A Cup of Coffee ( A/I - Teen ) Pt.2 of 2 23-Nov-06

[StargazerUK]

A Cup of Coffee

Author: StargazerUK.

Email: dj.meade@btinternet.com

Category: A/I & C/C.

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these Roswell characters, I have borrowed them.( If I did Alex & Isabel would be living happily ever after. )

Author's Note: I’m afraid I’ve been missing for the last couple of months or so. A new job and some odd working hours are the main reasons, but hopefully once I start again I’ll get back into the swing of things soon enough.

As this is an attempt to get back writing this is going to be the shortest of short two-part story set just after the convention. It’s meant as a standalone piece so it won’t rely too much on what was happening with the whole gang, this is Alex/Isabel orientated. (Surprise, surprise lol.)


Part 1


11:15. Friday night

“What the hell are you doing?” Isabel cried.

“What’s the matter sweetheart? You seemed all too keen a moment ago.”

Isabel tried to push the heavy young man off of her. She knew from the moment she had accepted a date with Brad Carter that it had been a mistake. She’d dated guys from the football team in the past, but she had stayed far away from the lineman until now. Too much talk of steroids and unsavoury party pranks had meant Isabel had steered clear of the more out of control members of the team, not that she had dated that many of them!

The fact that she now found herself being pushed back into her seat as nearly 260lbs of West Roswell Highs finest tried to have his wicked way with her only confirmed that her original fears had been correct.

With one almighty shove Isabel managed to push Brad off of her and back into his own seat. “At what point exactly did I give you the go ahead to leap on top of me and start pawing at me?” She yelled, her anger rising.

Brad for his part looked genuinely surprised at the rebuke. “Haven’t I just taken you out to dinner? Haven’t I just watched some God awful chick flick to keep you happy? And haven’t I driven you out here to this secluded spot so you can look out at the night sky?”

“You bought me a burger from a stand, we watched Titanic, which I might add you cried at more than I did, and you brought me out here thinking you were going to get lucky.” Isabel countered. “At no point did I as much as hint at wanting to go any further than just being friends and having a civilized conversation.”

“I knew it!” Brad cried, hitting the steering wheel of his car so hard that it made even Isabel jump. “The guys all told me not to waste my time with you. That Isabel the ice princess never puts out and that you’re only a tease and a flirt!”

Isabel stared back at Brad in disbelief. “And I knew that I was making a huge mistake, expecting some sort of relaxing night out with a chance to get my mind off of more important things that I can’t bring myself to deal with right now, when all I’ve ended up doing is spending time with a Neanderthal who thinks a $2 dollar burger and some popcorn gives him the right to maul me just so he can go back to his so called friends to brag about it.”

“Trust me, Honey. On tonight’s showing there ain’t much worth bragging about.”

To Brad’s surprise his comment didn’t anger Isabel further, rather the opposite in fact. She seemed to calm down almost instantly, a sudden smile appearing where a moment ago had been a look of undeniable anger and frustration. Before he could react Isabel threw open the passenger door to his prized muscle car, inadvertently slamming it into an unseen bollard.

“Jesus, Isabel! Mind the paintwork.”

Ignoring her companions cries completely Isabel stepped out of the car making sure she had picked up her sweater and bag before turning in the direction of the road home. A look of grim determination now firmly fixed on her face.

A moment later she heard the driver’s door to the prize corvette crash open, swiftly followed by the approaching footsteps of Brad. Unexpectedly Isabel felt a strong hand on her shoulder, pulling her back and round until she came face to face with her clearly unhappy, erstwhile date. “And where the hell do you think you’re going?” He bellowed.

Isabel managed to push Brad’s arm from her shoulder. As she did so she became concerned for the first time. What had started out as an ill-conceived choice of activity with an even poorer choice of companion was fast turning into an ugly mess that looked as if it was going to get worse before it was going to get better. She quickly realised that discretion might be called for rather than her usual acerbic banter that most fellow students had witnessed and even experienced in the past. She wasn’t exactly in fear of her own safety, but the fact remained that Brad was one big boy and steroid use or no steroid use he would take some stopping if he decided to get physical.

“Look, Brad. Let’s all just take a moment to calm down.” Isabel began. “I’m sorry about your car door, I didn’t see that post there and I’m sure I didn’t do any really damage.”

