CHAPTER TWO

Neal tossed and turned most of the night, his body struggled yet again to get a good night's sleep. Finally, he gave up when he saw the clock. It was several minutes before 6 in the morning, local time. That makes it a grand total of 3 and a half hours of sleep in the past couple of days. He sighed as he got out of bed.

He wore his denim jeans and threw a shirt on but decided against the shoes, and headed out the door for an early morning walk. He figured he should take a short walk barefoot on the beach, with hopes that the morning sea breeze could do wonders for his addled brain. Outside, it was still a little dark, but you can see a small glimmer of light in the sky, a sign that daybreak is coming soon.

The weather was nice...not cold, but not too warm. He ran up to the shore and let his feet get wet. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. Then, he proceeded to take a stroll. He just walked and walked, with no particular destination in mind. He simply went with the direction where his feet decided to carry him. He thought that walking would help clear his mind. He was wrong. He started to think while he walked. He began to remember.

Alex. Neal couldn't get her out of his head.

Alex was a friend that came with complications, Neal knew that from the beginning. But she was a kindred spirit, which Neal liked about her from the very start. She was a lot like him. She had a passion for everything... life, art, history, and so on. And they have been wildly attracted to each other since the day they met. Chemistry was never the problem between them. There was more than enough of that, for sure.

No, the problem was their timing. They could never get the timing right. The first time Alex came back in his life, he was already committed to Kate. The time after that, he was with Sara. And now that Neal is not with anybody, and was currently back in her life, she is with someone else. Their timing just don't seem to mesh with each other.

Neal shook his head, and continued to walk, and think. There was something off, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what. Alexandra Hunter is getting married, that is what's off. Alex, the woman who couldn't be tied down. Alex, who's always solution to a problem is to run. Alex, who is afraid of commitment. Alex, who didn't care to share her life with another person. Alex, who was always wary of getting close to someone for fear of getting hurt. THAT Alex. She's getting married today.

She can't be. Not my Alex. Neal thought. Then he shook his head again. What do you mean YOUR Alex, Neal? She hasn't been yours for years! Hell, she wasn't even yours to begin with! he scoffed.

But Alex wasn't the marrying type. That's the quality that separated her from Neal. Neal was the romantic one, with his head on the clouds and stars in his eyes. He was the one who dreamt of a future...of the perfect life...wife, kids, white picket fence, maybe a dog and a cat. Alex, on the other hand, lived from one adventure to the other. She lived for today, never worrying about tomorrow. Not to say that she was heartless...but she wasn't heavily invested on emotions. Or at least, that's what Neal thought.

Whoever Alex is marrying must be one hell of a guy. Neal wondered what he was like. Is he kind? Is he funny? Is he handsome? Is he sexy? Is he rich? Knowing Alex, the last one would be the most important quality. No, that's not true. Alex didn't do what she did for the money. That was a common misconception. She did it to prove that she can. She did it for the thrill. She did it for the rush. She did it for the adventure. She did it to fulfill her grandfather's dying wish. The big score was just icing on the cake.

So why the hell is she getting married then? Neal asked himself, kicking a sea shell on the sand. He still couldn't wrap his head around the idea.

Neal looked around him and realized he had strayed a little further than he thought. His aimless stroll had led him to the next village. It was small, yet filled with unspoiled beauty. Lots of coconut palm trees swaying in the breeze. The water was the same color as Neal's eyes. Blue Lagoon Beach was the name written on the sign. He couldn't help but smile. It was one of Alex's favourite movies.

As he took in the scenery that was in front of him, he noticed another person on the beach. His smile widened when he recognized who it was. Her olive skin glowed against the white, two-piece swimsuit she wore underneath her sheer tunic cover-up. Her hair was all wet as if she just went for a swim. She was sitting down on the sand, by the shore, her knees brought up to her chest as her well-toned arms hugged her bare legs. Her gaze was upon the horizon.

Neal walked towards where she was and sat down next to her. She didn't say anything at first. She didn't move. She didn't even bother to look at him. She just continued to gaze at the sky. For a while, they remained in that position in silence.

Finally, she spoke. "Watch closely what happens next, Caffrey." Alex told him.

Neal smiled. "What exactly am I looking for, Alex?" he asked her.

"The sunrise. Watch the sunrise." Alex answered, without taking her eyes off the sky.

"I'm more of a sunset kind of guy." Neal said.

"Anyone can watch the sunset, Caffrey. Not everyone can bear witness to the birth of a brand new day." Alex told him, still avoiding his gaze.

