AN: Picking up the pace! Kind of.
There was a creak on the phone line, and Alex instinctively felt that something was wrong before he even heard a voice.
It was three in the morning, and he had just been rudely interrupted by the sound of his mobile phone ringing. He wasn't asleep then because he had been up writing, and almost jumped when the phone on the table started buzzing, skittering along the wooden surface as it threatened to slide itself off the edge.
As absorbed as he was in his work, Alex knew that phones didn't ring at three in the morning. They just didn't, unless something was amiss.
He picked up somewhat begrudgingly, bracing himself.
"Hello?" he mumbled.
"Alex-" a voice said jaggedly.
He recognised at once that it belonged to Norma. She was speaking softly, weakly, as if she was cooing into the receiver, and he heard the convulsive catching of her breath. She sounded as though she was scared stiff, and he could tell she had been crying. He felt his chest constrict, and he forgot all about the fight they had just a few days ago.
"Norma? What's wrong?" he spoke quickly, dropping his pen. He got up from his desk and paced the room anxiously.
"I'm... someone-" she began to explain, but changed her mind. "Will you just come over?"
Alex looked at the little analogue clock on his desk and frowned. "Right now?"
"Right now," she said, her voice strained and weary. "Please?"
It didn't take any more convincing for him to agree to it. She recited her address and he promptly got changed and shuffled into his coat. Before he left, he made sure he had put away whatever he was writing into the first drawer in his desk. He slammed it shut, locked it and took the key with him before he headed out.
"I didn't know who to call," Norma confessed the moment she let Alex into her apartment. She sounded as though she was ashamed. She was afraid he would start making remarks about how she could've called Zack, but he didn't. The cold air outside had sobered him all up, and he had had the drive over to think about what he was going to say to her. He just nodded understandingly, and she was grateful.
In the soft light, he could see her eyes were puffy, and her hair was dishevelled from the panic.
He scanned the living room and saw that it was a mess. Two of her lamps had been smashed onto the ground, there was a large hole in her window, and her coffee table had been upturned. There were claw marks all over her couch, made by knives, he presumed, and the cotton stuffing had been torn out and strewn around the place.
There were a couple of books that were swept from the shelf, but most of them were spared. Picture frames that hung on the wall and adorned cabinet tops were cruelly smashed, and as Alex made his way into the room, he was careful not to step on the broken glass, even with his shoes on.
"How did this-" he began, and she interrupted him.
"I had been asleep," she explained, pulling at her blue robe and wrapping it around her body. "And I heard a loud crash, which woke me up. When I heard it, I just... I just froze. You know, this is a small place, and I heard noises, like there were two people climbing in through the window. Which," she said, pausing for breath. She gave a small hiccup. "Which I suppose isn't that hard to do."
Alex knew what she meant. She lived on the third floor of a four story building, but it was hardly any distance from the ground. If people had really wanted to break in, all they had to do was scale up the short building and climb in through the large windows that was on one side of the living room.
"I couldn't hear what they were saying. It was all mumbling, and I was so scared," she said. "I just locked myself in the bathroom - the one in my room. And the whole time they tore the place apart I was praying they wouldn't come and get me," she settled on the couch that had been ripped to shreds. "It's so stupid, I know, and you must think I'm such a stupid woman for hiding-"
"What? No! No, Norma..." Alex sat down next to her. "You're not stupid. You were smart to hide."
"After for what seemed like eons," she continued, "everything was still again. And I didn't dare move, until I knew with absolute certainty that they were gone. Then I got out, saw this whole mess... I was shaking from it - I still am - and I picked up my phone, and for some reason, I- I just called you."
Her voice faded out. They sat in silence, mulling over her words.
"I'm not usually like this," said Norma suddenly, as if she had remembered where she was. There was a sense of dignity in her cracked voice, and she leaned away from him. He had had his arm hovering around her the whole time, and he retracted it. He didn't want her to feel claustrophobic. "You have to know that I'm not usually like this at all," she reinforced.
"I know." Alex's voice was gentle and not at all patronising.
