I feel like such a terrible writer. I wish I wouldn?t go in and out of phases!!! >__< I even spammed my fic. 
Anyway, I WILL TRY TO BE BETTER. Gots my Bollywood music going and I must update at least this one today! And sorry but I didn't proofread. =___=~Chapter Twenty-Three~ Ting stared as Ali sat with her two friends, Benny and Sacha, and she wondered what it was like to be someone such as Ali. Ali was independent and her relationship with both boys didn?t consist of her depending on them. If anything, their careers depended on Ali. After seeing her psychiatrist two times a week for two months, Top refused to continue sessions with Ting. He was unwilling to expose too much to either Dr. Ortiz or Ting. Fed up, Ting decided to stop her sessions as well. She bluntly told Top that she refused to sleep with customers and she wanted what Chee had: Security at home and being left to know as little as possible about her boyfriend?s work. Knowing he had little choice, Top gave in but he still had Ting come to the clubs on the weekends, though she was there as his company and nothing else.
Once Ting spotted Benny sitting at the table alone, she walked over and sat beside him. He grinned at her and took her hand into his under the table and squeezed it gently. They weren?t exactly having an affair, but Ting and Benny had been, for the past month, finding sneaky ways to be around each other. They spoke to one another about what was on their minds and mostly held hands. Only once had Benny kissed Ting on the lips, and it was when he had been drunk and they were alone in Top?s office for a few minutes. Ting touched as much of Benny as she could when she could get away with it. The simple fact that they were innocently flirting and his sincere interest for her made Ting fall harder and harder for Benny every passing day. Not even Ali or Sacha knew of this secret. Benny feared Ali would call Benny off the job, and neither Ting nor Benny trusted anyone else to keep it silent if they were to find out.
?On Wednesday,? Ting said as she looked in a different direction of where Benny was looking, ?I picked some roses from my backyard, and I remembered you telling me about when you were nine and you crashed your bike into your mother?s rose bush.?
Benny smiled, resisting the urge to look at Ting. ?I still have a scar on my elbow where I got a pretty gnarly cut.?
Ting couldn?t stop. She giggled and whipped around to look at Benny. He turned to look at her too, and they locked eyes. ?What is ?gnarly??? she asked.
?It?s, like, a word,? he began awkwardly, noticing Sacha and Daesung approach them. Quickly throwing caution to the wind, he let go of Ting?s hand and placed both hands on the table. ?It means like ?badass?, you know??
?Do you think I should start using that word?? Ting asked as she too now saw Sacha and Daesung.
?What?s up, guys?? Sacha asked as he plopped down on Benny?s left side.
?Benny is teaching me slangs,? Ting replied. ?You have gnarly shoes on, Sacha.?
?Rad, brah!? Sacha exclaimed, high fiving Benny. ?That?s totally Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! All we need to teach her now is lingo from ?Clueless? and she?ll be set to take on the 90?s!?
?What were you two sitting together for?? Daesung asked, sitting beside Ting. ?Weirdest pairing ever.?
?Top told me to stay out here, and Benny was alone so I decided to give him company,? Ting said, wanting to punch Daesung for always asking questions that didn?t need answers to. ?He said that you have gnarly hair, and I didn?t understand it, so he explained to me what ?gnarly? means.?
?Adorable,? Daesung said, frowning slightly. ?Well, I must be off but you three enjoy yourselves.?
*
?I told you not to tell mom what I was up to,? Ali said into her cell as she stood outside the club, leaning up against the brick wall. ?It?s not that I don?t want her to know, I just don?t want her to worry.?
?If you?re concerned about her worrying do you honestly think it?s smart or safe for you to do what you?re doing?? her brother Michael demanded from the other end.
?My job is to investigate,? Ali shot out. ?It?s not an easy job, and you guys should know that. I just don?t think I can handle the family knowing what I am doing and knowing you?re all worried about me. I don?t need you calling me to lecture me.?
?I?m calling because I want to know if you?re going to come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.?
?I?ll try for one or the other,? Ali replied after a moment?s pause. ?I can?t make it for both. Put me down for Thanksgiving.?
?Are those two morons going to tag along?? Michael asked.
?They?re not morons,? Ali said with forced calm. ?And no, they have their own families to go to. Happy? I have to go now.?
Before her brother could say any more Ali pressed the end call button and threw her phone into her bag. She quickly entered the bathroom once she made it back inside the club, but regretted it almost immediately. Chee was standing alone in the bathroom, staring at her own reflection. Ali cursed herself silently. Obviously, Seungri had been standing outside the ladies? bathroom for a reason, not just because he was hoping to seduce some women as soon as they exited the bathroom.
