PART SIX by ThomasMcNab
Prologue: "Mothers Always Know" (6)
Chapter One: "Alex's First Date" (27)
Chapter Two: "Redress" (14)
Chapter Three: "Too Good To Be True" (10)
Chapter Four: "A Tale Of Two Dates" (11)
Chapter Five: "The Truth Of The Matter" (13)

Previously on 'The Caliente Affairs',
Lilith revealed to Dustin that her mother was going into the hospital to have some tests done, which Dustin saw as an opportunity to get back together with Angela. Alex found out that David was 'out' to his mum and he told David he would tell his dad he was gay, but when he got home he didn't. Dina found out about Mortimer's heart-attack and began to worry about her future once again.

Prologue: "Mothers Always Know"

"Alex!" Mortimer cried as Alex starred at his reflection in the mirror once again. He wanted everything about his appearance to be perfect because in a few minutes he was setting off to meet David, and if he was lucky, he'd be coming back home with aching lips!

That is if my hair ever behaves itself, Alex thought to himself as he touched up his appearance and wondered to himself how much a pair of hair straighteners would cost. "Alex, unless you are pregnant then I suggest you finish up whatever it is you're doing in the bathroom and let other people use it." Mortimer bellowed as Alex rolled his eyes and put the mirror down.

"I'm off out now." Alex casually said. He'd already told his dad he was meeting a friend in town for something to eat, but he hadn't said who it was and neither had his dad asked.
"Alex!" Dina called out as she watched Alex about to leave.
"Yeah, it's all yours, Dina." He replied, thinking she wanted to know if the bathroom was free.
"No, come here." She asked as Alex stopped in his tracks and rolled his eyes.

"What is it?"
"What time did your dad tell you to be home by?" Dina enquired.
"Nine." Alex replied, a little unsure where she was going with this.
"How about we make it ten." Dina offered.

"Why?" Alex wondered where Dina's sudden generosity had come from.
"I just want you to have a nice time tonight, and I think you're old enough and responsible enough to stay out past nine 'o clock." Dina explained.
"Well, thanks." Alex offered, but before he could go Dina stopped him again.
"Just promise me you'll enjoy yourself and have fun on your date." Dina couldn't help but blurt out. She had been dying to talk about what she had seen going on between Alex and his nameless boy-friend outside in her front garden the other week but without her sister she didn't really have anyone to gossip with. She could hardly talk about it with Mortimer, so when she saw that Alex was going out she figured it must be with the same boy, and it must mean Alex was gay. But Alex didn't know this, he was unaware Dina, or anyone from his family had seen him with David, and this sudden revelation came as quite a shock.
"It's not... I'm gonna be meeting a few people." Alex stuttered as he tried to make up an excuse.

"Alright, well whatever you decide to do - it's okay with me." Dina said with a wink that sent a chill running down Alex's spine.
"Um... I'd better go." Alex said as he quickly made his way out of the house before Dina had another chance to stop him. He had planned on taking the bus, but after that awkward and very weird exchange Alex felt like he could use a walk to cool off.

Chapter One: "Alex's First Date"

Alex was shocked but excited when David told him that he had booked a table for the both of them at a restaurant in the busy, metropolitan district of Sim City known as Bluewater Village. He himself would have never had the courage to make an actual date, even when he had a girlfriend the closest he got to going out on a date was at the town's Halloween Party. Because of this, Alex had a small fortune stashed away and tonight he could finally put some of it to good use. Alex felt a sudden rush of blood elevate his heartbeat, the feeling he always got when he saw David. For a moment, he just stopped to admire him, noticing that he had gotten a haircut. Alex couldn't help but pinch himself sometimes, he really was the luckiest boy in Pleasantview.

As he strode with confidence down the street, Alex Goth almost felt like breaking into song. He was going on out on his very first date with a boy and he wanted the whole world to know... as long as the whole world didn't include any of his family. Thinking about that put a dampener on his cheery disposition, since he had sort of promised David he was going to come out to his dad. But Alex was sure it most likely wouldn't come up in conversation, and if it did, he would simply avoid it by changing the subject!

