I got inspired to do this story while writing for my other Star fanfic. I still love the show, but I've been very disappointed in how they've chosen to handle Alex's love life. Whether you're a fan of Dalex or Nalex (I've been a fan of both at one time or another), I feel like it's hard to root for either ship because the writers have ruined both relationships. It infuriates me that Dalex keeps getting back together because they still have NOT discussed what keeps tearing them apart. I hate how they try to make it seem like Nalex never happened or that it was just a mistake, because even though their relationship was short-lived, it was very real and very powerful. But in order for them to get back together (Can't lie, I would be a little happy), they would have to overcome way too many obstacles. I really feel like the writers should let Alex be single and then let her start over fresh with a love interest we haven't met yet...hence my reason for writing this story. Please let me know what you think so I'll know if I should keep writing this story. Thanks guys!
Alex had mixed feelings as she was being chauffeured through the familiar streets of Atlanta. It had been six months since she'd been in the city that had become her home over the last two years. With her performance of 'Shotgun' at Rhythm & Bells becoming such a huge success, her solo career had gotten off to a better start than she could have ever imagined. Immediately after the festival, she'd been invited to be the opening act on a major tour that had taken her all over the country and the world. After the tour ended two months ago, and at Mateo's suggestion, she'd moved back to her original hometown of New York to start recording her solo album. Some of the hottest producers were located there and he'd insisted that Alex work with them. At first Alex resisted; she was a producer in her own right and wanted to write her own music. But after talking to Carlotta, they'd been able to reach a compromise. Miss C had assured her she'd still have writing credits on her album and that they would only bring in one producer for her to collaborate with; Alex was promised she'd still have full creative control.
Her cellphone rang, bringing Alex out of her rambling thoughts. She took one look at the caller ID and pressed ignore, like she had all the previous times. The ignored person on the other side of the line had Alex feeling grateful that she has been summoned to Atlanta on such short notice. Her life had been drama free for the last six months and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't need any distractions. But the apprehension she had about being back in Atlanta remained. When she had left town, she hadn't been on good terms with several people; Derek, Noah, and Star in particular. The only people Alex had kept in close contact with were Miss C, Miss Bruce, and Simone. Despite the distance, Simone had become her closest friend; they confided in each other about everything, as long as it didn't pertain to Star. That was the one topic they did not discuss.
Alex bit her lip; there was one thing that she hadn't told Simone about; but it was because she was having a hard time processing the situation herself. It was a road she didn't want to go down but at the same time, Alex knew she couldn't avoid it forever; but she was damn sure going to avoid it for now. The car pulled up in front of Gravity Records as her phone rang again. It was her father's assistant.
"Hello" Alex answered as the driver opened the door. She mouthed "thank you" as she stepped out and headed towards the building.
"Hello Alexandra, this is Angela, your father's assistant".
"Yes, I know. How can I help you"? Alex tried not to roll her eyes. Angela was not only Roland Crane's assistant, but his most recent plaything as well. Her mother had given her all the juicy and unwanted details. This is why even though she'd been in New York for two months, she hadn't seen either of her parents more than a couple of times, and always separately from each other.
"Your father has an opening in his schedule and would like to meet with you today. How quickly can you get here".
"Well, my schedule is full. I can't meet with him today" Alex said as she navigated through the familiar hallways of the record label. It was just like her father to expect her to drop everything and come running just because he deigned to call for her.
"Excuse me" Angela said, caught off guard. No one ever turned down a meeting with Roland Crane. If they had other appointments, they rearranged them for Mr. Crane.
"I said I'm unavailable for the day".
"He needs to see you today and he won't take no for an answer" Angela pushed.
"He doesn't have a choice. I'm not only busy, I'm out of the state".
"Well, get on a plane and come back. He wants to see you today".
Alex paused and looked at her phone. Was the girl just plain stupid or afraid of giving Roland and answer he wouldn't like; probably a little of both. "That's not going to happen. You tell my father that the next time he wants to see me, he needs to give me advanced warning. My schedule is busy and my time is precious".
"I can't say that" Angela gasped, sounding scandalized.
