#alice chambers

[passionpittt]

florence pugh was so hot in don’t worry darling

[worstwolverinesbf]

EATING DRYWALL OVER ALICE 😭😭😭 I LOVE HER SO MUCH AND SHE DESERVED BETTER

[worstwolverinesbf]

oh my god, its all about control. she was a resident. she was going to be a surgeon and he took that from her because he wanted to be in control. it was always about control. men needing to be in control because quite frankly, they’re not much next to their amazing wives who deserve better.

[tortillamastersblog]

If I Believe You - Part 3 | Alice Chambers

Pairing: Alice Chambers x reader

Warnings: mentions of kidnapping, brainwashing, abuse, violence, injuries, and blood

Summary: The simulation you and Alice live in begins to crumble when you start to remember your true life…

Previous Part | Masterlist

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"What?" Alice's hands fall off my face when I sit up. "Who trapped us? Simulation? What are you talking—"

"This— Everything you see, it's not real. It's a simulation," I exclaim. "Frank… He came up with it. A-And I helped him with the programming. It was supposed to help trauma victims work through their issues, but then I found out he was selling access to it to all these men and- and they're using it to kidnap and brainwash their girlfriends or literally just some random women and—"

"What?" Alice looks deathly pale when she gets back to her feet.

I get up too, albeit a little wobbly. "We have to get out. We have to—"

"No."

My eyes snap up to meet hers and the disbelief and confusion I see in them makes my heart sink. "No? Alice, Jack—"

She shakes her head and takes a step back, folding her arms over her stomach. "No. That- That can't be. What are you— No… I have to go. I- I should have never come here. I'm sorry."

She takes another step back and I panic. "No, Alice you have to believe me. Please. We have to—"

I grab for her wrist but she yanks it out of my grip and glares at me with distrust and disgust. "I don't… I barely even know you. You're my tennis coach for God's sake."

Those words sting more than any literal slap could ever have and my knees nearly buckle.

"Alice, please…"

She blinks back her tears and keeps walking backward, her eyes never leaving me. "You need help, Y/N."

"No. No." I shake my head, feeling my throat close with helplessness. "Please."

She offers me one last tight-lipped smile before leaving, the front door closing with soft click that sounds way more final than it should.

She doesn't believe me.

I barely even know you…

It's true. She doesn't, but only because Jack brainwashed her.

Jack… The thought of his smug smile makes rage boil up inside of me and I swallow thickly before glancing at the clock.

It's almost eight. The sun set half-an hour ago but the cloudless sky is still a burning orange color.

I have to go. Who knows what changes Jack implemented into the situation. For all I know he knows what Alice and I were just talking about and is on his way here now.

What's he going to do to me when he finds out?

Alice might be safe because she doesn't believe me, but I know the truth.

He'll kill me.

The realization makes my heart pound.

He tried to silence me before by trapping me in this hellhole and erasing my memories, but that didn't work so he'll have to silence me once and for all.

No.

I won't let that happen.

I look around, panicking that he might be watching somehow, but everything's quiet, the only noise coming form outside being the sound of the sprinklers in the yards and the chirping of crickets.

I have to get out.

Not only so he doesn't kill me, but to save everyone else trapped in here, including Alice.

Alice…

The thought of her makes me pause again.

I barely even know you.

I should have said, "No you don't, but I know you because you're my wife." But I just couldn't bring myself to dump that truth onto her.

It would have made her believe me even less.

The phone ringing on the wall snaps me out of my thoughts and makes the blood in my veins freeze.

It could be anyone, but I know it's not, so without thinking I dart across the living room and into the garage, jumping into my convertible after hitting the button for the garage door.

I start the engine and wait with shaking hands until the door is finally open before reversing out of the garage with screeching tires.

And then I see them.

The enforcers. Dressed in red and running toward me from all directions, jumping fences and cutting through yards in an attempt to reach me quicker.

Shit.

I shift into drive and slam down on the gas pedal, speeding down street, clipping one of the enforcers when he reaches for my door handle.

I look back over my shoulder to see them following me, but since they're on foot they have no way of catching up with me.

I know they're not the only ones after me though, so I speed up even more, racing throught the quiet town with the wind roaring in my ears.

I have to get out. I have to get to headquarters and touch the glass. That's the only fail-safe way to get out. I know because I literally programmed it.

It feels almost silly to be speeding though town the way I am when there's no one in my rearview mirror anymore, but I know they're following me, and I have to make sure I keep my head start.

When I pass the street Alice and Jack live on though, I make the mistake of looking to my left and my feet instantly slam down on the clutch and brake.

