Alex woke alone, his hand outstretched across the bed, apparently still reaching for her in his sleep. He sat up groggily, scrubbing his hand through his hair, licking his lips, trying to get some saliva into his incredibly dry mouth. Oh god, did he smoke a cigar last night?
Peering bleerily around the room, he stretched in the chair, trying to stretch out the ache that spread from his back to his neck. He felt his neck crack and groaned. This was apparently the price he paid for sleeping in a chair, bent forwards, leaning across a bed all night. He froze, mid-stretch, his hungover brain only just remembering why he had slept like that, his eyes darting around the room, looking for her. The bathroom door was wide open and he could see she wasn't there, and when he glanced to the closet, he could see the garment bag full of lilac chiffon was gone too.
His mind swam as he remembered the evening, his memory going hazy and fading out during their time at the strip club. His first clear memory had been coming up behind Norma in that awful club, putting his hands around her possessively, pulling her against him, just wanting to cover her from the prying eyes of the men around them. Everything after that was almost crystal clear, her panic attack, her sobs, her revelations, all ringing in his ears still. He never would have grabbed her, never would have let his drunk hands run all over her had he known. She must hate him.
A knock at the door broke his depressing reverie and he jumped, glancing up to see Gabe standing in his doorway.
"Morning buddy." Gabe said quietly, glancing down at where Alex was sitting, still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing last night, quite clearly having slept in the chair. If he noticed or thought it was strange at all, he didn't say so, and Alex was grateful for that.
"Rough night?" Was all he said on the matter, not pressing it at all when Alex simply nodded.
"Coffee?" He held out a steaming cup and Alex had never been so grateful to see a cup of caffeine in his life.
He crossed the room, handing him the coffee and sitting down gingerly on the bed, like he was waiting for Alex to say something. Alex said nothing, just took a long sip of his coffee, immediately feeling better, some of the whiskey fog lifting.
"The girls left already. Apparently Sarah's hair and make up is going to take two trained professional and four other women somewhere in the region of three hours."
Gabe rolled his eyes, laughing to himself, noticing Alex's strange expression at the mention of their significant others.
"Everything ok?" Gabe said quietly, casting his eyes down at the floor, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of having a real man-chat about Feelings.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" Alex answered automatically, watching as Gabriel nodded disbelievingly, looking half relieved, half disappointed, since everything was clearly not ok.
"Ok. No reason." He said quietly.
There was a long pause, where Alex just carried on drinking his coffee, and Gabriel kept fiddling with the bed sheet, folding it and smoothing it out over and over again.
"You gave her mom's ring." He said suddenly, and Alex nearly spat out his mouthful of coffee.
"Er... yeah." It hadn't been a question, but he felt compelled to answer it anyway. He had never felt any guilt about his and Norma's marriage. Sure, it was technically fraud, and he was the Sheriff and it was illegal. He knew there'd be hell to pay when Norman found out, and he knew he'd broken Rebecca's heart. But none of that had ever bothered him. He'd never felt guilt about any of it. Until this moment. A flicker of guilt ran through him as he thought of their mother's ring on Norma's finger.
"I didn't think-" He started awkwardly, before Gabe cut him off.
"No, no. That's not why I mentioned it." He said hastily, nodding reassuringly at Alex. "I just... I know what that ring means to you. I never thought I'd see the day you'd give it up."
Alex breathed out a soft laugh, remembering the way Rebecca had always coveted it, strolling around his bedroom wrapped in nothing but a sheet, making thinly veiled jokes about he should just "make an honest woman" of her. He usually got tired of watching her paw through his stuff like she owned the place, acting like they were something real, and went to sleep, oblivious to her hurt until he woke the next day to an empty bed. It had literally never even crossed his mind before to give his mom's ring to a woman before Norma. And yet, with her, even though it was fake marriage, he hadn't hesitated. He only realised how strange that was now.
"I never met anybody worthy of it before." He said honestly, feeling a little bashful at talking about a family trinket like it was Excalibur.
"Norma's pretty special." Gabriel said sweetly, and Alex found himself smiling back, not realising how much his brother's approval meant to him.
"Yes. She is." He nodded gratefully at him, before letting out a little laugh, clapping Gabriel on the shoulder. "Jesus! We're talking about the wrong woman here! You're getting married in a few hours!"
Gabe clapped himself on the forehead, like he was dumbstruck.
"Shit! I clear forgot!" He laughed, springing up off the bed and sprinting for the door, pausing to lean back dramatically in the doorway.
"Come help me lace up my dress in a minute? And don't you dare start crying on me..."
Alex laughed at him, shaking his head as he kept talking as he walked down the hall.
"Cause if you cry, then I'm gonna cry and I JUST did my mascara."
Alex rolled his eyes and cast a glance around the empty room, the smile falling from his face now Gabe was gone, glancing at the bed uneasily. It was with a heavy heart that he started getting ready to join the wedding party, trying to figure out what the hell to say to his wife.
