An eye for an eye, a heart for a...kiss?, tag; Ian

[Alli Cromwell]

The halls of the theater building had been silent all morning and into the afternoon. Another one the front doors opened with a high pitched squeak and Alli Cromwell walked into the building. She stepped forward into the hallway and began walking to her godforsaken destination. Sighing, Alli ran a hand through her soft brown hair and shook her head. She had not planned to be anywhere near the theater building today and of course as soon as she plans to not do something she has to do it. Walking forward, Alli shoved her hands into her deep pants pockets and began her journey to, as she put it, hell.

As she walked, Alli looked around the hall in boredom. Her hazel brown eyes twitched as the squeak of her VANS shoes against the floor echoed throughout the hall. It was only because of this sound that she slightly regretted changing back to her odd sense of style for the day or maybe even the week. Instead of her normal dress/skirt and dress shirt with heels wardrobe, today Alli wore a pair of loose black cargo pants that were only being held up by a belt and a red latch corset that showed just enough. And of course she was wearing her VANS which continued to make the ungodly squeaking noise that was beginning to drive her made.

‘Why on earth is HE even calling me to HIS office?’ She thought to herself as she rounding the corner and entered the hallway that held all of the drama faculties’ offices. Earlier that day Alli had received a very neatly but at the same time messy note requesting her presence later on in the day. The shocker was that the note had come from Ian Yost, the very man who had agreed to not bother Alli as long as she didn’t bother HIM.

Closing her eyes, Alli pulled one of her hands out of her pocket and ran it through her hair again. She wasn’t trying to make herself look nice like the other girls who went to HIS office. She would always hear girls talking about saying how much they liked HIM and how cute HE was. Alli could help but give a very unladylike snort when the conversations crossed her mind. Opening her eyes, Alli found herself standing in front of HIS office. Oh, how she wished she could just turn around and walk away but of course he requested for her to come to HIS office and because HE was a teacher she had to show up. “You better have a good reason for this, Yost.” She mumbled to no one as reluctantly knocked on Ian Yost’s down before opening it and stepping inside. “You messaged me?” She questioned while staring at the floor, she had just realized right before she opened the door that she looked just like her old self again the same self that Ian had fallen in love with two long years ago.

[Ian Yost]

There was nothing more Ian Yost hated then having to ask for help. He had been independent ever since he was a preschooler, and when he asked for help it stabbed him in the heart. There was nothing he could do in this situation though. The Fine Arts Fest was well underway, and a bunch of the older drama kids had came requesting his help. He could deal with reading over scripts, watching monologues and giving acting tips. What he could not deal with was outfits. A handful of people had asked him to pick out clothes from the dressing rooms for them to use. Ian was lost.

So, he turned to the one person he knew that was into fashion. Alli Cromwell. Their last meeting had went poorly, and Ian was determined not to let it happen again. As he waited for the click-clack of high heels against hallway, he kept telling himself Alli was just a student. Nothing more, nothing less. There was no past, there was no future.

The click-clack never came. Ian sat at his desk flipping through a stack of pictures he had picked up from Walmart, and the pictures featured his own little star. So when the hand knocked on the door, he jumped and shoved the pictures away. He closed the desk draw with a loud bang just in time. "Miss. Cromwell, pleasure to see you. Please have a seat." Ian waved his hand at a generic wooden chair.

It that moment in which Ian realized he wasn't looking at Miss. Cromwell. He was looking at Alli, the same Alli he had ran into at the mall three years ago. Miss. Cromwell was fake, but Alli was real. So much for making this meeting set in modern time. The past was now.

"I know you are probably busy with school right now, so I will make this brief. I need help with the Fine Arts Feast."

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli shoved her hands into her pockets in order to keep herself from fidgeting and walked farther into the room. She surveyed the room as she ungracefully plopped her medium frame into the wooden chair by Ian’s desk. Alli could feel Ian staring at her as she sat in front of him. ‘Awkward’, she thought while trying to look everywhere but Ian. Even though the last time the two met Alli had been strong willed and hard head today she simply felt drained. She had been dealing with more then she should and it was starting to take its toll on her. Most of her days were being spent dealing with not only school but also with the company. It simply figures that as soon as she leaves New York everything gets turned upside down. Alli turned her mind’s focus toward Ian when she heard him begin to speak.

