by Izzy Cullen
When I exited the room, Alex was typing on his computer. At first he didn’t look up until I sat across from him at the table. When he did, he had a huge smile on his face. He didn’t say anything, but just looked into my eyes. I slid my bare feet over and rested them up on his leg. I was comfortable and content and loved the moment.
The blonde flight attendant approached, asking if she could get me anything to drink once she slid food out in front of us. I immediately felt embarrassed. I was so consumed in the moments earlier that I had forgotten she was even on the plane. I asked for a diet soda without making eye contact. When she disappeared, Alex immediately spoke.
“I know what you are thinking, and don’t worry. She heard nothing. I instructed her to sit in the cockpit at takeoff and not to return back until I called up for her. She was up there the whole time.” I felt a little better, but she had to know what was going on back here, and that still made me feel embarrassed.
I looked down and the meal actually looked good. It was grilled chicken breasts, rice, and asparagus. She came back with my drink and a side of raw veggies and hummus. My stomach started to growl, and I held it while letting out a soft laugh.
I sat and ate while watching Alex on the computer. A few times he had me take a listen to some music that Eric sent to him from bands he would be meeting this weekend. I wasn’t all that impressed. They sounded good, but almost as if they were imitating Awakenings sound. They didn’t have any unique qualities. I was not a music expert, and when Alex asked me what I thought, I just simply said they were good or decent and that I liked them. There was not a single group I loved, and I thought I was sensing the same feeling from Alex. The more he listened and typed, the more I saw a look of frustration on his face. It wasn’t until the flight attendant came back that I realized the time and that we were starting our descent. Alex shut down the computer, came over, and sat next to me. I sank into his side and rested my head on his chest.
It was at that moment I realized I had completely failed again. I felt panicked. I lifted my head up and was about to start the conversation I had been avoiding when Alex took my mouth with his. When he stopped kissing me, he looked me in the eyes.
“Thank you for doing this for me. I know it was a lot to ask, but it means a lot to me that you agreed to come.”
Fuck, what was I going to say? Should I spit it out now or hope to do it tomorrow morning? I was so confused. Instead of telling him, I took the chicken way out and simply said, “I’m glad I could do this for you.”
The rest of the plane ride was uneventful. I stayed curled up next to Alex with the guilt eating away at me, and he held me thinking everything was basically perfect with us.
~7~
When we exited the plane, we walked through a small building and got into a black Suburban that was waiting for us. We headed out into the LA traffic. The freeway wasn’t extremely busy, but busier than I was used to seeing or driving in even when in Detroit.
When we exited the freeway, we drove up into the hills through winding roads until we came to a gate that was overseen by two security guards. I watched as the driver gave them information, and then one got on the phone and the gate was opened. We drove in, occasionally seeing large mansion type houses or long driveways to get to the same type of house.
We finally pulled down a long drive that wrapped around a fountain. I was amazed at the structure I was looking at. It was well lit, so I was able to make out a lot of the structure. The front had four large pillars and huge concrete or granite containers with flowers overflowing from them on each of the steps leading into the house. The landscaping in front of the house was immaculate and perfect. I turned to look at Alex, but he was already staring at me.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful. I love it. You gave this up to live in Mayberry, Michigan?” The house he lived in now was the largest in town, but it looked like a shack compared to this house.
“I’d live in a cardboard box if it meant being with you.” I leaned in and kissed him and turned back to look at the house. I saw Sam opening the door and waving at us. I was excited to see her. We talked a lot, but she still hadn’t been out for a visit yet.
“Come on, let’s go inside so I can show you around.” I heard Alex open his door, but I was still taking it all in and didn’t move.
Alex walked around to open my door and helped me out. The driver was carrying the luggage up into the entry of the house. When we walked into the house, the downstairs looked like an open floor plan. There were two stairways leading up to the top floor, one on each side of the room. Straight ahead was an all glass wall that overlooked the pool and city of Los Angeles. The view was breathtaking.
