Aaaaand it's a wrap! This is officially the last chapter of book 1! This is dedicated to sparksofmadness, for being my beta reader, and ofc AshesAshes0hNo for being an incredible reader and hyping me/the characters up in the comments! I can't thank you enough for this!

• C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - S I X •

the one where
it was a matter of time

"I see you found my favorite," Elena commented, voice soft as she shyly locked eyes with her for no more than two seconds before she looked back ahead.

Not a fan of eye contact. Veronica understood.

"Well, the name rang a bell." She smiled when Elena chuckled. "Though to be honest, I'm wondering what Greek myths have to do with it."

Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lips rolling inside her mouth. "You don't know The Song of Achilles?"

"Didn't know it was a prerequisite," Veronica dryly said.

Elena's smile faltered and Veronica noticed they weren't acquainted enough for her to know she wasn't trying to be mean.

"It's a joke," she quickly explained, "realized it's not funny," she muttered the last part awkwardly to herself.

"Oh..." Elena laughed, it was breathless and low.

Silence fell between them and Veronica cut to the chase.

"Veronica."

Elena nodded with a smile. "We met."

"Oh. Didn't think you'd remember." Veronica shrugged. She paused before she drew in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry. I have a question to ask you. I hope that's okay."

"You're going to ask about my father, aren't you?" Elena swallowed, shifting to sit down on the cold tile beside Veronica.

"Sort of." The actual answer was no. Not yet anyway. This seemed to confuse Elena, and a frown made its way to her face. She had the question at the tip of her tongue, but she needed to clear one thing first. "Is this why you were dating Pierre Lux?"

"Oh." Elena shrugged. "Yeah... it was only for the press. Good for the reputation." She tucked a blonde strand behind her ear, offering a sheepish small shrug. "Our families are close."

"You and Caleb aren't really together either." She tested. Elena faltered, her eyes skipping to face her. "You're not wearing your ring," she explained. Elena swallowed and Veronica was quick to add, "I'm not judging. I'm just asking."

"You know Caleb?"

"We're friends."

She flushed, her knee jutting under the weight of her question. "Well, sometimes you have to do what you have to do..."

Veronica almost felt bad for her, she didn't mean to make her uncomfortable but seeing the type of questions she was asking, it was inevitable. She was surprised Elena was cooperating in the first place. She was transparent, that was evident to her, and a voice in her head coaxed her to take advantage of it - but no.

"Yeah. I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Elena shrugged, and Veronica hesitated. She still didn't get to the real question she wanted to ask, and it was right at the tip of her tongue. Because despite her conclusion, despite the glaringly obvious answer, it still could be different. It still meant her and Allen could've been together until she figured out her sexuality. It still meant he could've been in love with her.

"I wanted to ask you about Allen, actually."

Elena's brows pulled together, a little relieved the conversation tipped to something she felt more comfortable with. "What about him?"

"Were you with him?" Veronica paused. "Or..." she felt wrong asking, but it was burning her tongue, "or it was a cover too?" Now that the question left her lips she wasn't sure if she wanted any other answer than the one she was hoping for it to be.

She was about to answer. Her lips opened and the confirmation Veronica craved to hear was about to escape them-

"You don't give up, do you?"

Chloe had been restless.

She had arrived, knocked a few times, and was met with stoned silence. She had walked the entire hallway back and forth, went down to the ground floor to pick up candy from the vending machine, before going back up and repeating the process.

An hour later, she pressed her back and slid down the wall, sliding the orange M&M's she left uneaten on the tile. Her fingers played around to create random shapes, enthralled in the process, dipping her fingers inside the plastic bag to pick out more. She peeked inside, tipping it up and shaking it but nothing came out. She pursed her lips and heaved a sigh, picking the ones on the floor to put them back in the pack.

"What are you doing?"

"Jesus."

She jumped, despite Bilal's voice being barely audible. She shot her head up and met his gaze, looking down at her with his eyebrows itched together in a soft frown.

"Why didn't you call me?" He took in her state and outstretched his hand for her to take. "Were you waiting here for long?"

