The Chronicles of Malex: Chapter Twelve: The Suite Life of Alex and Michael
“You want us to crawl through the vents?!”
“Not both of you!” Andrew explained. We were all trying to be as quiet as possible talking about our secret operations. After all, we were sitting in the hotel reception area the next morning, only yards away from Ned.
“Andrew, I worry about you sometimes.” Kat said.
“Hey, that wasn’t necessary!” Andrew snapped. “But anyway, only Michael or Alex has to crawl through the vents. Only one of you. I think Michael has the advantage because he’s not as tall...”
Michael narrowed his eyes at Andrew. “Andy...”
“Well it’s true!” Andrew exclaimed.
“Shh!” We all scolded.
“Sorry...” Andrew blushed. “Look, we get rooms right across the hall from each other, you just keep crawling forward till you reach a vent opening, and if you see me and Alex in the room, then you’re at the right room.”
“And if I don’t?” Michael prompted.
“Then you’re lost in the air vent system,” Andrew said.
Michael gulped. “Oh, that’s lovely...”
“Hey, is there any better way to-”
“To?” Ned inquired.
“To...to...” Andrew gasped.
“Uh, TIE A BOWTIE!” Kat blurted out confidently.
Ned gave us a look of disbelief. “Well, there’s only one way, as far as I know...”
“Oh,” Andrew said, looking down. “Well, OK then. Answers MY question.”
Ned nodded. “Mm-hm...well...come on, let’s get to the bus.”
We started walking, and Michael nudged me with his elbow. I looked at him. “Hold out your hand.” He whispered. I did so cautiously. Michael took out a black sharpie and drew a heard on the palm of my hand, filling it in with a messy scribble. I shot him a look that said “what?” He held out the palm of his hand, where a similar heart was drawn, and winked at me. “Now you’ve got my heart, and I’ve got yours.”
“When did I give you my heart? I don’t remember ever giving you my heart.” I whispered to him.
He giggled quietly and whispered in my ear, “You’re just in denial, baby.”
I frowned and started to re-trace the heart on my palm. We were in the next city, the next hotel.
“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked me.
“It’s bleeding.” I told him. “Look!” I held out my hand for him to see.
“Well it’s fading since you wash your hands,” Andrew said.
“Which is why I’m re-tracing it,” I explained. I admired my hand and smiled. It looked just like it had earlier, when Michael had first drawn it. “So when’s he coming over?”
“Well, do you want me to go get him?” Andrew offered.
“You mean crawl through the vents? Um...” I sighed. “Sure, sure. Don’t get lost!”
“I won’t!” Andrew assured me. He stood up on his bed, took a screwdriver from his suitcase (he got it at the rest stop, just for this plan) and removed the grate from the vent. “Hm, how am I gonna...” He said to himself, looking around. He climbed up on the headboard, then shimmied his way into the vent. In a few seconds, he was gone.
I laughed. It was kind of a silly plan. Crawling through vents? Hilarious. I looked down at the heart on my hand and smiled. “Clutching” it in my hand, I sighed. I missed him, but at the same time, I had butterflies in my stomach. He’d be here in a minute. I chuckled. Those bodyguards didn’t suspect a thing.
I jumped as I felt a vibration on my butt. Yep, my phone.
...why is michael climbing into the air duct with andy?
-Kat
Oops. Guess we forgot to tell Kat.
Then this echoed through my room: “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ugh!” Soon after, Michael’s head was sticking out of the vent. He was covered in dust. “Not the best of Andy’s plans,” he remarked.
I laughed. Even when he was annoyed and covered in dust, he was...adorable. “How are you gonna get down?” I asked him.
Michael froze and looked around. “Oh crap. Uh...well...uh...”
I looked around too. “Maybe just drop down on the bed?” I suggested.
“Well, I mean...” Michael gulped. He took a deep breath. “I guess so.” He shut his eyes and scrambled out of the vent. Michael landed on Andy’s bed and laid there for a moment. “Ow...”
I jumped up and rushed over to his side. “You OK?” I asked him, brushing his hair out of his face.
He smiled and nodded. “Well now I am.”
I grinned, holding back laughter. “You’re kind of dusty...” I told him.
He coughed. “Yeah, I know.”
I laughed. “Get up, lazy bum!”
“I’m not a lazy bum, I just fell out of a vent!” Michael gasped, rolling over and sitting up. “You witnessed it! You saw me fall out of a vent!”
“C’mere,” I whispered. I sat down beside him and pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around him. I kissed the top of Michael’s head. “I traced over the heart you drew for me. I’m never gonna let it fade away.”
Michael looked up at me and smiled. “I’ll never let mine fade away either. I traced over it earlier, actually.” He blushed. “I uh, well, I think it’s crazy that already we’re so in love.”
I smiled to myself. It WAS pretty crazy. Two weeks ago, Michael was flirting with me, and I didn’t even know it. Now...we were a couple.
“Michael, I’m not gonna let anything keep you from me,” I told him seriously. “If I have to beat up some buff bodyguard, crawl through dusty air vents, slice a Bieber-tomato...whatever it is, it’s not gonna stop me.”
