Norma had no idea why saying goodbye to Alex was so damn awkward. Maybe it was because he had just forced her to take his money, knowing she needed it more than she could admit. Maybe it was because she was afraid that he pitied her, or maybe it had something to do with the fact that she desperately didn't want him to leave and she wasn't sure why. She wanted to ask if his house was definitely ready, if everything was definitely safe but it seemed like a strange question to ask.
"Well, er... Goodbye?"
If Norma hadn't known better, she would have said the usually composed Sheriff Romero looked almost nervous, his eyes flicking from her face to the window behind her over and over again.
"Thank you for everything."
"Sure. Suresuresure."
Internally she screamed at herself. Why had she said that four times? Why was this so awkward? It was like the end of a first date, where no-one was quite sure what to say or do. She kept her face neutral and pleasant, even as she found her gaze drawn to his lips. "Yeah..."
There was an uncomfortable pause, punctuated by a distant thunder clap, where he looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't, so she ploughed on.
"So, erm..." She floundered for a second. "I guess I'll see you around?"
He made a strange vague noise that might have started out as the word "Yeah" but ended up as an odd murmur, possibly agreeing with her and she gave a half-hearted laugh.
He held up his hands as if to hug her, and she panicked. Was he going for a hug? They had never hugged before. They'd barely touched. What if he wasn't going for the hug, and she hugged him and he freaked out? She pondered all this in a split second, and his face dropped slightly as she didn't immediately respond. His arms dropped and he chuckled awkwardly, feeling like he'd been pushing it too far.
Watching as his arms dropped, she felt a stab of disappointment, coupled with relief that she hadn't assumed he was about to hug her and made a fool of herself, and she held out her hand formally to shake his hand. Throwing caution to the wind, he went with his gut, slapping her hand away lightly and holding out his arms to her. He only leaned in 90% of the way, letting her close the last little bit of distance between them, only closing his arms around her when he felt her hands press against the back of his neck.
"Ohh.. ok..." She giggled out nervously, slightly embarrassed at how excited she sounded at this unexpected delight, as his warm arms wrapped around her back, pulling her gently against him.
It was just a hug between two friends, two people who had helped each other out a few times, and that was what they tried to tell themselves, but, as her hands clutched at his leather jacket, and her eyelashes brushed against the side of his neck and she listened as he took a deep inhale of her lavender shampoo, breathing in her scent, all allusions of a brief, professional hug were gone.
That's enough now, he told himself. Pull away. But then she nuzzled her head into his neck, the leather of his jacket creaking slightly as she gripped it, and he didn't pull away. He let his hands slide gently up her back, stroking up the soft wool, relaxing into the warmth of her body through their layers of clothing, unnecessary as the humidity of the late summer storm descended upon them.
Finally, all too soon, she sighed gently in his ear and began to pull away, reluctantly sliding her hands from his back to his shoulders, and he turned his face to hers, wanting to say something but not knowing what.
Their cheeks brushed as they both turned towards each other and he couldn't draw his gaze away from her lips, distracted as she went in for a gentle little peck on the cheek. He turned to do the same, not paying attention as he ducked his head forward and suddenly their lips were bumping together and they froze.
After a second that could have lasted a lifetime passed, she suddenly puckered her lips to peck his with a little smacking sound, apparently deciding that their lips were already touching and, at this point, it would be weirder not to acknowledge it.
She then reared back suddenly, her cheeks a pretty shade of pink, her mouth dropping open.
"Oop." She breathed out a soft, startled little noise and he stared back at her, not knowing what to say. He was 90% sure that their little smooch had been a complete accident on both their parts, but he still had no idea where they went from here.
He cleared his throat which was suddenly very dry, and puffed out a small, nervous laugh, which she returned immediately.
"Well, that was weird." She said finally, digging her hands into her pockets, and he nodded at her, pressing his lips together in a tight smile.
"I was going for the cheek-" He started, just as she began to speak at the same time.
"I meant to kiss your ch-" They laughed as they spoke over each other, a little of the tension dissipating.
"Maybe we would have been safer with the handshake?" She joked mildly, and his face fell a little bit, hurt that she would apparently rather erase their hug than live for another second in this awkward moment they'd created. She registered his micro expression of sadness, and flicked her eyes to the floor then back up to his face.
"Shall we try that again?" She offered lightly, her tone overly casual, even as she shrugged her hands out of her pockets, giving them an anxious shake at her sides like she was limbering up for a race, not a kiss on the cheek.
"Sure." He said, in that same overly cavalier tone, watching as she smiled broadly at him, pointedly tapping her finger to her cheek like she was marking the spot.