"I know you are probably busy with school right now, so I will make this brief. I need help with the Fine Arts Feast."

“YOU need MY help?” She asked Ian while lazily raising one eyebrow. ‘Well, this is unexpected,’ she thought while leaning back into the chair. Yawning, Alli tilted her head and smiled lightly at Ian she was tired, yes, but she could still poke fun at his ego. “Well I never thought I’d actually hear you ask for my help usually I’d have to force you to let me help you and here I also thought that you hated me.” Even though Alli was acting smug inside she was jumping for joy. Ian needed her help, she was going to be able to spend time with him. Alli mentally slapped herself when she thought about spending time with Ian. ‘He doesn’t like you anymore, Alli. GET OVER IT!’Once she was done scolding herself, Alli’s small smile had faded and her eye’s went to having some life to looking completely drained.

"So, what do you need me to do, MR. YOST?" she asked emphasizing the Mr. Yost part.

[Ian Yost]

Ian felt a burst of surprise ripple through him when Alli teased him for less then a minute. The last two meetings had been almost constant insults from beginning to end. Had Alli decided it wasn't worth it or something? And then Ian saw the familar worn look of stress on Alli's face. He use to be able to tell when something was wrong with her right away. And there he was again, the past slipping into the present.

"Um, right" He said, focusing his attenion on the here and now. "As you know, prep for Fine Arts Fest is under full swing. Several of my older students have asked me to help them with their acts. The acting part I am fine with, but some of them asked me to get costumes together as well. You know me and my fashion sense. I'm fine with the way I dress, but I do not think others would be pleased with my idea of an outfit."

"Basically, with this short of notice, you are the only one that comes to mind that I can trust to get the job done right. I have requests from five people right now, but I know as the event gets closer there will be more. If you agree to help, it'll be a chore that lasts the whole month. I'll try to arrange it with one of your teachers to let you be excused from some of your classtime, so you don't have to stay after. And, I'm more than willing to help you or anyone in your company with how to conduct yourself on stage." The last statement had been offered to Alli plently of times, and Ian felt slightly bad that it was all he had to offer.

Ian made sure to make eye contact at the right moments, a lifetime of training in public speaking behind him. It was during one of these eye contacts where he noticed just how unwell Alli looked. He shoved his hands in his pockets, resisting himself from cupping her face lovingly. "You do not look well Alli. Have you been sleeping okay?" He asked, concerned.

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli only half listened to what Ian was telling her. She understood that he had called her for help in the costume department but that was it. After she heard why she was in his office, Alli blocked out everything else, she didn’t hear his offer or any of his concerned remarks. Her mind just didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say. It began to wander to the homework that she still had to do and the papers that she had to write. Midway through Ian’s proposal Alli’s eyebrows knit together when she realized that she still had to check her PO Box for the files that were supposed to be sent to her.

"You do not look well Alli. Have you been sleeping okay?"

Alli mindlessly looked over to Ian and slowly nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m get about 5 hours of sleep a night so it’s not that bad.” She said in a spacey voice. She was indeed getting more sleep now than she was back in New York. Usually she would only get about 3 hours of sleep a night while living in the city because of the night life that she had to live up to and all of the meetings and late night parties’ people would host. But it seemed that now since there wasn’t as much for her to do, Alli’s body was finally giving out from the lack of sleep and proper nutrition. Looking back at Ian, Alli forced at smile onto her face and tried to convince him that she was fine, “I’m fine really…I couldn’t be better.” Standing up Alli grasped onto the chair for support when a sudden dizzy spell over took her. Once it had past, Alli shook her head and straightened up. “Well Mr. Yost shall we begin looking at the old costumes?” She asked formally. Ian may be calling her by her first name but he was still a teacher and she wouldn’t let her emotion get the best of her. At least she hoped she wouldn’t.

[Ian Yost]

Ian could tell that Alli was struggling, but dropped the issue of being concerned. He wasn't sure where the teacher/friend line was yet, but he was pretty sure pushing personal issues like that would be pushing him out of teacher status. What Alli did in her free time was none of his business unless she decided to openly share it. Policy was policy. Ian had already screwed up in the past, and if Alli wanted to she could have him fired right now.

