Chapter 1
"So then why are you with him?" he asked, looking over at his best friend as they sat on the brick wall behind her house.
"Rayne, you know how much I love him, plus I have to be there for Sammy." Alexis defended, knowing it sounded pathetic, even to her.
"Bull." he said, calling her on it immediately. "You're just as bad as him if you keep using that kid as your scape goat. Anyways, if you love him so much, you wouldn't have bothered calling me down here to bitch about him."
Alexis glared at him, more because she knew he was right, like usual. She decided to end the conversation before he started to lecture her again. Not that he wouldn't anyways, she knew him well enough that if he dropped the subject now, she would hear it later. He was lounging in the over stuffed lawn chair, in his usual jeans and a t-shirt. He glared back at her and his green eyes were bright with the sun catching there color. He had longer blond hair that was forever falling into his eyes.
"Maybe I called you down here for the sheer pleasure of your company." she said, smiling sweetly at him.
"Ha! I know you better then that Alex. I moved and now there is no one here to listen to you bitch so you call me down once or twice a week just so you can vent." he said laughing.
"Yeah, but you make it sound so ugly." she said, now laughing with him.
"Alex?" a voice called from behind them. Alexis called out to her roommate to let her know where she was.
"Hmm, my room mate is home. Wanna go tourist watch in our spot?" she suggested, hoping he didn't want to leave her just yet.
"I have cleared my demanding schedule and now I am all yours today." he said, adding in a wiggle of the eyebrows for good measure.
"Yeah right, I doubt Liz would feel like sharing you, sweetheart." Alex said laughing, but noticed Rayne's face grow serious. "Oh no, not again."
Rayne nodded and gave a heavy sigh. "She packed up and moved yesterday apparently because when I got home there was nothing left of hers in the house. I didn't find a note."
Alex took him in her arms. "Aww, honey. I'm so sorry, why didn't you say anything." Rayne pulled out of the embrace, smiling slightly. "Because it's not like it's the first time. She's done this four times. Honestly I think if she does call me, which I know she will, I'm just going to ask for my key back and leave it at that."
As they headed for his truck Alexis' cell phone went off. She looked at the caller ID, saw that it was Rick and chose to ignore it.
They got into the truck and Rayne looked at her expectantly.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"He isn't going to believe that you didn't hear your phone ring. He'll end up coming here looking for you." he said with a warning glance. "Then you'll be gone and your roommate will say, 'gee, I don't know Rick. She left with Rayne a little bit ago.'" he said in his fake women voice, mocking her roommate. "And believe me; I do not need him to have yet another reason to hate me."
"He doesn't hate you, Ray." Alex said jumping to her boyfriends defense. "He just doesn't understand us. Not that many people do. I mean it's not often two people who have dated still talk to each other, let alone stay best of friends."
Rayne rolled his eyes and grumbled something under his breath.
"Besides, it wouldn't matter if he did hate you. I wouldn't let his opinion make decisions for me." she said, her voice full of strength. It sounded forced to Rayne, she sounded like she is going to be terrified to go home tonight and probably spend the night at his house to avoid it.
His mind was raging with inner conflict on weather to call her on this or not. He had heard it all before, then days later she would seem happy, but they sadness in her eyes was louder then ever. Rayne wasn't sure how much more of it he could stand seeing. When they had gotten to the beach behind his house, he had decided not to say anything until later.
As they walked the beach in silence, something they did often, he thought about his and Alex's history together. She had grown up so much since their first meeting, in her looks as well as her personality. He recalled the mousy plain brown hair, bland brown eyes that always seemed sad, and pink-purple speckled rimmed glasses that had the Disneyâ„¢ logo on the frame. She was short and very uncomfortable with her early blooming body. She would use this awkwardness to beat up anyone who teased her about it, which often labeled her a scrapper. That's when they met, during their awkward years in junior high where they literally ran into each other in halls and had been close friends ever since. In high school they decided that since they were such good friends that maybe they would make a good couple. Really the decision was based on raging hormones and a jokingly placed kiss that raised questions.
