Hey Look, It's You!

[Izaak Finch]

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Juggling a tray of two takeaway coffees in one hand whilst the other pulled out his phone from his
denim pocket, Izaak Finch had to bite back a laugh when he checked the time that flashed across
the screen. It was barely eight o’clock, the morning hadn’t even begun but Izaak had already left
Bondi, in fact he had already left Australia for the country that neighboured its shores. To be fair
though it only took a second, two at the most, for him to be pulled across the Tasman Sea and
right into the wizarding heart of New Zealand. The smaller country was a little cooler than the
weather he had dressed for in Australia, but it was still as if summer had come a month early,
maybe a season early. And the twenty-two year old had taken it for all its worth; between work
and the copious amounts of time that he already spent on the beach, Izaak’s skin had richened
past its usually bronze sheen and the wearing of the clean white tank only seemed to intensify his
tan as he turned onto a street that had grown warmly familiar to him over the past year. A smile lit
up his face, flashing a pair of bright white teeth absentmindedly at the sight of the building that
stood before him and it took everything that he had not to break into a jog to reach it faster.
Perhaps if it weren’t for the chance of spilling scalding hot coffee all over himself, he might have
picked up the pace anyway.

Alianne Cooper was a girl worth running for, he had decided that a long time ago. Hell, she could
make him smile without even being there to see its glow upon his handsome face and its glint in
his azure blue eyes. There weren’t many girls that Izaak could say that about any more. But she
in all her wild differences wasn’t just an average girl, she was his rock, his best friend, the very
reason that he was still alive and there was not a hint of exaggeration there. It had been her
hands that had pulled him from the edge of that cliff after all and then her faith and belief in him
that had saved him emotionally. Now Izaak didn’t know much about lost causes, except that he
would have been one if it weren’t for that exceptional young woman. And now, as he began to
place the broken fragments of Alexis’ death behind him, Izaak couldn’t even begin to think of all
the ways he had to thank her in. Which was why he was in New Zealand at this crisp hour of the
morning, about to come a-knocking on her door. Finding himself inside the apartment building
with an anticipated wrenching open of the door, Izaak took the steps two at a time as he always
did before he reached her floor. Sprawling his fingers through his unruly hair, Izaak used his other
hand to rap a few knocks across her door with an excited gleam in his eyes. The adventure he
was planning to take her on today, no matter how small or whimsical, was something Izaak had
been waiting on since it had zipped into his mind last night before he had fallen asleep. Surely Aly
would adore every minute of it too, or so the young man hoped.
​

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<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne Cooper groaned as her alarm clock rang. Izaak would be here in less than an hour and she really needed to be dressed when he arrived. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the hour he had insisted upon but the mystery of what they were to do was more than enough for her to agree. Aly loved surprises and this day was sure to be full of them. Though at this hour, if it was anyone but Izaak she wouldn't have accepted. Her violet eyes flickered over to the clock, seeing that the time was now 7:20 am. The blonde girl could no longer procrastinate. She absolutle had to get up. A sigh escaped her lips as she set up in her large bed. First one foot, then the other touched the wooden floors. She stood up, her oversized t-shirt hanging loosely off her thin frame. Her bare feet padded lightly across the hard floor as she headed for the shower. She placed her ipod, a muggle musical device, in its speakers. She scrolled down to her favorite playlist before getting in the shower. Her musical voice sang along softly with the familiar tunes, working to wake her up as the hot water ran over her.

Alianne danced across her room in beat with the music blaring from the speakers. She threw open her closet doors, pursing her lips as she chose a comfortable, short black and white dress with black heels. Alianne towel dried her hair, letting her blonde curls fall around her shoulders. She didn't bother with any make up. About that time, Aly heard three loud raps on the door down stairs. She sprinted down the flight of stairs, throwing open the door to the townhouse she shared with her twin. Of course, Alex was at the ministry already. Standing in her doorway was none other than Izaak Jay Finch, Alianne's best friend. Her heart sped slightly at the sight of his handsome and familiar face. In his hands, he held two cups of coffee. Her face lit up in a grin, amethyst eyes staring into azure eyes. "You are the absolute greatest person in the entire world." she said brightly as she took one of the cups of coffee. She wrapped her arms around Izaak in an embrace. "I'm ready." she said, flicking her wand behind her, turning off everything and locking the door as she stepped out into the sunlight. She turned her face upwards soaking in the sunlight. Alianne took a large gulp of coffee. "So where to?" she asked, her violet eyes burning with curiousity.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Izaak could not hide his grin as the door swung open, nor did he want to as he saw that his own
matched his friend's. The excitement that washed through his body was too great to blame it on
the day ahead, but that was what Izaak managed to convince himself of anyway, even in the light
of her spectacular violet irises. "Morning sunshine," A cheeky grin danced over Izaak's lips as he
watched Alianne's eyes dart towards the paper cups of coffee and he wondered if she'd ever
really know how true his greeting was. She'd find out someday, that much he would promise
himself. Their eyes met again in some wonderful clash of saturated hues that he had grown so
accustomed to over the past year but least of all did he expect the words that slipped from her
mouth. Although Izaak had been about to meet the blonde with a surprised chuckle, he bit it back
on his down and instead quipped her with mocked conceitedness. "Yeah... I know." Shaking his
head at himself once she had taken one of the coffees, Izaak moved into the hug that Alianne
wrapped around him with her slender frame. The sweet wisps of her shampoo assailed the young
man, only sending him to snuggle further into the embrace before it was due time to let her go.
Twisting his lips at the claim Aly made, Izaak could help but to eye her over. His azure blue eyes
wandered down the length of her gracefully toned legs and he had to pretend that he wasn't
admiring them but rather checking her footwear against her declaration that she was ready.
Thankfully he caught sight of her heels and a playful smirk wound about his lips, ignoring her
prodding question as he spoke. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to piggy back you if your feet get
sore. No time to change out of those now." Izaak gave a chuckle, but what was even funnier was
that he wasn't even joking about piggy-backing her. "And you aren't gonna get it out of me that
easy, trouble." Wiggling his eyebrows at her, Izaak stepped in another foot closer to his best
friend until he could smell her shampoo again and wrapped his arm around her shoulder,
squeezing her into him as his eyes fell shut. "Hold on."

The pair of friends reappeared under the scorching heat of the Bondi Beach sun and when Izaak
finally allowed his eyelids to flicker open, a smile seemed to touch his eyes at the very sight of
home. The waves rolled perfectly offshore, he could see them from where he and Alianne stood
across the road from the golden sand. Grinning excitedly, Izaak grasped her hand and pulled her
over to a shiny red Ford Falcon parked in the gutter adjacent to the surf club. It was his, all his.
And while it was no Chevrolet and never would be for Izaak had loved that car like he never
would another, it satisfied his obsession with old vehicles. And with class too, his Chevvy hadn't
been a convertible. His family had been right when they'd all pitched in money to give it to him as
a birthday present. After placing his coffee inside the open roofed car, the hand that was not
clasped around Aly's fell against the handle of the passenger side door but he didn't open it, just
flashed a pair of bright white teeth up at her. "Rules... You're playing by mine today. So..." With
half a grin, Izaak momentarily slipped his hand from the handle to steal her wand from her grip
and slid it into the back pocket of his shorts. "No magic." His tongue darted out to lick his dry lips
and with a certain sparkle in his azure eyes, the young man opened the car door for his friend
and guided her chivalrously into the car before hopping into the driver's side himself. Turning the
key in the ignition, Izaak grew excited by the roaring rumble that shot from the car and smiled
dazzlingly over at his beautiful friend. "How'd you sleep?" He teased as he pressed his foot down
on the accelerator and turned out onto the road, into the stream of traffic, ready to officially start
their day.​

