Chapter Nine.

Ariana's POV-

"Here's your caramel latte with soy milk, just as you asked." I smile, pushing the coffee cup towards her. She's slightly shorter than me with long blonde hair and bright blue, acrylic nails. Her makeup is perfectly done and she's gripping onto her iPhone with one hand like her life depends on it. I clear my throat and run a hand through my long dark hair, feeling insecure from this girls beauty. She barely glances up at me from her phone before taking her coffee.

"Thanks," she mutters, her tone a little rude. She drops one five pound note onto the counter before waltzing off, her heels clicking as she goes. I raise my eyebrows, any insecurities disappearing within a second. I may not be as beautiful as her but I definitely have better manners. I let out an exhausted sigh and place the note into the cashier, glancing around at the now empty cafe. It's ten to closing time and my feet hurt, my body aches and I'm craving my bed.

"Is it okay if I leave early Ariana? I'll let you lock up." Ben appears from the back, dropping his keys in front of me. I nod my head, giving him a small smile.

"Awesome, see you tomorrow kid!" He grins before disappearing out the door.

"See you tomorrow Ben." I respond, watching as he leaves. When he's gone, I treat myself to a chocolate chip cookie. The radio besides me begins to play my favourite song and I grin, turning up the volume.

"Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn't rain in Southern California, much like Arizona." I sing loudly, biting into the cookie and wiggling my hips. I turn around to make sure all the coffee machines are turned off before I can leave. I can't help but smile at this song, despite how exhausted I feel from the day.

"My eyes don't shed tears but boy, they bawl when I'm thinkin' bout you. Oh, no no no. I've been thinkin' bout you. You know, know, know."

"Have you been thinking about me?"

I gasp and spin around, my eyes wide with surprise. "Justin," I smile, disappointment settling inside my stomach. Of course it's Justin, who else would it be?

"Hey baby," he purrs, walking over to me. He places a quick kiss on my lips before taking a bite of the cookie in my hand, demolishing it in two quick bites.

"Hey! That was mine," I pout, leaning my body against his. He chuckles quietly down my ear, his hands snaking around my waist.

"I have a surprise," he begins, pulling back and leaning his forehead against mine. My eyebrows widen in surprise and I feel excitement build up inside my stomach.

"A surprise, really? What is it?" I ask quickly, turning off the lights in the back.

"Mum and Dad agreed to let us stay at the cabin over the weekend. What do you say?" He grins, blue eyes lighting up.

"Justin, that sounds amazing but I can't this weekend. I'm checking out that apartment downtown. It's the only day I can get an appointment, I'm sorry." I apologise, feeling disheartened. I don't want to let him down but on the other hand, it's driving me insane living with my parents.

"Can't you re-schedule?" Justin asks, irritation in his voice. I let out a small sigh, feeling the beginning of an argument brewing. I shake my head, taking his hand in mine.

"I need to move out Justin and this apartment looks perfect. You can stay over whenever you want and we won't be disturbed either..." I say quietly, intertwining our fingers together. He lets out a sigh but I notice his eyes light up with the idea of getting me alone whenever he wants.

"Okay, I understand," he mumbles, placing a kiss on top of my head. "But, I want to do it with you in every room."

I immediately giggle, slapping his chest playfully.

"You're such a sex addict." I tease, reaching over to slap him again. Justin grabs hold of my hand and presses it against his chest, running it lower and lower. . .

I quickly yank it away, my features turning into a frown.

"Justin, we have CCTV in here." I mumble, embarrassed even though no-one can see us. I warily glance up in the corner where the camera is recording us, the little red light flashing every few seconds.

"Live a little baby, don't you like the idea of getting caught?" He murmurs down my ear, his voice a hushed, turned on whisper. The frown on my face deepens and I gently push him back.

"Is that your idea of danger?" I ask, my lips twitching up to laugh at him. Alex's face immediately flashes through my thoughts as I mention danger and I feel my stomach somersault.

Chills run down my bare arms and I have to squeeze my eyes shut to erase him from my mind. Alex really is danger.

"Seriously, why are you so off these days? We haven't slept with each other in weeks, Ariana!" Justin protests, sounding like a whiny teenager. I raise my eyebrow at him, standing tall.

"A relationship isn't just about the sex, Justin. The timing has been bad but that doesn't mean I'm about to straddle you in my work place!" I hiss, feeling the anger bubble inside me.

"Why the hell not? It'll be exciting!" Justin yells, his tone making me jump. He takes a step forward and I automatically take a step back. The wall greets my back and I clench my fists by my side, angry at him.

"I don't find it exciting in the slightest." I shoot back, narrowing my eyes at him. Justin makes a grunting noise in disagreement, his usual beautiful features turned into an angry scowl.

"A guy has needs Ariana!" He shakes his head, his words desperate. I watch as his eyes soften, his lips turning into a thin line. He takes a deep breath before taking a step closer to me, caging me between him and the wall. His hand reaches up to cup the back of my neck and within a blink of an eye, his mouth is on mine, claiming me. I struggle against his hold, shoving at his hard chest with my hands.

"Justin!" I protest but my words come out muffled from the force of his kiss. I close my eyes and force myself to calm down, he's my boyfriend. He's allowed to kiss me.

So I kiss him back.