The car comes to a screeching halt and I breath heavily, staring at Alice who's standing in the middle of the street right outside her house with blood covered hands.

The purring sound of the car idling is the only sound disturbing the quiet evening, and for a moment it's like time stands still.

She knows.

I have no idea why her hands are covered in blood, but there's no time to wonder about it now. All that matters is getting out.

Movement behind her catches my eye and I feel my heart stop for a second when I realize it's an enforcer climbing over Bunny's fence, his eyes set on Alice who's still frozen in shock and confusion.

"Alice!"

Her eyes meet mine and I see her shoulders sag slightly. The enforcer's red overall gets caught on the fence, and he struggles to get free, buying Alice a precious couple of seconds.

"RUN!" I bellow, my throat straining with the volume of the shout.

It manages to snap her out of her trance though, and when she looks over her shoulder and sees the enforcer she sets off in a sprint, her barefoot feet pounding the pavement and her blonde hair, which she's taken down since coming over, flowing in the wind.

She's almost made it to the car when my eyes dart to the rearview mirror and I see a bunch of cars speeding down the road, the first of which I recognize as Frank's car.

Shit. Shit. SHIT!

If I leave now, they have no chance of catching up to me before I get to headquarters but I can't leave Alice behind. I won't.

"Hurry!" I shout frantically, seeing she's almost made it to the car.

But then she trips and stomach sinks as she stumbles. A scream gets caught in my throat and I hold my breath, watching her stagger, but then she catches herself and keeps running.

The stumble made her limp though so she's not as fast as before and I feel my heart beating wildly in my chest when I see Frank and the others catching up in their cars.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I put the car in drive again and rev the engine, my eyes darting between Alice and the rearview mirror.

She's crying now, but she's not slowing down, and then she finally rounds the front of the car and yanks open the passenger side door, jumping in.

"Hold on!" I release the clutch and the car leaps forward before she's has the chance to close the door properly.

"Where are we going?" she cries over the noise of the wind and the engine, her bloody hands shaking in her lap.

I glance into the rearview mirror again and try to keep the panic at the cars catching up with us out of my voice when I answer, "Headquarters. It's the only way out of the simulation."

I turn right and head for the edge of town. Despite being focused on driving, I don't miss the way Alice cries softly, wiping her hands on the black skirt of her dress.

I know it's really not the time to pry or ask why she changed her mind about believing me, but I'd like to know why her hands are covered in blood.

Luckily, I don't have to ask because she speaks up before I can. "Jack… I killed him. Or at least I think I did."

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I almost run us off the road because my I whirl around to look at her. "What?!'

She sobs and shake her head. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. But I confronted him about what you told me a-and what I saw and he admitted everything and I wanted to leave, but he wouldn't let me."

The car jolts when we fly off the road leading into the dessert and out of town. The sky is slowly turning dark, and I look over my shoulder to see we're still being followed and Frank and his goons and that they'ce caught up more than I would have hoped.

They're less than thirty feet away and still gaining on us, making my mind go haywire trying to think of a way to shake them.

"He grabbed me and wouldn't let go and his arms tightened around me so much I could barely breathe so I took- I took his whiskey glass off the side table and smashed it over his head. There was so much blood."

My blood boils at the fact that Alice had to defend herself like that, but much more I hurt for her because she really thought he loved her. Which, to be honest, maybe he did, but then again, when you truly love someone you don't kidnap them and brainwash them to live in a simulation with them.

"What do you remember, Alice?" I ask in hopes of not only getting her mind off of potentially killing Jack, but to also gauge how much she remembers about our life together.

She whimpers when Frank's car makes contact with our rear-bumper and I grit my teeth, seeing his malicious eyes through the rearview mirror.

"Talk to me, Alice. What do you remember?" I shout urgently.

She whips her head around only to panic when she sees Frank and the others so close on our tail.

"I-I was a doctor," she shouts, her voice breaking at the memory. "A surgeon."

I nod. "Good. Keep going. What else?"

"I loved my job," she cries. "And I wanted a dog and—"

She cuts herself off and I feel her eyes boring into the side of my face, but I can't focus on her right now because two of Frank's goons have driven up on each side of us, one of them with a gun raised.

"GET DOWN!" She ducks in her chair right as the first shot rings out, missing both of us.

Shit. I have to do something.

Another shot rings out, and while it misses both of us again, it hits the rearview mirror.

I swallow thickly and look over my shoulder to see Frank veering out, intent on overtaking all of us so he can drive in front of us and force me to slow down once we're boxed in.

