XX
What was he thinking? On what level was any of this a good idea, he knew it wasn't going to work out and yet, for some reason he thought that it still could. Maybe Cristina interrupting them was for the best, maybe that needed to happen, he had forgotten that that was April, April the virgin, the one with the red notebook, the anal one, that he used to tease and dislike, and now, now well, he wasn't really sure what she was now.
"Hurry up." Alex moaned, he had said that he would wait for Jackson, part of him wanted to put off going to Joe's for a few minutes, he just wanted a little more time to think. April definitely wasn't like any of the girls he had ever dated, but then none of them had ended up well, so what did that matter. Izzie was completely different and she upped and left, maybe he needed someone more like April, or maybe this whole thing was going to explode in his face, and he was going to get punched. It was hard to say what would really happen, but he had low expectations, he couldn't really see any scenario where this would end well. April wasn't a sex before marriage type of girl and he wasn't anywhere near ready to get married, so that wasn't going to work, but maybe it wouldn't be a problem. Who am I kidding? He thought to himself, this was going to be an issue, maybe not now, but it soon would be.
"I'm done." Jackson said as he walked out of the bathroom and shrugged on his coat, giving Alex a small smile. Alex sighed in response and cracked his neck before checking his phone, hoping for a reason to delay further.
"What's with you?" Jackson asked as he stuffed his phone and his pager into his pockets. Alex looked well, not like Alex. For one thing it wasn't normal of him to wait for him for one thing and another he looked agitated and nervous at the same time, the same way he looked when something to do with Izzie popped up, but at that time he didn't know him well enough, or even at all really.
"Nothing." Alex replied defensively before scanning Jackson. "What's with you?" Alex asked, something about Jackson was obviously different, or maybe his brain was just giving him false information, since he wanted to postpone his trip a little bit longer, and getting into Jackson's problems, however much he didn't want to hear them could do the trick.
"Nothing." Jackson answered, not meeting Alex's gaze as he turned away from him, scanned his cubby hole before looking back at Alex. "You ready?"
"I've been waiting for you for the past ten minutes." Alex snapped back, as he grabbed his bag and took a step away for Jackson, who was on the verge of saying something, a despite his wish to delay his departure he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.
"Alex.." Jackson started, his face blank as his feet remained stuck to the floor, his eyes resting on Alex, wondering how he was going to phrase this.
"Let's just go." Alex interrupted. He didn't want to hear it after all. Turning around, he headed towards the door, pushing it open with his palm and striding down the corridor to the lift. Jackson didn't attempt to say anything, so he assumed that he was still standing in the residents lounge, thinking over whatever he was going to say. Alex still hated the lift and as he stepped into it, he took a deep breath.
"We're a dying race here." Jackson muttered as he leant against the side of the lift. They were the only two people occupying the lift, and Alex wished to god there was a patient or a family member, anything to halt this conversation, he was growing tiresome of Jackson's desire to talk about whatever it was, although he admitted, he had asked Jackson.
"What?" Alex turned to face Jackson, not at all understanding.
"George died, Charles died." Jackson said in a low voice.
Alex sighed, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to invite him after all, he would probably become far more sombre after a few drinks, and Alex wasn't sure he would be able to put up with it. They had all been through a lot, Alex knew that people coped in different ways but that was a little awhile ago now, and they were starting to sort themselves out, why did Jackson need to bring this up now? Alex's head was already busy with everything else, he didn't need the reminder of Bambi and Nose-Dive.
"We lost Izzie too, and Addie left and.." Alex started, as the two of them stepped out of the lift and made their way towards the exit.
"But they're still alive. I mea..." Jackson interceded, the frown on his face growing as he thought back, he hated where his mind took him at night and now he was dwelling on it during the day too, but Alex bled out in an elevator, he would understand, wouldn't he?
"I'm dating April." Alex blurted out. He wasn't really the sort to blurt anything out, and he wasn't really sure why he told him, but he wanted to shut him up and a quick glance at his face, he could see it had a worked a trick, Jackson was staring at him in disbelief, attempting to contemplate how this happened, how on earth it happened.