"Yes, I suppose we better. I wrote down what each person had in mind, but if you have better ideas I'm open to them" Ian said, standing and exiting the room. Once Alli was out, he locked the door behind him and started walking out of the office hallway and into the drama hallway. Instead of going directly onto stage to get to the dressing/costume rooms he made a small detour. Class was in session, and Ian didn't want to disrupt it.

The back door to the room was still a short walk, and once Ian got there he unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. Racks of clothing aligned the room, their placement in no particular order. That was one thing Ian never tried to do organize the dressing area. "Okay, I'm not sure if you have been in here before but this is it. The clothing is all on the racks, and accessorys are in the plastic tubs underneath the racks. Here is the list that people want. Let me know what I can do."

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli looked around the so called costume room and gulped. Her hazel eyes grew in size as she walked farther into the room and ran her hands over the costumes and looked in the buckets of accessories. ‘My God…’ she thought in disgust the place as so unorganized and seemed to be close to shambles.

"Okay, I'm not sure if you have been in here before but this is it. The clothing is all on the racks, and accessorys are in the plastic tubs underneath the racks. Here is the list that people want. Let me know what I can do."

Alli’s head turned sharply in the direction of Ian. Turning her whole body, Alli walked right up to Ian and looked, as best as she could, into his eyes. The tired looked in Alli’s eyes had been replaced with shock and determination. Huffing, she reached out and grabbed Ian by the collar of his shirt and forced him into the room. “You, Mr. Ian Yost are going to help me with this mess.” She said in a tone of voice that didn’t leave any room for discussion. Once she was sure that Ian would bolt for the door, Alli walked around the room and ran her hands through the different racks of costumes. On occasion she would stop and pull out something that caught her eye and would study it. One of the things that she pulled out completely surprised her. It was one of her old black sun dresses that she had given to Ian so that he could use it in his plays. A sad smile spread across her face as she caressed the fabric in between her fingers. The black material still felt as soft as she remembered it. Memories of the times that she and Ian had been together wandered into her train of thought. Before she could stop herself, Alli looked up at Ian and held the dress to her body and asked, “Do you think it would still fit?”

[Ian Yost]

"I wasn't planning on leaving anyways," Ian said, leaning against the wall. He had visions of Alli setting the room on fire, then heading off to take a long nap. He shook his head to clear the image, golden blonde hair getting ruffled in the process. "So how is school going for you this year? Are you taking the time to focus on that as well as your company and your little fashion shows?" He asked, flipping through the nearest rack of clothes.

He glanced up when Alli asked a question about something fitting. He recognized the dress as one of Alli's, before she went through her high and mighty fashion director stage. "It would, but it may be a bit short," Ian replied, no hint of sarcasm or rudeness in his tone. For the first time in about two years, the two were having a normal conversation.

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli pulled the dress away from her body and smiled softly as memories started to fill her mind. All the memories that she had tried to suppress for the past two years started to come back in full force. Images of Ian and Alli spending time together swirled in her head, all the times that they had gone out together, the nights that she would spend in Ian’s room. The last memory that floated past Alli’s mind’s eye sent an unconsciously shiver run up her spine. It was the one memory that Alli had wished she could get rid of the most. It was their last night that they had spent to together happily, the same night that their relationship might a completely new level.

Blushing at the memory, Alli put the dress to the side and started to look through the racks of clothing again. "So how is school going for you this year? Are you taking the time to focus on that as well as your company and your little fashion shows?" she heard Ian ask from the other end of the room. Biting her tongue Alli forced down the sarcastic words that wanted to come out of her mouth. The way Ian had asked her if she was taking time to focus on school as well as her job hit an already raw never that still hadn’t had time to heal. Besides he should know the answer to that question anyways or was Ian Yost really starting to lose his touch. Without thinking Alli let at soft laugh escape from her lips as she softly teased Ian, “I would have never guessed that you’d be losing your touch. You used to be able to pick up on the small of problems.” Moving to a different rack, Alli started to pull out different articles of clothing that could potentially work. “But if you really must know, yes I have been focusing on my school work. In fact I haven’t contacted everyone from the company for a little over a month now.” Alli mused as she skipped past a rack that didn’t look at all promising. Looking up she smiled slightly at Ian once she realized that she had already made it to his side of the room. May be this won’t take as long as she thought.

