Alex stood outside the small hallway, looking up at the address then back down at the address written on the paper in her hand. She readjusted her tan jacket and stepped inside.
This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea, this is a bad idea… The mantra continued to play on a loop through Alex's mind as she ascended the stairs of Marissa's apartment building. Alex looked at the pattern on the peeling red wallpaper as it whirled by. It was oddly calming and by the time she got to Marissa's door she was almost sure everything was going to be okay, but when she raised her hand to knock her hand wouldn't move.
"This is stupid," Alex muttered to herself, "It's just Marissa." But Alex knew Marissa could never be just Marissa. Marissa was way more complicated than just anything.
Finally her wrist moved and she quietly knocked. Alex counted in her head twenty-one seconds until the locks clicked back.
She held her breath until Marissa appeared. Her hair was up in a pony tail and she was wearing skinny jeans and a green t-shirt.
Alex stood at the door and looked around. "Is that a bad time? Am I bothering you?….Hey."
"Hey," Marissa raised an eyebrow with a small smirk, "You're not bothering me. What are you doing here?"
"I just came to check on you," Alex put her hands in her pockets, "Toby told me where you live," Alex looked back at the hallway with the peeling wallpaper, "This is a…change."
"Yeah…" Marissa trailed off.
Alex looked at Marissa, "So are you okay?"
Marissa nodded, "I guess."
The blonde pulled out a card and handed it to Marissa, "This is my number. Call me if you need anything."
"Thanks," Marissa gingerly took the card.
"So…" Alex shrugged, "I'm going to leave you to do what you were doing." She turned around.
"Wait," Marissa said quickly and quietly, "Do you wanna…go get some…coffee?"
Alex turned back around, "Sure."
Marissa grabbed her purse and keys without affording Alex the smallest glimpse inside.
They sat at the small café a few blocks up the road, near the front window. Alex ran her thumbs across the rim of her coffee mug and stared at the dark liquid inside.
"So…" Marissa paused mid drink to try to liven the conversation, "How have you been?"
"Good," Alex immediately answered, "Great."
Marissa nodded and set her mug down, "Good."
"What about you?" Alex asked with a tiny smirk, "I never thought I'd see you waitressing."
"Me neither," Marissa smiled.
"So…why are you?" Alex asked carefully.
Marissa sighed, "I told my mom that I wanted to move to LA to be a model. She told me that I needed to go to college first. I told her that I needed to do this now. Then she told me if I moved here that she wouldn't pay for anything of mine." Marissa trailed off and looked at the table.
"I'm…sorry," Alex tried to catch Marissa's eyes.
Marissa was reluctant to look at Alex, but finally looked into her eyes. She suddenly felt warm, but insecure. Like Alex could see right through her.
"What about your dad?" Alex prodded.
"I don't really know where he is," Marissa explained, "One day I went to the dock and his boat wasn't there. I tried to call him, but the line was disconnected."
"So he just up and left you?" Alex felt a wave of anger sweep over her, although she hid it from her voice.
Marissa nodded solemnly.
"I'm sorry," Alex reached across the table and took Marissa's hand.
Marissa looked up at Alex and caught her eyes again. Once she felt like Alex was seeing through her she gulped and added, "I think I need something stronger than coffee now."
It was easy for Alex to get them into the bar. She knew most of the bouncers in town. Though neither of them were legal, the bartender readily served them.
For Alex one shot turned into two, which turned into three and four. Marissa drank a cosmo, but stuck to water after the first one.
Alex couldn't remember being so nervous. Hell, at that point she couldn't remember her name. But as she leaned on Marissa to keep from falling, she caught a hint of Marissa's perfume and a flood of memories came back. The feel of Marissa's skin. The taste of her kiss. The sight of Marissa when she'd just woken up and the light was shining through the window onto her hair.
"Whoa," Marissa felt Alex buckle, "Do you want me to take you home?"
At this point Alex was non-responsive, but her legs were moving on autopilot.
Marissa looked up and down the street, "Okay, I'm taking you home with me. Don't say anything if that's okay."
There was silence from Alex who was now just looking at her.
Once Marissa laid Alex down on the bed in her apartment she kicked off her heels, one of which broke on the way up the stairs with Alex.
The last thing she heard Alex say was, "You're so beautiful."
Marissa smiled although it was a drunken confession. When she was done getting ready for bed Alex was fast asleep. Marissa crawled into bed next to her and drifted off.
Alex's head was pounding. She attempted to roll over, but the arms wrapped around her stopped her progress. She then realized that her pillow was breathing. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. She saw Marissa contently sleeping.
Alex heart started racing and squeezed her eyes shut. After a few deep breaths, she thought it was time to get out of bed because the woman holding her was making it hard to think clearly.
As she started trying to get out of bed, Marissa's grip tightened. "Where are you going?" she groaned.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Alex answered.
Marissa released her hold and rolled over.
Alex walked into the small bathroom and closed the door. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, "Why?"
She splashed some cold water on her face to wake herself up more. She really, really wanted to go back to bed, but Marissa was still in it.
Just as she was drying her face off, there was a knock on the door, "Hey Alex. I'm going to go get breakfast. I'll be right back."
"Okay," Alex called back. She was glad because she could go back to bed, at least for a few minutes. She waited in the bathroom until she heard the front door close before coming out of the bathroom.
She fell back onto the bed with every intention of going back to sleep, but she started looking around.
