While I'm Alive

Chapter Eleven: Stuck With Me

It was almost two in the morning when there was a knock on Alex's motel door. He should've been asleep and very well could've acted like he was but the visitor just kept knocking. Before he even opened the door, he knew who the persistent intruder was.
"What do you want?" he asks, opening the door to reveal Norma.
"Why do you have to answer the door like that? What happened to hello?" Norma asks, shifting her weight onto one leg.
"Okay, hello. What do you want?" he asks.
"You really need to work on your attitude, Alex." she continues, still not pleased with his greeting.
"Norma, its past midnight. You really need to work on giving your guests some privacy. Or at least a full night's sleep." he tells her.
"Your light was on and you're still in Norman's shorts. It doesn't seem like you were asleep." she points out. He sighs with frustration, having had enough of this pointless conversation.
"Have you been drinking?" he asks, smelling the alcohol on her breath. She had been drinking. She hadn't been able to act normal since earlier after she cleaned Alex's cut. She had stormed off, fuming with anger, when she heard him. It was soft, her ears just barely able to make out what he had said. But she heard him say that he loved her.
"Have you?" she asks back, trying to act normal.
"Yes but I can control myself when I drink. I just need to know if you're drunk so I can prepare myself." he replies cheekily.
"I'm not drunk enough to ask you to kiss me again, if that's what you're thinking." she tells him.
"Is there something you needed?" he asks.
"Why is everything always business with you, Alex?" she asks.
He steps back and begins to shut the door in her face when her hand shoots out and stops the door.
"Alright, fine. I just came to bring you your clothes." she tells him.
"You'll have to try on the pants because my sewing machine messed it up and now I don't know if the seam will fall correctly." she explains, pushing her way inside and taking a seat on the edge of his bed.
"They're fine, Norma. I don't need to try them on." he tells her, still holding the door open for her.
"Alex, would you please not be stubborn? Just this once?" she asks. He raises an eyebrow at her statement.
"I'm stubborn? You pushed your way into my room and demand me to put on jeans. I just want to sleep." he tells her.
"Alex, please? After what you said earlier today, can't you just do this one little thing for me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow back at him accusingly. He sighs, still feeling guilty, and closes the door slightly, leaving it ajar.
He pushes the small shorts down his legs and tug on his jeans, buttoning them before looking up at Norma's dark gaze. She stood up and walked around to squat behind him, staring intently at the stitching where the hole was.
"How does it look?" he asks, looking back at her squinting eyes. Before she can answer, his door swings open again and they both look over to Dylan who is looking back with confusion.
"I didn't know anyone was staying here and I saw the door open. Am I interrupting?" he asks. Norma quickly stands up and Alex turns to face Dylan fully.
"No, I was just-" Norma says while Alex spoke over her.
"She insisted on it-"
"I don't want to know, actually." Dylan says, stopping them.
"Sorry for barging in. Uh...carry on." he says before slipping out of the room. Alex looks to Norma who seems just as embarrassed as him.
"The seam falls just fine." she tells him.
"Oh, good. Good." he says with a nod, putting his hands on his hips.
"I'm gonna brush my teeth." he tells her, walking into his bathroom.
Norma felt that was her cue to leave but dreaded the thought of actually moving from the warm room back to the cold air. So instead, she looks around and sees his hand cuffs hanging from the radiator near his window. She walks over and sits next to the radiator and begins messing with them absently, not wanting to leave his room yet.
"Have you ever tried these on yourself?" she asks curiously, opening a cuff.
"Uh, no. I can't say I have." he says hesitantly, walking back to the room. She glances back at him with an innocent smile.
"Can I try?" she asks.
"You...want to hand cuff me?" he asks. Norma's cheeks heat up as she realizes how awkward she just made things.
"Not...not like...not in that way. Maybe I am a bit more drunk than I thought..." she stammers.
"Okay." he tells her.
"Okay?" she asks with surprise.
