Alexis Castle was ringing in the new year in style. That is if style includes flannel pajamas and bunny slippers. She'd gotten invites from several friends at Columbia to join them at parties or clubs, but in her despondent state the last thing she wanted to do was guzzle drinks, wave sparklers, and fend off frat boys who wanted to kiss her at midnight.
Fortunately staying in didn't mean she had to spend the night alone. Instead, Alexis was heading to the loft to spend the evening with Grams, while her dad took Kate out for a romantic dinner. She was hoping to arrive after they left for their date, to avoid another speech from her dad about she was young and needed to be stepping out of her comfort zone and having new experiences. It was obvious to everyone but him that as much as he liked to preach to her, he would lose his mind if Alexis dared to actually do anything adventurous. History had proven that. She wanted to spare them both the trouble.
Unfortunately, when Alexis stepped through the door to the loft, she found Kate and her father still inside, all dressed up and saying goodbye to Martha. Castle looked up, surprised to see her at the entrance of his home.
"Alexis! We didn't have plans, did we?" he worriedly questioned, glancing between her and his wife with a nervous expression.
"Umm, no. I'm here for Grams. We're having a movie night," Alexis said bashfully, looking up at her father with puppy dog eyes.
"Mother, you didn't say anything. I assumed you'd be going out with George," the name of his mother's most recent gentleman caller dripping with disdain.
"Oh God, no!" the actress said with a dramatic shudder. "The man told me he thinks the opera is boring. He has no appreciation for the arts. I have too little time left to waste another second with someone so uncultured."
"Well in that case, good riddance," Kate smiled at her mother-in-law. "You are clearly far out of his league."
"This is my burden to carry," Martha said with a flourish of her hands. "When you are this beautiful, charming, and talented it's hard to find a worthy man. Sometimes you get lonely and settle. Well of course you understand that, dear."
Alexis and Kate laughed at her teasing insult while Castle objected, "Hey! I resent that. Nobody's settling for anybody here."
"Of course not," Kate smiled up at him adoringly and took his hand. She turned back to the two redheaded women and said, "We should get going if we want to make our reservation. Have fun with your movie night."
"If you get bored of him, you're welcome to join us," Alexis quipped, getting in on the fun.
Castle tugged Kate to the door, ushering her out as he shouted theatrically, "Let's go before my own blood can hurt me further."
Martha twirled to face the kitchen, the bottom of her patterned silk dressing gown fanning out around her, and declared, "Alright, kiddo. Time to bust out the wine."
Alexis started to protest, "Grams-"
"You're twenty-one. It's a holiday. There's no getting out of this one."
Alexis chuckled affectionately as she watched her grandmother pour them two glasses of red wine. The older woman had always been a force of nature, perpetually vibrant even in the face of hard times, and Alexis admired her for that. Personally, she always had a hard time not wallowing when things didn't go her way.
In fact, Alexis was doing her best not to wallow right now. It had been over a week since she'd given Kevin her phone number and she hadn't heard from him. A rational part of her knew that most people were busy over the holidays, and it would be unreasonable to expect him to reach out right away. And if she was reading him correctly, he would need some time to freak out before making contact. But there was also a less rational and more insecure part of her, and that side was feeling rejected and stupid for believing that she was anything more than a mistake to Kevin.
In an effort not to dwell on it, Alexis leaned into distraction. "Do you have any New Year's resolutions, Grams?" she accepted a glass of wine from the older redhead as she asked.
"Of course! I've resolved to stage at least two productions of The Bard's more well known works this year. I'm thinking of starting with Romeo and Juliet in the spring," Martha announced, leading the way to the living room couch, bringing along not only her wine glass but the rest of the bottle as well.
Alexis loudly sighed at the mention of the iconic star-crossed lovers, although her own circumstances were far less tragic that teenaged double suicide. Martha noticed the sadness on her granddaughter's face, "Oh dear. I know that look. That is the look of a woman with man troubles. Tell me everything."
"What? No!" Alexis tried to deny, but her grandmother knew her too well. "I don't have a man so there's no one to give me trouble."
