Into the Light (UC, A/T, Mature) [COMPLETE]
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:27 am
Title: Into the Light; a Valentine story
Author: Drogyn
Pairings: UC - Alex/Tess and a just a little bit of Michael/Maria
Category: AU without Aliens
Rating: Mature for occasional strong language
Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me but belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz and a whole bunch of other people.
Summary: Tess Harding is one of the most powerful women in Roswell. Not only is she very rich, but she also runs one of the biggest companies of Roswell. Despite, or maybe because of, these circumstances, she's miserable. She has no real friends, no boyfriend and she rarely sees her parents. Valentines Day is approaching and, like most single people, Tess hates every single aspect of that day. But then she meets a man who makes her heart beat faster, a man who seems to be perfect in every way; Alex Whitman. The only problem is that he hates rich girls, because they only think about themselves. So, she lies…
Author's note: I've written this story for a Valentines challenge at Roswellian Chronicles. I've never done a Fifth Wheeler story before and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. The entire story is in Tess POV.
And who would have ever thought it. I won!
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Seven days before Valentine's Day
---
"Jim, don't give me that crap!"
Honestly, don’t people understand the meaning of the word commitment? Like that slacker I have on the phone right now; one of my managers Jim. He just told me that he isn’t going to be able to finish the monthly report any earlier than tomorrow afternoon. That’s friggin unacceptable; is it so difficult to do what you’re told? I’m trying to run a business here… and not just any business; this company employs over one hundred and fifty people here in Roswell and another two thousand in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. So you understand that it’s imperative that I can count on my managers to do their jobs and give me the goddamn figures on time! But noooo, instead of hanging up the phone, getting to work and getting it done as fast as he can, he starts bitching about how busy he is and starts listing reasons why I’m being unreasonable.
"Jim, your number one priority is to get me the bloody numbers. I don't care if you have to stop time itself, you better make sure you got the numbers on my desk by eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Just get it done! Complain later, preferably not to me. Bye!", I shout and as I speak the last word, I hang up. One more excuse and I would have had to run down to his department and slap him in the face.
Okay, that’s enough excitement for one day. Isabel has cancelled dinner for this evening… something about a new boy toy… so my plans for this evening consist of a long bath, a movie, preferably one with Orlando Bloom, and lots of sleep after that. For once, I’m actually glad that Isabel cancelled on me.
Now, Isabel… how can I describe Isabel? A few words come to mind; ‘bitch’ being the most positive of them. I’ve known her for over two years and we got along really well at first; she seemed like the kind of person I could trust. Well, about seven months ago, I started dating this gorgeous football player named Kyle. He was really nice and it seemed to go great, until I found out he and Isabel had been screwing like bunnies ever since Kyle and I started dating. I broke up with Kyle, but I never told Isabel I knew about them. I don’t have any other friends… and a pretend-friend is still better than being alone, so I’ve learned to bite my lip… a lot.
But today, I’m wiped enough to state that alone is better than hanging out with her. I close off my office computer and the backup laptop on the corner of my desk and take my purse out of the built-in closet along with my coat. I then make my way down to the main entrance where Paul holds the door open for me just like he always does; he’s such a gentleman.
I zip my coat up as far as it goes; it’s colder than I thought it would be, but it’s dry so I’m not complaining. I always walk the distance between my office and my house; it’s only fifteen minutes walking and I find it relaxing.
I hate this time of the year, and not just because it’s cold. In one week, on that ridiculous Valentines Day, my dad is going to give me another speech about how I need to find a guy, the people in my office are going to laugh behind my back because I’m still single and everywhere I go, I’m forced to look at those sickening displays of hearts with an arrow through them, little bald babies with a bow in their hands and people making out in public.
Look, that store over there already started the madness. Just look at that window display… the floor is littered with small candy hearts, wooden cupids are dangling from small strings that are attached to the ceiling and pictures of kissing couples cover the walls. It’s like a nightmare! "What a fucking bullshit!"
"All single people seem to think so… I would have to agree with you", a male voice sounds right next to me. Huh? I didn’t even see him.
"I'm that obvious, huh?" Okay, that’s weird. The words on my lips were ‘mind your own business’, but I said something completely different.
"Your secret is safe with me", the guy says with a smile, "I'm Alex"
“Hi Alex, I’m Tess”… Okay, I did not just give my name to a guy I never met before.
"So, what'd your boyfriend do to make you this bitter?", Alex asks. Right to the point I see. I like that in a guy.
“Is that your way of finding out if I have one?”
“Maybe… do you?”, he says with a sly smile
“Wouldn’t you like to know” I grin at his expression. That guy is so cute, he’s probably already married and has two children… maybe three.
“Well… would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? It’s nice to meet someone who is still unaffected by the whole Valentines Day thing”, he asks.
Did he just ask me to have coffee with him?
~~
Fifteen minutes later we’re both having an espresso at Antar; the same place where I get my coffee every morning. “You still haven’t answered my question”, Alex says before he takes a small sip from his espresso.
“No I don’t have a boyfriend. If I did I wouldn’t be sitting with some cute stranger drinking coffee”. It’s not until I see a grin appear on his face when I realize my slip up.
“You think I’m cute?”, he says with a triumphant grin. What’s the matter with me; I don’t slip up… not like that at least.
“Well, you’re no Orlando Bloom… but yeah, you’re cute… in an annoying kind of way”. I see his grin get even wider. I thought for sure I would have bruised his ego with that one, “So do you have a girlfriend…or maybe a wife?”
“Yeah, I have a wife Erin and my daughter Lilah is nine months old…”, he says.
Kill me, kill me now! “Really?”
He looks at me and all of a sudden, he just starts laughing. “No, of course not! I’m single! What kind of guy do you take me for?”
“Well, I don’t really know you all that well”
“Then let me fix that for you. My name is Alex Whitman; I’m twenty-five years old, I’m a social worker and I think Maria Carey is the devil sent down to kill us all with bad music”, he says
Ha ha ha. Yeah, I actually agree on that one. “Well, I’m Tess Harding; I’m twenty-three years old… and fifteen months… I work at Globobiz and I think that Trainspotting is the worst excuse for a movie I have ever seen”
“Never tell Michael I said this, but I totally agree”, he says. Michael is probably one of his friends… he’s already picturing me meeting his friends?
“Now tell me, Alex Whitman, what’s your favorite television program?”. You can tell a lot about a person by his favorite TV program.
“Crime Scene Investigation. You?”, he says. Solid answer.
Well, that would be Desperate Housewives, but hell will freeze over before I tell him that. “Uh, Lost…. So what are your hobbies, besides picking up strange women off the street?”
“I like playing the guitar and I help out people with their computer problems pretty often. Two days ago, one of my friends; Liz called me and asked my why some general Failure guy was reading her hard drive. I thought I died of laughter”, he says, laughing slightly again, just by remembering the situation.
“And what do you hate?”, I ask. I risky question, I know.