"No, Alex. I really- I've been through a lot, and... I've seen some shit. I have." She now moved away from him entirely to the opposite end of the couch and he wished she hadn't.
"You don't have to explain." There was a sincerity in his voice that let her know he believed her.
She mumbled something inaudible, which prompted him to lean in all over again.
"What's that?"
"I said I'm sorry I said those things," she said. "I... I got so mad at you out of the blue, but it wasn't really a random thing. It wasn't like I just had a mood swing."
Norma looked as though she was tired of talking about it already, and he understood.
"Hey, listen. You don't have to explain a thing."
She nodded. He was right. After all, her apartment had just been broken into. Surely talking could wait.
Alex got up from the torn-up couch and he was about to head towards the door when she reached out to hold him by the sleeve. This surprised him. He turned around.
"Please don't go," she said quietly. When he didn't say anything, she loosened her grip. Still, she lingered on, not quite letting go. "I'd really hate to spend the rest of the night here by myself."
Alex's face softened, and he knew he had to stay.
Norma fell asleep on her own bed while Alex slept on the couch. He didn't want to impose, so he hadn't even bothered asking for a blanket. When she came out of her room the next morning with puffy eyes that hurt from the crying last night, she saw him curled up without even a sheet and she felt terrible for not being a better host. The sight of him along with the mess of her living room reaffirmed that last night had really happened.
The only upside, thought Norma as she walked into the kitchen, was that whoever had broken into her apartment had not tampered with anything beyond the living room. She was at least grateful for that.
Norma turned up the heat on the stove and took what she needed out of the fridge. Then, as quietly as she could, hoping not to wake him, she laid the table and made the two of them a full breakfast each. When it was almost ready, she nudged him on the shoulder gently and he shot up, alert and hazy at the same time.
"The bathroom's just right there," she said, pointing to the small lavatory down the corridor. He got up, washed his face and rinsed his mouth with some mouthwash he had found by the sink. He didn't manage to catch many hours of sleep, but he felt better as the strong scent of peppermint filled his breath.
They had breakfast and she made him a cup of coffee just the way he liked it - a splash of milk, no sugar - to wash it all down. It was almost intoxicating, seeing Norma in her little pale green apron for that split second, but he kept the thought to himself.
"After what had happened last night..." he started before they were about to leave to head to school. "For the last time, I'm telling you - stop looking into it."
Norma rolled her eyes and put on her high heels. "You're beginning to sound like a broken record." She picked up her one-strap tote and swung it over her shoulder.
"I'll stop repeating myself when you start listening to what I say."
"Fine."
He didn't believe her in the slightest.
"I promise I won't," said Norma. "I won't dig anymore, okay? Are you happy?" She rushed him out of the door. "Let's go; we're going to be late for school."
Alex walked out into the quiet hallway and watched as she locked the door. She was light and fluttery today, and in a surprisingly good mood. He wondered how she managed to recover this quickly. She seemed to have just brushed it off and bounced back overnight, like this was the kind of thing she experienced on a weekly basis.
Even with her reassurance, something just seemed a bit off. He didn't think she was going to drop it like she had promised. It was almost too easy, the way she had gone down without a fight. He had every reason to be suspicious.
"I'm being serious," he said solemnly when they were walking downstairs. "You're really damn lucky they didn't lay a finger on you." She didn't respond.
When they reached the landing, Alex stopped Norma when she was about to open the door to the passenger side of her car. He told her it was best that they drove into school separately. He didn't want rumours to start churning, especially with her situation with Zack being so up in the air. She scoffed at him like he had just said something really childish, but he insisted, and she could only watch as he turned his car around and drove out of the complex.
When the last bell of the day rang, Norma got up and lingered by Alex's table. She stood from a fair distance and pretended to busy herself with the photocopier. She was waiting for him to return from his class.
When he did, she caught a whiff of winter that rested on his shoulders. The smell of pine from the trees that surrounded the schoolyard seemed to have caught onto his clothes and stayed with him. He was in deep thought and hadn't noticed Norma, just breezed past her.
