Without further or do, here is another chapter for you guys. I appreciate the reviews I have gotten so far. I live for feedback, please leave me more if you can, I'd love to know if you guys enjoy my story and want me to keep going. Enjoy.
Thursday morning, Norma sat in the front office, she was sorting out files. She liked the home and the motel but she always found something that the old owner left behind, reminding her more and more of Keith Summers. As she went through the papers, she truly saw how much debt the family was in. She shook her head and tossed them all in the nearest trash can. She then headed outside and started sweeping the motel porch, she knew she had to maintain a serious upkeep if she wanted to have a successful business with steady customers. She looked up at the main road and saw George's car pulling towards him. She felt a mixture of happiness and regret. With George's flighty new attitude, she was never really sure what to expect. She watched as he stepped out of the car. His eyes met hers and he gave her a kind smile. She let out a sigh of relief, he seemed happy enough. He walked up to her and slid his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.
"Hi" he said playfully.
"Hello" she exclaimed, feeling his tongue on her skin.
"What are you doing here?" she withdrew and smiled.
"I'm on my lunch break and I figured I'd come see you" he explained, running his hands up and down her arms.
He looked around then, and pushed her gently up against the motel wall, his hands on her ass. She rested her lips on his.
They froze when they heard someone clear their throat behind them, they turned their heads simultaneously.
Norma's face was red with embarrassment when she saw Alex standing their watching them.
Norma wiped her lips with the back of her hand, untangled herself from George, and walked towards him.
"Need something?" she said, flustered and still trying to catch her breath.
"Uh, yeah...just some fresh linens" he asked, his hand on the nape of his neck, an awkward tension in the air.
"Oh yeah, in the back office, I'll go grab some" she said blankly, heading into the office.
When she was gone, Alex eyed George.
He walked over to him and shook his hand.
"Hi, I'm George Heldens" he introduced himself, a friendly smile on his face.
"Sheriff Alex Romero" he replied, his voice gruff, his grip tight.
"You and Norma...dating?" he asked casually, as if he didn't care, even through the underlying part of him wanted to tell George to screw off so he could have Norma to himself.
"We are" he smiled, looking over his shoulder.
Alex nodded slowly and stood there waiting. He couldn't define the rage he felt for this man, someone he'd never met or seen in his life. He was jealous of him, sure, but not because of his handsome features or nice car, because he got to be with Norma, the woman he would do anything to be with. He just wanted to grab her face and tell her how badly he wanted her. He knew he couldn't, though he had a strong exterior, Alex was deeply afraid of rejection.
Norma walked towards Alex and handed him a few fresh linens, the smell of Tide in the air between them. She smiled at him.
"Here you are" she said professionally.
"Thanks, Norma" he grinned and walked back into room 9.
She paced back to George and smiled sweetly at him.
"Sorry about that" she said softly, her hands resting on his chest.
"Are you two close?" he asked, his eyes focused on her, a tight grip on her hips.
"Not really...we're just friends" she answered, confused as to why George would ask.
She had looked at Alex a couple of times, sure, but who wouldn't? He was handsome and protective. They'd grown closer over the past year but she knew he didn't think of her like that, so she never really bothered.
"Good" he said sharply.
A dark smile graced his lips and he kissed her cheek.
"I love how your so truthful with me...nothing like that bitch I used to date" he grimaced at the thought, his face going from angry back to charming.
She gave him a small smile, unsure of how to respond to the vulgar way he responded to his ex. She wondered what happened between them. Had she been a cheater or had George just been paranoid.
He clutched her hand, pulled her towards him, and pecked her cheek.
"I need to get back" he mumbled, his lips still on her skin.
"Okay" she said freely, pulling away and gripping his hand before letting go.
"I'll see you later" he declared, walking back to his car.
She walked back into the motel office and got back to work.
Before she went to bed that night, Norma checked her phone, she hadn't been able to do so all day, so many people wanted to rent out rooms in summer it was ridiculous. When she looked at her screen, all she saw were notifications from George. She had at least 20 text messages and 6 phone calls from him. She figured it had to be an emergency. She quickly called him, hoping he wasn't already asleep. He picked up on the first ring.
