Love on the brain (Part 11)
Hey guys, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry for any mistakes :)) To the person, who requested drama, here you go! :D
The chapter is also up on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576201/chapters/42764963
When Alex wakes up the next morning, she feels a stinging pain in her head. The light is too bright, even with closed eyes. She blindly reaches for Kelley, but she’s not there. Waking up a bit more, she realizes that the shower is running. After a solid minute of slowly coming back to life, Alex opens her eyes carefully.
“God, I’m never drinking that much again.” she moans to herself. She pops up on her elbows and looks to her nightstand to find that Kelley has left her a glass of water and Advil, as well as one of those vitamin smoothies she makes, that somehow make Alex feel better every time. She thankfully reaches for the water and the Advil and after that, starts drinking the smoothie. She leans against the headboard of their bed and closes her eyes again. A minute later Kelley walks in, her hair still wet from showering.
“Oh, you’re up.” she smiles. Alex is happy to hear the voice, knowing that at least one thing can make her feel better this morning. She opens her eyes and is met with Kelley smiling at her from the other end of the room, pulling a pair of jeans out of the closet and putting them on. And just like she thought, she already feels better. To be honest, she feels better every morning seeing that smile and hearing that voice.
Kelley grimaces, while buttoning her jeans, “Oh-oh. Hungover?”
“Yeah.” Alex nods, massaging her temples. Kelley gets in bed again and leans over Alex to give her a kiss.
“Good morning, pretty girl.”
“Hey, perfect fiancée.” Alex smiles softly, stroking Kelley’s cheek.
“Thanks for the cures.” she says, nodding towards the nightstand.
“I already guessed you’d be in need of that. You were pretty drunk.” Kelley chuckles, making a face.
“Come here, kiss me.” Alex says, pulling Kelley closer again and closing the distance. Kelley is surprised when Alex doesn’t just press a short kiss to her lips, but the kiss turns into a long full open-mouthed kiss, that expresses nothing but love and thankfulness.
“Woah, what was that for?” Kelley asks taken aback and a little out of breath, leaning her head on her elbow.
“You carried me up 12 floors, Kelley. 12 fucking floors, at 4 am. And then you make me this smoothie and leave Advil and water on my nightstand, just because you know it will make me feel better. And yet you ask me what I kiss you for. You just leave me speechless.” Alex breathes, shaking her head, staring into Kelley’s eyes deeply.
“You’re worth every step.”
“I love you.” Alex says, giving her a peck.
“How about I make breakfast and you go take a shower? That will make you feel better for sure.” Kelley offers.
“No, no. I should be the one making you breakfast after all of that.”
“Al, you’re hungover, let me make you breakfast.”
“But I want to make you feel good.” Alex pouts at her.
“Pay me back with another favor then.”
“You know, I feel like I’m in a desperate need of a massage.” Kelley grins.
“Of course, you are.” Alex smiles, rolling her eyes.
“It’s your own fault, you gave me a choice.” Kelley laughs.
“It’s always the same with you.”
“Yeah, that’s because of you.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, honey.”
“Oh, I think it got me quite far.”
Alex presses a quick peck to Kelley’s lips and pushes her onto her back, climbing on top of her. Since Kelley is only in jeans and a bra, Alex has easy access when she starts leaving a trail of kisses down her body. Kelley folds her arms behind her head and closes her eyes in relaxation. However, Kelley opens her eyes abruptly, when Alex stops dead in her tracks and lets out a gasp.
“Oh my god, babe, what happened to your hip?”
Kelley looks down at Alex, who inspects her hipbone, lightly touching the huge black bruise.
“I think I hit my hip and my back during the bathroom stall sex, or at least on the way into the stall.” Kelley chuckles.
“What the hell, your back too?”
Alex urges Kelley to roll over and when she does, Alex inhales sharply.
“Jeez, Kel I’m sorry.” she pouts at Kelley, who turns around again, smirking at Alex.
Alex lets out a loud laugh, throwing her head back, “We actually broke that bathroom stall.”
“Excuuuse me, what actually happened was that I banged you through that wall.” Kelley says, holding up her pointer finger, winking at Alex.
“I think that sounds fucking hot.”
“I might add that skill to my CV.”
“Just imagine people talking about me when I’m dead like: ‘Did you hear? Once she banged her fiancée through a wall!’”