They sat together and watched as the sun rose. On any other day, it was just another sunrise. Today was different though. Today felt like another lifetime from yesterday, or two days ago, for that matter. Another chance. A new dawn. A new day. A new life. A new beginning. A new promise. An affirmation of changes to come. Something that Neal may or may not be prepared for. One thing's for sure though...ready or not, he doesn't have any other choice but to face the challenge head on.

Neal's smile broadened. Everything seems clearer now. He has no idea what tomorrow has in store for him, but for now, he's free. He was FREE. His smile turned into a chuckle, and then grew into a laugh. He whooped with joy and continued to laugh until tears were coming out of his eyes.

Then, he got up to his feet. Alex watched him as he ran towards the water, like a little boy who just saw the ocean for the first time. And he began to swim. He swam back and forth until his legs got tired. Finally, he swam to shore, got out of the water, and headed back towards Alex.

"Got that out of your system, did you?" she asked.

"The water feels perfect." he answered, as he dropped down to the ground next to her, his clothes drenched.

"Yeah, well, next time, you might wanna put on a suit before you go swimming." she told him.

"Next time, we should do that when were both naked...just like the old times." he replied.

Alex looked away again. "I don't see that happening anytime soon." she said.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"You know why." she answered, still not looking at him.

"Clearly, I don't...so, why don't you tell me." he said.

Alex remained silent. Neal observed her. She was looking away, just staring in space, avoiding his gaze. She didn't look like she was deep in thought. She didn't look like she was thinking about anything in particular. She just sat there and looked away. And that was when Neal realized why. It all made sense now, why Neal couldn't put the pieces together earlier. There was only one reason why Alex would make an effort to not look him in the eye.

"You lied to me." Neal said. There was no accusation...no judgment...just a statement.

"Which lie would that be?" Alex asked him. "I've lied to you so many times in the past." she added.

"You're not getting married today. You're not getting married at all." he answered.

"You've worked it all out by now, have you?" she asked.

"That's not a denial." he replied.

"It's not an admission either." she told him.

"Why did you lie to me?" he pressed.

"Lying is the most fun a girl could ever have without taking her clothes off." Alex smiled. "Only it's better if you do." she added.

"So, you DO admit you lied." he said.

"I never denied that I didn't." she replied.

And then there was silence again between the two of them. They sat there for a while, as Neal observed her. And for the first time in a long time, he couldn't read her. Finally he spoke. "You've changed. Is it this place? Did it change you?" he asked.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe...just maybe...this is the first time that you've seen me?" she asked back.

"You're killing me with the cryptic here, Alex!" he snapped.

"You saw Kate as your greatest love...and your greatest heart break. With Sara, you saw a second chance...the best of both worlds." she said. "You look at me, and you saw nothing more than just a passing fancy." she added.

Neal was stunned and didn't know how to react. Alex continued. "You wanna know why I lied to you? I lied to you because I wanted you to realize that I matter to you after all...that I do exist. Because I wanted you to see what you've been missing all this time. Because I'm tired of you making me feel like I'm invisible. I wanted you to leave this place racking your brain about what could have been. What might have been. What should have been. Oh, stupid, silly me!" she told him.

"Alex, I didn't know-" Neal tried to explain before she interrupted him.

"Sure, you did." Alex said. "I practically threw myself at you every chance I had." she added.

"But-" Neal tried to speak but she cut him off again.

"It's alright, Caffrey. It's not your fault. You can't help who you love. I'm not blaming you. It's all over now. It was all over before it started. We never had a chance." she said, as she shook her head. " I've resigned myself to the fact that you will never look at me the way you looked at Kate or Sara. Because, I know that based on the scales in your eyes, I weigh no more than dust, and that my worth to you is just as much as the sand that we're sitting on." she stated. There was no pain, no anger in her voice...just honesty.

"That's not true." Neal argued. "Alex, I do care about you." he told her.

"Now, who's lying to who?" Alex replied. She got up from the ground and brushed the sand off of her. Without another word, she started to walk away.

"Alex, wait!" Neal called her back, but she didn't stop. "We need to talk." he said.

"I'm done talking, Caffrey." she told him. She turned around to face him. "It doesn't matter anymore. You won't be staying here for long. After you get what you need, you'll be on your way. And pretty soon, I'll be nothing but a distant memory. I'm fine with that." she said, before she continued walking. She stopped underneath a kelapa tree where a white horse was tied to. It neighed when she unfastened the rope.

"Yours?" Neal asked.