"Hey," said Norma, moving in a little closer. "The problem is," she said, and lowered her voice. "I'm not sure if they're going to come back tonight, and-"
Alex looked up. "I'll be there."
"Okay. Thanks." He nodded and she gave him a tight-lipped smile before she walked off.
It had only been a simple exchange, but the thought of Alex going over again was thrilling. She wasn't sure she was that scared, really, because she didn't think the burglars would do it again. Two times seemed a bit redundant, didn't it? Who had the energy for a double burglary? But it worked, and she hated calling it an excuse because it made her feel needy. She much preferred to call it a reason.
Norma greeted Alex warmly when he entered and took his coat from him. She hung it up on the little coat rack by the door. He could smell something cooking from the kitchen, and he saw that she had really put in an effort to tidy up the place after the incident last night. She told him she liked cleaning because it gave her something to do and took her mind off things.
"What things?" he asked innocuously, looking out of the window. The early evening had just set in, and there was a cool air that drifted in from her broken window. She hadn't managed to patch it up just yet, but the glass shards had been thoroughly swept away. Suddenly, he felt bad for not having been there when she had fixed everything.
"Things," she said simply, offering no further explanation. "Have you eaten?"
Alex said he hadn't.
"Good," she said before walking into the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," she called out, and it sounded almost like a command. "I'll be out in a minute."
They had a quiet dinner. He complimented her on her pot roast, and she looked pleased.
"Really, you think so?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said. "Where'd you get the recipe?"
She hesitated. "It's a family recipe."
"Really," he said, raising an eyebrow. Not in disbelief, just happy to learn about it. "That's nice."
She nodded.
He suddenly asked her to tell him about her childhood.
"Where would I start?" she asked. She was buying time; she hadn't decided what she wanted to tell him just yet.
"With your parents, I guess."
"Well..." she would be careful in choosing her words. "My mother's a wonderful person. She always cooked."
Norma looked into the distance. Alex saw a wistfulness bestow her.
"She baked, too. I still remember the smell of cookies fresh from the oven when I came home from school. My father... he's musical. Sunday mornings were filled with the sounds of him on the piano, and he used to hum all these old songs while he got ready for work in the morning."
Alex smiled contently. "They sound like good people."
"They are. Guess I lucked out." She took a big sip of wine.
"Any siblings?" he asked.
"Nope."
Norma thought she was at the height of her inventory prowess when they were clearing their plates. They brought them into the kitchen and left them in the sink.
She rambled on about her rosy life for a while, and wondered what else she could invent. Maybe a pet, maybe a best friend, maybe even a boyfriend. But she decided against all of it in the end. She didn't want to overdo it. Best to leave it simple, she thought, or she would get too caught up in her own lies and trip up.
They found themselves sitting on her couch afterwards. Her legs were tucked beneath her, and he leaned against the armrest on the other end. They had moved onto another topic now and she was glad for it. Any more of her fake childhood, and he would start picking up on inconsistencies. She inched herself closer to him, and she was sure he could sense it. He didn't look at her, just stared straight ahead at a fixed spot on the wall like he was trying to avoid something.
"I guess I'm just a conscientious person," said Alex. He didn't know why they were having this discussion about what kind of people they were. He didn't enjoy talking about himself and much preferred listening to other people.
"Well, it's not a bad thing," she replied.
Norma leaned in closer still. She could feel a metallic tingle run through her body, and Alex felt the same. He looked over and met her eye, and then his gaze drifted downwards to her lips. They were soft and inviting, and warm, too, he imagined. He wanted to kiss them, and the rest of her face, and her body...
"It's just like having morals," she continued, and she was whispering now because they were so close. He felt her breath on his ear. It tickled lightly. "You say it like it's such a bad thing," she said.
"It does get in the way sometimes," he confessed. He felt like he was floating, and it was such a unique sensation for the sober him. She had had a glass of red wine, but he hadn't had anything to drink at all.
"Like when?"
She was done testing the waters. Now she was just provoking him, teasing him because she knew he wanted it too, as much as she did.
