For a minute, the world stops.

Brooke looks like she's seen a ghost, and I only manage to stay composed thanks to Ace's toned arms wrapped around me. If it weren't for him, I feel like I would have deflated onto the mattress like a balloon losing air. Everything around us keeps moving, but I can't seem to get myself going, even though my brain is screaming at me to move, to walk towards her, to do anything but just lie there motionless.

"Alexa."

That voice, deep yet sweet like a summer kiss, could wake the angels, and the way he says my name finally brings me back to myself. I turn to look at him, finally breaking eye contact with Brooke, trying to decide which words to say out of the fifteen million flying around my head like a flock of uncontrolled birds.

"I need you to hold me."

I don't even know what the hell I mean by the sentence that just came out of my mouth, but Ace seems to understand me. As if I were no more than a rag doll, he holds my body and helps me to my feet. At that moment, I turn my head back towards my friends, witnessing Brooke taking Gigi's hand in an attempt to flee inside, which immediately sets off alarm bells in my head.

I finally manage to take control of my body and grab Ace's hand to drag him behind me. I know perfectly well that I can have this conversation alone, but for some reason, having Ace by my side makes me feel like I have an immovable support, especially after knowing his accepting stance on what we just witnessed, which is exactly what I need right now. I hold back the urge to shout my friends' names to avoid attracting the attention of the whole party, and I just keep running until I manage to grasp Gigi's wrist and drag both girls to the most secluded area around us.

"Are you really going to make a fuss over a silly kiss between friends?!" Brooke blurts out, immediately getting defensive.

Her loud accusation throws me completely off balance, and my face must be quite the picture.

"What?"

"When you saw us, you looked like you were going to shit yourself, Alexa. Haven't you ever seen two friends kiss?"

At that moment, I notice two things. First, the way Brooke keeps emphasizing the word 'friends', as if it were a script she'd rehearsed endlessly. Second, the way she instinctively positions part of her body in front of Gigi's, as if trying to protect her from any potential danger.

Of all the possibilities Ace and I had considered, the last on the list right now would be that they are just friends. I don't know what they are-girlfriends, a casual fling, or a one-night thing-but what's clear is that here, the only heterosexuals are Ace (as far as I know, life is full of surprises) and me.

"Brooke, look at me. Look at me and breathe, try to calm down. There's nothing to worry about," I try to say in the softest tone possible. "I don't care if you're friends, girlfriends, ninjas, or secret agents. I don't care if you're straight, lesbian, bisexual, or anything else. I don't care what you decide to be as long as you live your truth and are happy. The only thing I thought when I saw you was that I wished my friends could have shown us who they really are from the beginning. But Ace reminded me that this isn't about me; it's about you, both of you, and I'll never force you to live life a certain way. I just want you to know that, whatever you decide to be, I will love and support you in everything, just like I have been doing so far."

The words don't come from my head; they come from the depths of my heart, so when I finish speaking, I'm barely aware of what I've said. All I know is that anything that came out of my mouth is what I feel, in the realest and most pure way.

The silence that envelops the four of us weighs heavily, making me start to fear that I didn't express myself well or that I messed up and pushed my friends away forever. But just a second after I stop talking, I feel Ace's hand wrap around my waist and give me a gentle squeeze, indicating one thing: what I said was right. However, the silence stretches on, as if we were in a movie and someone had pressed the pause button. Every second that passes without anyone saying or doing anything fills me with unease. I don't want to lose my friends; I don't want them to distance themselves or stop trusting me. I don't want anything to change because changes terrify me.

As soon as I see Brooke throw herself at me, I can't help but press against Ace's body in a pale attempt to protect myself, but what reaches me isn't a punch; it's a hug so tight it almost takes my breath away. Before I can react, another pair of arms wraps around me, and I find myself completely enveloped by my two friends, with Ace standing apart from our little sandwich although still holding my hand, watching us with a smile.

"Thank you, Lex, really. You don't know how much this means to us," murmurs Gigi, the relief clearly vibrating in her voice. "If we haven't said anything before, it's been out of pure fear of how you'd react."

"You know all this stuff isn't very well received in our society, and I know you're our friend, but we didn't know... we didn't know if you'd be the same with us, just like Faye or Cher," adds Brooke.

Their words make me adopt a sad expression as I hug them tighter, trying to convey all the love and support that my words can't express.

"I would never treat you differently for living your truth, for loving whoever you want to love, as long as you don't harm anyone or yourselves. I'm speaking for myself, of course, but I encourage you to tell the girls because I know they will accept and love you too. However, you're obviously free to do whatever you want and take all the time you need, and I promise that nothing will come out of my mouth before any of you says it first."

"And not from mine either, if you're worried," Ace interjects with that charismatic smile only he can muster. "Mainly because I'm pretty sure Alexa would cut my balls off if I dared to say anything."

Ace's light joke makes the three of us laugh, and we pull away from our hug, still holding hands.

"You can bet on that, Hale. Remember, I know where you live."

"So, when are you two going to hook up?" Gigi unexpectedly quips to tease me.

The alcohol in my system causes the blood to rush to my cheeks in a millisecond, and I shoot her a death glare so intense I'm surprised it doesn't set her on fire right then and there. In contrast, Ace just smiles even more, as if it doesn't concern him at all.

"How about never?" I manage to reply with a growl.

"You see, I know your friend is madly in love with me, but the feeling's not mutual, girls. I don't go for women who look like they're ready to rip my head off every time they look at me."

"Keep talking nonsense, and you'll see how you end up without a head for real."

"Well, bunny, how about we let the lovebirds enjoy their romance in peace? Sorry, but I'm not into the whole voyeur thing," Ace suggests, wrapping an arm around my waist to guide me away. "By the way, you'll get caught easily here. Head to the back, right where the Buddha statue is. There's an abandoned cleaning room there, perfect for secret love business. I'll make sure nobody disturbs you."