No. Not on my watch.

"Stay down!" I order Alice before slamming down on the break and clutch.

Frank and his goons fly past us and the one on the left who'd veered left to slam into us slams into the car that had been on our right side only moments ago.

They crash and come to a stop while I put the car in drive again and speed up again. Driving around the wrecked cars and Frank who's also come to a stop.

He glares at us as we speed past and I look over my shoulder a few moments later so see him following us again. There are more cars on the horizon, also following us, but they're far enough away not to worry about.

So it's just Alice, Frank, and me left.

"Are you okay?" I shout as the mountain the sleek headquarters building sits on top of rises in front of us.

Instead of answering me, Alice presses her hands to my shoulder, her blonde hair whipping in the wind. "You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" I glance down to see she's right. There's blood seeping through her fingers under my collarbone.

Shit. Turns out the shooter didn't miss the first time.

"It's fine!" I shout. I barely even feel it, but it's probably because of all the adrenaline coursing through me.

"It's not fine! It could have hit your lungs! You could develop a pneumothorax or-"

"I said I'm fine," I shrug her off and steer onto the gravel road winding up the mountain side in a spiral.

I don't know what we're going to do if we get to the top with Frank so hot on our heels.

"You're not!" Alice shouts, her voice breaking.

I glance at her and feel my heart leap. I was expecting her to look worried and shocked, not sorrowful and guilty.

"What's —"

"We were married, weren't we?" she asks over the sound of the engine roaring as I continue driving up the mountain road.

I want to scream yes, we were, we are, but it doesn't seem appropriate so I just nod and swallow the growing lump in my throat.

Alice chokes on a sob. "I'm sorry. I should have known. I should have—"

"It's not your fault." I offer her a smile, hoping it doesn't look as heartbroken as I feel.

"No." She presses her hands against my shoulder again, stopping the bleeding. This time, I feel it, and I wince, but I don't pull back. "No, I should have known. I'm so sorry."

I go to reassure her again and tell herthat it's not her fault and that I've been waiting for her to find out the truth but the top of the mountain comes into view and I pause.

Frank is hot on our heels. The moment we step out of the car, he'll be there too and he'll do everything in his power to stop us from exiting the simulation.

We need more time.

We need a distraction.

I glance at Alice who's looking at me with a trembling bottom lip and tears streaming down her cheeks.

I'm hurt and while I don't feel too bad right now, who knows how I'll feel once the car comes to a stop and I get out.

I might not make it to headquarters in time. But Alice…

"Listen to me," I shout. "As soon as the car comes to a stop, I need you to run. You hear me? Run up the steps to headquarters and touch the glass wall, just like you did before. That'll bring you out of the simulation and with Jack gone, he can't put you back in again. Okay?"

She frowns and shakes her head, her hands still pressed against my shoulder. "What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you," I lie and while I'm sure it would have worked on anyone else, it doesn't work on her.

"No. Don't you dare," she chastizes. "Don't you dare try to be a hero. I just got you back. I can't lose you again."

I blink back the tears in my eyes and smile sadly. "I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm just trying to buy you some time. You're our only chance of shutting down this hellhole."

She shakes her head again and increases the pressure on my shoulder. "Y/N--"

"We're out of time," I cut her off when I see we're approaching the end of the road. "As soon as I stop the car, you run. You hear me?"

"I can't."

"You have to." I reach up and take one of her hands off my shoulder to press a quick kiss to her knuckles, not caring about the blood on her skin. "Come find me in the real world, okay?"

She inhales shakily, her eyes brimming with tears. "Okay."

"Okay?!"

"Okay." She sounds more sure of herself but the pain in her eyes makes me avert my gaze again so I can concentrate. "On three, baby. One… Two…"

"I love you," she chokes out right as I slam onto the breaks.

"Three."

She flings the door open and runs toward the stairs leading up to the headquarters building. I get out of the car myself and turn, facing Frank as he comes to a stop right behind my car since I parked it in the middle of the road and he has no way of driving around it without dropping off the face of the mountain.

He jumps out and I lift my hands in a pathetic attempt of a fighting stance only for him to pull out a gun and firing it. Unlike before, this time the bullet actually doesn't hit me, but I'm quick to round the hood of my car and crouch down in front of it, out of sight.

"Y/N!" I hear Alice's panicked shout and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, trying not to imagine the horrofied look on her face.

"Go!" I shout. Then I address Frank. "It's over, Frank."

"Nothing's over until I say so," he seethes. He fires another shot and I duck only to realize he wasn't aiming for me this time.

No.