They had gone through so much together that, there wasn't much to their relationship when they started to date. They already knew everything about each other, so there was nothing to get to know, except the few questions they had kept silent until then. Rayne thought about those questions now and almost laughed out loud. He had never been so uncomfortable with himself until the year that they dated. Thinking about kissing her, touching her, and yet thinking about her in a best friend way as well. It was especially excruciating when the weekends came and where they use to be able to spend the night at each others houses, they were no longer allowed because they were dating now.
In the end, being friends was a lot less work then dating. Neither of them really know when they stopped dating and went back to being friends, not that it mattered because dating other people was out of the question anyways. Every time they tried they would be asked to give each other up by the person they were dating. Every time it ended up them being single again because the answer was without a doubt, no questions asked, "No."
Now she was still awkward, though not so much about her body anymore. Her hair turned a lovely auburn color and her eyes developed little green specks in them that made them seem honey. She only used her glasses for reading, which were now a stylish brown. The only thing she didn't grow into was her height, because she still stood no taller then 5'1'', which is where she was in junior high. Rayne gave her a sidelong glance and noticed that she had been talking while he was daydreaming and he hadn't heard a word of it.
"Have you even been listening to me?" Alex said interrupting his thoughts.
"Do I ever listen to you?" he joked.
"What was that stupid grin on your face for?" she asked, ignoring his remark. "What were you thinking about?"
"You" he said honestly.
"Me? You're not thinking of doing something evil to me are you?"
"No really I was thinking about us and how we came to be this force to be reckoned with that we are today." he said, his grin growing wider.
"What are we doing tonight?" she asked quickly changing the subject. Rayne picked up on her ploy, but didn't bother pressing it.
"Lets go out to a nice restaurant. We haven't had a date in a long time." he said enthusiastically. He grabbed a hold of her hand and they continued walking.
Alex looked up at Rayne and smiled. "That's a wonderful idea."
It wasn't difficult to find a suitable outfit at Rayne's house since half her wardrobe was there anyways, as was much of her make up and shoes. Rayne even made sure that weather he was with some one or not, there was an extra room for Alex when she came over. It was hardly needed since they usually watch old movies in his room until they both fall asleep.
They changed cloths and went to their favorite nice restaurant in town called Adouza. They had been there often and most of the people there knew them by name. Well, the name that they gave them that is, which is why Rayne never brought his dates to this restaurant.
"Mr. And Mrs. Stryker." the host greeted smiling. "Welcome back. We don't have your usual table tonight, but there is an even better one available, it's usually for reservation only, but I think of you guys as my VIP's and you don't need a reservation."
Rayne smiled down at Alex and they followed the host to a huge window at the front of the restaurant. She was in front of him, so he got to appreciate the dressed that she had picked out to where. It was a simple black dress that was floor length and fit nicely to her curves. Rayne almost stumbled into the back of Alex when they had arrived at the table. The table was the only one that over looked the ocean outside and sat next to the fireplace inside. Since the sun was setting outside it made a beautiful site and it was no wonder why this was such a sought after seat.
"Oh, Nick it's beautiful!" Alex gasped, holding tighter to her 'husband'. Rayne almost laughed out loud at her performance. "Not nearly enough beauty to rival your own darling." he said pulling a rose out from behind his back. She rewarded him with a kiss and they both sat down.
"Nice performance." Rayne complimented after they had sat down and the host left. She took a second to look him over in his spiffy tux. She loved when they went out because he was always wearing jeans and a t-shirt and when he dressed up he looked even more handsome then normal.
"Not so bad yourself, Nick." she said smiling. When the waiter came Rayne ordered them each the prime rib and then a bottle of wine. Everything was delicious, like usual and the wine was already making Alex fuzzy when he ordered another bottle.
"Let's dance," Rayne said, looking over at the nearly empty dance floor. He could see that she was about to protest and was quick to silence her. "Come on, one dance. It's nothing hard, just slow dancing. How many slow dances have we shared? Please?"
"Alright." she said, letting herself be led to the dance floor. Rayne took hold around Alex's waist with both arms, holding her close to him as they methodically moved to the music.
"You know," Alex whispered. "If I didn't know you as well as I do, I would say that you are trying to seduce me, Mr. Smith." Alex said smiling.
"Would it be so bad?" Rayne said, only half joking.
"We've done it before, Rayne. It doesn't work." she said, picking up on the serious tone in his voice.
