Chapter 5

"If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn into a mighty stranger." — Catherine Earnshaw.

"What do you know about this Alexander guy, Niall?" I gazed at him from the comfy couch of our condo, while I adjusted my position holding an unopened beer can.

"I don't know much…" He trailed off, focusing on the TV instead of answering my question properly. What gave? Was he hiding something?

Niall and I had been best friends since the very freshman year of college, and I didn't remember doing anything to that jerk which would make him hate me so much. And I hated the fact that I was terribly attracted to him. Boy knew he has the looks, if not the charm. Fucking bitch.

"Are you hiding something from me?" I narrowed my eyes into slits, scrutinizing his unreadable expression, my fingers working on the can, opening it with a fizz.

"No. No. Why would I?" I saw him shaking his head after replying me with a tone sprinkled with a tincture of hesitation. Something was up. Although, I hadn't forgotten the fact that my best friend wasn't the least bit surprised when Alexander came in and behaved like an absolute asshole with me.

"I'd suggest you to confide in me if you know something which I don't. What do you know about him?" My fingers raised the aluminum can to my lips and the golden liquid slid down my throat, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste. I ran my tongue over the few drops of alcohol deposited on my bottom lip, tasting them as well.

"He's bad news, Toby. And, nobody from the swimming team knows him that well. Well, except the fact the fact that he is the most popular jock. He's an uptight ass, I guess. I don't know why, really, but Jeremy seems like the most agreeable person to me." He sighed, after taking a sip from his own drink, after which he almost looked nostalgic.

"I'd suggest you to stay away from Alexander Roulette, Toby. He has taken some bizarre interest in you and that certainly doesn't sit well with me." He quickly added, smacking his lips after he gulped down some more of his drink. What was up, actually? And why did that Roulette guy hate me so much? And that to, without any apparent reason?

"I'd give him a run for his money if he comes after me, though. Bitch doesn't know who he's dealing with."

—

"And that's how I planned to bring you here for a drink, Tobias." The boy looked up to me, as if he were contemplating without to say any further or not.

"I don't know why do you even want to be friends despite me replacing you in the team." Glancing at him by the corner of my eye, I watched him put his shot glass down, quietly shaking his head.

"Alexander has really fucked this whole thing up by bringing the 'team' word amidst a friendly competition. I will ask you to take no notice of it, Harris. Forget about him. He's always that way, I'm afraid." Jeremy offered me a faint smile, pushing back the blonde hair that fell on his forehead.

"Mhmm. You and Alexander seem to be very nice friends. Probably you are used to his behavior, but I'm not. And I won't suck it up, man." His brown eyes glimmered in the dimly lit downtown bar, as he titled his head up, smirking profusely. He was attractive. Almost the same height as I, with soft beach blonde hair, and just the perfect shape of body, neither too lean nor too muscular.

"Oh trust me, I got that impression when you stood up to him in the very first meeting. I'd be honest to say that I was quite impressed as I hadn't seen anyone do it in years." I looked at my empty shot glass, grinning from ear to ear, when he slapped a twenty dollar bill on the table.

"Let's have a walk." He whispered, and I nodded, hoping down the barstool as we exited the building. The night air was cool, and brushed past my skin with a chilly whiz. The road that lay infront of us was decorated with short trees on both sides placed beside numerous streetlights. LA was beautiful, true, but too crowded.

Even during 10 at night, you could see hoards of people chatting and hollering and sometimes even kissing on the roads. You could say that I was not much of a people person, and I never was. Not even back in high school. I felt Jeremy's soft brown eyes studying the impassive expression on my face, when he took hold of my hand, quietly brushing my bare knuckles with his warm fingers.

"I like you, Tobias. A lot, really."