The rest of the night was a blur for Alex. As much as he wanted to ask Edward and Chloe both to leave, he knew removing Edward, a Noble of Sharp Edge, would be political suicide.
So the two stayed, laughing and drinking as they made their rounds through the crowds. Edward made sure to glance at Alex from time to time, giving him a beaming smile when their eyes met. He knew full well what he was doing, and that Alex had no choice but to play along. Alex, for the most part, kept his distance from the pair throughout the night.
But time passed, and the crowd in Alex's home began to dwindle in the early hours of the morning, and soon the three were alone. Alex made no effort to engage either of them and instead made himself busy cleaning up the kitchen and living room. Alex could feel Edward's gaze but didn't dare look him in the eyes.
"Quite the party Alex, and I don't think I mentioned how nice the new house is," Edward said as he watched Alex clean dishes in the kitchen sink.
"Thanks, Edward," Alex replied dryly.
"No, really. I mean it. I'm proud of you," Edward said. Alex had to give him credit, he really did sound like he cared. In that briefest of moments, he sounded like the old Edward. Alex heard a flush from the downstairs bathroom, and Chloe came out to join them. She and Alex caught each other's gaze for a moment, before looking away awkwardly. Edward took a swig of his beer and smirked.
"Jesus, can we just bury this hatchet already?" Edward asked.
"I told you not to bring it up," Chloe said quickly, eyeing Alex apologetically.
"Oh come on. You two look fucking miserable! That night... it was supposed to be a fun thing, it wasn't supposed to go this way. Come on Alex, we were friends once, right? Are we really going to let this misunderstanding get in the way of our friendship?" Edward walked over to Alex, his large frame towering over Alex.
"Is this why you two came? To try and make amends?" Alex asked, still washing the dishes calmly. Both Edward and Chloe spoke simultaneously.
"Yes," Edward said.
"No," Chloe said.
Alex looked up from the dishes and raised an eyebrow. Chloe glared at Edward who simply shrugged apologetically.
"Well, at least now I know you two haven't gotten your story straight behind my back. That's a start at least," Alex said. The three laughed together for a moment.
"Seriously, Alex. All this, it's a huge misunderstanding. Chloe is fucking miserable all the time. You should see the way she's moping around the office these days. And for what? A little slip-up during a fun night? Shit, even I'm miserable... sometimes," Edward said.
"But, she's still your secretary," Alex said, doing his best to hide trembling hands.
"Is that what this is about? The work-wife situation? Look, I did it as a favor to Chloe, alright? Yes ok, the title is questionable, and... yeah ok we did fuck a few times but-"
"Edward!" Chloe hissed.
"Wait wait let me finish! BUT, and this is the big but, bud. She told me it was done, alright? She cut me off and Alex," Edward leaned into Alex, who turned to face him.
"As in, she's done being your secretary?"
"What? No man, she needs the job. Done with fucking me, and I fucking respect that shit. Got it? For her, for you. I fucking respect whatever fucking boundaries she puts up, alright? That means we're not fucking right now, for you!" Edward wobbled on his feet for a moment, Alex could smell the alcohol on his breath as Edward steadied himself by grabbing the kitchen counter. Alex looked at Chloe.
"Is that true?" Alex said. She hesitated a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, it's true. Like I said, that isn't what I wanted. Taking the job, it was never about fucking Edward, Alex. It was about making a better life for ourselves. I was doing it for us," Chloe replied.
