The offer

Alex shuts the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment as he takes a deep breath. He feels exhausted, drained by the weight of the evening's events. In his mind, he replays his interaction with Nora and Jane, his fists clenching tightly in frustration. He knows he was rude, but he can't bring himself to care.

Nora, still standing at the kitchen sink, is elbow-deep in suds when her phone starts to ring. She rolls her eyes, quickly drying her hands on a dish towel as she rushes to answer it. Seeing her mom's name on the caller ID, she groans inwardly, her frustration bubbling to the surface.

"Hey, Mom," she answers.

"Nora," her mom begins, her tone serious. "I know you hung up on me yesterday. It was very rude and hurtful."

Nora bristles, her jaw clenched. "Mom, you were driving me crazy! And besides, you and Dad were more than happy for me to move away."

Her mother's voice rises in response. "Don't be ridiculous, Nora! We love you! We just want what's best for you"

Nora's mother sighs, her voice softening. "Nora, sweetheart, we miss you. Can you at least tell me where you are? We could come visit."

Nora clenches her jaw, still angry. "Mom, I'm not giving you my address. I'm trying to have my own life."

"Is this about the man you're living with? your boyfriend?" her mother asks, her voice sharpening.

"It's not about him" Nora insists, her frustration mounting. " You and Dad seemed perfectly content to have me out of the house "

"Nora, that's not fair. Your father and I loves you, I want to see the man you're living with"

Nora's patience is wearing thin. "Mom,I'm certainly not going to introduce you to my boyfriend."

Her mother gasps in offense. "Nora, I just want to meet the man you're spending so much time with, I want to make sure he's treating you well, you know you can be a handful sometimes!"

With a frustrated huff, Nora ends the call and finishes washing the dishes at lightning speed, her movements quick and agitated. She dries her hands on a towel, then stalks up the stairs to Alex's room, her footfalls echoing on the wooden steps.

Knocking on his door, she calls out in a firm voice, "Alex, open up. We need to talk."

She hears movement inside the room, and after a few moments, the door opens a crack.

Nora strides into the room, her posture tense and resolute. She plants her hands on her hips and pins Alex with a piercing gaze. "I just lied to my mom and told her I'm living with my boyfriend," she says, her voice hard and unforgiving.

Alex frowns, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Okay, and? What does that have to do with me?"

Nora takes a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "It has everything to do with you, because that boyfriend is you.

Alex's eyes widen, his jaw dropping in shock. "Wait, what? You told your mother that we're...dating?" His voice cracks on the last word, disbelief evident in his tone.

Nora nods, her expression grim. "Yes, I did. I told her we're living together, too. And now she wants to come visit." She takes a deep breath, her voice rising in agitation. "So, I hope you're ready to play the role of my doting boyfriend"

Alex's eyes flash with anger, his voice sharp and vehement. "Absolutely not. I'm not playing along with this charade. Your mother is not coming here. And I can't pretend to be your boyfriend!" He shakes his head adamantly, taking a step back. "You should have thought this through before lieing to your mother."

"Please, Alex," Nora implores, her voice pleading. "I'm begging you. It's just for one day. One day, that's it. You don't even have to be nice to me. You can just pretend to be my boyfriend and then she'll leave, and we can go back to hating each other. It's better than having her show up here and finding out that I lied, isn't it?"

Alex stares at her, his expression stony. He knows Nora is right, but he's still hesitant to agree.

Alex nods curtly, his jaw set. "Fine. I'll think about it," he says, his voice tinged with reluctance. "But if I do agree to this, there's going to be some ground rules." He holds up a finger. "Number one, I'm not going to be affectionate with you. I'll act like we're together, but I'm not going to hold your hand or anything like that. We're just going to act like a couple that's been together long enough that the romance has worn off. Got it?"

Nora nods, the relief clear on her face.

"Great," Alex says, his tone brisk and business-like. "Now get out of my room. I need some space to think."

Nora nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Okay. Thanks, Alex. I really appreciate it." She turns to leave, but then pauses, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Just so you know, I really do like you," she says, her voice soft. "As a friend."

Alex scoffs, but there's a glimmer of something in his eyes.

She stops at the door and looks back at Alex, her expression a mixture of hope and determination. "Just think about it, Alex even if you don't like me. I don't expect you to admit it, but I think we're friends, whether you like it or not."

Alex watches her with a guarded look, his expression unreadable. "We are not friends, Nora," he says, his voice quiet.

Nora nods, her smile widening. "I don't think you're as bad as you want everyone to believe. Underneath that surly exterior, I think there's a decent guy somewhere."

She turns and heads out of his room, closing the door behind her.

Left alone, Alex leans against his bed, his eyes focused on the floor. He thinks about Nora's words, a mixture of doubt and uncertainty swirling in his mind.