The Love That Should Never Be

For the next two weeks Elise went out of her way to disturb James and Alex's time together over…



And over…



And over…



No matter which of the mansion's countless rooms they hid in…no matter how quiet they were…Elise always found them. Alex was close to snapping. He was slumped over the bakery's counter, in a foul mood. Thanks to a certain lead maid, he was physically starved and unable to top James. His customers were gossiping excitedly about his crankiness, having a pretty good idea what caused it. Their discussion quickly evolved into an argument over James' true relationship with Alex.



"He's his boss, you pervs!"



"You're so delusional!"



Sasha ignored the commotion and gently rubbed her co-worker's back. Alexander's upper body shot up when he felt the hand.



"Whoa, whoa, it's me!"



The blond sighed and apologized when he found out who it was. He somehow thought it was Elise again. He turned to face his friend and leaned against the counter.



"Alex, you look terrible!" the plump brunette said worriedly.



"It's my other job..." Alex said while pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.



"Honestly, I wish you would quit that job. Mr. Moreau is being so mean to you..."



"Actually, it wasn't even his fault this time..."



Sasha raised an eyebrow as the bakery's phone rang. She answered it cheerfully before her face fell.



"Speak of the devil..." she groaned, handing Alex the phone.



"Alice, are you coming over tonight?"



"Of course I am. Why?" 



"Could you, maybe…not? I mean, just for today."



"…Why?"



As they spoke the bakery's customers peered through the window. A limo parked in front of the building. Alexander ignored the vehicle until one of its passengers came inside. She was a woman with waist-long curly blond hair and sea-blue eyes who was wearing a black dress. Several girls fawned over the stranger as she made her way to the counter.



"Excuse me…" Alex heard the woman talk to Alden, who was at the cash register. "My driver is a bit lost…Do you know how to get to the Moreau residence?"



"...I'll have to call you back," Alex said before hanging up.



~~~



"Alice, wai-…Damn it," James sighed before Elise knocked on his bedroom door. "I'm going, just give me a minute!"



The maid took James' comment as permission to enter the room.



"Goodness, Master James, you're never up this early!" Elise gleamed.



"Well, I wanted to warn Alice about Emily but he hung up on me. I think she's at the bakery…"



"Oh dear…"



"And while you're here, may I ask that you stop torturing us? It's getting old."



"It's not my choice, Master James," Elise assured. "There's...something that's making me do it..."



...



James and Abigail were served an abnormally-expensive breakfast: a hand-decorated bejeweled croissant that was covered in edible gold and diamond with Bar le Duc hand-seeded redcurrant jam spread on top of it. It came with a cup of Kopi Luwak coffee. The matriarch already started eating her dish but James didn't even pick up his fork.



"James, eat it before it gets cold," said his mother as she chewed.



"Abigail, can't we eat something...I don't know, simpler? Maybe some eggs and toast?"



"Where did that come from?"



"Nowhere, I just...think that we shouldn't spend our money like this..."



The place fell silent for a moment. The nearby waiters looked at each other uneasily and the chef swiftly returned to his kitchen. Elise's usual smile broadened. Abigail stopped eating and eyed James suspiciously.



"I was going to keep quiet, but this is beginning to bother me," said Mrs. Moreau. "This strange behavior you've been displaying lately...It has nothing to do with that boy, correct?"



"You mean my boyfriend?" he smiled when he saw the matriarch flinch. "What if it does?"



"James, I am telling you this for your own good..."



"You can't stop me from hanging out with him, Abigail."



"...We'll see about that…"



~~~



Alex observed the woman asking for James' location. She was a gorgeous young woman with an English accent, so it was difficult to say what her relationship was with the heir.



"…Why do you want to see the Moreaus?" he asked while approaching her.



"To be honest, I'm not sure. Father just sent me here with this," while talking she took an envelope out of her handbag, "without explaining why…He said to visit James. Do you know him?"



"Yeah," Alex said. "Could you tell me your name?"



"I'm Emily Hunt…but don't bother with that. He'll deny that we're friends."