"Just one wrist. I'm curious too." he says. She smiles brightly as he walks over to her and sits next to her, holding out his wrist.
"Just squeeze them together." he instructs.
"I know. It's not rocket science." she says, squeezing the cuff closed. He winces at the tightness and she looks up.
"How does it feel to be on the receiving end?" she asks, holding the other cuff.
"Not good. I'm definitely rethinking how tight I cuff my prisoners from now on." he states. She laughs and leans against the wall, suddenly feeling extra warm from the alcohol. Before she knew what she was doing, she had leaned against the open cuff, tightening it around her wrist. She looks at her wrists with horror and realizes that the chain was looped around on of the radiator poles. She glances up at Alex who hasn't seemed to notice the situation yet.
"Uh, so, uh..." Norma begins.
"You wouldn't happen to have the key, would you?" she asks.
"Oh, yeah, it's right-" he says, trying to get up. He looks back at his wrist when he feels the restraint.
"Right. I forgot to tell you that I accidentally tightened the other one around my wrist." she tells him hesitantly, suddenly feeling a little too sober.
"And also we might be caught around the radiator pole." she continues. He looks at her with shock, not believing the current situation.
"You...cuffed me...to you." he says slowly, trying to control his temper.
"Yes." she says with caution.
"And the key...is in the bathroom." he fumed.
"Alex, I'm so-"
"What the fuck are we going to do, Norma? It's almost three in the morning and everyone is asleep! What are we supposed to do?" he barked, pulling his wrist, making the chain pull against her wrist.
"Ow! Alex! Stop!" she howled. Her cry of pain seemed to snap him out of his rage and he immediately calmed down, though he was still annoyed.
"Okay, let's think this through. We could call for help. Where's your phone?" he asks.
"It's up at the house." she confessed with sorrow.
"Mine is on the dresser. Can you reach?" he asks. She looks over at the night stand next to the bed.
"Maybe. Give me as much slack as you can." she tells him. He presses his wrist against the radiator and she stretches herself as much as she can, reaching for his phone. Her fingertips just barely reach the night stand and she sighs, looking back at him.
"Try using your feet." he suggests. She sits back down and removes her shoes and tries again, reaching with her feet.
"You've almost got it." Alex says, watching her struggle. Her toe grazes the edge of the phone, knocking it off of the table, landing in between the bed and the table.
"Shit." she whispers, sitting back down and looking to him for his next idea.
"Okay. Okay...are there any other guests?" he asks.
"Just one but..." she says, sitting on her knees to look through the window.
"He isn't back yet." she states.
"Back from where?" Alex asks, sitting up to look through the window at the empty parking lot.
"He usually stays out late but he is always home by morning." Norma explains, relaxing against the wall again. Alex sighs and relaxes next to her, rubbing at his irritated wrist.
"Do you have enough room to squeeze your hand out?" he asks, looking down at her red wrist. She grabs the cuff and tries pushing it down her hand, wincing at the pain it caused.
"Don't force it. You could break something." he says, pushing her hand away from the cuff.
"Any other plans?" she asks.
"We sit here and wait until morning. Or wait until the other guest gets back. There's nothing else we can do." he tells her, staring at the wall in front of them. There is a short silence before Alex is plagued by the guilt that had been haunting him all day.
"Listen, I'm sorry...about earlier." he begins, referring to their fight after she cleaned his cut.
"Oh, pfft, it's okay." Norma says nonchalantly.
"No, it's not. What I said was...it was harsh and uncalled for." he continues.
"Well it's a little true. I haven't had much luck with relationships. I mean I think I might fantasize about something that doesn't exist." Norma says. Alex looks at her with sad eyes, wanting to take away whatever doubt he placed.
"No, no, I think you were right. I shouldn't put my job first. I've focused so much on who everyone needs me to be that I think I've forgotten who I want to be." he says, finally opening up to her.
