chapter 103

Alana’s point of view.

I sat still for a moment, lost in thought, wondering what to do. I had a strange urge to talk, to explain everything to Alec. His persistence and the way he approached the conversation left me feeling bewildered. Why would he bring this up if he already had plans in motion?

I snacked on the gummies he had bought for me, one of the many snacks he had provided for this long ride. Despite the blasting air conditioning, I still felt sweat forming on my skin. I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself, but my mind was racing.

Alec cleared his throat, drawing me out of my deep contemplation.

"I'm only going to ask one last time, and that's because I really care about us, and something clearly shifted between us," he stated, and I could tell he wouldn't let this go, even though we were close to being home.

"Alec," I sighed, burying my face in the palms of my hands.

"Alana, is there any reason you've been avoiding me these past two weeks?" Alec asked again. Seeing the hurt in his eyes made me briefly reconsider my choices, but I needed to protect myself, didn't I?

"Alec, you don't have to pretend you care," I sighed. He was a good guy, but unfortunately, I didn't think he was my guy.

"Pretend? Who said anything about pretending?" Alec frowned and turned to look at me. He genuinely appeared confused, unaware of my discovery. "Alana, what's going on?" he asked once more.

"It doesn't matter; in two years, it won't matter," I assured him.

"I told you what we had was beyond our contract. I thought you understood that," Alec stated, gazing at me as we halted at a red light. He reached over to hold my hand.

"I don't like it when people lie to me."

"When did I lie about caring for you?" Alec asked. He had a point; he did care for me, but was it love or merely fulfilling a contractual obligation?

"Stop acting so sweet and telling me all these things when you know you'd run back to your high school sweetheart," I pulled my hand away from his hand, my glare piercing. I refused to be taken for a fool, and he knows that by now.

Alec looked genuinely confused, and the honking of cars behind us pushed him to continue driving. "My who now?" he asked.

"Ryan, I'm not dumb, Alec. I know that's why you've been looking for her," I finally revealed, realizing how it might sound but also understanding that it was likely the truth. "She's the one that got away, isn't she?"

"Alana, I—" Alec began before I cut him off, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Don't make a fool out of me. You might perhaps like me a little, but you love her more, and I can't ignore that. I understand you two grew up together," I reminded him sternly.

"Where are you getting all these ideas? Ryan is like a sister to me," Alec insisted. "That's why I've been looking for her. I assume she ran away because of something I did to her and Killian," he continued. "It's not my story to tell, but clearly, you have it all twisted. The true reason is: I investigated who her parents might be, and that resulted in us finding out that she was an affair baby of Killian's dad," Alec confessed, and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. I had never seen that coming.

"It ruined the friendship a little because she had told me not to search, and she was angry because being an affair baby is worse than just being abandoned by her. Plus, she thought that Killian had ulterior motives as to why he was friends with us and had pulled away from us," Alec explained. He sighed and tapped his finger against the steering wheel, concluding, "Long story short, I messed up."

"You went to Denver to visit her, didn't you? You want to be with her, right? I won't blame you. You two grew up together and went through a lot together," I pointed out, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Alana, she's like a sister to me. I never even had a girlfriend in high school. I had always been too busy being mesmerized by you. I was in love with you since that day you stood up to my bullies," Alec assured me. His declaration of love made my heart squeeze, and despite my mild trust issues, a surge of happiness threatened to burst forth.

"Why did you lie about your trip? Why did you lie about the meetings and the hotel—everything?" I questioned, still needing an explanation to put my anxious mind at ease, even just for a moment.

Alec hesitated at first, his lips pressed together tightly. But then, he took a deep breath and began to explain, "Because Ryan is on some sort of mission, one neither Killian nor I were aware of, and we almost blew her cover. We had to keep that to ourselves for obvious reasons and were lucky we didn't get in trouble with the government."

"You're not lying, are you?" It hit me like a ton of bricks. Alec's words had a sincerity to them that I couldn't deny. But how could this be true?

As we continued our drive, the tension in the air began to dissipate. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and even a tinge of guilt for doubting Alec's intentions. It was clear that his feelings for me were genuine, and his connection with Ryan was purely platonic, like a brother and sister. This revelation opened up a new chapter in our relationship, one where trust and understanding would play a more significant role.

"I wish I was. I'm still trying to wrap my head around Ryan's career choices," he admitted.

"But you never responded to my confession. Every time I tried to bring it up, you brushed it off," I pointed out. I couldn't believe how wrong I had been about the situation.

"Because I was afraid you'd dismiss it as a slip of the tongue. I was terrified of being rejected," Alec confessed shyly. "Alana, I'm crazy about you. I meant it when I said I've loved you for years, but never as much as I do right now," he confessed, pulling into our street.

"Why did you avoid the conversation then?" I wondered, watching as we slowly approached the garage.

"Again, I was scared of rejection. Pretending I was delusional seemed easier," Alec chuckled awkwardly, and I couldn't help but join in with a soft laugh. I couldn't believe how easily I'd let myself be influenced by Suzanne. She had tricked me into doubting Alec's true feelings.

"You're such an idiot." I shook my head, a playful smile on my lips. I'd never felt more relieved in my life. Alec loved me back, and he loved only me. Ryan was truly just a friend.

"Is that your way of saying 'I love you'?" Alec closed the garage door behind us.

"Maybe."

"Fine—" Alec was in the middle of rolling his eyes when I climbed over the center console and captured his lips with mine.

"I love you, you idiot. You're so infuriating," I said, holding his face in my hands.

"My pleasure." He winked before pulling me closer, sealing our love with a passionate kiss.