Chapter 10: A Step In Any Direction
Six weeks later, Alex's life took an unexpected twist. It happened suddenly, in a way she never expected. She was lying on the sofa, leaning on Randy watching a re-run of 'Happy Days' and mentally debating if she wanted the tub of Ben and Jerry's she knew was in the kitchen. Alex hadn't seen John since that night, and never mentioned it to anyone, not even Torrie who still called her every week. She felt Randy fidgeting underneath her and pushed herself up off him.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing." He said quickly and Alex lay back down.
Seconds later it started up again, but she choose to ignore it, she had a weakness for 'Happy Days'.
"Alex, there's something I need to tell you." Randy said into her ear.
She couldn't help it, her stomach gave a horrible twist.
"I swear if you cheated, I'm going to beat you to death with the phone." She warned, and she was deadly serious.
"You know I love you and the past few months with you have been amazing...."
"But...." Alex's inner voice added for her.
"I know this may seem sudden, but...."
"There it is. Brace yourself."
Then, there it was. Right in front of her face, a blue tiffany's box opned up to show a diamond ring. Her throat dried up, luckily, Randy kept talking.
"I want.....I mean.....Alex, will you marry me?"
John was busy warming up, waiting for his call when Torrie appeared in front of him. She was ready for the show, dressed in a tiny white dress and high heels, her hands planted firmly on her hips and grinning widly.
"Do you want something?" John asked, he was in no mood for what she, or anyone, had to say.
"Everyone heard what you told Kurt, how you still loved Alex."
"That was months ago."
"She doesn't love you."
"Has she told you that?"
Torrie grinned even wider. She knew differently, or she had knowen differently. She'd never told anyone about Alex's confession and she hadn't mentioned it since. But John didn't have to know, he would never know. In Torrie's eyes, he never deserved her in the first place.
"No. But she doesn't have to. Haven't you heard?"
John straightened up, he towered over Torrie, but she just gave him a steely gaze back.
"Heard what? About Alex?"
She nodded and almost broke into a fit of giggles. "Randy proposed and Alex said yes. She's marrying Randy. " Torrie accepted Alex's invation to be a bridesmaid and joined her for a shopping trip a few days later. The first thing she did was seize Alex's hand to coo over her ring.
"Ooooh, it's so nice. You're so lucky!"
Alex gave a smile, then buried her hand deep into the pocket of her jacket.
"I'm so happy for you! This is fantastic! After all you've been through, you've now found your Prince Charming. You're happy aren't you?"
She nodded. "Of course. I'm getting married. Why wouldn't I be?"
They ordered coffee's from Starbucks and sat near the window. Torrie waited until Alex hadn't finished drinking to continue talking.
"I saw John the other day."
Alex remained indifferent to the knowledge.
"I told him, about you and Randy and everything."
Alex stirred the remainder of her coffee and gave a small shrug. Her inner voice was congradulating her on doing such a good job.
"He said, he's happy for you."
"Good, that means I can take him off the maybe list and send him an invatation."
Torrie felt slightly uneasy about Alex's reaction, it was sort of an anti- climax and she hadn't been ready for a swift change of heart of Alex's part, although she'd been praying for it for a long time.
"You know," Torrie went on, leaning over the table, feeling for some reason this needed to be said. "John would never have married you."
"I know." She agreed. "That's why I'm glad Randy isn't the same sort of guy as him."
The conversation ended there.
Six weeks later, Alex's life took an unexpected twist. It happened suddenly, in a way she never expected. She was lying on the sofa, leaning on Randy watching a re-run of 'Happy Days' and mentally debating if she wanted the tub of Ben and Jerry's she knew was in the kitchen. Alex hadn't seen John since that night, and never mentioned it to anyone, not even Torrie who still called her every week. She felt Randy fidgeting underneath her and pushed herself up off him.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing." He said quickly and Alex lay back down.
Seconds later it started up again, but she choose to ignore it, she had a weakness for 'Happy Days'.
"Alex, there's something I need to tell you." Randy said into her ear.
She couldn't help it, her stomach gave a horrible twist.
"I swear if you cheated, I'm going to beat you to death with the phone." She warned, and she was deadly serious.
"You know I love you and the past few months with you have been amazing...."
"But...." Alex's inner voice added for her.
"I know this may seem sudden, but...."
"There it is. Brace yourself."
Then, there it was. Right in front of her face, a blue tiffany's box opned up to show a diamond ring. Her throat dried up, luckily, Randy kept talking.
"I want.....I mean.....Alex, will you marry me?"
John was busy warming up, waiting for his call when Torrie appeared in front of him. She was ready for the show, dressed in a tiny white dress and high heels, her hands planted firmly on her hips and grinning widly.
"Do you want something?" John asked, he was in no mood for what she, or anyone, had to say.
"Everyone heard what you told Kurt, how you still loved Alex."
"That was months ago."
"She doesn't love you."
"Has she told you that?"
Torrie grinned even wider. She knew differently, or she had knowen differently. She'd never told anyone about Alex's confession and she hadn't mentioned it since. But John didn't have to know, he would never know. In Torrie's eyes, he never deserved her in the first place.
"No. But she doesn't have to. Haven't you heard?"
John straightened up, he towered over Torrie, but she just gave him a steely gaze back.
"Heard what? About Alex?"
She nodded and almost broke into a fit of giggles. "Randy proposed and Alex said yes. She's marrying Randy. " Torrie accepted Alex's invation to be a bridesmaid and joined her for a shopping trip a few days later. The first thing she did was seize Alex's hand to coo over her ring.
"Ooooh, it's so nice. You're so lucky!"
Alex gave a smile, then buried her hand deep into the pocket of her jacket.
"I'm so happy for you! This is fantastic! After all you've been through, you've now found your Prince Charming. You're happy aren't you?"
She nodded. "Of course. I'm getting married. Why wouldn't I be?"
They ordered coffee's from Starbucks and sat near the window. Torrie waited until Alex hadn't finished drinking to continue talking.
"I saw John the other day."
Alex remained indifferent to the knowledge.
"I told him, about you and Randy and everything."
Alex stirred the remainder of her coffee and gave a small shrug. Her inner voice was congradulating her on doing such a good job.
"He said, he's happy for you."
"Good, that means I can take him off the maybe list and send him an invatation."
Torrie felt slightly uneasy about Alex's reaction, it was sort of an anti- climax and she hadn't been ready for a swift change of heart of Alex's part, although she'd been praying for it for a long time.
"You know," Torrie went on, leaning over the table, feeling for some reason this needed to be said. "John would never have married you."
"I know." She agreed. "That's why I'm glad Randy isn't the same sort of guy as him."
The conversation ended there.