An Average Guy Ch. 01

"It better not have been a lot!" She replied.

"It was no money I couldn't spare." I replied just as awkwardly.

She would never find out how much it cost from me, because that defeats the point of a gift to me.

Why shouldn't I be able to treat someone as perfect as Alice?

---

Around 5o'clock cars started to turn up in our driveway. They were mostly cousins, and some friends with nowhere else to go. My mom was like that; if you told her you were staying in on your own for Christmas you got an instant invite to our Christmas.

My aunt Evelyn was the first to arrive. Evelyn is a short, motherly figure, but she'd never had children. Her husband had died last year, and she had been depressed and introverted for a long time.

She was clutching several bottles of wine, both white and red. I took them from her and placed one of each in the fridge, leaving the others on the wine rack.

Everyone else who came brought some form of alcohol or food, so we were never short. It makes me laugh because my Mom still insists on cooking way too much to go around, so we ended up eating the food until the end of January.

But, I suppose that's one of the things that mom's do.

---

I spent the next week with my mom, dad and Alice. We went walking, to the movies, anywhere we could find open really. And by the end of each day, Alice and I were way to tired to do anything.

All too soon it was time for me to go back to Forks. Unfortunately, whilst I wasn't back at work, I really needed to balance my books. I was going to do it here, but I left the damn things at my apartment.

So I re-booked my tickets for the 3rd and packed my bags.

"You have to go so soon?" Alice asked me as I was packing.

"I'm sorry honey, but if I don't do my books now, I never will." I replied, none too happy about it myself.

"I suppose it's for the best anyway. We would have grown more attached, and it would have been harder to let go. I'm kidding myself to believe this could have lasted forever. I mean, we're brother and sister. We could never be together, because we couldn't get married, or have kids. And someone would probably figure it out." She left quickly, and I thought I heard a stifled sob.

I was at a loss to understand what had brought that on, but oh god did it hurt. It felt like Alice had just shoved a knife into my gut and twisted. I actually couldn't breathe for what seemed like a lifetime.

I had just lost my sister, and the love of my life in one cruel slash.

I finished my bags and just fell asleep. I couldn't bear to try and face her.

---

It was the morning of my departure, and my mom and dad took me to the airport. Alice had flatly refused to come with them, or even speak to me. It hurt, fuck did it hurt.

After the usual teary goodbye from my mom and manly handshake from dad, I quickly found the gate and boarded, turning my cell off as I did so.

The flight was once again, uneventful. Also, the weather was fantastic, bright sun, no clouds. It was almost as if the sky was taunting me, saying "See, I can be happy."

---

After I paid the cabbie, I entered my apartment. True to her word, Chrissie had left her keys on the kitchen counter, and the place was 100% intact. I knew Chrissie wasn't the type of woman to destroy something from spite, but her mom and dad I was unsure about. I pulled the tab on a Budweiser and sat down, taking a deep drink from the tin.

Alice.

Another drink.

Alice.

Another drink.

I continued in this fashion for around an hour, motoring through 8 beers before I even noticed. I was feeling pretty drunk now, so I figured I'd go catch some sleep or something. Tomorrow would be my day for the books, I decided.

I curled up in bed and dreamed of Alice.

---

I was like a mechanism of necessity the next day. I just did what I had to, nothing more, nothing less. I went to the store and bought some milk, coffee was a great idea, I decided.

I ordered a take-out pizza for dinner and relaxed in front of a re-run of The Matrix. Now the books were balanced, I had nothing to worry about until tomorrow, when I had a small job in Forks itself. An easy day, to be honest.

I fell asleep on the sofa, and awoke around 8 the following day. Since I didn't have to work until lunch, I fixed myself some breakfast and turned my stereo on. I hit the CD button and tapped my foot in time to the music; Atreyu.

"Are you afraid of who you are?" The music taunted me.

It probably sounds real lame, but everything I'd seen in the last few days seemed to be mocking my feeling for Alice, or more accurately my failure to act upon them, try to persuade her to come with me.

I left for work earlier, tired of sitting on my own in the empty apartment.

---

Almost a month of being an empty shell passed, before I snapped out of it.

---

It started with a knock on the door.

I was at a loss to who it would be, I didn't have many friends 'round here, and they'd all be working at ten in the morning. I was on another slow day today, for some reason.

I answered the door, and the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen greeted me.

It was Alice. No makeup, hair a mess and wearing black combats and a black shirt.

But it was Alice!

My stomach felt like it was doing backflips, and my mind was racing. I didn't know what to do though. After our last conversation, I was scared she'd come to twist the knife even more.

"Mike. I'm sorry to just show up like this." Alice spoke first.

"What's up Ali?" I asked nervously.

"Everything. I can't eat properly, can't sleep properly, fuck, I can't even function during the day. I need you. So much. I love you Mike."

I was shocked that she'd just come out with it like this. I mean, this isn't the kind of subject people are overly-honest about.

But I couldn't get over the sense of victory, even seeing my sister in her distraught state, with her biting her lower lip nervously. It was my doorstep she was stood on, announcing her love to me. I shouldn't have felt like I'd won anything, but I had. I had my sister's love, and to me that was the ultimate victory.

I let her in my apartment, and made her sit down.

"Right, why did you come here? Aren't you supposed to be working? And why did you basically tell me you couldn't love me in more ways that a brother?" I asked once we were sat down.

"Okay. Erm, I came here because I didn't know what else to do. I had to see you and tell you how I felt. I am supposed to be working, but I took a week off because like I said, I had to see you. And I said that because I was so scared you'd find someone else up here, without remembering your feelings for me. I was scared you'd cut off the relationship we had, so I had to do it first." She replied, looking and sounding more relieved as she said more.

I was incredibly happy at this revelation. Terrified as well, because she pretty much felt what I felt, and I had no idea. I was kicking myself for not just picking up the phone.

I was also terrified at how we were going to tell our parents.

Then she kissed me, and I forgot about my worries, and felt the electric jolt. How I'd missed it.

---

Note: This story could be construed as complete, or not. However, I will be writing a part 2 at some point (time permitting) detailing what happens next. I don't know when part 2 will be complete, so bear with me - Real life intervenes.