No Strings Attached

Chapter Fifteen

Alex stared at the screen, the dim light from the laptop casting a cold glow over his face. His hands trembled as he scrolled down the ledger again, but no matter how many times he reread the name, it didn't change.
Theresa Romero.
His mother's name, neatly typed alongside figures that made his stomach churn. She was dead, and yet she was still being used, her name now just another cog in his father's empire. Alex slammed the laptop shut, his jaw tightening as a rush of anger and disgust ran through him.
By the time he found himself in the bar, he wasn't even sure how he got there. The haze of rage and betrayal had carried him, and now he sat at the counter with an empty glass in front of him, waiting for the bartender to pour another.
The whiskey burned going down, but it wasn't enough to drown the bitterness in his chest. His thoughts churned, circling back to his mother. Theresa would be rolling in her grave if she knew the truth. She was so kind, so loving. The kind of woman who had been dealt the wrong hand in life, and eventually, had succumbed to her struggle.
Alex squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the memories of her laughter, the way she used to hum while cooking, the warmth of her hand on his shoulder when he needed reassurance. This was how he remembered her, in her good days. Who she became after that was not her fault, but his father's.
And then somehow, his thoughts drifted to Norma.
His mother would have loved Norma. He could almost picture it, Theresa's easy smile as she watched Norma bustle around, that glint of approval in her eyes. His mother would've seen what he saw: someone fierce, loyal, and far too good for the mess that surrounded her.
The thought made his chest tighten. He wasn't sure when Norma had taken root so deeply in his mind, but as soon as she slipped into his thoughts, she was all he could think about. Her voice, her stubbornness, the way her smile could soften the sharp edges of his worst days.
It made Alex groan as he dragged a tired hand down his face. He was too drunk. He could feel it now, the slight spin of the room, the way his thoughts felt heavier and messier than usual. He needed to get out of here.
Stumbling off the stool and throwing probably too much money onto the counter, he stepped outside into the cool fresh air. He leaned against his truck for a moment, hoping to clear his head and possibly try to sober up. But the quiet only left more room for his thoughts to spiral back to Norma. Before he even realized what he was doing, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to her name.
The phone rang twice before she picked up.
"Hi, Alex," she answered, her tone cheerful, like she was happy to be talking to him.
"Hey, uh...hey, Norma," he began with an involuntary smile as he tried not to slur his words. "I, uh...I need a favor. I didn't have anyone else to call. I...I need you to come get me." Heat pooled in his cheeks as his words bled together against his will, sounding more drunk than he'd intended.
"Are..Are you okay? You sound weird," she replies, concern lacing her voice.
He let out a heavy breath, his words slurred but still earnest. "I...I can't drive. And I can't be walking around town like this," he explains, though for some reason he can't stop smiling.
"Okay...Are you drunk?" she asks, biting her lip to keep from smiling too hard. She had never heard Alex in such a state and to be honest she was quite curious to see what he was like.
"Uh...Yeah, yeah I might be." he says with a slight laugh, earning one from her in return.
"Where are you?" she asks, already grabbing her keys and coat.
"Bar by the bait shop in town." he muttered, leaning heavily against his truck for support.
"Alright, Alex, I'll be there soon. Don't go anywhere."
As the call ended, Alex tucked his phone back into his pocket, exhaling slowly. Somehow, even in the midst of everything, the thought of Norma coming to get him made the ache in his chest a little easier to bear.
Before he knew it, Norma's familiar car was pulling into the parking lot of the bar. Alex's posture was slouched as he leaned against the back of his truck, though he quickly straightened up when he saw her stepping out of her car.
He couldn't help but just stare as she walked towards him, heels clicking softly against the pavement.
She paused a few steps away, tilting her head to study him. "You look like hell," she said, though her voice was gentler than her words.
Alex chuckled lowly, the sound tinged with self-deprecation. "Yeah, well, I've seen better days."
She nodded her head towards her car. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
Without a word, Alex followed her, stumbling a few times before Norma finally pulled him to her side, supporting his weight. She somehow manages to get him into the passenger seat without hitting his head on the car.
"God, you're a mess," she mutters with disbelief as she buckles him in.
"You can just drop me off at my house," he tells her as she gets in the car, his words slurred but his tone firm. He was in a vulnerable state right now and he couldn't afford to put himself in a situation where he might let his guard down too much around her.
"No way. You're drunk, you need looking after," she tells him, her brows knitted together as she stared at him.
"No, I'm fine. Just...just take me to my place," he tries again, but Norma was just as stubborn, her lips pressing together as she shook her head.
