ALEXANDER THE GREATEST

“wait, yeah, you can do that.” he can drop her off because she'd rather much do that than walk right now, since she still doesn't feel the best even thought she's feeling better. “thank you,” a happiness touches her voice at him pulling her chair out for her, more surprise lifting her brows, because he's acting a lot like the boy she liked in the beginning. “you really can be a cutie, alexander. when you're like this.” helena grins, tickling underneath his chin before sitting down. good god, she loves a gentleman.

“no, this is extra nice, don't downplay your talent.” that obviously he can possess on choosing outfits, when he wants to. when he looks so well dressed, putting up with his attitude is tolerable and the nice plate of food he made them makes her forget all about the attitude he was irking her with to begin with. there is nothing more attractive than a guy who can dress up and take control of the kitchen sometimes, instead of stand there acting clueless how to feed them unlike harry with his nonsense he had of not even understanding how to turn on a microwave. & then the act itself, it's so... oozing in attraction.

“oh, this? this is something i just found lying on the sidewalk somewhere.” she plays, glancing down at her shirt with a laugh. “really?” brows lift again, more surprise filling her tone. “me?” looks better on her? she nearly forgets the food exists in front of her – especially when it feels so nice while she's concealing how heartbroken she is over the reminder of harry and his treatment & eyes are lighting up once she comes back to earth, clapping and clasping her hands in a soar of excitement. “i already know i'm going to love it, thank you chef alex. this looks very gourmet and delicious... wait! i shall document this moment forever before we mess it all up,” scooting his plate over, she waits for him to sit too so she can fish for her phone out of his sweatpant's pocket and excitedly snaps a candid picture.

“why,  thank you.   i have my moments,  but i think you bring this side out of me.”   blushing when she compliments him,  calls him a cutie,  he doesn’t want to push her away.   he wishes they could spend all the mornings to come just like this.   and still he hurts her feelings every time she peers deeper and deeper into his mind and heart.   there’s a part of him that refuses to let her in,  that’s afraid of rejection and heartbreak.   “hey,  you’re making me melt,”   he laughs,  gently grasping her wrist as she tickles the spot under his chin,  squeezing affectionately before laying her hand back on the table.   “thanks.   i’ve got some experience.   it’s usually not this much fun,  though.”   cooking for one person gets boring,  is what he means.   “you should come over more often now that you know where i live.   stop by for dinner or lunch.”   stay for breakfast.   “i barely remember last night so it doesn’t count as a sleepover.   we have to redo it sometime.   hey,  maybe next week we’ll get our ears pierced?”   he jokes,  watching curiously as she moves the plates around,  only realizing what she’s doing once she picks up her phone.   his heart could just burst,  pride welling up deep inside his chest.   no one’s ever made him feel so appreciated.   

finally after washing all the filth off her skin, she turns the water back off and finds a towel to dry off on then moves over to the mirror to fix herself with the makeup in her purse she grabs from his room and lets her dark waves fall back down. once she's back in session looking like a decent person again, teeth cleaned from the vomit, skin clean, presentable with mascara, blush & red lipstick that match her cherry nails– she arrives in the kitchen in alex's sweat pants and a soft t-shirt she stole.

“what about my car? i still have to find it off my iphone, too.” helena reminds after she creeps up behind him on silent feet, the thing she kept on her mind to tell him after he said he'd drop her off. though, she didn't expect whatever her eyes lands on now once her gaze finds him... a well dressed man and even the watch she notices on his wrist, barely anyone wears watches anymore, & she can't help but appreciate that fact about him and just how... ugh, dare she say? handsome he looks wearing it. while COOKING. “wow...” the wayne girl, speechless. “when you're dressed so nice, you actually look so tolerable.” or more like, she wants to tolerate him when he looks that attractive in a nice outfit, a dressed up man is always the way to her heart THEN adding the cooking and she's just a weakened wreck. helena doesn't let all of that slip, though. but she does compliment without letting him gain too much ego, surprise all over her face as she slowly sinks down in a chair. admiring how nice he looks is undeniable so she may as well discreetly admit it. plus, he deserves to know that too, she's stubborn & grudgy but she's not mean.