“This isn’t about the car you stupid bitch!” He growled as he took a step forward, forcing Isabel to take an involuntary step backwards. “This is about every guy you’ve messed around and taken for a fool.”

“I haven’t been taking any guys for fools or messed anyone around.” She replied defensively. “Just because I say I will go on a date with someone and they might buy me dinner it doesn’t mean I will have sex with them nor does it mean I owe them anything. I’ve never twisted any guys arm or promised anything so why should I apologise?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Brad was still advancing and Isabel was still back tracking. “You don’t get to decide what happens when you’re on a date with a guy like me, I decide.”

“OK, I’ve had enough!” Isabel stated abruptly as she came to a halt. This in turn stopped Brad in his tracks as he stared in confusion at the now resolute looking blond girl. “I’ve played the good companion and when you went all psycho on me I even played the subservient and meek date, but enough’s enough. I strongly suggest you get your hairy ass back into that phallic symbol on wheels that you have parked over there and go home to you mom before I embarrass you and make you regret every date you’ve ever been on!”

Isabel stood patiently as she waited for Brad’s brain to slowly start turning and formulate a response. A few moments earlier she was truly beginning to fear for what was about to happen, but then the realisation of where she was and how few witnesses there were about meant she was more than capable of handling the situation.

If she had been a normal girl on a normal date she would have quite rightly been concerned about the current turn of events, but as she was no normal girl, as Max and Michael and especially Alex were fond of telling her she wasn’t going to back down from this bully, no matter how big and tough he thought he was.

“You Bitch!” Brad cried, as he made a sudden lunge for Isabel.

With very little effort Isabel side stepped Brad’s weak attempt at a dive for her, just before she shot out an open hand that connected with Brad’s ribcage as he moved by her. Isabel was anything but small, but a guy Brad’s size had very little to worry about when it came to being hit in the side by a girl Isabel’s size. That is unless she happens to possess certain unearthly powers. As Isabel landed her blow she released a burst of power that meant Brad received what must have felt like a kick from a mule into the ribs, which in turn sent him sprawling to the floor with the wind knocked out of him.

Isabel had to fight the urge to smile as she turned to look back at her assailant. “How about we call it a draw and we go our separate ways? That way you don’t get hurt anymore and I don’t have to tell everyone at school that I beat you up.”

Not knowing if she was pleased or disappointed when she saw Brad lurch to his feet for round two, Isabel prepared her next move. She had never really been in a fight before and she knew her powers gave her a distinct advantage, but nonetheless she was still struggling with whether she should end this quickly or give Brad the beating of his life, simply because she knew if she didn’t possess her special powers this night might have turned out a lot more unsavoury than it already had.

Still a little dazed and unsteady on his feet Brad decided that another lunge might not be the way to go so he decided on a grab instead. Wrong move!

Isabel had picked up on the fact that Brad was going to make a grab for her probably even before he had, but it didn’t make her counter move any less sweet or effective. As Brad’s hand came within range Isabel grabbed his wrist and in one movement twisted it round while once again sending a burst of power through her hands. As Brad had clearly decided to prolong the fight Isabel had decided that the punishment should equal the crime so the extra burst she gave him this time round caused a sickening crack as the sound of her attackers wrist broke.

Once Brad’s initial screams had died down Isabel stepped forward and bent down to get close to the hunched over teen who was currently on his knees with his arm clutched to his chest. “I asked you nicely to stop, but you had to keep going. This is how it’s going to go. In thirty seconds I am going to get into your car and drive back to town. If you don’t want to walk back I suggest you stop your crying, get up and get into that car. Once we’re back in town we will go our separate ways and we will never mention this night again, unless of course you want me to tell all your friends that a girl beat you up or if you want me to tell the sheriff that I hurt you while defending myself from your unwanted advances.” Isabel paused for a moment. “So what’s it to be?”

“I’ll come with you.” Brad almost whimpered.

“And?” Isabel pressed.

“And I won’t say anything.”

Isabel turned to leave, but after a brief pause she returned to the crouching figure. “One last thing. Roswell’s quite a small town. If I hear about you or any of your so called friends mistreating any girls while out on a date I’m going to come looking for them, starting with you. Are we clear?”

