The Boy Who Didn't Love

28 - alien emotion

a/n: taking attendance! say here if you're here! also please remember to vote because yes, i need the validation—

  The four of them stared at each other as they stood in the back room.

Ali glanced at Sawyer, who had already been looking at her, then turned to Marina. Marina checked the time on her tablet, tapping her nails against the screen impatiently, and raised her eyebrows at Ali. Ali's eyes finally landed on Brady, who was staring at himself through his darkened phone screen, throwing up the middle finger and sticking his tongue out as a pose.

Ali let out a deep breath before clearing her throat. "Okay, so I'm sure you guys are wondering why you're here."

  "If this is leading up to a whole monologue, let's remind ourselves that we only have ten minutes left of break," Marina interjected, and Ali nodded in understanding. Brady, on the other hand, tossed their supervisor a nasty look.

  "Don't listen to her, city girl. Take your time," Brady said, and before Marina could object, he held up a hand and continued. "Because we're good friends and we listen to you."

  Marina promptly closed her mouth, then briefly peered up at the ceiling as she counted to ten. Ali waited awkwardly until she finally lowered her head and nodded for her to proceed. Brady grinned smugly at her, and when Marina used her tablet as a barrier between them, his smile only widened.

  "Alright, um, I guess I'll just say it?" she questioned, glancing at Sawyer for reassurance. His dark, lifeless eyes swirled with indistinct and foggy emotions when he looked at her, but the small smile that clashed with his signature stern face told her enough.

Slowly, but firmly, she took his hand in his and faced her coworkers.

"Sawyer and I are dating."

Ali waited for a reaction, any reaction, but was met with blank faces instead. She scrunched her eyebrows, confused, as Brady and Marina exchanged looks.

  "Did you hear me? I said we're dating," Ali repeated, cocking her head toward their conjoined hands.

  "Wow," Brady said flatly. "The two prettiest people here getting together? Who would've thought? Especially after they barely even flirted in public!"

  Ali's cheeks reddened at that, while Sawyer merely watched as he unwrapped a bubble-gum flavored lollipop.

The stick stuck out of his mouth like a piece of straw, moving around as he spoke. "Did you guys really think we didn't know something was going on between you two? I mean, you literally look at each other like you're Edward and Bella. Right, Marina?"

Brady turned to the redhead, and his eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the strange expression on her face. Her gaze was fixated on the couple's interlaced fingers, until she slowly looked up into the sociopath's eyes.

He was looking at Ali, his eyes roaming her face, and Ali glanced over at him with a sweet smile.

Marina watched a smile of his own slowly form across his face, like a flower finally blooming after a harsh winter season. She then noticed his hand gently squeeze Ali's, his thumb rubbing circles on her skin.

When his gaze tore away from her, and his eyes fell onto his supervisor, there were still remnants of what hid behind his cold orbs—the feelings he so passionately felt for his girlfriend. And Marina, after four years of knowing the sociopath, understood the gravity of the situation. She recognized the alien emotion that was suddenly swallowing him whole, and understood how much he desperately welcomed the feeling.

  Happiness. Sawyer was happy, she realized. Happier than he'd been in years, happier than she'd ever seen him, happier than he thought was possible for someone like him.

  Marina felt her heart swell, remembering the miserable and forlorn 16-year-old that she first met. He was nothing like the boy he once was now, and if Ali was the reason for it, then she wished nothing but the best for them.

"You guys are great for each other. I'm happy for you two," Marina finally said, breaking the silence, and Ali smiled brightly at her.

"Thank you, Marina."

"Yeah," Sawyer agreed quietly, his eyes still on the redhead. "Thank you, Marina."

She smiled, nodding. "Of course."

Brady, after a moment, coughed indiscreetly and said: "Thank you to you too, Brady."

Marina twisted her head to look at the lollipop addict and narrowed her eyes at him. "Thank you for what? Your attitude? No one is thankful for that, Brady. Get back to work, our break is over."

"What about them? Why don't you ever tell them to get back to work? I'm feeling very targeted," Brady complained as she dragged him away, ignoring his whining. He turned back to the couple and cupped his mouth as he shouted: "Hey, can't wait for our next back room meeting for when you tell us you're engaged! I volunteer to be the priest!"

Ali chuckled, shaking her head in amusement, and looked up at Sawyer once they were alone. He met her hazel eyes and slowly snaked his arms around her waist; she smiled and reached up to give him a peck on the nose.

Sawyer sighed softly as he rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes. "Thank you to you too, Alice."

"You're welcome," she whispered, burying her face in his chest as they held each other closely. "And thank you, Sawyer."