The Love That Should Never Be

"I saw Elise kill Master Harold"



Emily faced her enemy when they were alone in the Moreau household. She dangled Rufus' hastily-written note in front of Elise's face while she was cleaning one of the mansion's windows. The taller woman whirled around to see who showed her the message. Emily's opposite hand is on her waist and gaze was cold as ice. How dare the lead maid treat her so poorly with this skeleton in her closet? Elise gazed at the piece of paper again while rubbing her chin and squinting. 



"…Oh!" Elise said suddenly. "I knew I've seen him before!"



"S-So you admit it!" the blonde snapped. "Why would you do such a thing?!"



"It was an assignment during my previous job. It was nothing personal…"



"That's not what my driver said. He told me that you hate promiscuous men and had a personal vendetta against Mr. Moreau!" Emily crumpled her note and threw it on the ground. She placed her fore- and middle fingers on her temples and looked angrily at nothing in particular. She tried to make sense of the maid's nonchalance. "Did…Did you decide to work for the Moreaus to clear your guilty conscience or something? I should get you fired!"



"Good luck with that. Lady Abigail's the one who ordered the hit…"



Silence.



"Why?!"

Elise shrugged.

"It wasn't my position to question my clients' wishes."

"…Well…Does James know?" Emily wondered.

"Not…really." 



"Unbelievable. You've treated me like garbage all this bloody time and-"



"Oho, hold on a tic," the maid interrupted. "I still have a right to."



"What're you…?"



"You've been around all this time, spying on Master James. I've seen you sneaking around. You never really left him!"



"…I-I…"



"I knew something was off when you dropped by Master Alexander's bakery of all places...What made you decide that this was okay? What drew you to it?"



"N-Nothing! …Just…the friends I hired to act as the high-maintenance bimbos he dated..."



"…That was you…?"



"I had good intentions, I swear! …Look, before you guys moved out of England he made a promise with me. Long story, I won't get into it. I was fine with him breaking the promise but saying that wasn't enough. Basically, I was trying to give him the push he needed to do what he wanted without worrying about upsetting me."



"Then why didn't you stop stalking him after Master Alexander came into the picture?"



"W…Well…um…I…sorta write stories and I wanted some…inspiration…but you had to go and interrupt them every time they were in the mood!"



"Because you were watching them!" Elise's suspicions of Emily attempting to replace Alex were proven false but this was just as infuriating.



"Hey, I really did mean well most of the time!" the blond woman assured. "Like…um…the time they had a fight at the bakery! Remember that? Well, if I didn't see that I wouldn't have prevented James from moving again by…you know…giving Mrs. Moreau what she wanted..."



"…A wife for Master James," Elise stared disgustedly at the shorter woman.



"I-I just blurted it out! Before I came to my senses Father was like 'Smashing idea!' and contacted Mrs. Moreau."



"You're a terrible person."



"You're a murderer!"



"It was an assignment!!" Elise shouted. She then took a pacifying breath and told herself not to harm Emily. "But that doesn't matter. We were both in the wrong."



"And we should take this to our graves. We don't want James to hate us, right?"



Emily extended her hand and looked knowingly at the lead maid. Elise swallowed her pride before shaking it roughly. She never expected to find common ground with someone because of her betrayal.



"…Right," she muttered. "So…it's too bad that your ridiculous plan didn't work. My master is still single."



"Hey, don't underestimate me," Emily had an impish grin stretched across her face. "I have one more trick up my sleeve." 



…



As the more experienced workers claimed, James was in an extremely foul mood once he passed his depression stage. He released his negative feelings on anyone who even considered slacking off. The younger maids became his victims the most often.



"I…can't…take it anymore…" one of them whined as she helped clean windows in the other room. "I thought Ms. Elise was mean…"



Like the others, she was wiping the glass until neither a streak nor speck of dust was visible.



"We warned you, dear…" a veteran groaned. She backed away from her window and observed it.



"Hey!" James shouted, scaring everyone around him. "Get back to work or I'll fire every one of your lazy asses!"



The older maid quickly reattached herself to the glass and scrubbed with all her might. The others followed suit. When they ran out of windows to clean they migrated to either the furniture or the floors. Emily came to their rescue. She hugged James from behind, making him stumble a bit.



"My God, James, did the temperature suddenly drop?" she asked, shivering. 



"Welcome to New York…" said the heir. 



"Oh, come on, Pouty, lighten up…" Emily pleaded. She began rubbing the man's shoulders. "Say…How about we go on a little vacation, like old times? Just you, me, and a few friends, 'kay?"



