Dreamer - Chapter 40

"Why'd you do it?" I found myself asking him, but he just remained silent.

"You knew how I felt about him.. how we felt about each other.. you knew what was happening between us and you still did it.. you still-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You have to."

"I really don't."

"Ace."

A hand tapped my shoulder.

"Lex, we're here."

Once I opened my eyes, I immediately recognized where we were.. or at least the kind of location we were at. It looked almost identical to the place Rev took me when I met.. oh God.

"Mace!" Jess jumped out of the car and gave the other gentleman standing outside a hug. You cannot tell me that Liam also knew this man as well.

"Jess!" He mocked her tone as he gave her a huge bear hug back.

"Mace is Jess' current boyfriend." Gilbert whispered to me, probably catching the confusion filling my face. Boyfriend? He had to be joking. There is no way that she was into that. Not him. Not Mace.

"Oh, Mace," Jess said as soon as he put her back on her own two feet, "this is-"

"Lex. I know. We've already met."

"The two of you have already met?"

"Sadly," I replied, "All thanks to that Rev we were just discussing in the car just moments before. Rev and Mace, here, both decided it would be best for me if they-"

"-if we hung out together." Mace shot me a 'don't you dare say a single word' look as he threw his arm around Jess' shoulder, "We just drank a couple beers and chatted up a storm. Nothing really happened."

"How do the two of you know each other?" I asked them both, but mostly looking towards Jess. "I would never guess the two of you would ever cross paths."

"L-" Gilbert went to say but Jess cut him off.

"Shut it." She turned to me, "I never thought we'd hit it off either, but somehow we just clicked." She smiled towards Mace once more, "Now I can't imagine a life without him in it."

Kind of like how I felt about Ace.. or Rev. Stuck in a version of reality where being without them just feels.. odd.. different.. unusual. My eyes scanned over both Jess and Gilbert; the way Gilbert kept looking over at Jess as if to try and protect her from Mace whenever she was near him - almost the way Michael is whenever Rev or Ace are brought up in our conversations. Were Jess and Gilbert just another version of Michael and I? Does that mean Mace would technically be Ace and I.. or Rev and- No. No, Lex. Don't even think about that concept.

"What's he doing here?" Mace gestured towards Gilbert.

"Hello to you too." Gilbert said to him.

"Mace.." Jess said to him.

"He's linked to Liam. If Ace knew I-"

"Ace won't know about anything." Jess reassured him before turning back to me, "Will he?"

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked when it hit me. Of course they'd look towards me. I'm linked to Ace. "I wouldn't tell." I added, "Honest."

"See." Jess turned back to Mace, "Ace wouldn't have a clue."

"He seriously didn't expect me to let you come out with him alone," Gilbert spoke out, "right, Jess?"

Jess didn't answer.

"Jess." Gilbert said to him.

"Maybe I just assumed she'd be allowed to hang out with her boyfriend without her little follower."

"Maybe he-"

"You're not apart of this." Mace snapped at me.

"I was just-"

"Lex," Mace said to me, "are we sure we wouldn't have to worry about you squealing to anyone else about this?"

What? No.

"See as you do have it in with the leader." Mace added.

"Seems like you also have it in with him." I told him.

"No. I know the leader. We all know him. You," He spoke up, "You have it in with him. You managed to do what most of this town have never managed to do."

"And what's that?"

"Break them down."

"You really think I was able to break Ace or Rev down?" I asked him, "Rev or Ace? The two most frustrating people on this planet? You really thought I was able to get them to unfold for my very eyes?" I couldn't help but stifle a small laugh.

"Mace, that's enough." Jess stepped in, "She already said she wouldn't say anything."

"Why should it matter anyway?" I asked Mace, "I mean.. I'm not going to say a single word, but if you're such a bad guy, why the hell would it matter if Rev or Ace were to find out about any of this, whatever this is?"

"I don't care if they found out." Mace answered back.

That's it. I'm confused. "Do you even realize what you're talking about right now?"

"Let's just get going." Jess cut in, "Mace. Just leave it alone. Gilbert's here. We're all here."

"You wouldn't even notice that I'm here." Gilbert told him, "I'll stay in the background."

"Far in the background." Mace added.

"Far in the background." Gilbert repeated, "So far in the background, you'd forget I was even here."

Jess walked down the field, hand in hand with Mace as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"Are they always like this?" I whispered to Gilbert.

"Sadly, yes." He answered, "I'll never understand what she sees in him."

Neither will I.

"You regretting ever getting into the car with us?" Gilbert asked me.

"No." I lied. I regretted it a little. Not because of them, but because of him. Of Mace. Of course I knew I'd have to see him again but I didn't expect it to be this soon. "Does she know Mace because of Liam too, or is there another-"

"Mace knew of her because we both knew Liam.. and since Liam knows Ace, Mace knew of us. I still don't know what it is about her that he sees in her.. she's such the opposite of him." Gilbert said, "Sometimes I think he just wants to figure out a way to hurt her.. it's why I never let her come meet up with him alone."

"What?"

Silence.

"Gil-"

"Guys, come on!" Jess shouted back at us.

"We better get up there."

I couldn't help but think back to the last thing he had said. Sometimes I think he just wants to figure out a way to hurt her. That couldn't be true. Could it? No. She was so in love. Although I've only seen them for such a short time, they seemed pretty happy together. Hell. I saw Mace when Jess first came up to him. He was lit up. He had a twinkle in his eye that I didn't see when he was out with Rev. He actually seems.. normal when he's with her. He actually seems.. like a person.

"Lex, you coming?"

"Coming!" I picked up my pace to catch back up with the three of them. Although I didn't expect for Mace to be here, I did feel quite the satisfaction to be out with someone who wasn't Rev for once. For once, I felt as if I was using my time out in this town for good. Or at least as much good as one could when it comes to being invited out to some mystery location with people you barely met once.

Bang! sounded from the distance.

Fuck. My pace sped up to reach the old abandoned building Jess and Mace led us to only for my eyes to widen at my sight.

"You have got to be kidding me!?" I shouted.