A/N: I'm aware that I'm a terrible person for teasing you guys with one chapter then taking a whole month to update again. My plan to get back to work on this story failed, and I still have yet to write anymore than I already have done. Here's to hoping that doesn't happen this time around! Though I was very happy to see that there are still people on here that have an interest in this fic, and thank you for all your kind words. So as always, let me know what you think, and enjoy!
Alex felt awful. He knew that stopping their kiss was the right thing to do, no matter how badly he wanted to keep going. But he never wanted to hurt her, and somehow that turned out to be exactly what he did. He couldn't figure out where her anger was coming from though. She didn't have feelings for him, so she shouldn't have been so mad at him. Unless she was just upset because he turned down whatever pity she had been trying to offer him.
He found his way downstairs, knowing she was in the kitchen from all the noise she had been making. Whatever the reason was they needed to talk about it. They had been lucky enough to get through the whole day since then without running into each other, but they couldn't keep walking around the house on eggshells waiting for it to blow over.
Norma was standing in front of the sink pouring a pan of pasta noodles into a strainer, tossing it back on the stove top and making a sound that echoed through the whole room. She shook the strainer harshly, water shooting out the bottom of it into the sink.
"Hey." Alex said from behind her, walking in and standing by the table. She ignored him and pulled a large bowl that had been sitting on the counter closer to her, flipping the noodles into it. "Norma, come on." He said then she walked over and clicked off the burner that the pan of sauce was on, picking it up and pouring it in with the noodles. "Will you at least acknowledge that I'm in the room?"
Norma glanced back at him a second, turning back around right after. "There, I acknowledged you. Now leave me alone."
"We need to talk." Alex said, walking over to the counter and standing right beside her. "We can't just avoid each other and hope everything will resolve itself all on its own."
"Why not?" Norma asked, finally giving him her attention. "It worked fine when you first moved in here, you did everything you could to avoid me back then."
"Things are different now. We know each other, and we are friends."
"Apparently that's all we'll ever be." Norma said almost in a whisper, but he still heard her clearly.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Alex asked, getting equally as frustrated with her for this game she was playing with him. "You were the one who kept approaching me when I got here. You got me to give you a chance and now you are ready to be done with me, and what? I just have to accept that and go on living here like we never had anything?"
"Maybe that would be best." Norma said, knowing how crazy that sounded. She didn't want to go back to how things had been before, but she was hurt that things couldn't move any further from where they were.
"This is ridiculous. You are pissed at me for turning down something that you never even wanted? I only stopped because I didn't want you to do something you were going to regret, and because of that I have to give up my friend 'cause I bruised your ego. That's bullshit, Norma."
Norma paused, thinking about what he just said. "What do you mean, something I would regret?"
"I know the only reason you kissed me in the first place is because you were worried about me after I told you how I gave up on being happy. And I appreciate that you care about me enough to try and make me feel wanted, but I don't want you to feel like you are somehow obligated to make me feel better because I helped you out. It's fine that you don't actually like me in that way, but don't pretend for my sake. It's insulting, and I don't need to be treated like that."
"Why do you think I don't like you that way?" Norma asked, wondering how this somehow got even more confusing.
"I overheard you that day Bob was over here studying. I was coming back downstairs to see if I could get rid of him so we could talk about what happened on the lawn, and that's when I heard it. You told him how you and I were only friends and that you didn't have any real feelings for me."
"That's because Bob kept making me sound like some little love sick kid pining over you and waiting with bated breath just for you to make a move on me when I never had a chance. I said that there was nothing between us to shut him up about it, not because I meant it. Do you really think I wanted to admit to somebody like Bob that I was falling for you? That I have been since we stood out in the driveway that day while you were fixing your car, before I even really knew you."
"You're falling for me?" Alex asked, the shock of what she was saying masking the pure joy he was feeling.
"Do you think I would spend every evening I could with you, or snuggle up on the couch next to you when we watch movies together, or share as much as I have with you about my life if I didn't feel something for you? And you already know I don't try to give myself away to anyone when I'm drunk. Bob got a brick through his window just for trying, but I gave you a full access pass. And I'll admit that was still a dumb decision, but I wouldn't have done that to anyone else. I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't want to, and I really wanted to." Norma said, stepping closer to him and setting her palm on the hand he had resting on the counter. "And to answer your question, I already fell for you."