he’s plating everything,  setting two cups of coffee (black with a pinch of cinnamon for himself and a well-balanced one for her) on the spotless counter,  when he hears footsteps approaching and can’t help the smile that blooms on his lips the second their eyes meet.   “hi there,”   he greets her,  his heart stuttering because she looks so soft and dreamlike in his sweats and t-shirt.   it will be one hell of a challenge,  pretending they’re strangers nowthatshe’s slipped herself into his life like this.    she looks awfully domestic.   he marvels at her for a moment too long and something in him settles,  deep and irreversible.   this,  he thinks,  is what he’s been dreaming of all along.   too scared to admit it even to himself.   “your what?   sorry,  i —”   he turns around swiftly,  putting the pan in the sink while hiding the rosiness that overtakes his visage.   he needs a moment to pull himself together.   there’s just something so very special about a girl you really like wearing your clothes…

❛ well , the sooner i can get my bag the sooner we can get to the privacy of the car . ❜ abilene whispered , cheeks nearly glowing as memories of their first kiss against her truck and all of the nights spent in the truck bed with alex filtered through her mind . ❛ well , i missed you however much you missed me plus one , alexander . so i win . ❜ she was teasing him in one of the ways that her brother used to get on her nerves as a child . so i win was a statement often heard in the hoover household , and often followed by a nuh uh and whatever clever insults could come to mind .

❛ i've never been ice skating before . . . ❜ abilene mused , letting alex take her hand and lead her towards the parking lot . she'd learned better than to insist on carrying her own suitcase when alex was around after their first trip together and didn't bother with insisting on it . ❛ breakfast first . ❜ she agreed , squeezing his hand in hers . ❛ then unpacking ? then maybe ice skating ? ❜ abilene leaned her head on his arm as they walked .

❛ oh , but what will i wear ?! ❜ she repeated the line from the grinch in an effort to make him laugh . ❛ i don't think i packed any ice skating attire . . . unless you can ice skate looking like ralphie's little brother in the snow ? ❜ a christmas story , her father's favorite of the christmas movies . ❛ do you want to get breakfast somewhere , or we could cook some up at your place ? ❜ as they opened the outside door to chicago the burst of cold air made abilene snuggle a little closer to alex . his hoodie , while certainly enough for most of the cold back home , felt like she was wearing a tee shirt or a tank top out here .

alex has always been a rather private,  reserved person,  definitely not the kind of man who makes out with his partner in the middle of a busy airport during the holiday season.   and yet here he is,  unable to refrain from stealing these sweet kisses from abi’s lips,  not giving a damn who’s looking.   when he’s with her,  the world just melts away and it feels like they’re locked inside their very own bubble of sheer happiness.   “the privacy of the car,  you say?   just how we like it.”   the blond lets out a soft,  sheepish laugh,  his cheeks flushing a deep shade of crimson,  as though he wasn’t just kissing her like there’s no tomorrow a minute ago.   he does his best to try and focus on anything but the memories of her truck and those hot summer nights in texas,  the way his name sounded as it rolled off her tongue and echoed through the fields…   “oh,  have you seen our dinosaur?”   he blurts out,  talking about the massive dinosaur skeleton in terminal 1.   one of the things the o’hare airport is known for.   before they can head to the parking lot,  it’s only a minute or two away from where they’re standing and so he wants to take her there.   “look at it.   it’s a brachiosaurus.   they were herbivores and had really long necks,”   he explains,  pointing to the skeleton in the distance,  feeling like a giddy little boy again.

