"Can't a woman get into a mood for one frikin' night without the whole world coming to an end?". Leave a review if you like it! Happy reading, everybody - MJ123 :)

The time on Alex's dashboard read 10:15 pm. He wasn't sure which alleged bar Norma was at but it was taking a hell of a long time to find. Stopping at every single one he came across, he would perform the same procedure; walk into the establishment, look around at all the sad barflys and obvious divorcees, and eventually walk up to whichever biker look-a-like bartender was on the job, and ask for a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes. When he got constant rejections from all four places he went to, he was so close to giving up. That was until he spotted another bar while he was driving along the road, he sighed and tore into the parking lot, eager for Norma, his Norma that was.

This time, he didn't even have to walk inside the place. The second her sobs filled his ears, he knew it was the right place. His heart was breaking the second her incessant crying filled his ears, luckily he was able to locate her from the weeps. There she was, curled up behind the bar, her head in her hands, and the dim light from the streetlamp highlighting all signs of desperation and loneliness that he himself was synonymous to.

When his eyes observed her, he realized how close he came to addressing her with the obvious, "baby", but he stopped himself, knowing their fight expelled any and all pet names. "Norma," he sighed, walking over to her, and sitting on the ground next to her. She wouldn't even look at him, that's when he knew it was okay to comfort her in the familiar way he knew how. His arms extended to the side, hugging her small, curled up body close to his firm one. His wanting lips rested at the top of her head, though he craved to do more. "What's wrong?", he asked, his voice wasn't mad or irritated in any form, more empathetic than anything.

She still wouldn't look at him, afraid of showing any form of weakness or vulnerability. Yet she had to admit she was thankful, her prayers were actually answered for once, the man she was longing for showed up in just a few minutes flat, holding her just as she wanted. Controlling her breathing and trying to stop the tears from flowing wasn't working in that moment, instead her breath just hitched wildly as she began to feel her body shake.

Alex gave up on trying to get her to speak to him, as oppose, he stood, all while keeping her in his arms until he held her bridal style. He still couldn't see her face though, she had dug it away into the fabric of his shirt, each time he felt a tear seep through, his heart broke even more. He held her snug as his legs brought him back to the SUV. Of course he noticed her car was there too, but he decided to just pick it up in the morning, making the night simpler.

Once he had her safely in the car and he was inside himself, he started back onto the main road. He could tell something was seriously wrong with her and it wasn't just the issue with Mariah, it was more than that. But he still didn't want to pry, that would only make her more angry. He hoped this won him back some brownie points with her however. His eyes gravitated over to her, she still wouldn't bother looking at him. Instead there she was, sitting planted like a little girl, her sad eyes trained to stare up at the moon.

He wanted nothing more than to pull over and move into the backseat with her, showing her his love in a far more intimate form, but he knew it would be a long time before she allowed him to do anything of the sort. She wouldn't even utter a word to him, but thankfully she stopped crying, it still hurt though, the face that he was there to hold her when she was sad and now he didn't get one ounce of gratitude from her.

When the motel was in site, he was starting to get angry at her, realizing she wasn't going to open her mouth anytime soon. The one good thing that was extremely obvious to see however, she was still in love with him, he could tell by the way she suckered up to him in the back of the bar and the way she let him hold her in his arms. He was dying to do just that anyway, scoop her up as if she were a damsel in distress and he was her Superman.

Norma sat, feeling the tension in the car grow stronger and stronger. She was not going to say anything, if she did she'd just start crying all over again. The reason? Shame. Ordinary, everyday shame. Shame coming from sleeping with some man she knew for five minutes, seven if you could their actual encounter. Internally, she felt like a whore. A word she used to describe plenty of women but never thought it would correlate to herself. It felt overly dirty, fucking some stranger behind a vacant bar. And Alex. Alex would have to find out somehow, right? He would know soon enough. She couldn't take it. It was like some form of Chinese water torture. Letting the guilt drip away in her mind, no one else knowing of her behavior but herself. It had to come out. He had to know.

"I slept with someone," she uttered, her eyes still focused out the window, anywhere else and she would've lost it.

Immediately, a trigger went off in Alex's brain. She slept with someone? Someone other than him was touching her? Did that transfer correctly? He couldn't feel anything but a sharp, shooting pain all throughout his body. "You what?" he asked, knowing what she admitted to was awful. This was something he never thought she could stoop so low to.

She scoffed and shook her head, angry that he would make her repeat her initial statement. "I said, I slept with someone," she announced, this time far more sharp and with confidence. She should've thought that he would test her, he always did. Secretly, she loved it. But he obviously couldn't know that, not now. Not for a long time. This was going to take some serious healing on both ends.

