(Alaric's POV)
"Anne, why don't you come sit by me? We can look over some plans for when we land."
I can feel my blood vessels thumping in my ears. I feel ready to pounce at any moment.
Everyone's boarding the private jet when MJ stops Anne before she can pass him to sit in the back.
A low growl escapes from the bottom of my throat that no one seems to hear, but Anne seems to notice my watchful eyes and makes eye contact with me.
She hasn't answered MJ yet. She's just staring at me. I'm not sure what she's thinking. Her expression is blank.
"Hey Alaric," I hear the sweet voice of Emily as she takes a seat next to me.
Shit! This will just make things worse.
I hear the consequences of Emily sitting next to me happen one second later.
"Actually, yes. That's a great idea," I hear Anne say. Her purple eyes seem to light up in flames as she uses this opportunity to get back at me.
"Fuck! Why'd you sit next to me," I whisper harshly to Emily. She looks taken aback.
"I don't exactly know anyone else on this plane. MJ is busy cozying up to Anne and Vinney wanted to talk to Kora, Cassandra, and Greg. He says he doesn't like socializing with children."
"That's a lot coming from a guy who can't speak," I say bitterly. I can't seem to focus my eyes on anything but Anne and MJ.
He's getting too comfortable with being close to Anne.
I breathe out a harsh breath, trying to calm myself down.
"This is what she wants. She wants to rile you up and drive you mad," I speak to myself.
I must seem absolutely insane. I can see Chris and Hanna looking at me with worried eyes. They must think I've gone crazy or lost my mind.
Jaisley seems like she can care less about how I feel, but I bet she's thinking the same thing.
"Hey, Ric," I hear Don approach me cautiously. "You doing alright?"
"I'm doing just fine," I lie through my teeth, but of course it doesn't sound convincing.
"MJ, you're so funny." I hear the bursting laugh of Anne as MJ tells a joke.
"MJ, that must be one good joke. Mind sharing it with the rest of us," I call him out. The smile on his face twitches a little in annoyance.
Before he can answer to me, Anne gives a reply.
"You wouldn't understand, Alaric. It's an inside joke." She grins, knowing that her comment gets on my nerves. I meet her eyes with a glare but it only seems to satisfy her further.
The whole jet ride goes by in the same fashion. Ten hours of straight hell. I seem to be the only person that feels this way though.
We land in Alaska and hop off the jet. It's already dark outside and a bus comes to pick us up.
I watch the road as we're driving, not wanting to see the interaction between Anne and MJ.
"I'm so tired. Where are we staying," Chris asks.
"It's only nine at night," MJ comments.
"Yeah, here in Alaska. That means it's 12 the next day back home. It's a three hour time difference," Don says.
"Don't worry. Greg and I figured out where we're staying. We got some rooms at a hotel," Cassandra informs us.
"I'll share a room with Jaisley," Hanna says excitedly.
"We couldn't get a lot of rooms so everyone will have to share with someone. Before anyone complains, we already assigned rooms," Greg says.
"Do we get to change our rooms if we're not satisfied," Anne challenges her father.
"No. You have to deal with it." Once he says that, the bus stops infront of the hotel.
The hotel looks about 30 stories tall and it's sleek with black glass all around. You can't see what's on the inside but I bet it's even better than the outside.
We all brag our bags and follow behind Cassandra and Greg. They seem to know where they're going.
We all fit into one elevator tightly and I watch Greg tap the number 27.
From where I'm standing, I make eye contact with Anne. She's standing right between Jaisley and MJ.
Her eyes don't seem to hold the same fire as before. She just looks tired. I wish I could just hold her close until she falls asleep, but Greg's not crazy enough to leave me and his daughter in a room together.
The elevator dings and I let out a sigh. Everyone gets out of the elevator and Cassandra leads us down the hotel hallway.
"Ok, so here's how it's going to work. I'll be staying in a room with Greg, Hanna and Jaisley will stay together, Chris and Don, Kora and Emily, Vinney and MJ, and Anne and Alaric," Cassandra informs us.
I'm paused in shock.
"What did you say," Anne asks in disbelief.
"Should I repeat everything over again," Cassandra asks her.
"No, I heard what you said. I just can't believe it. Why can't we just sleep where we want to sleep," Anne argues.
"I'm not staying out here to hear you argue about this. Can we get our keys," Don interrupts and I watch Anne pout.
Greg hands everyone their keys and before I can grab for mines, Anne grabs it and stomps off with it.
Everyone else is gone and it's just Cassandra, Greg, and I standing in the hall.
"Normally I'd be happy with this but I don't think this is going to work," I tell them.
"Go fix it," Cassandra says.
"Why'd you even put us together? Do you really trust me that much," I ask Greg.
"I don't trust you. I just know she won't let anything happen," he answers and they both walk away.
I drudge over to my assigned room and knock on the door. I wait for Anne to answer it.
She opens the door for me without looking at me and I walk past her.
The room is very modern. There's a big bed that demands the room and a couch on the side. There's a flat screen TV directly across from the bed and a night stand on both sides of the bed. The window is huge and opens up to a beautiful view of the night sky and the city below us.
"The couch is ready for you," I hear Anne say. I watch as she puts her curls into a pony tail and gets comfortable in bed.
"I'm not sleeping on the couch." I put my luggage down and start walking towards the bed.
"Yes you are. I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."
"Come on, Anne. We've done much worse than just sharing a bed," I say with a sly grin. I watch her roll her eyes. "I'll stay on one side of the bed and you'll stay on the other side."
She puffs out a sigh.
"Whatever. As long as you stay on your side," she gives in.
I take off my shoes and shirt as she turns off the lights. I lay down and she turns her face away from me.
I watch her back and shoulders move up and down slowly as she breathes. I even listen to her heart beat as it picks up speed.
Does she feel how I feel? That the distance between us is too big? Does she feel the same urge as me to pull her in close and hold her tight.
It hurts being this far apart.
So I pull her in.