"A friend of mine gave him to me. His name is Arthur." she answered, as she propped herself up on Arthur's back.

"Arthur...good name for a horse." he said. It seemed like a stupid thing to say merely after that stirring conversation they had, but it was better than just talking about the weather. He looked up at her face and stared into her eyes. "I miss you, Alex." he confessed.

"That's too bad. Now, you can spend a lifetime doing nothing else except miss me. 'Cause I'm not pining for you anymore, Caffrey." Alex replied, before riding away, leaving Neal standing there by himself.

Neal followed her with his eyes, until she disappeared from his sight. He turned around to head back to the beach house. He thought about everything Alex said. Has he really been that insensitive? That clueless? That dumb? It's true that he loved Kate, and that he cared about Sara, but he never meant to take Alex for granted. He had strong feelings for Alex too. He should have told her that.

I thought she knew. Neal said to himself.

Finally, he reached the beach house. He went inside and straight to his room. He was very tired and the bed looked really welcoming. He was starting to show some signs of chafing, so he took his clothes off and pulled off the covers. He was exhausted, both physically, mentally and emotionally. He needed a break from the world. He can deal with everything later, Alex included.

Alex. he thought to himself. He smiled as he remembered her. The morning wasn't such a total waste. He found out Alex wasn't getting married today. His smiled broadened, as he lied down in bed. Moments later, sleep finally claimed him.

Neal woke up to the persistent ringing of his cellphone. With eyes half-opened, he reached for it from the table by the bedside.

"Hello?" Neal murmured sleepily.

"Neal? Where are you?" It was Mozzie.

"I'm in my room at the beach house." Neal answered. He propped himself up with his elbows as he looked at the clock. It was past 5 in the afternoon. He had slept for ten hours.

"I'm at Lolana's...it's happy hour! Are you still in bed?" Mozzie asked.

"Yeah." Neal answered as he threw the covers off. "I just woke up, Moz." he told him.

"Oh, good! You finally slept. Man, Alex must have really wiped you out!" Mozzie remarked.

"You have no idea." Neal replied.

"Hmmm...enlighten me." Mozzie said in a playful tone.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Moz!" Neal told him.

"Okay, fine. Just hurry up and get here as soon as you can. You're missing out on all the island fun!" Mozzie half-scolded him, before hanging up.

Neal got out of bed and proceeded the bathroom to take a shower. He felt refreshed and recharged afterwards. His head seems clearer, his heart, optimistic. He put on some fresh clothes and headed out the door to meet Mozzie, and quite possibly, continue his conversation with Alex.

Once he got to the Tiki Lounge, the place was already packed. Both tourists and locals alike flocked the establishment, as they ate, drank and danced. Neal weaved through the crowd to find Mozzie by the bar with a drink in his hand, of course. Once he saw Neal, Mozzie waved his hand signaling him to come over.

"Hey, I want you to try something." Mozzie said. He then turned to talk to the bartender.

"What is it?" Neal asked.

"It's called a 'Bali Moon B-52'. It has 85% dark overproof rum-" Mozzie answered, before he was interrupted by the bartender, handing him two flaming shot glasses.

"You had me at rum." Neal told him, as he took the glass and downed it in one gulp.

"Good to see you in better spirits." Mozzie said, as he downed his own drink.

"Have you seen Alex?" Neal asked, struggling to be heard on top of the music.

"She's around here somewhere." Mozzie replied.

All of a sudden a young man , possibly in his late teens, approached them. He was a local, based on his looks and his accent. "Friends!" the young man said. "You wanna buy Rolex? I got Rolex!" he offered them, showing him a few of his knock-off pieces.

"Let me see that!" Mozzie answered. He was NOT the one to be fooled by fakes, but he admired the craftsmanship of the forger. "This looks good! How much do you want for it?" he asked the young entrepreneur. He saw Neal roll his eyes. "What? Everyone's entitled to make a living!" he said.

Just then, Alex appeared out of nowhere. "Get the hell out, Tango!" she told the young man. "I told you, don't scam the paying customers." she added.

"What scam?" Tango asked. "This is real Rolex!" he lied.

"Yeah, nice try!" Alex said. "Get out or I throw you out myself!" she told him.

"You cranky!" Tango replied. "You need to get laid! Been a while since Colin been here...maybe you need new boyfriend! I can be you new boyfriend if you want!" he said.

"That's it! I'm counting to three...if you're not out of here by then, I'm gonna get the cattle prod!" Alex warned him.

"Okay! I go, I go!" Tango told her. He stopped and turned back to her. "I was not kidding about being you new boyfriend. Think about it!" he said.