“Yes.” He replied meekly.

“I said are we clear?” Isabel repeated in a much louder voice.

“Yes.” Brad echoed in equally loud tones. “We’re clear.”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Alex stared at the page before him with a completely blank expression. He’d been studying most of the night, but he wasn’t sure he had learnt anything new. Suddenly he just let his head and shoulders relax and his head came crashing down onto his books that lay strewn about the table.

His dramatic act would have brought looks and comments under any other circumstances, but as he lifted his head and glanced around the Crashdown he was met by absolute silence and precisely zero reaction to his antics…he was alone. It was fast approaching midnight and almost time to close up. Of course he wasn’t a member of staff and normally he would still be accompanied by at least one if not both of his best friends, but tonight it was just him.

He wasn’t sure if Max and Liz were in an on again or off again part of their relationship, but whatever it was it meant that Liz wasn’t here as she had left earlier for an important, clandestine meeting.

Maria was doing God knows what, God knows where and so was Michael so maybe they were doing God knows what together, God knows where. That left Alex alone in the restaurant as he struggled with his History revision. He had been sitting with Liz’s dad until a short while ago, but as Mrs Parker was unwell and almost all of the customers had gone home Alex offered to keep an eye on the place and to close up once the last of the remaining patrons had gone home. That had been about ten minutes previous, but despite his deemed lack of success with his studies Alex wanted to get a last twenty minutes in before he headed home.

All of that had led him to here and now, alone at nearly midnight in the Crashdown and not a soul for company. Suddenly the bell above the front door sounded as it opened wide and a new customer stepped inside.

“I’m sorry, it’s almost midnight and we’re…” Alex stopped in his tracks when he had fully turned around to look at his new customer. He was in mid-speech as he looked to quickly eject this unexpected patron, but little did he realise that his late visitor was going to be quite so unexpected.

“Hi.” Isabel stated softly, clearly as surprised to see Alex as he was to see her. The only difference was it appeared that her brain and mouth were still working, which couldn’t be said for him.

Alex didn’t know what to say or what to do. It had only been a few days earlier that Isabel had told him in no uncertain terms that he had been crowding her and that she wanted her space. Since that statement he had bounced around between being understanding about what Isabel was going through and wishing he had never laid eyes on the stunning beauty. The last thing he had expected was to find the two of them alone at midnight in the Crashdown.

“Liz is not here.” He stated rather abruptly. “Maria’s not here.” He glanced around the room with a dazed expression. “No one’s here.”

Isabel stared at Alex for a moment. “Except you.” She finally commented.

“I’m just about to close up.” He explained. “Liz and Maria had to go somewhere and Mrs Parker is ill so Mr Parker is upstairs looking after her.”

“And you?” Isabel cut in.

Alex gestured towards his books that were scattered across the nearest table. “I was studying.”

“Can I come in?”

Alex blinked at Isabel’s innocuous request. He wasn’t ready for this. “I don’t think so.” When Alex saw the look of disappointment on Isabel’s face he hurriedly added. “I’m just about to close up.”

What happened next took Alex completely by surprise. The strongest, proudest and most confident woman he had ever met suddenly burst into tears. In an instant and before he had time to think about his actions he closed the gap between the two of them and enveloped the distraught girl in his loving arms.

As he heard Isabel’s sobs and felt her body shake with emotion he realised that kicking her out into the street might not be the best course of action.

He took a deep breath and tried to look down at the young woman he held firmly in his arms. “How about a cup of coffee?”


To be continued…

[StargazerUK]

Part 2


Alex was trying very hard to concentrate and not let his mind wander, but he was finding it an almost impossible task. He had always thought of himself as a reliable, decent guy who, for the most part, was honest and trustworthy, but he couldn’t get past the realisation that if he was truly reliable and decent, as well as honest and trustworthy, would he really be having the feelings he was currently having while holding onto his clearly distraught friend?

After being offered a cup of coffee Isabel had initially nodded her head in agreement, but before either could react she was overcome by another round of tears and sobs, which meant Alex was still standing in the middle of the Crashdown doing his best to comfort her, leaving him no time to leave her side. That, in turn, had left him with his moral musings as to how his mind was currently betraying him.

