The Sibling Diaries Pt. 05

"Okay, I think I better head to bed." Alex got up to leave.

Emily pulled him close to her and she kissed him. She hoped that she hadn't scared him off. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Goodnight, Alex."

Alex slipped out of the door as quietly as he'd came in.

The week that commenced was one of confusion for Alex and Emily. Emily returned to campus, meanwhile their father Derrick returned from his trip from Berlin. Alex spent some time with his Dad throughout the week and he even came to watch his basketball game.

Unfortunately they lost at home 59-65. Alex didn't play particularly well either. The situation with Emily was starting to get to him. They hadn't spoken to each other since he'd slipped out of her room late the previous weekend.

She spent her week on campus studying and hanging around with Melissa. Melissa was the friend that she needed. He always figured that she would drop her when it became most convenient. However, she stuck it out and seemed to really care for her, which Alex really appreciated.

He knew that she was in good hands upstate. Rose had come over again that week too. Things on their assignment were progressing well. It felt like they had become friends again. That whatever they had when they were younger was slowly returning. They'd joked around a few times while studying and even texted back and forth.

Brian and Mandy seemed to be really getting on with things. It was only a matter of time before they became official. Rose was Mandy's best friend and Alex was Brian's best friend. They slowly seemed to be forming a small group together. Whenever Alex hung around with Brian, Mandy seemed to be there, which meant that Rose was never all that far behind.

Brian was a good friend. He always seemed to noticed when Alex was having an off day. He'd said that it was most evident when he came to watch him play ball during the week.

"What's up dude? You played trash out there. I know when your not fully focused. What's on your mind?" He'd asked.

Alex thought of ways to tell Brian what was up without really giving away their secret, but it was too hard. In the end, Brian reckoned it was about Rose.

"I see the way that you guys look at each other. Why don't you go ask her out? Go do something fun. Instead of studying all the time." Brian suggested.

Alex thought of many things that they could do, he even planned a scene out in his own head of how he'd ask her out. Yet the lingering problem he had with Emily just wouldn't seem to fade away. He knew that he had to patch things up with her before he could think about Rose.

Alex lay in bed after school letting his mind wonder. He tossed a ball into the air he catch it and did this over and over again. He did it while contemplating what he should do with all these thoughts about Emily.

He glanced over at his cell on the computer desk. He figured that she'd have texted him by now, yet he hadn't heard anything from her. Alex sighed deeply, he'd had enough. Lazily, he got up and sauntered over to the desk. He picked it up and searched for her name in his contacts.

He took a few deep breaths and hit call. The cell vibrated violently as it rung her phone. It buzzed, it buzzed again and then it buzzed some more.

Emily was sat with Melissa having a drink of wine in her dorm room. They'd Just finished painting their nails and where in the middle of waiting for them to dry when she realised her phone was ringing.

Melissa was the closest to it so she picked it up. Melissa read the name that appeared and held it out for her to take. Emily didn't look up at first. She figured that it was Melissas phone that was being called.

"Emily. It's Alex."

Emily didn't take the phone from Melissa's hand. She knew exactly what the call was about and she wasn't ready for the conversation. Especially not with Melissa around. She preferred to deal with these things face to face.

"He's probably wanting a ride or something stupid. Just let it ring out." She said.

Alex waited. He waited to hear her voice but it never came. The phone simply stopped buzzing. She always picked up his calls. He decided to try Melissa, maybe she was with her and could put her on the phone.

He rung her number and waited just like he had before. Melissa had just finished painting her pinky toe when this time, her cell started to ring. Without a thought of who it could have been, she picked up.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey, it's Alex."

"Oh, hi Alex. What did you phone me for?" She asked.

Emily couldn't understand how Melissa did not recognise that the caller was most likely Alex.

She shot a threatening look over at Melissa but Melissa couldn't quite understand what she was trying to tell her.

"Have you heard from Emily? She's ignoring my calls."

Emily could hear her Brothers voice on the other line. She waved her hands from side to side as if to say no. Melissa had a hard time reading her hand signals.

"Ehm.... No, I've not seen her." She lied.

"Well could you go check on her? I'm kind of worried about her." Alex paced his room.

Melissa didn't have an answer. She was too busy trying to depict what Emily was meaning with her violent hand gestures.

"Just tell him I'm asleep." Alex heard his sister say from over the phone.

"You are with her. I just heard her."

"No that was my other friend... Lisa." She lied again.

"Well if she doesn't want to to speak to me then fine. I'll leave you guys to it."

"No, Alex. Wai-"

Alex hung up. He knew that something was off. Normally she would message him about the game or the result. She never bothered to this time. She was with Melissa doing whatever it was that girls did on a Friday night. She didn't want to speak to him. He hadn't said goodbye to her when she left. Nor did he when he slipped out of her room last week.

The whole sex thing was a bit much to think about. It was all happening so fast for him. Not that he didn't want to do it, just that it was something so wrong. It's one thing to make out with your Sister, it's another to make love to her.

Alex rung up Brian to see if he was down to hang. Turned out that Brian was with Rose and Mandy. They had been on their way to get some food when he'd called.

"Sure thing dude. We will swing by your block."

Brian still couldn't drive, so he figured that they'd be on foot. The rain had been battering down for a few hours so he supposed that he'd have to get wet. A few minutes later the doorbell rung and Alex got changed. He felt slightly nervous over the possibility of a double date. Mandy and Emily stood down by the end of his drive, while Brian stood on his first porch.

He opened the door the sound of hammering rain on the ground. Brian was wet and stood huddling underneath his jacket.

"Rose doesn't want this to be like a double date sort of thing, If that's cool." Brian said as soon as Alex had opened the door.

"Great." Alex thought. That was one way for Rose to let him know that she wasn't interested in him.

