Chapter Ten

Alex was a nervous wreck by the time lunch rolled around the next day. He couldn't figure out which shirt he was going to wear or what to do with his hair. Katie was no help; all she did was laugh. After he changed his shirt for the twentieth time, she finally stepped in.

"Alex! Breathe. It's just Jack."

"Yeah, but..."

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on her?" she asked with a smirk.

"That's not funny," Alex said as he took off the shirt he had just put on.

With a sigh, Katie walked around him and plucked a shirt from under the pile of discarded shirts. While she was at it, she picked up a pair of light stone washed jeans and a pair of brown Steve Maddens.

"Wear this, okay?"

Alex nodded and proceeded to get dressed.

"What do you think?" he asked when he was done.

"Not bad, Rider. So, um, where are you two going to be?" Katie asked, keeping her back to him as she folded his clothes.

"Um, all over, I think. Why?"

"I just don't want to be in the way. You guys need time to talk."

Katie was surprised to hear Alex laugh.

Alex walked over to her and turned her around to face him.

"Katie, you won't be in the way. Besides, I want you there. You're my best friend in this place and I wouldn't be where I am without you. Secret Window, remember?"

Katie watched him as he went around the room picking up his stuff that he had left lying around.

"Are you serious? You want me there?" she asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Hell yeah."

Just then Thomas knocked on the door.

"Hey, Alex, Jack is here."

"Thanks, Thomas."

Alex took a deep breath and let it out.

"Let's go."

888

Alex watched Jack pace nervously in the lobby. She looked better since the last time that he saw her. He was about to take a step forward just a she made a turn but he chickened out at the last minute.

"What the hell, Alex?" Katie whispered.

"I don't think I can. Could you tell her that I don't feel good?"

"Alex, don't be a wuss. She came all this way to meet you after you called her. Come on," she said as she grabbed his arm and frog marched him over to Jack.

As soon as they rounded the corner, Jack saw them and her face broke into a happy smile, a smile that Alex hadn't seen in, well years.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Alex!" she squealed as she threw her arms around his neck.

She stood back from him and then pulled him close again.

Katie watched as Jack ran her hands all over Alex as if to re-familiarize herself with him. She looked away as she saw the tears falling down Jack's face. Alex might have said that she could join them, but the unspoken emotion between them was too much for her to bear. Besides, Alex would want to spend some alone time with Jack without a third wheel. Right? Somehow that thought left her feeling depressed. Shaking her head, she spared one more glance in Alex's direction.

"Maybe next time, Rider," she said with a sigh as she retreated back into the shadows.

Here is a much needed A/N.

First off, I didn't give credit where it was needed in chapter 6. The song that Katie sings is Can't Take My Eyes of You by Lauryn Hill. I believe many people have covered this song, but I like this version better. Heehee.

Second of all, I reached a bit of a problem in later chapters. If I plan on a sequel, I have to keep everything happening before 2008 because I'm not a Seer. So instead of having Alex and Katie being born in 1989 (my birth year) I had to change it to 1982 so they could be 18 in 2000 so by, say, 2006, they would be like 24 so any, um, future activities would be age appropriate. Assuming I could write something, smutty.

Third thing is a question: Does anyone know exactly when Alex was born? I know I read (somewhere online) that he was born in February. I want to say it was the fifth, but I'm not sure. This bullet/question is so random but I was just curious. Now I must stop typing this so I can proof read chapter eleven. If I may say so, this chapter is relatively short. This converter thingie tells you how many words each chapter is. Just by looking at it in MS Word, it was tiny, but damn, I didn't realize it was that small. I may need to think a tad bit harder. Other than that, how is is? Don't be shy, drop a line. For those that write, I drop TONS of lines. LOL. Enough rambling on my part. Peace. RC