Somebody That I Used to Know Ch. 05

This is the 5th and final chapter in the Somebody I Used To Know storyline. My thanks to all the comments and feedback it has received. Special mention to Kaidman who shared the story with a larger audience.

If anyone has any comments or questions then just send me a message, if I can get back to you I will reply as quick as I can.

Story first, sex second.

**

It was one of those moments that lasted a lifetime. Adam McAllister, 38 years old, married for 7 and with a 6 year old son, the man that could never settle, could never stay in one life without ruining it, had just destroyed himself again.

He had just forced his own cousin, Alexandra, to reveal, in front of their friends and family, that her daughter was also his.

Adam had destroyed his own life many times over, he'd even destroyed Lexi's a couple times before. But now, there was his wife, his son, even his best friend, so many people who lives would never be the same with this news. But Adam wasn't thinking about any of them.

He was thinking about his father-in-law, and the pint glass he was holding.

In a blind rage Kale forced the glass into the left side of Adam's face. Adam didn't do anything to avoid it, he deserved whatever happened to him. He felt a searing pain as the glass exploded, his vision went red then quickly faded to darkness.

*

2000

*

"Happy New Year."

Lexi climbed off of Adam, his dick softening as she pulled him out of her, she hadn't meant to go this far, she never wanted to sleep with Adam again but she needed support and he was there for her. As they got dressed she wondered about the implications, would he see this as the start of something or just the neediness of a lost little girl. Whatever was going through his head Adam stayed quiet so Alexandra followed suit, they remained silent as they returned home.

"Where have you two been? Midnight was ten minutes ago." The sound of Claire's anger reminded Alexandra of the pain they had both caused all those years ago, there would be time to tell the truth but not today.

"Sorry mum, we just popped out to buy some cigarettes and..."

Alexandra butted in. "And I ran into someone. Cyril Moreno."

The lie was successful, coupled with Liam's recognition of the name nobody questioned her. Alexandra had found out long ago that the best lies were ones based on truth and she had told herself enough half-truths to fool even herself.

That night Lexi lay across the old bed, looking up at the ceiling, a million thoughts racing through her mind. What should she say to Adam, should she tell him she wants to try again, would he leave his wife for her, would he run away once more, back home. She had no doubt in her mind that she loved Adam, true she hated him but she couldn't hide the feelings she'd been having, when she heard he was getting married her heart broke, that was when she knew she...

Wait, what was she doing? This was exactly the same shit that fucked everything up last time. Confusion and misreading of feelings. Adam was her cousin, there was no way they could be together, not after all the pain they'd caused everyone. She was an idiot for thinking he would leave his wife, especially for her, she was only half-serious when she told Adam he would run from her, she knew he wouldn't leave Kay.

But he had just cheated on her.

Her head aching as she tried to understand the complex and fucked up relationship she had with her cousin, Lexi went to bed that night with tears in her eyes, still confused about everything.

The morning fared a little better, her head still hurt but not as much, she kept quiet, trying to keep any indication of the affair last night secret. It was the only time in her life Alexandra was glad they were at a funeral, she could pass her his detached attitude as depression.

Her father left in the morning, Adam had booked an afternoon flight to spend more time with his family, Alexandra spent as long as she could with Ray, partly to avoid Adam but mostly because she wanted to remember her father, maybe not her actual father but he was close enough and wanted to be her dad.

After he left she used every trick in the book to avoid talking to Adam, being in a different room than him at all times, making sure there was more than just the two of them in the room. Thankfully Adam was spending a lot of time with his mum but it was clear her avoidance was hurting him.

It wasn't just clear to her, Claire picked up on the tension and confronted Lexi about it, just before she was to take Adam to the airport.

"What's going on between you two?" She asked bluntly.

"What?"

"Between you and me son. There's something there, you've hardly said a word to each other all-day."

"I'm just depressed is all, about Uncle Kieran's death."

"Bullcrap young lady, you know as well as I do that my husband and you didn't get along as well as you used to. Besides, you were all talk yesterday."

