Chapter Seven

 *****          
He needed a hug.  He needed affection.  And yet here he was, three
in the morning and at Alyssa’s apartment, unable to leave because of the
loneliness and unable to stay because of the consequences.  He looked at
her again, trying to focus on what she was saying but having trouble doing
so.  He was a changed man...Right?  He didn’t stray down those roads
anymore...He rubbed his eyes, unaware that she paused until she
laughed.
“ I’m sorry, you must be so tired and here I am, boring you to death,” She
said apologetically while he shook his head.
“ No, I’m not bored...My eyes are hurting,” He voiced, not wanting to be
alone.   
“ Do you want something to drink?” She asked, getting up.
“ Um...Just some soda if you have any,” She returned with two glasses of
coke and held one out to him, resuming her place on the loveseat and
stretching out.  
“ So how long do you plan on staying?” 
“...I don’t know yet...I thought I was gonna be here for a while, maybe even
for good but...” He shrugged.
“ I wish I could just pack up and leave when I wanted to...” She
commented.
“ What do you have here?  Boyfriend?” 
“...Obligations...And my Mom and Dad live here,”
“ Oh...They still together?”
“ Yeah...Nearly thirty years,”
“ Wow...That’s a long time...” She nodded and he hesitantly got up.
“ I should get going...” He said, running a hand through his hair and looking
at her.
“ So soon?...Well let me give you a ride home,” 
“ No, don’t worry about.  I’ve made friends at the cab place,” 
“ No, seriously.  It’s late,”   He contemplated and she slipped on her shoes.
“ It’s no trouble at all,” She insisted.
“ Thanks,” 
“ No problem...” They left her apartment and went down to her car.  The
ride home was quiet, except for the Coldplay playing.  
“ Right here,” He said several minutes later and she abruptly stopped, the
tires schreeching.
“ Whoops,” She laughed.
“ The whole neighborhood doesn’t need to know I’m home, Lyss.” He said
lightly, hand on the door.
“ Alex...”  She said before he opened it.
“ Yeah?”
“ Don’t hesitate to  call, ok?...Free lodging if ya feel like leaving,” She said,
eyeing him again, seeing his reaction to being home.
“ Thanks,” His lips brushed against her cheek and he got out.  When he
got to the front door, he motioned for her to leave and she drove away
loudly.  He chuckled and unlocked the door.  His mother was sitting on the
couch, looking expectantly at him.
“ You’re back with her?” She said, her lips pursed disapprovingly.
“ What?  With who?” Irritation that she had been spying on him vexed his
nerves.
“ Her...Samantha,”
“ Saman-?...No, that was...someone else...a friend,” 		
“ Are you sure?  It resembled her from where I was sitting,”
“ No, it wasn’t her.  She wants nothing to do with me anymore,” AJ
grumbled, knowing where this was leading.
“ I was just making sure you know that as long as you two are-”
“ I know, Ma...” He snapped, leaving the room to get some sleep...



      
*****                                                          
  
             Denise stood behind the couch in the den, having just walked in
to wake up her son.  He was still asleep, across the room, and his bag on
the couch in front of her, half open.  Curiousity picked at her and she was
tempted to look through his belongings, just to see if her was telling the
truth about staying “clean” but he stirred, the sofa bed creaking slightly. 
She moved away guiltily and looked at him.  She walked towards the bed,
hesitating over him.  She sighed, studying his face.  He had changed from
who she called her son.  She doubted he really even knew who he was; he
was just too resolute on insisting that his life was incomplete without
Samantha.  Like Denise had wanted to wreck his life, she just wanted her
son to stay out of trouble.  And that was all Samantha was; trouble.  She
was the one who turned him to the drinking and Denise knew there  were
drugs involved no matter what Alex said.  He had become so evasive after
Denise had expressed her disapproval of who he was dating, and that was
way before their big argument before he had left.  A frown appeared on
Alex’s face in his sleep and once again, she noticed the wearyiness on his
face, the paleness and felt  another stab of regret at getting into another
argument with him on his first day back.  He was right, she was back to the
way  she had been before he left and now that Ken was in the picture, she
was worried about how his (Ken’s) reaction and adjustment to everything
would be and didn’t stop to think that Alex could just as quickly pack up
again and leave.  Which is what he had said he would be doing.  Denise
placed a hand on his cheek lightly, moving it as he flinched ever so
slightly.  Another inward sigh before she decided to let him wake up on his
own and went back upstairs to check if Lori was awake...






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