He planted his hands firmly on her upper arms and starting to lean in slowly, pleased when her breath hitched in her throat as he grew closer. He was almost at her cheek, his lips hovering mere millimetres from her skin, her eyes closing, before he made a rash, sudden decision and ducked his face to kiss her on the lips again, pressing his lips firmly against hers so there could be no mistaking this time. She gasped in a shocked breath through her nose, but didn't pull back at all, freezing again as his lips made contact.
They were static for a moment, and Alex was beginning to feel he had made a horrible mistake, before she took a shuffling step forward, bringing her body back into contact with him, her lips relaxing and beginning to move tentatively against his. His hands drifted up from her shoulders, up along her neck, coming to rest on the sides of her face, his thumbs brushing her curls back as he kissed her gently.
Slowly, he span them 90 degrees to the left, and naturally, easily, like they did this all the time, she read his mind, leaning back against the wooden pole and pulling him to her. His hand shot out to grip the wooden support above her head, not wanting to push her or shove her against it, just leaning them there, their lips never breaking contact. It was Norma who finally deepened the kiss, breaking their hesitant, innocent rhythm to slide her tongue into his mouth, jutting her hips forwards, her hands shooting up to rest on the back of his head. He let her control the kiss, let her lap at his bottom lip and sigh softly into his mouth, as one of his hands stayed on the wooden beam behind her, propping himself up, the other coming to rest apprehensively on her waist.
Her hands slid down his chest suddenly, and for a second, he thought she was going for his belt, right here in the parking lot, but they stopped on his stomach, sliding between his shirt and his jacket, wrapping around his waist to pull him harder against her. The feel of his sharp point of his Sheriff's badge suddenly pressing into his hip from where it was sandwiched between them brought him to his senses, and he ended the kiss, pulling back suddenly, smiling when she leaned forwards, seeking his lips with her eyes closed. After a second, they flew open and her mouth dropped open, like she'd only just remembered who she'd been kissing.
They gazed at each other for a moment, and he pushed himself up to stand fully upright again, dropping both hands to his sides, as she did the same, sliding her hands out from where they had been intimately resting under his jacket.
"I have to go to work." He said suddenly, his voice groggy and thick, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise that that was the sentence he'd chosen to speak when she could think of a hundred others that needed to be said more.
"Ok." She said simply, nodding, and he took a few shaky steps back away from her.
"Bye Norma." He looked strangely sad, and she wasn't sure why. Did he think this was the beginning of something or the end? She didn't know what to say, her mouth still hanging open in shock.
"Er.. bye." She choked out and then he was heading to his car and she was just watching him go, feeling this rising sense of panic that if she let him go now without another word, she'd regret it.
"Alex!" She shouted suddenly, throwing herself in front of the moving vehicle in typical Norma Bates dramatic fashion, holding her hands up apologetically as she rounded the car and motioned for him to roll his window down. He did, frowning at her in confusion, like nothing had just happened and she suddenly felt incredibly uneasy, casting her eyes around the empty parking lot for a moment.
"I just wanted to tell you... um-" She took a deep steadying breath, thankful for the rain to cool her heated cheeks. He looked at her impassively and she almost lost her nerve. "I always felt safe when you were here."
She spoke the words softly, and seriously, her eyes boring into his and he gasped softly at her words, casting his eyes down and shyly smiling at his hands.
"Well..." He started and she held her breath, no idea what his next words were going to be. "Maybe I should be here more often then?" He was suddenly very interested in intently studying the electric window switch, as if preparing to just block her out if she reacted badly to his suggestion.
"I'd like that." She said, equally as fascinated by running her finger tip along the paintwork, wiping the water droplets back and forth.
He huffed out a relieved breath, watching as her finger ran nervously along his car, wondering where they went from here.
"Ok... so..?" He started casually and she cut him off.
"Norman and Emma are going on a date tomorrow night." She said suddenly, and he frowned, not being able to imagine anything he cared about less. She carried on. "Come by for dinner. Around 8." She was telling him, not asking him, and he smiled at her directness, realising why she had mentioned Norman's date. They would be alone.
He nodded and reaching for the ignition again, before damp blonde curls were suddenly bouncing right in his peripheral, and he turned to find her leaning in through the window, pressing a chaste kiss against his surprised lips, pulling back before he could deepen the kiss.
"Don't be a stranger." She whispered against his lips and then she swung back, ducking her head back out of his window and stepping back to allow him to drive away shellshocked. She watched his car retreat, watched the empty road for a long time after he had gone, not caring that she was getting soaked through, suddenly feeling very alone. Tomorrow night couldn't come quick enough, already knowing she would feel safer once he was back. She always felt safe when he was there.