Alex didn't even try to stop her eyes from rolling this time and didn't care if she sounded annoyed. If the woman could open her legs for her married father, she could learn to stand her ground with him as well. As she turned the corner and entered Carlotta's office, she responded "Then reword it. I don't care how he gets the message as long as you make it clear he won't be seeing me today. And I'll also have my team forward over my schedule so that he knows when I'm available in the future. Have a good day, Angela". Alex hung up before the woman had a chance to respond.
"Well, look at Miss Big Shot, strolling in here like she owns the place" Carlotta teased, standing up from behind her desk. "Get over here and give me hug".
"Miss C" Alex squealed excitedly and ran into her arms. How she had missed this woman; the woman who felt like more of a mother to her than the one who had given birth to her. "I've missed you so much".
"I've missed you too. I hate admit it but, time away from Atlanta has done you good. You look amazing".
"Thank you".
"Amazing is an understatement. You're downright glowing" Simone said, getting off the couch and coming to hug her best friend. "I have a feeling I know what it's about".
"Don't go there Simone" Alex started, feeling her face heat up at the thought. She was glad no one else knew what they were alluding to.
"Fine. But we're going to finish this conversation later".
"There's nothing to discuss".
"We'll see" Simone just smirked.
"If you girls are done with your little top-secret conversation, can I get a little acknowledgment over here" Miss Bruce interrupted.
"Hey, Miss Bruce" Alex laughed, giving her a hug as well. "I see you've upped your hair game" she teased.
"And I see you've upped your fashion game" Bruce teased back.
"My ensembles have always been on point".
Before Miss Bruce could make another witty comeback, everyone became distracted when baby noises filled the room. Alex looked over Simone and Miss Bruce's shoulder to see Star still seated on the couch, holding a caramel tinted baby. On more than one occasion, Alex had wondered what would be her reaction to seeing Star again. Would there still be anger or resentment? Surprisingly, she didn't feel either emotion. Removing Star from her life completely and having time away from the drama had decreased its significance in her head drastically. And where Noah was concerned, she'd moved on. A small part of Alex actually felt happy to see Star; though they'd spent the majority of their relationship at odds, they were family at this point. She certainly loved Star like a sister. So, it was a weight off Alex's chest to discover that the sight of Star didn't reignite any hard feelings. Trust, on the other hand, was another matter completely. That was something that had been shaky to begin with and might never be restored between the two of them.
"Hello Star" Alex said quietly. She took a closer look at the baby. He was the perfect mixture of Noah and Star. He had Noah's full lips and charming eyes and he had Star's cute nose. During the countless hours of phone conversations with Simone, Alex had never bothered to ask about the baby; nor had she asked to see a picture on the occasions Simone had visited. She had nothing against the baby; he was an innocent bystander in this messy situation. But he was an extension of Star, and Alex had refused to deal with anything Star related over the past six months. She felt slightly guilty now, but Alex knew she'd needed the distance to heal. "He's so beautiful".
"Thank you" Star said, uncharacteristically reserved. She didn't know how to take Alex's calm politeness. Star had expected Alex to ignore her or look at her with disdain. Yet Alex's face betrayed no negative emotion. The only thing Star saw on her face was acceptance. "It's good to see you".
Alex smiled. "You too. And I can't wait to get to know your little guy. Jordan, right"?
"Right".
"Hey, Jordan" Alex cooed and was rewarded with a toothless grin. "He has dimples too?! I can't, he is so cute"!
Never a person who could hold her tongue or keep from sharing her opinion, Star blurted out, "you do realize Noah is Jordan's father, right? I just want to make sure because you're not acting like it". She just couldn't wrap her head around Alex being so nonchalant about the whole situation.
Everyone in the room tensed up as if waiting for a fight to break out; everyone except Alex. She laughed. No matter the situation, Star was going to be Star. "Yes, I'm aware. How am I supposed to act"?
"I don't know, but not like this. I mean you and Noah were in a full-blown relationship but I'm the one who had his baby. I thought you'd be more upset or something".
Six months ago, Alex had been livid and feeling betrayed; questioning whether Noah had even waited until after they'd broken up to sleep with Star again. Alex hadn't even bothered to speak or see either of them before she left Atlanta to join the tour. But again, time eased pain, healed wounds; and in this case, prevented bad decisions. With the exception of Simone, no one knew that Alex's feelings had never truly gone away after her and Noah's breakup; that even though she had gone back to Derek, and truly loved him as well, she still fantasized from time to time about being with Noah. After Alex and Derek had broken up the second time, she had even been considering telling Noah about her feelings after the festival; and then the world had been flipped upside down.