"Look at you!" Alex casually said as he finally approached David.
"Look at you yourself. If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone looks as if they've finally gotten something off their chest." David paid back the compliment, attributing it to Alex's coming out... which Alex knew had never actually happened.
"Not my chest, but I did shave my chin." Alex joked, trying to hide his guilt.

"I take it that means you didn't come out to your dad?" David sighed, but with a forgiving smile on his face.
"I'm sorry." Alex mumbled as he avoided eye contact with David.
"It's okay." David reasoned.
"No it isn't." Alex persisted, not wanting to be let off lightly for his failure.
"It is, I never expected you to come out - and before you saying anything it wasn't even my idea," David put his hand up as Alex was just about to speak. "I would have been perfectly happy to let you leave with a kiss goodbye and a pat on the head for trying." David said sarcastically as Alex rolled his eyes and smiled.

"I used to get a gold star from school!" Alex retorted as David nodded his head and laughed.
"I'll see what my budget allows for after tonight!" David said as he confidently took Alex by the hand and led him inside. Unfortunately for Alex his confidence was simply a bravado, and he wasn't quite ready to be so blatant in front of everyone in the restaurant. Thinking of an excuse, Alex let go of David's hand and held back before the entrance.
"I'll pay for it all, you know." He offered.
"Wow, my very own sugar daddy." David said, still under the assumption they were both throwing jokes around.
"I didn't mean it like that," Alex quickly assured David, "I just meant, if you want me to."
"How about we each pay for whatever we eat?" David suggested. Alex agreed, but to him that just didn't feel like a proper date.
"What if we share a drink, could I pay for that?"
"And we get two straws, and one plate big plate of spaghetti which we end up pashing over!" David said sarcastically.

Alex gave a serious pause of thought and raised his eyebrows, "I wouldn't say no to that!" Alex suggested as David smiled contently and proceeded inside, this time without holding Alex's hand. Although, looking around at the near-empty restaurant, Alex scolded himself for being so stupid as to get embarrassed about holding hands with David in public. After all, he liked David and someday wanted the two of them to go steady. How would he ever get to that stage in their relationship when Alex couldn't even hold David's hand without turning as red as a beetroot. Well that was it, Alex thought to himself, enough was enough. He was going to march right up to David and grab one - no, both of his hands and hold them for everyone to see.

"So," Alex started, getting David's attention. "Have you been here before?"
"Nope, but my mum suggested it." David said whilst waiting in line to be seated.
"Your mum!?" Alex repeated with shock. "She knows about us dating?"
"Yeah! I wasn't going to say anything, because I know how you feel, but she kind of put two-and-two together and figured out why you were calling me all the time." David replied with a coy grin on his face which made Alex blush.
"Oh, sorry." Alex apologised.
"Don't be stupid, she's just glad I'm finally not complaining about us moving anymore." David laughed. This was it; it would be now or never, Alex thought. As naturally as he could, Alex moved his arm out in front of him and curled his fingers around David's hand, squeezing it ever-so-slightly, just in case David didn't realise how much this meant to Alex.
"I can't imagine my life without you."

Alex gulped and stuttered. Had he really just said that? What kind of a freak must David think I am, Alex thought as he felt his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. Chickening out, Alex retracted his hand and griped tightly onto his arm as if shielding his body from being hurt.
"In this town - I mean, you're a good friend to have in this town." David stared at Alex, not saying a word. Great, Alex thought, table for one lonely-loser. But suddenly, across David's face broke a wide grin and he reached forward with both of his hands.
"I think moving us to Pleasantview was the best decision my mum ever made." He said as he pried Alex's hands away from his chest and held them both. For what felt like hours to Alex, he and David just stood in the middle of the busy restaurant holding each others hands. Alex didn't want to be the first to let go, but he got the feeling that David didn't either. A short, sharp cough from behind the two lovebirds finally brought Alex back to reality and he let go.

David turned around and saw a old man standing behind the service counter, his head tilted down. He realised the cough, the sort of disapproving cough that only know-it-all elders could make, had come from him.

Just as David was about to ask the man if their table was ready he turned and began to walk away. "Excuse me!" David called. The restaurant clerk stopped in his tracks and grunted a little before turning his head to see whom it was that had called his attention. "I booked a table earlier, Asher." David said, feeling a little resistance from the man.
"Yes, yes, I'll go check." The man sighed as he continued walking off towards the employee area.