Michael smiled, looking down at the heart, my heart, then looking back up at me. “You’re so crazy. I love it.”
“Not both of you!” Andrew explained. We were all trying to be as quiet as possible talking about our secret operations. After all, we were sitting in the hotel reception area the next morning, only yards away from Ned.
“Andrew, I worry about you sometimes.” Kat said.
“Hey, that wasn’t necessary!” Andrew snapped. “But anyway, only Michael or Alex has to crawl through the vents. Only one of you. I think Michael has the advantage because he’s not as tall...”
Michael narrowed his eyes at Andrew. “Andy...”
“Well it’s true!” Andrew exclaimed.
“Shh!” We all scolded.
“Sorry...” Andrew blushed. “Look, we get rooms right across the hall from each other, you just keep crawling forward till you reach a vent opening, and if you see me and Alex in the room, then you’re at the right room.”
“And if I don’t?” Michael prompted.
“Then you’re lost in the air vent system,” Andrew said.
Michael gulped. “Oh, that’s lovely...”
“Hey, is there any better way to-”
“To?” Ned inquired.
“To...to...” Andrew gasped.
“Uh, TIE A BOWTIE!” Kat blurted out confidently.
Ned gave us a look of disbelief. “Well, there’s only one way, as far as I know...”
“Oh,” Andrew said, looking down. “Well, OK then. Answers MY question.”
Ned nodded. “Mm-hm...well...come on, let’s get to the bus.”
We started walking, and Michael nudged me with his elbow. I looked at him. “Hold out your hand.” He whispered. I did so cautiously. Michael took out a black sharpie and drew a heard on the palm of my hand, filling it in with a messy scribble. I shot him a look that said “what?” He held out the palm of his hand, where a similar heart was drawn, and winked at me. “Now you’ve got my heart, and I’ve got yours.”
“When did I give you my heart? I don’t remember ever giving you my heart.” I whispered to him.
He giggled quietly and whispered in my ear, “You’re just in denial, baby.”
I frowned and started to re-trace the heart on my palm. We were in the next city, the next hotel.
“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked me.
“It’s bleeding.” I told him. “Look!” I held out my hand for him to see.
“Well it’s fading since you wash your hands,” Andrew said.
“Which is why I’m re-tracing it,” I explained. I admired my hand and smiled. It looked just like it had earlier, when Michael had first drawn it. “So when’s he coming over?”
“Well, do you want me to go get him?” Andrew offered.
“You mean crawl through the vents? Um...” I sighed. “Sure, sure. Don’t get lost!”
“I won’t!” Andrew assured me. He stood up on his bed, took a screwdriver from his suitcase (he got it at the rest stop, just for this plan) and removed the grate from the vent. “Hm, how am I gonna...” He said to himself, looking around. He climbed up on the headboard, then shimmied his way into the vent. In a few seconds, he was gone.
I laughed. It was kind of a silly plan. Crawling through vents? Hilarious. I looked down at the heart on my hand and smiled. “Clutching” it in my hand, I sighed. I missed him, but at the same time, I had butterflies in my stomach. He’d be here in a minute. I chuckled. Those bodyguards didn’t suspect a thing.
I jumped as I felt a vibration on my butt. Yep, my phone.
...why is michael climbing into the air duct with andy?
-Kat
Oops. Guess we forgot to tell Kat.
Then this echoed through my room: “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ugh!” Soon after, Michael’s head was sticking out of the vent. He was covered in dust. “Not the best of Andy’s plans,” he remarked.
I laughed. Even when he was annoyed and covered in dust, he was...adorable. “How are you gonna get down?” I asked him.
Michael froze and looked around. “Oh crap. Uh...well...uh...”
I looked around too. “Maybe just drop down on the bed?” I suggested.
“Well, I mean...” Michael gulped. He took a deep breath. “I guess so.” He shut his eyes and scrambled out of the vent. Michael landed on Andy’s bed and laid there for a moment. “Ow...”
I jumped up and rushed over to his side. “You OK?” I asked him, brushing his hair out of his face.
He smiled and nodded. “Well now I am.”
I grinned, holding back laughter. “You’re kind of dusty...” I told him.
He coughed. “Yeah, I know.”
I laughed. “Get up, lazy bum!”
“I’m not a lazy bum, I just fell out of a vent!” Michael gasped, rolling over and sitting up. “You witnessed it! You saw me fall out of a vent!”
“C’mere,” I whispered. I sat down beside him and pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around him. I kissed the top of Michael’s head. “I traced over the heart you drew for me. I’m never gonna let it fade away.”
Michael looked up at me and smiled. “I’ll never let mine fade away either. I traced over it earlier, actually.” He blushed. “I uh, well, I think it’s crazy that already we’re so in love.”
I smiled to myself. It WAS pretty crazy. Two weeks ago, Michael was flirting with me, and I didn’t even know it. Now...we were a couple.
“Michael, I’m not gonna let anything keep you from me,” I told him seriously. “If I have to beat up some buff bodyguard, crawl through dusty air vents, slice a Bieber-tomato...whatever it is, it’s not gonna stop me.”
Michael smiled, looking down at the heart, my heart, then looking back up at me. “You’re so crazy. I love it.”