I whirl around to see Alice still sprinting to headquarters. She keeps looking over her shoulder and she's limping a bit because she's barefoot and the sandy ground is speckled with gravel here and there, but she's not been hit.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit." I shoot out from behind my hiding spot and dart forward, feeling a little woozy, catching Frank off guard when I grab onto his hand holding the gun and pushing it down.

The gun discharges as we struggle for it, making my ears ring.

"You're ruining everything!" Frank bellows when he loses his grip on the gun and drops it.

"No, I'm making things right." I glance back to see Alice has almost made it all the way up the stairs. She turns around as soon as she's made it and for a moment our eyes meet and I manage to offer her a relieved smile before Frank's fist connecting with my jaw makes me drop to the ground, my head spinning and my vision blurring at the edges.

I see Alice's mouth form my name, but I don't hear her actually crying it over the still-present ringing in my ears.

"Go…" I choke out one last time and Frank and I both watch her touch the glass of the building, her head snapping back a moment later and then she's just gone.

"You're so fucked," I chuckle softly, grunting when Frank grabs onto my shirt and turns me around so I face him as he stands over me.

He's furious, the vein on his forehead popping more than ever, adn the last thing I see before everything goes dark is him picking up the gun and slamming the butt of it into my face.

_______________________________________________

💔💔💔💔

[tortillamastersblog]

If I Believe You - Part 2 | Alice Chambers

Pairing: Alice Chambers x reader

Warnings: foul language

Summary: The simulation you and Alice live in begins to crumble when you start to remember your true life…

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

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A knock on the front door makes me flinch at the kitchen island. I snap my notebook shut and panic for a second before shoving it beneath a stack of magazines next to the bowl of fruit. 

I barely slept last night after that dinner at Jack and Alice’s, and because I keep having strange halucinations, I’ve started to write them down in an attempt to maybe find some sense in them. It’s something I’ve always done, journaling to clear my head, but writing about Alice and the things my mind has been imagining feels wrong, which is why I make sure the notebook is really out of sight before getting up to answer the knock.

To my surprise, it’s Frank leaning against the doorframe when I open the door. I frown because I expected Alice. I cancelled her tennis lesson this morning, and I could have bet she would come over and check on me since I also left so abruptly last night.

“Frank…Hi.” What’s he doing here?

“Y/N,” he smiles that charming smile of his, and pushes off the doorframe. “How are you? I heard you weren’t feeling well, so I came to check on you.” 

“Oh, you didn’t have to–”

“Of course I did. This is Victory. We look out for each other, you know that.” He steps past me, and I swallow the nerves that are suddenly making my throat feel tight.

“I–Yeah, I know. I just figured you’d have more important things to do,” I admit, my frown deepening as I close the door and follow him into the kitchen.

My chest tightens when he trails his fingers over the surface of the kitchen island right next to the stack of magazines I just hid my notebook under.

He glances at me for a split second, honing in on me with an unreadable look on his face before he shakes his head and chuckles softly. “Nonsense. I’m never too busy for you,” he says.  

I exhale softly when he moves away from the magazines again, but the tightness in my chest doesn’t leave as he grabs an apple from the fruit bowl and bites into it.

“Well, thanks, I guess.” I offer a tight-lipped smile and add, “But I’m fine. Really. Just feeling a little under the weather.”

He nods absentmindedly and eats the apple, swallowing before saying, “ Okay then. I was just worried. And honestly, I felt a little guilty, too, because we haven’t spent a lot of time lately.”

I awkwardly take a seat at the kitchen island and bury my hands in my lap. “It’s fine. I know you’re busy.”

Frank and I have been close for… as long as I can remember. He brought me to Victory with him a year ago, and while I would have considered us friends then, now it feels more like he’s my boss.

“I am, but that’s no excuse. Let’s get a drink together once you’re feeling better. For old times' sake,” he says, taking another bite of his apple and smiling apologetically. 

I’m still tense, but I do my best to reciprocate his smile, nodding. “Sure. I’d like that,” I lie. Getting a drink with Frank is really not one of my priorities right now, but I don’t want him to worry too much.

“Great!” He finishes his apple and throws the core into the trash under the sink. “I’ll see you then. I have to head off to a meeting now, but I wanted to make sure you were okay first.”

I reassure him once again that I’ll be fine and accompany him to the door, where he squeezes my shoulder in what I’m sure is supposed to be a reassuring gesture. His grip is a bit harsher, though, and I suppress a wince until he’s gone and I’ve closed the door again.

What was that?