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne simply laughed at Izaak's mocking cockyness. The blonde knew he was only joking. She took another sip of her coffee. She didn't notice the long look Izaak gave her, not seeming to only be examining her footwear. Her usual attention to details was lacking this morning from being up at the early hour. Otherwise, her amethyst eyes might have noticed the longing in his odd azure hues. Aly frowned down at her feet as Izaak said he would have to carry her if her feet began to hurt. She had already locked up the house but was about to go back inside to change when he said she didn't have time. Alianne rolled her violet eyes. "If you had told me more details maybe I would have dressed to your liking." Alianne retorted. She only grinned back at him as he called her trouble. Aly knew she was trouble and had always been so. Didn't her mother and father always call her trouble? She laughed and shook her head. "You wouldn't like me any other way." she teased him back. Her heart fluttered for a beat as Izaak's arm encompassed her shoulders, telling her to hold on. The blonde wrapped her arms around his waist, holding tight to him, careful not to spill her coffee. She could feel his arm tight around her, pulling her close to him. She liked the way it felt, to be pressed up against him in the warmth of his body. The young girl shook off these feelings. Izaak was her best friend after all.

There was a tight squeezing on her body before a pop as they appeared back in Australia. Alianne could hear and smell the salty water crashing against the shoreline. She took in a deep breath. "Oh." she gasped as Izaak grabbed her hand, towing her towards a vintage car. It's style was old but the paint was a new shiny red color. They stopped as Aly examined the Ford. "Is this yours?" she asked, slightly in awe. Iz hadn't told her he had a new car since the other one had been destroyed with the rest of Izaak's previous life. She looked up into his eyes, grinning at him. This..is..awesome." she told him. Alianne crossed her arms at the word 'rules.' The blonde snorted unattractively at the word giving him a dubious look. Quickly he stole her wand. Well let him keep the wand but rules? Really? She shook her head at him. "You know, I've never been one for rules." she said, as Iz opened up the car door. She climbed in gracefully, curiousity burning on her once more. Where were they going that was in driving distance? Alianne sighed as Izaak started the car. She was just going to have to be patient a little longer. Her violet eyes flicked over to him as he asked about her night. "Well I suppose I slept well, though it was all too quickly interrupted this morning." she said flashing him a look of annoyance. "How was your night? Are you still staying with Melodie?" she asked, trying not to sound like she was jealous but maybe failing at that just a bit. Aly tried to convice herself that it wasn't jealousy that made her ask but concern.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Izaak was slowly beginning to wonder if all this time he spent thinking about Aly was dangerous.
He was excited by the fact that she loved his car, he loved that she never wanted to play by the
rules and he almost startled himself to the point where he might have lost half of his coffee down
his shirt as an image of his friend, in her bed, crept unbidden in to his mind. He was practically
panting on the inside. Izaak barely noticed the irritated look he was shot as he fumbled placing
his coffee back into the cup holder, suddenly breathless for reasons that had been lost on him.
Contrary to the popular belief that getting laid was always on his mind, Izaak had never, ever
thought about Alianne even just an inch away from best friend, even just an inch closer to those
kind of intimate terms. Well before he had always had Alexis but still he blamed it on his male ego
kicking in at the wrong moment. It couldn’t be much else could it? The thoughts washed to the
very back of his mind as he wrenched the car into second gear and tried to gather together his
sense to reply to her question. “I think I slept better than you.” He almost challenged with arched
eyebrows because getting up early had never been a struggle for Izaak, in fact he often did it for
fun. “Well hopefully I’ll have my own place again by Christmastime but yeah I am. We went to the
movies last night actually.” The twenty-two year old was oblivious to the fact that the extra bit of
information he had tagged on the end would be enough to stir the jealousy in his best friend, he
had just made the comment in passing as he pulled the Ford into third gear. “I don’t think she’s
gotten sick of me yet, I hope not.”

Thankfully the next half of the hour as Izaak drove them into the city their brightened conversation
passed by without much of a hiccup or reasons, apart from Alianne herself, that had his mind
wandering in these new ways of thinking about her. He could smell their destination before they
had reached it, and it was shot with a strong scent of eucalypt that he guessed must have been
the koalas. But it wasn’t until the sign lettered with ‘Taronga Zoo’ came into sight that Izaak
grinned over at Aly and then felt his own excitement boiling up inside of him. He had been once
and only once to the zoo and that had only been because Leah had been bored one day when he
was thirteen. He knew it wasn’t exactly a wizard custom, his father at least had contorted his face
in disgust at the sheer mention of a muggle zoo. Surprisingly he slipped into a parking spot
particularly easy, the place was usually packed in as soon as the gates had opened for the
morning. Pulling his keys from the ignition, Izaak cocked his head cutely at Alianne and grinned
handsomely, hoping that she’d like his surprise.​

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne was displeased with Izaak's answer on several different levels. She didn't like that Izaak was still staying with Melodie though she didn't really have a reason to be displeased. The woman had been friendly and kind to Aly the few times they had met. Maybe it was the fact that Izaak and Melodie had been each other's first love and that made them connected in a way that Izaak wasn't connected to Aly. Or maybe, it was these new feelings she was now having towards her best friend. Ones that would only complicate their relationship. The comment about the movies upset her in a way that she was completely not expecting. She knew it was just these feelings for Iz that made her react this way but the green eyed monster stirred, making Aly clench her teeth and purse her lips. Was Izaak dating Melodie again? Alianne supposed that she should be happy for Izaak and how well he was doing right now. However she just couldn't bring herself to be happy for him.

Aly shot her violet eyes that were probably emerald right now, over at Izaak. She looked him over, her heart skipping a beat. He looked good, happier than she had seen him in a while. The blonde let out a sigh. "Hmm. That's nice." she said curtly, before lapsing into silence. They remained that way until a large sign began to come into view. Taronga Zoo. The blonde let the jealousy fade out of her. She glanced over at Iz who was grinning at her. He looked so attractive that her stomach did a flop. Her face soon matched his, lit up with excitement. "The zoo?" she said with a laugh. "You know I haven't been to the zoo since Alex and I got banned from the one in Tennessee when we were 12." she said, laughing outloud. She loved the surprise naturally. It was just the sort of thing that Alianne Cooper would love. Izaak knew her perfectly to pick out this sort of surprise. The blonde waited until he parked before she got out of the car. "Let's go." she said excitedly, boucing over to Izaak. "Come on!" she said, taking Iz's hand in her own. It was a habit of hers these past few months.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Izaak was observant enough to notice a shift in Aly’s mood as they pulled into a park but put it down
simply to the reveal of his surprise . Shocked still by the new direction his thoughts had taken him in,
the young man wouldn’t have ever have thought that the beautiful blonde might just have felt the
same way, that this electricity that sparked through every nerve end was not just felt by him alone.
Little did he know that while Alianne was charming him silly with her bright beam and dancing violet
eyes, he was doing much the same with his own smile and hypnotic irises,. The same one that
played adorably on his lips as he dazedly pushed the car door shut, his gaze never leaving her as
she reached him in a matter of seconds with an excited bounce in her step. Izaak couldn’t help but to
chuckle at his friend and her ways, her and Alexis were two completely different people and perhaps
that was why he felt so at ease around her, because anything that reminded him of his late fiancée
had the twenty-two year old on a dangerous edge. Every so often he would take the trip to visit the
Richardes, Strella he missed especially because she had been nothing short of a second mother to
him but for a long long time it had been a struggle to see her, she looked so hauntingly like his Alexis
after all. Now things were growing easier and if Izaak had to thank one person it would have been
Alianne. It wasn’t that the rest of his friends and family hadn’t helped him on his way but Aly was a
part of his new life whereas everybody else had one foot in his old life too. Not only that but she had
quite literally saved his life, and never would Izaak ever forget that.

