Prodigy In Modern Family

Alex was lying on her bed, drowning her face in her pillow, trying to muffle the whirlwind of emotions threatening to consume her. Downstairs, laughter and conversation filled the house—Jay, Gloria, Manny, Cameron, Mitchell, and Lily were all over for dinner. Her entire family was together, yet she was up here, in her and Haley's shared room, isolating herself from the world.

She clenched the letter in her hands, the words Klaus had written looping in her mind like a haunting melody she couldn't shake. Every line was laced with raw emotion, a depth of feeling she hadn't been prepared for. She had spent the past few days trying to move on, trying to push him out of her mind. But with just one letter, he had shattered the walls she was desperately trying to build.

Haley, who had been watching her for the past few minutes, finally spoke up. "Okay, what are you doing?"

Alex let out a muffled groan into her pillow.

Haley crossed her arms. "Seriously, Alex. You've been moping around all week. What's going on?"

Alex sighed and sat up, hugging the letter to her chest. "Mom told me to."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Told you to do what exactly? Be miserable?"

Alex hesitated, then said, "She told me to stop seeing Klaus. That I need to focus on my future. That he's… a distraction."

Haley scoffed. "Oh my God. And you actually listened?"

Alex glared at her. "It's not that simple, Haley. What if she's right? What if I do lose focus? I've worked too hard for this. I have plans, goals—"

"Right," Haley cut in, rolling her eyes. "Because falling for a guy means you'll suddenly forget how to be a genius? Come on, Alex. You're the smartest person I know. You're not gonna throw everything away just because you're into some ridiculously hot, poetic, motorcycle-riding bad boy."

Alex flushed, looking away. "That's not—"

Haley smirked. "Oh, that got a reaction."

Alex groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "I hate you."

"No, you hate that I'm right," Haley shot back. She sighed, softer this time. "Look, I get that Mom just wants the best for you, but sometimes she forgets that you get to decide what's best for you."

Alex stared at the letter, Klaus's words etched into her mind like a brand on her soul.

"You are the poem I will never finish, the song I will hum for a lifetime, and the reason that I shall wait for you forever ."

Haley nudged her foot. "So… what do you want?"

Alex swallowed hard. What do I want?

Alex stared at the letter in her hands, her fingers tracing over Klaus's name at the bottom. Her heart pounded as Haley's words echoed in her mind.

"So… what do you want?"

She exhaled shakily, her walls crumbling under the weight of her feelings. "I want to love him," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to touch him, to feel him. I want him to do things to me—" She stopped herself, her face burning as she buried it back into her pillow.

Haley's eyes widened before a slow, knowing grin spread across her lips. "Oh. My. God." She let out a laugh. "Girl, you have fallen so hard."

Alex groaned into the pillow. "Don't remind me."

Haley flopped onto the bed beside her, nudging her shoulder. "You know, for someone as smart as you, you're really dumb about this."

Alex peeked up at her. "Excuse me?"

Haley smirked. "You're sitting here torturing yourself over what Mom thinks, but let's be real—if you really didn't want Klaus, you wouldn't be acting like a tragic romance novel heroine right now."

Alex sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know what to do, Haley. I've never felt like this before."

Haley shrugged. "Then maybe stop thinking so much and just feel."

Alex bit her lip. The idea was terrifying… but also tempting.

And deep down, she knew she couldn't stay away from Klaus forever.

Alex hesitated, Haley's words still swirling in her mind. Stop thinking so much and just feel.

Before she could respond, a knock on the door made both girls look up. Haley raised an eyebrow as Alex sat up, smoothing her hair.

The door cracked open, and Manny peeked inside. "Hey, Alex."

She forced a smile. "Hey, Manny. What's up?"

Manny stepped in, glancing between her and Haley. "Can you call Klaus? He told me that if I ever wanted to play chess, I should just let you know so you could tell him."

Alex's heart skipped a beat at his name. She hadn't seen him in days, and now, out of nowhere, he was giving Manny instructions that led back to her?

Haley smirked, nudging Alex's leg under the covers. "Ohhh, interesting."