"…Well…"



"Come oooon, please? Please? Please!"



"Alright, alright! Just…give me some time to get ready."



~~~



Alex stood at the door of her house for a few minutes, check in hand. He took a few deep breaths and knocked. Seconds later, he was face-to-face with Melrose. His beloved Melrose seemed surprised and almost upset to see him.



"Alex…What are you doing here?" she said while pulling her sweater down as much as possible. He showed her his reason. Shocked, she snatched it out of his hand and stared intently at it.



"I kept my word," the blond said proudly.



"H…How…? What…the hell did you do for that man?"



"I, uh…y'know, did him some favors…"



"What kind of favors?"



"Just…some favors! Nothing major."



"What. Did you. Do, Alexander?" she asked firmly. Alex jumped. He shifted nervously and rubbed his arm as Melrose stared him down. Alex would've said that he was simply working for the heir but Melrose knew him better than anybody. Lying was a no-go.



"He…wanted me to be…y'know…i-intimate…with him…and he paid me for i-"



He was interrupted by a sudden sting on his cheek. His head was forcibly moved to the side. It took his mind a few seconds to process the fact that he was slapped. As he rubbed the mark Melrose left behind he faced the woman with childlike eyes. What did he do?



"You know how I feel about that!" she barked. "Why would you sell your body?! How stupid are you?!"



"H-Huh?" Alex didn't understand what the problem was…until he remembered how she confided in him about her unfortunate past. "I…thought you were referring to yourself…"



"No! It's…too late for me… Alex, you…you really didn't have to do this. I…" Melrose suddenly covered her mouth and looked a bit green. She rushed back inside her home but left the door open. Alex hurried after her. They soon wound up in the bathroom, one regurgitating into the toilet and the other rubbing her back and saying "It's okay. Let it all out…". 



"Ha…Wasn't that charming?" Melrose said a few minutes and cups of mouthwash later. "Sorry about that. It wasn't you, really. It's just…Well, it wasn't you." 



"I'm still sorry," Alexander said while handing her a glass of water. "I didn't know what else to do. I mean, what were the chances of me meeting some rich kid who was willing to give a bunch of money again?"



He sat next to her at her bar. The check was resting between them.



"In exchange for your health, though? Alex, you should get yourself tested or something! Did you even know the guy that well when you started this?" Melrose gulped down her beverage. "Ugh…Anyway, you've been lucky so far with trusting people sooner than you should. Sasha turned out to be okay, then Zach, then Alden…"



"Okay, I get it," Alex groaned. "But I didn't trust James at all for a while…"



"Really. Did he force you to get in his car? To go to his house?"



"…No…"



"Alright then. Alex, I get that you're not a kid anymore but I can't help but worry… I appreciate what you did for me, really. I can't think of a way to pay you back-"



"You don't have to!" the blond eagerly said.



"-but…I'll be frank with you…I only said to get that money to discourage you from trying to get back with me."



"…What?"



"I was mean to you. I belittled you in front of all those people. I told you something outrageous and, and selfish, hoping that it would push you away, but…you came back anyway."



"B-But why?"



"I'm not good enough for you. It's as simple as that. I'm not…I'm not good enough for someone like you. I'm selfish, and mean, and untrustworthy and…just a bad person."



"I don't think that. I…I probably wouldn't have had the most…eventful few years of my life if I never met you," Alex chuckled. "Please, take it. It's yours."



Alex slid the check toward Melrose. She looked at it for a short while before hesitantly picking it up. She then embraced Alex tightly, on the verge of tears.



"Alex…Thank you so much…Thank you…" she said. "I'd kiss you, but…you know."



…



"…and then this butler guy who was dressed like the Grudge girl appeared out of nowhere and scared the bejesus out of me, Jamie, and everyone else in the room. Of course, Elise was perfectly fine since she was in on it…"



"Really? Wow, I can't believe I missed that," Melrose giggled. "So…you really enjoyed spending time with Mr. Moreau, huh?"



"Huh? Uh, yeah…Maybe…" Alex smiled softly. "Was I talking about him that much?"



"Kinda, yeah…" Melrose smiled back. "It's okay, though. If you'd rather be with him than me, I mean."



"What?! No, I didn't mean…"



"I've never seen you act all giddy over someone before. Really, I don't mind. I…The last thing I would want is for you to pay me for my affections. You've done enough for me, more than enough. Go ahead. Be selfish…my Prince Charming."



~~~



Emily waited excitedly for James to leave his house with his bags. Rufus was sitting in the driver's seat of his limo. His lady appeared from behind him and honked the horn twice.



