Remedy

The Ex

"So that was the ex, huh?" Alec asked from where he lay beside me on my bed.

I slept on my side facing the other way. He wasn't touching me or anything, we were just laying together.

"Yeah... that was him." I whispered.

The events of earlier tonight kept playing through my mind. Seeing Emmett again had affected me in more ways than I initially thought it would. I had imagined what it would be like if he came back. I had played over scenarios in my head and none of them involved me being here in Italy with Alec, my mum and the others. I was completely caught off guard and I didn't expect to have that conversation with him. I hadn't expected to say all those things but I had and now it was over.

He was gone... and this time, I had gotten the chance to say goodbye.

"You're being annoyingly quiet, little human." I heard Alec speak.

I turned over to face him. He had his head resting on his hand as he stated directly at me.
I forced a smile at him and mimicked his position.

"I thought you liked hearing yourself talk."

He shrugged. "I do but conversations are usually much more engaging when they are two sided."

"Well what do you want me to say? Talking about my ex isn't exactly a riveting conversation topic." I told him.

He frowned. "This is why I didn't want you to talk to him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

He fidgited before sitting up on the bed.

He didn't break eye contact with me. "You were a wreck when Aro sent Jane and me after you. Since you got here, you've been better, you even smile and laugh. You were happy and suddenly he shows up and you suddenly relapse? I don't think that's a coincidence."

"Alec, you're being ridiculous, I'm fine." I told him.

He cocked his head to the side. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that. You've been down since they left. You refused to eat dinner, you won't talk and you just keep spacing out."

He was right, after the Cullens left, I wasn't feeling like myself. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. They had come and they had gone once again but they still left this mark on me.

"Well I'm sorry, I just..."

"Sophie, are you still interested in that big bafoon?" He asked.

I furrowed my brows at him. "What?"

"Because I don't want to be used as your little boy toy until you finally make up your mind." He continued.

"Alec, I am not using you." I told him sternly as I sat up so that I could scoot closer to him. I crossed my legs in front of him. "I feel something for you. I honestly do. But you have to understand that I once felt something for Emmett too and seeing him again... It just brought back a lot of memories, not feelings. It's going to take more than a few minutes for me to process it all."

"Its been four hours thirty six minutes and forty one seconds to be precise." He spoke seriously.
I looked at him in disbelief and amusement.

"You counted?"

"When I'm worried, I pay much more attention to time. It used to happen all the time when Jane and I were kids and some social workers would try to separate us."

I gave him a comforting smile and placed my hand on his. "You don't have to worry."

"Oh but I do. You don't get what it's like for someone like me. I... I've never felt this way about anyone and when that big block arrived... when you asked if you could have some time with him... I felt threatened. I thought that just like that I was losing you. When you told me that you didn't want me to stay with you... I almost... shattered because I thought you were choosing him over of me."

I looked up at him in shock.

I studied his face and there was no smugness or cockiness. He was genuinely worried.

"Alec, the last thing I'd want to do is hurt you." I told him.

He gave me a weak smile. "Promise."

I sighed. "No. I hate to admit it but I honestly can't promise that. And it's not because I plan on hurting you later but it's because relationships are unpredictable. Sometimes things go well, sometimes they go wrong and sometimes... ex-boyfriends come into the picture." I sighed when I said the last part. "My point is that if this turns out to be something real, none of that will even matter. If this turns out to be real, we'll make it through the bad times and if anything, we'll love each other more."

He let out a low chuckle and reached forward to cup my cheek.

"You're something else, you know that?"

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Because for a girl whose had her heart shattered, you seem to never cease to believe in this crazy thing called love."

I gave him a smile as I reached forward to take his hand away from my cheek. I held it in both my hands and looked him in the eye.

"That's the funny thing about life. The pain never lasts. Sadness comes and sadness goes."

"You make it sound so easy." He spoke.

"That's because it is. You just don't realise it until you let it happen."

He didn't say anything, he just looked at me as if he was studying a peculiar object.

"What?" I finally asked when his gaze started making me uncomfortable.

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just realised that you're more special than I initially thought you were and quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me."

"Why?"

He smiled. "Again with the questions, little human."

I rolled my eyes. "Well I wouldn't have to ask them if you weren't so vague all the time!"

He took my hands in his and led me to lay down.

"One day, I'll answer all the questions you have for me but you should get some rest."

I wanted to complain but I figured that he was probably right.

I yawned as he spread the comforter over me.
I was still very much thinking about Emmett and what had happened today.

What I told Alec was more true than I'd like it to be. Seeing Emmett today had brought back so many memories, good and bad. And as much as I hated to admit it, once upon a time he had been in my life and he had left a permanent mark on me.

"Sophie." Alec whispered my name.

He rarely ever called me by my name so I found it really weird.

"Mmhmm..." I hummed. I was facing away from him and I honestly thought that he had left already.

"Can I stay with you?" He whispered.

I turned over so that I could look him in the eye.

"You mean for the night?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Well you've never really had to ask before." I told him matter of factly.

He gave me a meaningful look. "It was different before."

"How so?"

He gave me a playful smile. "I already told you that I would answer all your questions another time."

I giggled. "Of course. I mean... Of course you can stay but um... won't you get bored just watching me sleep all night?"

"You'd be surprised at how interesting it actually is."