Alec decided seven was an unlucky number.
Seven times he'd called Cat, seven times she didn't pick up, seven days had passed since he'd seen her, and seven moments when he'd gotten the urge to go by her apartment to check on her, only to have seven random extra tasks thrown on his plate, robbing him of the opportunity.
He'd never missed anyone so much in his entire life.
He also had an ominous sense that something was off between them since she'd left the after-party without even so much as a wave at him, or an "I'll see you later."
On the career front, however, things were going amazing.
The play was sold out every night, stellar reviews appeared in every paper and magazine in the city, and scripts were stacking up on Richie's desk faster than he could keep up with.
Then there was Monique.
Alec couldn't decide if that was a bad thing or a good thing.
Once she had attacked Alec with her mouth the night of the party, it seemed as if she assumed the role of his girlfriend without even consulting with him about it. Whether it was out of politeness or the sheer fact he was finally getting some much-needed physical affection, he didn't do a whole lot to stop what was happening.
Monique was a refined lady when the two were out in public together; however, behind closed doors, she had an almost uncomfortably kinky appetite, and she was incredibly obliging to the point Alec just couldn't say no to her.
He was physically present with her in those moments of intimacy, but his heart and mind were perpetually across town in the apartment where he'd spent so much of his spare time for the better part of a year.
And the whole situation made him sick to his stomach.
Just as Richie had predicted, the press was having a field day, and Alec was not so naïve as to think Cat would simply miss the fact he and Monique were being splashed across every tabloid at the neighborhood newsstand. He had a sneaking suspicion that was the cause of her sudden distant nature, which sent his mind reeling.
Did she feel replaced? Did she just want to give him space with his new girlfriend? Or, did she actually have deeper feelings for him and was suddenly consumed with jealousy?
Alec didn't know, but he was about to find out.
On the eighth day, he finally got a response from Cat.
He had opted to send her a text message, stating he'd left a jacket at her place the last time he had visited and needed to pick it up. After waiting for a good three hours, she replied, “Come by whenever.”
In his mind, "whenever" meant that second, and he practically sprinted the three blocks from his apartment to hers.
As he was making his way up her stairs, he caught a glimpse of her placing his jacket on the hook affixed to her doorframe and then immediately disappearing back inside.
"Cat," he called after knocking a couple of times. "Cat, can I come in? Please?"
No response.
"C'mon, Cat. I know you're in there. I just saw you."
After a few moments of silence, Alec heard the lock click open, but the door remained shut, so he went ahead and let himself in. He scanned the room, but didn't see his friend.
"Ca-at…don't hide from me."
"I'm not hiding!" her voice hollered from the kitchen. "I'm just very busy. I do have a life of my own, you know."
Alec stepped into the kitchen to see Cat sitting on the floor with a bucket of sudsy water, furiously scrubbing a baseboard. Her hair was piled up into a messy knot, and she wore a ratty old tank top and super-short cut-offs.
He bent down and sat on the floor a few feet away from her, causing her to cast an annoyed look at him.
"Can I help you with something?" Cat blurted out. "I know you didn't come here to help scrub my floors, and I know you have Monique to help you practice your lines, so…" She trailed off.
So this is about Monique, Alec figured. He needed to hear it from Cat, though. Assumptions were treacherous things.
"Cat," Alec began, using a gentle tone. "What's going on?"
"Why do you think something's going on?" she asked with her back to him.
"You've been avoiding my phone calls. You left last week without saying 'bye.’"
"Well, you were busy that night, so I knew you didn't need your lame-ass neighbor lingering around. As if I had some right to be there—”
"Hey," he cut in firmly, but still gently. "Stop that."
Cat slammed the brush into the bucket, sending the foamy water splashing toward him. She stood up and stepped around him as she left the kitchen, and he jumped off the floor to follow her.
"You have your jacket. Why are you still here?" she hissed.
"Because I wanted to see you," Alec insisted. "Why are you being like this?"
"Being like what?"
"Acting like we're not friends anymore, like you hate my guts all of a sudden."
Cat rolled her eyes. "I don't hate your guts."
"Then what's your deal?" he pressed.
She shrugged and flipped her eyelashes smugly. "I have no deal."
Her stark change in behavior started to grate on him and he began raising his voice. "Yes, you do! Something has obviously been bothering you for a week now, and I'm not leaving until you talk to me about it."
Cat started unabashedly shouting at him as she threw flippant gestures in the air. "There's nothing to talk about, Alec! You're a big star now! You have a beautiful, talented, famous girlfriend! You got everything you ever wanted, so you don't need me anymore!"
Her comment bit at his heart. He hadn't gotten everything he ever wanted. What he wanted most stood right across the room from him, and he was suddenly gripped with a sense of urgency to finally clue her in.
"That's not true!" Alec yelled as he grabbed her by the arms and forcefully jerked her close to him. Not even a microsecond later, a loud smack echoed across the room, causing his hands to instantly release her.
His face stung.
Hers was stained with tears.
They stood motionless across from each other and their blue eyes held, but not in the way they always had before.
No, this was a new gaze. One that was replete with hurt, anger, and disbelief on both ends.
Cat finally lost the pain-filled staring contest when her eyebrows knitted, and the tiniest little sob choked its way out of her throat.
"Don't you ever touch me like that again," she whispered, as her chin quivered and the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"Cat, I—I'm sorry." Alec's voice was a whisper as well. He could barely force any breath past the aching lump in his throat. He started to approach her, following his instinctual need to comfort her. "I didn't mean t—"
"Go to hell, Alec."
She turned sharply and left the room.
"Cat, you were the one who told me to get a girlfriend!" he called after her, his voice pleading painfully.
"That's right, I did! Nice to see you finally listened to me about something."
Crack went both the slam of her bedroom door and the split of his heart inside his chest as he realized things would never be the same between them again.