Chapter 41: One Last Shot-Alex

“What gives?” Alex wondered. “I’ve tried red roses and imported chocolates and a host of assorted other gifts. I am the romance specialist and she won’t contact me no matter how many texts I send. Am I being ghosted?”

Alex had one more creative idea left. The news story on her string quartet said people interested in the group could contact her at her website and use the contact form provided. “This has to work.”

Alex suspected if he just used the contact form, she would ignore it. So he went through the trouble of creating a fictional name, company, email, and phone number. He had everything he needed to get a response except for a reason. “What kind would entice her to respond?” He thought long and hard.

“I know, a soundtrack contract. I’ll get some of my contacts in Hollywood to help me out. Who knows? What starts as a ruse could become a business relationship.”

Once everything was set up and sent, he got a response from Laura herself. “Hello?”

“Please don’t hang up, Laura. It’s Alex. It is the only decent way I could think of to contact you. Please...”

“Hi Alex,” the disappointment was evident in her voice. “If it’s not a business call, what can I help you with?”

“Laura, it is so good to hear your voice. Can you meet me at the diner for a late lunch today? I need to see you.”

“Ok Alex,” then she mumbled, “I guess it’s your turn to take a crack at me, too?”

“What,” Alex questioned.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said with a curt tone and abruptly disconnected.

# # #

Alex arrived at the diner first. He didn’t want to give Laura any excuse to leave if she thought that he wasn’t there on time. He was as nervous as though it was their first date. He noted a tinge of bitterness in her voice when she mumbled at the end of their phone conversation. How did two people who started off so close drift so far apart?

Within a few minutes he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing a crimson dress, a black hooded cape, and he had never seen her look so beautiful.

“Laura, you look simply breathtaking. Maybe it’s just because we haven’t seen each other lately, but success agrees with you. How are you?”

“I’m fine. Nothing that more resolution from my private life wouldn’t cure,” she said, obviously reflecting some kind of recent hurt that kept him at a cool distance, yet he didn’t recognize it from before.

“I beg your pardon, Laura, but I note some kind of negativity coming from you. Have I done, said, or omitted something that I did not realize? If so, I apologize. I never meant to hurt you. I would want you to know that without a doubt.”

“Alex,” she whispered with fondness, taking temporary shelter in his arms.

This was the Laura he knew and loved. They focused on what they knew best and skipped lunch for immediate fresh slices of homemade blueberry pie, topped with generous helpings of hand-churned vanilla bean ice cream with endless cups of coffee for ongoing conversation. This time, once they cleared the hurdles of silence and distance, it had been as though there had never been any separation between them.

Something was on her mind, however, and she was right, it needed to be resolved so that they could move forward. Alex could see it in her eyes the same way that she could tell that he wanted to ask her a question about whatever was on her mind.

“You first,” they said simultaneously.

Then Alex said, “Ladies first.”

“Am I hurting you by casually dating your friends?”

“Honestly or politically?”

“Both.”

“Laura, it’s not ideal. The more I am with you, the faster, harder, and deeper I fall in love with you. That makes me not want to share you with anyone else, lifelong friend or foe. But we agreed and I believe that the only reason we agreed to date you is because we each were super confident that we would defeat the others.”

“Ah...ok.”

“We said it would not interfere with our friendship, but all one of us has to do is mouth the name “Laura” and the fight is on. We’ve never fought over a girl. But I fear that this first time fighting might result in the destruction of our friendship, or we would maintain the friendship but no one gets the girl. I dunno. Just some thoughts I’ve been dealing with.”

“Yes, Alex. You hit the nail on the head. As for my part, whenever one of you does something over the top for me, I don’t know if it is for us as a romantic couple or just to win for the sake of winning.”

“Laura, oh no, really?”

“Yes, I’m not sure whom to trust with my emotions. I don’t want to destroy the friendship you guys have. It’s bigger than dating me.”

The two sat in silence.

“Laura, there is something that I need to say. I want to be your soulmate. I mean we are soulmates, but I want to preserve our friendship, with or without romance or titles of who we are and how we define each other. I want it to be the four musketeers like when we had the slumber party at your loft. You seamlessly fit.

“Yeah. Those were good times. But briefly lived.”

“Alex, you doubt that one of us could be amigos and a musketeer: keep the lifelong guy friends while being the only one with a girlfriend, and a girlfriend all the guys wanted?”

“Nope, there is too much history and now, too much competition and infighting.”

“I see...”

The waitress freshened their coffee and Laura held Alex’s hand from across the table.

“Alex, let’s hold onto each other no matter what.”

“Agreed. I’ll never leave you or let you go. Take your time and we’ll date until you choose. Of course I hope you’ll choose me, but time will clarify your best match. Know this: I love you, Sis, forever.”

“I love you more, Bro.”

They continued sipping coffee and talking until late lunch became early supper at the diner. Each one was grounded in the new truth they had uncovered. They found that they shared something deeper than a competition could define or reward. A shift occurred that day at the diner. They found in their relationship what all of the great lovers over time had at their root: friendship. It could weather the storms through time, yet remain a foundation for any challenges or changes in the future, but if well formed could last an eternity.