Alexandra decided to use another one of her half-truths. "It's the shit I had with Cyril last night, it brought up a lot of bad memories, I remember the person I use to be and I hate it."

Claire's heart melted, she didn't fully believe Lexi but it was a tough lie, admitted that about herself. She hugged her niece.

"It's ok, you're passed that now. You're a different person."

'Yeah, how different?' Lexi thought to herself. She was still a slut, still fucking her cousin, still tearing a marriage apart. She couldn't do that, not anymore, she wouldn't be the reason for another relationship breaking up. Last night was a mistake, the result of a sad, lonely girl looking for a friend and finding a lover.

"You ready to go?"

Alexandra turned round and saw Adam, holding his bags, ready to return home.

"Yeah, let's go."

The two of them got into Alexandra's car and headed off to the airport, Lexi turned on the radio, hoping that would fill the silence that was going to be a part of this journey. She didn't know how Adam was feeling and truthfully she didn't care, not out of spite but if she thought about him she'd do something stupid, she had to be selfish, just this once where it was allowed.

The silence between them gave her time to think, as she did she came to the conclusion that last night was a one time thing, never to be repeated, she needed someone and Adam was there for her. Nothing more. Too many people would get hurt and she'd already hurt enough people to regret a lifetime. As Lexi pulled into the drop-off point here mind was set.

"Well Adam, it's been nice meeting you again, just wish it was under better circumstances. I'll see you some other day."

The look of Adam's face killed her, he looked like she'd just spit in his face.

"Is that it? Lexi what the fuck? Last night you told me you loved me, we had sex and today it's like it never happened."

"It was nothing Adam, just another mistake."

"What about when you said you loved me?"

"I do Adam but you're married now, and we're still cousins, we don't have a chance. Just forget it."

"Forget it huh? That's just so fuckin typical of you Lexi, you won't let yourself get any emotion from anyone, whoever gets too close you blow them off. Fuck this."

Adam stormed out of the car, as he was taking out his bags Alexandra's mind was going a mile a minute, had she just made a terrible mistake? She looked up and saw Adam walking away, she jumped out the car.

"Adam wait."

Her cousin turned and looked at her, the horrible look of depressed fury broke her heart and she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Adam, however, could say something.

"I loved you you cunt."

And with that he turned away. Alexandra got back in the car, the feelings and emotions she had over the past couple of days came rushing through her and she broke down, crying, sobbing actually, against the steering wheel. How could have been so stupid, she loved Adam, she WAS in love with him and had been for a while despite her lies to herself. Even it appeared Adam felt the same way, and she pushed him away.

Fuck everyone else, why should she worry about what they think, why shouldn't she be happy? For the first time in her life why couldn't she be happy? She considered running out and catching Adam in the airport but what would be the point, he wanted nothing to do with her right now and whether he meant it or not he would break her heart.

Besides, history tends to repeat itself when it came to their relationship.

Wiping her tears away Alexandra started the car and drove home, she had managed to buy a small house not far from Claire's home, it wasn't much but it was home and besides, she figured 30 was too old to be renting an apartment. Unfortunately there were times - and given Lexi's history these were all too frequent for her liking - when she looked round the house, saw the double bed she slept in, saw the child's room just down hall and was reminded that she didn't have a family. She had no-one.

When she got back home that feeling hit her hard. It had been getting worse over the last few years, she knew she had a long time to find somebody, to raise a family but between the knowledge that all her friends were getting married or pregnant and the fact that she lost her own chance to be a mother twice, it wasn't a good mix.

Emotionally drained, Alexandra crashed onto her bed, falling asleep immediately on the familiar feel of cotton. She didn't know how long she slept but it must've been for a long time because it looked like morning when she woke, the soft sunlight trickled through the window. Lexi opened her eyes and looked into the smiling face of the man next to her.

"Morning."

"Morning Adam. How long you been awake?"

"Not long, didn't have the heart to wake you. You looks so beautiful when you're dreaming."

"How did you know I was dreaming?"

"I'm your husband, I'm suppose to know."

Lexi, still exhausted, leaned over and kissed Adam. They held each other closely as the morning gave them a new day together.