"Well not really, but sorta. We went on a date and tha.." Alex continued. Beside him Jackson was still walking, but his pace had slowed as he tried to process it, Alex and April, his best friend and Alex, the Virgin Mary and..
"You slept with her?" Jackson demanded, his face darkening.
"No." Alex answered hurriedly, causing Jackson's expression to relax momentarily.
"She do.." Jackson begun. He couldn't see how the two of them got together but that was inconsequential, what he couldn't work out was how the two of them were supposed to be a couple, long or short term. They were surgeons who worked at the same hospital, that was where the similarities ended, they couldn't have thought any of this through, even Jackson could see it wouldn't work, how could they not have managed to see the obvious yet.
"I know, celibate till marriage. I don't..." Alex said as they paused in front of Joe's Bar, the two of them lingering at the top of the steps, looking everywhere but at each other, hoping not to be overheard by anyone from the hospital, or even worse, by April.
"You do anything to.." Jackson threatened, his eyes finding Alex's and his expression hardened once again.
"Now boys, is this really the way to speak to one another." Cristina grinned as she placed one hand on each of their shoulders and looked from one face to the other. Both sets of eyes on her, she smiled before removing her hands and pulling Alex into a hug.
"What was that for?" Alex muttered, as Cristina took a step away from the pair of them, leaving him shocked, she was as much of a hugger as he was, which wasn't at all really. But then again, she did quit not that long ago, grief does odd things to people, Alex thought for a moment before Cristina turned back to him, her brown eyes twinkling.
"You're buying the first round." Cristina smirked as she flashed Alex the cash she had just swiped from his pocket before she turned and ran down the stairs, her raven curls billowing behind her. Alex sighed and turned back to Jackson who was trying not to laugh, his eyes still lingering on the door that Cristina disappeared through.
"So if I do anything you'll punch me? Maybe get a few drinks in you before you start threatening me." Alex said to Jackson, picking up their conversation from where Cristina had interrupted them.
"She's one of my best friends." Jackson said in a quieter more relaxed tone. He didn't want to see April get hurt, and he didn't think that she could handle a relationship, or whatever this was with Alex, she would end up being hurt, that was the only outcome he saw. Alex nodded in reply. Turning from Alex, Jackson headed down the steps, down towards the bar, his hands deep in his coat pockets as he shivered.
"Does she know?" Alex's voice came from the top of the staircase as Jackson's hand hovered in front of the door, about to push it open.
"Know what?" Jackson turned back to face Alex, looking at him blankly.
"What you're not telling me." Alex said, his voice clear and his face expressionless as he stared down at Jackson. Looking up at him for a few seconds, Jackson pushed the door open and with his eyes still on Alex took a step inside, letting the door fall shut behind him, leaving Alex alone at the top of the staircase as the rain started to fall. His question unanswered, Alex looked up at the sky, letting the rain droplets cover his face and wet his hair as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath in.
...
Not wanting to ask, not wanting to have her eyes fixed on the doors, not wanting to look desperate, not wanting to appear weak or whatever it was that they would think of her, April sat with her back to the door, a beer in her hand and her eyes fixed firmly on Cristina, whose lips curled into a smile as she argued with Jackson, the two of their voices amused and merry, not at all fighting, and beside them April couldn't help but feel relaxed as she tuned their conversation out and sunk into her thoughts, wondering and analysing. The two of them had been here when she arrived, and there was no sign of Alex then, nor had he been at the bar already as Jackson told her when she sat down. As far as she could tell was that Cristina and him had already been here for about forty minutes before she arrived, and she couldn't help but wonder why Alex hadn't come with the two of them, or at least with one of them.
"Earth to April..." Jackson continued, a faint smile on his lips as he sat alone in front of her. Glancing at her watch, she noticed that over thirty minutes had flown by since she zoned out and now Cristina was nowhere to be seen. Jackson had spent the last minute talking to April, only just realising that she hadn't heard a single word that he had said.
"Do you wanna play darts with us?" Jackson repeated, for what felt like the tenth time.
"I'll leave you two to it." April replied. Wrapping her fingers around her beer bottle she raised it to her lips as Jackson looked at her in confusion and took a long swig. She didn't have work for another 12 hours, she was going to get a little drunk tonight, more so than she usually got at least.
