CHAP. 11
POV- Paige
The weekend comes faster than we expect.
I wake up to Alex's light snoring. These past few nights, she has been holding on to me so tightly, I've been waking up sore. Anytime I adjusted, she'd hug me tighter and pull me back to her chest. I think she was afraid I would leave…
Today we woke up early to start the move. Well…I did. I had to poke Alex for a good five minutes before she showed signs of life.
Jay got here around sunrise with the U-Haul. He, Dylan, Marco, and Spinner agreed to help us move today. As he pulls up, the rest of us crack up at his fuzzy dice and Hawaiian dolls on the dashboard.
It's very refreshing. It's nice to see how close we all stayed over the years…
Alex smiles genuinely for the first time in days. It's a brief smile. She approaches Jay as he steps down from the truck and they exchange a hug and some silly handshake before getting to work.
We don't get everything into the new house until dinnertime.
All day, Alex and I try not to focus on how awkward things have been lately. I'm not sure if it's more for ourselves or the others. Occasionally, we'd get in each other's' ways and sidestep awkwardly to get past. It was almost humorous enough to help us forget. But I'd catch a glimpse of something on her face. Something between guilt and shame…
It's killing me.
I want SO BADLY to just take her away from all of this. To just scoop her up and protect her from all of the pain she's seen... All of the consequences of the bad decisions she's made... EVERYTHING.
But I just don't know what to say. I'm SCARED.
I knew she had been through a lot. I knew her childhood was rough… but I had NO IDEA. I never expected any of this…
Marco pulls me into the kitchen as Alex and the other guys begin to unpack the boxes.
"Trouble in paradise?" He asks, only half-joking.
I let out a deep breath and lean against the marble counter. "I don't know where to begin…she told me everything else there was to know about her."
Marco looks concerned, as if he already knows what I'm talking about. "Ohhh…"
"Ohh?" I ask, annoyed. "Marco. You KNEW all that stuff about Jeremy?"
He nods crossing his arms uncomfortably.
"And her DAD?" My voice is louder than I want it to be.
His looks down.
After a brief silence, his gaze meets mine again. "Paige…it wasn't my place to tell you…. Beside," He adds, with a small shrug," you should be focusing on the fact that SHE even told you, I mean, come on…we're talking about Alex here."
This cracks me up a little, even though it's true. I feel a small smile form on my lips as I think of how far Alex has come. How much she's grown
She trusts me….
Just as I am about to speak again, Alex appears with a box.
She's wearing a white tank, scuffed adidas, and her favorite pair of working shorts. Her hair is pulled back into that sexy messy bun and I can see the sweat beads on her forehead. She's clearly been working her ass off… She walks past me and carefully sets the box onto the counter and looks to me with a lazier grin than usual.
"Last box, Princess…"
Instantly, I feel guilty for being in the kitchen with Marco as the others were working. "Hun, Im sorry, Lemme at least put THIS stuff away." I hop up and turn around quickly to take the box. As quickly as our eyes meet, we look to the marble of the counter.
There, standing on opposite sides of the island, we find ourselves avoiding eye contact.
Alex speaks quietly, "It's fine. You shouldn't have to deal with my crap, anyway."
It takes a moment before I realize she isn't just talking about the box.
"Well, I should get back to Dylan…" Marco leaves to join the others, leaving a small breeze with how fast he left.
After a moment of silence, we both start to speak. I grin at our awkwardness. And she nods for me to go first.
I swallow nervously, " I don't know what to say… I just want to let you know that I'm not going anywhere." I stare at her forehead, willing her to meet my gaze.
Her head snaps up as I say the last part. I can see the relief in her eyes.
Then, her gaze falls to the marble again. "It wasn't supposed to be this way…you didn't ask for all of…'THIS'." She emphasizes the last word with fake quotes.
To myself, I have to admit that all this has taken a toll on me. But I always try to stay strong for Alex.
"Hey…" I reach across the counter with two fingers and lift her chin so I can see her face. I want her to know that I'm serious. That I'm not going to abandon her….
I lean across the counter, meeting her lips in a deep, slow kiss. I put ALL of my love into this kiss. The familiar warmth…the familiar tingling in my chest…all of it returns.
Then I pull away. I can feel my heart pounding like it did the first time we kissed.
That is my confirmation.
I find myself staring into her deep brown eyes, once again.
And I repeat, in a soft whisper, "I'm not going anywhere."