Butterflies grew feverishly inside of his stomach as Aly grasped his hand and he silently hissed at
them to quieten the hell down. He couldn’t be thinking like this, he just couldn’t. “Easy tiger,” came
his laughter, but Izaak wasn’t quite sure if he was addressing Alianne’s pressing excitement or his
own for having her hand tucked into the warmth of his. But he pulled her along regardless, his stride
just that much longer despite her gracefully long legs. “The zoo? You got banned from the zoo?”
Izaak asked her incredulously, blue eyes aglow with laughter as he paid for both of their passes,
tucking them into his back pocket once the cashier handed them to him. “Only you.” Clucking his
tongue in mocking reprimand at Aly as he subconsciously rearranged their hands, sliding his long
fingers between hers. “How did you manage that one?” Izaak bumped his hip playfully against hersas
they walked into the zoo but Izaak didn’t even notice the primates they were approaching, he was too
busy trying not to lose himself in his best friend’s eyes.​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne rolled her eyes as Izaak said 'easy tiger' though she wasn't sure he was speaking to her. But he had to be since that was the only logical explaination. The blonde shook her head. "There's no reason for name calling mister." she teased, giving his hand a squeeze. She could feel every callus, every rough place on his fingers and palm in her own smooth, slender hand. Her hand fit his like it was a glove, perfectly matched as a best friend's hand should be. The violet eyed woman tried to keep her thoughts far away from what else that might indicate. Aly had no hope that Iz might return her feelings. Nope, it was better just to keep them to buried deep inside her. The blonde quickly walked behind Izaak, trying to keep up with his stride as he pulled her along. She could hear the laughter and disbelief as Iz stuttered over her accomplishment. Of course, she knew he wanted an explaination. It was quite a different thing for a person to do. Aly laughed, meeting his beautiful blue eyes with her odd amythest ones. She saved her answer as she waited patiently for Izaak to pay for their tickets, flashing him a smile of gratitude for paying for her.

Alianne danced lightly through the turn still, never letting go of his hand. She laughed along with him. Yes, getting banned from a zoo took a great amount of skill. You had to do something truly bad to deserve that fate. Aly looked sheepishly at Izaak. She hadn't exactly been the easiest child. "Well, you know how I like to climb trees right?" she asked him, knowing that he did infact know. Iz and Aly had even been tree climbing once when Alianne was feeling restless. "It turns out that the zoo keepers don't really like for you to climb trees with the monkeys." she said with a shrug. She had baffled the officals as to how she had managed to get in there. Aly looked down at the fingers that were now interlaced with her own. She was afraid if she looked at his handsome face too much it would give her secret away. "The kindly told my mother never to bring me back." she said with a devilish grin up at her best friend. Yes, she had been a difficult child to raise or so her mother always told her.

 

[Izaak Finch]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="#000">There was not another girl on the planet quite like Alianne Cooper, Izaak was sure. Because as
she gazed up at him from beneath her thick lashes with such sheepish expression tacked to her
features, the young man knew that her answer would put to shame all the other wild excuses that
anybody else boasted to have been kicked out of a zoo for, if anybody else had been kicked out
of a zoo. “Well, you know how I like to climb trees right?” A sly smirk whirled slowly over Izaak’s
lips and not until it had stretched to the very corners of his mouth did he pass his friend a curt
nod. Of course Izaak knew and he could recall the very day he had found that out with perfect
clarity because with his athletic build and his natural affinity for the outdoors, it was usually him
wearing the girls out. But that day when Aly had managed to scale the tree faster than he ever
would have been able to on his life, Izaak had been severely humbled and yet had taken it all
laughingly in his stride. She was constantly surprising him, continuously finding new ways to
make him challenge himself and the twenty-two year old loved her all the more for it.

One eyebrow crept up in an arch as Aly finally made her confession, the reason for her expulsion
from the zoo. And it took all that Izaak had not to burst out in the laughter he was attempting to
muffle behind his amused smile. There again was a prime example of why he loved her so. They
were one and the same Izaak and Aly, for he had gotten thrown out of numerous venues in his
lifetime but none with a great a reason as the one she had just told him. Eventually at her last and
most comical comment Izaak could contain himself no longer, especially with that wicked grin of
hers and allowed the laughter to shake through him. “Just...” He chuckled breathlessly with a
stomach weakened from the bout of laughter as he gazed down at his friend with azure eyes so
in awe of her boldness, even at twelve. “Just promise me that you won’t go jumping in with these
guys.” With a free hand he pointed to the monkeys that skittered around in the enclosure before
the pair of best friends. “I want no part of your zoo delinquencies.” It was a joke, a chuckled one
and he made sure that Aly knew this by nudging her playfully with his shoulder. They drew closer
to the enclosure, a smile drawn over his lips still and all but came to press their noses up against
the glass as the young man watched in amusement as the tiny primates swung their way across
their length of the area, hightailing it on vines and suddenly, Izaak couldn’t blame the twelve year
old Aly for wanting to get in there with them. They made it seem as if they were having a ball.

With their hands still entwined, Izaak went to lift them up to point out one of the animals in the far
corner of the enclosure but instead, in doing so, his fingers managed to graze themselves against
his friend’s thigh. Immediately Izaak recoiled, withdrawing his hands from the grip of Alianne’s for
the warmth and the silk softness he could still feel against it. Things were spinning out of control,
the young man was managing to shock himself and the flush of blood and heat to his cheeks was
only a clear indicator of that. He poorly pretended to dig out his iPhone from his pocket, used up
the lame excuse that he needed two hands to do so but the real reason as to why he had let his
friend’s hand go was evident. “Hey look, it’s you.” Izaak snickered playfully with the scarlet still
tinting his cheeks as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, pointing at one of the monkeys. It
was a weak cover-up of what had just transpired between the friends and his reaction that had
made it awkward, but it was all that Izaak could managed to confirm that she was still a friend, to
convince himself that he didn’t have to think about her in any other fashion.​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne thought Izaak was going to manage to hold off laughing at her story; a feat she knew would be great for him to do. However, he last remark set off the title wave of laughter that poured out of her best friend. It was a happy, merry sound that warmed her heart. The blonde was pleased that he once again seemed to be back to his normal persona, laughing and cutting up with her. She knew it was still hard for him to think about Alexis but at least he was seemingly happy once more. Aly simply laughed along with him, knowing it was a comical story. Her mother hadn't found it nearly as funny as the twelve year old Alianne had, nor did her mother find it amusing now. She had gotten a fit of chuckles from her dad went they arrived home, her mother in a furious mood. Aly and Alex had always been able to drive their mother to their wits end.