“impossible.   i missed you to the moon and back,  and then some!   i missed you so immensely that i couldn’t breathe or sleep or eat,”   he lightly argues,  laughing because he knows these games so well.   being the firstborn,  the eldest son,  he usually had to end such arguments so now it’s even more fun to engage in them.   “hey,  you taught me how to dance last time i was in texas,  now it’s my turn.   i’ll show you how to ice skate.”   about the dance classes…   he basically just stood there,  hypnotized,  studying her every move,  beaming.   he’s not the best dancer but he’s surprisingly decent when it comes to balancing on ice.   “that’s entirely up to you,  babe.”   whether she feels like stopping for breakfast downtown or prefers to go home and have it there.   “i make real good waffles and pancakes but then there’s this little cafe with the prettiest view of lake michigan.   they have every breakfast option under the sun.”   but they can always visit tomorrow or the day after that,  doesn’t have to be today,  he thinks,  smiling when he feels her nuzzle into him.   he kisses the top of her head.

“oh. well, then you could HAVE said that. you didn't have to be so rude and put me out in the cold.” saying with irritation still stinging her voice, even though now there is some logic in it but still. “but it's not as if i don't have places to be– i have to get home to ace. he needs a proper bathroom break, watered, fed, confirmation i haven't just abandoned him.” knowing her overly dramatic and sensitive german shepherd, he will think that and start worrying himself sick. ace is like a human wrapped in fur and pointy ears, plus they're always connected at the hip. “in your dreams, right?” since he apparently wants it to be a reality for himself so desperately.

“...why? are you trying to poison me now? what's the gimmick– why are you suddenly being so nice...” eyeing him skeptically, well his back, as eyes look him up and down. unwillingly to admit the muscles are disgustingly attractive. “i'm looking at the only allergen.” helena plays, “eggs and avocado are amazing. and i like my coffee iced or hot, i'm not really choosy with temperature unless it's summer then it's always iced. a splash of heavy cream and a little bit of sweetness so it's all well rounded. not too strong, not too sweet, a balance.” she informs, finally leaning up from the wall to push the door closed.

“yeah,  well,  you didn’t give me room for explanation.”   besides,  he did say that she could join him.   she’s the one who turned down the offer.   “oh,  great,  just don’t tell him that you spent the night at my place.   he’ll hate me even more than he already does.”   there’s no denying that ace is a very smart dog,  smarter than most humans if he’s being honest.   he’s very protective of helena and wary of alex so if he learns she ditched his fury companion for a man…   the last thing he needs in his life is a jealous german shepherd.   “i’ll drop you off.”   on his way to the library.   “oh,  and i’m finishing up around seven if you want to get another tattoo?”   he jokingly suggests,  rolling his eyes.   “you’re suppressing these feelings now but…   you’ll come around.”   he walks out of the room,  making kissy sounds just to push her buttons some more.

“no reason at all,  just feel like i’ve tormented you enough for one morning.   and nah,  you’re not allergic to me.   the word you’re looking for is…   addicted.   addicted to me.”   laughing,  their voices carry easily through the thin wall.   “a well-balanced coffee,  can do,”   he muses,  shaking his head at how detailed her answer is.   most people would simply reply with something like black or with cream and two sugars.   he won’t admit it out loud but he finds helena’s personality even more attractive than her looks,  which might be hard to believe since she’s the most beautiful girl in the world but it is true.   he likes her sense of humor and how eloquent she is,  how witty.   shaking his head,  trying to focus on picking his clothes for the day rather than daydreaming,  he ends up going with black dress pants,  leather loafers,  and a thick,  warm sweater in a rich,  caramel tone.   all paired with a tweed jacket that he’ll slip into later on.   he rolls up the sleeves of his sweater and clasps an old-fashioned watch onto his left wrist.   giving helena some much needed privacy,  he heads to the kitchen to fix them each an avocado and egg bagel,  and some well-balanced coffee.   that still makes him laugh to himself.

❛ lisichka , ❜ her father's voice words slurred from exhaustion when he picked up the phone after the fourth time that yekaterina called him . the pet name only stoked the fire that was burning in her belly , and she ground her teeth together to keep from yelling . he continued in russian , ❛ did you get my message earlier ? ❜

she couldn't help herself and scoffed , one arm crossed over her chest as the other held the phone to her ear . ❛ your message ? about the $150 that left my account this morning ? that one ? ❜ her cheeks were burning , surely flushed red by now , as were her ears . her father yawned on the other side of the phone and she heard the rustle of him rising from his bed .

