The next morning, Alex woke up with an extreme migraine. It felt as if someone had hit him in the back of his head with a hammer. He instantly regretted having too much to drink at the Sheriff's event last night.
"Ugh," he groaned as he sat up on the sofa. He saw the glass of water and his bottle of aspirin to his right and immediately grabbed it, thankful his coworkers thought to leave that for him.
After swallowing a few pills, he stood up slowly and made his way to the bathroom were he opted for a steaming hot shower. The memories of last night were pretty foggy. All Alex could remember was winning the election and getting dropped off at home.
Once out the shower, he dressed himself in his bedroom and checked his phone. There were a few text messages congratulating him and wishing him luck during his term as Sheriff. He had a notification telling him he had a voicemail from his high school girlfriend that lived down in Texas. She must've heard through the news channels, as she always kept tabs on what was happening up here in Oregon. Alex knew she was mostly trying to keep tabs on him.
As he was looking through his phone, he saw that he had a 10 minute call with Norma around 1 AM. Alex frowned as he wondered why he would be talking to her that late. Maybe she was congratulating him? Most likely.
He decided to give her a call, just to say good morning. And also because he wanted to hear that lovely voice of hers.
"Hello?" she answered after two rings.
"Hey, good morning."
"Good morning Alex. How are you?"
"I'm good. Did you hear? I'm Sheriff now," he said into the phone proudly.
"Of course. I heard on the news channel. Plus, you told me when you called me last night."
"Oh... yeah. That's right..."
Norma giggled. "You don't remember?"
Alex sighed and laughed nervously. "Not really. But I must have because I looked at my phone and it says I did?"
"Yeah, around 1 AM."
"I'm sorry about that. I think I had a little too much to drink. I didn't say anything rude or inappropriate right?" He asked hesitantly. Hopefully he had not embarrassed himself on the phone with her.
"No, just told me how good my panties smelled."
Alex's heart dropped as he began to scold himself. She had to have been lying. He wouldn't say that! Then again, he was told plenty of times that he could be very blunt when drunk. That's why he barely let himself get super intoxicated.
"Norma..." he said after a while. "I'm sorry. I don't remember saying that."
"It's okay," she assured.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. How could he confess to her that he had sniffed the panties she let him keep? She probably thought he was some creepy pervert now.
"I mean... what exactly all did I say?"
"Nothing to worry about Alex. I was quite entertained with our phone call."
"I'm so sorry if I was rude."
"Like I said, nothing to worry about. It's fine."
Alex shook his head and looked around his living room, wondering what else he could have said to her last night.
"I know you're going to be super busy now, but do you think we'll ever be able to see each other soon?" She asked hopefully.
"Well it's Friday, so I'm free today and this weekend. I don't start working as Sheriff officially until Monday."
"Great. You should come by my house tonight. Around 6?"
"Sure. Do you want me to bring anything? For the boys or something?" Alex asked.
"No, just yourself."
*deviatedrift*
She had everything set up. All she needed left was Alex. It was around 5:30 in the evening and he was supposed to be at her house around 6 PM. Her stomach felt fluttery as every minute ticked by.
Norma had set the oven on a low temperature keeping their dinner hot and pulled out the cheap bottle of champagne she bought at the grocery store yesterday. Hopefully it tasted good enough and could give her and Alex a little buzz so that they could relax a bit more.
Before she knew it, the doorbell was ringing. She rushed to the door and stopped in front of it, fluffing out her hair and straightening out the white and blue printed dress she chose to dress in.
Alex took in Norma's appearance once the door opened. Her blonde hair was curled and her makeup was simple, yet, it made her beauty pop out even more. She had on white wedges to finish off her look.
"Wow, you look great," Alex told her as she let him through the door.
"Thank you. You look pretty good yourself," she returned and noticed the bouquet of flowers he held behind his hand. Her eyes lit up in adoration.
"For you," Alex gave her the flowers and she gave him that smile he started to fall in love with.
