Chlorine | Completed

chapter fourteen: knock-knock.

joro - Wizkid (because you just need to appreciate the African vibe.)

Chapter 14.

IT WAS getting harder to avoid Alec.

The day after West and Sadie came, Wednesday rolled by fast and so did Thursday. The dreams stopped Friday morning and it also became hard to avoid Alec. Especially when he showed up with my favourite chocolate eclair.

He waved the pack of the chocolate at me before I could stand up from the recliner and head inside the house, like I now did whenever he came.

"How-how did you know?" I asked him as he sat on another recliner, his backpack beside him.

He shrugged, his eyes in mock mystery. "Call it a hunch."

I rolled my eyes. "Spill, Alec."

"Okay," he raised his hands, palms facing me. "Maddy told me."

Maddy was the house maid. She was the only one, other than Sadie, that I knew I really talked to.

"Ah," I nodded. "I see."

"Hey, don't blame her. I had to really beg her for it."

I smirked at him. "Now you're making me out to be Ursula."

"More like a female Godfather."

I thought about it for a second. "I love it. And don't worry. Maddy's as good as a sister."

"So, why?"

I stopped eating the chocolate and looked at him, confused. "Why what?"

"Why were you ignoring me for like three days or so?"

What do I tell him? I've been dreaming about making out with you and I feel stupid and like a cheater because it wasn't Timothy?

Yeah, that doesn't sound so absurd.

"If," he continued when I didn't reply. "If I did something wrong-"

"No," I interjected. "No, you did nothing wrong. It's just—I just felt like being alone. You know? Just that time when you want to be off from everyone and everything?"

He nodded. "No, but I get it."

"So, you've never wanted to be alone?"

"I mean." He looked at me as if assuring himself he could say what he was about to say. "I've really always been alone you know. Before I moved here, in Chicago, I wasn't really famous or anything. I only had my mom and my annoying sister. I was kind of a nobody."

"Oh," then, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"

"It's okay," he interjected. "It's just after–something happened and I started swimming, my mom and I moved here."

I resisted the urge to ask what happened to his sister.

"And," he continued, "I vowed I'll always be with everyone and anyone. You know, so no one will feel left out. I joined the swim's team and became a lifeguard. So what happened wouldn't happen again."

His face was filled with so hurt that I couldn't bring myself to ask what happened before.

Why did I care if he was sad?

We were friends. That was why. That made sense.

I smiled, an idea formed in my head. "Knock knock?"

He grinned, excited to see where this would go. "Who's there?"

I clamped my mouth shut and thought about my next move for a while before I heard a loud laughter. The laughter was deep and rich and God help me, seeing him laugh just made him sexier to me.

"What?" I asked, feigning irritation but smiling nevertheless.

"You mean to tell me you don't know any knock knock jokes?" He asked between laughter.

I frowned at him before getting to my feet, not forgetting the eclair. "I was trying to make you feel better-"

"I know-"

"-but it seems you can only be better as an asshole."

I started to leave when he called my name.

"Mabel."

I turned to look at him.

"Are we cool now?" He asked, standing up to face me.

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah."

As long as the dreams stop coming, sure.

He grinned. "Good. Thanks."

His eyes were honest like us being cool really meant a lot to him.

"Yeah, were you that troubled?"

"Yeah," his voice was soft. "Very."

I grinned. "Well, we're cool now. And not to waste the money," he grinned and I grinned before tossing an eclair wrapper in the pool then pointed at it. "Clean that, will you?"

"Sure, Madam."

We shared a laughter before I headed into the house, feeling surprisingly happier than I've felt in a while.

____

Done with up to five books on my Wattpad library!

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Oyinkansola 😍