❛ i only borrowed it , dear . ❜ alexander ivanovich cleared his throat , his voice sounding as though it was no big deal . yekaterina clenched her fist and began to pace around her dorm in an effort to spend all of the furious energy that was brewing inside of her . ❛ i will pay you back when i get another job . . . besides , you always make it back quickly . rent was due and i was in a tight spot , katyusha ㅤ ❜

❛ you're always in a tight spot ! ❜ she yelled , throwing her free hand up . ❛ i needed that money for my own bills . what am i going to do now ? tell the school that my father took it from me for gambling ?! ❜ yekaterina felt the first tear , hot and angry , spill down her face as her father stayed silent on the other end of the call .

❛ look , it's not as bad as you're making it , lisichka ㅤ ❜ somewhere in the back of her mind , yekaterina thought that she heard a quiet knock on her door . a knot built in her throat until each breath hurt . she wiped at her face with the back of her hand .

❛ do not call me that . i'm taking you off of everything ! ❜ there was another tense silence , and that time yekaterina did her the second knock . she turned to face the door but hesitated in moving forward . her father was protesting , talking about how she had turned on him , how she needed to care for him , her father , when yekaterina hung up and tossed the phone on the plush chair that was far too big for the room .

she wiped at her face with both eyes and took a deep , shuddering breath before she cracked open the door . on the other side stood @4lexnilsen , the boy she'd met a few months ago from the library , his hand raised as though he was about to knock again . had he heard her yelling from his own room ? was that why he was here , or was he coming to study ? she tried to recall if they had made plans for alex to study with her today before she had checked her bank account , but everything prior to then seemed blurry .

❛ you were supposed to be here at six , ❜ she teased him . ❛ your gift wasn't ready quite yet , she was going to get you some flowers or something before you got here . ❜ she wasn't upset , she couldn't be upset at alex when he was clinging to her like a lifeline in the middle of an airport , and she laughed again . she pulled away from him just enough to see those bright blue eyes , two dimples showing in her cheeks from her smile .

❛ i wasn't going to let you spend christmas alone , alex . ❜ not on his favorite holiday . ❛ and i missed you , a lot . ❜ over the speakers there was a loud buzz and slowly the carousel began to move . abilene hadn't packed much , after all she intended for this to be a relatively short trip , and only had the one small , hardsided yellow suitcase . she unwound her legs from around him and felt the floor under her feet once more . with her fingers intertwined with his , abilene pulled alex with her towards the bags beginning to roll past .

[ TO : VIEJO ] i just got a text that the package arrived ! it says that you can pick it up by the counter by carousel one .

after a moment she typed out another message , eyes entirely focused on her phone with only a quick glance to ensure she wasn't going to run into a wall or something .

[ TO : VIEJO ] i know you're upset about not making it home for christmas , so i hope you like it ! i'm done with chores if you want to call me on your ride home ?

was that too much ? was it too suspicious ? her thumb hovered over the send button . was this all a bad idea ? surprising him like this ? her mind was beginning to wander , pushed by another text from her brother promising to come get her if this didn't work out . she hit send , and then typed out a message to colt while she waited by the carousel for her yellow suitcase . she'd made good enough time that abilene was hoping she could stop by one of the little stores opening up for some flowers or something for alex before he got there .

from the bag slung over her shoulder abilene pulled out the hoodie alex had let her steal after their first date at the fair . it was so damn cold here . . . the snow had been pretty through the window of the plane but she couldn't understand how people managed to keep all of their fingers and toes in this kind of weather . abilene pulled her hair out from under the hoodie and finally let her eyes wander around the terminal .