The adrenaline coursing through me after he came so close to my innermost thoughts and feelings about Alice makes me shudder, and my knees buckle.

I slide down the door and blink back the sudden sting of tears. 

“You can’t do this, Frank!” I shout. “It’s not right!”

“I didn’t hire you to tell me what’s right or wrong,” he snaps back, slamming his laptop shut and taking off his glasses. “You had one job and–”

“You didn’t hire me! We’re partners, Frank, and Victory is–”

“My idea!” he cuts in, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“But I made it happen!” I argue, getting out of my chair and rounding his table to be face-to-face with him. “Without me, your idea would have just stayed that- an idea!”

Frank’s breathing heavily and I see a muscle in his jaw twitch. He doesn’t say anything for a moment and I think I might have gotten through to him, but then he suddenly lunges at me, and the last thing I see before the world goes black is a glint of gold on my left hand.

I yelp and blink rapidly, feeling the cold floor beneath me as I press myself back against the door.

I’m shaking, and I blink again, feeling like I’m going crazy after what I just saw. 

What is going on with me? Frank.. He.. He…

My eyes flicker down to my left hand, but it’s bare, so I flex my fingers before pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes.

What the fuck is going on? First Alice and now Frank…

“Alice?” I frown when I open the door for her.

I haven’t seen her since the dinner five nights ago, and I wasn’t supposed to see her again until tomorrow afternoon. 

She had a lesson scheduled for this morning, which I was honestly dreading because I’ve had some more unspeakable daydreams about her, but then Jack called and cancelled for her. Despite having been worried about seeing her again, I was a bit worried because she’s never missed a lesson before, but he reassured me she was just not feeling up to it. 

“I’m sorry for just showing up like this, but I need to talk to someone,” she mumbles with a sniffle, making me realize she’s been crying. 

I shudder, feeling like we’re being watched, but the whole neighborhood is quiet except for a few crickets chirping in the residual heat of the day. “No, no, it’s fine. Come in,” I tell her, my worry outweighing my awkwardness around her as I quickly usher her inside.

“Thank you,” she whispers. She sets her purse down and toes off her heels before leaning against the wall with a shuddering breath. She presses the heels of her hand against her eyes and shakes her head softly. “I don’t know what’s going on… I think I’m going crazy.”

“Why? What happened?” I ask, taking a hesitant step forward. 

She lowers her hands and blinks at me, her eyes darting all over my face, searching for something.

We simply look at each other for a moment before she averts her gaze and brushes her sweat-slicked bangs behind her ears. The rest of her hair is pulled back into what used to be a neat bun, and it’s only now that I realize the black summer dress she’s wearing is all rumpled and dusty. It’s very unlike her because she’s usually so put together.

“You’re going to think I’ve lost my mind,” she says quietly.

“Why?” I ask again, feeling my heart beat against my chest. She hasn’t said a single word yet, but a tiny part of me hopes and begs that maybe she’s been going through something similar to me. All those weird daydreams and visions…

“I went out to headquarters today,” she admits with fear of being scolded creeping into her voice, but I do no such thing, even though everyone knows it’s forbidden for anyone but company employees to go to headquarters out in the desert. 

Well, I guess that explains her disheveled appearance…

“I saw a plane go down, a-and so I went out there to get some help, but–” she cuts herself off and shakes her head again. “God, this is ridiculous.”

“No,” I insist, stepping forward and taking her wrist to get her to look at me. “What happened?”

“There was no one there, and when I touched the glass, I had this weird… vision. I don’t know. There were these light flashes, a-and-” she looks down and clenches her hands into fists- “you.”

My heart skips, but I try not to freak her out too much, so instead of mentioning my own weird visions, all I say is, “Me?”

She nods and glances back up, her green eyes shining with uncertainty and confusion. “It was just for a split second, but you were there and you were holding out your hand, and I took it, and you said–”

“Come here,” I whisper, making Alice freeze. My heart pounds and my throat closes when Alice whispers, “How do you know that?”

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yell. 

Frank drops his phone and spins around. “I could ask you the same thing. Why are you eavesdropping?” 

I ignore his question and slam the door shut behind me. “The simulation was designed to help victims of trauma work through their issues! Not to fucking entrap people and erase their memory!”

Frank bristles and picks his phone back up, placing it on his desk. “No one’s trapping anyone, and no one is getting their memory erased!”

I want to scoff, but it gets caught in my throat at his audacity. “I just heard you on the phone! You promised this guy that the girl he likes will be none the wiser when he locks her in the simulation with him!”

“She’s sick of her life! And she’ll be happy with him,” he argues.