[Ian Yost]

For a brief moment, Ian forgot there was an outside world. All of his focus was on the here and now. He hadn't felt this way since...well, since prom night. That memory was one left alone though, a memory not many could bring up in a conversation. Part of Ian wondered that if that night had not happened if the relationship would have lasted. Deep down though, Ian knew that night was meant to be the cap of everything for them. One last happy memory before the sea of sorrow swept up behind them and buried them in it's waves.

A month? It had been a month since that dreadful night he had drove Alli to her little meeting? Oh..meeting...suddenly Ian was back in reality. He had a son, he had a teaching position. "So, have you been successful in finding decent articles of clothing?" He questioned Alli, who was a mere five feet away. "If you want that black dress back, why don't you take it. Maybe I'll root out that old blue sweatshirt and we can have a blast from the past party."

After he said it, he shook his head. Blast from the past party? That was something his seventeen year old self could say, but he wasn't seventeen anymore.

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli laughed as she nodded her head at Ian first question and then shot back “I liked that blue sweater you know?” Alli cocked an eyebrow at Ian and looked back over at the dress. Walking back over to it, Alli picked it up once again and held it tightly in between her hands almost like if she let go of it the dress would disappear. She hated the life that she was living. She wanted to be her old self. Alli wanted to be the girl that she had been two years ago. She wanted to be happy again, she wanted to be herself. Without thinking Alli threw the dress down on the ground and ran her shaky hands through her hair. Letting out a loud huff, Alli slid to the floor of the costume room and simply laid there.

A long silent fell over Alli as frustrated thoughts began to fill her mind. Sitting up, Alli let her hair fall over her face in order to hide the embarrassment that she felt toward her sudden outburst. Looking down at her shaking hands, Alli closed her eyes and quietly whispered, “I…I’m selling the company.” She couldn’t take working with people who didn’t want her to be herself. All of the pressure had taken its final toll on Alli and in her response to the decision of fame or freedom, Alli HAD to choose freedom.

[Ian Yost]

Alli had always been the voice of reason in the relationship. Ian had always been the one to jump into projects full force without thinking them through first. So when Alli said she was selling the company, he was surprised to find himself thinking all of the "What If?" questions. Thankfully, Ian was smart enough to realize that it was not the best time to ask the main question going through his mind, What about the money?

"Als," Ian said gently, sitting down on the floor beside her, "I'll support whatever you decide to do. You know that. You know I loved you before I found out that you had your own company. This isn't something your going to regret down the road though, is it?" Again, Ian had forgotten that his relationship with Alli was over. Again, he had called Alli by her special nickname. And for the first time in two years he had told her that he loved her.

Ian realized none of his mistakes. He was back to being a seventeen year old student, his future unknown.

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli didn’t look up from her hands as she silently listened to Ian. Her eyes grew a slightly when she heard him say that he loved her but they quickly went back to normal and only thing that show her recognition of his statement was the light blush that had appeared on her cheeks. Alli sighed in frustration as she pulled her legs close to her chest and in order to hide her face within her knees so that Ian couldn’t see her blushing. ‘He said that he still loves me.’ She thought while trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. ‘But he doesn’t mean it. He’s a teacher; Ian’s just trying to claim me down. He could never love me after everything that I put him through.’ A small tear slid down her cheek as she tried to convince herself that Ian didn’t mean what he was saying. Sadly the ridiculing statements that filled her head only helped to push Alli into tell Ian what was really on her mind.

Once Alli knew that she had herself under control again and that she wouldn’t break down, she picked up her head and focused her gaze on the wall opposite to her and Ian. “I could never regret selling the company. You see, the more I think about the more I realize that I don’t have enough room felt in my heart to regret getting rid of it.” Alli paused as she flipped her thoughts around in her mind. “You know, I always thought about selling the company even before you graduated. I…I just never said anything. But I know now that it’s the only thing that I can do in order to save myself.” Another silence fell over Alli as she turned her head so that she could look at Ian. Smiling softly Alli tried to put some humor back into the atmosphere. “You know you’re lucky that you got out when you still had the chance. I mean you’re still you while I’ve become the very thing that I hate.” As much as she had tried to make the comment sound funny and humorous, Alli could still hear the pain and hatred in her voice. Throughout the years the company had done the one thing that no one else was ever able to do, even Ian hadn’t been able to do what the company had done. It had been able to turn Alli against herself and make her hate everything that was Alli.