“Well, I hate rich snobs who think that just because they have money that they’re better than anyone else”, he says, “How about you?”
I can’t say that didn’t hurt. “Well, I don’t like people who lie, cheat and deceive”. Isabel and Kyle come to mind.
“Right you are. So… favorite childhood memory?”, he asks
“When I was six, my mom and dad took me to a small farm where I rode on a pony for over an hour while my mom and dad were walking right next to me. Time with my parents has always been scarce, but that moment was just perfect”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories”, he apologizes
“No no, you didn’t…”, I say as I drink the last bit of coffee in my cup and I see he’s doing the same. It can’t end like this, can it? “You know Alex, I was wondering if maybe you uh… wanted to have dinner with me tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry Tess but I can’t”, he says. Shot down in my prime! “I’m helping my friend Maria to move her stuff in with her boyfriend Michael. She doesn’t exactly travel lightly… you know, you could come?”
“What? You want me to meet your friends?”. Damn, I dated Kyle for a month and I never met his friends… assuming that dick had any.
“Well yeah. I’m sure they’d like you, and you would save me of an evening of Liz and Serena going through their address books, looking for people to set me up with. Matchmaking-Liz and –Serena are scary. You have to help me out, Tess!”, he says, placing just the right amount of humor in his words. How can I refuse?
“Well, I’d love to”. As I say the words, I see his face brightening. Maybe I finally found a good one.
---
Six days before Valentine's Day
---
The next morning, I wake up early as usual and the second I think of Alex, I start to smile and I can’t seem to wipe this smile from my face. After having breakfast; bacon and eggs, I take my car towards work. I know… normally I would walk, but it’s pouring rain and that’s a little too much freshness for me.
Anyway, I run towards my Smart which is parked in front of my house and I manage to get soaking wet in those fifteen seconds. It’s a good thing that I have spare clothes at the office.
I quickly drive my car towards the Globobiz building and park my car in my own personal spot, which is still there even though I rarely use it. A lot of people in my office have suggested that I get what they refer to as a ‘real’ car. And while I am the first to admit that my Smart looks a little strange when surrounded by all the Mercedesses and BMWs the managers drive in, I like my Smart. At least I can find a parking spot when I go shopping on Saturday and what would I need such a big car for.
I walk into the building through the pouring rain and hurry into the building and towards my office where I quickly dry myself and put on some dry clothes.
“What the hell happened last night?!”, I hear Isabel shout out as she barges into my office. Bloody hell woman, it’s seven o’clock in the morning.
“What are you talking about Iz?”. She squints her eyes. This was a legitimate question, right?
“We were supposed to have dinner at seven and you stood me up. And then I tried to call you at home and you didn’t answer. What the hell happened?”, she says. Is she kidding… she looks serious?, “Well?”
“Hey, you cancelled dinner on me, remember? You wanted to have a hot night with… what was his name?”
“Leo… but we’re done. I can’t be with a guy who blows his load after twenty seconds; I have needs, you know?”, she explains. I see my estimate of fours days was a little too optimistic.
“So you’re shouting at me at seven in the morning because…?”
”Well, I left a message on your machine”, she says, looking at me like I’m some sort of idiot. I look at the phone on my desk and indeed, it states that I have one missed call.
“Iz, don’t you have something to do with your day?”. I can’t be any clearer that I want her out of my office without using a sentence with the words ‘get out’.
“Yeah, I heard there’s going to open a new clothes store next to that creepy tattoo place”, she says, brightening up as she says the word ‘clothes’. “…Okay, bye”, she adds and hurries out of the office.
Thank god. Now I hope the rest of the day goes by as fast as possible. I can’t wait until I meet Alex again.
~~
Well, the day didn’t go by fast; in fact it seemed like time was standing still from time to time. Maybe Jim found a way to stop time after all, but he still didn’t give me the report so I’m going to have a conversation with him tomorrow.
Right now, I have bigger problems: what am I gonna wear when Alex picks me up in twenty minutes? The black dress, the salmon skirt with my white shirt or should I just go with my favorite jeans? Damn, I am so terrible at this. I think going with my jeans; at least I’ll feel comfortable in them.
Twenty minutes later, Alex picks me up with a rose in his hand. God, he’s so adorable… and on time. I hate it when people are late, but you probably already got that. He drives us to the other side of Roswell where he stops in front of a house not all that different from mine.
I don’t know why but I can feel my heart pounding in my throat. I mean, I meet new people every day but they don’t make me feel like this. “Come on gorgeous, no need to worry”, he says as the two of us walk towards the front door and ring the doorbell.
A few seconds later, a small blonde opens the door. The second she lays eyes on me, she gets this weird look in her eyes. “Maria… this is Tess”, Alex says and before I know what happens, Maria leans forward and gives me a hug. I mean… huh?
Maria excitedly claps her hands together. “Oh Alex, I knew you weren’t gay!”, Maria squeals. “Come in. Come in”, she says as she motions us to get in. We hang our coats on the coat rack and I follow Alex into the living room where Maria and another two girls and three guys were sitting.
“Good evening everyone… this is Tess”, Alex says, placing his hands on my shoulders.
I see a petite brunette and an equally petite redhead turning their heads towards each other and giving each other a knowing smile. I think Alex noticed too. “I am NOT gay. I told you a million times!”, Alex shouts
“So Tess tell us about yourself”, the redhead girl says.
“Whoa whoa…”, Alex interrupts, “…she just got here. Why don’t you all introduce yourselves first”. Thank you Alex.
“I’m Maria, as you already know and as of today, I live here. I work at Fundmain and I’m in telemarketing”, Maria says
“Cause if there’s anything she knows how to do, it’s talking!”, a tall guy with a totally screwed up haircut replies.
Maria just glares at the guy. “And that is Michael”, Maria explains, “He’s a bouncer at The Eraser Room. You know the Eraser Room, right?”
Of course I know the Eraser Room, it’s my favorite club. “Yeah, of course”
“Well love, I’m Zan and this here’s my brotha Max”, another tall guy says, pointing towards someone who’s probably his twin or something. Zan seems a bit taller though and just a little more muscular. They both look like they stepped right out of an Axe-commercial though. “I work at the tattoo shop next to the Crashdown“, he says.
“And I’m a social worker along with Alex”, Max continued.
Next was the brunette. She looks nice. “I’m Liz and I’m a waitress at the Crashdown. See that gorgeous hunk of a man sitting there?”, she says pointing to Max. “He’s mine”, she says with sparkling eyes.
“Well, that leaves me”, the redhead says, “I’m Serena and I have a three year old daughter named Lilah”
“Well, now that you know us… who are you?”, Maria asks as she sits down on Max’ lap… no wait, that’s Michael.
“Well, there’s not much to say… I’m Tess and I work at Globobiz”. I can’t say that I run things there; that’s a sure way to screw everything up.