Even after showing all signs that she was a changed person, GD still refused to trust Chee to do things on her own. The likes of Seungri were left to look after her constantly, but to Ali it seemed as if none of them minded too much, even Chee. Ali hated being alone with Chee since she wasn?t sure how Chee felt about Ali since Chee was a relative stranger to her.
?Hi,? Ali announced awkwardly, and before she could make her way into a stall Chee stood before her.
?Do you have a minute?? Chee asked softly.
?Umm, sure,? she replied, deciding that she owed it to Chee to listen to her since Chee had a rather nervous look in her eyes. ?Is everything okay??
?Well,? Chee took a step back and leaned up against the sink behind her, ?this is really embarrassing, but I don?t really have friends aside from my boyfriend, and I wanted to tell someone something. You listen to people talk, right??
?That?s not really my job,? Ali replied awkwardly, ?but, of course, you can tell me if something is bothering you.?
?Thanks,? Chee replied. ?I know you?d rather talk to Top?s girls or even my boyfriend, but I just really wanted to tell someone. I don?t know if you know what happened to me when I was 13, but I thought that I wouldn?t be able to have kids. A couple weeks ago though, I thought my period was early, but I was just spotting, and I just got this feeling that there?s something up with my weird back pains. I looked up online, and I might be pregnant.?
?Oh,? was the only thing Ali could think of saying.
?I have a doctor?s appointment next week, but I just told GD that it was for a yearly checkup. I don?t want him to worry if it ends up being nothing, you know??
?You sound excited,? Ali said as Chee stood up straight, smiling.
?It?d be a beautiful miracle if I?m pregnant,? Chee said with a gentle nod of her head. ?We never thought that this would ever happen.?
?You?ve thought of kids?? Ali asked.
?We?re still young, I know,? Chee replied, ?but for the past couple of months I have really cleared my head and we talked about what the future holds for us. GD hasn?t proposed yet, or talked about marriage really, but I know he?s been thinking about it.?
?I?m happy to hear that you?re both doing well,? Ali replied. ?I won?t tell anyone if you don?t want me to.?
?Oh, yeah, I?d really appreciate that,? Chee said before pulling Ali in for an awkward hug. ?See you later!?
Locking the door to the stall she entered, Ali pondered what it was that had happened to Chee when she was 13.
*
Top wasn?t bothered with Ting?s absences or with Lady Larissa?s threats or even with Fefa?s earnings having gone down a bit in the recent weeks. He was stressed out about the man GD had sent out to Japan. This boy had been in Japan for over a month and there were no new developments to his trip yet, and Top was pissed. GD had promised him that it would take less than two weeks to get the job done, and this was the easiest frustration he could put up with. Ting had been distant from him, but Top kind of didn?t care anymore. He was considering dumping Ting and cold shoulders, but he had to think of a situation in which Ting can live comfortably enough but not be a possible risk to Top?s empire once she was no longer in Top?s control.
It would have perhaps been easier to sort out if he had the help of Lady L but Larissa was still extremely pissed off that Top had set her up on a date with Junsu. Since the disastrous date Junsu had become convinced that he and Larissa were meant to be together. He sent her gifts daily and left messages of him reading poems or singing song lyrics on her answering machine; not to mention he had flown back to LA at least five times just to see Larissa. Larissa had repeatedly told Junsu that she didn?t want to have anything but a professional relationship with him, but he was deaf to those words, so in turn she blamed Top for the thorn in her side. He heard of it every time Junsu did something for Larissa.
Even worse, both Top and Larissa had stupid nuisances that bothered them daily, so they paid less attention to the problem that was Fefa than either would have liked. Lately, Fefa?s client numbers began to decrease, and it wasn?t much of an issue since Pua seemed to finally grow into her skin and was racking in a lot of customers nightly, but Top knew that if a girl began to show signs of wear and tear it was time to sell her off before potential buyers noticed the defects as well. It was not like Fefa to lose aspiration in her job, but something was going on and Top didn?t have enough time or energy to sort it out or tell Lady Larissa to sort it out.
As GD?s girlfriend and Seungri entered his office, Top took a sip of the whiskey in his hand. GD was adamant in telling Top that there was no worry about his man in Japan. Swearing that they were going to get the good news any day now, GD didn?t seem bothered at all.
?If your man can?t get the job done by the end of next week he?s coming back and you?ll have to pay me for the time that it took me to get Yoochun and his partners here,? Top said at last.
Before anyone could protest, there was a knock on the door and Detective Yunho entered the room.
?I need to talk as soon as you have time,? Yunho said, ignoring the other three people in the room.
?I?m free now,? Top said, ignoring the frown Chee was giving him. Knowing better than to argue with Top, Chee led the way out to leave Yunho and Top alone.
