41

                                    

                                          
"Game of pool, anyone?" Nick suggested to the group. 
                          
"Yeah mate why not," Miles responded, "i'll buy everyone the first round of drinks if everyone's up for it."
                          
Minus Alex, the boys all cheered ecstatically at Miles' offer. 
                          
"I dunno if we should bring the girls with us though," Matt joked, "they're killin' the vibe here," he chuckled.
                          
 Breana shot him a menacing dagger, warning him to shut his mouth. I think after that everybody picked up on the fact that something was wrong. 
                          
"I think me and Bella are gonna pass, eh?" he asked me hesitantly.
                          
I ignored him.
                          
 "Um— well, uh... we'll catch you all later," he stumbled. 
                          
"Alright, Al. Suit yerself," Miles shrugged. 
                          
"Are you okay?" Jamie whispered to me discreetly, so that no one else could hear. 
                          
I bit my lip and nodded, unconvincingly.
                          
"Talk to me in a bit, yeah?" 
                          
I nodded once more. 
                          
"Good luck," Breana and Kelly both mouthed at me, inaudibly, as both Alex and I headed in the opposite direction to everyone else. 
                          
"Fuck," Alex exhaled and wrapped his arms around his neck in a distressed manner as we entered the elevator. "Baby, tell me what's wrong. Please."
                          
I continued to ignore him, waiting for the elevator to stop on our floor. 
                          
We paced down the corridor, still not communicating with one another until we reached my hotel room. 
                          
"Bella, darling, you're scaring the shit out of me here," he said, closing the hotel room door over behind him. "Just talk to me."
                          
"First of all, you talk to me," I shot back, pointing my fingers between each of us as I spoke. 
                          
He stated at me in confusion. As if I was mad. 
                          
"Alex, I need you to be honest here," I sighed, "is there anything that you need to tell me?"
                          
He stood frozen to the spot for a second before responding. "Nothing Bell, I promise love," he said. "What's happened? Tell me."
                          
"Be honest with me here," I stated once again. 
                          
"Bella, of course. Now what's wrong?"
                          
I gulped, unsure if I was ready for an answer to what I was ready to ask him or not. 
                          
"Hey, Bell, you can tell me anything," he said softly upon noticing the internal war I was having with my self. "Anything at all," he added. 
                          
"I spoke to Arielle," I exhaled. 
                          
His face fell. 
                          
"She said you've been sneaking around with her?"
                          
"Bella it's—"
                          
"Don't lie to me, Al. I want the truth," I stated before he continued. "I want you to be honest with me here."
                          
"What did she say to you?" he asked with furrowed brows. 
                          
"Answer me, Alex."
                          
"No Bella, of course i've not been 'sneaking around with her'," he huffed. "I had a couple of drinks with her the other day there and that's it, that's the truth. You were busy with Breana, and Ari was there, so I figured—"