“Globobiz? You mean that factory that cares more about numbers than about people?”, Liz asks. That’s not true, I care about the people… I do.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s just a little bitter because she applied for a job there and she didn’t get it”, Alex says, “I’m sure it’s a great job you have”
For the next couple of hours, the eight of us just chat and it’s really fun. It’s not until three hours later that I find myself alone in the kitchen with Michael, helping him fetch some drinks.
“He doesn’t know who you are, does he?”, he suddenly asks. I knew he knows who I am.
“No”, I say softly, “He said he hated corporate women with too much money and in case you failed to notice, I fit that description. I don’t want him to hate me”. And that is the truth.
“Well, I think he deserves to know who he dates, don’t you think?”, he says.
“Are you going to tell him?”, I ask and I know my eyes betray my thoughts at this moment. Please don’t!
“No. But I trust you will tell him”, he says, and with that, he walks towards the living room. Before he steps out of the kitchen he stops without turning his face towards me. “If Maria ever finds out I knew and didn’t tell her, I’m a dead man. So let’s keep this conversation between us”, he adds and with that, he leaves me alone in the kitchen.
Maybe he’s right… but how on earth am I gonna tell him, and what if he doesn’t like me anymore when he knows I’m the kind of person he hates? I can’t think about that now. I quickly take the drinks and head back into the living room.
~~
The rest of the evening goes by fast and before I know it, it’s well past midnight and Alex is driving me home again. All things considered, I think it went really well. They all seem like very nice people; Alex really should consider himself lucky with friends like that.
When we arrive at my place, he walks me to my door like a real gentleman. I wonder if he plans on kissing me. Oh god, I want him to.
“I had a really great time, Alex”
“I’m sorry our first real date wasn’t more fun”, he says. He’s apologizing to me? I haven’t had this much fun in… well, ever!
“Alex, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time”
“Well, then I suppose I will have to show you how to have a good time”, he says and there’s that sly smile again. I can practically see the rotors in his head spinning. “How about I take you out to something really fun tomorrow night?”
“Really? I would love to”, I say, maybe a bit too eagerly. I’m not sure who’s chasing who here.
“How about I pick you up at five tomorrow?”, he asks and I can’t do anything besides nod. How does he keep his cool like this? He must think I’m pathetic. “See you tomorrow night then”, he says as he leans forward. Oh my God, this is it. His lips slightly touch mine and I feel weak in the knees like I’m thirteen again and receiving my first kiss again. He is so perfect… I hope he can forgive me when I tell him the truth. I’ll tell him tomorrow… maybe.
---
Five days before Valentine's Day
---
Today went by fast, but not nearly fast enough. I used to love my work, but now all I seem to want is for my workdays to end so I can meet Alex again. I consider tonight our first real date and I decided to wear a beautiful emerald-green dress.
After Alex knocks on my door, he tells me our destination is close by and we can walk there. I haven’t got a clue what he has in store for me, but I trust that he’ll make it an evening neither one of us will forget. After a few minutes of walking, we’re standing at a place I know all too well.
“What are we here for?”. I mean, we’re standing right in front of the store where we first met. I’m all for nostalgia, but this was two days ago.
He then points inside the store and it is filled with people; there are couples having their picture taken, there are lots of Valentine sales booths with everything from Valentine cards to Valentine cakes to friggin love potions and there’s activity all over the place.
“Therapy”, Alex states, “You don’t like Valentines Day and that’s gotta be cured”
“Hey, you said you didn’t like Valentines Day either”. He did! He really did!
“I had to say something to convince you to have coffee with me”, he responds, “Come on” Without further ado, he takes my hand and practically drags me inside the store.
~~
I never thought I’d say this, but I actually had fun. We had our first picture taken together and we played several games, one of which included us throwing an arrow into a target in the shape of a heart. Alex and I both succeeded so we got a small prize in the form of a small silver-colored arrow, which Alex gave to me. Finally, we went to some kind of quack who had our Valentines Match calculated based on our names, our birthdates and a couple of crazy questions. We got a 97% score, but in all honestly, the twenty bucks I paid the guy when Alex wasn’t looking might have had some influence on that. So now we’re walking through the streets again. Alex said he had another surprise.
“97 percent… can you believe it?”, he says half-proudly
“Alex I have a confession to make. I kind of bribed the math guy to give us a high score”
He looks at me like he’s about to burst into laughter. “How much did you pay?”, he asks
“Twenty bucks”
“You got overcharged. It only cost me ten”, he says before he starts to laugh. He did the same thing!
“He could’ve given us a 100% for that money”
“Yeah, he could have… okay, we’re here”, he says when we arrive at a large building with a large open field behind it. I remember this place from somewhere but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Holding his hand, we enter the building together and then I remember why I know this place. There were over a dozen stables inside the building. He’s seriously taking me horseback riding? I feel like the six year old girl again whose parents finally found some time to take me here.
We walk towards the back and only a minute later, two beautiful horses are brought to us. The one I mount has a brownish fur and is called Lyra. Alex’ horse is white and slightly bigger than mine. I believe that horse’s name is Leoric.
We go riding on the open field behind the building for half an hour before he takes me to a quaint little restaurant I didn’t even know existed. And before I know it, we’re already drinking our last cup of coffee. I can’t believe this night is already coming to an end and I still haven’t told him the truth.
“Tess?!”, a voice sounds behind me. I know that voice and it’s definitely not someone I want anywhere near me at this time. Still, I turn around and indeed, there is Queen Isabel herself, drinking a cup of coffee… alone. Wonders never cease.
“Isabel”, I say with a dry tone
“You have a date? How could you not tell me? How could you not tell your best friend?”, she squeals
I feel embarrassed. Is that wrong? “You’d be surprised how easy it is to not tell somebody something”
“God, you spent so much time playing boss-woman, I was beginning to think you turned celibate”, she says. She’s trying to embarrass me on purpose, isn’t she?
“Boss-woman?”, Alex asks. Oh shit, he wasn’t supposed to find out this way.
“I’m kind of… sort of…”. Why is it so hard to say something? Is it hot in here?
“She runs Globobiz. Surely, she must have told you”, Isabel said
Alex and me look at each other and it’s like we’re talking without saying a word. It’s all in his eyes. He feels betrayed because I deliberately held something back and he’s looking at me, pleading me to tell him that Isabel is lying. But I can’t.
“I’m sorry Tess”, he says as he stands up and walks away without another word.
“Alex, Alex!”, I shout as I shoot up and attempt to follow him. People in the restaurant are staring at us, but I don’t care. “Alex, please!”
“Leave me alone Tess. You’re just like her”, Alex says and then bolts out. Just like who?
I feel a tear trickling down my cheek as I see him leave. I never felt this bad in my life.
From the corner of my eye, I see Isabel approaching and she stands herself right next to me. “Who the hell was that?”, she asks bluntly. I can’t kill her. I can’t kill her. Too many witnesses. Keep telling that to yourself, Tess.
God, I can’t even look at her. I quickly put a hundred and fifty bucks on the table for dinner and run out of the restaurant. I scan my surroundings but I can’t see Alex anywhere. He’s gone.