The sound of knocking on the bedroom door caught Lexi's attention. "Yes?"

The door opened and there stood a little girl, smiling brightly at the two of them. "Hi mum, hi dad."

Lexi beamed. "Hey baby, how are you?"

The little girl jumped up onto the bed and snuggled between her parents. "I'm good, just wanted to see f you were up. Mummy slept for a long time."

"I know, but mummy get tired sometimes, when I give all my love to you in one day I need to recharge so I can do it again the next day."

"Oh mummy, you silly."

Lexi kissed her daughter's head. "I know baby. I know."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Lexi looked up and saw her husband smiling at her.

"What about me, what love do I get?"

"You don't get any love, you have my soul and my heart. I love you Adam."

"I love you too Lexi."

Alexandra reached over to touch her husband's face but when all she felt was the pillow she realised that she was awake. The whole thing had been a dream, Adam wasn't there, her daughter wasn't there. She was all alone, it was still night-time outside, the darkness mirrored her own feelings. She cried herself to sleep.

*

A couple weeks passed, Alexandra never heard from Adam and decided best not to interfere with his life, instead she focussed on hers, she had finally handed in her week's notice and in a few days she would be leaving her secretary job at the bank and going back to college to study art. She knew it was crazy and foolish since she hadn't held a brush in years, decades even, but she needed to make that leap of faith, she'd missed so many others.

It was a cold Friday walking home from work that everything changed for Lexi. She had a date with Liam the next week having put it off due to feeling depressed about Adam, she never explained her reasons but Liam was a good guy, he never pestered her about it. She decided to stop off at a pharmacy, pick up some morning after pills, she wanted to be safe, just in case things got out of hand and Liam didn't have any condoms. Besides it had been so long she had sex that she needed a refill anyway.

Suddenly Lexi froze in her tracks. It hadn't been that long, she had sex with Adam just a fortnight ago, unprotected sex, sex that caused him to shoot his seed into her womb, the same seed that had impregnated her once before.

Terrified at her own mind, Lexi practically ran into the pharmacy and grabbed three different pregnancy tests, she ignored the knowing smirk of the cashier and paid for them before rushing home. She was barely in the door before sprinting into the bathroom, dropping her pants and ripping the pregnancy test open. Her nerves were so shredded she didn't have to wait to pee, she had to hold it in before getting in the right position. The waiting was torturous, it was the longest two minutes of her life, every second lasted a week, she kept looking at her clock, swearing it was going backwards until finally, it was time, tentatively she looked at the test, a small, pink plus sign looked back at her.

She was pregnant.

No, it was a mistake, she needed another test, just to be sure. Panicking, Alexandra grabbed the largest glass she could find and filled it with water, drinking it down as fast as she could, stopping only to breath, then repeating the process with a second test, a different brand.

Same result, positive for pregnancy.

With two tests both giving the same results Alexandra calmed down, she was still on edge but she took a deep breath and slowed herself. Being careful she took a third test, being a lot slower and calmer than earlier. She had to wait a while before she was ready but when she was she took the test, waited until she could read it and, for the third time, she saw what she feared.

She was definitely pregnant, and with her cousin's baby.

A flood of emotions hit Lexi, depression, joy, anger, love, hate. But fear was the biggest one, fear over what she was going to do, what could she do. She knew there and then she wasn't going to have an abortion, she couldn't. After losing two children before she was even 30, Lexi wasn't going to lose another, she was carrying this baby to term, despite it's incestuous parentage. Therein lay her other problem, should she tell Adam?

It wasn't a question of what to tell him it was whether she should tell him at all, this was a child, their child, and he had the right to know. However with Adam married and in Hawaii it just didn't seem right to break up his family like that, for all she knew Adam and Kay were trying to have kids right now. No, she would keep quiet, Adam would never know about their baby, he would have his life and Lexi would have hers. This brought up another problem, the father, who could be a replacement?