"Well that was rude." David proclaimed as he turned towards Alex with his hand on his hip.
"We didn't really make it easy for him, I think he got bored of waiting for us to finish..." Alex trailed off with a slight laugh.
"You don't have to make excuses for people like him." David offered Alex.
"People like him...?" Alex asked, a little confused at what David was getting at.

"Oh, how should I put this? It's just, there are people in this world who think that people like you and me shouldn't be seen out in public together." David presumed as he huffed and looked down at his shoes. Feeling a little more confident now, it took no time before Alex found himself guiding David's face upwards with his hand so they were staring at each other.
"Well, it must suck to be one of those people." Alex smiled as David suddenly came out of his little bad mood and figured he wouldn't let anything that snooty old man said bother him anymore.

Walking back over to the service counter, the restaurant clerk coughed once again to get David's attention. "I'm sorry, it appears there was a slight mix-up with the actual number of tables available for this evening and I'm afraid we're not able to offer you a place anymore." David opened his eyes wide in shock, 'Anything, but that', he thought! That was just the icing on the cake for David. There was no problem with the number of tables, David guessed, he could just tell that the clerk had made that up so he didn't have to spend the rest of his night in the presence of two gay teenagers.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take this matter up with the manager." David said sharply.
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, other than offer you another booking at a later date." The man replied.
"Well I don't believe that." David said, getting ready to tell the clerk what he really thought of the matter.
"David." Alex motioned, feeling the tension in the room quickly rising.

"It is the truth." He told David.
"I'd like to hear what the manager has to say on this." David repeated in confidence.
"You just did." The manager replied as he turned his back on David once again, thus signalling the end of their conversation.

Alex almost thought David was about to reach over the service counter and grab the manager back by his hair, but instead David just turned around on one foot and walked off. Sensing his anger, Alex decided to approach David with caution.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked. David turned around and sighed.
"This is not how I planned tonight would go," was the first thing David said. "He can't do that... it's...it's..." David stuttered.

"Just the way some people are?" Alex offered, seeing the hurt beneath David's eyes, something that he'd never seen before. He always thought David was so confident, he never realised that sometimes he probably got the exact same ashamed, alone kind of feeling that Alex felt. And upon realising this, Alex felt something grab him inside, making him realise that no-one should ever be made to feel this way. Being carried on his sudden empowerment, Alex grabbed David by his hand and rushed out of the restaurant, almost sweeping David off his feet.

"Whoa, where are we going?" David asked as Alex stopped outside the restaurant.

"Nowhere, absolutely nowhere!" Alex smiled as he took David's hand and began to guide him. As Alex grabbed David's waist, he was confused to feel himself being positioned like a mannequin.
"What are you doing?" David asked as he began to laugh.

"I'm showing that stupid restaurant owner that sometimes he can't always get what he wants." Alex suggested with an evil grin.
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" David asked.

"I bet he's still watching us, isn't he." Alex guessed, with his back towards the window.
"Like a hawk! Come on, we should just go, I can't stand to be around people like him." David sighed as he attempted to walk away, but Alex grabbed David by the waist and pulled him back in front of him.

"Alex?" David asked as he felt Alex's arms pull him closer.
"You can't run away, you have to show him that what he did was wrong."
"What's the point? Besides, I don't want to eat there anyway if he owns the place." David reasoned, but Alex wasn't giving up.
"He may own the building but he doesn't own the pavement!" Alex said with another devilishly evil grin.
"What do you mean? What are you up to?" David asked, a little concerned that Alex was about to do something either dangerous or stupid. Staring into David's eyes, Alex opened his mouth and tried to get his next sentence out with the same amount of confidence that had helped him so far.
"I want to kiss you."

"What?" David asked as he backed out of Alex's grip.
"To show him that he hasn't won, I want to kiss you right here. He thinks that by turning us away we're somehow going to realise the error of our ways and stop being gay. Well I want to show that him he hasn't won." Alex attempted to approach David but he felt a hand in his path. It was David's.
"No, Alex. You can't kiss me." David simply said as he found his gaze resting upon his ever-familiar shoes.

