Hiding

Chapter ten

"Where are you going?" Magnus asks as Alec turns the car to a different lane on the highway. "Aren't we going back to the hotel?"

"No," Alec answers without looking at Magnus. "We are going to a restaurant. You deserve a nice meal and one of those martinis you have been craving."

"Really?" Magnus smiles. "You are going to let me drink? I thought you said no alcohol." "

Well, I changed my mind." Alec says with a shrug.

For a second, he wonders where to take Magnus. After all, it is a dinner between colleagues and not a date. Not that he knows where to take a date either. And if Alec is truly honest with himself, maybe he wants it to kind of feel like a date. Not that he wants to date Magnus, of course. That would be insane. But he has never been on a date, and he is curious as to what it will be like. Alec glances out of the corner of his eye to look at Magnus, and his heart swells as he sees then genuine smile and the happiness shining in his eyes. At the point, Alec understands exactly how much this means for Magnus. This is the validation that Magnus craves after the horrible incident at that bigoted firm.

"Do you want to go to the hotel and redo your makeup first?"

Due to the speed in which Magnus turns his head, Alec fears that he has fucked up. He swallows thickly as he awaits the scolding outburst from Magnus.

"Really? You won't mind?" Completely stunned, Alec looks at Magnus. A bit to long, too. "ALEC! WATCH OUT!" Magnus screams as they get too close to another car.

With quick reactions, Alec avoids the car While the air fills with the terrifying sounds of blasting horns and screeching tires. He throws the car onto the verge and instantly turns on the emergency lights.

"Oh shit. I'm so sorry." Alec rapidly looks at Magnus with utter fear in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Magnus on the other hand is looking behind them.

"Oh, thank god, the other car is under control." He says, not having heard Alecs question.

"Magnus!" Alec shouts panicking, "Are you okay?!" His heart is slamming against his chest and droplets of sweat is running from his forehead. He might even be having a tiny bit of a panic attack. He grabs Magnus' face with both hands and forces Magnus to look at him. "Are you hurt?!"

"No." Magnus gently places his hands on Alec's that are now trembling. "I'm fine, Alec. We are both fine. Even the other car is fine."

"Good... Great..." Alecs huffs out a breath of air and closes his eyes for a second. As he feels Magnus' thumb caressing the back of his hand, he realizes he is still holding Magnus' face in his hands. Awkwardly, he pulls them away. "I'm sorry." He mumbles."

"Don't be." Magnus answers with a shaky voice. He must have been just as scared as Alec.

Alec doesn't know what to say, so he just smiles and nods at Magnus, and then he gets out of the car. He must go check on the other car. And he needs to apologize.

When he reaches the car, a young boy steps out. Quivering.

"I'm so sorry, sir. My girlfriend texted me and I looked down. Just for a second, I swear... oh my god, I could have killed you... Are you both alright?" He asks, and his eyes shifts from Alec to something behind him. Alec's best guess is that Magnus followed him.

"Take a deep breath." Alec says and puts a hand on the trembling boy's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Not entirely."

"But I looked down... My mom always says to turn off the phone..." the boy keeps rambling on.

"And I looked away." Alec admits. "We are both at fault. But no one got hurt. Right? You aren't hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." He says. "Fuck, my dad is going to kill me..."