The violet eyed girl laughed loudly as Izaak asked for her promise. A wicked gleam once again crept into her odd colored eyes. It was a gleam that appeared when Alianne had some great idea or joke in her mind. She looked at Izaak with wide eyes. "Okay. I promise not to go into the monkey cage." she said, not promising to stay out of the other various enclosures. She moved closer to the glass with her fingers twined together with Izaak's. She looked up at his handsome face that she so dearly loved. She got caught up in it for a moment, allowing herself to be swept away into a fantasy world where Iz belonged only to her.

Alianne was about to make another witty remark to Izaak when he raised their hands, his fingers lightly grazing her thigh. Blood rushed to her face, feeling like fire in her veins. It was absolutely absurd how one little touch could cause such a flurry of emotions. She knew that her own face reflected the shock of the touch as well as the fire engine red on her cheeks. Iz had dropped her fingers immediately, as if she had burned him. She diverted her beautiful face away from the young man, afraid to look at him at this moment. Of course, he instantly regained her attention as Aly heard the teasing words slip through his full lips. The blonde girl rolled her eyes, slapping him lightly in the gut. "Come on silly. Let's go see the penguins before you call me anymore names." she teased him back, looking directly into his azure eyes.

Once again, there was a clash of beautiful hues as she stared up at Izaak. Their proximity to each other struck her once more, unable to tear her from him, as if she was pulled to him by a giant magnet. Her emotions consumed her, all logical and rational thoughts leaving her mind. Alianne had always been rash, impulsive, and bold. It was three of her main character traits that made her the vibrant creature that she was. Without thinking of Izaak's feelings, or the consequences of her actions, she acted on impulse. Aly was consumed by her own feelings for her best friend, so strong that she just couldn't ignore them any longer. The beautiful blonde stretched up on her toes, leaning in to kiss Izaak. Her soft lips fell on his as her arms instinctively went to wrap around his neck.

 

[Izaak Finch]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="#000">There were not many things that Izaak Finch was afraid of, albeit a score more now since the
accident, but as his azure eyes trickled their way down the length of her golden locks, the man
found himself afraid of what he might be faced with when Aly turned that beautiful face of hers up to
meet his. What exactly it was that he feared was a blurred boundary from where he stood. All that
he knew though was that Alianne in general made him nervous, the girl would be his very undoing
if he allowed himself to completely surrender to the urges she so obliviously conjured up within him.
His stomach flipped and his heart followed soon thereafter as their gazes met again, the remnants
of Alianne’s own embarrassment still scattered in the heat across her cheeks and yet her visage
screamed jest. The roll of her eyes, the slap of her hand against his abdomen, it all made Izaak feel
just that tiny inch better, even if the playful thwack had sent his stomach tingling all over again. He
was beyond glad that they could still play pretend with each other as if there wasn’t this sparking
current of electricity zipping right between them. They could still act as if they weren’t any more
than just friends and that meant the very world to Izaak, cementing in the fact that even though she
had seen him at the most radical dimensions of his life they would always be joined by this golden
basis of friendship. “Oh yeah?” With eyebrows raised and sceptical, Izaak challenged with a hard
yet laughing determination driven into the depths of his bluer than blue irises.

There was no breath left in him to finish his sentence though because Aly had stolen it away from
him when she had gazed hard and fast into his eyes with those mysterious violet irises of hers. She
softened the edges of his natural competitiveness and polished and buffed it until his azure eyes
were not longer hard like crystals but rather silken like the ocean. Now Izaak didn’t usually count
the seconds in which they could lose themselves in each others eyes but was sure on this account
that they had well passed the standard duration. They seemed almost closer this time around, as if
they barely had the space to breathe but Izaak was well past caring. There was nothing more he
could think of in that moment than just how much he wanted his friend and how after Mel especially
it just didn’t seem fair. She was far too close to ignore the temptations the smell of her shampoo
was initiating, the perfect pucker of her lips, the sunshine that had ended up in her pretty eyes.
Nothing seemed to want to help to fish him out of this sticky trap that he was tumbling further and
further into head first. All of a sudden he noticed the curious hook in her eyes, it was an expression
Izaak knew particularly well because he was wearing the very same one and most likely thinking
the very same thing. What would it be like to kiss Alianne Cooper?

Before he could ponder much more on the matter Aly had stretched up on the tips of her toes and
had pressed her lips against his, answering his question and so much more. For a brief moment his
mouth moved in sync with hers and he flicked the tip of his tongue against her lips as if asking to let
the kiss venture deeper. But Izaak didn’t even spare Alianne the chance of parting them open for
him because in a fraction of a second a memory of the last lips he had kissed flashed before him.
He hadn’t told Aly, he hadn’t whispered a word of that night to anybody, and here he was thinking
arrogantly that he had every right to kiss her. It wasn’t right to initiate things such as these with a
dirty slate, perhaps she wouldn’t even desire his lips as much as she seemingly had when he told
her all about what had happened. It pained Izaak to have to break what was rendering him with
such unusual, unexpected, pleasant feelings. But he pulled his lips rather abruptly away from Aly’s
and stared down at her in a jittery mixture of shock and excitement and anxiety. “Aly..” He breathed
hesitantly, taking the arms she had wound about his neck and pulling them off him, only to hold
them warm in his hands. Izaak grappled for his words but he couldn’t seem to find them, he was
still in such a degree of dizzy disbelief that it had left the young man completely speechless.
​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne's heart was fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest. She was kissing her best friend and he was kissing her back. Her blood was hot in her veins as it pulsed through at such a quick rate. She had imagined this a few times, but never in her wildest imaginations could it compare to this. She felt his moving lips moving on her own, begging to deepen the kiss. All too quickly, the kiss ended. Aly could feel Izaak pulling back away from her. Her amythest eyes opened in surprise, revealing hurt at the rejection deep down. She stared up at him, dumbfounded. Rejection was not something that usually happened to Alianne Cooper. Even worse, this rejection was from her very best friend. His hands reached for hers, unwrapping them from his neck, creating distance between the two of them. Her name slipped from between his lips in a way that sounded exasperated with her. It was like how her parents spoke her name when the were tired of her shenanigins.

Reality quickly came crashing down on the blonde girl. She had pushed at the limits of their friendship. She had placed it on a perilous edge, making things awkward between them. Looking up at his handsome face, she could see that he didn't feel the same about her. Aly had taken her impulsiveness too far and destroyed the relationship with the best guy she had ever known. Alianne's violet eyes burned as tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She was overwhelmed at how mistakenly she had read the situation. Panic swept through her slender figure. "I'm sorry Iz." she said in a low voice. "I...I have to go." she said, not bothering to wait for his reply. Aly turned and ran, ignoring the pain in her feet and the damage she was doing to her shoes. She needed to get out of there and get out fast. The young woman reached for her wand, wanting to vanish back to her house. She found her pocket empty. All too late she remembered that Izaak had stolen her wand from her. Alianne was trapped without anywhere to go. Finally, the tears did spill over. She had made a mess of a perfect morning and the perfect friend. Now she was stranded in a different country with no way home. Still, Alianne ran trying to escape what she had done.

