Ever had one of those days where you should have stayed in bed, pulled the covers tightly over your head and refused to face the world? For Alex Karev, today was that day. He tossed the slate blue sheets aside and climbed out of bed, considering for a moment how easy it would be to slide back inside until the throbbing in his head went away. He shook off the feeling and stood, uneasily. Damn Mark and his not so clever idea to blow off work and drink all day. It wasn't the best way to get their business off the ground and he managed to piss off his girlfriend as well. Rebecca, he was supposed to drive out to see her after work yesterday. The two had been on again, off again for a few years and she had finally issued an ultimatum, get serious or say goodbye, this time for good. Alex knew as soon as he heard his cell phone ring around midnight. He was in trouble. With a roll of the eye, Mark had questioned why Alex was even with such a nasty bitch, as he liked to refer to her. Alex normally would have been worried that Rebecca would overhear his friend and start bitching at him. No chance of that happening this time, this time she had been too busy screaming into the phone to hear Mark and before he could offer an explanation, Mark ripped the phone from his hand and tossed it into the swimming pool. "Don't look at me like that; I'm doing you a favor. For the last time, you need to forget about that girl. Find someone who isn't trying to change you." Alex shook his head; Rebecca wasn't trying to change him. She was just making a few small improvements.
The bathroom floor was chilly against his feet, making him want to lie flat on the tile to cool down. He vaguely remembered doing so the night before, yet somehow he woke up in his bed this morning. Reaching up into the medicine cabinet, he pulled out a bottle of aspirin, shaking two white pills into the palm of his clammy hand. He was going to call Rebecca soon and if he had to grovel, he would need a clear head to do it.
His apartment was the smallest in the building, a one bedroom on the second floor overlooking the ocean. Crappy apartment with a great view, rather ironic he thought. He tentatively lifted the phone off the receiver and dialed her number. On the third ring, she answered. "Hello."
"Hey Rebecca I…." He winced as she slammed the phone down. He might have been many things but he was no quitter, he redialed. This time when she picked up, he didn't give her a chance to speak. "Rebecca, don't hang up. I'm sorry…." Slam! It wasn't going to be easy, nothing with her ever was. He dialed again and was surprised when picked up. "I'm sorry, I was …." Once more, she hung up. "…an idiot." An idiot that wont be ignored, he thought as he scooped his keys off the table. If she wouldn't take his calls, he would have to go see her, tonight. Make her listen.
After locking up, he rushed down over the steps leading to the small parking area. If he left right now, he could be there tonight. Rounding the corner, he let out a heavy sigh as he discovered his truck wasn't in its usual spot. His eyes narrowed. Mark. It was starting to come back to him, images of climbing into the back seat of a car flashed through his mind. It was followed by the memory of Mark leaning on the car door, peering in as his inebriated friend sprawled out on the black leather seat. "Call me in the morning; I expect all the dirty details." He smirked. "Oh and don't forget to play safe." The foil wrapper flew through the air, landing on Alex's chest. A condom, Mark gave him a condom. Why would Mark give him a condom and who took him home last night? He woke up alone; fairly certain no sexual activity took place. He glanced around, the only car in the lot, belonged to his neighbor and he did not remember seeing her or her roommate at the party. Then again, he didn't remember leaving the party either, until just now.
Two at a time, he climbed back up the steps, determined to get some answers and maybe borrow her car. "Izzie." He banged his fist against her door. "Izzie, you awake?"
The door suddenly swung open. The short redhead leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "What do you want Alex?" Olivia Harper, Izzie's roommate stared back at him, a scowl on her face.
"I need to borrow Izzie's car." Olivia had been living with Izzie since she moved here; the two were from the same small town in Ohio. Inseparable all throughout school and up until a few weeks ago, something had happened to change things. Alex didn't know what it was and he wasn't about to ask. "I saw her car, I know she's home."
He stared at her, prepared to shove his foot in the door if she slammed it in his face. "She's in the bathroom; you can wait if you like. I'm going for a walk." Maneuvering herself around him, she skipped down over the steps, muttering what Alex thought sounded like 'rotten bastard'.
Their apartment was nicer than his was; he supposed it was because Izzie had been a bit of a neat freak. Painting the walls a flattering shade of yellow and replacing the carpets. He could do those things too, he just chose not too. No sense in fixing the place up, he didn't intend to live there forever.
He inched closer to the windowsill in the living room; a single row of framed pictures put a smile on his face. Izzie and her mother, making faces at the camera. Izzie and Olivia dressed as princesses for Halloween; they were probably around seven years old. Olivia and her brother sitting on the beach. Izzie, Alex and Olivia, taken at a party a few years ago. Alex sighed as he touched the glass. It was the first time he worked the courage up to kiss her and awkwardly enough, the first time he learned she had a boyfriend. The boyfriend, Alex looked to the right, where he knew the picture of Izzie and her boyfriend George would be. Where it always was. However, this time, it was gone. The space reserved for her favorite photo was empty. He glanced around the room quickly; maybe she had moved it to another spot. "Alex?" He spun around, his breath catching in his throat as the tiny blue towel clung to her wet skin. "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were here." She clutched the towel tighter; she would have to kill Olivia later for not warning her. What if she had been completely naked?
"Uh, Olivia went for a walk, she said I could wait." Silently he cursed himself for sounding like an idiot. Smooth Alex, smooth, he thought.
"I'm going to just throw some clothes on." She gestured towards her bedroom, taking a tiny step back.
"Actually." He stopped her; he didn't have time to wait. "I just need to borrow your car for a couple of days."
"Why?" She wrinkled up her nose, why did he need her car. He had a truck, even if he had no clue where it was at the moment, she snickered. More than a couple of times she had to give him a ride to pick it up the next morning, usually it sat all alone in the parking lot of some bar or the location of where the party had been.
"I fucked up Iz, this time I really fucked up." He explained to her, what happened the night before and how Rebecca was not taking his calls. "I know that if I see her in person, I'll be able to convince her that I do love her. I might not be ready for what she wants but I will want it, eventually."
Izzie smiled, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Rebecca had been trying to push him into a bigger commitment from the start, just as George had been doing to her. "The keys are by the door."
"Thank you Iz, you're the best!" He was so excited, he forgot the awkward state of undress she was in and grabbed her shoulders, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "I'll have Mark drop off the truck so you won't be stranded." She nodded and quickly withdrew into her bedroom.
The keys were in a glass bowl on the stand by the front door as Izzie had told him, snatching them up, he left the apartment and went back to the lot where Izzie's car was parked. The '96 mustang had seen better days, but it was all hers and he knew she loved it. Sliding into the driver's seat, his jeans squeaked against the cool leather. He poked the keys into the ignition. As he was about to twist them to a start, the passenger side door opened and she plopped down into the seat. "Iz, what are you doing?"
"I'm going with you and before you say anything, I was nice enough to let you take my car so you could go try to fix whatever it is you screwed up with Rebecca." Alex opened his mouth to protest but never got the chance to speak. "Now you're going to be nice and let me come with you, because I really need to get out of here Alex and I don't want to talk about why, I just need to."
Looking into her big brown, pleading eyes, he knew he couldn't say no. They were friends, and that is what friends do. They help without question. "Okay." As they pulled out of the driveway, he hoped the trip would go smoothly. He hoped he would not regret the decision to bring her along.