Rules on Relationships

"Author Note:
I'm sad that this story is ending! But I had fun writing it again, and after much thought, I am going to continue writing my intended trilogy. Expect the sequel in a couple of days!"

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Day Three in New York, I was already stressed the moment I landed in the Big Apple with my only luggage and a cab ride to the hotel. I didn't like being there knowing that I was going to spend my week with Kenneth Blake, the jerk who called me just to tell me that he was excited to catch up with me again.
He said that he wanted to create a portfolio of some sort and needed help writing a series of biographies with him about the students in the Academy for their upcoming performances as well as for their audition applications, and he wasn't fond of all of them, so he always lashed out at me after we interviewed each one. There were ten students, and then him, and we stayed up late one night to figure out the writing style he wanted and what type of vibe he wanted the whole mini-biography to have.
He was so hard to work with!
Even the Graphic Design student that agreed to help us walked out on us a couple of times because of Kenneth's aggressive and arrogant behavior, and I suppose his ego got bigger since he was offered a role in a Broadway show.

After Day Five, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Kenneth, you can't expect things to always work the way you want it to!" I yelled with my hands clenched to a fist - very prepared to smack him one. I was trapped in an argument with my ex-boyfriend and his selfish ways again. It was roughly around seven to eight o'clock in the evening, and we lacked sleep as well as coffee since we began to write up the entire biography.
"Roxanne, it needs to be perfect," He argued as he turned his attention back to the Graphic Designer, Belle, whose mouse was abused by her finger by the constant clicking and change of layout.
"Why don't you two go buy some food, I'll sort this stuff out," Belle groaned as she fixed her headband and shooed Kenneth away from her personal space. "And if you don't mind, I'd like some wontons."
"It better be right, Belle. Argh, come on, Roxy, let's go get something from the Chinese Take-outs a few block from here," He grunted as he didn't hesitate to grab me by the wrist and tug me out of the Belle's studio, and he didn't let go until we reached the elevator, where he began to rub his forehead with groans escaping his closed lips. There were bags under his eyes, and because I was used to seeing him so prim and proper with a tint of makeup to hide his imperfections, it seemed odd with him standing there with a bare face.
Sometimes, I would doubt if he was straight or not.
"Roxy, because I bitch at you, doesn't mean I don't like you," He suddenly stated. The doors beeped and we both remained quiet when three people walked inside with their flash business suits and briefcases at tow, one had fiddled through their blackberry and the other did the same, the third on was dozing. I managed to glance towards Kenneth to find him staring at me with such focus, and I mouthed, what, but he couldn't answer because the doors once again opened and two more people walked in.
Being pushed to the back, I was practically pressed against his arm when one more person added into the elevator, and he seemed to like it.
The egotistic bastard's hand grabbed a hold of my butt and stayed there for the duration of the elevator ride from the 8th floor to the lobby. When everyone walked out, I quickly escaped and wanted to slap him for inappropriately touching me, but so many people had brushed passed us. I didn't want to make some sort of scene.
"You shouldn't resist me," He managed to whisper into my ear as we continued on with where we were headed. I felt uncomfortable, that was the first time in those days with him that he decided to make any advances towards me. I didn't even feel anything for him at all, when did he think up the idea that I wanted him back?
"I have Michael," I replied sternly to make sure he understood me loud and clear.
"Yeah, but he won't be as great as me."
"Actually, he is," I hissed.
"Roxy, if you look back, I have never put you behind something else, even my dream for Broadway came second," He pointed out. It was a legitimate statement.

Ex-Boyfriend's comment about current Boyfriend: "You would always be second to his dream."

While we waited for the meal to cook, I sat on one side of the booth as Kenneth sat at the other. I didn't think he knew that what he said made quite an impact on my thoughts about Michael and his Swimming. I didn't mind him having a dream and loving his life in the water, but my ex-boyfriend was - surprisingly - right about all that.
He made me realize that throughout my whole time with my current boyfriend, I haven't heard him say that I was his number one, instead, he always told me that he preferred to swim and loved to swim since he was younger, and I wasn't sure if I ever interpreted his words right because he got angry at me for getting angry at him for talking about swimming too much.