"Yeah, right! I have shirts that are older than you, Tango. Now , SHOO!" she said as he chased the teenager away.

"Who was that kid?" Mozzie asked.

"That's Tango...Lolana One's little brother!" Alex replied.

"I like him! He's a young man with great potential." Mozzie said. "Hey, where's Lima tonight?" he asked again.

"That's what I'd like to know! Her shift started about an hour ago! I have to leave soon." Alex answered.

"Well, let me know when she gets here. I'll be at the bar." Mozzie told her.

Neal leaned close to her and whispered to her ear."Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Away." Alex answered. "Don't worry. That friend I was telling you about won't get here until a few days from now. I should be back by then." she assured him.

"I'm not worried about that." Neal replied. He leaned closer. "So...who's Colin?" he pressed.

Alex looked at him for a moment before she replied. "My boyfriend." she said.

"Is this a 'real' boyfriend, or a 'pretend' boyfriend?" Neal quipped.

"Yeah, sure. I go around the island showing people my 'fake' boyfriend." Alex retorted.

"Colin who?" Neal pressed.

"It's really none of your business, but his name is Colin Henry!" Alex answered, getting irritated.

"Oh, come on, Alex! You know the rules! You never trust a guy with two first names." Neal told him.

"No...I think you mean never trust a man with two watches." Alex said, rolling her eyes. She started to walk away.

Neal went after her and lightly pulled her back to face him. "Can we please talk?" he asked her.

Alex pulled away from him. "Like I said earlier Caffrey, I am DONE talking." she told him.

Neal was about to protest, when Lima showed up. "I'm here!" she announced.

"About time you showed up. I needed to be out of here like an hour ago!" Alex scolded her, slowly moving away from Neal.

Lima observed the both of them. "Was I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Actually-" Neal was about to answer.

"No, you weren't." Alex beat him to it. "Bob's at the bar waiting for you." she informed Lima, pointing to Mozzie, who waved at them. "You must have made quite the first impression." Alex said, as she walked towards the back room.

Moments later, she came out with her bags. She had a traveling hard case on one hand and a duffel bag on the other. She turned to Lima. "You got this?" she asked her, feeling bad as she was about to leave the place on a busy night.

"Yeah, I'm good." Lima answered. "Go!" she told her friend. "Oh, and say hello to Colin for me." she added, catching Neal's attention.

"Lima, it's work...not a lovers' getaway." Alex clarified.

"That's why God invented the 'Mile High' club, baby girl!" Lima replied with a wink.

"Okaaay...I'm leaving now!" Alex told her friend. She was surprised when Neal took the duffel bag from her hand. "I don't need your help." she told him.

"I know." Neal answered. He still helped her out the backdoor, where her lift was waiting to take her to the port.

"I got it, thanks." Alex told Neal. He wouldn't budge. "Caffrey!" she said, very annoyed.

"We'll talk when you get back." Neal finally said, more of a statement than a request.

"No." Alex refused again, as she tried to take her duffel bag from him. "Caffrey! Give it to me!" she demanded.

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Not yet." he said playfully.

"Fine! We'll talk when I get back. There...are you happy?" Alex finally relented.

"Ecstatic!" Neal answered mockingly, as he handed her the bag. Alex was about to leave when he called her back. "Hey, Alex!" he said after her.

Alex turned around to look at him. "What now?" she asked.

"The Mile High Club... highly overrated. I wouldn't recommend it. It's rushed, and it lacks connection. It's frustrating and won't live up to the expectations, not to mention it's highly unsanitary. Plus, you need to have a partner with great balance, flexibility and dexterity...otherwise, you wont be able to enjoy it." Neal lectured her.

Alex just growled in annoyance, as she got inside the lift and left, leaving Neal standing there, a sly smile on his face. "Have a nice time. I'll see you when you get back!" he arrogantly shouted to her as she left. Once she was gone, he went back inside the lounge.

~END OF CHAPTER TWO~

FOOTNOTES :

*New readers, please be advised that I am a NeAlex fan, and that influences a lot of my writing.

*There really is a Blue Lagoon Beach in Bali.

*Always pictured Neal and Mozzie partying on an island like two frat boys on Spring break.

*"Never trust anyone with two first names." ~ Leona Helmsley

*"A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure." ~ Lee Segall

*Everyone knows what the "Mile High Club" is, right? Good, so I don't need to explain what it is then. =D

*Many thanks to those who urged me to continue this story. If you like this chapter, please feel free to leave kudos and comments.