"Two? Cristina's playing as well." Jackson answered as April downed the rest of her bottle.
"As well as?" April cocked her head to the right as she looked at Jackson in confusion. Absentmindedly picking up the almost finished glass of rum off the table beside her, she drunk that too.
"Alex." Jackson answered, a strange look on his face as he looked at her, as he wondered if she had managed to ignore everything he had said to her in the last two minutes, and wondering when she started drinking like that, trying his best not to blame Alex, he pushed that thought to the side.
"Oh. Darts? Sure." April smiled. Jackson sighed in reply, rising from his seat he walked over to Alex and Cristina who were laughing and doing a round of tequila shots, this time Cristina's shout.
"Hey." April said quietly, a small smile on her face as Alex threw his final dart, narrowly hitting two, causing Cristina to erupt into laughter behind him, she was kicking his ass. Turning to face April, Alex placed his beer on the corner of the bar and pushed a strand of hair behind April's hair before leaning his face towards hers.
"Hey." Alex breathed, as his lips hovered over April's. April let out an involuntarily shuddering breath as he placed his spare hand on her hip and she drew his body towards his, before pushing her lips against his.
"Maybe we should leave them to it." Cristina muttered, grabbing Jackson by the hand as she pulled him back to the table, ordering another round of tequila shots with a silent look to Joe on her way.
"I thought you weren't going to come." April said quietly as she pulled her lips from Alex's and sat down on a stool, her arm resting on the bar as she looked at Alex. Alex looked at her questioningly, and went to open his mouth when April added, "Anyway, how was your day?" trying to shut down that topic of conversation.
"Hey Alex." A dark haired woman smiled flirtatiously, her eyes only for Alex as she stood less than half a step in front of him, oblivious to the reddening woman sitting beside him.
"Angela." Alex replied, a small smile on his lips as Angela dragged her fingertips over his thigh before heading towards the exit, her eyes still on him and a smile on her lips. His eyes followed her for a few seconds before he cleared his throat and turned to April who was staring at him, with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "What?"
"How many women in this bar have you slept with?" April sniped, her voice doing that high pitched tone that Alex hated, that she did when she was stressed, or trying to take command.
"What the fuck April." Alex answered. Without thinking, he moved his body away from April, preparing for an assault of some form, no doubt verbal. Part him wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation but another part of him was getting defensive and pissed.
"In this bar, right now. What a couple? A handful? Half a dozen? A dozen? What about two dozen?" April said, her voice no longer high pitched, it didn't sound like her voice and the look on her face was one that Alex didn't recognise.
"What?" Alex demanded, wondering why she was asking him this. Then it suddenly occurred to him, after he left April, the last time he had saw her, she was getting yelled at. "Oh of course, what did Cristina say to you?" Alex asked as his expression darkened.
"It doesn't matter." April muttered. The truth of the matter was that Cristina hadn't said anything about Alex, it was all about April, but the thoughts flooding April's brain prevented her from taking the blame from Cristina, from shifting the focus to not who said what but what was said, and why her doubts were more than doubts.
"April? What did she say?" Alex's beer was forgotten beside him as his eyes narrowed, staring straight at April, he was pissed now.
"It doesn't matter what she said!" April half-yelled, she was fuming now, she didn't even care that a few people were looking at the two of them, she no longer cared about anything, except saying what she had to. "She didn't even have to say it, I knew it without asking, without confirmation, and I guess I just had the confirmation that no one else could give me." April paused to take small breath before adding in a hard voice, "We won't work." Alex's expression was unreadable. "There is no point pretending. It's simple really, you're a whore and I'm a virgin." April continued, spitting out the words whore and virgin in disgust before she grabbed her coat off the bar and stood up, turning on the heel of her boot and taking a step forward.
"So I can't judge you about not having sex, but you can judge me about the sex I've had? Bloody hell April, why did you come here and kiss me? Why did.." Alex demanded.
"I don't know why! But that woman.." April half-screamed, she couldn't help it, tears were coursing down her cheeks now, and half the bar was looking at the two of them, as April threw her hands up hopelessly.