"But, you can't just give-up like that." Alex protested.
"I'm not giving up anything," David argued. "If we kissed just to prove a point to him it'd feel cheap and meaningless. And I don't want my first kiss with you to be like that." Alex paused for a second, processing David's words. As he sighed, Alex dropped his shoulders and let his head fall down.
"I'm not very good at this, am I? I can't seem to do anything right." Alex announced glumly.
"That's why you've got me!" David reassured Alex as he reached out and squeezed his arm.

"Come on, let's just go back into Pleasantview and just get a coffee or something." David said as he began walking off. Alex slowly followed behind him, feeling like a complete idiot. David's 'just something's' had made it sound like their romantic evening was over before it had even begun, and Alex figured that he probably wasn't going to get another chance with all the mistakes he'd been making.

Who'd want a boyfriend that was as inexperienced as he was, Alex thought to himself. Whilst he felt David would continue to be there for him as a gay-friend, Alex's hopes of having him as his boyfriend seemed to be well and truly over.

Chapter Two: "Redress"

Dustin had arrived for his non-date with Lilith a little early, in hopes he could use some alone time to work out how he really felt. He still had feelings for Angela, but didn't want to let Lilith down, especially if he had no chance of getting back together with Angela again. Because, as much as it scared him to admit it, he enjoyed Lilith's company as more than a friend and the thought of seeing her tonight on their date excited him. At almost six 'o clock precisely, Lilith showed up and rushed over to where Dustin was sitting.

"Hi." She said as she walked over to her seat, purposefully not sitting down immediately just so Dustin could admire her new dress. It had worked, and Dustin was speechless at the sight of Lilith. Even the teenager serving coffee behind the counter stopped to admire Lilith, letting out a wolf-whistle that brought Dustin out of his trance.

"Um, hey. You look..." The words failed Dustin. He knew how hot Lilith looked, but he couldn't tell her that. "Nice dress."
"You look nice too. Although I have to admit it, I had gotten used to your chin-buddy!" Lilith laughed, referring to his facial hair.
"Oh, I..." Dustin said as he blushed and rubbed his face in embarrassment. Lilith's appearance really had made him come over all shy.

"Did you do this?" Liltih asked, noticing the beautiful centrepiece on the table and getting her hopes up.
"Err, what?" Dustin muttered.
"You! Did you get me a rose?" Lilith hoped, knowing though he probably didn't. But maybe he might say he did, she thought to herself.

"Aw, heck no! They put this crap out on all the tables. I wanted to take it off but they wouldn't let me." Dustin laughed as Lilith's smile hid her disappointment.
"Oh, never mind, I like it." She said, suddenly reaching the spot where there was nothing else left to talk about, unless she mentioned the weather. But there was no way she'd let herself become that desperate so early on in the date, Lilith thought. It was Dustin's turn to think up something to say now.

"How's your mum?" Dustin asked, working his way to finding out about Angela.
"Oh! She's alright, not saying much as usual. I sometimes get worried about the amount of work she's taken up so close to going into hospital, but I guess that's..." Lilith trailed off, not wanting to say what she thought out loud.
"She probably just wants to make sure that when she comes home she can relax and take it easy." Dustin filled in, sensing Lilith's worry about her mother.

"Hardly. My stupid airhead of a sister has planned her road-trip for the day after she comes home. I swear sometimes she..." Lilith started but was interrupted.
"Road-trip?" Dustin asked.
"Oh, that's right, you don't know. I keep forgetting you two don't talk anymore. My dad insisted on seeing this place Angela's been talking about non-stop for the past two months, the one she's travelling to after she leaves school. So anyway, this weekend she and him are going up there to check it out. Meaning it's me who has to stay home and look after mum when she gets out, and I don't know if you know this but I can barely take care of myself. But mum's insisting she'll be fine, you know, when she actually does acknowledge it's happening." Lilith explained as Dustin's face sagged at the realisation Angela was still dead-set on leaving Pleasantview.