"No." She was quick to clasp her fingers around his palm, standing straight and dusting the back of her clothes. She was glad he wasn't here when she first arrived. Waiting gave her time to calm down and think. She offered a smile and he studied her warily, the tension between them increasing exponentially.

He dipped his head down as he took out his keys, moving to open the door and usher her in with a simple nod of his head. He threw his keys inside a bowl and headed to the kitchen.

"Do you want-"

"Was that gift for me?"

Chloe couldn't hold it inside her any longer. It had been at the tip of her tongue the moment the realization hit her. Bilal froze, slowly turning around to face her. When his eyes met hers, the silence that followed was painful. Her entire body had been charged with a fierce boldness that instantly crumbled under his blank stare. A gust of insecurities fleetingly swept her self-confidence away, but she pulled herself together, tipping her chin up as she watched him unblinkingly.

Bilal's features relaxed and he swallowed, nodding once.

Chloe's shoulders sagged at the admittance, a heavy weight lifting off her shoulder and she released the breath she'd been holding.

"Were you planning on telling me? Or, you know..." She shrugged.

A brief chuckle escaped his lips, and he looked down, nipping down his bottom lip. Chloe's ears prickled, momentarily dazed by the sight of his smile. She blinked herself back to focus, watching him as he leaned back against the kitchen counter.

"I was going to," he admitted, catching her eye. "But then you introduced us to Aiden."

Chloe frowned. She scrunched her nose in confusion at the mention of introductions and Aiden-

Her eyes grew wide, and she felt her heart

drop.

"What." Her voice was dangerously low, a threatening sharp tone that pierced the tension. She felt a hot flash of anger engulf her entire body. "Are you serious? That was five years ago. Five." She didn't have to tell him. He knew exactly how long Aiden had been gracing him with his infuriating presence. "You kept it with you for that long?"

He shrugged. "It was no use to give it to you."

"Of course it was," she bit back, feeling her heart lodging in her throat, swelling and becoming suffocating.

He looked at her incredulously. "Why do that when you didn't feel the same?"

Her eyes flared. "Of course I did!" She bit out in frustration.

Bilal was baffled, his body growing stiff. His eyes flickered back and forth between hers, searching, unsure. "You say it like it was obvious."

Chloe hissed out a heavy breath, urging herself to control the sudden rush of emotions she was feeling. She felt somehow robbed. Robbed of a life that could've played out in a different way - completely different - and all that because of a missed opportunity from both of them. She puffed out an outlet of air, pressing her cold fingers against her hot cheeks as she shuffled around the room.

Bilal swallowed, the situation sinking in. "Are you telling me that this whole time, you felt-"

"Yes." Chloe stopped, standing before him and meeting his gaze squarely. "And this whole time you did too."

His eyes softened. "I didn't know."

She shook her head, feeling the fight in her fizzle out fleetingly, the hollowness in her chest swelling. "Me neither." She looked down, her fingers capturing her ear, nails digging under her skin. "I just never expected you to have any interest in me."

She barely had time to register as he took brisk strides to reach her, eating up the distance separating them and catching her wrist. He gently peeled her fingers away from the red mark, both his palms moving to cradle her face. He tilted his head to look right at her, gaze piercing hers and it made every nerve in her body react in ways she never felt. Her heart raced and she pushed herself against him, every fiber in her body alert.

He was so close. Close enough she could feel his breath fanning her lips, his hands now cool in contrast to her skin as she burst into flames. Her heart constricted when Bilal's thumb slowly traced her cheek, her chin until it reached her lower lip. Her stomach tightened as she watched, nerves numbed and breath hitched in her throat in anticipation, eyelids becoming heavy.

The thought he was finally going to kiss her was equally terrifying and thrilling.

And he did. His head dipped down and his lips captured hers in a searing kiss. Chloe instinctively hooked her arms around his neck, desperation clawing her insides. The sudden jolt of electricity inside her elicited a moan out of her throat, fire reaching every bit of her nerves. Bilal's thoughts blurred as he inhaled her scent, her warmth driving him wild, and he rounded his arms around her back and pulled her flush against him, not leaving any air for them to breathe.