"And isn't that suspect," the eccentric woman volleyed back. "A beautiful girl like you should have a line of suitors around the block hoping to lay one on you at midnight. So, what on earth are you doing here, spending the evening with your grandmother?"
"Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to spend time with you?"
"Of course not, you've always been a very sweet girl. But I watched you grow up, and I know you're prone to dramatics when you're heartbroken. Although I can't fathom where you get it from," Grams remarked softly.
"I'm not heartbroken. It's not even…We're not… He just… I have no idea how to say this to you," Alexis struggled to find words appropriate enough and therefore vague enough to explain the situation to her grandmother. "There was nothing serious enough to be heartbroken over."
"I see," Martha nodded before draining her glass of wine and reaching for the bottle to refill it. "I have a feeling I'm going to need this before I ask you to elaborate."
Alexis hesitated, unsure if she was willing to reveal to Grams the predicament she'd landed herself in. This would remove any illusions the older woman may have, that Alexis is still a little girl. She didn't think one-night stands and impromptu bathroom sex were things you could talk to your grandma about, no matter how unconventional your family may be. She decided to approach the conversation cautiously, and she would censor any details as necessary.
"Are you sure you want to hear about this?" Alexis questioned Grams, the closest person she had to a female parental figure growing up.
"I couldn't possible judge you, kiddo. I wouldn't have a leg to stand on after all the things I've done," she reassured the younger girl.
"You were right," Alexis admitted.
"There is a man, but we've only seen each other twice," she emphasized the euphemism, but didn't meet her grandmother's eyes as she did so. "And the whole thing has been very casual. I gave him my phone number last week, but he hasn't called. Which isn't a big deal because the whole thing is casual."
"Ah yes, you do sound very casual about it," Martha gently mocked the young woman.
Alexis pouted up at her, so she offered her wisdom, "Well he may still call yet. Something could be keeping him busy. Why don't you tell me more about your young man, and we'll see if we can figure it out?"
It would be impossible to explain the nuances of the situation without revealing Kevin's identity. She decided to attempt it anyways. Alexis wanted the insight, and it could be helpful talking it through with someone with as much life experience as Grams.
"The situation is complicated. We haven't been dating exactly, instead it just sort of happened. He's older than me and we didn't want anybody to find out, so we never talked about it, but then last week it happened again. And I liked what we've been doing, so I though maybe we could keep doing it, but he hasn't called me, so I don't know what he's thinking," Alexis rambled until she ran out of breath.
"Oh Alexis, he's married, isn't he?" Martha jumped to conclusions. "I think I'm following along, and well darling, I'm sorry, but these situations never end well. I'll support you no matter what, but most likely you're going to get hurt."
"No, he's not married," Alexis refuted the assumption. "Well at least not anymore. He was divorced before anything happened between us."
"Then why would you have to keep it a secret?" Grams questioned, "Unless we know this mystery man. Don't tell me you're sleeping with James Patterson. It would kill your father."
"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes at her grandmother's teasing, "but yes, you do know him, and Dad wouldn't be happy about it," she admitted, unwilling to outright lie to Grams.
"If that's the only thing standing in your way, then don't let it stop you," Martha urged her. "There's not a man on earth you could bring home that your father would think is good enough for you. And frankly I agree, but it shouldn't get in the way of you having some fun."
"It might not matter anyways, because he hasn't called," Alexis whined.
"He'd have to be crazy not to," her grandmother assured her. "You are a catch, my dear. Now you pop in the first movie, and I'll grab the chocolate ice cream from the freezer.
A couple of movies later, and Alexis was tucked into bed in her childhood room, an hour to spare before the New Year's countdown began. She had enjoyed the rest of her evening with Grams, relishing in the comfort of the loft and the saccharine cliches of romantic comedies. They both decided to retire for the night shortly after Kate and her dad had returned home, feeling particularly affectionate with each other.
So, by the time the clock struck midnight, Alexis was sleeping soundly. She was so deeply under that she didn't notice her phone buzz with an alert for a new text message or that the small screen cast a blue glow over the room.
Happy New Year, Alexis
-K.
A/N: I didn't do Martha justice. I love her. I want to be her when I grow up.