"…Uh-huh…Could you prove that you know him before I help you?"



Emily thought for a moment before motioning Alex to lean closer. She then whispered something in the blond's ear, earning both wide eyes and a forced-down chuckle. It took him a few minutes to calm down.



"Your middle name is…Barry?" Alex said quietly to James after calling him back.



"Who told you that?!"



"…Your friend Emily," he said unhappily. "James, we're coming over now."



…



"Thank you again for the biscuits, Alex. You really didn't have to…" Emily said while patting the bag of sweets between herself and her new friend. They were sitting in the back of the limo on their way to James' house.



"It's okay. We had some extra cake batter and I didn't want to waste it. …So…how come Jamie's avoiding you? Are you one of his worshipers or something?"



"He has worshipers now? Oh, I told him moving here was a bad idea… Those poor women will just have their hearts broken."



"Well, you can't really blame him…They're after his money."



"No, no, you don't underst…" she paused. "Um…right. How do you know James?"



Alex didn't answer but he shifted anxiously. The limo soon entered the gates of the Moreau household. Despite the woman's obvious wealth she stared in awe at James' home. When the car parked near the entrance the driver opened the back door for his passengers. Both of them thanked him before entering the mansion.



"Come on, I think he's in his room," said Alex just before running into the man in question. Elise was standing next to him and the heir's eyes widened when he saw Emily.



"James!" the blond woman exclaimed before practically knocking him down with a hug.



"Em…What are you doing out of England?" James asked as he cautiously returned the embrace.



"I'm here to see you! I have a letter…or something from Father!"



She pulled away and attempted to take out the envelope again. She stopped when she noticed James avoiding Alex's irritated gaze.



"Before you start accusing me, she's an old friend of mine. ...If we didn't have to flee the country because of someone I know, we wouldn't have stopped seeing each other," the brunet explained before glancing at his maid. Elise nonchalantly averted her eyes. Emily stared at James' servant.



"Oh…Hi. I don't believe we've met. I'm Emily Hunt," the woman put her package away and extended her hand, smiling gently.



"…Hm."



Emily recoiled when the maid clearly didn't want to become acquaintances with her.



"…I've grown a bit weary because of the trip," Emily said to James after a short silence. "Do you mind showing me the guest room?"



"No no, allow me! Master James is busy, very busy, and it's my job anyway!" she said while putting her hand on Emily's back and giving her a rather hard push toward the stairs. Emily looked back at James, whose exasperation was evident.



"Sorry about this, Alice," James said. "Maybe you should come back tomorrow. She's a good friend of mine and...well."



"Oh...O-Okay."

The heir quickly noticed of Alex's discomfort.