"The town needs me to be strong and passionate about my work but...but what does all of this amount to in the end? What stories will I have to tell...and who will I have to tell them to?" he asks rhetorically. She had never seen him so vulnerable, his head hanging, his eyes sad. It broke her heart...but it also made her feel the need to hold him, a feeling that was foreign to her.
"We humans are so tortured in not properly guessing what will make us happy." she says with a light tone. He chuckles and nods, staring down at his feet.
"You're lost in the world." she says more seriously. He looks up to see her smiling at him because, she too was lost. But neither seemed to care. Because they, in their own chaos, had managed to find each other.
"I suppose I am." he says.
"There's always a light in those who have been through the dark. I can see that light in you, Alex. Thank you for opening up to me. It's nice to feel so...carefree, isn't it?" she says, genuinely happy.
"You are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world. I think that's why you have so much pain. You're constantly trying to do what's right and the world just won't let you." he concurred. She looks at him with the most lovely smile he had ever seen and he realized it was because she finally felt understood.
He smiles awkwardly, not yet comfortable with talking so much. Luckily, the sound of a car pulling into the lot was distraction enough, making both of them sit up and look through the window at the car that pulled in in front of room seven.
"Thank God." Norma breathes out. The man turns his headlights off and the imprisoned pair is finally able to see the figures inside the car.
"Who is that?" Alex asks.
"His name is Jackson. I...I don't know who that girl is." Norma says. The pair in the car lean toward each other and begin to heavily make out.
"Oh." Norma says with understanding, still watching them. The girl crawls over onto the man's lap, giving Alex and Norma a side view of what was happening. Jackson pulls the girl's shirt up and over her head, leaving her torso completely bare and exposed to the pair inside of the motel.
"Oh." Norma says again, sounding shocked.
"Surely they won't do it right outside of the- Oh." Norma says as the figures begin moving against each other.
"The room is right there." Alex comments, his eyes leaving the pair of bouncing breasts to look over at Norma.
"Should we try to bang on the window?" Norma asks, finally tearing her eyes away from the pair to look at Alex.
"No. No that would be weird." Alex says.
"So we have to wait?" she asks.
"Well he will pass right by us. His room is right next to ours. We share a wall. It shouldn't be too hard to get his attention." Alex says, relaxing back again. Norma stays sitting up so that she can see when they get out.
"Do you work tomorrow?" Norma asks, making small talk.
"Yeah. I'm supposed to be in at seven." he tells her, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Why don't you lay down. Try to sleep. I'll keep a look out." she offers.
"You sure?" he asks.
"Yes, of course. Go to sleep." she urges. He lays down, keeping his cuffed wrist up against the radiator. His eyes slip shut but he couldn't seem to sleep knowing that Norma Bates was sitting right next to him.
"How can they still be going at it?" Norma asks aloud after a few minutes of silence. She watches with interest as the girl continues to bounce on the guy, wondering if her breasts looked as effervescent when she rode someone.
"They're done!" she says with excitement when she sees the girl crawl off of his lap. Alex sits up and looks out the window at the pair who climb out of the car. They meet in the front of the car, the girl still topless but wearing her skirt, and Jackson picks the girl up, allowing her to hook her legs around her hips.
"Hey!" Norma shouts, banging on the window.
"Help!" Alex shouts with her, banging on the glass.
"Help us! Excuse me!" Norma shouts.
The couple outside didn't seem to hear them at all, continuing on their way into room ten next to them.
"Hey! Help!" Norma continues to shout. Alex puts his hand over her mouth.
"They're gone." he tells her sadly, removing his hand from her face.
"What the hell? Are they deaf?" she asks, slumping against the wall with defeat.
"I guess we will just have to wait till morning." Alex concludes, laying back down.
"You should get some sleep too." he tells her, his eyes already closed. She slides down the floor to lay next to him, their hands hanging limply from their cuffs above their heads.
