On The Border - Marry Him Or Die

49

Alex’s POV

She thought hiding in the bathroom will make me stop chasing my answers from her?

She obviously still doesn’t know who Alex Snow is.

However, I did not want to ruin the trip that both of us were in a desperate need of.

So I decided to back off and let her enjoy her time walking down the streets of Fairbanks and exploring the city.

She emerged out of that bathroom with a new determination in her eyes.

A determination that clearly screamed ‘I’m going to act like nothing happened or is happening between us period’

I have to say, I admired the heck out of her will power not to give in to the pull I know for a fact she felt between us moments ago.

It took everything in me not to lean in and prove to her exactly how much kissing me is not a mistake. But I respected her wishes and waited for her to make the first move.

Except she chose to avoid this again and hid in the bathroom.

She was being stubbornly resilient to my attempts to get her to confess her true thoughts to me.

Let’s see how long that will last.

We begin by visiting the museum of the north in the university of Alaska Fairbanks.

Jenny was really absorbed in all the historical and cultural artifacts and sculptures.

She made sure to read all the details for each piece.

I delighted in how much she was really enjoying her time with me.

When we finished the tour, we walked around the campus university for a while and I saw a little sadness washing over her beautiful features.

“Alex?” she asked suddenly with curiosity filling her voice.

“Yes?”

“Did you continue your education after high school?”

“No, I didn’t” I said firmly.

“Did you want to or….?” She asked in a small voice. She was embarrassed to ask me about this, I don’t know why though.

I gave her a reassuring smile to let her know that I was totally fine with her asking me personal questions. I was actually glad she wanted to get to know me better.

“It was always my dream to take over the business and land a helping hand to my father. Ever since I was a little boy, he was my role model. I wanted to be like him. He was an amazing father to us. Never too strict or tough on us. He didn’t force us to become like him, we wanted to. We learned from him a lot more than any degree could ever give us”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring him up and remind you, I know you’re still grieving” she said tenderly.

“He never leaves my mind in the first place. He’s always with me Jenny. You have nothing to say sorry for” I reply kindly.

“What about you? What do you want to become?” I ask her curiously.

She looks at me so unexpectedly like my question was so confusing to her, she doesn’t say anything for a long time.

“I tried not to think about it. Because I knew I was never leaving that town while my father was still alive. He would never send me to university and let me live on my own” she said stiffly.

“There was that twenty four hours after my father died and I thought I would finally get away from that town, I thought about the possibility of finally achieving something I never thought was going to happen. It’s a good thing it didn’t last very long, I didn’t end up being so disappointed” she said bitterly.

I couldn’t help but feel a slash of pain at her indirect blame towards me.

“So what did you think about? In that twenty four hours? There must be something you’re interested in” I said softly.

She shook her head sadly “It doesn’t matter, Alex. So where to next?” she tried to appear composed but I can see her hidden sorrow clearly.

“I don’t need to bring up the rules of this trip every time, but you’re really forgetful Jenny” I said teasingly.

She gives a mix between a grimace and a grin.

“Exercise Science. Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was fifteen, I started to increase my fitness to keep my condition stable. Overtime, I became really interested in it. it wasn’t just out of health for me anymore, it became an interest, a passion” she said softly

I could see her eyes sparkling as she spoke about her…. Passion.

Then you shall achieve that passion Jenny, I will make sure of it.

I wanted to give her anything she wanted, if it was within my capabilities.

And this degree was. I just planned to surprise her with it, once it’s ready. So I kept my mouth shut and nodded my head enthusiastically as she continued to talk about that major.

“What do you feel like having for lunch?” I ask her as we walk out of the park overlooking a small stream that we have been walking around in for the past hour.

“You’re the boss Mr. Rules” she said sarcastically.

I chuckled at her nickname for me.

“I like it, has a nice ring to it. However, as true as it is, I will extend this honor to you just for this lunch while I’ve got the rest of our night already planned out” I said cryptically.

She looked at me with narrowed eyes “What are you up to?”

“It’s a surprise”

“I hate surprises” she said dryly.

“You’ll enjoy this one… trust me” I said softly.

Her eyes linger on mine for a few seconds more before she averts her gaze with a slight blush.

“Do you like Pizza?” she asked lightly.

“I love it” I said intensely.

She pursed her lips and suppressed a smile at my playfulness.

***

“What…. Are we doing here exactly?” she asked in confusion as we descended from the car. Here was actually a place that was a little off the outskirts of Fairbanks.

“Have you ever seen the northern lights before?” I asked her excitedly.

Her eyes went wide as she asked astonishingly “Aurora? No I haven’t”

“Well hopefully, you’re about to. Come on” I said joyfully reacting to her wide grin that automatically spread on her face at my surprise, revealing her kissable dimples on the sides of her cheeks.