It wasn’t as if he was truly taking advantage of the situation. He wasn’t taking some sort of personal satisfaction at having Isabel in his arms, but the fact remained that his body and senses were reacting to the closeness of his companion and there was nothing he could do about it. He could feel not only the perfume that enveloped Isabel intoxicating his brain, but also the smell of fragrant shampoo in her hair urging him to cling even tighter. He could feel the entire length of her body pressed against his and the thing that perplexed him most about that feeling was that it felt so right and so natural, they just seemed to fit together. He was used to hugging Liz and Maria and although he loved them more than anything when it came to giving them a hug he was normally left with his chin perched on top of their heads due to the height difference. With Isabel being so tall he could feel her from the tips of his toes to the top of his head and he liked it. He liked it a lot!

Isabel had all but stopped crying by now. Her face had remained firmly buried in the point where Alex’s neckline met his shoulder, the feeling of her warm breath on his skin sending shockwaves through his entire system. As firmly as he was holding onto Isabel he could feel that she was holding him tighter still. It was at this point Alex started to get concerned. Her surprise appearance and then sudden flood of tears was enough to catch him off guard, but now that his mind was slowly catching up he was able to pick up on all the things that were wrong.

As much as he hated to do it Alex slowly started to break his embrace with Isabel. He didn’t release his hold on her entirely, but just enough so that he could finally face his upset friend. Isabel continued to keep her head hung low, averting her eyes from Alex’s gaze.

“Feeling better?” Alex asked softly.

“Feeling stupid.” Isabel replied rather gruffly.

That surprise comment caused Alex to frown. “Why on earth would you be feeling stupid?”

“Erm…hello, did you not just see me crying?” She countered quickly, still not looking up.

“I did.” Alex nodded in agreement. “And if you are about to tell me that you are crying because a shop has sold out of the last pair of shoes that you wanted to buy or that a TV show that you love has been cancelled, then I’m happy to say you were being stupid.” Alex paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “However, if you are about to tell me that the reason you are crying is because something serious has happened or if something has truly upset you, which it clearly has, then you are not being stupid, you’re being normal.”

To Alex’s surprise Isabel remained silent.

“Iz, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” He asked tentatively.

Isabel suddenly and forcefully broke her clinch with Alex and stepped back, finally looking at her companion. “Nothing’s the matter. Why does there always have to be something wrong?”

Alex was shocked by Isabel’s abrupt change in demeanour, but it didn’t mean he was going to back down. In fact it made him even more convinced than before that something was not right. “I’m not looking to confront you Isabel or upset you further, but the fact remains that its midnight and you’re here, alone and something has got you crying in my arms. A few days ago you told me to stop suffocating you and to give you some breathing space and now you are here with me. I just want to…”

“I didn’t come here looking for you.” Isabel suddenly cut in on Alex with a raised voice.

“What?” Alex asked in confusion.

“I said I didn’t come looking for you.” She repeated, venom clear in her voice. “I was expecting to find Max and Michael or even Liz and Maria, but I didn’t come looking for you.”

Alex couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, I get it, Isabel. You seem to forget that I received your not so subtle message a few days ago in your parent’s kitchen so you don’t have to keep repeating yourself. I’m the last person you would come looking for and I am the last person you would want help from…I understand.”

Isabel had to fight to stop herself from crying again. This wasn’t what she wanted and this wasn’t supposed to happen. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just trying to…”

“No, I get it, Isabel.” It was Alex’s turn to interrupt as he threw up a hand to stop Isabel in mid-reply. “You’ve always been perfectly clear with me and it is only my own ineptitude and persistence that has stopped me from seeing how things really are.”

“Alex, this isn’t about you.” Isabel offered gently.

“No, Isabel, you are right, it isn’t. It’s about you, it’s always about you.” He countered. When he saw the look on Isabel’s face he continued. “Believe it or not I don’t mean that the way it undoubtedly sounded. I don’t mean it’s about you because you are selfish, I mean it as in you are the one with the problem, Isabel. We’ve all tried to help you and we’ve all tried to let you know that you’re not alone, but it evidently hasn’t worked and by the looks of things it isn’t going to work because you are clearly unwilling to change or to take a risk.”