I screwed up everything
~~
I’m not an alcoholic, but right now, I really need a drink. So, I quickly walk home and from there, drive towards the Eraser Room where I order a vodka. How could this night be so perfect at first and turn into such a disaster later? So I’m rich… that doesn’t automatically make me a bitch, does it? And technically, I didn’t even lie to him. I told him I work at Globobiz and I do.
“Bad day?”, a male voice asks. I don’t even have to turn around to know who it is. I forgot he worked here.
“You can say that again”, I say, staring into my half-filled glass.
“You told him?”, Michael asks as he sits down next to me at the bar.
“Yeah… we met my friend Isabel Evans and she sort of told him. And then he just walked away. Tell me, was it really so bad what I did?”. Apparently it was.
“You know Tess, Alex is a nice guy, but he hasn’t dated in four years…”, Michael says. Four years? Wow. “…Four years ago, he dated some rich girl and she used him, dumped him and broke his heart. He never let anyone get close again”
“So he just arbitrarily decides that all girls with money are evil?”
“The girl who dumped him was Isabel Evans”, he says. It’s… Isabel?
“Just give him some time… if he has any brains in his head, he’ll call you”, he says.
Me and Michael sit there for another couple of minutes before I decide to go home. I don’t take the car; I’m responsible enough not to drink and drive, so I walk home even though it’ll take me at least twenty minutes. When I finally get home, I’m frozen to the bone. I quickly take a box with emergency chocolate out of the kitchen and sit down in front of the fireplace.
Chocolate cures everything… I just need a bigger box.
---
Valentine's Day
---
It’s been five days since Alex left and it still hurts like it just happened. He didn't call… not that I thought he would… and things are going back to normal.
You know what I've come to realize over the last days? I'm so much better off without him. He's a jerk, plain and simple… and I couldn't care less about what he's doing now. Even if he's out there, picking up some other girl and squirming his way into her heart only to break it into a million pieces when he realizes she's not perfect. I don't care… I don't.
Still, there is one thing I'm grateful for. Because of Alex, I finally had the nerve to tell Isabel exactly what I thought of her. She didn't even try to deny it, nor did she apologize. I think those were two of the smartest things she ever did. I don't think I'll see Isabel knocking on my door anytime in the near future.
Work wise, things haven't changed all that much. That's another thing I'm grateful for; that despite everything, I still have my work to keep me busy.
It's about five o'clock now and I think I'm going home and do absolutely nothing. I'll watch a movie, preferably one with Meg Ryan, and go to bed early. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
I walk home, carefully avoiding the Valentine store like I've been doing the last four days and pick up a takeaway Chinese meal on the way home. When I get home, I take my mail and fall back on the couch. My eye immediately falls on one envelope without a sender address. I open it and a beautiful red and pink Valentine's card greets me.
I cautiously turn it around, reading for a sarcastic remark on the back. It simply states: 'I miss you. Please meet me where we first met at seven o'clock'.
"Well, fuck you!". I throw that card right where it belongs; in the trash. Who the hell does he think he is? He thinks can just dump me and then send me a card and expect me to fall at his feet or something?
I start eating my Chinese food, which tastes like crap by the way, and watch Sleepless in Seattle. But I can't seem to focus on the movie; the card I see laying in the trash keeps mocking me and I keep glancing at the clock.
"Oh Jesus Christ, Tess… if you wanna go, just go"
When I'm talking to myself, that's not a good sign. Maybe I should just meet him. What's the worst that could happen? Let's not address that issue.
It's six-fifty-five… oh, what the hell. I quickly spin up and run towards the door, grabbing my coat on the way. I run all the way to the Valentines store, looking at snuggling couples all the way there.
When I finally arrive at the store, with one minute to spare, I quickly look around but Alex is nowhere to be seen. I wait here like some idiot for ten minutes. This is what I was afraid of… I get my hopes up again and…
"Tess", a voice sounds behind me; a voice that makes me smile, even at a moment like this. I slowly turn around and there he is. "It's good to see you again, Tess", he says softly
I can think of one or two sarcastic comments, but I bite my lip. That is so not why I came here. "I… It's good to see you too, Alex"
Alex turns towards the store which is even more packed than when we were there a few days ago. "So… do you still find it sickening?", he asks
"No", I say with a small smile, "Every time I see one of those stupid cupids, I think of you and me playing that game where we threw those arrows at those hearts"
"I'm glad", Alex said
"Do you still mean what you said… that I was just like Isabel?" I have to know. I have to hear him say it.
"No", Alex says, hanging his head and looking down, "I just saw Isabel with you and she said she was your best friend and…"
"I hate her!", I shout, interrupting his sentence, "She screwed my ex-boyfriend under my nose six months ago and I didn't say anything to her because I didn't have anyone else. Pathetic huh… poor little millionaire", I say in a mocking tone.
"You never told me", he says softly
"That's because you left me, you jerk!". I don't like shouting at him but at the same time, it feels so good to let it out. Oh great, now I'm crying again.
"I'm sorry", he just says. Oh, that's just great. He dumps me in the middle of a date because he doesn't like my pretend-friend, he doesn't bother to call or make any effort to find out what really happened and all he has to say is 'sorry'?
"I know what Isabel did to you. If she walked up to you and said she was sorry, what would you say?"
He thinks a few seconds before answering. "I would tell her that I would forgive her… but that I love someone else now", he says with a small smile
Good answer. "You've known me for three days. How can you say you love me?"
He looks straight at me with those beautiful eyes of his. "Because I feel it… here", he says, pressing his hand on his chest. "Do you feel it too?", he asks expectantly
"I do. I think I did from the moment I met you". As soon as I said this, Alex stepped forward and kisses me. It feels so good; I never want this to stop. It feels like an eternity in heaven before he breaks the kiss due to lack of oxygen.
"I'm so glad that you asked me to come here", he says with a wide smile
"I'm glad you… wait a minute, you asked me to come here."
"No I didn't. You sent me a card. Look, I even got it h…", he says, stopping mid sentence. He looks at me with a knowing look and the both of us quickly scan our surroundings fast enough to see three heads quickly retreat behind a car.
"I think we've been set up", he says with a sly smile. God, I missed that smile.
"Nice friends you got there", I say with a wide smile. I’m not even being sarcastic.
"I think it's safe to say that they're your friends too", Alex says as we look at the three girls who are carefully peeking their heads around the car.
"Now I know what a fish in a bowl feels like". I can't help but smile.
“Then how’s about we give them what they came for?”, Alex asks and without waiting for an answer, he leans forward and kisses me again, this time with even more passion than before. Wow.
“Now, there is one thing I wanted to ask you ever since I saw you standing here in front of this store a week ago”, Alex says
“And what is that?”
“Tess, will you be my Valentine?”, he asks in the sweetest voice he has.
I didn’t know my smile could get any bigger, but it did. “Of course I will… be mine?”
“I’m yours… and not just today”, he responds.