"George, I got your texts and calls, is everything okay?" she asked, a sense of worry in her voice.
"Yeah, everything's fine, except for the fact that my girlfriend won't pick up her goddamn phone when I call" he said nastily.
Her breath caught in her throat. Girlfriend? George was already calling her his girlfriend. She wasn't going to anger him further, so she figured she'd leave it alone until he was calm and happy again.
"I'm sorry, I was working late I-"
"I'm sure you were, what? Were you fucking that cop I met earlier?" he asked, his voice turning into a growl.
Her mouth dropped open. Norma couldn't believe this was the same man who swept her off her feet. Shivers ran up her spine, she swore she was talking to Sam again. She gained the courage to fight back.
"No, George, I told you earlier, we are just friends!" she yelled, rolling her watery eyes in annoyance and frustration.
"Just friends. I saw the way you were looking at him earlier!" he screamed back.
She rubbed her head. Alex. He was jealous of Alex, and she wasn't even flirting with him! She smiled at him, sure, but she was just being friendly.
"George, I'm not going to tell you again. Alex and I are friends, we aren't sleeping together. Jesus, your acting like I was rubbing up against him or something" she said, her voice growing hoarse. She didn't have the energy to argue.
"I'm sure you'd like that" he said, scoffing.
"George, stop it. I swear to God, I will end it right now" she threatened, she knew that was the only way to get him to knock it off.
"No, no, Norma, please...I'm sorry, baby" he groaned sadly "I didn't mean it...I just got jealous, that's all. Your just, your so beautiful and I see the way guys look at you" he said sweetly.
"George, you have to trust me, okay? I won't cheat on you. The only flirting me and Alex were doing was in your head" she reassured him, chuckling a bit.
"I trust you, I'm sorry" he apologized sincerely.
She smiled, she'd never had a guy hurt her and then apologize. She was so used to Sam and...Caleb. It was hard for her to understand that there were good guys out there.
"Good" she smiled, her voice soft.
"But...as long as were together, I don't want you to be around that Alex guy" he warned her, his voice coming at her like a threat.
She paused for a minute and thought. Avoid Alex? He'd been with her through everything, Abernathy, Keith Summers, Shelby, he found Norman for her. She took a deep breath, she didn't want to push Alex away, she needed him for protective reasons. How was she supposed to feel safe without him there? Who would take care of the demons that crept into Norma's life. George could but he wasn't a cop, he couldn't kill people who got in her way. And Alex was staying at her motel! She was bound to see him everyday, he came into the office every morning for coffee when she was working. She couldn't tell him to leave. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.
"Alright, if it makes you happy" she said, giving up the argument, she didn't want to deal with it, especially when she was this tired.
"Thank you" he said happily.
There was a brief silence for a minute.
"Norma?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah?" she asked yawning.
"I-I...I love you" he said, tripping over his words, she could tell he was nervous.
Her eyes shot open. He loved her? George loved her? It was soon, but hell any stability was good stability. She thought about it for a minute. Sure, George was a good guy and she could keep him around for a while. But did she love him? Could he protect her and keep her safe? Did he really care about her? She could tell he was getting scared by her silence.
"I love you too, George" she said, smiling softly.
"It's good to hear" he laughed.
She giggled.
"I should go to bed, I have lots of reservations tomorrow" she groaned in discontent.
"Okay. I have to get up early too. Goodnight, Norma. I love you" he said again, obviously more comfortable saying it.
"I love you too. Goodnight" she cooed, and hung up.
She lay in bed thinking. She came to the conclusion that she was George's girlfriend. He had a temper, that was obvious. She needed to keep him under control, she didn't want another man to hurt her. The only men in her life who hadn't were Norman...and Alex. No, she couldn't see him anymore. If he wanted a conversation with her, she would keep it short and cordial. She had no need for him, not with George by her side. Norma fell asleep slowly, the thoughts of a new boyfriend swirling around in her mind.