I have half a mind to call the police, but I don’t reach for my just phone yet. “You can’t do this, Frank! It’s not right!”

It’s not right…

Alice.

She’s fast asleep next to me and I can’t help but brush a piece of her hair behind her ear. She stirs and I’m afraid I might have woken her, but she settles back down and buries her face in her pillow, her fingers curling around my shirt in her sleep. I smile softly and  press a kiss to her forehead before taking her other hand and lacing our fingers together, melting at the sight of both our wedding rings glinting in the moonlight.

 Alice… My  wife… 

My eyes fly open, and I find myself on the floor with Alice kneeling beside me, her hands on my cheeks. 

“Hey, hey! Look at me. What just happened?” she asks, frantically. “Do you need me to call someone? Dr. Collins is–” 

“It’s not real!” I gasp, trembling. “Frank- The simulation. He trapped us.”

_______________________________________________

This is going to be a short story. I was thinking of dragging it out a little more, but there will only be one or two more parts after this.

[tortillamastersblog]

If I Believe You | Alice Chambers

Pairing: Alice Chambers x reader

Warnings: none I think

Summary: The simulation you and Alice live in begins to crumble when you start to remember your true life…

Next Part | Masterlist

_______________________________________________

The sun is beaming down, and it’s exceptionally hot, so I take a moment to grab a cold bottle of water from the cooler and run it along the back of my neck. It makes me shiver, and I close my eyes for a second before my stomach flutters involuntarily at the sound of a familiar voice. “You good? You seem like you’re about to die of a heat stroke.”

I open my eyes again and smile at Alice, tossing the bottle back into the cooler as she sets down her bag by the bench. “I’m fine.”

She grins and teases, “Tell that to your beet-red face.”

I take a tennis ball out of my pocket and chuck it at her. “Shut up.”

She fumbles with it, but catches it, exclaiming, “Ha!” before grabbing her tennis racket from her bag.

I run a hand down my sweaty face and ask, “Did you have a good weekend?”

“Mhm. Jack took me driving again,” she shares with a small blush. 

I glance at her and grab hold of the ball cart. “Sounds romantic.”

“Yeah…” She blushes even more and averts her eyes, thankfully not noticing the way my shoulders involuntarily curl forward while I get into position on the other side of the court.

Alice and Jack are the IT couple of Victory. It’s been like that since they moved here, and it was never my intention to fall for her, but I have. Her bold personality, her green eyes, and her mischievous smile just do things to me. 

As soon as I realized it a few months ago, I swore myself to never act on my feelings, though. 

She’s married, happily, and while I’m also her friend, I’m mainly just her tennis coach. 

“You know, I still don’t get why you’re single,” she calls from the other side of the court, her tennis skirt getting ruffled by a soft breeze. 

I swallow thickly and clear my throat. “Yeah, well, everyone in Victory is either married or a child.”

That makes Alice pause and frown. I know why she’s confused, because it is strange that there’s no other single except me, but since Frank offered me the coaching position, I haven’t really thought about it anymore.  

“But it doesn’t matter,” I say, picking up my own racket from on top of the ball cart and grabbing a ball as well. “You’re here to play tennis, not gossip about my nonexistent love life.”

Alice looks torn, like she is about to say something else, so I say, “Heads up,” and play her a ball.

She’s quick to react and hits it back, but when I return it with a little more zing, she swings and misses, letting out a frustrated groan.

“You suck!” she quips with a chuckle.

I just laugh and play her another ball.

“Here,” I hand Alice one of the bottles from the cooler after practice.

She drops her racket onto her bag and takes the opened bottle, plopping down on the bench under the little umbrella.

“You’re gonna kill me one of these days,” she pants, her face now just as red as mine. 

I take a seat next to her and take a sip of my own water. “Nu-uh. You’re not dying. Not on my watch.”

“Sure feels like it though,” she says, rolling her eyes and nudging my foot with her own.

It’ supposed to be a casual gesture, I know, but it makes my heart skip a beat.

She’s married, Y/N! Get it together.

I bite the inside of my cheek and get back to my feet, ignoring the confused look Alice shoots my way as I wordlessly start picking up tennis balls.

The sun is no longer beating down on us since it’s started to set, and I relish in the breeze the impending night brings with it. While being a desert town, Victory gets hot during the day, but during the night, it cools off considerably, which is something I never grow tired of appreciating. 

I continue collecting the balls for a few moments before Alice joins me. I can feel her eyes on me every now and then, but she doesn’t say anything until I’m sweeping the court with the drag mat.

“Hey, uh, do you already have plans tomorrow?” 