Did I ever mention I love Valentines Day?
Author: Drogyn
Pairings: UC - Alex/Tess and a just a little bit of Michael/Maria
Category: AU without Aliens
Rating: Mature for occasional strong language
Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me but belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz and a whole bunch of other people.
Summary: Tess Harding is one of the most powerful women in Roswell. Not only is she very rich, but she also runs one of the biggest companies of Roswell. Despite, or maybe because of, these circumstances, she's miserable. She has no real friends, no boyfriend and she rarely sees her parents. Valentines Day is approaching and, like most single people, Tess hates every single aspect of that day. But then she meets a man who makes her heart beat faster, a man who seems to be perfect in every way; Alex Whitman. The only problem is that he hates rich girls, because they only think about themselves. So, she lies…
Author's note: I've written this story for a Valentines challenge at Roswellian Chronicles. I've never done a Fifth Wheeler story before and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. The entire story is in Tess POV.
And who would have ever thought it. I won!
#########################################
---
Seven days before Valentine's Day
---
"Jim, don't give me that crap!"
Honestly, don’t people understand the meaning of the word commitment? Like that slacker I have on the phone right now; one of my managers Jim. He just told me that he isn’t going to be able to finish the monthly report any earlier than tomorrow afternoon. That’s friggin unacceptable; is it so difficult to do what you’re told? I’m trying to run a business here… and not just any business; this company employs over one hundred and fifty people here in Roswell and another two thousand in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. So you understand that it’s imperative that I can count on my managers to do their jobs and give me the goddamn figures on time! But noooo, instead of hanging up the phone, getting to work and getting it done as fast as he can, he starts bitching about how busy he is and starts listing reasons why I’m being unreasonable.
"Jim, your number one priority is to get me the bloody numbers. I don't care if you have to stop time itself, you better make sure you got the numbers on my desk by eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Just get it done! Complain later, preferably not to me. Bye!", I shout and as I speak the last word, I hang up. One more excuse and I would have had to run down to his department and slap him in the face.
Okay, that’s enough excitement for one day. Isabel has cancelled dinner for this evening… something about a new boy toy… so my plans for this evening consist of a long bath, a movie, preferably one with Orlando Bloom, and lots of sleep after that. For once, I’m actually glad that Isabel cancelled on me.
Now, Isabel… how can I describe Isabel? A few words come to mind; ‘bitch’ being the most positive of them. I’ve known her for over two years and we got along really well at first; she seemed like the kind of person I could trust. Well, about seven months ago, I started dating this gorgeous football player named Kyle. He was really nice and it seemed to go great, until I found out he and Isabel had been screwing like bunnies ever since Kyle and I started dating. I broke up with Kyle, but I never told Isabel I knew about them. I don’t have any other friends… and a pretend-friend is still better than being alone, so I’ve learned to bite my lip… a lot.
But today, I’m wiped enough to state that alone is better than hanging out with her. I close off my office computer and the backup laptop on the corner of my desk and take my purse out of the built-in closet along with my coat. I then make my way down to the main entrance where Paul holds the door open for me just like he always does; he’s such a gentleman.
I zip my coat up as far as it goes; it’s colder than I thought it would be, but it’s dry so I’m not complaining. I always walk the distance between my office and my house; it’s only fifteen minutes walking and I find it relaxing.
I hate this time of the year, and not just because it’s cold. In one week, on that ridiculous Valentines Day, my dad is going to give me another speech about how I need to find a guy, the people in my office are going to laugh behind my back because I’m still single and everywhere I go, I’m forced to look at those sickening displays of hearts with an arrow through them, little bald babies with a bow in their hands and people making out in public.
Look, that store over there already started the madness. Just look at that window display… the floor is littered with small candy hearts, wooden cupids are dangling from small strings that are attached to the ceiling and pictures of kissing couples cover the walls. It’s like a nightmare! "What a fucking bullshit!"
"All single people seem to think so… I would have to agree with you", a male voice sounds right next to me. Huh? I didn’t even see him.
"I'm that obvious, huh?" Okay, that’s weird. The words on my lips were ‘mind your own business’, but I said something completely different.
"Your secret is safe with me", the guy says with a smile, "I'm Alex"
“Hi Alex, I’m Tess”… Okay, I did not just give my name to a guy I never met before.
"So, what'd your boyfriend do to make you this bitter?", Alex asks. Right to the point I see. I like that in a guy.
“Is that your way of finding out if I have one?”
“Maybe… do you?”, he says with a sly smile
“Wouldn’t you like to know” I grin at his expression. That guy is so cute, he’s probably already married and has two children… maybe three.
“Well… would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? It’s nice to meet someone who is still unaffected by the whole Valentines Day thing”, he asks.
Did he just ask me to have coffee with him?
~~
Fifteen minutes later we’re both having an espresso at Antar; the same place where I get my coffee every morning. “You still haven’t answered my question”, Alex says before he takes a small sip from his espresso.
“No I don’t have a boyfriend. If I did I wouldn’t be sitting with some cute stranger drinking coffee”. It’s not until I see a grin appear on his face when I realize my slip up.
“You think I’m cute?”, he says with a triumphant grin. What’s the matter with me; I don’t slip up… not like that at least.
“Well, you’re no Orlando Bloom… but yeah, you’re cute… in an annoying kind of way”. I see his grin get even wider. I thought for sure I would have bruised his ego with that one, “So do you have a girlfriend…or maybe a wife?”
“Yeah, I have a wife Erin and my daughter Lilah is nine months old…”, he says.
Kill me, kill me now! “Really?”
He looks at me and all of a sudden, he just starts laughing. “No, of course not! I’m single! What kind of guy do you take me for?”
“Well, I don’t really know you all that well”
“Then let me fix that for you. My name is Alex Whitman; I’m twenty-five years old, I’m a social worker and I think Maria Carey is the devil sent down to kill us all with bad music”, he says
Ha ha ha. Yeah, I actually agree on that one. “Well, I’m Tess Harding; I’m twenty-three years old… and fifteen months… I work at Globobiz and I think that Trainspotting is the worst excuse for a movie I have ever seen”
“Never tell Michael I said this, but I totally agree”, he says. Michael is probably one of his friends… he’s already picturing me meeting his friends?
“Now tell me, Alex Whitman, what’s your favorite television program?”. You can tell a lot about a person by his favorite TV program.
“Crime Scene Investigation. You?”, he says. Solid answer.
Well, that would be Desperate Housewives, but hell will freeze over before I tell him that. “Uh, Lost…. So what are your hobbies, besides picking up strange women off the street?”
“I like playing the guitar and I help out people with their computer problems pretty often. Two days ago, one of my friends; Liz called me and asked my why some general Failure guy was reading her hard drive. I thought I died of laughter”, he says, laughing slightly again, just by remembering the situation.
“And what do you hate?”, I ask. I risky question, I know.
“Well, I hate rich snobs who think that just because they have money that they’re better than anyone else”, he says, “How about you?”
