[008] alice kim, the black hole

                              If there was one thing Alice Kim knew how to do the best, it was rule the fucking red carpet.

                              Wearing one of her best dresses to the RECNY ball, Alice knew that she looked amazing. But hearing the paparazzi scream their praise certainly helps. Alice has a big bright smile on her face but there's a fire burning behind her eyes, one the cameras catch with each picture they take. Roman and his girlfriend, Grace, aren't too far away but in Roman fashion, he was being silly and ridiculous every chance he could get. Her parents were also close by, taking pictures and answering questions. Even without being in the office, her parents were constantly at work.

                             She just knew that it was going to be a very long night.

                             "Alice, darling, come over here!" Marlo waves her over with a smile.

                             Alice knew that Marlo only ever called her darling in front of people so that she could look like a good and caring mother. People had bought that lie for years. Even when news of Alice's partying ways reached the tabloids, there was an outpour of sympathy and support for Alice's parents. They wondered how someone as screwed up as Alice could come from two perfect parents. Well, if anyone would've just asked Alice, she would've told them that they weren't looking at the full picture.

                           "Hello, Alice, you look absolutely stunning tonight," the interviewer greets Alice with a smile.

                            Alice mirrors her smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder afterwards. "Thank you."

                          "I was just speaking to your parents about Moderne but I was hoping to get your input on it. Now that you're the Editor-In-Chief, I'd love to hear your plans about what to do with the iconic magazine," the interviewer replies before handing the mic back over to Alice.

                           "My parents have done a wonderful job with Moderne. I mean, there's a reason why it's one of the best fashion magazines in the world," Alice responds, "But I do hope to take things in a new direction. I want to ensure that Moderne stays innovative, ahead of the competition for decades to come."

                           "That's our Alice for you. She always has been such a dreamer," Marlo replies and only Alice can hear how condescending her tone truly is.

                             Alice just musters up a smile and forces chuckles past her lips. But her fake joy would soon turn into real anger when Alice turned her head and saw the last person she had been expecting to see. Alice frowns, seeing Max with his new annoying influencer girlfriend. They were holding hands, looking so happy in love that it made Alice want to violently puke. 

                           "Alice?" the sound of Marlo's voice interrupts her train of thought and Alice instantly snaps back to the present.

                          "Yes, I'm sorry. You were saying?" Alice questioned.

                          "Alice, darling, try and pay more attention," Iseul remarked, his tone sweet but the look in his eyes downright terrifying.

                         "I'm sorry," Alice says again. She looks over at Max one more time before finally deciding to focus on the interview. She wasn't about to let her ex ruin her night.

                          When all of the red carpet work was finished, Alice was finally able to go inside. The first person she ran into was none other than Catherine herself, her new boyfriend Damian not too far behind. The two hug each other, smiling by the time they pull away.

                           "Ugh, you look beautiful," Alice gushed.

                           "Me? I think you're the one that looks beautiful. This dress... you have to let me borrow it," Catherine responded.

                           "For you? I definitely will," Alice responds with a wink.

                           "If you're looking for Roman, I think he and Grace found a table to sit at. It's close to the stage," Catherine pointed out.

                           Alice rolls her eyes. "Why do you keep trying to set me up with Rome?"

                           "Maybe because I like you more than his current girlfriend," Catherine shrugs. "You and I both know that he and Grace won't last very long. Between the whole no sex thing and Grace's wandering eye -."

                          "Grace's wandering eye?" Alice raised a brow. This was news to her. She knew that things were far from perfect between Roman and Grace but she didn't think that things were that bad.

                          "I saw her checking out one of the waiters just now. I don't blame her, he was kind of cute. But she's still a taken woman," Catherine shrugged.

                         "Not for long, according to you," Alice pointed out, "Fuck, do you think Roman knows? I should go and talk to him."

                        "Yes, go and comfort your future husband," Catherine teased, shooing Alice away.

                        Alice only laughs before she walks over to the tables, eventually spotting Roman sitting on his own. Alice grabs a bottle of champagne from the nearby table before sitting right next to Roman, tapping him on the shoulder so she could get his attention.

                          "Hey, is that a gift for me?" Roman remarks, immediately brightening up the moment he sees Alice.

                          "No, it's for me. But... I guess I can share with you," Alice remarked as she popped the bottle open. Her parents weren't around so she was free to run wild for a little while before they'd notice.

                          "How sweet," Roman smiles, watching Alice take the first long sip. He nearly snatches the bottle out of her hand, however, when she finishes, earning a glare from her.

                         "Are you doing alright?" Alice asks.

                        "Oh, yeah. I feel like a... fucking superstar right now," Roman answers. "I can conquer the world, end world hunger, yada yada yada."

                      "Oh, same," Alice nods.

                       "Really? Because I saw Max earlier and -," Roman began to say.

                       "Don't start with me, Rome. Where's Grace?" Alice raised a brow. Alice could play tit for tat just as easily as Roman could, and he knew it too.

                      Roman frowns. "Grace is... wherever she is." 

                      "If she hurts you, Rome, I'll kick her ass," Alice remarked.

                      Roman knew that Alice meant it. But then again, Alice did love a good fight. She had even gotten into a couple of them back in school. Plus, Roman was her best friend and she was willing to defend him - whether it be with her words or her fists.

                      "I've always wanted two women to fight over me. That's the sexiest shit ever," Roman grinned.

                      "Shut up, Roman," Alice groaned, punching Roman's arm.

                     "Hey, don't attack me. I had to listen to Connor bitch about silverware and plates and even butter for most of the night. It was actually kind of fucking amusing. But if I have to hear about butter one more time, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind," Roman replied, rubbing his arm.

                   Alice smiles, ruffling Roman's hair. "Oh, darling, you've lost your mind a long time ago."