"Don't worry, I'm only staying with them to keep an eye on Elise. She had that...'I'm going to choke her' look in her eyes."



~~~



"You told her we were dating?!"



"What? N-No! She must've found out on her own!"



"No…No, no, this is bad…This is really bad, I didn't want her to know!"



"What's the problem? What happened to the Jamie who flirted with me in front of my customers?"



"They don't know for certain! Bloody hell… Look, Alice, you have to promise me not to come back until Em leaves. Promise me!"



"Tell me why!"



"W-What the…Trust me, it's better if she doesn't see us together. ...Go away, woman, shit! ...S-She said she'll be here for one more day, so until then…"



"…Okay. You want me to trust you, so…I trust you."



"I owe you, mate."



"Damn right, you do," Alex smiled. "Have fun. ...But not too much."



That was the longest subway ride Alex ever had to experience. On the way home he had to convince himself that James was innocently spending time with Emily. He had no right to be jealous anyway, since he was in the process of earning his ex's affection…No matter how many times he said that, his chest continued to hurt. Alex went into his apartment and slammed the door. He leaned against the entrance and slid onto the floor. He tried to ignore the pain he was feeling …but he couldn't.



"Fuck…" he mumbled as he buried his face in his hands.



…



The next day, he was much less productive than usual at the bakery. He barely interacted with the customers or his coworkers and was mentally exhausted. He was constantly tapping the counter with his finger and looking at his watch. Whenever Alden told him that he needed an order made Alex didn't hear him.



"Are you alright, Alex?" asked Jezebel, who began visiting more often with hopes of seeing James.



"…Huh?" Alex said while looking at the door. A part of him was hoping that James would escape Emily and see him. But…what if he didn't? What if James was pursuing her? What if…they were sleeping together? The thought made him sick to his stomach. He rested his head on his hand as his stress continued to inflict physical pain.



"Maybe you should take a break," Jezebel said worriedly. "Please come with me."



She grabbed the distracted blond and dragged him around the counter. The baker was forced to sit down and Jezebel took a seat across from him.



"You're always working so hard. You should take a breather," Jezebel smiled. Alex was too busy staring at the door to pay any attention. "Um…I was wondering…if…maybe…since you two hang out a lot…you could…set up a blind date between me and James?"



He had definitely heard that.



"I-I'm sorry, but…no, I can't," the blond said sullenly.



"Oh…That's okay, I understand…" the woman looked down and an awkward stillness ensued.



"I'm really sorry…but…" Alex began when the lump in his throat subsided.



"N-No, it's my fault…I should've known that the rumors were true…"



"Rumors?"



"That you're James' boyfriend."



"Oh…that…I, um…well…"



"You don't have to pretend that you don't like him. It's kinda obvious. I mean, the way you look at him when he comes over, the way you two talk, how he shamelessly flirts with you and you don't freak out…Either you're used to it or you like him," she laughed.



"…Now I feel bad…" Alex murmured. 



"There's no need! My reason for liking him is a little silly. You see, my dad sent me to James' mansion when he first found out he was single. I wasn't interested in James at all until I heard the most beautiful sound while I was waiting at the door. It was sad but it drew me in…I've never heard such a melody…Then when his scary maid let me in and took me to him I found out he was playing it. He was so skilled…He looked so cool…I fell in love with him right then and there."



~~~



James was getting his piano practice out of the way and Emily was watching him. His music sounded more jovial that day since all he could think about was what Alex was up to. 



"I don't think your maid likes me very much…" Emily said.



"Nah, it's not you. She acts like that towards any woman with a pulse."



"How come? ...Don't tell me she doesn't know..."

"She's my bodyguard too. Gotta give her something to do besides clean..."

"Well, please tell her to back off! I'm not after your money and I hate spending mine…"



"…Since when? You used to be obsessed with shopping for clothes."



"Oh, not me. I'd feel awful if I spent my money for no good reason."



"Are you sure you just met Alice yesterday?" James raised an eyebrow.



"Ooh, I think it's so cute that you guys are enamored with each other! If only Alex didn't have to leave early…" she pouted. James didn't respond. He was staring at his door, wondering if Alex meant what he said. Did he really trust the heir…or did he not care about what he and Emily may have been doing? When he finished working he put his instrument back in its case and crawled into bed. Emily joined him.



"Uh, Em, I don't think…" he began.



"This shouldn't bother you, right?"



"…Not me, no…"



"Okay then. Good night!"



Emily pulled the covers over herself and went to sleep almost immediately. James stared blankly at her. He wanted to say that it would bother someone else but wasn't given the chance to.



…It didn't help that she was a cuddler. She placed her hand on James' chest and nuzzled his neck. Her long blond hair was in his face so he brushed it away with his hand. Emily mistook his gesture for petting so she moved closer and sighed happily. James immediately moved his hand away.



Am I imagining it? he said to himself.



…



Emily left the next morning to search for a temporary home. James called Alex the moment she did. After spending every night with Alex, being separated from him drove the young heir crazy. Alex was initially reluctant to come over but James eventually wore him down.



"And don't worry, I'll pay you enough to make up for lost time," James promised before saying goodbye. Hopefully Emily's absence will ease the tension.



"I don't like her, Master James," Elise said after appearing out of nowhere. 