“Yo, babe, babe! Does that mean I banged you into another dimension?!” Kelley exclaims excitedly.
Alex leans down and gives her a loving kiss, before standing up and heading into the bathroom.
“Hey, what about my massage??” Kelley calls after her.
“Patience is a virtue, tiger.”
“Says the girl that got banged through a bathroom stall.” Kelley chuckles to herself.
“I heard that!” Alex’s head pops into the room again. Kelley blows her a kiss, causing Alex shake her head and laugh, disappearing into the bathroom again.
“Hey Alex? Since our families are leaving today we’ll have to bring yours to the airport at about 1pm and mine at 2pm, is that okay?”
“Sure, babe.” Alex calls from the bathroom.
Kelley stands up and makes her way downstairs to prepare breakfast.
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After they said their goodbyes to their families, they head home again and Alex takes a nap, due to her still not feeling too good. At about 4 pm Alex is woken up by Kelley’s voice. She seems to be talking to someone downstairs and it’s getting very loud. She starts walking down the stairs and sees Kelley pacing through the living room in an aggravated manner.
“Oh, come on are you serious??!”
She runs her hand through her hair aggressively. Alex stops walking down the stairs halfway down and listens closely, furrowing her eyebrows.
“No man, you know we only have those few days with each other, does this really have to be right now?”
Kelley stops dead in her tracks when the person on the other side of the call answers and Alex can see the fury in her eyes.
“Are you fucking kidding me?! That’s the only time we really have to our own all year!!! Don’t give me that ‘You’re in National Camp together’ bullshit!!!” Kelley yells into her cellphone angrily. Alex sits down on the stairs quietly, really not meaning to eavesdrop, but what she just heard makes catches her attention.
“I know that I have a contract, Ken, I’m not stupid!!!”
She is silent for a while, when Ken, who is one of her agents, seems to argue with her. Her mouth is set in a tight line and her jaw is clenched.
“I guess, you made it clear that I don’t have a choice.” she says, leaning her arm against the wall and resting her head against it.
“See you, Ken.” she says quietly, hanging up and rubbing her eyes. She stands in the living room, releasing a deep breath. Alex’s heart sinks at the look on Kelley’s face.
“FUUCKING HELL!!!” Kelley screams loudly, causing Alex to flinch at the sudden outburst. She throws her phone through the room furiously and punches her fist against the wall hard. Alex quickly gets up and storms towards her. Kelley stands in front of the wall, her body shaking violently. She is looking at her fist in disbelieve, which is covered in blood and she has problems holding it still.
“Kel-“ Alex starts, trying to put her arms around her, but Kelley flinches away.
“Don’t touch me!” she yells, which makes Alex flinch again and then she stiffens. Kelley’s head shoots up to look at Alex startled. Alex’s mouth is opened slightly and she looks at her hurt, her lower lip trembling. However, with one deep breath she pulls herself together, which is this thing she only does during a huge argument to close somebody off and hide her emotions. Kelley hates when she does it and Alex knows it.
“Don’t ‘babe’ me right now.” Alex says sharply, her face not portraying any emotion, except for a single tear rolling down her cheek, which she wipes away quickly.
“Alex, please I-” Kelley says panicked.
“Shut up and stay here.” Alex says numbly. Kelley does as she’s told and watches Alex leave the room. A few seconds later she comes down the stairs with the first aid kit, which Kelley seems to see too much these days. She looks at Alex intently, who once again patches up her wounds, but this time it’s not as lovingly as the last time. It’s almost as if she’s not in the same room.
“I’m sorry, Alex I-” she says desperately.
“Kelley, I swear, if you say one more word.” Alex says bitterly. Her tone makes Kelley shut up for good and from then on it’s radio silence between them.
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Later that day Kelley tries to talk to Alex one more time, knowing that she has to tell her that she will leave for LA in the night, but it’s in vain. Alex just holds up her pointer finger to stop her from talking. Kelley let’s her head hang low in sorrow and walks up the stairs defeatedly to pack her bag. At 8 pm Kelley comes down the stairs again to grab something to eat, placing her packed bag in the hallway and sitting down in the kitchen to have dinner. However, her appetite is gone just looking at her meal and instead she just picks at her food apathetically. She puts it away and carefully approaches the couch in the living room where Alex is sitting, reading a book. Kelley sits down at the other end of the couch and as soon as she’s seated, Alex looks up from her book and stares at her warningly. Alex picks up her book and her blanket and stands up, walking towards the stairs.
