Living Next Door To Alice

39/ Peace

"That'd be good. See you tonight." FP smiled a little, and watched how she gave him a small nod before walking down the stairs towards the laundry room, while he we left leaning against his front door, his eyes closed as he exhaled deeply.

**
It was a few minutes before eight, when FP was sitting on the couch with a serious frown on his face, deeply caught up in his own thoughts.

"You nervous? Or are you okay?" Fred asked, successfully snapping him out of it.

He looked up a little bewildered but then collected himself as he took a breath.

"I'm fine, I guess. We'll see how it goes, I'm trying not to freak out yet." He sighed and stood up from the couch to walk over to the kitchen island and get himself a glass of water.

"If you need me, I'm one phone call away." Fred reminded him, as he handed Archie his coat before he grabbed his own.

"Thanks, bud." FP send him a grateful nod. He really was one to be always there for him, no matter the circumstances.

"We're off to Pop's. Good luck." He waved at his friend once more, before leaving out of the front door with his son trailing behind him. They thought it was best for them not to be there when he talked to Alice, so they had complete privacy.

Not even a minute after that, a knock on the door followed. He raised his eyebrow. It had been ages since Alice had knocked for the last time. The nerves were spreading through his body like a wildfire in dry woods, but one way or another he needed to let her in— and not just in his apartment, but into his soul as well.

Alice smiled a little when be opened the door and she could feel her heart making a little jump. Looking into his soft brown eyes always had that effect on her.

He gestured her for her to come in, and she awkwardly took place on the couch. She actually felt like a guest right now, which hadn't been the case ever since the two families had dinner together after they had moved in.

"Would you like some coffee?" FP asked her, sweetly.

"I'd prefer tea, actually." Her voice was soft as well.

Since it was only March and the weather outside was still colder than she preferred, she loved to have tea to warm up to. FP knew that, but seemed to have forgotten.

"It kinda feels like we're meeting for the first time again." He chuckled a little nervously, after he handed her a mug of tea. At least, he hadn't forgotten her favorite flavor.

"It sure does." She laughed a little as well, even when it was more of an uncomfortable one. Why were they like this? Where was the couple that was all over each other barely two months ago?

FP was the first one to open the conversation about their fight. He felt that she wasn't ready to do so.

"I'm sorry for overreacting. You were right, taking a break wasn't a bad idea. It just caught me off guard." He confessed silently, clenching his own cup of tea into his hands.

"You think it was a good idea?" Alice asked softly, but confused. By the way he had reacted it had been clear that he didn't support that idea in any way. She wondered what had changed.

"Yeah... I guess so. I mean, things weren't fine and I just tried to ignore it like I always do. That wasn't fair, I shouldn't have snapped." He apologized, hoping that she would forgive him.

The more he had thought about her words, the more the could see where she was coming from. They had been living in their comfortable bubble for so long that one way or another was going to burst. Nobody stayed in the honeymoon phase forever, and he realized that maybe they had come to the point where that had happened.