Love in Ice

Antti's eyes blinked open, feeling another body snuggle closer into his. He flushed slightly when he saw his arms wrapped around his best friend's waist. He could feel his face burn more as he noticed her hands placed lightly on his bare chest. Antti relaxed, letting out a soft yawn.

Alex looked completely calm in her sleeping form, and he was happy that he was able to get her to release her worries. Seeing her cry induced little tugging sensations at his heart; he had wanted to stop her tears and make her feel better. For the mean time, he had succeeded.

Antti softly rubbed the exposed skin of Alex's waist, fingertips tingling at the contact. He smiled softly when she placed her cheek on his chest as well, remaining as still as he could as to not wake her. His heart raced away, and his mind followed afterward.

'If only it were possible...to be with her...Still, if I can't be with her, then I just want her happy.'

Antti laid down with his best friend for a few minutes before deciding to quickly take a shower before making the two of them breakfast. Carefully he removed his arms from around her waist, which made her stir in her sleep. After she ceased her moving, Antti rose from the bed and, grabbing a few articles of clothing, headed to the bathroom.

Ten minutes steamed away, and Antti slipped out of the bathroom, fully clothed with his damp hair dripping. He walked to his room, spotting Alex still fast asleep in bed. He noticed with a smile how she had moved over to his pillow on his side of the bed, blankets pulled over her. He walked silently over to the vacant half of the bed, sitting on the edge. Antti lightly shook his friend, whispering, "Hey Alex...Alex."

Brown eyes slowly fluttered open, and the young woman inquired, "Yeah Antti?"

"Did you want to take a shower before I made you breakfast?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks," drawled Alex sleepily, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She stretched herself out, releasing the lagging feelings of sleep from her limbs. Antti took a risk, pulling her back onto the bed. The woman in his hold shrieked in surprise before Antti waggled his fingers along her sides.

Heat traveled through the thin fabric Alex wore and to his fingers instantly, and he laughed. Alex, after the initial shock wore off, giggled uncontrollably. She gasped out, "A-A-Antti...Please...S-Stop!"

He continued tickling her, and they laughed together. Antti stopped after a little longer, leaning over her face. He noticed her brown eyes gleamed with a beautiful light, and something else flashed in them before going away. Testing a quickly passing thought, he slowly brought his face closer to hers.

Alex could not control the short rasps of breath, sensing how close they were. Her eyes flickered from his eyes, to his lips, to his eyes again. The lighthearted tone was replaced with an excited and nervous tone, to which she placed her hand on his cheek. His burning cheek was enough to make her hand tingle, and she laid completely still in waiting.

He whispered, looking to the hand on his face, "I've woken you up now, huh?"

Her eyes widened, watching as he lifted himself into a sitting position on the bed. A set of stunned seconds and he disappeared to another room in his apartment, leaving her mind to make sense of the events that just occurred.

'What...happened,' she thought, allowing her heart to come to a normal pace, which took longer than usual. Alex was completely dazed; She was almost certain that something was going to happen between them.

That he was going to kiss her...

She wondered aloud, "What would I do if he did?"

Alex took her thoughts with her into the shower. She quickly showered and dressed into the clothes she had packed with her: The uniform black polo shirt with the lime green long-sleeved shirt under it, comfortable blue jeans and white running shoes to finish it off. She did not want to keep her best friend waiting. He did have somewhere to be, and he was so generous as to help her make posters to find her dog. Not only that, but he vowed to do anything possible when he came back. Her heart skipped at the thought.

How could she have such a wonderful, caring friend?

After getting dressed, she made her way to the living room, placing her overnight bag on the sofa. "Alex," called Antti, which unintentionally tugged at her heart.

Walking towards the sound of his voice, she found him in his kitchen, beginning to make some eggs and bacon. Alex smiled at the tall man with a light blush, who returned it with a knowing smirk. She moved to his left counter, leaning against it leisurely. Antti looked at her through the corner of his eye, not knowing that she watched him at a rather lax level. He turned back to the breakfast he was preparing for them, hiding back a fierce blush from appearing on his face.

Alex silently questioned him with a tilt of her eyebrow, to which he shook his head. He did not want her to know his inner most wishes.

Holding her, kissing her, and...loving her.

His heart leaped at those thoughts, and the smile spreading on his face could not be held back. Antti finished the breakfast within the next few minutes. Alex moved from her place against the counter and went searching for the plates. She handed them to him before reaching out for some coffee cups.

Soon enough both of them sat at the center island of his kitchen, eating breakfast. They sat close to each other with a comfortable amount of space between them. Alex looked at her best friend, noticing that he too was in deep thought.

Antti knew her eyes rested on him, and he found his smile reappearing. It did not take long before they were both done with breakfast. Antti retrieved some extra paper and a few Sharpies. "It's not much, but it's a start."

"Don't be silly! This is just fine. I can go make copies of the posters we're making now at a copier store or at work. Besides, I'll need to get a big picture to go along with it so people can see what Riles looks like."

Her companion nodded, grabbing a few pieces of paper. He noticed her hand shaking slightly, and he quickly saw the tears escape her eyes. Antti scooted his stool closer to Alex, wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her to him. Alex willed her tears away, comfort once again calming her down.

Antti moved her hair near her temple, placing his lips there instead. He whispered, leaving his lips there, "We'll get him back, Alex. Don't cry, you don't have to worry." He felt her nod, and he left a final peck on her temple before turning back to the posters. He let his arm linger around her waist, hoping it would keep her reassured.