“Oh, come on that’s ridiculous!” Kelley yells after her.
“Just doing you a favor, believe me!” Alex’s voice yells from upstairs, before slamming the door of their bedroom. Kelley puts her head in her hands and shakes it. She then walks into her office and writes Alex a letter, because she will definitely not disappear without any trace. At 10 pm she walks up the stairs and towards their bedroom. She carefully opens the door and all the lights are off. She approaches Alex’s side of the bed and sees that she is sleeping, so she places the letter on her nightstand and starts tip toeing out of the room. However, she stops after just one step, letting out a deep breath. She turns around and walks towards Alex, leaning down and placing a tender kiss on her head. After that she makes her way out of the room with a heavy heart. Downstairs, she checks her pockets for her phone, which is not there and she remembers throwing it across the room. The phone lays cover down nearby the big window. Kelley picks it up just to see that the screen is shattered.
“Good job, you idiot.” she mumbles to herself, pushing it in her pocket. She then turns off the lights and locks the door behind her, leaving for the airport.
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Alex feels like something is wrong when she wakes up, but she doesn’t question it, because she knows that something is wrong indeed. Kelley’s reaction shocked her to say the least and she can’t let something like this go that easily, even though Kelley looked miserable last night. Alex turns around in bed to carefully peek if Kelley is lying next to her. Contradicting to her actions, her heart sinks when she sees that the bed is empty and untouched. On the other hand, this only fuels the fire and she angrily makes her way to the bathroom to take a shower. 30 minutes later, she walks down the stairs, thinking she’ll find Kelley sleeping on the couch. It’s only 7:30 am and they sometimes like to sleep in on the Holidays. Alex furrows her brows when Kelley is also not sleeping on the couch.
“KEL?” she yells loudly, but nobody responds.
She shrugs, thinking that Kelley must be in the gym or going for a run, since she sometimes does that very early in the morning, especially when they are fighting. Alex makes herself breakfast and sits down on the couch, putting on the TV and eating a bowl of fruit. When she finishes, she makes her way upstairs again, reading some business inquiries in her office. After two hours or so, she starts getting worried again. She throws a nervous look at her watch. 10:30 am and still no sign of Kelley. She walks down the stairs again and into the hallway. Kelley’s favorite sneakers and her parka are gone, which is why she really must be out. Alex pushes down the door handle, wanting to take a peek outside, but the door is locked.
“Typical.” Alex smiles to herself, knowing that it is a protective habit of Kelley to lock the door from outside when she leaves Alex home alone. Alex turns the lock and looks down the hallway, but Kelley is nowhere to be seen. She closes the door again and walks down their hallway, when suddenly an image from earlier hits her. Alex sprints up the stairs and into their bathroom. She opens the cabinet where they store their toothbrushes and sees that Kelley’s toothbrush is gone. Thoughts are rushing through her head, a thousand scenarios coming to mind and yet none of them make sense. Alex leaves the bathroom, grabbing her phone that’s laying on her nightstand to see if Kelley left a message, but there is no call or message from her fiancée. Therefore, Alex dials her number, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently and running her hand through her hair in stress.
“Come on, pick up.” she says nervously.
“Hey, you have reached the voicemail of Kelley O’Hara. If you-“
Alex hangs up and immediately calls her number again.
“Damn it!” Alex says, slumping down on their bed. When she rolls over to put her phone on the nightstand, a folded piece of paper with her name on it catches her eye. She hastily garbs it, unfolding it.
I’m really sorry to do this through a letter. However, since you won’t talk to me I thought I might be lucky and knowing you, you’re too nosy to not open this. Point proven.”
Alex rolls her eyes, imagining Kelley writing this part with a smirk on her face. She just knows her too well.
“As I said, I wish this could have been differently, but I really had no choice. Ken called me yesterday and told me I have some obligations in LA with some new sponsor, which is why I have to leave tonight, well had to leave yesterday, if you are reading this tomorrow. They told me I have to stay until 3rd January and yes I know…”
“What?!” Alex breathes out.