"These are beautiful. Thank you, you really didn't need to get me flowers."
"I know.. It's cheesy, but I always wanted to give a woman flowers."
Norma smiled as she took the flowers to her kitchen where she found a vase underneath the sink. She filled it halfway up with water and set the flowers inside. Alex took off his leather jacket and sat it on the coat hanger next to the door. He looked around the house and hadn't seen the boys or heard them yet.
"Where are Norman and Dylan?" He questioned once she returned to the living area.
"Oh, they're at a sleepover. Some kid named Ethan Chang invited Dylan over and Norman knows the kid's brother. They convinced me to let them spend the night over there."
"Oh," Alex nodded. He was expecting the boys to be there, hence why he asked her if she wanted him to bring them anything when he came over tonight. However, he couldn't help but feel excited and relieved at the fact that he'd be alone with her, not that he minded the boys at all.
"Well the Changs are good people. They own a restaurant in town."
"Yeah I spent some time getting to know them. They're real nice."
"So... it's just us tonight?" Alex asked.
"Mhm," Norma confirmed and nodded for him to come to the kitchen. He obliged and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. Norma went to the oven where she took a pan out the oven as well as uncovered some pots that were cooking on the stove.
She brought the contents to the table and set them down carefully.
"Stuffed chicken breast, broccoli, salad, and sweet yams."
Alex looked at her as she sat down right next to him. "Wow, this smells amazing. Looks great too."
Norma gave him a smile and reached for the bottle of champagne that was sitting on the table.
"So I take it you didn't want for us to actually go out and eat?"
She shrugged and poured some of the liquid into their glasses. "I don't know if that's smart... I've learned people around here talk. And with me still being married and my husband in jail, I don't know. I just don't want him to use that as some kind of leverage for when I get a lawyer to file for the divorce through court. You understand don't you?" She looked into his eyes sympathetically, hoping that he wouldn't take offense as to why she didn't want to go to a public place.
Word had gotten around that Alex took Norma home that night at the bar when she was drunk. Alex had cleared up the rumors of her said infidelities, yet people still kept a close eye on her. Looks of disgust would normally come with the residents here. They didn't seem to appreciate this new woman coming into town getting the former deputy, now Sheriff into a scandalous affair. It annoyed Norma because no one knew the hell she went through with Sam for years. They think he's in jail because Norma "provoked" him, and they barely knew the man.
"Oh, that actually reminds me," Alex said and hopped out of his seat.
Norma watched him as he headed towards the door. She was confused and stood up as well. "Where are you going?"
"To my car. I have to grab something. Be right back," he smiled.
She watched through the door as he jogged to the passenger side of his car and bent down to grab something from the seat. When he returned, he had a manila folder in his hand. Norma closed the door and they went back to the table.
"Sorry, but I forgot to bring it in with me. I was so focused about giving those flowers to you."
"What is that?" She pointed towards the folder.
Alex handed it over to her and looked as she opened and read the paper inside.
"He signed them? But... I thought- When did he sign these?"
"I went back up there today after I got a call saying he wanted to talk to me. I bought down the papers again and he signed them."
"But how did you get him to do that? Surely he just didn't change his mind of a whim."
"I guess he just realized," Alex took a sip of the champagne and looked away from her. He wasn't sure if he should tell her how the guards were beating the shit out of Sam and giving him a difficult time for what he had done to Norma and her kids, and also to Alex the last time he visited him.
"I can't believe it," Norma looked over the pages. "These are definitely his signatures. Thank you so much."
"No problem," Alex granted.
Norma couldn't keep her eyes off him the whole they ate dinner. Alex talked about how he felt being Sheriff now, his dad who was Sheriff in this town years ago, and gave her a little insight on his life as a kid. She was glad that he felt comfortable enough to share these things with her. It was such a change from when they couldn't stand one another when they first met.