“You know what my life is, Alex, so you should know more than anyone that I can’t take risks.” Isabel argued. “My life has to be staid and normal and most of all it has to be risk free.”

“Sure.” Alex nodded. “I’m aware of that, but as long as you understand that if you don’t change and if you don’t take risks how your life is now is how it will always be. Without change you will always be here in Roswell and without risk you will always be alone.”

Those last words hit Isabel like a knife to the heart. It gave Alex no satisfaction to say them, but if this was to be his last interaction with Isabel he was going to tell her the truth. No matter how much it hurt.

Alex turned and started to pack up his bag of books. As he moved past Isabel towards the front entrance he couldn’t help but noticed the unshed tears that glistened in her eyes as she remained motionless, standing in the middle of the Crashdown, arms by her sides as she watched him move about the room.

After locking the front door and turning off the outside sign and lights Alex moved back to the table where his bag sat. He went to pick up his bag to leave, but he was conscious of Isabel’s eyes still on him and he knew they hadn’t finished. Realising that he had probably already done irreparable damage to his relationship with Isabel he decided that at least some good should come of this car wreck.

Alex turned round with the full intention of telling Isabel for one last time that she needed to start living her life by letting someone into her heart and that that was the only way she could ever move on, but he never got the chance. The second he had turned to face Isabel he felt a full blown slap across the face. After the initial shock it took Alex a moment or two to regain his composure. Looking back he couldn’t decide whether it was the surprise at the actual slap or the power with which Isabel hit him that nearly knocked him off of his feet, but either way it took every ounce of strength that he could muster to recover.

“Did that make you feel better or do you want to hit me again?” He asked calmly.

To his surprise Isabel went to hit him again. Fortunately enough he was a little bit more prepared this time round and he managed to throw up an arm and catch Isabel’s wrist. “I appreciate that I probably could of and should of worded by comment more clearly, but just so we are clear that last statement wasn’t an actual invitation.”

Alex released his grip on Isabel’s arm as his visibly frustrated companion simply glared at him. Pulling out two chairs from the nearest table he made a move to sit down as he gestured towards the other chair. “Sit down. We clearly need to talk.”

With him now sitting down it left Isabel in a rather awkward position. She was obviously still upset and she had no desire to sit down, but if she didn’t she would look like some kind of lunatic, simply standing in the middle of the café without speaking and without moving. Finally she sat down, but made sure she didn’t look directly at Alex.

“What happened tonight?” Alex asked unexpectedly and with a certain amount of force.

When Isabel remained silent it became apparent that Alex’s anger was starting to build. He shuffled his chair closer to Isabel and leaned in so they were merely inches apart. “You just slapped me for no apparent reason, but I’m willing to let it go because we are friends. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it was a shitty thing to do, so in turn I am going to do a shitty thing to you.”

That comment made Isabel lean back a bit in her chair, which caused Alex to raise his eyebrows in a surprised expression. “I don’t mean I am going to hit you.” He laughed at the misunderstanding, but noticed Isabel remained straight faced. “What I’m going to do is worse in my opinion, much worse.” Alex paused for a moment, making sure he held Isabel’s gaze. “I want you to tell me exactly what went on tonight and why you are so upset and if you don’t our friendship is over, I’m done!”

“What?” Isabel cried before she could censor herself.

“You heard me correctly. I want you to tell me what is going on with you, no more secrets and if you don’t I am just walking away, I’ve had enough! I’ve tried my best with you, Isabel, and I have given you all I have, but it doesn’t seem to be enough and I understand that now. What I can’t take anymore is how uneven our relationship is and always has been. I tell you everything and you tell me nothing. If you are unwilling to tell me what is wrong or what has happened tonight it is the final straw and I don’t want this kind of relationship with you anymore. Now, are you going to tell me?” Alex waited patiently, but Isabel sat still and silent. “As I thought!” He stated as he stood up. Before he turned to walk away Alex opened his bag and pulled out a book before handing it to Isabel. “Despite my academic troubles I think you need this more than I do. Turn the lights off when you leave via the back door.” He called as he walked away.

“Wait!” Isabel cried as she stood up. Alex turned slowly to look at her. “A dictionary? Why are you giving me a dictionary?”