"How does your mum feel about Angela leaving?" Dustin asked, not wanting to give up hope yet.
"Strangely she's as ecstatic as dad is. I've been practically none-existent in that house lately, I could have let off a bunch of fireworks and set myself on fire without anyone noticing." Lilith exaggerated to Dustin's amusement.
"But what about, well what if your mum becomes ill?" Dustin asked gently, not wanting to upset Lilith too much.
"In the future? Well, I hardly doubt she'd be so far away and so wrapped up in her own little, perfect world that she wouldn't come back." Lilith explained, finally understanding what Dustin was getting at. "But she is leaving, Dustin. She's had her heart set on it for so long now, finally being old enough to see the world and everything it has to offer. Who'd give up an opportunity like that?" Lilith asked, breaking it to Dustin that Angela was going to leave him and Pleasantview far behind when the time came.

Exhaling in a deep sigh, Dustin looked into Lilith's eyes and found himself smiling. "You and your sister are so different. It's hard to believe your twins sometimes." Dustin said, finally deciding to let go of Angela and move on to someone who actually wanted him - Lilith.
"Isn't that why we're friends? Because I'm just the spitting image of her." Lilith rolled her eyes, admitting to herself that a relationship with Dustin would be a disaster waiting to happen.
"You're nothing like her." Dustin said as he reached over and gently stroked Lilith's hand, placing his on top of hers. And just like that, everything Lilith had ever wanted from Dustin was finally hers... but it had come too late. Lilith realised now that even though she felt deeply for Dustin, all he felt for her was residual feelings from his long-term relationship with Angela.

"Dustin, I..." Lilith tried to explain as she slid her hand out from underneath his. "I can't."

"What? I don't understand, I thought this was what you wanted. You and me, we can finally be together." Dustin said, admitting his feelings.

"But that's just it, we can't. We're not supposed to be together, you belong with Angela and that's way it should be. You're in love with her, and I might have her face but you were right when you said we're nothing alike and that's the problem. I'm not Angela, I can't pretend to be Angela. This is not me." Lilith confessed, realising that dates and dresses were a far cry from what she really enjoyed doing.

"I don't believe this." Dustin said as he got out of his chair.
"I'm sorry." Lilith apologised.
"You're sorry? I'm sorry, I said that you and Angela weren't alike but I was wrong. You're just as cold-hearted as she is. I'm sick of being messed around by you two and I don't want anything more to do with it." Dustin fumed as he left Lilith and set off home.

Fighting back the tears as she watched Dustin leave, Lilith looked down at the table and noticed the beautiful centrepiece again. With an aching heart, she reached over and blew out the candle. The teen serving coffee behind the counter saw an opportunity and cleared his throat as if preparing to say something, catching Lilith's attention. "What the hell are you staring at? You wanna do your job and get me some friggin' coffee?!" She snapped as he gulped and hastily got back to work.

Chapter Three: "Too Good To Be True"

Alex and David sat their in silence, although there was a quiet accompaniment of music playing in the background, so at least it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They had each purchased their drinks separately and used them as a sort of shield to stop them from talking to one another, but now they had gone and David felt a bit silly sitting next to Alex and not talking. He had to be the first to say something, he could tell Alex wasn't going to break the silence anytime soon - and it was getting dark, he needed to be home in a few minutes. He took a deep breath in and decided to tell Alex exactly what was on his mind.

"I'm sorry." David said.
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one that turned out to be a lousy date." Alex replied honestly.
"Your not lousy, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like you were." David replied.

"I just felt like - to be honest, I felt a little gay. And I didn't want tonight to be about that, I just wanted tonight to be normal." David offered.
"You don't think we're normal?" Alex asked, a little confused at what David was trying to say.
"No, I didn't mean it like that! I just, after what he said, it made me feel ashamed... and then I felt embarrassed, because you'd offered to kiss me and, like the complete idiot I am, I turned you down. And then I was sorry." David poured his heart out with a barefaced honesty that made Alex smile.

"Sorry that I ended up making you feel the same way." David sighed as he apologised.
"Don't apologise, it was my own fault." Alex accepted as he shuffled in his seat, preparing to tell David how he felt. "Sometimes, I just look at you and think 'wow, look how amazing he is', and then I try to build myself up to act how you do. Look, I'm doing it right now! I never would have told you that if you hadn't have been as honest with me as you were just now."

