," Y/n's voice tickles your ear

You turn around to only see the wall of your room. But, you knew that feeling, you knew her voice...

It would be days, weeks, months, even years since you became the Victor of the 10th Hunger Games...

But you never forgot about the girl in the arena that was willing to give her life to save yours...

[curiousconch]

Chase You/Chase Me (Pt. 7)

Part 7: Round and around we go

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Summary: The attack in McGraw Byrne's offices reveals a deeper conspiracy that runs to the top of the law firm, which Alex pursued head on. But when the dust settles, she is forced to face the music of her own troubled mind.

Book/Pairing: Choices - Laws of Attraction / Gabe Ricci x MC (Alex Keating)

Words: 2.1k+

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / themes of violence, and trauma, language. Reader discretion advised.

Disclaimer: Most of the characters as well as some dialogue belong to Pixelberry. I am merely borrowing them.

A week after, New York City

Shit. Shit. Shit.

The gunman panted as he ran through the dark and unfamiliar side streets of New York, the covering on his face not helping alleviate the sense of panic overtaking him.

His current state of mind paled in comparison with how calm he walked into the offices of that freakishly bright law firm.

The task was simple - get the phone and get out.

But when he found himself face to face with the woman who'd sent his life into a whirling clusterfuck, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

He missed.

A brute of a man rammed into him right before he took a shot. Who knew corporate slaves can be combative? By then he knew he was fucked. He snatched the phone then ran.

An earlier scope of the building gave him an easy way out, but the shitty maze of the streets of the business district didn't give much of a reprieve.

I fucking hate this city.

He didn't know how long he'd been running, not until he had to stop by the dead end wall in front of him.

Blue and red flashing lights caught him in a daze, his breath heavy, realizing he was boxed in by police officers in an alley.

"Freeze!" one had shouted. "Raise your arms over your head!"

He didn't have a choice. He's not willing to die for his uncle, nor take another sentence in prison. That scumbag wasn't worth it, regardless of how many times that man tried drilling the thought into his head.

I'm tired of this shit anyway. Though I'll miss the perks.

He raised his hands, then felt his knees buckle when someone kicked him from behind, forcing him to the ground. Someone pulled the ski mask off his head, his face now exposed for everyone to see.

He was the younger, spitting image of Koenig's CEO. Except for those piercing blue eyes.

Now everyone will know, he thought. Poor uncle Peter will be burned to the stakes after he spill every single sordid detail of all the crimes Max was ordered to do.

From that pretty little celebrity in L.A., the poisoned man from Oklahoma, the researchers from Massachusetts, and all of those other victims in between.

Good thing he kept all those souvenirs. He will prove to them that he was just a pawn.

The pawn that was Maximilian Koenig Cornell.

**

A few days after, Rooftop of McGraw Byrne

Alex took another hit of nicotine from the cigarette between her fingers, standing by the edge of the fancy rooftop lounge. She exhaled a plume of smoke, the friction in her throat giving herself a temporary reprieve from her chaotic state of mind.

By the rest of the world's standards, it should have been a beautiful day. The skies above her was indigo, filled with streaks of orange from the setting sun. The peacefulness of it a far cry from the storm that was brewing inside her.

Success shouldn't feel this way. She was having a hard time basking in her recent victories.

Alex was just named junior partner this morning, after successfully taking Peter Koenig and Sadie McGraw down. Max Cornell, who turned out to be Koenig's nephew slash hitman, had confessed. He revealed who really was pulling the ropes, all in the form of well-kept call logs and text messages.

The backlash of it all reached McGraw Byrne's founding partner. The same form of proof exposed Sadie's hand on the Koenig class action suit, as well as her involvement in tipping off authorities to paint Marcus Sharpe as Aliana's murderer. The intent was to veer suspicion away from Koenig, making thousands of dollars along the way.