“I see she is slightly overwhelmed here, so maybe we should just head outside and start the drinking.” I looked over at Sam and started to smile.
“Sounds like you have been itching to start. You could have started without me.” Sam reached for my hand and started to pull me outside.
“No way, it’s no fun to drink alone. Alex, you have a lot of calls to make, so we are going to head outside.”
Sam waved over her shoulder as we were getting to the sliding door that let us out onto the patio. I saw the table was set with a pitcher and two glasses, with a platter of meat, cheese, and fruit. I let Sam lead me to a seat. She let go of my hand when we got there.
“Salt or no salt?” Sam had a glass in her hand, running a lime slice around the brim.
“No salt, and looks like you outdid yourself here.”
Sam shook her head. “No. Marie, our housekeeper, set up the tray before she left for the night. I just pulled it out of the fridge. I did mix the margaritas.”
Of course they had a housekeeper. I took a minute to take in the view and turned my head to look at the back of the house. There were a lot of windows and balconies in the back. I guess if I had a house with a view like this I would want to take full advantage of the view whenever I could, too. Sam handed me a glass and sat down with hers. She plopped her feet up on the chair next to her.
“So you didn’t tell him. It’s pretty obvious because he is still in a good mood.”
“I know. It’s not that I didn’t want to tell him. I told him on the plane I needed to talk to him, and his version of talking and mine are way different. I mean, I don’t mind his version.”
Sam brought her fingers up to plug her ears and started to sing loudly to make it clear she wasn’t interested hearing anything about Alex and me, and I didn’t blame her. I started to laugh and put my hands up so she knew I wasn’t going any further. When she put her hands down, I continued to talk.
“I didn’t see him last night because he stayed at his house, and this week has been crazy. I barely saw Alex and spent no time with the girls. I’m not trying to make excuses, but I couldn’t get the timing right.”
“Well, you are just going to have to let it play out tomorrow. You can’t tell him now, because Hell would have to freeze over before he would go talk to Johnny.” Sam picked up her glass to take a drink, but her eyes remained focused on me.
“Fine, but I feel like I’m setting him up.” I was now feeling even worse knowing he was going in and I was going to drop it on him.
“I’m done talking about this subject, no offense. When is the wedding by the way? I will look hot in a bridesmaid’s dress, and I’m really starting to enjoy having this place to myself.” That was the nice thing about Sam. She always got right to the point, no beating around the bush or small talk. Her questions and comments were always right in your face.
“Well, I don’t have a ring, and we stopped talking about it. We are still in the honeymoon stage of the relationship. Christ, we haven’t had our first fight yet.”
“No, but you will tomorrow,” Sam said in a singsong voice. She was right. There was no way that this would all come out and he wouldn’t be mad at me or the whole situation.
Sam and I sat out there a while longer. I filled her in on my small town,
Alex, the girls, and everything else she questioned me on. She seemed confident Alex would adjust well to small town living. I, on the other hand, was still waiting for the novelty of it to wear off for him.
Alex came out after an hour or so and joined us. He poured himself a glass from the pitcher. There wasn’t much left and he was only able to get a half a glass.
“I take it that you two have been having a good time.” Alex took a sip.
“How is your star search going?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know. I have heard some really good talent, but I just haven’t heard anything new and exciting. Eric keeps sending me groups or artists that imitate my sound, but he doesn’t understand that I’m not interested in that. I actually just got off the phone with him, telling him I was thinking about cancelling tomorrow, because I feel it is a waste of my time.”
“Tomorrow? I thought we were meeting with Johnny tomorrow? Have things changed?” I wasn’t sure what was going on and was a bit confused on the schedule.
“No, I’m going in early, then we are going to Johnny’s for lunch, and then I have to go back to the studio for a bit. I thought Sam could take you shopping or something.” Alex flashed me a smile. I then turned to look at Sam who was giving me an even bigger smile.