"Despite what you think, I am so not the expert on this," David scoffed as Alex felt a little embarrassed for putting him on a pedestal. "But that's okay, we don't have to act any certain particular way, and I don't want you feeling like we have to prove something to the world all the time. You can come out whenever you want, or not at all, but don't use me as some sort of 'gay template' because, believe me, there's better ones out there." David joked.

"I don't think of you like that, and I wouldn't dream of getting closer to anyone else. I like you, I really like you." Alex admitted, feeling his heart racing with a mixture of excitement and nerves. The lot had turned peacefully quiet, so quiet he could hear David's breathing as he moved in closer. Just as he was about to do the same he heard something else, a voice that sounded very familiar.

Taking his concentration away from David for the first time since he had sat down, he looked over the veranda and was shocked to see Lilith Pleasant sitting alone almost right beneath him. Had she been spying on him, he thought. No, something was different about her. For one, she was all dressed up. And as he listened closely, he could hear her sobbing. Was it possible she also had had a date tonight? Alex couldn't think if Lilith had ever mentioned anyone to him, especially someone whom she liked enough to go out on a date with, unless...

By this time, David's attention had also been drawn to the lonely looking girl in the red dress. "Isn't that your friend?" He asked.
"Yeah, yeah it is." Alex replied, feeling the desperate need to go down and comfort her.

"It's okay, I need to get home anyway." David offered, sensing Alex's needs.
"But what about... walking you home and, that awkward moment on the doorstep where neither one of us wants to be the first to lean in." Alex moaned as he felt torn between his two friends.
"Yeah, I think we've pretty much done the whole leaning scene to death!" David laughed as a scooted closer to Alex.

"How about next time we try practicing the actual kissing part?" David said as he placed his arm around Alex's shoulder. Alex felt his heart melting as the corner's of his mouth rose up somewhere past his ears.
"Oh, o-okay!" He stuttered, starring into David's eyes. David smiled and stared back, but it wasn't long before he began to realise Alex wasn't moving.
"Alex, your friend?" He reminded him.
"Yes, her name is Lilith." Alex said dreamily without breaking off his intense staring match. Coming to his senses, Alex finally moved, "Oh yeah, okay! See you later." Alex waved as he slowly walked off, still unable to take his eyes off of David.

Chapter Four: "A Tale Of Two Dates"

As Lilith finally decided she should be getting home, she wiped her cheeks on the ends of her sleeve and tried not to cry again as she thought about how her lovely new dress would never see the light of day again. "Alex!" She cried out in surprise, a little embarrassed at her appearance.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Alex casually asked.
"Just getting a little caffeine boost!" Lilith lied. "What about you, what are you doing out this late?"
"Caffeine boost... and possibly true love." Alex hinted as he coyly smiled.

"Oh, that's right, your date with David was tonight. How did that go?" Lilith asked, trying to move the subject away from why she was there.
"Not so fast, first you have to tell me the real reason you're here and why you look..." Alex trailed off, not sure what to say.
"Like an idiot?" Lilith offered, knowing that was how she felt like she looked.
"You look like you've been on a date." Alex guessed. "Unless you just got dressed up to impress Kearney the coffee-guy!"
"Oh yeah, you caught me!" Lilith half-heartedly joked as she realised Alex wasn't letting her go until he got the truth.

"I was here with Dustin." Lilith said, knowing that that was all she really needed to say for Alex to understand.
"I had wondered." Alex admitted, knowing for sometime Lilith had feelings for her sister's ex-boyfriend. "Are you and him...?"
"No! And we never will after tonight." Lilith announced.
"Why not?" Alex asked.

"Because, everything he thought he liked about me was just a superficial lie. And when I showed my true colours, he bailed." Lilith explained, once again fighting back her tears.
"I'm not sure I understand." Alex said, confused at what she meant.
"I wanted him so much, Alex. I've always wanted him. And I did all this just to get him to like me, and when he finally did I crushed him. What kind of a cold-hearted bitch am I?" Lilith said, asking herself that question.
"You're not a bitch." Alex told her.
"I am. I led him on and promised him things I couldn't give him. All he wants is Angela, I should have realised that instead of trying to change him." Lilith admitted with defeat.