Gigi and Brooke look at him in surprise, but they nod and thank us profusely before heading off where Ace indicated. He guides me back to the mattress, where he lies down, pulling my small body onto his to wrap me in his arms once more.

"How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, I'm really happy for them. It's always good news when someone is brave enough to be who they are freely, especially when it comes to my friends. I hope they don't have any problems when they decide to go public."

"Anyone who sees this as something negative deserves a lesson. I'll never understand why so many people seem to hate others for their identity; it seems absurd to me. What the hell do you care if your neighbor likes to suck one thing or another?"

His words make me laugh, and I rest my head on his chest, lying on my back, looking up at the stars. The situation gives me mental peace, and right now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I don't know what's happening between Ace and me, but I've decided to stop overthinking it. Why burden my mind with unnecessary questions when I can just enjoy the moment? Besides, Ace doesn't seem to mind figuring things out as we go. It's like we have an unspoken agreement, and I prefer it to stay that way.

"Now you're screwing the new guy? You're such a clout-seeking slut, Alexa. When a guy starts to get popular, there you go, ready to suck his dick for five minutes of relevance."

That familiar voice I officially hate with all my being pulls me out of my little daydream, causing me to jump up with Ace behind me. We find ourselves face to face with a rather drunk Travis, surrounded by his friends, who do nothing but laugh stupidly at his jokes like orangutans.

"Travis, don't you ever get tired of making a fool of yourself? Can't you just leave me alone and move on with your life already?"

"Oh, so you can purposely mess my race, and I can't tell you the truth to your face?"

"Huxley, it seems like you want to get your face smashed every weekend and it really is getting tiring, man," Ace sighs wearily, stepping next to me somewhat protectively.

"You think you're so tough, but anytime you want, I'll show you what it means to really smash a face."

Ace looks bored, clearly wishing that the idiot Travis would leave without causing yet another problem. It doesn't take him two seconds to gesture towards the interior of the venue, calling over two bouncers ready to escort the guys out.

"Oh, so because you can't take me on your own, you have to call for backup?" Travis continues grumbling as he tries to shake off the grip of the men dragging him inside.

"If I were you, I wouldn't piss off Ace too much. You've already seen and experienced twice that he can beat you up without breaking a sweat."

"Shut up, you fucking whore! Get his dick out of your mouth before you talk to me!"

The men jostle him to finally drag him inside as Ace lies back on the mattress with a sigh, welcoming me back into his arms once more. I gladly accept his invitation, distracting myself from all the negativity by running my hands over his tattooed arm.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that idiot," Ace murmurs against my head, running his hand absentmindedly through my hair. "I'm going to ban him from all my clubs, and seriously, if you ever need help dealing with him, just call me."

"I'm the one who's sorry you have to get involved in my shit without doing anything. I don't want you to feel obligated to defend me or anything like that; I should be dealing with him on my own after all."

"No, no, Alexa. If I help you, it's because I want to, because I can't stand seeing that idiot treat you like an old rag. No one deserves that, but you even less so, considering what happened at my house."

His words make me sigh as a million negative thoughts race through my head. I want to escape from all that, and now I regret having messed with Travis in the race because maybe if I hadn't, he wouldn't keep making my life miserable. But the past is the past, and the last thing I want now is to bring darkness and negativity while being with Ace at a party where I was having fun so far.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart," I smile before focusing again on the ink on his skin. "I've always liked this tattoo you have. Does it have any meaning, or did you just like the design?"

Ace watches as my fingers trace over his forearm, where he has a skull holding three poker cards in its skeletal hand: three jokers drawn in different styles.

"All my tattoos have meaning. I think of ink on skin as a way to display your autobiography artistically. This one, in particular, reflects my view of life: like a poker game where death, one way or another, always wins, hence the three different kinds of jokers."

"It's a bit of a pessimistic way to see life, don't you think?"

"Life is pessimistic, bunny. I'm just laying out the reality I see."

"You don't seem like the kind of person who views life negatively, to be honest. You're always joking, smiling... I don't know, you don't seem unhappy at all."

"Ah, don't get it twisted, babe. Just because life is pessimistic doesn't mean we have to resign ourselves to being sad all the time. In fact, quite the opposite. We have to do everything possible to kick life in the balls and live every second as if it were the best of our lives."

His philosophy, so paradoxical yet so real, makes me smile slightly. To be completely honest, I also have a rather negative view of life, but unlike him, I think we need to face it more aggressively so that life can't stomp all over us.

"Wow, maybe Ace Hale isn't the himbo I thought he was."

"What do you mean by himbo, bunny? Say it again if you dare!" he challenges before starting to tickle me.

Laughter soon escapes from the depths of my stomach, bubbling up to the surface as I try to escape his hands. His laughter mingles with mine, creating a sweet melody amidst the noise coming from the party.

"Himbo! You're all body and no brains!"

"Did you just admit you like my body, Miss Arden?" he asks with a mischievous smile, stopping the tickling to hold me against his body. "The bunny wants to eat the carrot...!"

"Oh, now you've fucked up!" I scream after gasping in surprise.

I manage to escape his embrace and straddle his body, punching his chest with my small hands, an attack that only makes him laugh even harder. His hands find their place on my waist to keep me from falling while I laugh so hard my stomach starts to hurt.

I'm so caught up in our little bubble that I almost miss a fiery redhead taking Travis's hand and walking towards the exit, the party lights reflecting off the green scales of her skirt.

Hey!

Short but intense chapter, don't you think? Many things happened all at once, but let me tell you: this is just the beginning 🤭

I'll be reading you! ❤️