"Maybe I shouldn't come." He said.

"What? Don't be stupid. She just doesn't want you to think she's after a boyfriend or something." Brian said.

"Yeah I got the message." He sighed.

"Look, we're going to get some Food. If you wanna come you can. I don't see you having many other options?"

He was right. His mother and Father were out on another 'date night', and he couldn't bare the thought staying home alone after that phone call with Melissa. He unhooked his coat from the hanger and stepped out into the rain.

They scampered under the rain to the towns diner where they all sat and ordered their food.

For the most part, Alex didn't let the no date situation ruin the night. They all had a great time and laughed at some jokes about Mr Bennett.

At one point Brian accompanied Mandy to order sundaes for them all, leaving Alex and Rose to themselves for a few minutes.

"You were so useless on Tuesday night." Rose teased.

"Oh I was useless? I managed to formulate three pages of hard work. You on the other hand had taken notes off silly websites for two hours."

"I must have been distracted by your new macho man muscles." Rose curled her arms into a flex.

"Listen here, Rosie. These arms are not for you. They're reserved for people that actually would want to go on a date with me." He laughed.

"Brian told you about that huh?" Her smiled quickly faded.

"It's no biggy."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to go on a date with you. I just didn't want you thinking that it was gonna be anything like that. Brian said that you were stressed so I think that would have been the last thing on your mind."

"So you're saying that you wouldn't mind going on a date with me?" He asked.

"Well... I didn't know. Maybe..." She was stalling.

"It's okay. I get it. We have history, we used to be best friends and all." Alex rolled his eyes.

"No, honestly. I would like to it's just that..."

"It's just that what?" Mandy asked.

Brian and Mandy had returned with four sundaes. Brian sat down with Alex, while Mandy scooted in beside Rose.

"Just that she's full and doesn't think she can stomach a sundae." Alex saved her.

Rose gave him a look of thanks. He'd noticed how her cheeks had flushed red and she didn't really know where to look.

"it's okay. They gave us one on the house, so I guess it doesn't really matter if you have it or not."

Rose played in to the act and pushed away her sundae after a few mouthfuls. He found it funny because he knew that it was her favourite.

"These used to be your favourite too." Alex took a spoonful in his mouth.

"I guess some things don't always stay the same." She said.

Outside the rain thundered down on Greendale town. For the remainder of the night they all laughed at old memories as the sugar rush was beginning to hit them one by one. On the way home Brian had tried to do cartwheels just to prove to Mandy that he could do them. While Alex mimicked Mr Bennett's angry voice which had the rest them in stitches with laughter.

Mandy's house was the closest to the Diner so they walked her home first. Then they passed through Brian's street. He wished them a safe journey home as he bragged about getting into his cosy, warm bed and out of the pouring rain.

It had gotten quite late by the time they'd arrived at Alex's house. Alex assumed they'd just keep walking up the road towards Rose's a few blocks down.

"I guess this is your stop." She said.

Alex took one look at the house and then one look at the flooding road ahead of them.

"I can't let you walk all the way home by yourself in the dark." He said.

"Sure you can. It's only a five minute walk." She protested.

"What if something happened to you. I'd have to find a new partner for the assignment." He teased.

"I'm sure Maddison wouldn't mind filling in." She laughed.

He laughed too. "Look I'm walking you home whether you like it or not. My Mom wouldn't let me in the house if didn't."

"Fine, you can walk me home. Only because I don't want you don't get grounded."

"Besides, Who knows when you might need these basketball arms?" He stupidly flexed.

They laughed as the trudged up the hill and continued their teasing of one another. The rain lashed at them and the wind slowed them down. At one point Rose had to take hold of Alex's arm to keep herself upright. The avoided large puddle in the road that had begun to form small streams running down the road.

Finally they took shelter on her front porch. Rose noticed how Alex's hair turned curly when it got wet and she couldn't help but feel attracted to him in that moment.

"Thanks for walking me home, Alex. You didn't have to."

"Don't wanna be grounded, remember?"

"I know, I know..."

She paused for a moment. The silence that filled the gap between their words was becoming awkward. He set his eyes upon her face. Droplets of rain trickled down her forehead and her wet Hair clung to her as though someone had just dumbed a bucket of water over her.

"About earlier..." She begun to say.

"It's okay. Honestly it is. I get it." Alex knew that she was talking about the date.

"No you're not hearing me. I would like to go on a date with you."

Alex was filled with joy. He felt like a whistling teapot that's lid was about to explode. Yet he kept his face straight, without any trace of happiness. He couldn't believe that she wanted to. Of all the guys she could pick to date, she was choosing him.

"You do?"

"Yes... I do."

Alex took a step forward and for a second Rose thought that they we're about to hug or maybe even kiss. He'd outstretched his arms as an invitation, just as her front door swung open.

"Alex Riley? Is that you?" Roses Mom appeared on the porch.

"Hi, Mrs Green." He said.

"You've grown to a good height have you not?"

Rose looked at him as if to apologise for her Mother's very normal behaviour.

"Suppose I need to be for the Basketball games." He joked.

"Oh that's right. Rose was telling me you're a very good player."

Alex was surprised to hear that she'd been talking about him to her Mother. She looked extremely embarrassed as she stood next to her.

"Out on a date then were we?"

"Oh, no. Just walking her home, Mrs Green."

"Well we better get you inside Rose, you look soaked to the bone! Thank you for walking her home Alex and good luck with the Basketball Games!"

Rose shut the door behind them and Alex leapt from the porch. The happiness inside of him was almost overwhelming. He practically pranced home in the rain as the thought of himself and Rose on a date ran through his mind. For a second he'd forgotten about the situation with Emily.

However, the lingering thoughts returned as the rain hit him harder than before. He didn't know if he could juggle two girls at once.