Chapter
Twenty-Four: Anticipation
"Liz, we're out of Fruity Pebbles!"
Alex cried, his head in the cupboard, searching for his favourite cereal. "And, toilet paper," she said, coming into
the kitchen with an empty roll in her hand.
He turned to her and made a face.
"Well, that's just great." Liz
grabbed her bag from the kitchen table.
"I'm gonna run to the store down the street, is there anything else we
need?" "Liz, Maria and Kyle are going
to be here any minute now." She shrugged. "So?
I'll see them when I get back.
Besides, no one's going to be able to use the bathroom until I go get
some more toilet paper." He smirked at
her. "We could always send them down to
Tom's." "Funny," she answered,
narrowing her eyes, "I'll be back in twenty."
**
Alex was placing his empty bowl in
the sink when the doorbell rang.
"Coming!" he called. When he
opened the door, Maria launched herself in his arms. "Whoa!" Alex cried, staggering backwards, "what's up with
you?" He looked at Kyle, whose face was
split into a wide grin. "Where's Liz?"
Maria asked, ignoring the question, and stepping into the apartment, looking
around. "Oh, she had to run to the store,"
Alex told them, "so, where's your stuff?"
Kyle and Maria exchanged a look.
"They're, uh, in our rental car.
We'll go get them." The two ran
for the door. "Well, do you need any
help?!" Alex called after them. "Nope!"
he heard Maria's shout, "you just stay put!"
**
"Okay," Maria said swiftly, as they
made it back to the car, "Liz went to the store, but Alex is there. So, this is what I was thinking. Isabel, you go up there alone. Have your big reunion and come get us when
you're ready." "Well, what are we gonna
do in the meantime?" Tess wondered.
Kyle took her hand. "Walk the
beach. It's really beautiful around
here," he said. Isabel looked to Max,
who tried to hide his disappointment.
"Go ahead," he told her, giving her a nod. She smiled, taking a deep breath. "Okay, here I go."
**
Alex heard the doorbell again. "If you can't even open the door," he
called, "then you should have taken my … help." Alex couldn't believe his eyes, but standing before him was
Isabel. "Alex," she said
emotionally. He stood and stared at her
in shock. "Alex," she repeated more sternly,
"if you don't close your trap, you're gonna catch flies." At that, a huge grin broke over his
face. "It's really you." He picked her up by the waist, swinging her
around. "Ahhh," he breathed, holding
her face between his hands, "you're still the most beautiful creature I've ever
seen." She smiled, tears in her
eyes. "I've wanted you to hold me for
so long." "Oh, yeah?" he teased,
leaning in, "and what about this?" She
laughed. "That too." She touched her lips to his and they kissed.
**
Max walked around the apartment, his
hands in his pockets. The rest of them
had reunited and left, leaving him alone, waiting for Liz. With a wink, Alex told them they'd be back
in the morning. Where they were going
to stay, Max didn't ask. It really was
a beautiful beach apartment. The view
was amazing and the décor was a perfect blend of Liz and Alex. It had plenty of feminine touches, but some
things were pure Alex. Max felt a
little touch of sadness when he looked at the photos on the mantelpiece. There wasn't a picture of the aliens among
the bunch. Suddenly, he heard keys in
the lock. Jumping back, he looked
around, wondering where he should stand, what he should be doing when she
walked in the door. Finally, he decided
to plop himself down on the couch. The
door opened and Max nearly stopped breathing.