“Does this mean we get the card tomorrow? I could really use a new wardrobe.” Sam seemed all excited.
“What do you think? When have I ever sent you shopping and not given you my Amex?”
“Never, that is why I love you.” Sam blew Alex a kiss from across the table.
“I don’t need any new clothes. I am good with just sitting here by the pool.” I didn’t feel right going shopping and allowing Alex to pick up the tab.
Alex and Sam were both trying to protest at the same time, but Sam finally quieted down so Alex could speak. “You will go and buy what you want. There is no way you could spend enough money shopping to where I would even notice. If you don’t want to shop for yourself, then go buy the girls some new clothes. They love new clothes.” I didn’t have the energy to argue with him about it. I was too tired and was already yawning.
“Fine, we will see tomorrow. How about a tour up to the bedroom? I am beat.” My eyes were feeling heavy.
“Perfect. Climb on my back and I’ll give you a piggyback ride since you are so tired.” Alex squatted down in front of me.
“I’m not twelve. I can walk, and your sister needs help cleaning up.” Alex didn’t move.
“You are a guest, and she will take care of it, especially if she wants my card tomorrow. Now hop your ass on my back so I can take you to bed.” Alex brought a hand up and patted his upper back.
I reluctantly climbed on, wrapping my arms and legs around him. We headed into the house and up the stairs. “I like the feeling of your arms and legs around me.” Alex brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed it.
Once we got to the top of the stairs, we walked down the hall, and as we passed rooms, he explained what was in each room. He basically had this whole side of the house. His office, movie room, game room and bedroom were on this side. I thought tomorrow I would take a walk around and peek into all the rooms.
When he walked into his bedroom, the French doors to the balcony were open and you could see perfectly over the city. I let out a gasp at the view. “This is amazing. I love this view.”
Alex was still holding me on his back as he walked out on the balcony. “It is a great view, but not as good as the view from my house on the bluff. You would love the view too if you would ever move in with me. The girls already decorated their rooms.”
Alex had the girls pick everything out for their rooms there. He left a lot of it bare in hopes that they would move their stuff in one day. I was so reluctant and flat out scared. Things would become permanent and real at that point, and I wasn’t sure the girls or me were even ready for that final stage. I knew I loved Alex and he loved all of us, but was it enough to keep him happy and away from all this?
“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Alex said in a soft, caring voice.
“Mmm, sleep sounds so good, but I need to brush my teeth and I would like to take a quick shower. Where’s my bag?” I started looking around the room when I saw his massive bed, with a beautiful wood headboard and footboard.
“I put everything away when you were downstairs. There is a robe on the back of the door for you.” Alex gently set me down and kissed my forehead before I disappeared into the bathroom.
The bathroom was something you saw in magazines or on MTV’s Cribs. There was a huge sunken tub that could hold at least four grown adults, plus an all glass shower. I saw four showerheads in each direction. The vanity area had all my toiletries on it, and my pajamas were folded and on a chair that was in the corner with an ottoman. The size of the bathroom had to be the size of the living room in my house.
I finally stopped looking at everything and undressed so I could get in the shower. It took me a while to figure out how to turn it on, but when I did, all the showerheads started spitting out hot water. I walked into the shower and it felt like pure bliss. I didn’t have to worry about turning or about one side going cold, or even the need to rinse off. I was thinking of remodeling and putting this in my house.
After a long time in the shower, I reluctantly climbed out. I dried off and applied my toner and lotion to my face. I skipped my pajamas, threw the robe on, and walked out into the bedroom. Alex was already in bed and had the local news on. I climbed up next to him and curled up.
~8~
When I woke the next morning, the sun was coming in through the French doors. I reached over to feel for Alex, but he wasn’t in bed. I rolled over to look at the clock and saw that it was eight in the morning. It wasn’t a big deal, but in EST, it was already eleven. I hadn’t slept in like that in a long time, since it was almost impossible with the girls. I slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
When I finally emerged, I felt like I could at least walk downstairs in search of Alex. I had my hair in a loose ponytail and put underwear and my pajamas on under the robe. I could smell the coffee as I was descending the stairs. When I got to the kitchen, there was an older lady behind the island.