I can’t say that didn’t hurt. “Well, I don’t like people who lie, cheat and deceive”. Isabel and Kyle come to mind.
“Right you are. So… favorite childhood memory?”, he asks
“When I was six, my mom and dad took me to a small farm where I rode on a pony for over an hour while my mom and dad were walking right next to me. Time with my parents has always been scarce, but that moment was just perfect”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories”, he apologizes
“No no, you didn’t…”, I say as I drink the last bit of coffee in my cup and I see he’s doing the same. It can’t end like this, can it? “You know Alex, I was wondering if maybe you uh… wanted to have dinner with me tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry Tess but I can’t”, he says. Shot down in my prime! “I’m helping my friend Maria to move her stuff in with her boyfriend Michael. She doesn’t exactly travel lightly… you know, you could come?”
“What? You want me to meet your friends?”. Damn, I dated Kyle for a month and I never met his friends… assuming that dick had any.
“Well yeah. I’m sure they’d like you, and you would save me of an evening of Liz and Serena going through their address books, looking for people to set me up with. Matchmaking-Liz and –Serena are scary. You have to help me out, Tess!”, he says, placing just the right amount of humor in his words. How can I refuse?
“Well, I’d love to”. As I say the words, I see his face brightening. Maybe I finally found a good one.
---
Six days before Valentine's Day
---
The next morning, I wake up early as usual and the second I think of Alex, I start to smile and I can’t seem to wipe this smile from my face. After having breakfast; bacon and eggs, I take my car towards work. I know… normally I would walk, but it’s pouring rain and that’s a little too much freshness for me.
Anyway, I run towards my Smart which is parked in front of my house and I manage to get soaking wet in those fifteen seconds. It’s a good thing that I have spare clothes at the office.
I quickly drive my car towards the Globobiz building and park my car in my own personal spot, which is still there even though I rarely use it. A lot of people in my office have suggested that I get what they refer to as a ‘real’ car. And while I am the first to admit that my Smart looks a little strange when surrounded by all the Mercedesses and BMWs the managers drive in, I like my Smart. At least I can find a parking spot when I go shopping on Saturday and what would I need such a big car for.
I walk into the building through the pouring rain and hurry into the building and towards my office where I quickly dry myself and put on some dry clothes.
“What the hell happened last night?!”, I hear Isabel shout out as she barges into my office. Bloody hell woman, it’s seven o’clock in the morning.
“What are you talking about Iz?”. She squints her eyes. This was a legitimate question, right?
“We were supposed to have dinner at seven and you stood me up. And then I tried to call you at home and you didn’t answer. What the hell happened?”, she says. Is she kidding… she looks serious?, “Well?”
“Hey, you cancelled dinner on me, remember? You wanted to have a hot night with… what was his name?”
“Leo… but we’re done. I can’t be with a guy who blows his load after twenty seconds; I have needs, you know?”, she explains. I see my estimate of fours days was a little too optimistic.
“So you’re shouting at me at seven in the morning because…?”
”Well, I left a message on your machine”, she says, looking at me like I’m some sort of idiot. I look at the phone on my desk and indeed, it states that I have one missed call.
“Iz, don’t you have something to do with your day?”. I can’t be any clearer that I want her out of my office without using a sentence with the words ‘get out’.
“Yeah, I heard there’s going to open a new clothes store next to that creepy tattoo place”, she says, brightening up as she says the word ‘clothes’. “…Okay, bye”, she adds and hurries out of the office.
Thank god. Now I hope the rest of the day goes by as fast as possible. I can’t wait until I meet Alex again.
~~
Well, the day didn’t go by fast; in fact it seemed like time was standing still from time to time. Maybe Jim found a way to stop time after all, but he still didn’t give me the report so I’m going to have a conversation with him tomorrow.
Right now, I have bigger problems: what am I gonna wear when Alex picks me up in twenty minutes? The black dress, the salmon skirt with my white shirt or should I just go with my favorite jeans? Damn, I am so terrible at this. I think going with my jeans; at least I’ll feel comfortable in them.
Twenty minutes later, Alex picks me up with a rose in his hand. God, he’s so adorable… and on time. I hate it when people are late, but you probably already got that. He drives us to the other side of Roswell where he stops in front of a house not all that different from mine.
I don’t know why but I can feel my heart pounding in my throat. I mean, I meet new people every day but they don’t make me feel like this. “Come on gorgeous, no need to worry”, he says as the two of us walk towards the front door and ring the doorbell.
A few seconds later, a small blonde opens the door. The second she lays eyes on me, she gets this weird look in her eyes. “Maria… this is Tess”, Alex says and before I know what happens, Maria leans forward and gives me a hug. I mean… huh?
Maria excitedly claps her hands together. “Oh Alex, I knew you weren’t gay!”, Maria squeals. “Come in. Come in”, she says as she motions us to get in. We hang our coats on the coat rack and I follow Alex into the living room where Maria and another two girls and three guys were sitting.
“Good evening everyone… this is Tess”, Alex says, placing his hands on my shoulders.
I see a petite brunette and an equally petite redhead turning their heads towards each other and giving each other a knowing smile. I think Alex noticed too. “I am NOT gay. I told you a million times!”, Alex shouts
“So Tess tell us about yourself”, the redhead girl says.
“Whoa whoa…”, Alex interrupts, “…she just got here. Why don’t you all introduce yourselves first”. Thank you Alex.
“I’m Maria, as you already know and as of today, I live here. I work at Fundmain and I’m in telemarketing”, Maria says
“Cause if there’s anything she knows how to do, it’s talking!”, a tall guy with a totally screwed up haircut replies.
Maria just glares at the guy. “And that is Michael”, Maria explains, “He’s a bouncer at The Eraser Room. You know the Eraser Room, right?”
Of course I know the Eraser Room, it’s my favorite club. “Yeah, of course”
“Well love, I’m Zan and this here’s my brotha Max”, another tall guy says, pointing towards someone who’s probably his twin or something. Zan seems a bit taller though and just a little more muscular. They both look like they stepped right out of an Axe-commercial though. “I work at the tattoo shop next to the Crashdown“, he says.
“And I’m a social worker along with Alex”, Max continued.
Next was the brunette. She looks nice. “I’m Liz and I’m a waitress at the Crashdown. See that gorgeous hunk of a man sitting there?”, she says pointing to Max. “He’s mine”, she says with sparkling eyes.
“Well, that leaves me”, the redhead says, “I’m Serena and I have a three year old daughter named Lilah”
“Well, now that you know us… who are you?”, Maria asks as she sits down on Max’ lap… no wait, that’s Michael.
“Well, there’s not much to say… I’m Tess and I work at Globobiz”. I can’t say that I run things there; that’s a sure way to screw everything up.