 

[Izaak Finch]

There was nothing happy or even normal about the striking violet that swirled and sparkled in
Alianne’s irises. In the time that they had known each other, most of it having been through the
deepest and darkest days that he had ever had, Izaak had always been the lost one. For a very long
time she had been his rock, the one who just with one glance of his broken blue eyes knew exactly
what to say. But now with his lips still tingling at the flesh memory of her kiss, Izaak could do nothing
but to watch on helplessly as the roles were reversed. The glorious amethyst began to gloss and
distort, Izaak didn’t even have to get that much closer to observe the delicate tears that trembled on
the rims of her eyelids, threatening to wash down her cheeks as she faced him. Inside of him, Izaak’s
heart quickened a beat but he willed it to steady, things needed to be clarified – feelings, desires, his
hot night with Melodie. Alianne deserved, no, needed to be told about all of these thoughts jutting
through his mind because that was what best friends did right? They told each other everything. But
who was to say that they weren’t something more now? Kissing each other had meant crossing a
line, a very fine one at that and before things grew out of hand, Izaak was going to man up and
confess all.

But the azure-eyed man wasn’t even spared the chance to act upon his spur of bravery. Instead he
watched in shock as the back of her figure sprinted in desperation away from him. The female mind
was something he had grown used to over the years since he had first started dating but that didn’t
mean that he understood it. What man did in fact? It was a network too complex for one to pull apart
but Izaak knew that it was this tendency to misunderstand so typical of their gender that had Aly
fleeing from him. Admittedly he had been a little confused by the touch of her lips but he had also
been excited and ecstatic and over the freaking moon all at the very same time, and she would be
none the wiser as to how much he wanted to experience it all over again. Not unless he caught her
now. “Aly!” The cry out to her seemingly wasn’t loud enough or maybe she was just purposefully
ignoring it, but when she didn’t whip back around to face him Izaak did not hesitate to sprint after her.
People and animals alike seemed to stare after the curious speed of the young man, wondering what
on earth he could be needing to run so fast for. But if he had never cared before, now was definitely
not the time to start. Speed was on his side, Aly was exceedingly fast and fit but her heels and leggy
frame were no match for his own flat-footed shoes and impossibly longer legs.

The time he had reached her in was record and although Izaak called her name once more, he
grabbed her hand for good measure before affectionately closing it within his own as he spun her
around to face him. “Hey,” the tone that left him was soft as to not encourage more of the tears that
were streaming mercilessly down her face. Never had he seen Aly like this before and it hurt to know
that he was the one that had thrown her into such a mess. His hand reached slowly out to her face,
his gentle thumb grazed across her cheek, wiping away a tear that tumbled down. “It’s ok.” And just
to cement this in, Izaak brought his lips to her flushed face and kissed her dampened cheek. For how
much longer it would be ok though was a though that was niggling at him, after what he needed to
tell her there was no telling how she’d take it. Not after that episode anyway. “I just... I need to be
honest with you Aly before it’s too late and I’m just gonna spit it out, ok?” Their eyes met as he drew
in a nervous breath, wishing he could put this off for a little longer but now he was left with no choice.
“I slept with Melodie.” Alianne knew about his sixteenth birthday and how they had lost their virginity
to each other that night, Izaak had told her. But there was something telling in his eyes that made
sure he was not talking about that time or any of the other times that had followed soon thereafter,
this was something more raw and recent.
​

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne was not a girl to cry, or get upset over the slightest things. Normally, her cheerful nature could easily shrug of irritations, disappointments, or annoyances. It was rare for something to upset her enough to bring tears to her eyes. The loss of Izaak Jay Finch was one thing that could bring the beautiful blonde to tears. They streamed down her face in a way that she considered to be embarrassing but she was long past the point of caring. He was her best friend, her partner in crime, her support, and her confidant. Aly just couldn't handle the pain of losing one of the best things in her life. Worse, it was completely 100 percent her fault. Aly could hear Izaak shouting for her but she ignored it. Alianne had acted like a fool and she couldn't face him. Not right now.

Aly wasn't quick enough and without her wand, she had no way of escaping away from this place. She felt a warm tug on her hand, pulling her to a quick stop. She stumbled over herself slightly, unable to see clearly. The violet eyed girl was turned to face the person that the familiar hand belonged to. Izaak had come chasing after her for what end she could not guess. She stared at him, unsure what to do. His hand reached up, caressing her face and gently wiping away her tears. Aly tried to stop the flow, embarrassed at being that girl. The one who cried over a boy that couldn't return her feelings. Her face flushed as his hand swept across it. "It's ok." Izaak said in a soothing voice, causing Aly's heart to flutter. How could this be okay? His lips brushed across her cheek, sending her into a torrent of confusion. What was he thinking? Confusion as well as pain was clear in her amethyst eyes. Internally, she was at war with herself. She could not get her hopes up at the kiss or his words. He had pushed her away, breaking their kiss. Something had been wrong and Aly believed it to be herself.

Izaak's quick words soon cleared up her questions while sending her into a flurry of regret. He had pushed her away because he was sleeping with Melodie. Alianne knew their history. They had grown up together and been the best of friends as well as lovers. It shouldn't have surprised her that his presence in her house would have brought back long buried feelings between them. Izaak had already confessed to a date with Melodie earlier. Aly felt like the biggest fool alive. She was throwing herself at her best friend whose heart belonged to his childhood sweetheart. "Oh." she said quietly, at a loss for more eloquent words. She mentally berated herself for not seeing this earlier. Jealousy sprung up inside her. Why did Melodie have to be the one with a prior claim to her best friend? Aly was certain that there was not another man on the face of the planet that could compare to Izaak Jay Finch. "I should have known. I feel so stupid." she said, covering her face with her hands. Aly was ashamed of herself and feeling all the more ridiculous. Hot tears of internal rage trickled out of her eyes. She shook her head. "I hope you are both happy. All I want is for you to be happy." she said softly, still not looking into those deep azure eyes.

 

[Izaak Finch]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="#000">There, it was out. The truth of the matter had been laid bare, he had slept with Melodie Lowe. And
yet as Izaak stood before his weeping mess of a friend, chewing anxiously on his lower lip, he
honestly thought that it would be the very thing to set things straight for the pair of them. But Aly was
not reacting like he thought she might have and as he slender hands pressed against her face, hiding
those wonderful eyes from him, Izaak was again left to watch the situation grow invariably worse.
The heaviness of his brow furrowed into confused lines, puzzled as to why she was still crying when
he had just confessed that it was not a lack of feelings for her that had him break their kiss, or that he
wasn’t ready, it didn’t in fact have anything to do with Alianne Cooper. But Izaak had gotten into
situations before when not admitting the entire truth had landed him a slap across the face and Izaak
didn’t want to mess a single thing up with Aly, she was too precious to him that he simply couldn’t
afford to. Not that she saw that, she couldn’t at all seem to comprehend that the feeling was mutual
between them. "I hope you are both happy. All I want is for you to be happy." Izaak shifted a foot
back from her, narrowing his iceberg blue eyes as if trying to calculate how serious she was actually
being. By Alianne’s refusal to meet his gaze and the continuous tumble of tears down her achingly
beautiful face, Izaak was drawn to only one conclusion; that she had been serious about her blessing.