It did just that. Alex enjoyed the closeness between them, feeling the warmth of Antti's body heat clearing her mind. 'He really did kiss my forehead last night...Several times...It wasn't just my imagination,' she thought, her skin still burning from the earlier contact. She knew that would take a long time of getting used to...

If it were to happen again.

In between the trips to her apartment--free of any signs of a crime scene squad but still messy from the breaking and entering--to the copier store and back again, the morning quickly gave way to the early signs of the afternoon. As Antti pulled up to her apartment, Alex braced herself for the next few days. She convinced Antti that he had done more than enough for her already and that she could handle herself on her way to work. He had agreed, but only after an attempt to get her to give in had failed.

It had, however, gotten her to laugh and smile with him. Although she remained stubborn and firmly stuck with her decision, Alex admitted--not to anyone but herself--that he was extremely close to having her give in. She thought, stealing a quick look to her left, 'He was too adorable with his pleading, and I actually had to force myself from changing my mind. He did win the battle with the copier store, though.'

Alex opened the door, climbing out to get to the trunk of Antti's truck. She heard the engine turn silent, and she stopped short. Antti walked around, meeting her at the trunk. He opened the trunk and retrieved the box of posters they had photocopied to place around the city. Alex reached to take it from his hands, but he moved it away from her grasp. She let him win again, reaching for the bag she had packed. She noticed that Antti had packed his things he was taking to Detroit in his trunk.

Shifting the relatively small box to his left hand, he locked up his truck. Antti slipped his arm loosely around his best friend's waist, walking with her to her apartment. Once inside the apartment, Alex set her bag on the kitchen table. Antti placed the box of posters next to it, and shortly afterward came a series of knocks.

They both walked back, Alex looking through the peephole. Her heart dropped at the sight on the other side.

Vance.

'Why do I feel so bad right now,' Alex asked herself, quickly regaining her thoughts and answering the door.

"Hi Alex."

'That's new', she thought. She smiled slightly, replying, "Hey Vance. Sorry, this isn't really a good time."

"Wow, what happened here?"

"Someone broke into my house and took my dog, Riles. Remember him?"

"Yeah, we were going to walk with Riles and Lily just this Saturday. I'm sorry. I can help you out, if you want. I can make posters, and then we can find him...later," Vance said, voice fading near the end of his sentence. He did not sound too concerned or sincere, which was pretty odd to Alex. He noticed the third person in the apartment with an astonished look in his eyes, pulling her to his side.

Alex watched as Antti's eyes flashed between two emotions, which then became guarded and careful. Vance let go of Alex for a moment, reaching out for a handshake, "Nice to finally meet you. You have a great playing style."

Antti nodded, shaking his hand. "Thank you. Glad to meet you. You've...got yourself a good one." His accent weighed heavily on the last sentence, and his hesitation was not unnoticed.

Vance smiled in a bragging manner, pressing his lips to Alex's. The young woman suppressed the need to pull away and shudder, feeling grateful as Vance pulled away.

"Well, I'll let you get to work. I'll call you later," Vance said, stealing another kiss from his girlfriend before leaving.

Alex turned to Antti, seeing the same guarded look in his now light gray eyes. She mused worriedly, voice raising significantly in pitch, "I was going to tell you once I knew what exactly what Vance was to me, but everything happened so quickly, and now I have no idea what to think anymore but the fact that you're most likely mad at me, and..."

He walked over to the rambling woman and enveloped her in a snug embrace, placing his chin on the top of her head. "I'm not mad at you. Why should I be? And besides, there was no way you would remember to tell me with what just happened. Let's just focus on finding Riles and then take it from there, okay?"

Alex's heart skipped several beats at his, in her opinion, beyond kind words. Still, she knew that his eyes had shone in astonished anger as well as another emotion...

Sadness?

She turned to meet his eyes, wondering if it also had to do with that response to Vance. They appeared almost pained to her...Heartbreak certainly sounded like an overstatement.

"I know the morning went by quickly and all, but it's time for me to go," Antti said to Alex, who definitely heard the pained tone to his voice.

"Y-Yeah, of course. I'm--"

"Sorry? I know, but you don't have to be sorry. I like being with you, best friend," he interrupted with a wink, Alex's face burning furiously.

They both walked out of the apartment, Alex locking the door behind her. They reached the truck, and Alex grabbed Antti's hand, warmth greeting her.

"I know you'll do great anyway, but good luck Nemo," she mused, twining her fingers with his.

"Thanks Alley Cat. I'll call you when I get to Detroit. Good luck finding Riles," Antti told her, giving her another hug. Alex smiled when he did so, wrapping her arms around him as well.

"I'll count on that," she mused, laughing a little. "And thank you. Talk to you later!"

"For sure, for sure."

With that, Antti pressed a kiss to her forehead and headed to his truck. Alex watched as he drove away, muttering a low, "I'll miss you."

Alex quickly made her way inside, getting ready for work. Not only was she planning to go to work, but she was also planning a few signs up about her missing dog. She hoped he would turn up by the time Antti came back. Even better if he was found within the next twenty-four hours.

"I know you're alive out there, Riles...Just hang in there for me," Alex said to herself with a determined air. She would find her dog soon.

She was absolutely sure of that.