"Norma," he sneered, actually thinking that she was kidding just to get a rise out of him, "No you didn't. I know you didn't. You wouldn't."

"I did, Alex. I fucked some guy I barely knew behind the bar, okay? I did!," she shouted, enraged, but only at herself. This was a projection of her own actions, she knew Alex was doing nothing wrong, he hadn't done anything wrong. She just never wanted to say anything so awful to him, she knew something like this would sting but she certainly couldn't live with the guilt.

He didn't need any further explanation from her. Instead he just pulled over, forcefully veering off the road and onto some small patch of area. He put the car in park and kept his enraged eyes focused ahead. "Get out." His voice was low, like a snarl.

This time she looked at him, shock being her main expression. "You can't be serious," she expressed, rolling her eyes as she watched him, he wouldn't move.

He wasn't going to look at her. He wasn't going to yell at her. And he certainly wasn't going to lay a finger on her. "Get the hell out of the car," he sneered, his eyes still stuck dead ahead, not daring to move a single muscle.

She didn't press any further, just turned, opened the door, and climbed out onto the ground. She shut the door and started walking away, thinking he would change his mind, but he didn't. He tore away without stopping, she knew she struck a serious nerve. A sigh emitted from her lips, she knew she had to fix her mistake, after all she loved him. Her mind was racing with possible apologizes and gestures, but nothing would be good enough. What if nothing was ever good enough and he refused to take her back? She definitely couldn't lose Alex. Because, besides her children, he was her everything.

X

As he headed back to the motel, anger coursed through his veins. She slept with someone else. One of the dirtiest things she could've done. He had tried, worked his fingers to the bone to keep her happy and safe. He had tried so damn hard to win her love, and when he finally got it, he was the happiest man on the face of the planet. She was his version of perfection, a queen in the right light. And now, his feelings were muddled somewhere in between the lines of the one word that wouldn't stop gravitating his way, cheater. Dirty and shallow. Much like her actions, that word was staying stuck in his mind for a long time.

He wanted nothing more than to curse her out and scream at her, but he could never treat a women in such a way. He could say to himself that she acted like a total slut, fucking some random man she barely knew, probably just to get back at him, and for what? For what? Talking with another woman. For the love of Christ, he was just talking to her. It was two old friends catching up for old times sake. Norma treated it like they were having sex right in front of her face.

Despite her cheating and pointless anger towards him, he still loved her. It wouldn't fade away that fast. She was everything. Now, just thinking about her drove him to the point of near madness, broke him into shambles. Slowly he realized that he had done something he never intended to do, not in his whole life, he really fell in love with a women. Let her have control and power over him. And not just by any women, it had to be Norma Louise Bates. Jesus, just her eyes could send someone into a tailspin.

As he pulled into the parking lot, a heavy sigh left his lips. That sharp pain wasn't leaving his body. He knew. It was as clear as day. This is what it felt like to have a broken heart. And if Alex was being completely honest, it fucking hurt.

X

30 minutes after Alex dropped her off, she arrived back at the house. Luckily, both of her boys were tucked away in bed, there was to be no explanation concerning where she was or what was the status on her and Alex. She couldn't handle talking about that night, she was far too burnt out. She just needed some sleep. A good eight hours and then she'd start planning something concerning getting Alex back and making strides to get back to where they used to be as a couple.

Once retiring to her bedroom, she found a lone plastic bag sitting on her mattress. She rolled her eyes, thinking someone was trying to fuck with her, but it was nothing of the sort. Upon opening the bag, her heart started to ache, there was a bottle of good champagne, a card, roses, and a stuffed teddy bear. It had to be Alex. Alex trying to win back her heart.

She placed the champagne and roses on her vanity, taking the bear and the card to her bed. She placed the stuffed toy next to her, letting it rest on a nearby pillow and with a prepared sigh, opened the card. It didn't take long for her eyes to start watering, his handwritten words being too much:

Baby,

I'm sorry. You misunderstood last night. Mariah is just an old friend, she came by my office unexpectedly and was looking for advice on getting a job in town. She is nothing compared to you, Norma Louise. I promise, I'd never try anything with another girl because no one else is needed. All I want is you, just you for the rest of my life. I'm in love with you and I want you to forgive me because you're all I have. Please just try to understand.

Love, Alex.

With those words firmly in her mind, she sat back on the mattress, letting her tears flow. The not stayed firmly pressed against her heart, the message seeping in. He really did love her. And now she had to show him how much it meant to her, having someone like him in her fucked up life. He was her protection, her safe haven, and her best friend.

It was all up to her to get him right where she wanted again.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review if you have any questions, comments, or criticisms.