"Come on, James, let's gooo!" she said through the open window. "I'm ready to get my tan on!"



"Keep your knickers on, woman!"  James shouted back as he exited the household. Elise was behind him, holding his bags. "You sure you can't come with us?"



"Yes, Master James. I cannot leave the other servants here for five days. Lord knows what would happen…"



"Good point. Well…I'll bring you a souvenir. Something cute."



"You are too kind," Elise glanced at Emily, who gave her a reassuring wink. The maid forced a smile as she placed James' belongings in the trunk. "I hope this works…" 



…



James looked out the window as they drove through the city. Rufus followed the rules of the road, which was something the heir wasn't used to. He was actually given the opportunity to take in the sights. Emily was fidgety, either because of eagerness or she was hiding something.



"Em…What 'few friends' were you talking about, exactly?" he asked.



"Well, there's Jezebel, Alden, Sasha, Alex…"



"…Isn't it a moot point to bring the very thing that's stressing me out to my vacation?"



"Oh, don't be a baby. You have to face him eventually! Just the fact that he agreed to come should mean something…"



"…I guess so…"



"Cool, so it's settled! …Because I'm not taking you back home."



"Of course."



The limo soon became filled with animated conversations. Some people talked about how they've never been outside of New York and others shared their experiences in Florida. Alex spoke to pretty much everyone except James and vice versa. It annoyed Emily but she didn't say anything. She had a secret weapon.



"Who are we picking up here?" asked James when Rufus drove to the entrance of a hotel. He saw a familiar face exit the building with some luggage. Rufus left his car and opened the door for the man.



"Hi Cammie!" Emily waved enthusiastically. James couldn't believe it. Cam? She invited Cam?! 



"Emily, I told you to stop calling me that…" Cameron said as Rufus took the suitcases under his arm and closed the door behind him. "Hey, James. Long time no see."



Alex stared at Cam. He wanted to know how he and the heir knew each other.  He was a good looking guy with piercings, a goatee, and baggy clothes. He had an accent so he probably met James while he was still in England. This bothered Alexander.



"Right, right, sorry," Emily chuckled. "Guys, this is my good friend Cameron. Cameron, this is Sasha, Alden, Jezebel, and Alex."



"Alex, huh?" Cam's eyes narrowed. "So you're the one who broke James' heart."



"Cam...Down boy," James placed his hand on Cameron's shoulder. 



"If that's the case, allow me to be the one to fix it…" Cam took that hand and moved it in front of his face. He kissed it tenderly. Alex stared blankly.



…That son of a bitch…



…



They made it to the Sunshine State after about twenty hours and resting midway. Their first stop was the beach. Although it was the middle of November it was still over seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The beach was filled with families and other groups of teenagers. Since they were far from home, no one bothered James. The sand was scorching hot, like each grain was a miniature sun. The group hopped awkwardly to their desired spot. Alex, Alden, and Cam rushed into the water in their swim trunks (Cam wore a wife beater); Sasha, who was wearing a transparent skirt over her one-piece, was collecting shells nearby; Emily and Jezebel were tanning in their bikinis; and Rufus was sitting on a lawn chair beneath an umbrella, reading. 



"Hey, James, come on in!" Cam invited the heir, who was sitting curled up in a ball far away from the water. 



"I'm fine, way over here," he responded while pointing at the ground. Cam tilted his head and swam back out of the ocean. Alex noticed and quickly followed him. They practically danced to James because of the hot sand. They finally made it to the girls' much cooler towels and kicked some debris on them in the process.



"Hey!" Jezebel said.



"Watch it!" Emily growled.



"What's wrong, mate?" Cam ignored the women, forcing Alex to apologize for both of them.



"I can't swim," the heir simply said. 



"No way, really? Aw, how cute," Cameron snickered, earning an angry and embarrassed glare. 



"Well, I never had a reason to learn…"



"I can teach you," Alex and Cam said simultaneously. They looked at each other. "…if you want."



"I can teach him," Alex said more forcefully. 



"Nah, that's okay. I can teach him," Cam assured with a mocking smile.



"I can."



"I can."



"I can!"



James' gaze moved from Alex to Cameron and back when the corresponding man spoke. He didn't quite understand what the big deal was. 



"I'm fine, really…" he said.



"You're going to learn!" the blonds shouted, shutting up the young heir. James decided against butting into their argument. 



"They're so noisy…" Jezebel sighed.



"Yeah, but…it'll be worth it, I can feel it," said Emily.