I pause and look at her, my heart leaping in my chest at the sight of her bangs sticking to her forehead and her ponytail getting tousled in the breeze. “No, why?”

“Well, Bunny and Dean are coming over for dinner, and I was wondering if you wanted to come, too?”

It takes everything in me not to gape at her in surprise before I continue sweeping the court, saying, “It’s sweet you’re asking, but won’t it be weird? I mean, it’ll be you and Jack, and Bunny and Dean, and I’ll just be there, like a third wheel.”

“What? No. Of course not! Bunny and Dean are bringing their kids, so it won’t just be the five of us,” she defends, stepping into my way when I go to move around her with the drag mat. 

I sigh and try my best not to show how much her puppy dog eyes are making me rethink all my life choices. “I don’t know…”

“Please?” she begs, grabbing a handful of my shirt. “I’ve told them all about you and they’re dying to meet you.”

She talks about me?

No… Focus, Y/N!

“I–” I want to say no, I really do, but she steps even closer and damn it, her green eyes are just too mesmerising- “fine.”

“Great!” She lets go of my shirt and slaps my shoulder playfully. “See you tomorrow then. Say…seven?”

All I can do is nod dumbly, still reeling from the fact that she just grabbed my shirt like that.

She shoots me another smile before grabbing her bag and leaving. 

“Don’t stop,” she pants against my lips, her body arching up into mine. I don’t reply, just kiss her again, teeth and tongues clashing as she digs her nails into my back.

I keep moving, muffling her moans with kisses until she falls over the edge with a strangled cry.

I let out a shaky breath myself and slow down, pulling back to look at her, sweaty and flushed beneath me. 

Her blonde hair is fanned out on the pillow around her, and she’s panting, but there’s a tired smile on her face, and her eyes are shining.

“I love you,” she whispers, her hands coming up to cup my face. Her touch makes my heart swell and my stomach fill with butterflies.

“I love you, too.” 

I wake with a start and sit up in bed, gasping.

No.

Alice.

I shake my head to get the vivid image of her bare body beneath mine out of my head. 

I can’t believe I dreamed about her.

I can’t believe I dreamed that.

Shame constricts my chest, and I pull back the blanket and swing my legs out of bed. My shirt is drenched in sweat from what I can now only describe as a nightmare, so I pull it off and let it drop to the floor as I get out of bed. 

I love you.

I flinch at the memory of her raspy whisper in my dream and rub my eyes. 

No, no, no. 

It was a dream. It was a dream!

I can’t believe I had a sex dream about Alice. And such a vivid one at that.

It all felt so real… The way her nails dug into my back, the way she smelled like eucalyptus shampoo, and the way her touch set my skin on fire. 

“Stop!” I hiss to myself, padding into the kitchen without bothering to turn on any lights. It’s quiet except for the crickets chirping outside in the cool desert night, and the moonlight spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows and onto the hardwood floor of the living room.

It’s always this quiet, but tonight something seems off. It feels almost too quiet, but then again, it could be I’m just paranoid after the dream I just had.

Alice.

I love you.

I clench my jaw and fill a glass of water before downing it all in one go. 

I don’t know how I’ll be able to face Alice tonight. I should cancel. No. If I cancel, she’s going to ask why and get suspicious. 

“Fuck.” I exhale softly and glance at the clock on the wall. It’s 4.30. It’s too early to be awake, but I know I won’t get any more sleep when I go back to bed, so I head back to the bedroom and change into my running gear before heading out. 

“Alice, honey! This looks amazing!” Bunny gushes when Alice sets the roast down on the table. 

“Smells great, too,” Dean adds, making Alice smile bashfully.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she says, but her eyes are shining with pride.

Jack rounds the table, having just poured himself some scotch, and presses a kiss to her temple, her hand resting on her waist. “No, they’re right. You’re an absolute wizard in the kitchen.”

She shoves him playfully, a grin playing on her lips, before her eyes land on me expectantly. I force a smile, having felt heat creep up my neck the entire night so far when her eyes met mine, the memory of the dream still fresh in my mind. Her blonde hair is in a half-updo, and she’s dressed in a beautiful black dress tonight that hugs her curves just right.

“Yeah, it looks fantastic. I can’t wait to taste it,” I manage to get out before averting my eyes again.

I know she can tell something is wrong because I’m quieter than usual, and I’m not returning her teasing the way I usually do.

“Great then, let’s dig in!” Jack cheers. He takes a seat and clinks glasses with Dean and Alice while Bunny starts serving her kids.

