Best Friends

Alex hated lying to her friend but at this point, she was sure that she did not have any other choice than to simply do just that; lie. She didn't find it pleasant but she didn't want her to add her problem to the pile that she already had on her mind. Ella was thoughtful and selfless like that. She would utterly be mad for you like it happened to her.

Alex did not want that right now. She just wanted to help instead of causing more problems. It felt right to not tell her even if it created an unease at the base of her stomach. One that she knew would not settle until she did what she usually did. Tell the truth that is. Alex knew she couldn't yet. She took in a deep breath, mentally heaving a sigh before she gave her response.

"It was great." She replied without batting an eyelid. Like a well-rehearsed lie, she sold it neatly. "How was yours?" She asked Ella, hoping her ruse would work and she would sense nothing.

She tried to calm herself. She was doing this for her own good, she thought inwardly, trying to get her mind to give it a rest.

The two of them left the kitchen as they both made for the living room. Alex noticed that Ella had gone quiet which was a little weird considering that she had been so full of enthusiasm much earlier. She didn't want to say anything yet but she guessed that whatever it was would find a way to reveal itself to her eventually.

They sat down on the sofa as Alex plopped her feel on the table close to the sofa like she usually did.

Alex watched as her confident friend sighed harder than she had in a while as her express slowly contorted into one that she had not seen before.

"It was horrible." Ella said, trying to sound as strong as she could.

Alex did not know what was going on but her first instinct was the right one. She instantly came closer to her friend, pulling her closer to her to hold her in a tight embrace.

As soon as she did that, it was like her cue to turn on the water works. She instantly started crying as she held her tight. Alex did not know what was going on and she didn't need to right now. All she did know was that Ella needed her and she was going to be there for her in any way that she could.

She held her in the gentlest way, still giving her comfort as she cried on her shoulder. She sobbed for a couple of minutes before she started to let up.

Her eyes were puffed up and she knew that a good night's rest would be anything but good for her right now. It would make her eyes even more swollen.

It was still a couple of minutes past six so the two of them could still go out. She was off for today. That was why she had taken on the genius idea of actually trying to cook anything. She was not used to having this much free time on her hands. It felt weird so she decided to make herself useful. She was going to make herself even more useful by actually making Ella feel better.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked her, as she raised her head up from her shoulder to breathe.

"Not r-right now." She said amidst sniffles. "I don't want to think about it right now," She told Alex.

She nodded, instantly understanding her friend without having to explain more than she should. It was all she had to say.

"But you're not allowed to stay in this house and mope." Alex said, jumping from her seat on the sofa. "We are going out tonight. You need to go out, have fun, and meet people." She said, realizing how completely nuts she sounded.

It wasn't like she was not an outgoing person, she was. It was the fact that Ella never went anywhere and she was too busy to force her to.

Maybe things did work in ways that we could not quite understand after all, Alex thought to herself. She would try and make this time to help her get over whatever this was.

Alex had a very solid idea of what this was. She knew that it had to do with the hunk of a man that she had described as her boss.

She knew her friend to a certain level. Enough to know when she was smitten and when things were not going her way at all.

It was a slow methodological break down. Although Alex was not sure what had happened specifically this time, she was willing to bet all the dollars to doughnuts that it had to do with Joey, her boss.

She just needed to wait for the right time. Ella always found a way to talk to her and when she said she was not ready to yet, she was not ready to. So patience was the key.

She took in a deep breath as she tried not to let the thoughts of what it could be eat at her. She didn't want to know to sate her own curiosity. She wanted to know so that she could try her darnedest to fix it right away.

If that was not going to be possible, she could at the very least try and take her mind off whatever it might be that was bothering her and try help her meet new people. She was fine one to talk so she would take it that tonight was not just for Ella. It was also for her too.

This city was ruthless if you really let it sink its claws into you. She needed to blow away seven months' worth of steam. It was a must do, she told herself. Partying till they couldn't anymore.

