*
Even for a Sunday night, Il Giardinio’s was packed. The local Italian restaurant had a reputation in the Mascot area for being the best, and as Alex looked around at the critics’ awards and the smell of the fresh wood-fire pizzas filling her head, she remembered why.
Matt had taken her here for their first date over three years ago, and for no particular reason they hadn’t been back for quite some time.
“Can you imagine what it would have been like if our first date was like tonight?” Matt said with a head shake.
It really had been terrible. Alex had been messaging Lauren and had only received the one response earlier that afternoon. Four messages and still no reply. Alex wasn’t exactly worried, but it was unusual for Lauren not to respond unless she had the shits.
Matt had been held up at work and was forty-five minutes late. Not only that, he had sped through a traffic light and been picked up by a camera trying to make up the time. They had held up the table by waiting so long, and now the place was packed. They had been waiting for half an hour and their entrees hadn’t even arrived.
“I think we both would’ve taken it as a sign,” Alex replied helplessly. “You wanna just go?”
“Yeah, ok. I’m really sorry. I’ll make us something.”
“It’s all good. I’m not that hungry anyway,” Alex replied as they both got up.
“Don’t be like that.”
“I’m not being like anything,” Alex said earnestly, as she held the door open for Matt as they walked out. “I guess I’m just tired. I wish Lauren would message already.”
“Give her a break. She’s probably icing down her thighs after last night.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Or rubbing her jaw with Dencorub. It would’ve been one hell of a rage fuck. I mean after all, the one guy that ever turned her down was all over you—”
“Ok, enough.”
“Oh, come on. You still can’t see how weird that was?”
“Whatever.”
They both got into Matt’s car. Matt started the engine and looked over at Alex, but she ignored him. She didn’t want to even hear a half-arsed apology. She looked out the window pointedly, prompting Matt to turn the wheel, getting the message.
The drive back to Alex and Lauren’s apartment took about twenty minutes, but with neither of them speaking to each other, it felt like an hour. Matt pulled up behind a silver sports car. Alex immediately released the seat belt and got out. Matt jumped out and jogged to her. “Hey, whoa… Whoa.”
Matt grabbed her from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder, putting his hands around her waist.
“Can I speak now?” he asked. She only half-heartedly tried to get him off her. “I’m sorry. I hate seeing you pissed off. It was a stupid way to cheer you up. The night was shit and I felt bad, like it was my fault. Plus I’ve still got that weird feeling about Dante in my head.”
Alex turned and faced him. “Why do you have to say that stuff? You know I hate it, but you do it anyway just because you feel bad? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you liked making digs at Lauren because it felt good.”
“What if it does though? It’s just jokes. What’s the problem?”
Alex stepped forward, her voice soft, indicating she really meant her following words. “Because we’re all supposed to be friends. She’s been my best friend since high school and she means a lot to me, remember? She was there for me after…after all that,” she finished with a wave of her hand.
“Alex, sooner or later that same excuse stops working. You were a baby when it happened. When are you going to let that go?”
“Let it go?” she asked. “You think it’s an excuse I keep on using? What about you with Dante? I get that you’re jealous, ok? I get that you don’t like him. I also get that Lauren shits you, but I don’t want to hear it! It has nothing to do with you and me. I have nice friends, one of which helped me through one of the hardest things someone could go through.”
“Ok, ok,” Matt said, holding up his hands. “But what’s the point of holding on to bad memories? Remember it if you want, but you can’t keep letting it determine what you do for the rest of your life.”
Alex was ready to explode, but sighed the effort out. It just wasn’t worth it. It had been a long night, both were tired and cranky. Matt was obviously trying to help, but was failing big time. He just didn’t understand.
“I’m going up,” she said, turning to walk away. He had hurt her feelings and she wanted him to know. “Call me tomorrow,” she said, walking towards the entrance.
Alex put her keys in her purse after unlocking the door and was almost bowled over on the stairs by a man struggling to put his shirt on.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Nah, it’s ok.”
Just like that, the young guy that was strangely familiar disappeared in a flash towards the doors Alex had just come through. Weird.
Alex got to her flat door and noticed a gap between the door and the wall, so opened it. No lights were on in the living room.
“Loz, you home?”
No answer.
“Loz?”
Alex put her bag on the kitchen counter and went to Lauren’s room, flicking on the light. The bed was a mess, so someone had been here today. Where the hell is she? Alex returned to the living room and switched on that light, jumping back with a small yelp. Lauren stood behind her, dressed in a bathrobe.
Alex immediately hugged her in relief.
“Why didn’t