…





After washing off the salt and sand they visited a county fair not far from their hotel. It had stands lined up and filled with stuffed prizes or food. There were a few rides sprinkled about but the Ferris wheel in the back stuck out the most. At night it had patterns of spiraling and blinking lights of varying colors. The group separated after agreeing to ride the wheel together once before the fair closed. The sun was setting but it was still pretty hot, especially under the tents. James went inside them anyway to see the caged animals. Despite the smell and heat, James was at peace as he pet the goats and horses. 



Alex and Cam, however, were playing the games at the stands as if their lives depended on beating each other. Darts flew at balloons, cardboard clowns had water squirted into their mouths, baseballs were thrown at targets…Their hate grew with every stand they visited and they went to every single one twice. 



"What's your problem with me anyway?" Cam finally asked when they took a break. "Is it James? I thought you were through with him…"



"I am! …I-I mean, I'm not! I…ugh, you're not gonna beat me!" the second blond exclaimed.



"There's nothing more annoying than mixed signals, mate…" 



"Butt out, okay? You wouldn't understand. It's not like you dated him…"



"Actually…"



"…You did. You did?! …Don't tell me you want him back…"



"Well…" Cameron looked up at the darkening sky thoughtfully. "Since I'm here and all…"



"No. No, no, no, NO. You can't. You won't. Stay away from my boyfriend!"



James approached the boys when the Ferris wheel lit up, which was the designated time they and the others intended to regroup.



"Hey, it's time to-" he began.



"Perfect! Let's go!" Alex didn't give the heir time to react as he grabbed his hand and marched away from Cameron. James looked back at the tailing blond, wanting an explanation. He only shrugged. 



There was already a line forming in front of the gigantic wheel. The others were there, all with a partner except Rufus. They all made it inside separate cars and Alex forced James to share one with him. Once the door closed, he regained his common sense and realized what he did. The car was deathly quiet during the first revolution. James decided to stare out the window, his chin resting on his lightly-clenched fist. The stands and people were shrinking in size and their next destination, an amusement park, became more visible. Alex didn't want to be the first to speak but he knew he wouldn't be alone with James again for a while. He wasn't even sure if the heir wanted to be with him at that moment. The ride was short, however, so he didn't have time to stall.



"J…James…" he said.



"Hm?"



"Well…um…" come on, Alex, think… "When you…gave me that check…"



"You got it? That's good."



"…Did that…mean that you didn't want to see me anymore?"



"What?" James looked disbelievingly at him. "No, I wanted to see you like crazy! I thought you didn't want to see me."



"Huh? No! I really, really wanted to see you! I just thought that, well, after what happened you wanted some space…I mean, that's what people said was best and I kinda suck at this breaking up thing…"



"Yeah, a little."



"…You didn't have to agree with me…" Alex chuckled and James joined him. 



"So…I'm your boyfriend now?" the heir grinned. 



"Oh man, you heard that?" 



"The world heard you two going at it."



Stillness crept up on them again. A mortified Alex decided to look out of his own window and wait for the ride to end. While James looked back at the tips of roller coasters in the distance and minuscule people below, he placed his hand on Alex's. His sudden warmth made Alex jump but he still focused on whatever was outside the glass. His cheeks reddened and heart started to race. Brave…Be brave…Be…selfish. He scooted closer to James and froze when he felt the heir's body touch his. Their hands began to intertwine when they migrated from the seat to their coupled laps. They stayed that way for another revolution in silence. 



"What happened to Melrose?" James asked randomly.



"What happened to your fortune?" 



"You know I don't care about that anymore."



"I…I'm beginning to think that I don't either." 



The ride was almost over. Before they left their car and were ambushed by their friends, James said "I love you, Alex" and sealed it with a kiss.



…



"It worked, it worked! I guess you should call me Cupid now!" Emily said over the phone. The second they made it back to their hotel rooms James kicked out Alden and "made up" with Alex. 



"I can't believe you knew what you were doing…" Elise said.



"Ha! Told you not to underestimate me!" Emily said proudly before her phone started to beep. "Oh, hold on, someone's on the other line," she pressed the 'Talk' button. "Hello? Oh, hi, Melanie! What's up? …Uh-huh...Yeah, I know, what about it? …Oh…O-Okay, calm down. Um…Do you want to talk to him? He's in the other room. …Oh. Well, I'll pay you a visit ASAP, okay? …Okay, bye!" she pressed the button again to transfer back to Elise. "Um…Well…That was one of those 'friends' I told you about…and….a-and…"



"What?"



"…Ahem, well…The funny thing is…James is…going to be a dad."



The sound of the phone clanking on the floor was the last thing Emily heard before the call abruptly ended.