She knew she was practically jobless now but it was a good way to send herself off. A bash in both their honors that served more than one purpose. A dual purpose girl's night out.

"Noooooo..." Ella groaned. "Can't I just take a long, long nap?" she asked Alex.

"No you cannot." Alex replied firmly. "Now go get some rest, have a shower and we will be heading out by nine P.M." she told her.

Alex knew that the only way to get her to go out was to physically drag her or stand by her until she did what needed to be done. She wanted to give her some time to rest before the night began.

"I don't suppose we can eat that can we?" Ella asked, pointing towards the kitchen.

She was referring to the burnt pie that Alex had been cooking all afternoon.

"No." Alex replied. "Even Alfie's life would hang in the balance if he ate that." Alex added.

"Good to know." Ella said, causing the two of the, to chuckle as she stood up from the sofa.

Alfie was the neighbor's dog. Mr. Kowalski was an army vet. His two daughters had moved him all the way out here so that he could enjoy the rest of his life in peace. In her opinion, he was a nice man that was often misunderstood.

Ella heaved a sigh as she got dressed up. There was no stopping Alex when she had her mind made up like this. It was something she usually did. Get an idea and stick it through till the end.

She was the most outgoing of their lot. It was funny how they were two entirely different people but they got along so well.

Her job didn't let her be as much of herself as she used to be. She was always busy these days and Ella could totally understand. It had taken months for her to finally land that job and now she wanted to help in any way that she could. She needed to focus now more than ever. She did not have the luxury of being in love with her boss right now. Even an infatuation was not advisable and she intended to get rid of it.

Ella heaved a huge sigh as she mentally envisaged having to go out and be cheerful. It seemed like a chore. She had to do it anyway. Alex would not let her hear the last of it. She did not know why it felt strange for her to have broken down all of a sudden. It was that man's fault and no one else but his.

Ella did not know how Alex did it but she somehow was able to find a party for them to attend on such short notice. She guessed that Alex had friends that were much like herself. She didn't know why she felt this was but somehow and somewhere on the back of her mind, she felt like there was something that Alex was hiding from her. It didn't matter anyway, she told herself. Alex always found a way to deal with things. She would definitely talk to her at the end of the day.

The party blared on with life. She didn't understand why this was anyone's go to for relaxation. If it did anything, it stressed her the fuck out and she did not know how to deal with it. She was only here for her friend. Ella was dressed in a blouse and blue jeans with a small bag tightly clinging to her. She had gotten it earlier that week and never got the chance to wear it. This seemed as good a chance as any to be able to actually wear the things that she had gotten.

The music blasted on, irritating her eardrums as she tried to find the quietest place to observe this nightmare until it was time to go home. Alex had vanished into the sea of people and she wouldn't emerge until much later. She knew that it would take forever before she actually showed up again so she might as well sit tight and wait until she was ready to leave.

She stepped over bodies of people that had passed out from drinking too much or probably taking something she had no doubt was only legal in the state of California. Ella could not wait for this nightmare to end.

She found an empty chair at the end of the room as she moseyed her way through the crowd to get to it.

She sat down and made herself comfortable as she began to observe what was going on. She knew now more than ever that this was not her scene. She was better of living vicariously through the scripts that she read. Through the books that she loved so much. She was an avid reader and that would never change. She preferred the comfort of books and it made her become open to a new world that she did not know was possible. With the turn of each page was a new possibility that excited her more than she knew or cared to admit. She knew now more than ever that she loved her job. Why was she so bothered about what her boss thought, she told herself mentally kicking herself in the sheen? She was actually better than the display of weakness that she had been showing much of late. It was pathetic to think about it. She needed to get a grip and this was more like the wakeup call.

Reality was depressing and this was proof. You got what you saw in most of the cases. It was sad to think about. She wanted more for herself and maybe that was the problem. She was asking for too much. She was sticking out for the impossible. It was hard to not measure every single person she met with the standards she had read about. It was a yard stick that she never ceased to carry along with her when she met someone new.