It was the perfect atmosphere with the lights turned down low. Alex was about to reach over to cup her cheek and kiss her, but stopped himself when he remembered the conversation he had with Jane. No, he definitely couldn't kiss Norma. That would be crossing the line. Nothing would come of it but immense pleasure and big trouble. Didn't he just say he was conscientious? He sure did.
But before he could move away, she kissed him.
It was a long and hard kiss. He could tell she had been wanting to do this for a while. So did he, and he kissed her back. Tentatively at first, and then she pulled him towards her and all he could do was try to stop himself from taking his shirt off and her dress too. He ran his fingers through her hair and then cradled her head gently with one hand.
Alex heard the voice of reason again and again in his head, and he felt a panic rise up in his chest. There were flashing lights in his mind telling him he shouldn't be doing this. The words were banged and drilled into his brain and he couldn't block them out no matter how hard he tried.
Suddenly and reluctantly, he pulled away. It surprised her, and she looked at him with searching eyes, demanding an explanation.
"I can't," was all Alex said.
"Can't what? Here, let me help you..." she murmured while she unbuttoned his collar. He had to nudge her away gently.
"Stop, stop, stop," he said. "Wait, Norma. Hold on. Stop."
She did, and sat upright.
"I can't do this," Alex repeated, putting his hands by his sides. He had to clear his head.
"My lipstick's..." she started, pointing to his face. She trailed off and took a deep breath. She felt hot and bothered, and worst of all, now sleazy too, for coming onto him like that, only to have been rejected with such abruptness. Or maybe the sleaziness came with the rejection, she didn't know.
He wiped her lipstick off his lip with the back of his hand and studied it briefly. The shades of fuchsia stained his skin, and when he met her eye again, he had to try his best not to go back towards her for more, though she had already inched away from him quite dramatically.
"What's wrong?" was all she could ask. She fumbled with her dress. "I thought we were..."
"We were. But..."
He didn't know what to say. He was going to have to make up something, a lie that would stop her from doing it again.
"But I'm seeing Rebecca," he blurted, much to his own surprise. She felt her breath catch, and she sealed her lips.
It didn't take Norma much time to put two and two together - all the times she had seen Rebecca with dishevelled hair, all those times Rebecca had told her what she had done, it was all with Alex. Norma suddenly felt stupid for not realising it sooner, for not seeing it at all. How could she have not? It should have been obvious from the beginning. Rebecca had always talked to Alex as though they shared a secret, and Norma should have known better.
"Oh." She paused. "Romantically?" She didn't want to say sexually.
"Yeah."
There was silence, and he swore he had no idea what she was thinking.
"Norma-"
"No, no. It's... wow. I should've guessed," she said. She gave a hollow laugh, just out of the ridiculous of it all. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks and, coupled with the little bit of wine she just had, was sure she looked very pink. She had managed to embarrass herself in front of him again, this time on such a macro level that she didn't know if she could ever recover from it.
"No, I should've told you," he said solemnly, fidgeting with his fingers.
"Then why did you say yes? To coming over?" she pressed on. She wanted him to be uncomfortable too, just to take the pressure off of herself, and it was working. He got up and appeared flustered, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"I don't know."
She nodded. "Well, I guess you'd better go," she whispered. She just wanted him out of her apartment.
"I guess I'd better," he echoed quietly. He didn't want to leave her, not like this. Why did he have to lie and make up that whole thing about seeing Rebecca? Romantically? But was it even a lie if he did sleep with her, and regularly too? Probably not.
So maybe he had told the truth after all, even though that was not how he would have liked for it to come out.
"I'll get your coat," she said firmly, getting up to the door. He followed. She handed him his coat and watched as he put it on. The silence between them was deafening.
"Look, I didn't say yes to coming over because I thought I would get something from you," he said honestly. She didn't answer, just crossed her arms in front of her and looked at him like she was gazing at some distant object, and he knew she wanted him to go. "I'm sorry. Good night, Norma."
"Good night," she mumbled, and he walked out, leaving her standing on the cold hardwood panels in the middle of her living room. In the moment, she felt terribly, terribly lonely.