“Good morning, you must be Abby. I’m Marie.” She reached her hand out to me with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, it’s nice to meet you. Is Alex around?” I thought I would see him down here.
“No, Mr. Morgan wanted me to tell you he was sorry, but he had to run into the studio this morning for some business. He’ll have a car here at noon to take you to Mr. Gibson’s and he’ll meet you there.” She turned her back to me and walked over to the opposite counter. I was still taking in the fact that I was heading over to Johnny’s alone when she handed me my coffee. I thanked her and headed out to sit by the pool to drink it.
I stretched out on a lounge chair and sipped my coffee. I had to remove the robe because the morning sun was already getting hot. I was still there when Sam came down. She plopped in a lounge chair next to me. “Morning,” I said without even looking over at her. Sam didn’t even reply, she just grunted. I started to laugh. I could see she was not a morning person like me, and the complete opposite of Alex.
Marie came out, handed Sam a coffee, and replaced my mug with a fresh one. Alex must have told her how I took my coffee, because it was made perfectly, just how I liked it. I took a long sip.
“Isn’t this nice? I mean, this could be your life. Waking up every day and having coffee made for you.” Sam was now looking at me.
I turned to look at Sam. “I already do. Your brother makes mine every morning.” I had a smile on my face as I took another sip. Sam let out a sigh. I was starting to think she didn’t like being here alone as much as she wanted us to believe she did.
“Hey, instead of waiting another week and a half, why don’t you fly back with us now for Thanksgiving? You could have an extra-long holiday with us and you can see the girls and spend more time with Alex. I know he misses you.”
I knew he did. I knew they were still talking two to three times a day.
“We’ll see.” It wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes either.
Sam and I sat outside for a while and just enjoyed the sun. We talked, and Sam filled me in on her visits to Johnny and about how he was back to his old self. She kept telling me what a nice guy he was and how he is even more considerate of people than Alex, but I had a really hard time believing it. I procrastinated as long as I could before I finally went upstairs and started to get ready. When I picked up my phone, I saw it was a little after twelve and I knew that the car would be outside. I was feeling anxious and nervous.
I walked downstairs and Sam was waiting by the door. “Hey, you look nice. When you are done, give me a call. I have a feeling you will need a drink and retail therapy.”
“I will…wish me luck. I need it, and FYI, a big fat ‘I told you so’ today may be a mistake.” I gave Sam a warning look.
“Please, I know better than to do that, especially today. I will wait at least until tomorrow.” She smiled at me, reached over, and gave me a hug. “It will be okay. He is going to be mad, but he’ll get over it. He loves you too much to hate you. If anything, he’ll hate Johnny.” Her attempt at making me feel better did nothing to help. I was still feeling pretty damn miserable.
I left the house and got into the waiting car. I pulled out my phone and saw a text from Alex.
I’ll be there shortly, just finishing up with one of the bands. I promise I won’t be long.
Great, if Alex was late, then that would mean I was going to be stuck alone with Johnny, and I really wasn’t feeling up to that at the moment. I figured I needed to suck it up. Just because I was going over there didn’t mean I was going to have to be nice to him.
The driver told me it would take at least thirty to forty five minutes to get to Johnny’s house in Malibu. I thought I better call the girls and check in to see how their day went at school. They would just be getting home, and I wasn’t able to call them the night before. They all had a lot to fill me in on. Apparently, since I wasn’t at school, they felt the need to give me a play by play of all the events of the day. When I was done talking to them, I got on the phone with my mother. There wasn’t really a lot for her to tell me. She and I were both comfortable with her having the kids and she never felt the need to ask my permission when doing anything with them.
