Love's Tangled Web (Alex and Ellie)

Nancy dragged ber husband out of the room. In the hallway, she pounded her chest, saying, "It's all my fault for not pushing him to get married sooner. Look at that idiot, he's practically starving!" Told had a serious expression on his face. "What an embarrassing scene. Go find him a doctor, now!"

Nancy felt a pang of distress. "We've all been there! He's twenty and has needs; isn't that normal?"

Todd retorted. "Even if he's got needs, that doesn't mean he should be hugging a pillow like that"

Todd added, "He needs a therapist. If he's acting like that, either he's mentally unstable or has some weird quirks he's hiding

Hearing her husband's words made Nancy even more anxious. "Hancy, don't scare me like that. Sure, he's a bit wild, but it can't be that serious, can

Suddenly, a curse broke through the air as Alex jolted awake from a troubling dream. Looking at the messy bed, he immediately realized what he had just dreamt about.

In frustration, he slapped himself and quickly jumped out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. Inside, he punched the wall several times, feeling the anger boiling within him.

He couldn't believe he had dreamt of Ellie, pinning her down and ignoring her cries for mercy as he held on tight.

The memory of the moment in the hospital hallway when Ellie had thrown herself at him and kissed him flashed in his mind, making his breathing quicken again.

The next day, around noon, Alex came downstairs to find his parents unusually home.

"Why are you guys staring at me?" he said as he plopped down.

Nancy

gazed at her son with concem in her eyes. San, I've decided. I need to get you a wife, and fast

Todd chimed in, "That bruise on your forehead looks pretty bad. Let your mom find you a doctor to check it out."

Alex glanced between his parents, sensing something was off but couldn't put his finger on it.

In the afternoon, Nancy went to the hospital to see Ellie. In the lounge. Elle nervously poured a cup of water for her.

That day, Ellie had pushed Alex and practically knocked him over, kissing him in front of so many people. She hoped the Warren family wouldn't get the wrong idea about i

"Ellie, come sit with me." Nancy said, pulling her closer.

Ellie looked at Nancy, her heart racing with anxiety. "Nancy, is something wrong with Alex

"He's not well," Nancy replied, eunting Ellie off

Sering Ellie look clueless, Nancy lowered her vo

voice again. "Do you know a reliable therapist? I need a recommendation.

Ellie nodded. "I have a senior. He specializes in mental health and just came back from abroad"

"Can you set up an appointment for him to see Alex Nancy sighed, clearly worried

Elle frowned, unable to hold back her concern. Nancy, what's wrong with Alex?

Nancy waved her hand dismissively. "It's hard to explain in just a few words. I think he's got some issues from being single for too long?"

A few days later, Ellie was

is enjoying her ad day. After shopping for some fruits and veggies, she arrived back at her apartment to find Alex standing her door, weaning a dark expression. Remembering that kiss in the hospital, Ellie felt her cheeks heat up Their dynamic was strange; no

no matter how much they argued, Alex acted like nothing happened, while she couldn't shake off the awkwardness- flickered with emotion as he pointed at her door. "You changed the password, didn't you?" Alex's eyes Hicke

Ellie shook her heal, then nodded. "Um, yes."

In one swilt motion, Ales snatched the bag from her hand and gripped the back of her neck, staring intently at the keypad. "Open the door" Chapter 27

Ellie shrink back, refusing to unlock it. Aaron had set the password for her, and no matter how sinart Alex was, he wouldn't crack it.

"Turn around," she said, not wanting to reveal the password.

With a gran expression, Alex wamed, "Ellie, I'll count to three. If you don't open this door. I'll call someone to tear it

down"

Ellie believed him. He was wild and unpredictable; there was nothing he wouldn't do. Just the other day, his mom had started looking for a therapist. A mother knows her child. Nancy probably suspected Alex had serious issues. With no choice left, Ellie opened the door to let Alex in. Watching him pace around like a police dog, she retreated to the kitchen.noveldrama

A quick scan of the room yielded nothing unusual, and Alex turned to her. "Ellie, who told you to contact a therapist for me?

Ellic shrugged, forcing a smile. "This isn't my fault. You should really ask Nancy about that."

Alex shot back, "How is this not your problem? If you hadn't agreed, could she have forced me to go see a shrink?"

Ellie started organizing the groceries she had just bought, not wanting to get into an argument with him.

Standing beside her, Alex's gaze unconsciously drifted to Ellie's lips. He recalled the kiss they shared in the hospital, making his throat tighten. That restless spark, one he thought was just a dream, began stirring inside him again. Annoyed, he tugged at his already loose collar and headed to grab a glass of water. "Get me some ice"

Ellie retrieved some ice from the fridge, warning. "Drinking too much of this isn't good for you"

Alex dumped all the ice into his glass. "I just need something to cool me down

She watched him til his head back and down the whole glass of icy water. With a smirk, she continued organizing her fridge, thinking that he really needed to calm down.

"Once you're done, let's go somewhere. Alex said, putting his emply glass down.

Ellie closed the fridge, turning to take the glass he used back to the kitchen to wash it. "I'm not going"

In response, Alex pulled out his phone, clicked on a video, and held it up in front of her

Ellie's eyes widened as she realized the video showed her kissing him up close. Her mind wiped blank-he actually saved the clip someone took of them in the hallway!

Before she could finish watching. Alex snatched the phone back. "If you don't come with me, I'm sending this video to Aaron. I'll share it with everyone

Staring at Alex's malicious grin, Ellie felt like she could barely breathe

"Go ahead and share it! That was just an accident; there were tons of people there who could back me up! Ellie quickly rinsed off the soap on her hands and pushed Alex out of the kitchen.

Alex letturely followed, hands stuffed in his pockets, leaning closer to whisper in her ear, "Since you don't care, I'll just send this video to my parents and say you were trying to seduce me, wanting to be my wife. Who do you think they'll believe? Ellie's face turned pale, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, trembling uncontrollably,

Staring at him with red-rummed eyes, she struggled to say, "How can you be so vile?"

Alex's expression twisted into a

a smirk, but there was a sharp warning in his eyes. "So, what do you say! Ready to go out with someone as vile as me?"