"I wish we could reach the lamp to turn it off." she mumbles, covering her eyes with her free hand. Alex doesn't reply, trying to fall asleep. He is about to fall into the darkness of sleep when his hand is yanked by the cuff, smashing it into the radiator. His eyes snap open to see Norma stretching from the radiator.
"What're you doing?" he asks.
"Trying to reach the blanket." she tells him, finally grabbing the fabric with her fingers and pulling it off the bed and onto herself.
"Want some?" she asks, already laying it on him. He ignores her again, closing his eyes. Not even a minute passed before she was talking again.
"My arm is falling asleep." she complains.
"Norma, please, just-"
Alex stops talking when a thump hit the wall next to them. He opens his eyes and looks to Norma who is looking back with confusion. The thump sounds again along with a moan, followed by squeaking. The thumps continue rhythmically and the moans grow louder.
"You've got to be kidding me." Alex hisses.
"Still? I mean they had a good fifteen minute sex session in the car. How are they not tired?" Norma complains.
"How old is he?" Alex asks, trying to talk over the thumping and shouting.
"Uh, 24 I think." Norma says.
"There's your answer." Alex tells her.
"How am I supposed to sleep?" she complains, covering her ears. Alex watches her squeeze her eyes shut, her brows knitting together with frustration.
And suddenly, the pounding stopped, along with the shouting.
"Thank you, Lord." Norma sighs with relief. She relaxes as much as she can with her cuffed wrist.
"Goodnight, Alex." she breathes out in a tired voice. Alex looks over at her peaceful face and can't help but smile at the beautiful sight.
"Night, Norma." he whispers back.
It wasn't until early morning that Norma woke up. She opened her eyes only to find herself laying on Alex's chest. Right before she could slip off of him, he woke up and found her resting on him.
"Sorry." she whispers, sitting up. He sits up next to her and stretches, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. He looks over at her, appreciating her slightly messy hair and tired eyes.
"Alex, look!" she says, too energized for having just woken up.
"Hey! Dylan!" she shouts, pounding on the window. Alex sits up and turns to look out the window at Dylan who is looking around the front office.
"Hey! Help us!" Alex shouts, joining Norma. Dylan looks around with confusion, hearing the shouts. His eyes finally land on them and he walks to the room, opening the door and stopping with confusion.
"Do I even want to know?" he asks.
"The key is in the bathroom." Alex tells him. Dylan walks to the bathroom and grabs the key before walking back to them and handing it to Alex. He unlocks Norma's hand cuff before doing his own, both of them rubbing their sensitive wrists.
"Thank you, honey." Norma says, standing up to hug Dylan.
"Yeah." Dylan says, stepping toward the door. He glances back at them once more before walking out and shaking his head, mumbling something about how weird that was. Norma looks at Alex, her cheeks heating up at the sight of Alex's disheveled appearance.
"I should get ready for work." he says, standing up.
"Right. I should get to the house to make Norman breakfast." Norma says, wanting to run away from the room, away from the man that was making her feel strange things.
"Alright. Well, good morning then." he says. She nods and steps toward the door. She pauses before she leaves and glances back at him with a smile only to see him smiling right back at her.
She had wanted him to fuck her.
When she was drunk and he picked her up from the bar, that was what she wanted. That was the first time she had felt the pull to him.
It was first when she wanted him to fuck her.
But then she got greedy...and she wanted him to love her.
Tonight was the night that she first felt this feeling. Love. She thought she was independent and strong but she got one small taste of what real love was like and she craved more.
He could see her wheels turning in her head as she stared at him. Her smile began to fade and she began to look confused. He looked back at her, wondering what she was thinking.
Without another word, she disappeared from his sight, closing his door behind her. He shook his head and grabbed his work shirt, pulling it on, pausing when Norma's scent surrounded him. He sniffed the shoulder of his shirt and smiles when he realizes that her scent clung to everything in his room. She was everywhere. She was poison and he would drink every ounce of her.