“Globobiz? You mean that factory that cares more about numbers than about people?”, Liz asks. That’s not true, I care about the people… I do.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s just a little bitter because she applied for a job there and she didn’t get it”, Alex says, “I’m sure it’s a great job you have”
For the next couple of hours, the eight of us just chat and it’s really fun. It’s not until three hours later that I find myself alone in the kitchen with Michael, helping him fetch some drinks.
“He doesn’t know who you are, does he?”, he suddenly asks. I knew he knows who I am.
“No”, I say softly, “He said he hated corporate women with too much money and in case you failed to notice, I fit that description. I don’t want him to hate me”. And that is the truth.
“Well, I think he deserves to know who he dates, don’t you think?”, he says.
“Are you going to tell him?”, I ask and I know my eyes betray my thoughts at this moment. Please don’t!
“No. But I trust you will tell him”, he says, and with that, he walks towards the living room. Before he steps out of the kitchen he stops without turning his face towards me. “If Maria ever finds out I knew and didn’t tell her, I’m a dead man. So let’s keep this conversation between us”, he adds and with that, he leaves me alone in the kitchen.
Maybe he’s right… but how on earth am I gonna tell him, and what if he doesn’t like me anymore when he knows I’m the kind of person he hates? I can’t think about that now. I quickly take the drinks and head back into the living room.
~~
The rest of the evening goes by fast and before I know it, it’s well past midnight and Alex is driving me home again. All things considered, I think it went really well. They all seem like very nice people; Alex really should consider himself lucky with friends like that.
When we arrive at my place, he walks me to my door like a real gentleman. I wonder if he plans on kissing me. Oh god, I want him to.
“I had a really great time, Alex”
“I’m sorry our first real date wasn’t more fun”, he says. He’s apologizing to me? I haven’t had this much fun in… well, ever!
“Alex, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time”
“Well, then I suppose I will have to show you how to have a good time”, he says and there’s that sly smile again. I can practically see the rotors in his head spinning. “How about I take you out to something really fun tomorrow night?”
“Really? I would love to”, I say, maybe a bit too eagerly. I’m not sure who’s chasing who here.
“How about I pick you up at five tomorrow?”, he asks and I can’t do anything besides nod. How does he keep his cool like this? He must think I’m pathetic. “See you tomorrow night then”, he says as he leans forward. Oh my God, this is it. His lips slightly touch mine and I feel weak in the knees like I’m thirteen again and receiving my first kiss again. He is so perfect… I hope he can forgive me when I tell him the truth. I’ll tell him tomorrow… maybe.
---
Five days before Valentine's Day
---
Today went by fast, but not nearly fast enough. I used to love my work, but now all I seem to want is for my workdays to end so I can meet Alex again. I consider tonight our first real date and I decided to wear a beautiful emerald-green dress.
After Alex knocks on my door, he tells me our destination is close by and we can walk there. I haven’t got a clue what he has in store for me, but I trust that he’ll make it an evening neither one of us will forget. After a few minutes of walking, we’re standing at a place I know all too well.
“What are we here for?”. I mean, we’re standing right in front of the store where we first met. I’m all for nostalgia, but this was two days ago.
He then points inside the store and it is filled with people; there are couples having their picture taken, there are lots of Valentine sales booths with everything from Valentine cards to Valentine cakes to friggin love potions and there’s activity all over the place.
“Therapy”, Alex states, “You don’t like Valentines Day and that’s gotta be cured”
“Hey, you said you didn’t like Valentines Day either”. He did! He really did!
“I had to say something to convince you to have coffee with me”, he responds, “Come on” Without further ado, he takes my hand and practically drags me inside the store.
~~
I never thought I’d say this, but I actually had fun. We had our first picture taken together and we played several games, one of which included us throwing an arrow into a target in the shape of a heart. Alex and I both succeeded so we got a small prize in the form of a small silver-colored arrow, which Alex gave to me. Finally, we went to some kind of quack who had our Valentines Match calculated based on our names, our birthdates and a couple of crazy questions. We got a 97% score, but in all honestly, the twenty bucks I paid the guy when Alex wasn’t looking might have had some influence on that. So now we’re walking through the streets again. Alex said he had another surprise.
“97 percent… can you believe it?”, he says half-proudly
“Alex I have a confession to make. I kind of bribed the math guy to give us a high score”
He looks at me like he’s about to burst into laughter. “How much did you pay?”, he asks
“Twenty bucks”
“You got overcharged. It only cost me ten”, he says before he starts to laugh. He did the same thing!
“He could’ve given us a 100% for that money”
“Yeah, he could have… okay, we’re here”, he says when we arrive at a large building with a large open field behind it. I remember this place from somewhere but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Holding his hand, we enter the building together and then I remember why I know this place. There were over a dozen stables inside the building. He’s seriously taking me horseback riding? I feel like the six year old girl again whose parents finally found some time to take me here.
We walk towards the back and only a minute later, two beautiful horses are brought to us. The one I mount has a brownish fur and is called Lyra. Alex’ horse is white and slightly bigger than mine. I believe that horse’s name is Leoric.
We go riding on the open field behind the building for half an hour before he takes me to a quaint little restaurant I didn’t even know existed. And before I know it, we’re already drinking our last cup of coffee. I can’t believe this night is already coming to an end and I still haven’t told him the truth.
“Tess?!”, a voice sounds behind me. I know that voice and it’s definitely not someone I want anywhere near me at this time. Still, I turn around and indeed, there is Queen Isabel herself, drinking a cup of coffee… alone. Wonders never cease.
“Isabel”, I say with a dry tone
“You have a date? How could you not tell me? How could you not tell your best friend?”, she squeals
I feel embarrassed. Is that wrong? “You’d be surprised how easy it is to not tell somebody something”
“God, you spent so much time playing boss-woman, I was beginning to think you turned celibate”, she says. She’s trying to embarrass me on purpose, isn’t she?
“Boss-woman?”, Alex asks. Oh shit, he wasn’t supposed to find out this way.
“I’m kind of… sort of…”. Why is it so hard to say something? Is it hot in here?
“She runs Globobiz. Surely, she must have told you”, Isabel said
Alex and me look at each other and it’s like we’re talking without saying a word. It’s all in his eyes. He feels betrayed because I deliberately held something back and he’s looking at me, pleading me to tell him that Isabel is lying. But I can’t.
“I’m sorry Tess”, he says as he stands up and walks away without another word.
“Alex, Alex!”, I shout as I shoot up and attempt to follow him. People in the restaurant are staring at us, but I don’t care. “Alex, please!”
“Leave me alone Tess. You’re just like her”, Alex says and then bolts out. Just like who?
I feel a tear trickling down my cheek as I see him leave. I never felt this bad in my life.
From the corner of my eye, I see Isabel approaching and she stands herself right next to me. “Who the hell was that?”, she asks bluntly. I can’t kill her. I can’t kill her. Too many witnesses. Keep telling that to yourself, Tess.
God, I can’t even look at her. I quickly put a hundred and fifty bucks on the table for dinner and run out of the restaurant. I scan my surroundings but I can’t see Alex anywhere. He’s gone.