Sarah had three of her closest friends as her bridesmaids, dressed in an unusually pretty shade of soft turquois-ey blue that somehow seemed to suit them all. Despite this, she only seemed to want Norma's help, and if the other girls were put out by this newcomer usurping them, they did a fantastic job of hiding it.
"Norma?" Sarah's voice rang out through the hotel room for the hundredth time in the past hour, and Norma swept across the room, like a wave of calm washing over the frantic girl.
"Yeah?" She said, appearing behind her in the mirror and smiling calmly at her.
"Can you possibly get me a glass of champagne?" Sarah asked sweetly, clapping her hands together as Norma lifted her hand to reveal a glass of champagne already there. "And also, do you know where my flower thingy is? I put it down somewhere and.." She trailed off as Norma produced the "flower thingy" from behind her back, handing her them both before leaning down to press her hands against her shoulders, smiling at her in the mirror.
"You look so beautiful." Norma said warmly, watching as Sarah's face softened, some of the panic disappearing as she grinned back at her.
Norma managed to keep busy enough that her mind couldn't wander to the events of the night before, the only reminder being the occasional waves of queasiness that washed over her every now and again. The rest of the girls seemed fine, except for the little brunette, Hanna, who was mostly green and kept saying "Where did this bruise come from?" every few minutes. It was only when the make up girl and the guy doing the hair grabbed her as she passed, plonking her down on a stool that she actually stopped moving.
"Oh. No, no. I'm not part of the wedding party." She protested, trying to stand up, pouting as they both pushed her back down.
"You sure about that, honey?" The gum-chewing woman asked, smirking over at the man with the shock of bleach-blonde hair.
"I swear to God, if you think I'm the mother of the bride, I'm gonna cry." Norma started, her tone accusing, and they both laughed at her.
"You kidding? With that skin?" The man piped up, pressing a tan hand against her pale face, making her jump a little. "You're like a little doll!"
"You look like you ain't never seen the sun in your life." Norma wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, so she just raised her eyebrows and shrugged a little.
They both peered at her, and she shrank a little under the scrutiny.
"We don't get many sunny days in Oregon..." She started, and they laughed, the girl reaching over for her makeup kit.
"No, really. It's ok. I'm not one of the bridesmaids or anything..." Norma started politely, before they shushed her.
"Shush now. You're more a part of the wedding party than that one." The girl pointed a long black fingernail over at the brunette in the corner, who was now clutching a fizzing glass of alka-seltzer, staring down at it while apparently giving herself some kind of pep talk. Norma suppressed a smile, glancing over at Sarah who seemed momentarily content with the other two girls fussing around her.
"Ok then." She nodded, closing her eyes while they immediately started to work on her. It was a decision she regretted almost straight away, as sitting still and quiet allowed her mind to drift to the events of last night. She had been rushing around all morning, distracting herself from remembering the night before, but now she had stopped, it all caught up with her. Fighting to keep her expression neutral, she relived her confession, all the things she wished she'd never said, all the emotions she could never quite understand. She dreaded seeing Alex, dreaded seeing the pity and misery that would no doubt cloud his features now. They would probably cloud his features every time he looked at her from now on, melancholy filling his eyes every time he took her in, always remembering what had happened to her. He'd never want to touch her again, in case she had a panic attack, or freaked out again. Ugh, why did she drink so much? Why did she let things get so far? Why was she always like this? If she'd kept her mouth shut, everything would have been fine.
"Hun? Hun, you ok?" She suddenly became aware that a voice was cutting through her dark thoughts, and she let her eyes flicker open, realising that the girl had stopped applying make up and was gazing at her worriedly. The hands working on her hair ceased too, and a streak of bright blonde hair appeared in her peripheral as he leaned round her to stare at her.
"Yeah... Yeah. I'm just hungover." She said, grinning slightly, and they both gasped at her.
"Hungover and your skin still looks like that?" The man trilled in her ear. "I hate you."
They laughed, and Norma bit her lip, trying to ground herself. She would not get lost in her own thoughts today. It was Sarah's day. Not hers.
Norma managed to remain calm while they fussed around her, letting them work their magic. The longer she stared at them both, the more worried she got, noting the guy's tongue piercing clacking against his teeth, and the expertly applied dark browny-purple lipstick the girl was wearing. Their look was what she would describe as "edgy" and she was anything but edgy and she started to feel a little anxious about what was going to face her when she looked in the mirror.
She needn't have worried though, as they finished their work, holding up a mirror for her to take herself in. She couldn't help but preen as she gazed at herself. Her make up was exquisite, perhaps a tad heavier than she normally wore, her eyelids painted a pretty shimmering copper colour, her lips stained a dark berry colour, making her blue eyes seem even more fierce in comparison. Her hair was a little... sexier than she usually wore it. The tight, neat little curls were gone, replaced with slightly undone loose waves that framed her face, making her look at least five years younger.
"Oh." She breathed out, and watched them smile smugly at each other.
"You like?" The man asked, tapping his stud against his front teeth in a way that would drive Norma mad if she had to listen to it for any longer.