“I’ll be missing New Year’s Eve and I don’t know how to make this up to you. Believe me, if I could I would have stayed. I know that the circumstances are really unfortunate at the moment and I’m only making it harder, but I’ll be home in 5 days and I’ll try to do anything to make it better. I know you’re angry. You’re even more angry now and even though you don’t want to hear it, I’m really sorry. I love you forever, no matter what.
“I hate you so much, Kelley O’Hara.” Alex cries, knowing that this is far from the truth. The tears are streaming down her face, the façade from yesterday finally breaking into pieces. She throws the letter to the side and grabs Kelley’s pillow, crying into it for what feels like hours.
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Meanwhile, Kelley already arrived in LA. Last night, when she boarded the plane, she wanted to take a look at her phone for the very unlikely event that Alex woke up and decided to call her. However, when she pulled the shattered phone out of her pocket and pushed the home button, the screen remained black. Kelley groaned loudly, only then realizing that she not only shattered the display, but completely wrecked her entire phone by throwing it. Luckily, Ken sent someone to pick her up from LAX. The guy was holding up a sign with her name and at least she was brought to the first meeting without any complications. However, the meeting is lasting till late in the night and when she finally arrives at her hotel, she still had no chance to organize a new phone. Rushing into her room, she immediately grabs the hotel’s phone on her nightstand, typing in Alex’s number, but quickly throwing a look at her watch before dialing. It’s midnight in LA, which means it’s 3 am in New York. Kelley slams the receiver down again.
Kelley rubs her temples tiredly and gets ready to sleep, knowing that she has to be up early the next morning, but sleep never comes to her .
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“Allie, I just don’t understand, why is she not calling??”
“This is so unlike Kelley.”
Alex waited all day for any sign of Kelley, but it never came. No call, no text, nothing. In the evening she called Allie over, the situation leaving her restless.
“You must have really let out the beast, huh?” Allie mumbles under her breath.
“I must have what?!” Alex asks irritated.
“Allie, I heard you!” Alex sasses.
Allie looks at her meaningfully.
“You think I shouldn’t have reacted that way, don’t you?”
“You want my honest opinion or the soft version?”
“I think that answer says it all.” Alex remarks sarcastically, causing Allie to exhale deeply.
“I’m sorry Allie! I know I sometimes am a little bit stubborn. But-”
“Sometimes, a little bit.”
Alex rolls her eyes at Allie, “-but you should have been there. It’s just how she reacted. It shocked me and then she has the audacity to leave me here, vanishing into thin air??”
“Alex, first of all, it all would have went down differently, if you just would have talked to her and second of all, you know how Kelley is. She sometimes looses her temper and lashes out at random people.”
“Yeah, but you see, I am no random person, I am her fiancée. Her fiancée, Allie. I’m not going to tolerate behavior like that!”
“I know, Alex. I’m not saying that it makes it any better, but- you know what, forget it. I already am getting involved too much.”
“But what?? Come on say it.” Alex urges Allie on. Allie looks at her, pondering if she really should say this. Alex looks at her pleadingly.
“You sound like her mother.”
This shuts Alex up and she looks anywhere but Allie’s eyes.
“Still, I also think she should call you.” Allie says carefully.
“You call her! Maybe she just blocked me and she’ll pick up when she sees it’s you.”
“Alright, but only once.”
Allie pulls out her phone and dials Kelley’s number, while Alex looks at her excitedly. However, the phone goes straight to voicemail, just like the hundred times when Alex called it. The excitement on Alex’s face dissolves quickly.
“What if something happened to her?” Alex asks alarmed.
“Alex, if something happened to her they would call you or it would be on the news. She’s still famous.”
“I can’t take this anymore.” Alex says, dialing a number in her phone.
“Ken, is Kelley somewhere around you? I really need to talk to her.”
“Ehhh, didn’t she tell you? I’m not with her yet, my flight got cancelled and I’ve just boarded a plane to Miami.”
“Yeah, it’s a stopover. I’ll be in LA tomorrow evening at the earliest.”
“Oh, okay. Hey Ken, is there something wrong with her pho-”
“Alex, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I’ll have to call you back. The plane is about to take off. Bye!” he hastily says, hanging up the phone and all Alex hears is the beeping on the other end of the line.