The place wasn’t crowded, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

It wasn’t anything fancy. Just a massive stretch of empty land. People sitting on the ground with a blanket underneath them, providing space between each other to enjoy private conversations as they wait for the lights to come.

There were volunteers giving out blankets both to sit on or seek warmth from, in case we get too cold, in addition to a small dim lantern to provide a small light but keep the atmosphere dark enough to enjoy the lights show once it starts.

I take the blankets while she takes the lantern, and I lead her towards an empty space at the front of the group.

There was enough distance between us and the others to be able to speak comfortably without disturbing anyone or being eavesdropped on.

I lay down the thick blanket and we both sit next to each other. Leaning our backs against a huge rock.

She drops the huge blanket over both of us and leans a little closer to me so it can cover us both.

It was a chilly night. Not the coldest one as the snow hasn’t fallen yet, but it was about to in a couple of weeks.

The dim lantern Jenny placed in front of us, gave off enough light to see her sweet smile as she looked up at the sky in anticipation.

Due to draping the blanket around us, we were huddled close enough to touch, close enough to kiss even but I wasn’t about to do any move tonight…. Most probably.

“We got lucky by the way. The northern lights only appear when the sky is clear of any clouds, and when I looked it up for tonight, it said it was the clearest night until now. The lights haven’t been seen for a while now. So hopefully we get to see them tonight. However, they might make an appearance between 11 to 2 a.m. I hope you don’t mind sitting for a long time here” I said in a low gentle voice.

She turned to me and said “I don’t mind at all”

She took a deep breath and said “I really like this place. The quiet, the darkness, it’s really alluring. It’s giving off a very calming vibe”

“That’s exactly what I was going for. See? I told you, you will like this one”

“I did” she said softly.

Due to our closeness, she couldn’t bring herself to look at me for a long time so she frequently switched her gaze towards the empty land or the sky.

I let her be the one to break the silence this time.

It took her a while but eventually she did.

“So…I take it from your bad mood last night, your disappearance, and your insistence to get away for a couple of days, you found out who the traitor is?” she asked quietly.

“Was I that obvious?” I asked her warily.

“Only to me. And probably your mother. The others weren’t paying attention”

“And you were” I stated with a slight smile.

“I was, because I knew the whole thing, unlike them” she said defensively.

I kept my smile in place as I looked at her, while she pursed her lips.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly.

It was my time to avert my gaze as a huge lump formed in my throat.

I tried to swallow it but it took a lot of effort.

Accepting that huge betrayal and saying it out loud was a lot harder than I anticipated, I couldn’t get the words out no matter how much I tried.

She must have sensed my struggle as she took my hands in hers and squeezed them tenderly.

“I’m here for you Alex. It’s okay, you’ll feel a lot better when you let it out”

I looked into her soft green eyes and said at once, forcing it out so I can fully accept it “It’s my uncle…. And David. They smuggled the shooter in their car when they crossed the borders the day of my wedding”

Her eyes widened in shock and her lips parted.

“Oh my god” she whispered.

“How do you know this?” she asked in astonishment.

I told her everything then. From surveying the security cameras to the plan I put in motion before we left Snow.

It took her a long time to say something after I was done talking.

“No wonder you were a mess when you came home. I can’t imagine how you were able to talk to him normally and maintain your act with your uncle, and even David. It’s so…. Disturbing” she said solemnly.

“It is. That’s why I couldn’t stay in that house and look at him without…. Doing something” I said tightly.

“Your plan…. It’s really… dangerous Alex. You just gave him the green light to plan your assassination. And you’re bringing a bunch of killers into the border of the town to fake your death and lure him to come take the leadership, but it could come true! It could…. Happen. What if he…. ”

I saw genuine fear in her eyes, the tremor in her voice alone made my heart throb louder.

“I’m going to be perfectly fine. All of us will. I have it all figured out. I stayed in that warehouse for the whole day planning this to the last detail and thinking of all the possible outcomes. I’ve got this Jenny” I said confidently.

Her expression didn’t waver. I even saw her eyes glisten before she blinked and turned her head towards the sky. Pursing her lips to keep from saying anything else.

She was scared for me.

It was plain on her face. But she wasn’t going to admit that to me.

“If anything happens to me….you’ll finally get your freedom” I said carefully.

She whirled her head towards me and gave me a hard look.

I stared back at her, daring her to respond.

“Isn’t that what you want? Your freedom?” I prompted when she didn’t say anything.

“It is” she said intently.

And she really meant it. I felt my heart register my pain but at the same time it registered hers as well.

She said it with agony. With longing.

She has every right to want to seek the freedom I denied her.

The freedom I can’t give her as long as I’m alive.

“There is still some hope for you then” I speak softly.