Smile (Kris Bryant)

Chapter Five| The Bean

Alexandria

"I'm not cheating on you Spencer" I scream on the top of my lungs, but he just wasn't getting it. He heard me but he never listened. Ever since he saw I was texting Kris he's had it in his mind I was cheating. Everything there was about where to be and when so I don't get why he was so upset. I might as well have cheated at this point if he's going to hit me for it anyway.

"Then why is this guy all over your phone and in your messages? All you do is work out with him and eat out with him" he yells back.

"Because Kris is a nice guy and takes me out to eat when we get done working out, got forbid I leave the house for something besides work. And I'm paid to workout with him. That is the job that bought us this house and your car and everything else you have" I scream back.

"I'm tired of you always being with him when you should be with me" I argued.

"Why would I want to be with you? Please answer me that. Tell me one good reason I should hang out with you instead of a friend who treats me better than you ever have? You hurt me in every possible way and I'm so tired of it. The words, the abuse, I can't talk to my family or have any friends. I'm so tired of it Spencer. I don't want to go on like this anymore" I admit.

"As long as you wear that ring you're mine" he claims.

"You mean the ring you put on my finger? You didn't even ask if I wanted to marry you. That should have been the first sign that you were this... this monster" I spit.

"But you can't leave and you know it. Because if you leave you will have a fate much worse than anything you know. If you leave you and your little boy toy will wish you never did. You wouldn't want to anything to happen to pretty boy... now would you" he asks with a twisted smile. God I hate that he has so much leverage over me. He knows I wouldn't let anything happen to anyone else besides me and he uses that against me.

"You're an ass hole" I screech and I'm sent to the floor once again. Might as well keep a pillow and blanket down here.

"You will never speak to me like that again" he yells. He goes out the door and I let out a sigh. I look at the hand mark on my face and let out a long groan. I move my hair around so it's covering my face. I put on a 3/4 length shirt to cover the bruises on my arm and head to the one place that clears my head.

I hit the weights hard and get in a good workout in Wrigleyville. My body already hurt so I might as well get something out of it, right? I take a shower at the field and head to the locker room to change. I drop my towel picking up my clothes to change into but hear someone clear their throat. I quickly pick up my towel all flustered and try to cover myself up.

"Oh my god I am so sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here... this is so embarrassing" I ramble.

"Alex, it's okay. I promise" a soft voice says and I relax. I turn around to see Kris standing there with red cheeks and I start to blush. Well this is awkward. At least it was someone I was close to.

"Oh, hey Kris. Sorry about that, I didn't think anyone was here" I mumble and he laughs.

"Please stop apologizing. You've done nothing wrong. I was just here because I left my phone" he says showing me it in his hand.

"Right. You'll probably need that" I laugh. It falls silent as I stand in a puddle of water that was dripping off of me.

"Is everything okay" he finally asks and I advert my eyes. I know he was on to me. Always asking questions and watching me closely. I forgot what it was like to be cared about to be honest. But I couldn't let something happen to him, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"Yes" I say weakly. Yeah, real convincing Alex.

"Tell me he doesn't hurt you" he says.

"You know I've never seen the bean" I say trying to change the subject.

"Alexandria... tell me he doesn't hit you. Please" he begs.

"It's such a beautiful day to go see it" I continue.

"Alex" he yells and I stop talking. I feel the tears build up but I wouldn't allow it.

"I've always wanted to see the bean" I whisper. He lets out a sigh and I know he's defeated.

"If you would like, I can show you the bean" he says and I smile up at him.

"Really" I ask.

"Yeah. I would actually love to show you the bean" he smiles. I change and blow dry my hair strategically placing it over my neck area. We head to the bean and I felt like a kid in a candy shop.

"You've lived here for four years and you've never been here" he asks a bit surprised.

"Nope" I admit.

"Well let me be the first to say welcome to Chicago. It kinda smells weird but our sports teams more than make up for it" he jokes with a cheesy smile.

"Really? I heard that Kris Bryant guy is kinda good" I smirk.

"He's okay. He's trying his best" he shrugs.

"I think he's really sweet. Nice on the eyes and even nicer on the heart. What people don't see is what he does off the field, which is even more impressive. He doesn't like the attention, but he loves to make people watch him. And they do, he has everyone's eyes" I tease.

"Everyone's" he asks appearing in the bean behind me.

"Yeah, everyone's" I smile. For the first time I was looking in my reflection and it's not darkness I see. It's light, it's Kris and how he sees me. I turn around and he grabs my hips. He brushes hair out of my face and it felt weird for a guy to touch me without the intent of hurting me. I was still scared, but I also didn't want him to let me go.

"Why won't you tell me what's happening so I can fix it" he asks.

"I'm protecting you" I whisper.

"I can handle it" he insists.

"It's not worth it" I tell him.

"You will always be worth it" he claims and I smile. My smile fades as I think back to what Spencer said earlier and I step out of his embrace.

"I'm sorry Kris, but I just can't" I say removing his hand from my face. He laces his fingers through mine and holds my hand tight. Not to hurt me but to protect me. He wasn't going to let me leave, and for once I was happy about it.

"I'm not letting you go back there" he insists.

"I have to" I claim.

"No you don't. You can come home with me. We can get you some help. We can tell the police" he tries.

"It doesn't work like that. He's not stupid, he's incredibly mean, but not stupid. He knows how to take me down, how to take you down, he's incredibly powerful. This life is a game, he wins and I lose" I explain.

"I refuse to believe that" he says.

"You have to... Kris you can't get hurt. And you really can't get hurt because of me" I say on the verge of tears.

"Tell me that he doesn't hit you. Tell me that he doesn't demean and torture you and I'll let it go. I'll leave you alone" he claims.

"That's the thing Kris. I can't promise you those things and I don't want you to leave me alone. And it's selfish of me to be engaged to someone else and still have feelings for you. It's selfish of me to put you in danger just because I like you. If you got hurt... that's a pain worse than anything Spencer can ever do to me" I say letting a tear fall.

"Hey, look at me. We're going to get through this. I refuse to walk this earth knowing you're hurting. I'll figure it out I promise" he says cupping my cheek. I nod and he lets go. Suddenly I felt so alone again, so scared and weak. I wanted to be in his embrace again.

"Hey Alex" he says pulling my chin up so I have to look into those eyes.

"I'm not going to give up on us" he says and I smile.

"Okay" I reply.