Alex lowered his bag to the floor and took a couple of steps back towards Isabel. “I think if you look up certain words such as friendship it will say things like support, fellowship, intimacy and sympathizer. All the things I’ve tried to do and tried to be. If that’s not what you were looking for from our relationship then I am truly sorry to have wasted your time!”

Alex turned to walk away for a second time.

“Brad Carter tried to attack me!”

In an instant Alex had turned back and approached Isabel.” What? What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Alex, I’m fine.” Isabel tried her best to calm her concerned companion down. “I didn’t want to tell you like this. In fact I didn’t want to tell you at all, but you seem to have me backed into a corner.”

“But are you alright?” Alex pressed. “Did he hurt you?” All thoughts of his previous threats had disappeared. His one overwhelming concern was of Isabel.

“I promise, Alex, I’m OK.” Isabel absently took hold of Alex’s hand and entwined it with her own. Alex was so consumed with Isabel’s wellbeing that he didn’t even notice. “If you must know he should be checking into the emergency room just about now.”

Alex felt the tightness in his chest ease as he came to realise that Isabel was fine. In fact more than fine from what she had just said. Suddenly he couldn’t help but smile. “What did you do to him?”

Isabel also started to smile. “I’m not exactly sure. There was a really loud crack so I’m pretty sure I broke something and he seemed to be in quite a lot of pain so I don’t think he will be going on many dates any time soon.”

With Alex now happy that Isabel was alright and with Isabel glad that she had stopped Alex from leaving they both fell into a prolonged silence.

“I’m sorry I hit you.” Isabel stated finally.

“So am I.” Alex countered, bring a smile back to both of their faces.

“I have a confession.” Isabel whispered softly. She forced herself to look at Alex and was pleased to see that he was hanging on her every word. “I lied to you earlier.”

Alex frowned. “What about?”

Isabel paused for a moment. “When I said I wasn’t looking for you when I came here.”

It was Alex’s turn to pause for thought. “You mean you did come here looking for me?”

Isabel nodded slowly. “When I got back into town I left Brad near your house and walked the rest of the way. When I saw your car wasn’t there I called Liz on her cell phone and she said you were at the Crashdown last time she saw you.”

Alex tried not to swell up with pride at the thought that Isabel had come looking for him. Luckily for him his growing self belief was soon tempered when he realised that their situation was still unresolved. “How about we make a pact? One that is totally binding and can never be broken, under penalty of death!”

Isabel eyed Alex nervously. “What sort of pact?”

“Firstly, one where we don’t actually hit one another. I’ll be all in favour of that sort of pact.” Alex smiled. “Secondly, one where we promise to be honest with one another, no matter what.”

“We can’t have a pact like that.” Isabel shook her head.

Alex was crestfallen. “Why not?”

“We already have one that covers that.” Isabel handed Alex the dictionary. “Look it up, it’s called friendship.”

Alex glanced down at the book for a moment before looking back at Isabel. “Touché.”

“I know I haven’t always been there for you, Alex, but if you give me a chance I hope to prove to you that I can be just as good a friend to you as you have been to me.” Isabel asked softly.

After Isabel’s heartfelt statement the couple found themselves falling into silence once again. There were clearly things hanging in the air between them. Things that needed to be said, but were remaining hidden.

“Why did you hit me?” Alex asked slowly.

Isabel’s hanging gaze shot up to look at her companion in shock. “What?”

“I asked why you hit me.” Alex repeated.

“I’m not sure.” Isabel replied after a long pause.

Alex shook his head. “I think you know, Isabel. You don’t just walk around hitting people, unless of course they hurt you and I didn’t do anything that warranted being slapped so there must be a reason you did it.”

“You don’t really want me to answer that, Alex, because once the genie is out of the bottle there’s no putting it back.” Isabel stated rather cryptically.

Alex frowned. “Genie? I don’t understand.”

Isabel took a deep breath and steadied herself. “If I tell you how I truly feel it won’t change anything, Alex. I can’t have the relationship with you that we both might want because it will never work.”

Alex raised his head and looked directly at Isabel. “Say that again.”

It was Isabel’s turn to frown. “Which bit, I don’t understand?”

“The bit about us both wanting a relationship.” Alex stated, as his hopes started to rise.

Isabel shook her head. “You’re missing the point, Alex. I said it will never work.”