"If he doesn't want you then screw him, it's his loss!" Alex proclaimed.
"And what about Angela? If I'd only been considerate to other people's feelings then this whole thing would have never have happened.."
"Hey, you are not the reason the two of them broke up." Alex comforted his friend. Not knowing for sure if, in some small way, she had really contributed to Dustin and Angela breaking up.
"Aren't I? The second he broke up with her I practically jumped on him, right in front of my sister's eyes. I may not be the reason they broke up but I'm the reason they'll never get back together." Lilith confessed to Alex.
"You can't make excuses for your heart. It wants what it wants." Alex reasoned.

"Trust me, I should know." He added, referring to his own past trouble's.
"I just want to forget this whole thing ever happened. Get out of these stupid clothes and wash out this disgusting dye." Lilith exclaimed as she pulled at her dress and hair.
"What's wrong with the blondeness?" Alex asked.
"It was his favourite hair colour. When I asked him what his perfect woman looked like and he told me, 'like Angela, but preferably a blonde', I dyed my hair. Now you tell me that doesn't sound like the work of a boyfriend-stealing cold-hearted bitch." Lilith insulted herself without remorse.
"It sounds like the work of someone who's in love to me." Alex admitted as Lilith looked away.

"You love him, don't you?" Alex asked. Feeling the lump in her throat rise, Lilith had no energy left inside of herself to hold back the tears this time and found herself falling into Alex's arms as she let them out. Like the true friend he was, Alex held Lilith as she cried.
"I think I'm over it. I guess this date turned out to be a good thing after all, it just showed me how completely incompatible the two of us are." Lilith reasoned as she composed herself and broke out of the hug.

"You should have told me you were going out with him tonight, I could have been on stand-by in case..." Alex couldn't think of anything else to say.
"In case it went even more horribly than it did?" Lilith filled in the blank with amusement as she wiped her eyes once again and quickly changed the subject to stop herself from tearing up again. "Besides, you couldn't have cos you were on your date. Now, from the top, don't leave anything out." Lilith demanded, wanting to hear about Alex's first date with David.
"Well, he booked us a table and I held his hand. The manager got mad and asked us to leave. I tried to kiss him and..."
"You tried to kiss the manager?!" Lilith asked as Alex rolled his eyes.
"I don't think that would have gone down very well, do you?! No, I thought it'd be cool to have our first kiss then, but David said no and he was right to say no. So I told him I liked him and he hugged me and then..."
"And then!?" Lilith asked with excitement in her voice.
"Then I saw you and, that was it."

"What, you ended your date because of me?" Lilith asked.
"I saw you looking really bummed out, so I figured you needed me more than David. And he had to go home anyway." Alex explained but Lilith wasn't buying it.
"So that's two dates I've ruined tonight." She said, feeling guilty for herself
"Not even! I can see David again whenever I want, you needed me more tonight." Alex assured her.
"But if it hadn't been for me then you two might have had your first kiss." Lilith theorised.

"I doubt it, I was caught up in the moment last time. Truth be told, thinking back that I was actually going to kiss a boy outside in front of everyone like that makes me feel a little queasy." Alex said as he felt his face drain of colour and his legs turn to jelly. Lilith laughed and held him up as Alex shook it off. "But it was kind of exciting." Alex admitted, feeling warm at the thought of almost kissing David.
"I think somebody's in love!" Lilith teased.
"Could be... or I could've just had way too much coffee!" Alex joked as he secretly wished it wasn't the coffee that was making him feel this way.

Chapter Five: "The Truth Of The Matter"

Alex quietly crept inside his house at a quarter-to eleven, losing all track of time after seeing Lilith. He thought he had gotten away with it until he saw Dina sat in the chair waiting for him. "You didn't have to wait up for me." He joked.
"I don't find that funny, Alex. I let you stay out tonight because I trusted you, and you repay me by staying out all night?" Dina sighed and she put down her book and stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I was with Lilith and she really needed..." Alex tried to explain but Dina put her hands up to stop him.
"Don't lie to me Alex, I know exactly who you were with tonight." Dina confessed.
"No, you don't understand, I saw Lilith and she had just broken up - well, they hadn't broken up but..."