"No, you're not fine," she said, her voice softening but her tone resolute. "Even the sheriff needs to be looked after every now and then," she adds with a light smirk. He felt the corners of his lips twitch involuntarily before he forced his eyes closed. He sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face. He knew better than to push back when she had her mind set like this.
"Fine."
The rest of the drive was quiet, save for the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of fabric as Alex shifted in his seat. Norma parked the car near the office, running in to grab a key to room four for Alex.
She made her way to the passenger side of her car, opening the door and holding her hand out. "Come on."
Alex hesitated before taking it, her grip steadying him as he climbed out of the car. As soon as they made their way inside, Alex collapsed onto the bed, making Norma cringe slightly as he falls right onto his bad arm which is still in a sling. Though Alex didn't seem to feel a thing as his eyes slipped shut.
She pulled the covers over him, her eyes tracing the features of his face as she does so. It was these moments, when he let her see this vulnerable side of him, that she remembered he's human too. Underneath the professional, stoic facade he so often portrays, he's still just a boy, a person in need of love and care and attention.
"Alex," she found herself whispering, her voice hesitant as she sat down on the bed beside him. "What happened?"
He stayed quiet and, for a moment, Norma thought he might've fallen asleep. But then his jaw tightened and he turned to her, his tired eyes meeting hers.
"One of the names on the ledger was my...was my mom's," he tells her, his voice rough, each word heavy, like they cost him something. "She's been dead for 22 years. And my dad...he's in prison. He's been using her name to collect his share of the drug money."
Norma's breath hitched, the weight of his words sinking in. Her heart ached at the pain etched into his expression. This was the first time he had let her see this side of him. Sure she had seen him in vulnerable positions before, but this...this felt more personal, more intimate.
"I'm so sorry, Alex," she tells him, gently resting a hand on his chest, her voice filled with genuine compassion.
He shrugged, his mouth twisting into a bitter smile. "Yeah, well...that's my sad story," he said simply, as if it wasn't worth dwelling on.
A silence fell between them, thick and charged. Norma didn't know what to say, and Alex didn't seem to expect anything from her. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing hers, his touch gentle and hesitant. He began tracing her fingers, his rough hands contrasting with her soft ones. The small touch was enough to set her entire body on fire as his fingers trailed up her arm, pulling her closer.
She found herself leaning towards him, but stopped suddenly as she reminded herself that she's the only sober one here. He seemed to sense her hesitation because just as she began to move away from him, his voice stopped her.
"I think you're beautiful," Alex said suddenly, his words quiet but sure.
Norma's breath caught, but she shook her head slightly, forcing a breathless chuckle as she tries to play it off. "Alex," she said softly, almost scolding, as she stood up from the bed. That had been one of their unspoken rules. He can't say things like that to her.
But he didn't stop.
"I think about you," he admitted, his gaze lifting to meet hers. His eyes, glassy from both alcohol and emotion, held an honesty that made her stomach flip. "Probably more than I should. I know I shouldn't, but I can't...I can't stop thinking about you."
His voice was slurred at the edges and rough with a tiredness that was now starting to show in his eyes, but the intensity in his gaze made her heart flutter. She forced a smile, shaking her head slightly as if she could shake his words out of them.
"You're drunk," she said, her voice light, but her eyes betrayed the effect his words had on her. "You're not gonna like that you said that to me later."
"Yeah," he admitted with a short, bitter laugh. "Probably."
Norma lingered by the door for a moment longer, her heart at war with her head, before she finally reached for the handle of the door. "Get some rest," she tells him softly as she opens the door. "I'll...I'll come back and check on you in a bit."
Alex simply nodded, his eyes following her until the door shuts behind her.
Her mind was spinning as she began briskly walking back towards her house, his words playing over and over in her head.
I think you're beautiful.
I can't stop thinking about you.
It did make her feel better that she wasn't alone in that struggle. She could barely think of anything other than him lately.
She bit her lip, trying to stifle the smile threatening to creep across her face. The warmth his confession stirred in her was undeniable, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.
But confusion began to creep in, dulling the fleeting moment of joy.
Alex was drunk, that much was obvious. He wasn't thinking clearly, and she knew better than to take anything he said tonight to heart. He'd made it clear before that nothing could happen between them, that there were lines he wouldn't cross.
Still, she couldn't shake the way her heart had fluttered when he called her beautiful, or how much her chest tightened at the softness in his voice when he said he couldn't stop thinking about her.
She let out a shaky sigh as she stepped into the house, closing the door behind her. She leaned against it for a moment, trying to steady herself. It didn't matter how much his words affected her, because at the end of the day, they didn't mean anything.
At least, that's what she kept telling herself.