He wanted more - all of her, every bit of her and she was no longer able to resist him.

Elena shot her head back and Veronica's ears prickled at his voice. Silence shrouded around them like a thick mist, stretching for several seconds while Elena's eyes flickered between both of them in slight confusion.

Then, Veronica deflated, huffing loudly and dropping on the floor on her back. So close.

"Do you have a tracking device on me or something?"

Allen rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I won't spend money on a tracking device when I already have a leash."

Veronica burst out a laugh, raising her head so she could see him upside down. He approached them, smiling at a confused Elena who awkwardly watched the interaction.

"Hey, El."

"Hi."

Veronica could see the relief wash on her face and a moment ago that sight would have made her gut drop.

"How you holding up?"

She shrugged. "It was only... how do you say? Une question de temps?"

"A matter of time, yeah."

"Bref."

"Was it you?" Veronica piped in, feeling the headache throb as blood poured to her head because of the position she was in, but she was too drained to move. "The source."

Elena shook her head, averting her eyes. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she stood, dusting the back of her jeans. "I'm going to go," she said, her voice tiny despite the echo of the room. "I'll see you." She gave a small shrug before she turned to leave.

Allen's gaze followed her for several beats before he went after her. Veronica remained there, watching the interaction between them right outside the glassed doors without a word, unable to hear anything through the soundproofed surface. She felt her gut weigh heavily inside her when she saw Elena's smile, catching her blink a few times as her eyes glistened. She nodded eagerly at something he said, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve before clasping her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

"Merci." She hiccupped and he rubbed her back in soothing circles.

Veronica slowly stood when Elena left, stuffing her hands inside her hoodie's pockets as she watched her figure disappear out of sight, Allen remaining silent. He turned, cocking his head to the side so they could leave too.

The lively streets of fifth Avenue were a sharp contrast to the peaceful quietness inside the gallery. The moment they stepped outside, they were instantly smothered with the frosty air and the bustling sounds of traffic.

"How's she doing?" Veronica asked, pushing her curls out of her face.

Allen shrugged. "I don't know."

"It has to be someone she knew," she said, hugging herself tightly to protect her body from the cold. "A victim of harassment would only talk about their experience but they made sure to include her struggle too..." she frowned.

He was already taking his coat off, engulfing it around her shoulders. "Cool it down, Sherlock," he said flatly, and she shot him a look, catching the collars and feeling her insides warm from the gesture. "It doesn't matter, anyway."

"Yeah, you're right... I hope she'll do okay."

"I do too."

There was a beat of silence before she spoke again, "I'm assuming you two weren't together since the beginning?" She angled her head to look at him when he nodded.

"Yeah."

"You could've told me, you know?" She softly bumped his shoulder, and a small smile curved his lips. "Instead of complicating things."

He shrugged. "It wasn't my secret to tell."

"If you knew since the start she wasn't serious with Caleb, then why ask for my help?" Veronica blinked, her frown deepening as she now thought of it while uttering the words. "Why offer me a job?"

"You asked for a job."

Veronica stopped moving. She caught his wrist, gently pulling him back. She met his eye, noticing his aversion to the topic. "I'm serious."

It didn't add up in her mind. He came to her for help because Elena was in a relationship with Caleb, but he knew it wasn't real. So then...why ask her?

Allen shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pocket. Her eyebrows shot up, tilting her head.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"You'll figure it out." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he turned. She blinked.

"What- hey, no. I'm serious." Her eye widened in frustration. "Come on, Allen. Don't be a dick."

She pulled at his arm, his wrist, even the back of his collar and he hooked his arm around her while she struggled. His laughter was genuine as it tickled her ears, adrenaline plunged through her bloodstream when he pulled her close.

She had unknowingly let him win again at the little game he'd been playing with her.

Getting her attention proved not to be as hard as he thought it would be.

end of book one