“No, Isabel.” Alex stated firmly. “I think you’re missing the point. For the very first time you’ve said you want a relationship with me. That has to mean something. Until now I have never known how you truly feel.”

Isabel tried not to be hurt by that comment. “You’ve never known how I truly feel?” She repeated.

“How could I?” Alex replied, an air of optimism now in his voice. “You either pushed me away or kept things from me.”

“So how exactly am I supposed to show you how I feel?” Isabel pressed.

“By doing what you want.” Alex explained. “By doing what you feel.”

“It’s not that simple, Alex.” Isabel was still unsure, but she could feel her resolve weakening.

“That’s the point, Isabel, it is that simple.” He enthused. “I like you, hopefully you like me so then we’re supposed to act on it. Spend time together, go on dates and generally have fun.”

“What about Max and Michael?” She asked tentatively.

“I don’t care.” Alex stated nonchalantly. “Let them get their own dates.”

The two fell silent again, but for the first time all night it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. This time they were both too consumed with the possibilities of what had been said.

“Isabel…” Alex called, looking to grab his companion’s attention. “…for the last time of asking, will you go out with me tomorrow night?”

Isabel stared at Alex for a long moment. “No.” She finally stated.

Alex’s head dropped as he got the answer he wasn’t prepared for. He thought he had finally coaxed Isabel into opening up at long last, but it seems as though he was wrong.

“Alex…” Isabel called gently to her clearly upset friend. “…will you go out with me tomorrow night?”

Alex raised his head slowly. “What? I don’t understand.”

Isabel took a deep breath to steady herself. “You said I had to open up and do the things I want to do. Well I don’t want to be the one to be asked on dates anymore, I’m always getting asked and never by who I want to be asked by. I want to go on a date with you and I want it to be me who asks you for a change.”

Alex stared at his tall companion with a blank expression. “OK.”

“One final thing.” Isabel began. “When you asked me earlier why I had slapped you.”

Alex simply nodded.

“I was going to do something I thought I might regret and I needed to stop myself. It was the only thing I could think of under the circumstances.” She explained.

Alex took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst. “And what were you going to do?”

Isabel closed the gap between them. “Only this.” And with that she leaned in close and covered Alex’s lips with her own. She immediately wrapped her arms around her escort and felt a buzz of excitement when she felt him pull her closer still. As the kiss deepened Isabel opened up the connection between them and sent her true feelings flooding through to Alex, leaving nothing out this time.

Alex was both physically and mentally overwhelmed, but he was loving every second of it.

“Ahem.” A discreet cough sounded, pulling the consumed couple apart.

“Mr. Parker, I was just…” Alex stammered.

“I know what you were just, Alex.” He stated firmly. “I think it’s about time you and Isabel were getting home, it’s late and your parents will be wondering where you both are.”

“You’re right, of course.” Alex agreed nervously as he searched for his bag. “Goodnight, Mr. Parker.”

“Yes, Goodnight, Mr. Parker.” Isabel echoed.

“Goodnight, Kids.” He called, as he ushered the two of them out the back door.

With the back door firmly closed and locked Mr. Parker made his way back upstairs with a wry smile on his face. “Alex Whitman.” He stated with an amused tone in his voice. “I never knew he had it in him and with a girl like Isabel Evans. Philip’s not going to be pleased if he finds out his daughter is dating.” He chuckled to himself before he came to an abrupt halt halfway up the stairs. ‘Why am I laughing? Where the hell’s Liz.’ He suddenly thought to himself.


Alex and Isabel stood in the back alley of the Crashdown and stared at one another before both burst out laughing. A combination of relief and slight embarrassment at being caught no doubt the cause of their amusement.

When the laughter died down Isabel moved to Alex’s side and linked hands before turning in the direction of the main street and Alex’s car that she had seen on the way in. “Are you sure you want to do this? Date me I mean.”

Alex couldn’t believe such a question, but he thought it best to humour Isabel. “I’m willing to try. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.”

Isabel gave Alex a fake scowl after that comment. “I’m not sure you know what you are letting yourself in for, my last date ended up in hospital.”

When Alex heard that comment he no longer felt so pleased with himself nor did he feel quite so confident.

“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Isabel teased. “I’m sure I’ll be much more gentle with you.”


The End.