I take a sip of my water, having decided to forego alcohol for the night, and reach for one of the sides closest to me. 

Before I get the chance to serve myself some though, Alice says, “Wait!” and takes the bowl from me.

I raise an eyebrow, noting how everyone else pauses for a moment, too. Well, everyone except the kids who’re already devouring their food. 

“That has nuts in it,” she explains, handing me the mashed potatoes instead.

“So?” I say, taking the mashed potatoes despite my confusion.

Alice frowns. “So, you’re allergic to nuts…”

Oh. 

“Uh, right. Sorry.” I chuckle awkwardly.

The rest of the table laughs too before getting back to chatting while I serve myself some of the mashed potatoes with Alice’s gaze burning into the side of my head.

I’m allergic to nuts. 

Of course. How could I forget that?

I dare to look up when I’m sure Alice is no longer looking at me and bite the inside of my cheek when I realize I can’t remember ever telling her about it.

Don’t get me wrong, we talk about anything and everything during her tennis lessons, but we’ve never talked about that. 

Right?

The heat of Victory must be getting to me…

The rest of dinner goes by without another hitch, and before long, we’re all assembled in the living room.

I’m sprawled on the couch next to Bunny and Dean with their kids playing out in the yard while Jack puts on a new record and Alice is pouring herself a drink.

“You sure you don’t want any?” she asks, plopping down next to me. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say, holding my breath when her shoulder brushes against mine, and I get a whiff of her vanilla-scented shampoo.

It smells weird on her, kind of unfitting, unlike the eucalyptus shampoo she had used in my dream. 

My dream… Shit.

I almost jump when she touches my arm and starts asking if I’m okay. 

“Hey, are you–”

“Darling!” Jack slurs, unknowingly cutting her off. “Look at what I found.” He presses play on a new record and saunters over with an outstretched hand. 

Alice takes it despite the worry etched into her features and lets him pull her to her feet.

“This played the night of our wedding,” he explains for the rest of us, making Dean and Bunny aw, while I clench my jaw.

Alice lets him pull her into a dance and wraps her arms around his neck. Her eyes, however, keep flickering to me, making me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

“Come here,” I whisper, pulling Alice off her chair. The apartment is dimly lit, and the smell of rosemary and butter from dinner still lingers in the air. 

She sighs tiredly, but tightens her hold on my hand, letting me lead her to the living room. Her hair is damp from the shower she took earlier while I was cooking, and there are dark circles under her eyes, but she’s happy and comfortable.

She'd better be comfortable. She’s wearing my hoodie and my sweatpants. 

“Stressful day?” I ask, putting on some music before wrapping my arms around her waist and guiding her into a slow sway.

“Kinda,” she admits, her green eyes soft in the low light. She gently scratches at the back of my neck, occasionally tapping her fingers to the rhythm of the slow song.

“Wanna tell me about it?” I whisper, guiding her head to rest against my shoulder while we sway.

She shakes her head and exhales shakily, so I press a kiss to the top of her head and mumble, “Okay then. But if you change your mind, you know I’m here for you.”

“I know.” She tilts her chin just enough to press a kiss of her own to the underside of my jaw. “Thank you.”

“You guys are disgusting!” Bunny squeals, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I blink, confused about where my mind just went before my eyes land on Jack and Alice. The song they danced to has ended, and now he’s dipping her, kissing her shamelessly while her fingers card through his hair.

The sight makes me sick, especially after that weird daydream I just had. I get to my feet abruptly, making them snap apart. 

“I-I don’t feel so good,” I stutter. “I’m sorry, but I think I’m gonna go. Thank you for this lovely evening. We should do it again.”

Bunny gets up, concerned, and Jack and Dean share a confused look, but it’s Alice who actually steps forward in an attempt to stop me.

“Wait, are you sure? What’s wrong? Do you feel sick? Was it the food?” she asks.

I look anywhere but at her and shake my head adamantly. “No, no. It wasn’t the food. The food was great. I just– I think it’s the heat. Got too much sun earlier.”

I keep seeing flickers of her green eyes as she danced with me in my daydream, so I rub my eyes furiously and turn. 

“Again, thank you for tonight. I’ll- Uh- see you tomorrow, Alice. Dean, Bunny, Jack, it was nice to meet you.”

Then I dart off. I grab my jacket by the door before anyone can stop me and leave.

_______________________________________________

[laurenbethmercado]

Happy 3 year anniversary of Don’t Worry Darling!! ♥️❤️🩸💙🩵

[editfandom]

DON'T WORRY DARLING, 2022 | Florence Pugh as Alice Chambers