A low growl comes from him as he notices my co-operation and he pins me up harder against the wall, his body crushing mine. No, this doesn't feel right. I shake my head to protest further, I want to stop.

"Justin, please stop. I don't want to carry on."

I try to hide the rejection in my voice as he continues to kiss my exposed neck, his hands running down my body and under my shirt.

"Come on baby," he urges me, pressing his hips into mine. It doesn't work, I'm not turned on.

"No! Justin! Get off me!" I scream, my patience running out. I lift my knee up and apply as much force as I can, hitting him hard between the legs. He immediately stumbles backwards, his face contorted in pain. I breathe heavily, my chest rising and falling as I glare at him, my teeth clenched.

"Did that seriously just happen?" I hiss, grabbing my bag from under the counter. Justin looks embarrassed, his hair messy on top of his head. His cheeks are flushed, a tint of pink covering both of them. He reaches out to grab hold of my wrist —

"Ariana, I didn't mean to — "

"Save it, asshole!" I yank his hands off me and head for the doors, the keys firmly in my hands. I have to get out of this small room, get some fresh air. Once I'm outside, I realise I have to wait for Justin to leave before I can lock up. I let out a frustrated yell and kick the plastic bin in front of me.

"Woah, woah hermosa. What did the trash ever do to you?"

I close my eyes, squeezing them shut tightly.

No.

No way.

This cannot be happening.

"I'm dreaming, this is a dream." I mutter, pinching my arm. That would explain Justin acting the way he did and Alex showing up at ten thirty in the evening. There's no way this is real right now.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, opening my eyes to see him leaning against a jet black SUV. He's wearing a white shirt that exposes his arms, thick and full of tattoos. I can't help but feel the butterflies flutter in my stomach and I can't determine whether I'm going to be sick or not.

"You don't sound so happy to see me," Alex frowns, noticing my wild hair and crumpled up clothes. A bang comes from inside the shop and the sound of Justin's yells as something falls over. I inhale deeply, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I need to wake up, this is a nightmare."

"Who's in there?" Alex asks firmly, pushing himself off his car. He takes another look at me, his eyes landing on my shirt that's been pulled out from my shorts. I watch as he transforms in front of me, his laid back posture completely vanishing. His shoulders tense up, his eyes alert and cold. The usual light shade of them turn dark, almost black. I recoil back from him, shocked to see him look so. . . dangerous.

"I asked, who's in there?" He repeats, his words holding a threatening growl behind them. I open my mouth to respond but no words come out. My throat is restricted, making it hard to breathe. In that moment, Justin decides to appear from the coffee shop, full of apology.

"Baby, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have — "

He stops short as he notices Alex stood a few feet away from me. A frown instantly covers his features and I can't help but notice the fear flash through his eyes. He tenses his own shoulders up defensively and stands by my side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I let out a scoff, shrugging his arm off me.

"You don't need to protect me Justin. I can do that all on my own." I snap at him, ignoring the curious look Alex is throwing my way. Hurt flashes through Justin's eyes and he turns back towards Alex, ignoring my words.

"Who are you?" He asks, his voice wavering a little. Alex raises one eyebrow at him in response, his dark eyes flickering me and Justin.

"Who are you?" Alex repeats, his words so much more confident and cold. A shiver runs down my spine from the tone of his voice and I can't decide whether I'm scared or I like it.

"I'm Ariana's boyfriend." Justin shoots back instantly, taking a step closer towards me. I hate how he's acting so possessive, like he owns me. He's only doing it for Alex's sake and I can feel myself becoming irritated.

If Justin's words surprised Alex, he doesn't show it. His face remained emotionless, icy. My eyes linger on his sharp jaw that is tensed tightly, the only sign to show he's angry.

"If you're done acting like my hero, I need to lock up and go home." I tell Justin, before turning my back on him and locking up the cafe door. When I turn back around, both of them are still standing facing each other, their eyes staring each other down. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"If you want a coffee, you'll have to come back tomorrow, Alex. We're shut." I say softly as I walk past him. His head follows me as I leave, the intensity of his gaze making me feel disorientated, dizzy. I focus on walking in a straight line to my car.

"Ariana!"

I spin back around, avoiding Alex's burning stare. I fear if I look into those eyes, my legs would give out underneath me.

"What, Justin?" I respond, unable to look him in the eyes either. For a completely different reason.

"Can I come home with you?" Justin asks, his voice apologetic. He's still eyeing Alex up warily. I shake my head, gritting my teeth.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'll call you tomorrow." I respond, turning around to head back towards my car. I can hear Justin continue to shout my name but I ignore him until I'm safely inside my car with the doors shut. As I turn the key inside the ignition, I notice my hands are shaking. A single tear falls from my cheek and I brush it away hastily. The sound of a roaring engine causes me to jump and I glance up to find Justin speeding off, his face a picture of fury. I let out another frustrated scream and grip on to my steering wheel, placing my head down onto the cool surface.

My door swings open and the scent of leather and soap ravels around me, filling my senses. I know who it is without looking up. Only one person caused the hairs on the back of my neck to go crazy, standing up pin straight.

"Alex," I whisper, my eyes squeezed shut tightly. A hand is placed on the small of my back, his touch sending electric currents pulsing through my body. If I wasn't so distraught, I'd let out a gasp. There's a pause between us before he speaks, his voice a smooth sexy rumble.

"Hermosa."