Alex turned his hand and let hers fall into his, using that contact to pull her toward him and breach the gap. "Just so we don't have any more confusion, I've already fallen for you too." He said quietly just before they found each others lips.
It wasn't quite as gentle as the first one, but still held just as much meaning. Their arms wrapped around each other as they deepened the kiss, Alex trying his best to remain a gentleman. Norma had other plans though, slipping her tongue between his lips and gaining access to his mouth. He wanted to protest knowing they should slow down but he saw what saying no to her did before, besides his brain probably wouldn't have let him turn her down at this point anyways. After a minute they pulled apart from the kiss, this time only to catch their breath.
Norma leaned her forehead against his as they both breathed heavily, looking into each others eyes. "Remind me why we were being so stupid before?" She joked, smiling at him.
"I don't even remember." Alex said, grinning as he reached his hand up and ran it through her hair. "Are you sure you want this?"
"You better be kidding." She said, earning a smirk from him.
"Of course I am." Alex said, leaning in and kissing her again.
They both pulled apart quickly at the sound of the door bell, Norma taking a moment to remember what she was doing before Alex came downstairs. "Oh, I completely forgot, Lizzy is here for dinner. She called after the whole incident and she could tell that I was upset. She wasn't going to take not seeing me as an option, so I invited her over."
"Something me and her have in common." Alex said, the both of them smiling at each other. "I'll go get it, you can start pretending you were still making dinner and not throwing yourself at me instead." He said with a smirk.
"I didn't see a protest." Norma said, pausing a moment. "This time at least."
"Never again." Alex said, hurrying over to the front door as the bell rang again. He opened the door and looked at a worried Elizabeth standing there, peaking past him into the house.
"Where's Norma?" She asked.
"In the kitchen, making-" Alex was cut off when she walked inside and headed to the kitchen. "-dinner." He said to himself, walking the way she had just gone.
"Sorry, I made it here as quickly as possible." Elizabeth said, setting her stuff down on the table. "My parents decided last minute that my punishment for coming home late smelling like booze after the party was to make me clean out the rain gutters. I don't even think they cared that I drank, they just didn't want to pay someone to do them."
"That's alright, I got a little side tracked too." Norma said, glancing over at Alex as she finished stirring the pasta together.
"So, how are you doing?"
"I'm good." Norma said, smiling over at Alex. "Very good."
"Yes, very good." Alex said, smiling back at her.
Elizabeth looked between them both, trying to figure out what was going on. "Oh." She said, trying her best not to break out into a grin when she came to a realization. "That's good." She added, not knowing what else to say. "Geez, now I'm saying good too."
Norma chuckled. "Sorry, I'm a little loopy here." She said, pulling her attention back to her friend. "It's been a long day."
"I can only imagine." Elizabeth said. "Are you going to join us for dinner Alex?" She asked, looking over at him.
"If Norma doesn't mind." Alex said.
"I don't mind, I made more than enough." Norma said. "I hope you two are in the mood for pasta." She said, taking the bowl off the counter and setting it on the dining table.
"Sure, anything is better than my mom's cooking." Elizabeth said, taking a seat. "Poor women has been trying to cook since before I was born, yet she still burns toast. I spend more time scraping the black layer off my bread in the morning than I do getting ready for school."
"Norma could probably teach her a couple things, she's been a great teacher for me." Alex said as he sat down, earning a smile from her.
"Well in your defense you did already know how to handle bread before I got to you." Norma said, grabbing three plates and utensils before joining them at the table.
"Whatever dirty joke you too are making it went right over my head." Elizabeth said as they started scooping their food onto the plates.
"It wasn't a joke." Alex said with a chuckle. "She use to tease me because I would make sandwiches for dinner every night, and I told her I knew how to make grilled cheese."
"And think, you could have had home cooked dinners sooner if you hadn't have been so stubborn." Norma said.
"Oh yeah, what was that you called her food?" Elizabeth asked, smiling when Alex looked embarrassed.
"An easy bake oven meal." Alex said shamefully. "I know, I have it on good authority that I was an ass."
"Well you didn't stay that way, and that's all that matters. Think about how awful your life would be without this amazing chick in it." She said, nodding toward Norma.
"It would be an absolute mess." Alex said, smiling over at her.
They talked more as they finished up dinner, Elizabeth telling them both about how Rick ended up walking her home after the party and asking her if she would go out with him sometime. It hadn't surprised Alex, mostly because he had a part in making it happen. But Norma was excited for her, saying how it was about time. When they had everything cleaned up Alex told them he was going up to his room so they could have some time alone, knowing they were both eager for some girl talk.