Again the young man found himself at loss for words over what wild misconceptions girls were able
to come up with. Aly was a smart girl, she had her head screwed on straight for somebody as crazily
unpredictable as herself. So why then was there so much confusion when it came to him? Did the
thought of him make her dizzy, did it piece apart remnants of logical thinking? Quicken her heart into
oblivion, maybe? Because she did that to him, for him. Just one sight of her bright beaming face was
enough, even if it was only in his memory. His hands reached for her and cradled her cheeks with a
slip of a smile dashing on his lips, turning up her beautiful face until their eyes met once more. “Aly,
stop. It happened once, I thought I’d gotten her pregnant... Anyway, it was all just one big mistake.”
Shaking his head at himself now, Izaak circled his thumbs affectionately across her skin and moved
in that one step closer as he found that he had to catch his breath in such close proximity to her. “I
just felt like I needed to tell you before I- we got any further.” Those famous blue eyes sparkled a
world for his friend, severely hoping that she’d understand his reasoning because he loathed that he
could be the one to make her feel this way. “You okay now? Are we good?”
​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Aly felt Izaak's hands on each side of her face. His calloused hands felt soft on her face, soothing her and comforting her. They gently guided it up, making it so that she couldn't hide her face from him any longer. This was quite the reversal of roles. Up until now, it was always Alianne comforting Izaak. She had seen him through his darkest days and yet she loved him still. Her violet eyes looked into his, seeing him smiling beautifully down at her. It was easy to get lost in the depths of his eyes. They quickened her pulse and made it difficult for her to breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest. More than anything, the blonde wanted to kiss him again. Confusion continued to muddle up her brain. Why was he looking at her like that? Alianne wiped her eyes clear of the tears, trying to calm herself. She didn't want to keep making a fool of herself in front of Iz. A pucker formed between her eyebrows as she listened to what Izaak was trying to tell her. He had slept with Melodie once and it was a mistake. He didn't love Melodie like that any longer. He wasn't dating her? She continued to frown at him, slightly confused.

Izaak took a step closer to her, making it difficult to breathe or think clearly. His presence was intoxicating to her. She took a deep breath. "So you aren't dating Melodie?" she asked, wanting clarification. "You just wanted me to know that you slept with her?" she said crinkling her nose. "It didn't have anything to do with you not feeling that way about me?" she asked, tired of all the confusion between the pair of best friends. No one had ever made her feel the way Izaak did. She knew deep down that he would be the only one to touch her heart. He was the only one who could keep her attention and keep her entertained. There had always been a spark but Izaak had belonged to someone else before her. Someone that Aly knew he believed was his soulmate. She knew that he couldn't feel that way about her yet but maybe he would one day. She didn't want to replace his Alexis but she did want to be included in his life after her. Alianne hoped that she might be.

 

[Izaak Finch]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="#000">Izaak couldn’t help it but to feel an odd smile weave softly over his lips at even the mention of him
dating Melodie Lowe. The pair hadn’t dated in years, six to be exact and it was so absurd to think of
her in that way now. Yes, they had slept together but when had that ever been quite the same? And
so Izaak shook his head as if it was the most ludicrous idea on earth, gazing down at the girl whose
face he was cradling all the while. There was just something so brand spanking new about Alianne
Cooper that had the twenty-two year old captivated, something that he hadn’t known Melodie or
anybody else for that matter to possess. It was Aly’s charm alone. And while Izaak couldn’t quite
place his finger down on what exactly it was about her, he knew it had much to do with the fact that
she had barely been in his life long before the accident, that she had known him longer as a broken
man than an engaged man. It was a new leaf, a new chapter, a new life for the former fiancé and
although he would always, always love Alexis with every inch of his heart, he finally felt himself ready
to want to welcome Alianne into the arms of this new Izaak. The fine lines that creased the clear skin
as she crinkled her nose only seemed to tempt Izaak lips to kiss her in that very spot, but he gulped
down his fizzing emotions and allowed the young woman to finish in puzzlement over her questions.

A simple confirmation of all that she had asked might have sufficed, a long winded explanation about
how his hesitance had absolutely nothing to do with his lack of affection for Aly would have covered
all bases. But Izaak chose a better answer, one that would surely erase every fragment of doubt in
his friend for good, and he didn’t even have to speak a word. Their eyes clashed once more and the
brilliant colours never managed to outshine each other, instead combined into one breath-takingly
intense gaze that burned wondrously between the two bodies. The glance didn’t last for long though,
Izaak snapped it in two once he had leant in close enough to have the scent of her shampoo dance
tauntingly beneath his nose, his eyelids flickered shut. One hand remained engulfing the graceful line
of her jaw whilst the other slid all the way down to clutch at Aly’s waist, pulling her in ever closer to
his body. His nose brushed hers and his stomach tingled, he felt her breath upon his chin and his
skin became swept up by goosebumps, he caught her lips with his own and Izaak Jay Finch felt the
four walls he had built up around himself ever since the accident come tumbling mercilessly down.

Izaak’s fingers clutched tighter at her waist, bunching the material of her dress as he braced himself
against all that she was causing him to feel. He was dizzy, pleasantly so and hadn’t been so affected
by a kiss since, well, Alexis herself. The striking blonde was certainly making a handsome mess of
him. Before too long Izaak could no longer help himself and darted out his tongue to deepen the kiss
that was quickly growing much too private for such a public place. No longer did Izaak care though.
He was making mental notes inside of his head as he frenched the girl tucked into his arm, observing
that she tasted of the coffee he’d bought her, that of course and the wonders of her own sweetness,
he couldn’t seem to get enough and moaned lightly against her lips when he realised that this was
the extent, anymore and they’d have security on their backs. His azure blue eyes still remained shut
as the two potential lovers broke the enchantment and yet his lips puckered against Aly’s again, only
an affectionate peck this time though. Their foreheads were touching and their noses still brushed up
against one anothers as Izaak listened to his friend’s breath whilst his own shallow, quickened breath
began to fall back into its natural rhythm. “Need I say more?” Crooned Izaak in a deep, rolling voice.​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne waited on pins and needles for his answer. It would effect the way that their friendship continued. His answer had the potential to change their relationship for the better or for the worse. She gazed at him with her violet eyes, anxious about what she might see in his answer. Their eyes clashed, pulsing in the intensity of the colors. Her breathing spiked as his body moved towards her causing her heart to race as if it were in a marathon. His beautiful azure eyes flickered shut only moments before one of his strong arms wrapped around her tiny waist. His arm gently tugged her body, beckoning it closer to him. The front of her body pressed up against him in a way that was much too close for such a public place. Aly's eyelids shut, realizing the intentions of Izaak Jay Finch. The corners of her lush mouth turned upwards in a smile, excited by the thought of getting to kiss her best friend once more.

Kissing Izaak was like nothing she had ever experienced. She kissed him greedily, unwilling to let any outside factors distract her from the passion they were both sharing for the other. Their lips moved together as their kisses grew too private for others to witness. Alianne parted her lips, allowing Izaak's tongue to slip into her mouth. Hunger burned in her veins, never wanting this to end. His fingers clutched at her dress as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck pulling his body as close as she could get it. It was very apparant that this was no place for them to discover their feelings for each other but it was too late for that. All too soon, the pair of best friends had to break the kiss. Izaak pulled his lipsaway from hers slowly, not moving his body away from hers. Aly was still entertwined with Izaak Jay, his forhead resting on her own. The blonde woman was panting, feeling exhausted from simply kissing this handsome man. She opened her amethyst eyes slowly, searching for his own striking eyes. She gave him a sly smile to answer his questions. Her doubts were gone for there was no way that this much passion could exist outside of the pair. Aly laid her head on his chest. Aly shook her head at his question, feeling giddy. "No, you don't. That was all too clear." she said, her voice revealing her absolute happiness. "Melodie isn't pregnant right?" she asked, double checking. Of course, Aly would stand by Izaak's side through it all but it was certainly no way to start a relationship.