The apartment was small. There was nothing very special about it either. A small counter was the only thing that separated the kitchen from the bedroom and there was nothing resembling a living room in sight.
Alex got up and walked to the kitchen. She opened the cabinets to find few dishes and almost no food. As she opened the refrigerator, the front door opened.
Alex looked over the door of the refrigerator and caught Marissa's eyes.
"Sorry, there's not much in there," Marissa set a bag on the counter.
"It's okay," Alex stood up straight and closed it, "Um, do you ever eat?"
"I eat at work," Marissa shrugged.
Alex raised an eyebrow and surveyed the bag Marissa brought in.
"I got donuts," Marissa offered.
Alex gave her a slight smile, "Thanks."
Marissa handed the bag to Alex who got out a donut and leaned back on the counter. She handed the bag back and Marissa took one, leaning on the opposite counter.
"Um…thanks for last night," Alex said to the ground, "I…got kinda out of control."
"You weren't out of control," Marissa smirked, "You were just clumsier than usual."
Alex smiled, "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."
Marissa just shrugged and slid onto the counter. "Are you doing anything today?"
Alex shook her head, "I don't think so."
"Do you wanna go do something?" Marissa asked timidly.
Alex smiled at the cuteness that radiated off of Marissa when she was nervous or shy, which didn't happen often. "Sure."
Marissa beamed and met Alex's eyes, "Great."
"I love this place," Alex led the way into a small coffee shop a few blocks from Marissa's apartment. There was no formal table and chairs, but various sofas, armchairs, and loveseats around coffee tables and end tables. There were board games and books overflowing on the shelves in the back of the shop.
They walked up to the counter and looked over the chalkboard menu. "The white chocolate mocha is amazing," Alex added, "But so is the iced vanilla latte."
Marissa smiled, "Okay."
A woman walked in from the back and smiled, "What can I get you ladies?"
"I want a vanilla latte," Alex said.
"White chocolate mocha," Marissa added.
The woman rang it up and told them to total. Marissa reached into her pocket and took out some money. As she tried to hand it to the woman, Alex took her hand and pulled it down, paying with her other hand.
Marissa looked at Alex with a raised eyebrow. Alex looked back with a coy smile, "I got it."
Taking a deep breath, Marissa hoped that Alex would forget to let go of her hand. She like the warmth of Alex's touch. She loved the feeling that Alex's skin touching her skin gave her. She like how natural it all felt…and in a second it was gone. Alex took her hand back to get the coffees.
They sat in a couple of arm chairs across a coffee table from each other. There was already a chess board set out on front of them.
"So you up for a game?" Alex smirked.
Marissa nodded, "But I warn you I've beaten my computer like four times."
Alex laughed, "Out of how many?"
"Since I started playing my computer when I was fifteen," Marissa chuckled.
Alex beamed and started setting it up, "Well, last time I played was in high school, so you have a shot."
"A shot?" Marissa asked, "I'm gonna kick your ass."
"Is that so?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
Marissa nodded.
"You're move," Alex leaned back in her chair sipping her latte, "Loser buys lunch?"
Marissa asked, moving her knight, "You're on."
The more they played, the more of Alex's pieces disappeared. Until Alex was left with a knight and a queen.
"Check," Marissa moved once.
Alex looked over the board and then moved a piece.
"Checkmate," Marissa smirked.
Alex let out a breath, "Damn. Looks like you won."
Marissa nodded.
"Where are we having lunch?" Alex asked, standing with Marissa.
Marissa shrugged, "I doesn't matter."
Alex smiled, "It's your pick. You won."
They walked down the street to a café and sat down at a booth. After they ordered, Marissa swirled her straw around her drink a few times before asking, "Did you lose on purpose?"
"Huh?" Alex looked up at Marissa.
"You did," Marissa stated.
Alex knew she was caught, "Well, I know how much you like to win."
"That's not it," Marissa looked across at Alex, "You suggested lunch as the prize and completely threw the game. I know you're smarter than that. And the other night you left me a hundred dollar tip..."
"I just know how hard it is to make ends meet in this city," Alex explained, "I just want to help."
Marissa thought it over, "You don't have to."
"I want to," Alex leaned back and looked at her drink, "And then when you're a supermodel you can buy me a Porsche."
Marissa chuckled, "I'm starting to think this modeling thing was a bad idea."
"No," Alex shook her head, "It's something you've wanted for a long time and you can do it. You're so beautiful."
Marissa blushed, "Thanks." Marissa picked up her straw, "You told me that last night, but I wasn't sure you meant it."
"I did," Alex smirked, "It's true. I don't lie when I'm drunk."
"Well I've never seen you drunk so I didn't know," Marissa replied, chewing on the end of her straw.
"Sorry about that," Alex picked up a fry.
Marissa shrugged, "You put up with me. It was the least I could do."
After lunch, Alex walked Marissa to her front door.
"I'd ask you to come in, but there's nothing to do in there but sleep," Marissa put her hand on the door knob.
Alex chuckled, "I should be getting to work anyway." Alex twirled her keys on her finger before adding, "I had fun."
"Me too," Marissa added, "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"
Alex nodded, "Definitely."
"Great," Marissa beamed, "I'll see you tonight?"
Alex nodded again, "Yeah."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Bye Alex."
"Bye."
With that, Alex walked down the stairs, keys in hand, smiling the whole way to her car. She glanced back up at Marissa's building and said to herself, "That wasn't such a bad idea."