"I feel like I'm right, aren't I?" Kenneth interrupted my train of thoughts, he had a stare that made me just want to hit him, but I eased myself and asked, "What makes you think that?"
"You're quiet, and you tend to frown a bit and wrinkle your nose every time you're thinking and not happy about it," He described. I instantly straightened my eyebrows and nose to make sure that I wasn't doing what he just said, although he described what Michael once told me about when I was in my own little thinking world.
Has Kenneth been paying attention to me?
"I know, your boyfriend probably notices it already, but before him, I was the first one who held your hand when you felt scared. I was the first one who hugged you when you cried, the one who spent the whole weekend with you when Lia went home to her Family and you missed yours too because your plans to go to LA was canceled. And I was definitely the first one to kiss you," He listed down. "And who was the one willing to give up his dream just so he could follow you anywhere just to be with you? I was always willing to, and I was always wanting to. I was just stupid in my teens, and now, spending time with you made me realize how much I really want you."
"You can't do this to me, Kenneth, this is wrong." I shook my head and denied any form of comfort or touch from him as I stood up and walked out. He was trying to make me doubt about my relationship, but why did I doubt? I loved Michael, didn't I?
Kenneth followed with the bag in his hands, he quickly caught up with me and continued, "I bet, if you asked him now, he wouldn't give you the answer straight away."

And just in time, my phone rang. It was Michael.

"Go on. Ask him if he'd ever be willing to put you first." Kenneth egged me on.
I pushed him away and walked faster while I pressed the button and pressed my phone against my ear. With a deep exhale, my words jumbled up, and instead of greeting him, I asked, "Am I important to you as your Swimming?"
There was a smirk curved on Kenneth's lips as we waited by the traffic light, his gaze told me that he was right. I gulped and hoped that he wasn't right, but then again, I was wrong.
Michael hesitated. He didn't answer straight away, he was stuttering his words, and when he finally found the right words, he said, "What brought that up? I love you, Anne, it's just... Swimming is my life."

I hung up.

Ex-Boyfriend's comment about current Boyfriend: "He won't know you like I did."

Day Six...
My flight back to Ann Arbor was tomorrow evening, around ten, because I wanted to explore New York on my own for the rest of my final day there. Fulton told me that he wanted me to enjoy and concentrate fully on the rest of my semester, and he also commented that my youth was already well-spent on my relationship and the publication of my book. Michael liked the idea of having a how-to guide and didn't mind being the test dummy because in the end he "got the girl".

Or maybe not.

It was nine in the evening and we finally finished writing the final biography and got Kenneth to be pleased with it, he decided to treat Belle and I to drinks at the bar across the road, but Belle wanted to stay behind and work on the book because the layout was still disapproved of by Kenneth, and because she didn't like going to bars when she had unfinished work. She made a bunch of reasons why she didn't want to go, and we left her after she said that she couldn't go because she didn't want to be around intoxicated men.
So it was just me and my ex-boyfriend, Kenneth. That was so weird to say.
"How is your 'boyfriend' problems?" Kenneth grinned from ear to ear.
"There's no problem." I denied.
"Well, last night, your phone was ringing a lot, so you put it on silent and left it on the coffee table. I peeked at the constant caller, and it was your swimming boyfriend fishing for your attention." He chuckled. "The only reason you wouldn't answer calls is because you're angry."
I shook my head. "There's nothing wrong, let's just go get some drinks. The only reason I agreed to coming out with you tonight was because I want to drink, not because of you, got that?" I growled.
"Meow," He teased. "Kitty Cat's got her paws out." He sounded rather excited as we crossed the road and entered the bar. It was full of people around our age, some had their suits on - probably went to work for half the day - and others were casually drinking while playing pool on the side. A few were with their girlfriends and only three groups of women huddled around one booth.
We took a seat at the bar stool and instantly began to order drinks.
"Is it wrong to be here and drinking with an ex-boyfriend?" I questioned myself aloud with the music settling down just in time for me to say it.
Kenneth shook his head. "Don't think of me as an ex-boyfriend, that was two years ago. Now, I am Kenneth Blake, a friend of yours from High School," He instructed me as he gulped down one shot.
I held onto one shot glass and ready to swallow it in one shot, but as I held it, I thought about what I was doing. I didn't know why I wanted to be around Kenneth more, though I figured it was because of Michael's answer and Kenneth's always got things correct lately.
Although I didn't want the free drink to go to waste, I had to put it down and walk out on Kenneth once again. I shouldn't have been there in the first place.
"Wait," I heard him call. I heard him slam the other shot glass on the table and pay the bartender. He chased after me once I reached the park, and he held my shoulders to keep me from walking further away. I didn't want to be there anymore, and since we were finished, I didn't want to see Kenneth again and make me doubt. I just wanted to go back to Ann Arbor.
"You can't keep walking out on me like that."
"Kenneth," I sighed and shrugged his hands off of me. "I don't want anything to do with you."
"What? Are you really going to stay with a guy knowing your just second best?" He criticized.
I merely nodded. "You made me doubt about my relationship. I shouldn't doubt about it because I accepted to be Michael's girlfriend knowing I would end up having to put up his annoying lifestyle and his random mood swings, but regardless of those things, I will still love him."

