AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How about Maddie and I go while you clear up? That way we’ll all be ready to sit down by the time we get back?”
“Fine,” said Kate, thinking it would have been a greater help to have a hand with the dishes.
Forty minutes later and Alex and Maddie still weren’t back. Kate walked through to the living room to see if she could spot them. Surely, they would have called if they’d got lost? Muffled shouting reached her, and she peered through the net curtain. Alex and Maddie were outside on the pavement. Their arms were flailing around in what could only be an argument. Bloody double glazing, thought Kate, wishing she could hear whatever it was they were saying. She noticed them moving towards the house and jumped onto a sofa, picking up a magazine in an effort to look as though she’d been sat there for ages.
“Everything alright?” Kate asked as they stepped through the door.
“Yeah fine, why do you ask?” said Maddie.
“It’s just you’ve been a while so I wondered if you’d got lost.”
“Oh, yeah, we did a bit, but we found the garage in the end.”
“Here you go,” said Alex, throwing a packet of popcorn at her. “Do you have some bowls to put that in?”
Kate inwardly groaned at the thought of more washing up. “Yep, I’ll grab some.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“SO, WHAT AREyour plans, long term I mean?”
Kate was lying beside Alex on the bed, her morning coffee growing cold on the table beside her. It had been an awkward evening with Alex and Maddie for company, and bedtime had been no better. Alex climbed into her bed without discussion but made no moves to do anything other than a quick peck on the cheek before saying goodnight. Kate woke early and put a bit of makeup on, but despite a quick squeeze of her hand, Alex showed no affection.
“What do you mean long term?” asked Kate, leaning on her elbow to look at Alex.
“You know, job, house, what city you live in?”
“I kind of assumed I’d be staying put for a while.”
“And I don’t get any say in the matter?”
“Look Alex, I’m really struggling to know what’s going on here. I mean, you asked me to move out, claimed you needed space, took up with some busty blond, dumped said blond, started texting me again, then turned up on my doorstep out of the blue. What exactly do you want from me?”
“I don’t know Kate, I guess I miss having you around.”
“Yes, but around in what sense? Around as one half of a couple, or around the corner bumping into you in the supermarket from time to time?”
“It’s hard for me you know. I was independent for so long. I want to be in a relationship with you, I’m just not sure I can do the whole living together thing.”
“But where does that leave me? Does that mean we go back to dating like we’re in our early twenties? What about starting a family?”
Alex visibly winced at the mention of family. “Woah, girl, you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself there. You know I love you, always have, always will. I’m just not sure I see myself as a family man. But I do want a relationship with you, so I wouldn’t write it off in the future.”
“This is all so confusing,” said Kate, putting her head in her hands.
“Hey,” said Alex, taking her hand and putting her fingers to his lips. “You need me, you know you do. And I need you. We’re a team.”
“It hasn’t felt like that recently.”
“It was you who moved away.”
Kate looked at him with astonishment. “Me who moved away? Only after you’d kicked me out and moved my replacement in!”
“Yeah, OK, so I admit, I was a dick. I think I was going through some quarter life crisis or something. No excuse, I know. You have every right to be angry with me.”
“I am.”
“So you should be. But you can’t deny you missed me, can you?” Alex looked at her with his puppy dog eyes. Kate laughed.