God she hated how she sounded, 'replacement', it sounded so cold, so uncaring, she did care, that was the problem. She was fucked and she knew it well. Then it hit her, the reason she had bought the pregnancy test in the first place, she had gone in to get condoms for Liam, if she played her cards right Alexandra could pretend Liam got her pregnant, say he was the father, it was risky but she could do it, no-one else knew about her and Adam plus her and Liam had had a relationship in the past so it made sense.

If this blew up in her face then it would ending hurting a lot of people. She needed a drink badly, or at least a friend, but she had no-one, she was on her own for the moment, just her and the little one.

*

The week passed slowly, Alexandra found her pregnancy hormones were amplified by her stressed nature, she couldn't sleep well, she was put-off by smells she usually didn't mind. Because she couldn't drink her younger classmates had taking to calling her Den Mother, she wasn't even the oldest one in the class but once it stuck, it stuck. She didn't mind the nickname but it did make her feel older than her years, she was only 30 but years of self-neglect, abuse and her time with heroin had made her look and feel like she was in her early 40s. This didn't help her confidence when Friday came around and her date with Liam drew nearer. Strange as it was, Lexi had never been on a proper date, she was use to one-night stands and being used in her teen tears, even Ellis had been like that, only staying with her because she was knocked up, now she had cleaned up and was ready to start a life that she should've been use to by now. Her only consolation was that Liam was in the same boat as her, he spent a great deal of his life where he didn't want to be and had also recently cleaned himself act, if he believed her plan then they could be a good couple.

The date was scheduled for 6 in the evening, Liam arrived at Alexandra's house about 15 minutes before that, opening the door for him Lexi felt a genuine smile cross her lips, she was happy to see him. He looked good, his hair needed a cut or at least a comb but combined with his five o'clock shadow, his ripped jeans and t-shirt/shirt combo, it gave him a rugged look that Lexi liked.

For her part Lexi was wearing skinny jeans, using the tightness to accentuate her returning curves, and a snug pink top with an open black jumper over the top, just a hint of cleavage was showing, good enough for a first date. Her make-up was minimal, never really liking the stuff but her self-confidence needed to make her look a little younger for Liam, she didn't know why but she wanted to.

"Hey, you're early."

"My father always told me to arrive early so as not to disappoint your lady."

"Oh, so I'm your lady now am I?"

"Only if you want to be. Nice to see you again Alexandra."

The two old friends hugged, it was soft but still firm enough to know there was something still there between them.

"You're looking good Liam."

"Thanks, you look stunning as ever."

"You're just saying that."

"Yeah, why, is that a problem?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere. Can I get you a drink, beer, wine, coffee?

"Just some water if you don't mind, trying to stay away from illicit substances."

"Coffee's illicit?"

"Just being careful."

She had to laugh at that, Liam being careful didn't sound like the man she knew three years ago, except maybe he wasn't a man then. Alexandra poured them both a glass of water each.

"So what do you have planned for this evening, I'm warning you I expect fine wining and dining."

"Sorry, nothing too extravagant. I'm afraid this will have to be a simple affair for our first date. I'd like to do a little catching up with you and not have to worry about anyone overhearing us, I figured a simple walk around town and maybe a quick bite to eat would be enough."

"Sounds great, small, simple, personal. I like it." The tone of her voice told Liam that she meant it.

The two of them left Lexi's house and took a slow walk into town, no destination in mind.

Liam started the conversation "So what you been up to? I got bits and pieces on New Years but nothing definitive."

Lexi swallowed the memory of her New Years, sex with Adam at their pond. She couldn't think about that just now. "I'm actually in the middle of things right now. Just quit my job at the bank, going back to school, an art university."

"That's great, I remember Adam going on about how great you were at painting."

"Yeah, it's just been a while since I held a brush, with everything going on in my life I never had the chance to do what I wanted. What about you, you doing anything of interest?"

"I'm not doing much right now. My uncle got me a job at his construction site..."

"I thought you looked a little trimmer."

"Ha, no. I'm doing paperwork mostly, keeps me busy."

"Ever think of returning to the ocean, admiral?"

"Avast ye scurvy dogs, this old pirate's landlocked for the next while. I'd like to, really. But I've moved on, found a life for myself here. Is it what I imagined in high school, no but what is?"