"I like. Thank you." She nodded at them both, just as Sarah piped up from across the room.
"Norma? I need you!"
They shook their heads at her, smiling, as she jumped up from the stool, crossing over to the distraught bride.
"It's tangled. It won't untangle!" She said helplessly, holding up a necklace with a small tangle in the delicate chain.
"It's ok. Calm down." She said quietly, taking the necklace out of her shaking hands, gently pulling at it to figure out the cause of the tangle. She pulled at it gingerly, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sarah flopped back in her chair dramatically, looking like she was going to cry.
"It's pretty knotted." Norma admitted, after an initial assessment, watching Sarah's face crumple. "It's ok. Do you maybe have another necklace you could wear?"
"No, no. It has to be that one!" Sarah practically wailed at her, dramatically flopping onto the table in front of her. "Oh Gabe's gonna be so upset." She muttered from behind her hair and Norma froze, finally taking her attention from the chain to the pendant itself. It was beautiful and expensive and old, a huge opal, set in a simple claw, hanging from a art-deco style triangular setting encrusted with tiny diamonds.
"Why?" She asked softly, though she feared she already knew the answer.
"It was his mom's." She mumbled from behind her hair and Norma breathed out a sigh, laying the necklace down on the counter, spreading the chain out to try and figure it out with a renewed sense of determination.
There was pause, while Norma worked, finally feeling like she was beginning to make a little headway, when Sarah spoke again, and Norma froze.
"Alex got the ring. Gabriel got the necklace." She clarified quietly, glancing to the side at Norma, who pressed her lips together, trying to keep her expression neutral. Both her and Sarah's gazes drifted down to the huge round diamond on her finger and Sarah lifted her head up suddenly, her miserable pout softening quickly.
"I mean, I don't mind at all." She said, sounding genuine. "Alex is the oldest, so it's like, tradition and it suits you so much." She added sweetly, patting Norma's hand, who was still frozen, torn between wanting to cry and wanting to hunt Alex down and kill him.
"I just... Gabe really wanted me to have something of his mom's when I walked down the aisle." She said sadly, turning her gaze away from Norma, not noticing that she had started to slip the ring off to give to her. It wasn't hers. Not really.
A knock at the door halted her, the ring hovering by her knuckle as the room froze, absurdly looking like a room full of white-robe-wearing deer in the headlights.
"Who is it?" One of the girls shouted.
"It's Alex." He said gruffly, sounding annoyed at having to identify himself through a door. Her heart sank as she recognised his voice. "Is Norma in there? I need to talk to her."
"It's bad luck!" She shouted back, earning confused glances from the rest of the room.
"It's bad luck for the soon-to-be brother-of-the-bride to see his own wife?" He shot back, and she rolled her eyes. "Please. It's important." His voice softened and the girls all "awwed" at her, as she surreptitiously slid the ring back onto her finger, stomping across the room and slipping out into the hotel corridor.
"Hi." He said gently, as she crossed her arms in front of herself, tapping her foot, avoiding his eye contact. "You look nice."
She rolled her eyes, pretending not to be secretly pleased by his somewhat lukewarm compliment.
"Thanks." She muttered automatically, her bare foot scuffing at the patterned carpet.
"I just wanted to make sure you're ok." He said suddenly, watching her chew her lip, staring at the floor. "After last night..." He clarified.
"Yeah." She said sharply. "I'm fine."
He took a deep breath, watching her foot with her for a moment.
"I just want you to know-" He started, his words slow and deliberate and she held up a hand to stop him.
"Not now, Alex." She snapped wearily.
"But-"
"Not now. Not today, ok? It's Gabe and Sarah's wedding day. It's not about me." She said, her tone softening slightly.
He nodded slowly, and she glanced up at his sad expression before moving to turn away. She stopped, facing away from him, her hand on the door handle.
"Is this your mother's ring?" She asked quietly, holding her hand up like he needed clarification on which ring she meant.
"Yes." He replied gently. She sighed, feeling exhaustingly angry at him.
"Why would you give me this?" She asked, her tone wary, dropping her hand to twist the ring nervously round her finger.
"Because... I wanted you to have it." He said simply and she gasped as he reached for her hand, spinning her back round to face him. His fingers entwined with hers and he leaned forward, trapping her against the door, his other hand brushing a tendril of hair out of her eyes, letting his thumb brush against her lip.
This wasn't expected. She thought he'd never touch her again, but here he was, invading her personal space like the good old days, his breath stirring the hair around her face, his lips moving ever closer to hers, about to make contact.
"I... I can't do this now." She whispered, and reached behind to her open the door, almost falling through it in her haste to get away from him. The door slammed shut behind her and he was left standing all alone in the corridor, wondering, as always what was going through her mind.
"What was that about?" He heard Sarah ask through the door.
"Oh? Erm... nothing. He just missed me." He heard Norma lie smoothly, causing a round of feminine "awww"s.
She didn't realise it was entirely the truth, as he rested his head against the door, trying to pull himself together.