Jane and Alex met up by the harbour. This time, they were standing five feet apart, and she had come in a bucket hat and a basket of worms as bait. She was standing behind the rails with her fishing rod, which she dipped into the water that was smashing against the pier with ferocious intensity. He didn't question her.
"Rebecca is the person we want," she said without looking at him.
"Got it." He was in his jogging gear with one earphone in, and he looked straight ahead. He wasn't playing any music, though.
"And I shouldn't have to keep reminding you," she said, "but you need to sort your shit out with Norma Bates."
"I did," grunted Alex. "There's nothing between us now."
He had said this regretfully. Jane had either been oblivious to that, or she had picked up on his tone and just didn't bother to comment.
She felt the line wobble slightly and she wondered if she had caught a fish. She reeled her line back in but there was nothing, and the worm had been eaten.
"How about Zack Shelby?" she asked, examining the empty hook. She picked out a new worm and pierced the sharp metal through its little quivering body, and then she tossed the line back into the water.
"What about him?"
"He's close with Rebecca, and that interests me. Get a line on him."
"That's where I draw the line," said Alex. "I want nothing to do with Shelby."
Jane chuckled darkly. "You seemed to have forgotten that you work for me."
"I haven't. I just don't care for him, that's all."
Alex peered over at her and saw the end of the rod shaking uncontrollably. He watched as she expertly reeled the line in again. This time, as she lifted it out of the water, he witnessed she had caught a fish. It flip-flopped in the air, directionless and in a panic, and Jane had to be careful not to lose her grip on the fishing rod.
"Nice catch," he said.
She removed the fish from the hook carefully and tossed it into a plastic bucket that had been resting by her feet.
"Thanks. And I want to be able to say the same to you," she said. There's a pause, and then she added, "so get to it, okay? We've not got a lot of time on our hands, Alex. We need Zack."
Alex didn't dare to approach Norma after the incident at her apartment. He had been worried about her reaction and about having to deal with the aftermath. Besides, he had a lot on his plate already. He had to grade student quizzes sometime in the week and supervise an after-school detention slot. He was not mentally prepared for their conversation.
So it came as both a relief and a regret for Alex to learn that Norma hadn't been a rush to talk to him either. To make things worse, now that he had made so abundantly clear the idea that he was not interested in her, she seemed to have taken the hint right away and moved on.
It didn't take more than a few days before Alex heard from a group of students in the hallway discuss Norma dating Zack.
"They're definitely together," one of them had said with an air of confidence. "I've seen them."
"They have to be," another said. "They complement each other so well."
"I think she's better off alone," a third voice chimed in.
"No!" exclaimed the first two in unison.
Alex knew they were buzzing with excitement because Zack and Norma were both well-liked teachers in the school, and the fact that they were both young and attractive gave the news a huge bump-up.
So she had finally taken him up on his offer, thought Alex. It made sense. Alex hated to admit it, but he thought Zack had some pretty decent qualities about himself. At least he was able to make her happy, which was always the most important thing, wasn't it? Appearances aside, if somebody couldn't make you so deliriously happy to the point of radiance, then what was the point?
Alex knew he didn't have the right to be angry at Norma. If anything, she should be the one angry at him for leading her on and turning her down like that. But he still felt cheated somehow, knowing he had fabricated whatever was between himself and Rebecca. Speaking of which, thought Alex, he'd better inform Rebecca of his own new relationship with her soon, before Norma had the chance to talk to Rebecca about it. Now that would be an unpleasant conversation.
As for Norma and what she thought about dating Zack, the straightforward answer was that she did not. Sure he made her feel good about herself. He had everything that was wonderful - his adoration and presence. Yet most of the time, he didn't evoke in her anything more than a bland smile, one that always made its way onto her face only to get him to stop talking.
Maybe it was not the best relationship, and maybe it was even a bit of a terrible idea. Norma realised those two things. But she did have to move on from Alex somehow, didn't she? And what better way to do that than to date someone else, so she could invest all her energy into this new thing and forget about the old?
AN: Norma Bates: reigning queen of very, very bad, terrible, awful, absolutely no-good, recipe-for-disaster ideas. But it gives her character, right?