"Glad to hear that."

A familiar voice...
Kenneth and I turned our heads to the side as Michael had a subtle smile on his face while walking through the entrance of the park. He came closer to me without another word, his smile faded into a frown and he pulled me by the arm to step away from the threat. They stood there with deadly tension between them, and if something were to happen, I would be screwed.
"Let's just go," I tugged on Michael's arm. He wouldn't budge.
"Saying you love someone and putting them second is rather sad, don't you think?" Kenneth continued to probe.
I tugged onto Michael once more, and he seemed to have noticed because he turned around to look at me. He nodded and held my hand, but before he took a step, he let go of my hand and said, "Since I might not have this change again, I have to do something that I promised your Dad."
Oh no.
In a blink, Kenneth was on the ground, and I stood there in shock. Michael grabbed onto my hands again and we walked deeper into the park. Fortunately, when he collided his fist into Kenneth's right cheek, there was no one around and it was on the darker part of the entrance. But still!

Current Boyfriend's comment about Ex-Boyfriend: "He's an asshole."

I felt bad for doubting Michael, and when we walked to an empty bench, he sat me down before he sat down beside me. He stared at his fist that had a red tint to it. I sighed and grasped onto his wrist and gave his fist a peck, I caressed his hand as I looked up at him and said, "You didn't have to do that."
"I promised your Dad," He mumbled. "But you promised me that you wouldn't let him in again."
"I wasn't... He wasn't-"
"-Then why were you suddenly acting distant?"
I fell quiet and let go of his hand, my head lowered as I turned away in shame.
Michael sighed and leaned back on the bench. "I love you, Anne. Can't you get that into your head without over thinking things?" He asked with an angry tone.
I sat there with my conscience feeling guilty.
"I want you to promise me something..." He was fidgeting about on the spot. "Look at me," He called as he cupped my chin and made me turn his way. He suddenly smiled again, he had a softer expression and didn't seem angry from the sound of it.
"I'm really sorry, Michael, I can be so gullible sometimes."
"I know that. I learnt a lot about you throughout the time I'm with you, and I learn more things every time."
"But I feel like an ass."
"No, that's just Kenneth," He commented and made me giggle. He knew the right things to say. He then lifted my left hand and took out a box. My eyes narrowed, I shook my head and asked him if he was proposing to me, but he didn't answer until he opened the box to reveal a simple silver ring that had a cute pattern all around it.
"What is that...?"
"I thought about what you said the other day, how you thought about not being important to me as Swimming, and I didn't like that at all," He explained as he took out the ring and slipped it into my ring finger. "You know very well that you're very important to me, and one day, like I said on our anniversary, I want to marry you. But we're young and things can't go too far ahead when we aren't even ready, so this is a promise ring."
"W-What..." I stammered as my head was steadily catching up.
"When I heard Derek talk about Lia, I began to think about us. I'm training so hard for the Olympics so that I can win those medals and make my family and you proud of me. I want to work hard so that I'd be worthy enough for you before I marry you. I want to have a future with you and live together under the same roof so I can wake up and see you there, and even if we're going through our relationship slowly as long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter." Michael's words were slowly being digested by my brain, and the more he went on, the more tears began to flow out of my eyes. I couldn't even say anything in response other than a mere whimper. "There are only two things I ask from you. One is to promise me that you stop thinking like you're not important to me. Don't doubt or think negative things like I would leave you. I love you, Roxanne Miller, and there's a reason why I chose you out of all the other girls out there. Can you promise me that?"
"What's the other one?"
"To love me for... Well, you know, forever," He playfully replied while wiping away the tears down my cheeks.
"I can do that," I agreed and smiled.
"Good, I was worried there for a sec." The two of us shared a chuckle before a kiss. "Let's go celebrate with a nice dinner," He suddenly said as he stood up and pulled me into his arms.
"Haven't you eaten?" I asked while walking beside him and staring at the ring.
"I arrived two hours ago, I went to your hotel, you weren't there, so I called your boss, and he said you were at the Graphic Designer's place," He explained. "Then I went there to be told you went to a bar with that person, I crossed the street, found you and then followed you. Now here we are."
"It took you two hours?"
"I didn't even bring extra clothes."
"I feel loved," I teased.
Michael gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "I only love you."

Only you.