Alex leaned against the balcony railing, trying to calm the storm inside him. The night air was cool, but it did little to soothe his racing thoughts. He heard the door open and turned to see Bianca step out, a cigarette already in hand. Alex turned to face her, the frustration and exhaustion evident in her eyes. "I know," he replied quietly. "But hey, at least the champagne is decent. That's something, right?" Alex inclined his half empty champagne glass in the air towards her, getting his point across. Alex’s gaze burned with a longing he could barely control. Every part of him ached to reach out, to pull Bianca close and never let go. The intensity of his feelings was almost too much to bear. She stood so close, yet she felt impossibly distant. He remembered the first time he saw her, how her smile had lit up the room. Since then, every moment with her, every stolen glance, had fucked his feelings up. The wall he spent years building up come crashing down everytime her perfume filled the room. Even now, Alex felt like ripping his heart out of his chest and throw it over the very balcony they stood on. Alone. Alex's heart raced as he stood there close to Bianca, feeling the tension between them. He knew it wasn’t the smartest idea, but he couldn’t stand being in that room any longer, watching her pretend to be happy with her husband. "I mean," he said, trying to sound casual, "if you really need an excuse to leave, you could always fake a migraine and I can take you away from this." You can take her home, you mean, Alex. Of course that is what he thought he meant by those words, but a sick side of him knows better what he actually meant. A subtle hint towards his desire to be alone with her. He shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. "I know it’s not the most original idea, but it could work. And it would get you out of here." Alex removed a cigarette of his own from the pack and put it between his lips. After he lit it up, a handful of smoke concealed his features for a mere second before the smoke disappeared into thin air. He always wondered what cigarettes would taste like after he's had his way with her, and he had her laying down in his bed completely naked. The thought had begun to arouse him without him even realizing it. He was too busy admiring her beautiful features.