Alex shot her a glare before looking back at Manny, who was obliviously waiting for an answer. She hesitated for a moment, debating whether this was a good idea.

But then she thought about the letter, about Klaus's words that had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. About how she missed him.

She took a breath and nodded. "Okay. Give me a few minutes, I'll call him."

Manny grinned. "Great! I'll be downstairs."

As soon as he left, Haley turned to Alex with an all-too-satisfied look. "Sooo… what was that you were saying about staying away?"

Alex groaned, covering her face. "Shut up, Haley."

Haley just laughed, tossing a pillow at her. "Face it, sis. You're doomed."

And maybe, just maybe… Alex was okay with that.

Minutes later

Alex sat on her bed for a moment, staring at her phone. Her fingers hovered over Klaus's name, hesitation creeping in.

What if he doesn't pick up?

What if he does?

Haley watched her, arms crossed, an amused smirk on her lips. "You're overthinking this again."

Alex sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know, Haley. What if calling him just makes everything worse?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Or what if it makes everything better? You want him, he clearly wants you, and now fate—or, well, Manny—just handed you an excuse to talk to him. Don't waste it."

Alex bit her lip, but before she could argue, Haley grabbed the phone from her hands and pressed Klaus's name, putting it on speaker.

Alex gasped, trying to snatch it back, but Haley dodged her easily. "Too late, it's ringing."

The line barely rang twice before Klaus's voice came through, smooth and teasing as always.

"Well, well… to what do I owe this pleasure, baby girl?"

Alex's breath caught at the nickname. Her resolve wavered, and Haley shot her a knowing look before dramatically mouthing, You're so screwed.

Trying to regain her composure, Alex cleared her throat. "Manny wants to play chess with you. He told me to call."

There was a pause, and she could hear his smirk. "Manny wants to play chess… but you called."

Alex rolled her eyes, ignoring the warmth creeping up her neck. "Yeah, don't flatter yourself."

Klaus chuckled. "Too late. I'll be there in ten."

Before she could reply, the call ended, and she stared at the phone in disbelief.

Haley burst out laughing. "Girl, you are gone."

Alex groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "What the hell am I doing?"

Haley grinned, pulling her up. "Falling, babe. And from where I'm standing? It looks like it's about to be one hell of a drop."

Then Haley's eyes flicked over Alex's outfit, and she smirked. "You do realize Klaus is coming over, right?"

Alex frowned. "Yeah, so?"

Haley gestured dramatically at her. "So… you're about to meet him looking like a full-time nerd and part-time couch potato."

Alex turned toward the mirror, taking in her oversized Star Wars T-shirt, loose gray joggers, and fluffy socks. She winced. Okay, maybe not my best look.

She turned back to Haley. "It's not like I need to impress him."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please. You just spent the last ten minutes drowning in your pillow over him, talking about how you want to touch him, love him, and make him do things to you." She smirked. "So yeah, you definitely want to impress him."

Alex's face burned. "I hate you."

Haley grinned. "No, you love me. Now, go change before he gets here and realizes his baby girl has the fashion sense of a tired Jedi."

Haley marched over to Alex's closet and started rummaging through her clothes. "Alright, nerd queen, let's see what we're working with."

Alex crossed her arms. "I literally just said I don't need to impress him."

Haley ignored her, pulling out a few different outfits. "Nope, too basic. Too grandma. Too I'm about to do taxes—why do you even own this?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Because some of us actually care about comfort, Haley."

Haley scoffed. "Comfort is for losers in love."

After tossing aside a few more options, she suddenly gasped dramatically and held up a sleek, off-the-shoulder top with a subtle neckline and a pair of fitted shorts. "This is it."

Alex's eyes widened. "Absolutely not."

Haley smirked. "Absolutely yes." She shoved the outfit into Alex's arms. "This says, I'm effortlessly hot and not even trying, but I also might drive you insane and make you regret everything you ever did to ignore me."

Alex hesitated, running her fingers over the fabric. "You think it's too much?"

Haley grinned. "Oh, honey. It's just enough."