 

[Izaak Finch]

</COLOR>

<COLOR color="#000">The smirk that upturned the corners of the young woman’s mouth was not left unnoticed by Izaak’s
pair of azure eyes, a hazy blue now in light of the degree of passion that had been exchanged there
in the very middle of the zoo. Those lush pink, kiss-swollen lips of hers were so tempting that the
twenty-two year old had to bite down on his own pair to keep them from pressing up against hers
once again. The thick desire was inescapable, already he felt as if they had been launched into that
‘can’t keep their hands off one another’ stage because Izaak was sure that once Alianne left his grip,
he’d yearn for her so madly that he’d just have to pull her back into his arms once more. Momentarily
Izaak allowed his eyelids to fall closed as Alianne lulled her head onto the muscular planes of his
chest, it wasn’t hard to sense her exhaustion, not when his own was consuming him at the very same
time and it had only been one kiss. If this really did mark the beginning of a relationship between
them then Izaak was excited to discover how much his mind would be blown in the months that
followed as they worked to discover things about each other they hadn‘t even known themselves.
Seeking to soothe the pretty-eyed girl in his embrace, Izaak brushed his lips against her forehead
then her delicate cheekbone as she spoke in the most elated of voices, confirming just what he had
assumed from the second their lips had found one another’s with an incessant hunch that Alianne
Cooper was very soon about to turn from best friend into girlfriend. And the azure-eyed man would
not have it any other way because finally in the life he had built for himself after Alexis, he was ready.

Izaak had been quite content with his chin tucked against his chest, pressing sweet kisses to Aly’s
face, her body tight against every inch of his leaving little up to his imagination. But her voice then
posed a question, one that he couldn’t help but to smile in relief at and give a nervous little chortle.
“Ah no, I’m not going to be a daddy anytime soon.” In all honesty, Izaak wasn’t sure if he wanted to
father a child at all, ever. Because after Cassie and then Ella, no matter how many times his loved
ones had tried to tell him otherwise, Izaak was positive that the devastating end to their barely begun
lives had been all his fault, that there was something seriously screwed in his genes. The thought
sought only to dampened his elated mood and so Izaak brought it upon himself to cure it, just one
mere glance into Alianne’s amethyst irises seemed to diffuse the entire topic until instead all that he
could focus on was them and their budding relationship. “So... Us.” The young man murmured amidst
a brief kiss he had settled to her lips, too damn irresistible to deny as his fingers traced soft patterns
over her waist, still holding her just as he had been before. “Where do you want to go from here?”
The question was a vague one with a possibility of referring to their relationship but also in relation to
a more physical sense. Despite the desire for Aly that burned deep in his azure blue eyes, Izaak
would never let on just how much he wanted to drag her back to his car and kiss her senseless.
​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne Cooper could not imagine being any happier than she was at this very minute with Izaak's arms wrapped around her. Her lush lips still tingled with the ghost of his lips on hers. The one kiss had contained so much passion and desire that it was not hard to imagine what their relationship would be like. It would be like nothing the young woman had ever experienced, of that she was certain. She smiled as she pressed her face to his chest as she felt his soft lips brush against her forehead. She tightened her arms around his waist, not wanting to let him slip from her grip. The blonde knew that she could stand here for hours like this and never grow tired of this feeling. It was all so new and different for Aly. Never had she felt the way she felt about Izaak and she now knew that he felt the same about her. Alianne turned her beautifully odd eyes back up to her best friend, admiring the clash of intense colors as they meshed with intense feelings. A soft light danced in her eyes as she smiled up at his handsome face. It was all too easy for the blonde to lose herself in those deep azure eyes that she found all too appealing.

Aly sighed quietly with relief as he said he was not having a child with Melodie. The young woman would have stood by him but it would have been extra stress and pressure on the fresh relationship. Aly smiled slyly as Izaak referred to them as one 'us'. She could get used to the sound of that, and not just in the best friend 'us.' The blonde pursed her lips at the question he posed as it was a very good one. Where did they go from here? She looked up at him, considering the possible answers, not wanting to be the first to share her thoughts despite her normal outspoken self. "hmm...us..." she repeated thoughtfully. Instead of answering with her heart, she teased him. "Well, ya know, I was thinking we could go see the penguins and then maybe move on over to the giraffes, then the lions..." she said, letting her voice trail off. Aly grinned at him to show she was only joking with him. "In seriousness though, I don't know. Things can't just go back to the way they were but....." she said, pausing for a minute. The vibrant young woman wasn't sure what Izaak was ready for. It wasn't too long ago he pledged his heart to another woman. Alianne didn't want to push him in to anything he wasn't ready for. "What do you want?" Aly asked, wanting to hear what he had to say.

 

[Izaak Finch]

It now seemed so clearly fitting that he and Alianne should end up together somehow, right from the
very start they had been like peanut butter and jelly. Something had simply clicked between them
that first day by the fountain and the times they had shared since could have not been more easy or
comfortable were it not for the dire situation that Izaak had found himself drowning in. It was only now
that Izaak was seeing this and yet still the disbelief was entrenched within him. This was Aly that he
was holding against his length and daring himself not to kiss, his best friend Aly. There was not a
moment unnatural about it though because the electricity she was sending pulsing through him was
screaming out to every inch of the twenty-two year old that this was right and that maybe somehow,
this was meant to be. Izaak had heard it said before himself, that when one door closes another one
opens; in fact he had heard it many times over in the pep talks that had been forced down his throat
when Alexis had died. It wasn’t exactly the most likely thing for a man to believe in when he had just
lost the woman he’d thought he would be spending the rest of his life with. But now as the past was
being pieced behind him, Izaak could finally put things into perspective with a clear head on his
shoulders; that yes, new doors opened – they opened all the damn time and the proof had her arms
wrapped securely around him, humming an echo of what he had just said, making him smile all over
the place like a right fool.

In the time that he had known her, Izaak had certainly learnt to expect the unexpected from Alianne.
Yet with her pensive expression and her pursed lips, she truly had him fooled. A snort blew from him
and yet a smile grew on his lips as she spared him a humorously literal answer. “Hahaha.” The
sarcasm was heavy, yet light-hearted in his tones as his brows lifted challengingly and he
reprimanded her cheekily by inching his hand from her waist and playfully smacking her rear. Despite
all that had just occurred between the pair of them, he loved that they could still act like the cheeky
friends they always had been. And after all, friendships were the best foundations for relationships,
weren’t they? Izaak was one to know of course. His silly grin faded into the remnants of half a smile
as Aly traded in her jesting tone for a more genuine one and he chewed down on his lip, already
deep in thought even though she did not ask him what he wanted until a few moments later. You, he
thought with a hint of a smirk to his lips. But again, this was a question that bargained for a serious
answer being that he was the one in the position to make them or break them. It would not be the
latter of course, but was he really ready to dive head first straight into a relationship? “I’ll tell you what
I don’t want... I don’t want to lose you.” Izaak finally said after much thought, but he didn’t mean it as
much in a romantic way as he did a friendly. The pair of them had crossed a very fine line between
friends and lovers, and they were now balancing delicately smack bang in the middle. If they screwed
this possible relationship between them over than surely it would mean the death of their friendship.
This haunting thought drove Izaak even further to the resolve that he was not going to stuff things up
with Alianne like he had with so many of his other lovers, he couldn’t afford to. And yet there was a
little voice whispering into his ear that he needn’t worry so much, that this relationship had never
been set to follow the disastrous fate of the others in the first place.

