CAPTURE THIS (Updating regularly)

Chapter 31

Amber banged frantically on Alex's door, not sparing a second glance at the neighbours who were gaping at her as they entered their apartments. 

"Alex! Open up right now!" 

She hit his door with as much force as she could muster, not expecting it to fly open and her fist to make contact with his face. 

"OW - What...?!" 

Alex was doubled over in pain clutching his right eye. 

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! Alex, I'm so sorry." 

He straightened up and focused his uninjured on her before frowning in confusion. "Amber... What... What are you doing here?" 

Amber shifted her weight uncomfortably, suddenly aware of the scene she had caused. "Maybe it's better if we go inside. I don't think your neighbours are very pleased with me right now." 

"Uh... right," Alex answered, still a little bewildered. He moved out of the doorway to allow her to come in. 

He shut the door and moved aside, still clutching his eye. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to punch you." 

"It's alright," he answered politely. "You sure know how to pack a punch though. I think my contact might have shifted though, I'm just going to go sort it out. Make yourself at home." 

All the rage she had been feeling had dissolved into embarrassment as she awkwardly made her way to the living room and placed herself on the couch. Everything felt so familiar to her but what was all once associated with warmth and comfort now felt cold and strange. 

"Since when did you start wearing contacts?" She asked, trying to break up the silence.

Alex emerged from the bathroom, his right eye a little reddened. "I was trying them out. I don't think I'll be keeping them, though."

He threw her an amused smile but it made her stomach twist into knots. The conversation was too polite and formal for her liking. It was as though they had taken a hundred steps back and become acquaintances again. 

She noticed that he perched awkwardly on the arm of the armchair opposite her, instead of sitting anywhere near her and she couldn't help but flinch. 

"You changed schools."

The words came out her mouth before she could even think about them. She didn't have the chance to stop the hurt from leaking in. 

Alex's face dropped into a frown as he read her face. He stood up off the armchair and came and sat beside her. She breathed in the woodsy scent of his that she had missed so much over the last few weeks. 

"I thought it might make things easier for you." 

Amber frowned and looked over at him, she wasn't expecting to meet his gaze filled with such tenderness. 

"Easier for me?" She repeated, her voice thick with the lump building painfully in her throat. 

He nodded. "I didn't want to hurt you like I did the last time. I thought if I just slipped out of your life, what with your job at the agency, you wouldn't really notice I'd gone." 

Tears started leaking out of her eyes. "That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard." 

She couldn't help but laugh in spite of the tears. 

He laughed with her, using his thumb to wipe away her tears. She could tell he was hesitant to touch her but the moment his skin made contact with hers, she felt her heart jolt in her chest like she had been shocked. 

Her lips melted against his as he kissed her delicately. She pulled away for a minute. 

"I wanted to kill you when I found out you left without telling me." 

He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I know." 

He kissed her again, this time more fiercely. 

She began to rip her jacket off with desperation, feeling as though her whole body was alight with flames. 

He helped lift her onto his lap so that she was straddling him on the sofa. 

"God, I've missed you," he whispered, gazing into her eyes and running his hands through her hair. 

"You can't just leave me like that," she told him sternly, pouting slightly. 

His thumb brushed over her lip delicately, and this time she kissed him with desperation. All of the words she had prepared for him seemed to have washed away with each kiss. All she cared about was reminding herself of what it felt like to have his body hers once again. 

***

As it turned out, there wasn't much time to talk as the pair found them preoccupied with something else to do instead.

Alex was lightly snoring beside her. The sun had slowly set  around the apartment and she gazed over at him with the little remaining light that came through the window. It was only now that she  saw him in this vulnerable state that she realized how much she had missed seeing him like this. His face, normally so controlled, lay unguarded under the shadow of the night. Hesitating slightly, she pulled an arm out from under the covers and delicately stroked his cheek, grazing his neatly trimmed beard. His face shifted into a light smile that she found herself mirroring. A rush of affection ran through her once again. She knew that she would no longer be able to remain angry with him. The mission that she had sought out was now complete. With the help of Sylvia and Matthew, she felt that she finally understood a part of him that he felt he couldn't share with her. No matter how much she wished that he was easy to read, she had to accept that some things were just too hard for him to admit to her. She would have to wait until he was ready to tell her about it. 

The room eventually was bathed in darkness and Amber took it as a cue to leave. She carefully slipped out of bed, trying her best not to wake Alex. She quietly pulled her clothes back on, keeping her eyes trained on Alex to make sure that she didn't disturb him. 

Once dressed, she leaned on the bed and planted a lingering kiss on his forehead. 

"Don't leave," Alex mumbled, his eyes still heavy with sleep. 

"I should go. My dad will be wondering where I got to." 

She planted another kiss on his head and began to move away. Before she could leave, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. 

"Hey," he whispered, "you know I love you." 

He kissed her deeply to prove his point and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss. 

"I know you do. Despite everything, nothing's changed, Alex. I'll always love you." 

Gazing into his warm chestnut eyes, she could tell her words had pleased him and he didn't try to hide it from her. He kissed her again, this time showing his appreciation. 

With the feeling of his kiss still lingering on her lips, Amber left Alex's apartment with her heart feeling considerably lighter. 

***