"Angela." Alex muttered, before biting down on his tongue, realising at once that he had said the wrong thing, as April's eyes narrowed. Giving Alex one final glare, April turned from him and strode through the crowd, she caught a few peoples eyes as she scanned the crowd from Jackson and glared at them before they had the decency to look away. Holding firmly onto her handbag she scanned the faces, and averted gazes, looking for Jackson.
"Jackson?" April asked Lexie and one of her intern friends in a low voice.
"I think he's in the bathroom." Lexie's friend replied, as Lexie's hand moved to rest on April's shoulder trying to give her comfort, which April shrugged off as she made a beeline for the bathroom, her coat and handbag in hand, she just wanted to go home, and she needed her best friend right now.
Pushing the bathroom open to the mens room she scanned the bathroom, not finding anyone in there she sighed in frustration before she heard something in the second stall, and without a second thought she marched towards it before pushing it open.
"Jacks-so- holy shit." April's lips separated in a gasp as Jackson turned to face April, red lipstick trailing down his neck and smudged against his mouth. Underneath him, a smile on her face, that was now directed at April (who was growing redder by the second), was Cristina, a few buttons undone, one hand still tightly gripping onto Jackson's shoulder, the other hand out of sight.
"April." Cristina grinned, as April's eyes scanned the two of them trying to process what she saw in front of her, her eyes lingering on Jackson's hands, one slipped underneath Cristina's blouse the other on her hip, dragging her body towards his, as April's mind tried to think of the placement of Cristina's out of sight fingers.
"I'm so so-rr- I'll just go." April stammered, as she took an unsteady step backwards, half ran out of the bathroom before shutting the bathroom door behind of her before collapsing against the back of the door and taking a deep breath in, trying to both process what was happening in that bathroom and also to forget she ever saw that. Wiping the tears of her cheeks from her fight from Alex, which went unnoticed by the two people who were now moaning in the bathroom behind her, for a fleeting second, April couldn't make sense of it, she could have sworn he liked Lexie, he hadn't mentioned anything about Cristina, but then again the two of them were pretty drunk.
Ignoring the two of them, April shook her head and headed back into the bar, her eyes scanning for Alex, trying to find him before he hooked up with someone, or started to hate her, at least moreso than he did already. Heading through the people, pushing her way past occupied and empty tables, a flash by the door caught her eye, smiling, she saw Alex for a split second before the door shut behind him.
She didn't want to lose him, she was running now, running towards the door, running up the steps, running down the pavement, her eyes searching. Spotting Alex, April's heart quickened as she slowed her pace and walked quickly towards him. As his hand went to open the taxi door, she was a few steps behind him, unsure whether to call out his name or to remain silent, and let him drive away leaving her unnoticed. Standing still on the pavement, her grip tightening on her handbag strap she made her decision, she let Alex climb in and pull the door shut.
But before the door fell shut, her hand was on the handle, and she was pulling it open, just wide enough for her to enter before pulling it shut behind her, Alex's eyes on the taxi driver, oblivious to April whose grip loosened on her handbag, letting it fall to floor.
"Shit." Alex exclaimed. "April what the hell?" Alex turned to face April, his shock apparent on his face, as he watched her startled, as to why she was in his taxi and to how the hell she got in without him noticing her.
The only answer she gave was a small smile before she pushed herself forward, her body pushing Alex's towards the seat as her lips found his. For a moment she almost pulled back, feeling her cheeks redden, but before she could Alex reciprocated, and she felt the anxiety leaving her body as Alex's cold finger's foraged under her layers of clothing and found her skin. Shivering with both cold and excitement April ignored the sigh of the taxi driver as he started his engine and headed to Mere's house.
Maybe celibacy wasn't the most realistic of all thoughts, April thought to herself as her body melted against Alex, it was good in theory, but physically, she moaned against Alex's lips, physically sex was much better.
XX
AN: Sorry for the huge delay, was busy with school and a few other things. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter despite the delay, and please review. Thanks to all those that do review, it is awesome reading what you guys think.
Will April follow through? Will she sleep with Alex? Will there be any regrets?
Also what is happening with Cristina and Jackson?
Find out next chapter, which will be in a few months sorry, this story is officially on hiatus.