Alex had completely unraveled the conspiracy, with the help of Aislinn and Gigi. Beau, surprisingly, was more than participative. But it was obvious for everyone at the firm who led the crackdown, and it didn't take long for recognition to come to pass.

In everyone else's eyes, she emerged the winner.

And now, when all is said and done, there was nothing to escape to.

Alex can no longer disassociate herself from the sight of the gun barrel held by the ghost she tried to forget all these years.

The sound of applause, soured only by Martin Vanderweil's display of pain-in-the-ass arrogance, should have made her want to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Instead, here she was, wallowing with herself to be overcame by old bad habits.

What happened in the library was etched in her mind, clear as day. The memory of that close encounter with death, being brought up to life by the lack of distractions, made her shudder.

Every waking hour was consumed by the man with the haunting blue eyes that meant death. Those same eyes from the past that suffocated her for so long.

A decade spent running away from them, yet they still caught up with her.

She worked so hard not to remember, not to let it bring her down, for it not to be her end game. She's at the top of the fucking career ladder, yet why can't she still have a sense of freedom?

Everything just felt wrong. She felt out of place.

Lost in her frustrations, she didn't hear the whirring of the elevator and the approaching footsteps that followed.

"Thought I'd find you here," Gabe said, stopping inches away from her.

It took everything of her not to swivel and look at him, opting to curse at herself for how her body quickly relaxed by the softness of his voice.

The storm clouding her mind instantly dissipated, leaving her bare. Gabe's presence made the oceans within her stand still, as if awaiting to be stirred.

"Didn't want to be found," she mumbled, closing her lips on the still burning stick of nicotine. Alex struggled to keep her gaze steady at the slowly darkening skyline.

I know. Gabe wanted to say. He knew that finding her here, seeking out the comfort of isolation screamed her desire to be left alone. He had seen her internal turmoil, hiding behind the air of stoicism she projected for everyone else.

That's why he was never more determined to find her. He wanted, no, needed, to be there for her.

Gabe knew he'd been a dick to walk out from her that morning in L.A., right after he admitted what he felt for her.

But there was rarely an opportunity to make it right. Whenever there was, there was no getting through her. No matter how much he tried to reach out, to make her see that he regretted his actions that day, she wouldn't let him in.

He couldn't blame her.

Gabe told himself he'd give her time, to give her space. However, fate had other plans.

He almost lost her that night, and it was a wake up call. When he watched helplessly as Cornell aimed at her, something in him shifted. He's no longer stuck in a limbo questioning who Alex was for him, or why he constantly wanted to be near her, wanting to make everything right.

He was decided to run after her, to stay with her, no matter what. He was done chasing after dreams of the past.

Alex was his future.

"Can't get rid of me easily," he settled on that reply, leaning on the glass railing beside her.

"Really?" she quipped sardonically. "I honestly didn't take you to be the staying type."

That had to sting.

He knew he'd hurt her by leaving, so he deserved that. It wasn't enough to make his resolve waver.

"I am," he insisted. "It just takes me some time to find my footing."

She lifted a hand to him. "Don't go there, Gabe. Just don't - "

"I'm not walking away from you again, Alex," he professed.

She whirled to face him with a look of sullen resignation. "I know."

Deep down, she wanted him too. But not in the fucked-up state she was in. She needed to think, she needed to recover, she needed to get a grip on herself.

But she needed to do it alone.

"I can't deal with us now, it's just.." She sighed. "Everything else that's happened is too overwhelming."

Gabe deflated.

It was the first time he heard her admit defeat. He's gotten used to seeing her fighting every step of the way, that finding her in this state of hopelessness felt alien to him. His chest tightened, hating himself on taking part of what pushed her to breaking point.

"I need to take a step back from everything, Gabe," she said, almost begging. "That includes you."

"What do you mean?"

"Can I to take some time off?" she pleaded, wrapping herself in her own arms. "I have to hit pause for now."

"For how long, Alex?" Gabe's voice was strained. She just made it clear that he wasn't what she needed.