When they finished their meal, Norma gathered all the dishes and put them in the sink. She told Alex to make himself comfortable while she took care of the dishes. She had her back turned to him and felt his hand on her lower back before the feeling disappeared. Turning to her side, she saw Alex standing next to her rolling his sleeves up.
"You wash. I rinse?"
Norma smiled. Sam never washed or rinse one dish in his life, at least while they were married. Alex was so different. So much better. He was truly heaven sent.
"How'd you learn to cook so good?" Alex asked as they began taking care of the dishes.
"I taught myself when I was a kid."
"You're parents not cookers?"
Norma knew he was trying to get to know about her, as he spent most of the night talking about himself. She wasn't sure how much she should share. How would he feel about her if he knew she came from a horribly abusive home life that followed her into adult hood? She'd been married twice, both men in her life treating her like crap. Her life was never good.
"No, they worked a lot," she lied.
"So are you an only child?"
She inhaled sharply as Caleb came into her mind. "Yes. Just me." Norma hurried and washed the rest of the dishes so they couldn't talk about her life anymore.
Alex knew she was trying to avoid this conversation, so he left her alone about it. She clearly didn't want to talk about her life. It kind of pained him that she wasn't that comfortable with him to share more about herself. But he understood that they only knew one another for a couple months.
*deviatedrift*
The two adults sat down on the couch as the movie played quietly in front of them on the TV. They had more alcohol in their systems, but wasn't drunk. It was just enough to give them a buzz and engage in silly conversations.
"I'm still wondering about our phone conversation from yesterday..."
Norma had her feet tucked underneath herself as she turned her face towards Alex who was sitting close to her. She reached for her glass and took a sip before resting it in her hand.
"Well... it was 1 AM and you called me. Surprisingly, I was still awake and I was kind of confused as to why you were calling that late. I was hoping nothing was wrong, but to my surprise, you were just drunk calling me."
Alex chuckled lightly and shook his head at himself. "What exactly did I say?"
"Hey sexy," Norma imitated in his voice before laughing out loudly.
Alex's eyes widened. "No I didn't."
"You did! It was so funny because that's when I knew you were definitely drunk. I knew you had to have been coming back from the event.
"Wow..." Alex cringed.
"Yeah. Then you told me how you just won Sheriff, which I already knew. It was all over the news. Besides, I knew you'd win." Norma sat her glass down on the table and moved closer to him so that their legs were touching. On instinct, Alex placed his hand on her knee. Norma didn't seem to mind, so he left it there.
"Then you said something about how you want me to lay on your couch with you and that you wonder how would i look in your bed and how you still have my panties," she giggled.
"Jesus..." Alex replied, face red as hell.
"I think you were trying to phone sex me."
Alex bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm sorry. I've never done anything like that before."
"It's alright. I slept good that night," she smiled and placed her hand on top of his that was still resting on her knee. "I see your swelling is going down. Been putting that cream on your cut like I told you?"
Alex chuckled. She was such a mom. "Yeah. I'm just glad no one really asked questions at the event about what happened to my face. The secretary at the station had put some of her makeup on my bruise, so it wasn't too noticeable. Everyone already thinks I wear mascara."
Norma snorted. "Well, you are blessed to have those beautiful eyelashes. That was nice of her though."
"Yeah," Alex agreed and continued to look into those baby blue eyes. She was biting her lip as her eyes danced all across his face. Alex was glad his lip wasn't as swollen anymore, because when he leaned forward to kiss her, he could relish in how soft her lips were. It felt like his insides were igniting. His body felt heated as she touched his cheek with one of her delicate hands.
Alex pulled away to say something, but Norma wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deeper, more satisfying kiss. Alex swept his tongue across her lips which she happily took in, no longer suppressing her moans. He felt her hand gripping his thigh which made him stop. She still had her eyes closed when he looked at her and then slowly opened them. He gave a sincere smile and Norma pouted a little.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," Alex replied.
Norma frowned. "So why'd you stop?"