Star having Noah's baby turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though. After being on the road for a few months, Alex realized just how much she needed to be and enjoyed being single. Without realizing it, she'd gotten so caught up between Derek and Noah, she had slowly begun losing herself. Alex had also come to the realization that because she loved both of them, she'd never be truly happy with either man because she'd always second guess if she had chosen correctly. Derek and Noah were great men and being on the road had given Alex the time, space, and strength to truly wish them well and let them go. Plus, the single life had been good to her and Alex was the happiest she'd been in a very long time.
"Six month ago, I would have been" Alex finally admitted to Star, after a moment of awkward silence. "But life is too short to hold on to negative emotions, so I chose to let it all go. It is what it is". Alex shrugged her shoulders, not feeling the need to elaborate.
"It is what it is. That's all you have to say". Star didn't care how 'eat, pray, love' Alex was acting right now; she knew there must still be feelings of resentment. Star wished they would hash it now rather than later.
Alex was confused by Star's behavior. It was almost as if she wanted Alex to be upset with her; which made no sense. Star was the queen of doing what she wanted, no matter how it affected others, while simultaneously expecting you to get over it without so much as an apology. Why was she pushing so hard? "There's nothing left for me to say. I'm not exactly sure what you want from me".
Before Star could respond, Carlotta interrupted. "You ladies can finish this conversation later. Right now, we have business to discuss, so everyone take a seat". As soon as Ms. Bruce sat down on the couch and Alex and Simone sat in the chairs in front of her desk, Carlotta continued "I know you're all wondering why I summoned you to Gravity so suddenly".
"Inquiring minds do want to know" Simone said, teasingly.
"Shut up little girl so I can tell you" Carlotta responded, smiling. "Well, as you know, your goodbye album has been selling really well; better than anyone expected. So, in order to capitalize off your success and to keep the momentum going, Gravity records wants to rerelease the album with a couple of bonus tracks and send you out on a national tour".
"What" Simone exclaimed.
"You can't be serious" Alex jumped in.
"Can I take Jordan with me" Star asked.
Carlotta held her hands up to stop the bombard of questions. "I know this a lot to drop on you short notice but the company promoting the tour wants you on the road in the next six weeks. That means we need to get you in the studio ASAP to work on those bonus tracks. We're looking to add 2-3 songs".
"You're talking like we've already agreed to do this" Alex said.
"Why wouldn't we" Star asked.
"I can't speak for you or Simone, but I'm busy in New York recording my solo album. If I sign up for this, who knows how long that will delay my project".
"It will push back your album release date but this tour could also be a great avenue for promoting your solo project, Alex. I've already made sure that both you and Star can perform your solo material on the road in between Take 3 songs. They loved the idea. And you can always write new songs on the road and just record them when you get back".
"It would be kind of nice to bring the group back together, even if it's temporary. Y'all both get on my nerves but I kind of miss you guys" Simone admitted.
"As long as I can take my son with me, I'm good" Star said.
"I don't see that being a problem" Carlotta answered.
Everyone looked at Alex expectantly. If she was completely honest, Alex didn't know if she wanted to be part of the group again; not because she craved all the spotlight but because ever since the group had gone their separate ways, she'd found a peace and tranquility she'd never known. Being able to make decisions without having to consult two other individuals and not having to fight over differing opinions felt good. She didn't want the drama a reunion would bring. But then again, going back to New York wasn't a guarantee she'd be able to avoid drama; not after last night. "Well then, I guess we're going on tour" Alex said reluctantly, not sure if she was making the right decision.
"Great" Carlotta beamed. "Alex, I know you're the producer for the group but because we're under such a tight deadline, Gravity wants to bring in a producer for you to collaborate with just like with your solo project. And perfect timing; here he comes now" Carlotta said, looking towards the door as a tall man walked into the office.
Alex felt her stomach tie itself into knots. She knew who it was going to be before she even turned around. When she did, her worst fears were confirmed. "You" she whispered.