The Confidant

Alexandra Cabot leaned back into her chair, letting a smile play on her face as the door to her office swung open and her childhood best friend strode into the room, in typical style, disregarding anything that had been happening in the room until he entered. He was tall, with a dark complexion and startling blue eyes. He could have been a model—he certainly had the ego, but since they had been five years old, the two of them had been together. Whether she liked it or not, Hugh knew her better than anyone else. While she had found herself in NY prosecuting criminals, he had found himself in NY selling his soul on Madison Avenue, writing ads to sell fast food and GAP jeans.

As kids, they had spent their summers together—been sent to the same private schools, and suffered through the same insufferable teachers. Best of all, both of them had realized early that they were both undeniably perfect for each other in every way. They were compliments, scamming together they were unstoppable. And best of all, they never fought over dates. While Hugh had fought hard for the heart of the head quarterback, Alex had valiantly done her part to woo her co-captain on the cheerleading squad.

As he threw himself down on her couch dramatically, he stared at her for a second, a smile spreading across his face. She was amazed with his ability to simply look at her and see right through her. Of course, she knew him well enough to do the same with him. With a wry smile he appraised her before asking the questions she knew he was dying to ask.

"How's Olivia?" He asked, adding syllables to her name that shouldn't be there.

"She's fine, Hugh. How's David?" She asked, returning the favor. David and Hugh had been partners for years. They adored each other—and she usually could distract Hugh with talk of his boyfriend, but the intensity of his stare told her today was not her day.

"Delightful." He said, pulling his feet up onto the couch. She shot him an evil glare and he laughed, kicking off his shoes. "Such a prude, Alex. I didn't come here to talk about me, though. You're the one with the excitement."

"I don't know about that. David is sweet." Alex smiled at him.

"David's been around for eight long years. We've done David to death. We're here to talk about you and your life."

"We're just friends," Alex said, looking down at the paperwork in front of her to avoid Hugh's eyes.

"Really?" He asked.

"I told you already. A year with no changes. That's what they told me. Do you know how many weeks I had to debrief before I could come back here?"

"Yes, Alex. You've told me. Several times."

"So we're going slow."

"Fine then," he said dramatically. "You're so boring."

"That's me. Boring."

"So then, how's the celibacy going?" He said with a grin.

Alex looked at him with a frown.

"That well, huh?"

"You always have to go right for the jugular. Don't you?" Alex responded.

"I told you that you were insane. I've seen you look at her." He sat up and looked at her for a second, a small smile spreading across his face. "Poor baby, you look so stressed." He said, with sympathy. Walking slowly across the room behind her chair, he let his hands fall onto her shoulders. He let his hands start to massage them, and she let her head roll back.

"That feels so good." She said, with a smile.

Knowing he had her just where he wanted her, he reached out his hand and slipped it into her collar. "That's a hell of a hickey, Alexandra." He laughed.

"Jesus." She said, pulling away from him.

"I know you too well. Turtlenecks were never your fashion statement." He laughed and she turned to smack him.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"So, I'll take it that Sister Maria would consider you fallen?"

Alex frowned at him again. "You had to bring that woman's name up? You know I still have nightmares about her."

Hugh laughed. "She was definitely something, wasn't she?"

Alex shuddered. "I don't want to think about it."

"So Olivia?"

"What about her?" Alex asked.

"And you wanted to be 'just friends' because?"

"I already told you. No major changes your first year back. Especially not relationships."

"So the people who killed you wanted to give you relationship advice?"

"It makes sense, Hugh. You should, you know, go slow."

"So you'll just fuck her for a year?"

"Jesus, Hugh." She whined. "I'm not…doing that." She said, refusing to repeat his crude assessment.

"Since when have you become a blushing flower?" He laughed.

"I'm not, I'm just…"

"You want to pretend that you'll only hold hands and talk about flowers?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not denying…"

"Alex. Admit it. You fell for her three years ago and you fell back into her arms three weeks ago when you got back here whether you wanted to or not. I can see it in your eyes."

"It's not fair to her. I'm not stable."

"Oh for the love of Christ, you're the most stable woman in America. Alex, even when you're unstable, you're stable. You love her. You want her. What's the problem?"

"That's the problem." She shrugged. "It doesn't seem complicated at all. I want her just as bad as the day I left. Two years went by Hugh. Our lives both went on. Things changed for both of us in major ways, but I come back, suddenly, and it's as though nothing has changed. She waited for me. We're catching up—there's two years to learn about—but we've fallen back into each other like nothing has changed."

"So, again. You love her, she loves you. Problem?"

"It's in my head." She sighed.

"Well, Alex, and understand I mean this in the nicest possible way, cut that shit out and go and get her."