Push to the Limit (the sixth book in the Glee series)

Chapter 7: Perfect Sense

When Alex walked into Julie's hotel room, he slowly made his way towards her bed, where he could see some of her hair coming out from under her comforters. 

He took a seat beside her but she didn't budge. "Hey Julie..." he said. 

Still, she didn't respond. He looked over at Gaby's crib, which was set up on the opposite end of the room. The toddler was sitting up, playing with her bottle, and looked up at him curiously. He reached for a stuffed little elephant that was on the ground and used it to lightly tap the back of her head. 

"Julie..." he said. "What are you doing?"

She groaned and turned around onto her back, facing him as she forced herself to open her eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked. 

"Hmm..." he hesitated, not sure what her current mood would be like. "Are you dreaming about your handsome friend, guitarist, drummer, and teddy elephant enthusiast?"

She opened her eyes and said, "I'm not dreaming at all now that you've barged in here and woken me up. How did you even get in?" He gave her a look. "Right... It's you... Why did I even bother asking?"

"You need to get out of bed," he told her as she sat up. 

"I don't want to," she shook her head. 

"Oh come on," he insisted. "There must be things waiting for you out in the world since you're always so busy."

"Today I just have a concert," she informed him. "I have a GMA performance the day after but it's basically going to be the same thing as yesterday on a bigger stage."

"Fine," he told her. "Maybe you don't have anything you need to do but right now you do need to get out of bed and go do something with you're life. I refuse to let you stay here and be miserable. You made a choice, it was tough, but it's done. It's moving on time. So come on. Get out of bed. You look awful."

"Gee, thanks," she muttered as he took away her blankets.

"Just telling it like it is," he told her. "Go on. Shower and get ready and I'll watch Gaby while you do. You are going to have a fun day today to make up for last night's whole... worst birthday ever thing..."

She glared at him, unhappy that he was controlling how she would grieve, but was now pretty sure that he wasn't going to change his mind so she would have to change hers. She grumpily got up and made her way towards the bathroom. 

"He changed our relationship status on Facebook," she said from the restroom as she began brushing her teeth. "He already got back home so I'm guessing by now all of Lima knows and I am once again the villain who broke his heart."

Alex walked to the crib and Gaby reached her arms out eagerly, so he picked her up as he said, "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they aren't thinking anything negative about you and if you are, screw them. You did the right thing."

She stepped out of the bathroom and said, "Maybe it was the right thing but they'll hear his side of it first and I'll be the one who did him wrong. I'll be the bad guy. I usually am in these cases."

"That's not true," he assured her. "At least not with most of us."

"Most of us won't be good enough," she sighed. "I don't think I should go home for Thanksgiving. I planned on it but... Now it just feels wrong to be around."

"Whatever you decide to do," he said with a shrug. 

She leaned against the bathroom doorway and said, "You know, I got involved with glee club on Thanksgiving. 10 years ago. It's going to be that time of year again soon and... It just means so much to me. That night 10 years ago, I performed with the New Directions for the first time, I had my first duets with both Jake and Sam, my first kiss... Even if it was John and weird and boozy it was still special. Not to mention my first time getting a little too tipsy. It's almost ten years, Alex."