Alex's walls came crashing down in a fashion I was never prepared for from him. First his hand raised to me, as to smack me for my callous words, but he lowered it after a short pause and tears welled up in his eyes. I was shocked, to say the least, and had no time to react before he was kneeling before me, sobbing into the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Oh, my God…Alex…" I was at a loss for words, he had never bawled like this in front of me.
"She kicked me out. She left me with nothing and it's all my fault. I don't have a choice but to be here. Lisa left and broke my heart, just like I deserve. God, I'm a dick…"
"Alex, c'mon, pull it together." I couldn't bear the thought of touching him, so I firmly grasped my pen and pad.
He laid his head on my knee and kept crying. Something happened when we had physical contact, and I froze. He could have asked me to dance around like a monkey and I would have done it. Nothing felt warm or fuzzy, but there was an obvious spark that seemed almost electric. He must have felt it too, because he finally raised his head and looked at me in the eyes for the first time.
"Ray, it's so good to see you again."
"I wish I could agree," I sighed, "but I am only here to help the guys."
This seemed to knock him back another notch, and I saw the tears welling up again. I sighed and stood up, unable to take it anymore. Being around Alex was harder than I had imagined. Part of me still very much loved him, but another part wanted to punch him for all of the hurt, all of the therapy, and all of the medication I had to take to function like a normal person. It was all his fault, and he had no clue what he had done to me. I needed a hug…