alex’s phone buzzes in his hand just as he’s finishing his coffee.   he tosses the empty paper cup into the nearest trash can,  straightens up and looks at the lit-up screen.   his heart skips a beat.   abilene.   he smiles to himself,  growing more and more giddy.   he put her number under the name ‘sunshine girl ☀️’,  figuring it’s the only suitable one.   after all,  she’s his personal ray of sunshine.   thumbs skimming over the keyboard,  he wants to ask her what she’s doing up at five in the morning but if there’s one thing that he’s learned during his trips to texas,  it’s that life on a farm usually begins at the crack of dawn,  and so he deletes the very first message and retypes it.   god,  he’s still so nervous around her,  butterflies fluttering in his belly every time he gets to text her.

[ TO : sunshine girl ☀️ ] headed over there!   better be good bc i skipped my morning workout for this ;)  [ TO : sunshine girl ☀️ ] david’s not coming either.   he told me the other day they’re spending christmas with tham’s mom.   and cam’s kids got the flu.   so no regrets.     [ TO : sunshine girl ☀️ ] well,  one regret!   i do miss you and wish we could spend christmas together.   next year :)   will call for sure!   love you to the moon and back 💖

he slips his phone into the pocket of his pants and heads toward carousel one,  expecting a cardboard box,  maybe something handmade,  something sweet.   what he does not expect is the universe rearranging itself right before his eyes.   instead of a package,  he sees her.   and for a split second wonders if his eyes are playing tricks on him.   it can’t be.   but it is!  her face,  tilted up as she scans the crowd,  the terminal lights dancing in her hair as though she walked straight out of some dream he’s been clinging to all winter.   and the hoodie.   his hoodie.   he nearly melts into a puddle at the mere sight of her.   and when her eyes find his?   he stops breathing.   fully,  entirely.   his heart stutters,  then slams painfully against his ribs,  like it’s trying to break its way out and launch itself toward her.   shock hits first but it transforms almost instantly into something warmer.   she’s here.   she came to be with him on christmas!   

Tom Blyth and Emily Bader as Alex Nilsen and Poppy Wright

grabbing his cloth, she slaps him over the shoulder with it before letting it hang off him. "sounds like you're trying to make me feel bad for things out of my control. how shameful of you." it hits personally, because she's never fit in all due to being born to a billionaire so the comment really rubs her the wrong way. "at least i chose a job to do. instead of sitting back, doing nothing and contributing to nothing, being absolutely no help to the world." she points out, her jaw clenching. and he doesn't even realize how much money her family pours into helping those in need, but she doesn't find a reason to prove that.

"i got it tattooed because i was drunk? i BARELY remember it." she corrects, he's truly insane and utterly full of himself if he thinks it's anything more. backing up against the wall as soon as he's finished and he comes pushing his way through out of the shower naked, closing her eyes and looking the other way. "hm." it didn't offend him? when it looks entirely like offense, she contemplates. which is even more strange and bewildering because why. "again, because i was intoxicated." opening her eyes, she moves back towards the shower and turns the water back on since he wasn't considerate enough to leave it on for her, too.

“no,  i’m not trying to make you feel bad,  just explaining why i’m kind of in a rush and pointing out why you don’t have to be,”   he sighs,  realizing he might have sounded a little too harsh,  contemplating whether he owes her an apology and deciding against it.   it would make her ego skyrocket.   “alright,  fine,  fine…”   throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation,  he can’t really argue with the point she’s making so he simply ignores it and changes the subject.   “you can shower now.   i’ll go get dressed and fix us some breakfast.”   he isn’t really hungry,  not with his head still throbbing and the taste of alcohol lingering on his tongue regardless of how thoroughly he’s brushed his teeth,  but advil shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach.   “keep telling yourself that.   you got it tattooed because you have a big,  fat crush on me,  stranger,”   he teases with a laugh,  trailing to the door.   he wants to give her the privacy that she’s so desperately fought for and so he doesn’t turn around while adding,   “you allergic to anything?   eggs?   avocado?   and how you like your coffee?”