Looking down at the floor Alli stretched her legs out and propped her back up against the wall. The air around the two wasn’t filled with tension of hate for once and in a way to gave Alli the courage to close her eyes and rest her head against Ian’s shoulder. With her eyes stilled closed Alli unknowingly whispered the small but dangerous wish that had been nagging at her telling her mind that it was the perfect means of escape. “I just…I just wish that I could make it all stop…You know? I mean really who would ever miss me…” Alli was most definitely not herself.

[Ian Yost]

Ian was struggling with the idea of letting Alli letting the company go. All the money in that place! But, she was unhappy. Happiness was worth more then money, a lesson Ian knew he should know from childhood. Both his parents had been deadbeat actors, and he had suffered the consequences. He felt his stomach twist when he realized his son was in a similar situation. Ian was trying to raise the little boy on a teacher's salary. Already the baby was growing up in used clothes. He shook it off though, vowing he would never but the child in the same state of lonliess he had been raised it.

"Do what you think is right Alli," Ian said, praying he was steering her in the right direction. "I'm not going to try to tell you what to do with your life. I already have two people in this world that I have to boss around, I don't need another one." Another slip. Ian felt himself cring on that one. The two people he was referring to were himself and his son. Of course, Alli had no way of knowing that unless she questioned him.

The statement about Ian still being Ian made him shake his head. "I'm not really the same. I'm behind the scenes now. The old Ian would have never settled for anything less then being a star. I hate what I have become to. I never thought I would be off stage, not on. I wanted to actually be someone. But here I am, another deadbeat actor who didn't make the big screen." He tried not to be bitter about it, but he knew he had failed himself. Sure, he liked his children, but it wasn't what he wanted in life.

Ian placed an arm around Alli, knowing she needed comfort right now. Pushing her away would be like telling her he hated her and didn't care. It was a good thing he did, because the next statement shocked him. "Al! You know that is not true!" He exclaimed. "What about your Aunt? And Nicholas? And Dannie? Don't you think you mean something to them?"

[Alli Cromwell]

Alli felt a pain in her heart as she listened to Ian talk about himself, they really had more in common that she realized. Then Alli really felt bad. "Al! You know that is not true!" He exclaimed. "What about your Aunt? And Nicholas? And Dannie? Don't you think you mean something to them?" Sighing, she closed her eyes and softly pushed herself off of Ian which in the process made his arm fell off of her as well. Looking down at the ground, Alli moved Ian’s arm so that it was between the two of the them and began to play with his fingers, something she used to do all the time when they had been dating. “I don’t know…maybe?” She said while tracing imaginary designs on his hand. “I guess so but really when you think about within a few years time I’d just be another forgotten memory. I mean I’m not that important. I haven’t talked to my aunt or Nick in about five months and Dannie and I are just starting to talk to each other again. So there really won’t be much to miss.” Alli paused again so that she could try that focus her thoughts on the subject that she and Ian were discussing. But it seemed that the harder she tried to focus the fuzzier everything became. While trying to remember what she was talking about Ian’s comment about him being a deadbeat actor popped into her mind. Shaking her head at the thought she commented, “You’re not a deadbeat. You just haven’t found your break through just yet.” Then she also remembered Ian’s comment about having to boss around two people. Alli knew that one of the people that Ian was referring was himself but she wasn’t sure who the other was. Her only guess was that it was his current girlfriend. “Also you don’t have to worry about bossing me around; I have people who are paid to do that.” ‘Another reason to why this has to stop.’ She thought while continuing all the while not realizing that she was now running her fingers up and down Ian’s arm in a tickling manner. “Besides you shouldn’t have to boss around your girlfriend, I mean she should be the one telling you what to do, right? Or have you taking up the position that I once filled?” Alli asked jokingly, while recalling their relationship when she in fact was the one that tried to keep Ian out of trouble.