"There must have been something pretty good to happen to you since we talked on the phone." Elizabeth said as she and Norma sat on the couch, kicking back. "Your mood did a whole one-eighty since I called here this afternoon."
"What are you getting at?" Norma said, smiling at her friends not so subtle hinting.
"Well a woman doesn't just go from upset to happy all on her own, something or someone usually has an effect on that."
"Someone might have."
"Someone?" Elizabeth asked. "Anyone I might know?"
"Well I wasn't going to tell you this but," Norma paused. "After you called Rick came by, he told me that he was only using you to get to me and he just couldn't wait any longer for his plan to work." She said, having fun teasing her.
"You know maybe your boyfriends ass like tendencies didn't go away, they just rubbed off on you."
"My boyfriend?" Norma said, a little surprised at the term. "I'm not sure two amazing make out sessions count as going steady."
"Two already?" Elizabeth said, shocked. "Here you are messing with me when you could be sharing these vital developments. Now, start at the beginning and tell me every single detail."
Norma went into great detail about everything that happened between the party and leading up to the moment she got there. Telling her about how she tried to get Alex to hook up with her when she was drunk, what had happened when he turned her down and Bob found her alone, then what happened after that with his window and how Alex took the fall for it. She said how they had a really deep talk and they ended up having one of the best kisses in existence, then how they somehow managed to screw it up so quickly, and how they fixed it and had an equally perfect kiss again.
"I still can't believe Alex took the fall for you." Elizabeth said. "I mean I can believe it, he's clearly head over heels for you. But still, that's big."
"I know, big and stupid." Norma said, smiling as she thought about it. "But I guess it all worked out for the best."
"We are two lucky gals."
"Speaking of which, you didn't go into a whole lot of details yourself."
"I told you about Rick."
"I get the feeling you might have left out a few parts."
"Oh, you mean like how after he walked me home and asked me out that we kissed goodnight?" Elizabeth said, smiling wide.
"See, I knew you weren't giving me the full story."
"I wasn't about to start talking about how soft Rick's lips were with his old buddy sitting a few feet away."
"I guess that could have gotten a bit awkward."
"Yeah, just a bit." Elizabeth said. "I'm still freaking out a little over it, I waited so long for him to finally see me and now that he did I-" She paused.
"You're not rethinking it, are you?"
"No, god no." Elizabeth said with a laugh. "It's just all so real now. And all those nerves that I was feeling before are enhanced because now that I know he actually likes me I keep thinking about how I'm going to do or say something stupid and mess it up."
"You are not going to mess it up."
"Says the girl who messed it up two seconds after the first kiss."
"There is going to be a time limit on how long you are allowed to tease me for that."
"Just let me know when it's up, I got plenty more of those to go around." Elizabeth said with a smirk.
"My point is that you are different. You aren't self destructive, and you've known Rick for years. Trust me, if he hasn't gotten sick of you yet he's not going to."
"Still, it might put me at ease if I had someone there I knew to help me. You know, make sure I don't ramble off about dumb things, and remind me of things like that to calm me down when I need it."
"Are you trying to ask me to come with you and Rick on your first date?" Norma asked. "Because that itself might be the nail in the coffin."
"No, that would be weird." Elizabeth said. "I was thinking we could double date. Me with Rick, and you with Alex."
"A double date? Don't those things usually go horribly awry?"
"Maybe in the movies, or on television. But we all know each other and we get along, we did fine at Bob's party." Elizabeth paused. "You know, pre alcohol and throwing bricks through people's windows."
Norma smiled. "I will ask Alex, but I'm not making any promises."
"Thank you. And if you could talk to him about it before Friday that would be great, that's when I told Rick the four of us were going to go out." Elizabeth said, earning a chuckle from Norma. She glanced over at the clock then stood up. "I should probably get home, I got this really annoying thing to go to tomorrow, I believe people call it school."
"Yeah, I gotta deal with that thing too." Norma said, getting up to say her goodbyes to her friend.
Once Elizabeth had left Norma found her way upstairs, walking up to Alex's room and peaking in to his partially opened door. He was laying on top of the covers fast asleep, no doubt having been waiting for her. She smiled and closed his door quietly, turning to go to her own room and get ready for bed. Today did turn out to be better than the hangover it started with, and she was going to bet the days following were going to be a whole lot better too.