Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Ache

"Just friends?"

I whipped around to face the smoky voice behind me. Alec was leaning against the opposite bookcase with a single raised eyebrow, watching me with amusement. His hair was parted on the side, half-heartedly combed down, but he ran a hand through it, thankfully ruining the facade for a more familiar Alec. And though he lacked an outer layer, the form-fitting dark blue button-up indicated he had been 'at court'. Which is what the guards liked to call their shifts when protecting the kings.

Alec's entertainment increased as I stepped back in surprise, running into the shelves behind me. "It's rude to eavesdrop," I accused him softly.

"It was the first thing the two simpletons said." His eyes followed me, examining my entire person and lingering on my lips before he took a step and closed the distance between us, boxing me in.

He was staring right through me. He lifted his arm, moving it right near my head on the bookshelf. My voice wavered, finally managing, "They were baiting you."

"Quite successfully," he admitted. He was close enough that even the slight tilt of my head would connect my lips to his. His bicep brushed against my shoulder, and he stepped back. I looked down.

Alec was offering a book – the book I was about to retrieve from the shelf. I cursed myself for being so one-track minded.

"Thank you."

I went to take the book, but he held on. "You are aware that ⅔ of this will be inaccurate, yes?" I nodded slowly, so he reluctantly gave it up but stated petulantly, "I am a far greater resource than anything you could find in this collection."

He was frowning defiantly, almost pouting. I cracked a smile at the absurd arrogance of his statement, though I did not doubt its validity. "Are you jealous of a book?" His eyes snapped to mine.

"Only being a good friend," I pointedly ignored the shit-eating grin on his face that sprouted from his previous pout.

"Very funny."

Without prompting, his true objective, he commented casually. "I must admit, I am curious as to what inspired the question."

Ducking my head, I glanced to the side. It was suddenly mortifying to say the words aloud. "They wanted to know if we – if you, I mean...if...if we'd kissed yet." His eyes widened, and I avoided giving details, wanting to get ahead of his temper. Before his shock could turn to contempt aimed at the men, I tried to stay light with my tongue. "I didn't think you'd want them to know anything, so I avoided more questions by saying we were simply friends," I admitted earnestly, shrugging it off.

I prepared myself for an outraged Alec with plans to storm off and give Demetri and Felix a worthy punishment, but the boy remained standing across from me.

"It was the best I could come up with," I said in my defense to his silence. I observed the tiny twitch of his lips, the drop of his gaze, and unknowingly imitated his frown. "You're always so upset when you've lost control after we...you know. I didn't want to broadcast your mistakes; Felix tends to have a big mouth." My attempt to make the statement lighthearted failed miserably.

Alec remained quiet, but his face fell with every word.

"You believe I regret – that I pardon kissing you to be a mistake?" His voice was weak and faded out with an empty taste.

My face scrunched in bafflement, and I turned back around while he figured himself out, pretending to read the other books on the shelf. This wasn't exactly a conversation I wished to delve into, especially not with him. It's probably the best he'd ever communicated. "Yes. You've made it clear enough, don't you think?"