I screwed up everything
~~
I’m not an alcoholic, but right now, I really need a drink. So, I quickly walk home and from there, drive towards the Eraser Room where I order a vodka. How could this night be so perfect at first and turn into such a disaster later? So I’m rich… that doesn’t automatically make me a bitch, does it? And technically, I didn’t even lie to him. I told him I work at Globobiz and I do.
“Bad day?”, a male voice asks. I don’t even have to turn around to know who it is. I forgot he worked here.
“You can say that again”, I say, staring into my half-filled glass.
“You told him?”, Michael asks as he sits down next to me at the bar.
“Yeah… we met my friend Isabel Evans and she sort of told him. And then he just walked away. Tell me, was it really so bad what I did?”. Apparently it was.
“You know Tess, Alex is a nice guy, but he hasn’t dated in four years…”, Michael says. Four years? Wow. “…Four years ago, he dated some rich girl and she used him, dumped him and broke his heart. He never let anyone get close again”
“So he just arbitrarily decides that all girls with money are evil?”
“The girl who dumped him was Isabel Evans”, he says. It’s… Isabel?
“Just give him some time… if he has any brains in his head, he’ll call you”, he says.
Me and Michael sit there for another couple of minutes before I decide to go home. I don’t take the car; I’m responsible enough not to drink and drive, so I walk home even though it’ll take me at least twenty minutes. When I finally get home, I’m frozen to the bone. I quickly take a box with emergency chocolate out of the kitchen and sit down in front of the fireplace.
Chocolate cures everything… I just need a bigger box.
---
Valentine's Day
---
It’s been five days since Alex left and it still hurts like it just happened. He didn't call… not that I thought he would… and things are going back to normal.
You know what I've come to realize over the last days? I'm so much better off without him. He's a jerk, plain and simple… and I couldn't care less about what he's doing now. Even if he's out there, picking up some other girl and squirming his way into her heart only to break it into a million pieces when he realizes she's not perfect. I don't care… I don't.
Still, there is one thing I'm grateful for. Because of Alex, I finally had the nerve to tell Isabel exactly what I thought of her. She didn't even try to deny it, nor did she apologize. I think those were two of the smartest things she ever did. I don't think I'll see Isabel knocking on my door anytime in the near future.
Work wise, things haven't changed all that much. That's another thing I'm grateful for; that despite everything, I still have my work to keep me busy.
It's about five o'clock now and I think I'm going home and do absolutely nothing. I'll watch a movie, preferably one with Meg Ryan, and go to bed early. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
I walk home, carefully avoiding the Valentine store like I've been doing the last four days and pick up a takeaway Chinese meal on the way home. When I get home, I take my mail and fall back on the couch. My eye immediately falls on one envelope without a sender address. I open it and a beautiful red and pink Valentine's card greets me.
I cautiously turn it around, reading for a sarcastic remark on the back. It simply states: 'I miss you. Please meet me where we first met at seven o'clock'.
"Well, fuck you!". I throw that card right where it belongs; in the trash. Who the hell does he think he is? He thinks can just dump me and then send me a card and expect me to fall at his feet or something?
I start eating my Chinese food, which tastes like crap by the way, and watch Sleepless in Seattle. But I can't seem to focus on the movie; the card I see laying in the trash keeps mocking me and I keep glancing at the clock.
"Oh Jesus Christ, Tess… if you wanna go, just go"
When I'm talking to myself, that's not a good sign. Maybe I should just meet him. What's the worst that could happen? Let's not address that issue.
It's six-fifty-five… oh, what the hell. I quickly spin up and run towards the door, grabbing my coat on the way. I run all the way to the Valentines store, looking at snuggling couples all the way there.
When I finally arrive at the store, with one minute to spare, I quickly look around but Alex is nowhere to be seen. I wait here like some idiot for ten minutes. This is what I was afraid of… I get my hopes up again and…
"Tess", a voice sounds behind me; a voice that makes me smile, even at a moment like this. I slowly turn around and there he is. "It's good to see you again, Tess", he says softly
I can think of one or two sarcastic comments, but I bite my lip. That is so not why I came here. "I… It's good to see you too, Alex"
Alex turns towards the store which is even more packed than when we were there a few days ago. "So… do you still find it sickening?", he asks
"No", I say with a small smile, "Every time I see one of those stupid cupids, I think of you and me playing that game where we threw those arrows at those hearts"
"I'm glad", Alex said
"Do you still mean what you said… that I was just like Isabel?" I have to know. I have to hear him say it.
"No", Alex says, hanging his head and looking down, "I just saw Isabel with you and she said she was your best friend and…"
"I hate her!", I shout, interrupting his sentence, "She screwed my ex-boyfriend under my nose six months ago and I didn't say anything to her because I didn't have anyone else. Pathetic huh… poor little millionaire", I say in a mocking tone.
"You never told me", he says softly
"That's because you left me, you jerk!". I don't like shouting at him but at the same time, it feels so good to let it out. Oh great, now I'm crying again.
"I'm sorry", he just says. Oh, that's just great. He dumps me in the middle of a date because he doesn't like my pretend-friend, he doesn't bother to call or make any effort to find out what really happened and all he has to say is 'sorry'?
"I know what Isabel did to you. If she walked up to you and said she was sorry, what would you say?"
He thinks a few seconds before answering. "I would tell her that I would forgive her… but that I love someone else now", he says with a small smile
Good answer. "You've known me for three days. How can you say you love me?"
He looks straight at me with those beautiful eyes of his. "Because I feel it… here", he says, pressing his hand on his chest. "Do you feel it too?", he asks expectantly
"I do. I think I did from the moment I met you". As soon as I said this, Alex stepped forward and kisses me. It feels so good; I never want this to stop. It feels like an eternity in heaven before he breaks the kiss due to lack of oxygen.
"I'm so glad that you asked me to come here", he says with a wide smile
"I'm glad you… wait a minute, you asked me to come here."
"No I didn't. You sent me a card. Look, I even got it h…", he says, stopping mid sentence. He looks at me with a knowing look and the both of us quickly scan our surroundings fast enough to see three heads quickly retreat behind a car.
"I think we've been set up", he says with a sly smile. God, I missed that smile.
"Nice friends you got there", I say with a wide smile. I’m not even being sarcastic.
"I think it's safe to say that they're your friends too", Alex says as we look at the three girls who are carefully peeking their heads around the car.
"Now I know what a fish in a bowl feels like". I can't help but smile.
“Then how’s about we give them what they came for?”, Alex asks and without waiting for an answer, he leans forward and kisses me again, this time with even more passion than before. Wow.
“Now, there is one thing I wanted to ask you ever since I saw you standing here in front of this store a week ago”, Alex says
“And what is that?”
“Tess, will you be my Valentine?”, he asks in the sweetest voice he has.
I didn’t know my smile could get any bigger, but it did. “Of course I will… be mine?”
“I’m yours… and not just today”, he responds.
Did I ever mention I love Valentines Day?