Alex-ander

When the sun came up, the girls had already left for work. Colleen looks at herself in the bathroom mirror and wonders where her life fits in this moving whole whether we like it or not. Losing herself in her reflection, she doesn't notice her phone ringing. Her thoughts turn to the last few weeks she has spent locked in her apartment, having as her only constant distraction, Netflix and the pot placed on the floor in the center of her kitchen, to collect water from the broken pipe.

Her reflection reflects the image of a person she does not recognize. A stranger who has become her daily life since a time she does not want to remember. Who has become Colleen Smith? Not the person she was ten years ago, five years ago, three years ago. But on the other hand, this one is also different from the Colleen of almost four weeks ago.

Maybe she should consider a different look too. No? Her wardrobe was going more towards grunge and rock style with some soft aspects. It's time for a change, right? She gained a little weight, oddly enough. But that's not what shocks her the most: her eyes had a glint of sorrow and desolation that she had gotten used to, but it was gone. Her gaze had changed, for the better it must be said.

Taking her eyes off of her new self, Colleen finally remembers hearing her phone ring. Then she remembered Emmett and Alex supposedly arriving that same day. "Shit." They've probably already arrived at the airport by now. She rushes to her cell phone and notices the missed calls from her brother and one from Alex. Oh, she was finally going to hear the voice of her brother's friend. But hey, she's coming home, so it'll be a done deal soon.

Reading through the messages, her hate calmed down and she sat down on her couch.

Emmett: Hi Lyly. We have a delay with the plane at JFK. We'll probably be late. Love you.

Emmett: I hope you made some cookies or something. We're hungry. Kisses.

Emmett: Alex doesn't have any allergies. Have fun.

Alex: Hey Colleen! I don't know if your brother talked to you. He had a little too much bourbon on the plane to JFK (me too actually :) ) but we'll be late. He's hungry too. Apparently you make the best pastries in town. Can't wait to see you. See you later! *photo*.

Alex attached a photo of Emmett with his head down at an airport restaurant it seems. Plus, "kisses" at the end of his sentences? It's not like Emmett to show that much affection.

She sends a greeting to the boy and uses the few hours to finalize Alex's room. This room has never looked better. No one would have thought it was this ugly just three days ago. The plaster she bought did its job well in the kitchen. The fresh coat of paint wrapped everything up in a nice gift wrap. Now Emmett has touted her baking skills.And it will soon be a year and more since she undertook anything of the sort. She can't disappoint the customers anyway. What would Alex think? Woman to woman, maybe she'd understand why she dropped everything, but deep down Colleen feels like she's giving herself excuses to back out and that's what she's been avoiding since she got her life back together.

A quick trip to the supermarket gets her the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. No way to waste these beauties, right?

Three hours later, nearly twenty-five warm cookies are sitting on her kitchen counter. The recipe seemed so small at first and knowing Emmett's ogre-like appetite and Jackson's attitude, what she had wouldn't be enough at all.

Since Emmett would be at Jackson's house (well, on their sofa bed), she made a big box and would drop it off at their house later. Pulling out her dessert rack that she hasn't used in a while, Colleen sets her cookies on it. Now it's time to clean up.

The sun is setting on the horizon when Colleen gets out of the car, armed with a bouquet of flowers and a tray of lasagna from Mateo. "He's trying to compromise because he hates cleaning so he makes food!" her friend Ida told her. "He uses the cards you gave him very religiously. Not one more ingredient!" Mateo cooking is always a pleasure to be around. Last time he burned a turkey because the temperature was in celsius and didn't check before putting everything in the oven. Even the potatoes didn't look like anything.

Arriving at her apartment, she undressed, took a bath and tasted a piece of the famous dish. Everything was fine. The salt, the taste, the aromatics. Everything was perfectly combined and above all, nothing burned. She announces the good news to her friend and puts her phone on the living room table.

The quiet of her apartment has never been so therapeutic. The windows are open but no sound reaches her. Just like that, a deep sleep takes hold of her on the chair in her living room.

It is only much later that the ringing of her phone wakes her up with a start. Remembering her brother and Alex who she was supposed to pick up at the airport, Colleen quickly gets up and goes to the bathroom to wash her face. Returning to the living room, she grabs her phone, hoping her brother isn't too mad at her. Shit. Calls from Emmett, Alex, and even Jackson had been coming in for the past hour or so. And the messages...she doesn't feel like opening any of them, especially not the ones from Emmett. She was supposed to pick them up an hour ago. But the plane was late, right? So... nothing is lost yet?

Emmett: Colleen, Alex and I had to take two different planes. Another inconvenience. So I think I'll get there first. Jackson will pick me up.

Alex: Hi Colleen, my plane will be delayed again. I apologize. :(. I hope I'm not bothering you too much. Emmett will be here before me. If I'm not too late, I'll let you know!

Alex: We just boarded. Thirty minutes after the scheduled time. I'll be way too late. I'll ask Emmett for your address so I can get a cab straight away. I hope you don't mind a stranger showing up at your door after midnight. haha.

Stranger?

Emmett: I gave Alex your address. His plane lands too late. We don't want you driving at this hour. That's what cabs are for. I'm at Jack's, so I'll see you later. I'm going to sleep. Alex is probably upstairs.

It was around eleven and Colleen wasn't sure what to do. Still confused after her nap and all those messages, she texts Alex to clear the air.

Colleen: Hey Alex! I took a nap and just woke up unfortunately. Are you at the airport?

Fixing up the living room a bit, her phone rings, announcing a new message.

Alex: Hi Colleen, no I took a cab, your brother and I agreed that if I was too late I would take a cab. He gave me your address.

Colleen: I think I saw something like that in the messages. Haha. Glad it all worked out more or less. Are you close?

Alex: Me too. I'm not going to lie to you it was the longest flight of my life. I'm not familiar with this part of the US but I can send you my location if you want.

Colleen: No problem.

A few seconds later, she received a notification of Alex's location. She wasn't too far away. About twenty minutes. Which would give her time to make a pot of Iced tea and even some toast. It's almost midnight, she thought. Besides, Alex is probably a doctor like Emmett, so nutrition is a big part of her life, right? On the other hand, Emmett eats whatever he wants without worrying about anything nutritional, it seems to her. Why not Alex? Well, if she's wrong, she'll have a nice glass of lemonade.

She barely had time to close the refrigerator door to chill the drink when someone knocked on her door. Glancing at the clock, it was half past midnight. It was probably Alex. Wanting to confirm her assumption, she sends a message to Alex, this one answers her in the affirmative by sending her a photograph of her front door.

-Finally I...

The smile on Colleen's face slowly fades away and is replaced by total confusion.

-Who are you? she asks.

-Alex. The man in front of her answers.

A man? Alex is a man.

-No. She protests.

-No.