The doors to the Crashdown cafe swung open, everyone fell silent as Michael and Maria walked in. Maria instantly felt Liz's and Isabel's eyes stare at her as though to say 'we know what you were doing last night'. She couldn't wait to spill the goss and tell them everything and have one those girly chats that they hadn't had since...since...since Alex.
Maria's train of thought suddenly came to a holt as his name rang around her mind. She hadn't thought of Alex at all this morning, until now. All of that pain came rushing back, it was overwhelming. Maria could feel tears welling up behind her eyes, her throat became tighter, she couldn't swallow. Not now! she thought, I have to beat this I can't let this control my life, Alex would have wanted me to be happy.
"Maria?!? Maria..." She was instantly brought back to reality, when she realised everyone was looking at her. "Are you ok hunny? You look...awful" Liz said with a slight chuckle, trying to keep a light atmosphere. If anyone else had said that Maria would have had their heads, but Liz, Liz was her best friend and would give anything just to hear her tell her that everything was going to be ok, that they would get through this together.
"Yer sorry, i'm...i'm…" Maria couldn't finish her sentence without chocking on unshed tears.
Liz instantly pulled her tight into her embrace, both friends stood crying and comforting each other. Everyone else, still silent, gave one another a 'God how are we going to get through this?' look. Respecting the atmosphere in the room, all of them felt terrible about what happened to Alex, but none of them were as close to him as Maria and Liz. After a couple of minutes Michael put his arms around both girls, as they willingly feel into his chest and sobbed.
The morning meeting mainly continued in the same manner, all reflecting on the good times they had shared with Alex, as well as crying over some of the times they will no longer experience, like writing silly songs, that no human being should ever have to listen to, unless they were deaf, everybody laughed, remembering Alex's great sense of humour and personality.
Everything was going fine until the realisation of the situation hit home. They all decided that they shouldn't spend their time dwelling over the past that they should all look to their future; they all agreed that is what Alex would have wanted.