                  "That's what makes us so perfect about each other. I'm insane and you're a basket case. We're meant to be," Roman replies, almost adoringly, as he watches Alice take another long sip from the bottle.

                  "So why is it that you're here with Grace and not me?" Alice raised a brow.

                  "I ask myself the very same question," Roman murmurs before taking another sip.

                  Catherine suddenly appeared with a tight smile, rushing over to where Roman was. "Hey, hi, sorry to interrupt. Uh, Roman, can I talk to you for a sec? This is an emergency."

                  "What kind of emergency?" Roman asks.

                  "The Dad kind of emergency," Catherine sends him a look.

                  Roman groans but ultimately gets up anyway, following Catherine over to the side so they could talk some more in private. Alice drinks some more champagne before deciding to get up and wander around the gala. She was already getting bored just waiting for Roman to come back. As she walked around, she ended up seeing her parents. They were talking to some people and when they saw Alice, they waved her over. Alice pretended not to see them and kept moving, a decision she'd actually come to regret.

                  Because instead of being bored to death by her parents, she'd accidentally bump into Max.

                  "Do you mind? Watch where you're going," Max frowned.

                  "I'm sorry. You're just so irrelevant I couldn't bother paying attention to you," Alice quipped, "Gee, the standards of this ball must be getting pretty damn low for you to be here. Unless... you bribed your way here?"

                  "I was invited, Alice. Same as you. Same as my girlfriend," Max quickly corrected her, visibly offended at Alice's accusations of bribery.

                  "Oh, yeah, I saw her. Such a downgrade, by the way. You should tell her to get her roots done. It looks trashy," Alice shakes her head.

                  "And where is your date? I don't think I saw you show up with anyone except for your parents," Max flipped the subject back onto her.

                  "That's because I don't have one," Alice confidently answers. "Newsflash, Max. I don't need a man to define me."

                 "You and I both know that's bullshit. The only way you seem to exist is through a man. That's why you have a new guy every other month. The only reason you haven't fucked Roman is because you two are friends. And even then, I wonder how long that's going to last," Max scoffed.

                 "I almost pity your new girlfriend. She has to be really stupid to fall for someone as insecure and pathetic as you," Alice shook her head.

                 "You fell for me," Max throws back in her face.

                 "I used you for what I needed. If anyone has the upper hand here, it was me," Alice corrected him.

                 Max chuckles, patting Alice on the shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that. Good luck trying to find someone actually willing to deal with your bullshit, let alone love you. You're not a woman. You're a fucking black hole."

                 And then he leaves, harshly bumping into Alice's shoulder. She's grateful that he leaves so he doesn't see her eyes water with tears. She sucks in a sharp breath, balling her hands up into fists and digging her nails into her palms. She wasn't going to give stupid fucking Max the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Quickly, Alice blinks away her tears and then turns back around to walk back over to the table. She's desperate to find Roman now, wanting nothing more than to forget the shitty moment between her and Max.

                  Thankfully, Alice still has some sort of luck because Roman is there and he seems to be looking for her.

                  "There you are! I thought you left me to give one of the waiters a blow job which totally would've broken my heart. You know how much I love to watch," Roman teased.

                  Alice doesn't respond, only grabbing the bottle of champagne and drinking some more of it. Alice definitely needed something stronger but she wasn't going to find it here.

                  "Jesus, are you okay?" Roman asks once Alice finishes.

                  "I'm fine," Alice lies, "What's going on with your dad?"

                  "Oh, he's back. And he's here. Tonight. It's all a fucking mess," Roman sighs.

                  "But I thought he was still sick," Alice frowned, confused. The last she heard about Logan, he couldn't even get out of bed. And now he was walking around again?

                  "That's what we all thought. The last time he showed up to the office, he just started peeing right then and there," Roman answered.

                  "Peeing?" Alice repeats, just to make sure she had heard that right.

                  "Yeah. So obviously this is not great news," Roman states.

                  "Maybe it's a good thing. Y'know, since you and Kendall screwed things up within a day or two of being in charge," Alice jokes.

                  "Hey, that was just Kendall, not me," Roman argued.

                  "Whatever you say, big guy," Alice smiles. "Hey, can I stay with you tonight?"

                  "I don't know if that's such a good idea," Roman replies, looking the most semi-serious Alice had ever seen him.

                  "Fuck Grace. I'm your best friend. We're closer. Besides, she's nowhere to be found and I'm right here," Alice argued.

                  "Will you let me touch your boobs?" Roman asks.

                  "I'll think about it," Alice nods.

                  "Yes!" Roman cheers, making Alice laugh in the process.

                 And sure enough, Logan Roy would end up on stage. He'd make his speech, announcing that he was back, and everyone seemed happy. Everyone except for Kendall, that is.

                  So when the ball drew to an end, Alice and Roman left together. Roman explained to Grace through a tense five minute phone call that he had to leave without her through to a family emergency. Of course, that was total bullshit. But he couldn't tell her the truth when he knew Grace hated Alice's guts. She simply didn't trust his best friend.

                  Like routine, Alice immediately went to his room and changed into one of his shirts before collapsing onto the bed. Roman followed right behind her, climbing into bed with Alice and allowing her to hold him. He can't even remember the last time he let Grace do that but with Alice, it was simply different.

                  Besides, in exchange for cuddling with him, Roman got to stroke her hair. It was something he liked to do, whether she was asleep or not. The two of them fell asleep together, sleeping more soundly than they would've apart.

( 🥀💔🍸 )

word count: 2284
notes: so i was going to originally end this chapter with alice hooking up with harvey again but then i thought no, we deserve an alice and roman cuddling scene. we deserve it. also i promise this is the last chapter with max in it 🤣