"Jesus, woman, stop sneaking up on me like that!" James said after whirling around with his guard up. "You didn't exactly hide your distaste for her. What gives? I already told you that she and I go way back."



"Yes, I know, but something's…off about her. She acts a lot like Master Alexander."



So she noticed too…That didn't excuse her behavior, however.



"That means you should like her, right? And think she's 'adorable'?" asked James.



"But doesn't it strike you as odd? She comes here with Master Alexander and then imitates his personality. She may be trying to replace him!"



"…She was acting differently from what I remember…but I'd never let that happen. Besides, it's been three years since we've seen each other and people change. It's not a big deal! Don't let your hatred of women my age cloud your judgment."



"B-But Master…"



"Enough, Elise."



James walked off, leaving Elise alone and frustrated.



"I am not going to let that home wrecker come between my masters!" the lead maid growled.



…



When Alex arrived that night he went to James' room. The heir was studying but stopped as soon as the door opened. James smiled but the awkwardness was still there and thick enough to cut through with a knife. Alex was too choked up to return the gesture; he instead rushed to the heir and wrapped his arms around his waist. A burst of feelings rushed through the blond's body. He didn't want to care about this man but he did. A lot.



"Jamie…" he said once he found his voice, "if you scare me like that again I won't come back…" 



"You…trusted me?"



"That, and Elise would've ratted you out if you did anything."



"…Fair enough."



"Why the hell didn't you want me around?" Alex asked while looking up at the heir.



"Because Em's a fan girl who would've taken pictures and written stories. In fact, she had her notebook out when I was trying to talk to you the other day so I had to keep things brief…"



"Ah. But that doesn't explain why she'd automatically assume that…"



"She knows that…I…" James tightened his grip on the blond's midsection, "don't…like women…as much as people think…"



"…Jamie…Are you…?" 



Alex was speechless when his companion nodded.



"I've known for a long time…I even told Abigail but she didn't believe me. She refused to. Her denial pressured me into trying to like women…It didn't help that  rumors started spreading and…people I wanted to be with believed that they didn't have a chance."



Alex began to understand why the two had met and his heart began to pound. He wanted to ravish the heir even more than before. Conveniently there was a bed behind them. After breaking their hug he pressed firmly on James' shoulders, making the man sit on the furniture.



"And then?" Alexander wanted to hear James say it aloud.



"I saw you…" the blushing heir responded. "And…I couldn't help it."



"If you had a crush on me all this time then why didn't you just ask me out?"



"Would you have said yes back then?"



"Heh, good point…" Alex looked away for a moment. He needed to get something off his chest.  "But…since we're together because of Melrose…Aren't you worried about what'll happen on New Year's Day? I…don't want to hurt you…"



James didn't want Alex to feel conflicted but he didn't want to lose him either. He knew that eventually he'd have to let him go, but he couldn't imagine actually doing it.



"I'm sorry, Alex…but I can't picture myself with anyone else right now," the young heir said, smiling somewhat sadly. Alex thought he heard him wrong. Alex? Did he just say "Alex"? His love for Melrose and attraction to James continued to fight each other. His time to choose was wearing thin and he still didn't know what to do.

Well, one of his choices was on a bed, so for the time being...



"Master James, I...Oh."



…Really? 



Alex whirled around before sitting on the bed. He pretended that he wasn't ​about to have his way with Elise's vulnerable...sexy master, dammit, why?!



"I'm…sorry, I didn't realize I was…"



"What is it, Elise?" James sighed.



"Well…Lady Emily gave this to me before she left. She said she couldn't give it to you in person."



Alex watched as the maid handed James the envelope he saw a few times before. It appeared to have been opened by its previous holder. Whatever was inside was too much for her to bear so she needed Elise's reluctant support. James took out the document, unfolded it, and skimmed over it. His disinterested countenance changed within seconds.



"No…" he said, his clenched hands crumpling the paper. 



"What, what?" Alex peered over James' shoulder. "…Blahblahblah…Arranged marriage…? …T-To Emily?!"