Still he hoped. So he held his breath.

Alex thought quietly for a few moments, before looking back at him in determination. He found a semblance of the Alex he knew.

"A couple of weeks," she answered with a tone of finality.

He didn't want to. But in his heart of hearts, he had to respect her decision. He understood that even the strongest needed to heal. Even the brave Alex Keating.

"I'll arrange it," he relented, closing his fists at his sides to stop himself from reaching out to her. "Anything else?"

She hesitated, biting her lower lip before she continued. "Actually, there is one more thing."

"What is it?" Gabe watched intently as she raised her head to look at him, her mouth curved into that familiar signature smirk that he'd grown to chase after.

"Will you wait for me?"

As per her usual modus operandi, Alex took his breath away by her unpredictability. Almost immediately, Gabe wrapped his arm around her to pull her close. He raised his free hand and let his knuckles brush against her cheek.

He smiled softly, a tad afraid that by holding her this close could break her. And yet, the effect she had on him couldn't be stopped from spilling out, as if it was what he wanted to say all along.

"I've waited my whole life for you, so what's a few more weeks?"

Alex beamed at him, relieved. "I knew you'll be up for the challenge."

"Because I care about you, Alex," he whispered.

"I care about you too."

Alex then dared to take it forward.

Before he had the chance to move away, she tiptoed and surprised him with a tender kiss on the cheek.

Gabe wasn't able to react as quickly, the contact catapulting his senses. Just as his mind plunged back to the ground, she was already walking away, the clicking of her black heels syncopating along with the beating drum inside his chest.

His sight followed her until she stood by herself in the employee elevator, her brown-eyed gaze melting him with earnest affection. As the doors shut closed, so did the heart of Gabriel Ricci.

It shut down in anticipation of her return.

**

Two months later

Mind hazy and craving for Chinese food, Gabe had asked the driver to take a quick detour.

He had just flown from Los Angeles, spending two weeks to assist on a big hotel chain M&A. He got out of LaGuardia at around 10pm, and now his jet lag and empty stomach were taking its toll on him.

The car stopped at the familiar block, and he got out of the vehicle, grabbing his suitcase. He walked the rest of the way, enjoying the craziness of New York City on a Friday night.

For a minute, it reminded him of her.

He heard rumors of her coming back, but HR had been heftily secretive on all things concerning her. With the firm fidgety over Vanderweil's recent harassment lawsuits, he erred on the safe side and didn't poke further.

It didn't take long for him to find Hoi On. Once inside, he greeted the servers in flawless Cantonese, striding straight to the counter.

As he gave his order, the kitchen crew brought out a bag of hunger-inducing takeout box. He was almost tempted to bargain for it instead of waiting for another 20 minutes. Until...

"Order complete for Alex!"

Gabe froze.

His senses were instantly filled by the familiar scent of coffee and vanilla and the echoing beat of heels hitting the floor.

There was no doubt about who was approaching the counter.

He found her standing beside him, the woman he'd missed every single day since he saw her last. The powerhouse junior partner with the easy smile and confident aura.

The woman whose return Gabe eagerly waited for.

"So," Alex began. "I take it tinsel town's fusion of cuisines can't match authentic Brooklyn takeout?" she teased, smiling at him in the same red dress she wore the first time she walked into his office.

He looked down over her - closely looking at the tiny changes in her features. Regardless, she looked more beautiful, taking note of the longer, loose tendrils of brunette hair framing her face.

"No," Gabe shook his head in amazement, his lips breaking into a lopsided grin. "Everything else couldn't compare."

She chuckled. The radiance of her laughter showed Gabe she was really back, and that she was finally ready.

"I bet they couldn't," she winked.

In an instant, Gabe's heart awoke from its slumber. It's as if it knew that this time, the wait was over.

The chase has come full circle.

Author's Notes: This may be the end of this series, but Alex & Gabe will return.

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