"I didn't think we should get carried away," he said lamely. Norma huffed and rolled her eyes a little.
"Is this because of Sam? Because you saw the papers. He signed them. We're divorced."
"You still have to turn them into the court and have to figure out the property arrangement and custody-"
"Custody!? He is not getting my kids!" Norma cried out.
"Of course not. No judge would give kids to a man who beats on them and his wife. I'm just saying, there's a lot you're probably going to have to go through. But I'm still here to help."
"Alex, why are you so worried about this? What's so wrong about me? Actually, never mind. I know I'm considered a mess."
"Nothing is wrong with you," he quickly shook his head and took her hand in his. "I don't know... I just think it's best to slow things down with us..."
She squinted and took her hand away. She didn't want to get upset over his decision, but she felt like there was something more that he wasn't telling her. "Do you not remember what happened in my kitchen that day?" She asked, referring to when he hand happened to slip under her dress, resulting in them fooling around and him stealing her panties, which she let him keep.
"Norma listen. I really do want you. Ever since the night I met you at that bar. I'm glad that we've moved down this route after getting to know one another more. I just... I want you to be sure. It'll kill me if you realize one day that you shouldn't have gotten involved with me."
"Why would I feel like that?" She asked.
He sighed and looked away from her. "This town... It's not as sublime as it seems. It's ran on drugs. Marijuana. And the police department knows it. It's been this way ever since I was a kid. There's big businessmen that run things around here. It ranges from sex trafficking to money laundering. Since I got elected Sheriff, I'm trying to change that, but I've had to make some bad deals that will probably end up biting me in the ass," he finally looked at her to see her speechless.
"I can't help how I feel about you though," he continued. "With that being said, I want to let you know that since I'm Sheriff, saving this town is one of my top priorities. I'm going to be put in dangerous situations and will have to do things in order to fulfill my duties. I should have told you this before, but I thought I could ease you into what's really going on in this town."
"Are my kids in danger being here? Living in this town?" She asked after a while.
"No. If you don't get involved with the wrong people, then they're fine."
She breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, she still felt uneasy about this information, but she couldn't afford to move her kids right now. The motel was paying her good, but she'd still have to save up a couple months in order to locate someplace else.
"Well," she started, looking to him as she spoke. "I'm shocked. But... I think you being Sheriff now is going to be a good thing. I just hope that you try to be extra careful."
"I am. I've already been making plans with the DEA to come and shut things down."
"That's good," she smiled. Alex nodded and all the worry he had about her was washed out of his body. "I don't think differently of you by the way. I think you're a good man."
"Thank you. It's what my mom would want me to be."
"She'd be proud," Norma added.
Alex turned his body to her again and rubbed her cheek with his hand. "You remind me so much of her..."
"Do I?"
He put his hand down and rested it on her knee again. His touch was so gentle, yet it did so much to arouse Norma. Why'd he have to be such a saint when all she wanted was to jump at him?
"Yeah, I think that's what made me so drawn to you. I mean, your personalities are the same. She was just as fiesty as you seem to be. And she was beautiful too."
Norma smiled. "I know you said she passed, but what happened to her?"
Alex's face dropped a little as he remembered the day he found out about his mother. "She uh, she commited suicide. About 3 years ago."
Norma gasped and shook her head. "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that Alex."
"Thank you. I took it really hard... but I've been better now. Getting to know you feels like I have a little part of her back."
Norma smiled and leaned to him to give him two quick pecks on the lips.
"You are so sweet," she said.
Alex chuckled a little and leaned back against the couch. He opened his arm, gesturing for Norma to lean against him which she complied in doing. While Alex's eyes were glued to the TV, his mind was elsewhere. He thought about the woman leaning in his arms right now. The more time he spent with Norma Bates, the more his heart craved her.
This was new to him, and never had he sprung up emotions this strongly about any woman before. It felt like being stuck in a dream that he never wanted to leave. Being around her felt like heaven and everything in between.
It feels right.