His fingers fiddled feverishly with the stitching in Aly’s dress, trying to find the words he was dying to
spit out in a way that wouldn’t offend her because this truly was a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. Izaak
was the one that wasn’t quite ready for the full relationship. There was no doubt in his mind that he
wanted to be with Aly, god knew he did, but he’d rather it be kept between themselves for awhile
longer. Izaak wasn’t sure he was up to facing the wrath of what he knew would be many whispers,
much prodding and many tests on their relationship. “I want to be with you, I just don’t know if I’m
ready to tell everyone yet... Or if everyone’s ready to hear it.” His azure eyes found the bright
amethyst of Alianne’s and spilt genuinely that it really had nothing to do with her, praying that she
wouldn’t take offence. “So in the meantime, do you wanna be my secret girlfriend?” Izaak’s mood
had flipped like a coin and now he was raising his eyebrows up at the sunny young woman in his
arms, implying what fun the two of them would have sneaking around behind everyone’s backs. The
thought of keeping it a secret between them seemed wickedly enticing to Izaak.
​

<i></i>

 

[Alianne Finch]

Alianne Cooper had to concentrate on not stretching up those short few inches to place her soft lips on Izaak's. Her mind kept drifting back to that perfect kiss that she had just shared with her best friend. It was something she definately had not seen in her future this morning when she rose at the crack of dawn. It was her best friend squeezing her to his chest. Ever since their first meeting, Aly and Izaak's friendship had been as easy as breathing. It was almost as if she had been climbing uphill, fighting from falling in love with her best friend in these past few months. The blonde smiled a coy smile up at the handsome man she was tangled up with as he laughed sarcastically at her literal joke. The corners of her mouth stayed turned up at the corners in a wide smile as she waited for the answer she so desired. Was Izaak ready to move on from his shattered life with Alexis? Even move on with her? Aly hoped that he would be able to for now that she had tasted the sweetness of their kiss, it would be impossible to resist. Each kiss only left her longing for more.

Violet eyes stared up at those azure ones with a clash of beautiful hues as Alianne Cooper heard Izaak say he couldn't lose her. Of course, as usual, her feelings and thoughts could not be more in line with his. The blonde couldn't fathom not having Izaak Jay Finch in her life. She had grown accustom to his constant presence in her life and didn't want it to fade out. She shook her head at his statement, showing that she agreed. Nothing would be more horrific that the loss of her best friend. The young woman could also understand why he didn't want to share their relationship with the people they knew. Some would look at the young couple and judge Iz over the apparent quickness of a new relationship when that wasn't the case. This had not been entered into lightly nor had it been quick. It was a relationship formed first on friendship before falling into the easy, effortless pattern of a romantic relationship.

Alianne laughed at his question, her amethyst eyes sparkling. Most girls would probably be offended that Izaak wanted to hide their romance but Aly understood him like she understoond his every breath. However, a secret relationship was enticing to the blonde haired beauty. It was almost like a new adventure. She beamed at him, truly happy that he at least was ready to move forward with her. "I don't see how I could refuse." she said with a smirk. "I don't want to forget today happened. I would love to be your secret girlfriend." she said with sincerity in her voice. Her tennessee twang echoed strongly in her words. To seal her words, Aly stretched that short distance up to his lips, caressing them with her own.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Izaak couldn’t be more relieved that it was a laugh he was hearing and not a glare he was seeing
once he had admitted that he wasn’t ready for a public relationship. He should have had a little more
faith in Alianne than that, she of all people would know why this was something he needed to take
one step at a time because she was the one that knew exactly what he was recovering from. It had
been Alianne he had called at three o’clock in the morning in the oppressive length of many long
nights he hadn’t been able to sleep through, it had been Alianne that knew exactly when and what to
say when seemingly nobody else could communicate with him, it had been Alianne’s shoulder he
had cried into on the top of that headland. Through all that time when she had seen him at his rawest
and most vulnerable points, she had discovered things about Izaak that even he himself still hadn’t
learnt. And now it was his chance to discover her, right down to the inch of skin she loved to be
kissed in most. He’d promised her that she would find a special guy, well, there was nothing Izaak
wanted quite so much than to be that guy for her. And judging by the kiss that they had just shared,
the azure-eyed man was confident he could be.

That smile. Oh that smile, Izaak thought to himself as it danced like sunlight across her face, if only
she could know how unbelievably happy she made him feel. "I would love to be your secret
girlfriend." Izaak’s stomach flipped over inside of him, his heart thudded heavily in his chest and he
was positive that there was half a goofy smile on his face and the rest just pure shock. Alianne
Cooper, one of his most best of friends, was his girlfriend and just by stating that she was herding up
a whole lot of nervous excitement within him, something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. For a long
moment as he beamed down in the blonde in his arms he thought of his late fiancée; the daughter
they had been prepared to raise together, the life they had been excited to spend together. He had
loved her, he did love her within an inch of his life, not a day went by when he didn’t think of this. But
while she stayed forever young, he was left to pick up the pieces of his life and try to make sense of
a life without her. And he had the funniest feeling if she hadn’t wanted him to move on she would
have let him tumble off the edge of the headland, she could have made Aly reach him just that
second too late but here he was now with the beginning of a new life in the palms of his hands. His
azure eyes tore away from Aly’s for only the briefest of seconds to dart up into the picturesque blue
that stretched overhead and he could have sworn that a dash of vanilla had assailed his senses. I
love you, always, he smiled to himself before leaning down and meeting Aly halfway in a kiss that left
him feeling like nothing more than jelly.

Again, in the middle of the zoo it grew too private for such a public place. But as he twisted his hand
in her hair and held Aly so close and tight to him, Izaak didn’t at all want to let go of her. With a hum
of a chuckle he somehow managed to break his lips away from the all-consuming kiss and when he
did, noticed that there were a rather large number of people becoming too quickly fascinated in the
animals that swung from branch to branch behind the young couple. Another small laugh rose in him
as he felt the heat flush his cheeks and pressed his lips against Aly’s ear as he murmured lowly into
them, “I have an idea.” With that, the twenty-two year old took a hold of his new girlfriend’s hand and
led her down the path a little until they reached another enclosure, this one a little different than the
last. It was the nocturnal room, one in which there was not a single light save for the deep blue ones
that dimly lit the animal enclosures. In the last inch of daylight before they stepped inside, Izaak cast
Alianne a cheeky grin and squeezed her hand excitedly. The prying eyes would be able to see them
in here. Somewhere between some description of a bush mouse and a common bat, Izaak pressed
his lips chivalrously to the young woman’s hand and then pressed her back against the far wall with a
joyous laughter in his throat as he joked, “See, now you can make out with me all you want and no
one will have to know.” His lips were close to hers, sheer millimetres away from touching, teasing her
with a smile hidden by the shadows.​