"Alex, I told you I trusted you, but how do you think it makes me feel when you don't trust me enough to tell me who you were really with tonight." Dina said, confused at what Alex was trying to tell her.
"But I really was with Lilith!" Alex announced as honestly as he could, but he knew with all the lying he'd been doing lately it was hard to know when he was telling the truth anymore.
"Lilith?" Dina asked, letting Alex have one more opportunity to tell her.
"Well, not at first." Alex started quietly. Dina sighed and shook her head.
"I thought we could trust each other, but I guess I was wrong."

"I was with..." Alex trailed off again. He sensed she wasn't about to give up and let him go to bed, so with a heavy pause, Alex finally spoke. "David."
"Is that who you were out on a date with tonight?" Dina gently asked, knowing that it was probably embarrassing for Alex to admit it to her.
"Yes." Alex mumbled, a little worried about what Dina would think.
"And how long have you been seeing each other?"
"Well technically we're not..." Alex started but a cough from Dina made him rethink his sentence. "About a month, just coming up to one month." He corrected. Alex felt his heart jumping out of his chest; he had just come out to his step-mother.

"Was that so hard?" Dina offered with a loving smile on her face that made Alex feel a little calmer.
"I guess not." He shrugged, desperately wanting to finish their awkward conversation and retreat into his bedroom.
"I told you, you could trust me." Dina remarked once again, hoping Alex would finally understand that she wasn't ashamed or angry and that she would always stick by him now they were family.
"Thanks." Alex accepted as he found himself smiling.

"You didn't honestly wait up for me to get home just so I would come out to you?" Alex chanced. He had sensed there was something was wrong between Dina and his dad for awhile and now he and Dina 'trusted' each other he thought she might tell him what was wrong, and why she was up alone so late.
"Would you believe me if I said it gets very boring being stuck indoors all day?" Dina half-heartedly laughed as she tried to think of what to say to Alex without having him worry too much about his father.

"What's wrong?" Alex persisted once again.
"Like father, like son." Dina whispered to herself, thinking how similar Mortimer and Alex were when it came to hiding their true feelings.
"What are you trying to say?" Alex asked, a little confused over Dina's statement.

"Nothing, I'm just worried that your father is keeping things bottled up. I'm beginning to realise another child at his age could be a lot more stressful then I first thought." Dina confessed as breezily as she could, but Alex saw past her facade and knew there was something more sinister going on that she wasn't telling him.

"He's okay though, isn't he?" Alex wondered.
"I don't want to worry you." Dina said, trying to assure Alex it would be better if he didn't know.
"Dina, what happened to trusting each other?" Alex shot back, demanding to know what was wrong with his dad. Dina rolled her eyes and realised she too would have to 'fess-up.
"Your father lied about the car crash. He didn't crash into a tree because another driver cut him up, he lost control of the car whilst... experience breathing difficulties." Dina chose her words carefully.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex queried.
"He... he thinks he may have had a heart attack." Dina finally admitted.

"Just don't tell him I told you." Dina asked, knowing Mortimer didn't want anyone else knowing.
"You shouldn't have had to tell me, he shouldn't hide things like that." Alex moaned in disbelief that something so serious had been kept from him.
"Don't worry, I've convinced him to see a doctor and the appointment's booked for tomorrow." Dina assured Alex.

"He's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Alex asked, his upbeat mood finally disappearing for the night.
"I'm sure he's fine, not even a heart-attack could slow your father down." Dina joked, though Alex didn't find it funny.
"No, but it might stop him dead in his tracks."
"Alex!" Dina yipped, shocked at his harsh words.
"What? That's what we were both thinking." Alex told the truth, he was sick of keeping things inside.
"It's late, you should go to bed." Dina suggested.

As Alex carried himself up the stairs Dina felt she needed to leave him with something positive, some words of wisdom, if she could think of anything to say. "You know, Alex, your dad would be proud of you no matter what." Dina offered as Alex grunted and continued up the stairs to his bedroom without acknowledging Dina's advice.

Never mind, Dina thought to herself. In her opinion, tonight had been exactly how a perfect mother would have reacted and advised in her situation. A sure sign that whatever the future held for herself and her child, she would cope just fine.

END OF PART SIX