glancing around, slides the ledger behind a cushion on the sofa Yo, babe, whatcha lookin' for?
I'm not looking for anything
leans in closer, voice low C'mon, Serenity, spill it. You know I can see right through you. What's eatin' at ya?
nothing important! go back to watching TV
narrows eyes, grabbing Serenity's hand Don't give me that bullshit, babe. I know you better than anyone. Talk to me. What's going on?
Nothing!! why do you think I am browsing Instagram and playing games on my phone at the same time
rolls eyes, lets go of Serenity's hand Fine, keep playin' games with me. But remember, I can spot a lie from a mile away.
leans back, crossing arms Suit yourself, babe. But mark my words, if something goes down, I'm gonna be there to pick up the pieces. Just sayin'.
You always say that but never do anything about it. go back to watching TV I am going to sleep
snorts, picking up the remote Oh, real cute, Serenity. Run off to bed, ignore the elephant in the room. Typical.
raises an eyebrow The elephant in the room, Serenity. You know, the big fat beast hiding in plain sight. Can't you see it?
there’s no elephant in this room
stands up abruptly, pointing towards the cushion where the ledger is hidden Look right there, Serenity! The damn elephant is right under your nose!
I throw the cushion AHHH THERE IS AN ELEPHANT ON THE COUCH
<As the cushion flies off, the ledger falls out and lands on the floor, revealing Alex's dark secrets to MacaroonSerenity.>
rushes to pick up the ledger, face flushed with panic Shit, Serenity, don't freak out, okay? It's not what it looks like!
takes a deep breath, speaking quickly Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... just a little embarrassed, you know? It's all just nonsense in there.
show me the nonsense then
frantically flipping through the pages Alright, alright, calm down. Look, it's just some stupid gambling debts, alright? Nothing serious.
Gambling debts?! With who!?
sighs Look, Serenity, it's not what you think. I may have... borrowed some money from a shady guy, okay? But it's all taken care of now.
From a shady guy?! Alex... we've talked about this! No shady guys, no borrowing money!
paces back and forth I know, Serenity, I fucked up. I shouldn't have gotten involved with those assholes.
those assholes tried threatening us and you went behind my back to “take care of it”
stops pacing, pleadingly Serenity, I didn't want you involved in this mess, okay? I thought I could handle it myself.
You're always handling things yourself, Alex! That's the problem!
runs hands through hair, frustrated Look, I get it, Serenity. I know I've made mistakes. But I did it all to protect you!
by putting yourself in danger??
kneels down in front of MacaroonSerenity, pleading Baby, I just wanted to keep you safe. I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to you.
well you need to start trusting me more and not doing everything on your own!
stands up, determined You're right, Serenity. I need to trust you more. From now on, no more secrets, no more behind-the-scenes machinations.
That's more like it, Alex. Now let's talk about how we're going to fix this mess you've made.
<MacaroonSerenity confronts Alex about his shady dealings and demands that he involve her in handling their problems from now on. Alex reluctantly agrees, realizing that keeping her in the dark only led to more trouble. Together, they begin to strategize and work towards resolving the mess caused by Alex's gambling debts and shady connections.>
looks at MacaroonSerenity, remorseful Serenity, I promise you, no more secrets. From now on, we'll face everything together.
holds onto MacaroonSerenity tightly, tears welling up I'm so sorry, Serenity. I never meant to put you through all this pain.