The Price of Love

10-The Almost Realization of Love

Alex sat in his car, thinking. He couldn't help but begin to think of Anna as more then a friend. He didn't realize it at first. But the way she was so enthusiastic about New York. The way she always seemed so confident. The way she was amazing. He leaned back into his seat and ran his hand across his face. Finally, he made the decision that he needed to talk to his mom. When he arrived home, he walked around looking for her. He opened the door to his parents' bedroom and saw her working on blueprints, sitting with her legs crossed on her bed. She looked up at the sound of the door opening to see her son, gripping the door tightly and peaking inside.

   "Hey Alex. What's up?" She asked. He walked in and sat on the bed with her. He leaned onto the bed frame and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to his chest.

"I need some advice," he said. Elyse smiled and ruffled his hair.

   "Anything," she said kindly, glad that he had come to her for help.

   "So there's this girl," he said. "And I think I really like her."

   "Is it Anna?" She asked. Alex looked at her with shock, wondering if she knew his feelings before he did.

   "How did you know?" He asked her. She laughed.

   "I'm your mom. I know everything," she replied, making him chuckle.

   "I don't know if I should act on it," he said. "It could ruin our friendship, and our professional lives."

   "Well... are those things worth losing for her?" Elyse asked. Alex blinked. "Try to think about that for a while. This doesn't need to happen right away. It can be gradual."

"Thanks mom," he said, setting the pillow down, leaving imprints in the cloth from where his fingers had gripped tightly. She kissed his forehead.

"Anytime," she replied. He walked out of the room and into his own bedroom, sitting in his chair and rolling towards his bed. He put his legs up on the mattress and leaned back, thinking about his newfound options and the advice his mother had given him.

   "There's got to be a solution," Alex said, pulling a hand through his hair, deep in thought.
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"I'm gonna go for a walk," Anna told Chloe and Matt as she walked down the stairs, grabbing a jacket from the closet on her way out. She walked outside and thought.

   "Alright. Be back by dinner," Chloe joked before Anna shut the door.

   "Rational Anna. Be rational," she told herself. She stuffed her hands on her pockets as she walked through the cold air. Anna was struggling with her thoughts. "I have feelings for him. Don't I?" She said to herself again.

   Eventually, she came across a park. She sat on a swing, even though she was a fully grown adult. The park was empty, and it was quiet. The tree leaves moved in a melodic, calming way. Though the night air was refreshing, she couldn't help but focus on her thoughts about her coworker. She didn't know what to do with her feelings for the boy. She pushed back slightly, rocking back and forth on the swing. Anna thought and thought. If she confessed to Alex that she had feelings for him, it could mess everything up, and she knew that she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't go from hating him, to having a crush on him, to never talking to him. That was just too much.

   "Am I even ready for a relationship yet?" Anna asked herself. Tony cheating on her had done a number on her self confidence, and she figured that it would be a while until her next date. But here she was, only a few months later, trying to figure out her feelings for a man she worked with. Then she thought about the Empire State Building, and all doubts that she had were gone as quickly as they had come. She sighed as she stepped off the swing, trudging back to her sister's house. She ate dinner quietly, still deep in thought, and ignoring the conversations around her.

"What's wrong, Anne?" Matt asked his sister-in-law, noticing her silence.

"It's nothing. Just thinking," she replied with a small smile. "I'll put Millie to bed if you want."

   Anna took the babygirl up to her bedroom, setting her in her crib and moving her blanket to swaddle her.

   "There you go honey," she said lovingly, bending down to kiss her forehead. She walked out of the room, only to come into contact with her older sister in the hallway.

   "Are you sure nothings wrong?" Chloe asked. Anna gave her a smile and nodded.

   "Just got a little overwhelmed. Work, and all," she said. Most of it was true, in face. Chloe nodded.

   "Well if you need anything, just let me know," she said. Anna nodded.

   "You guys do enough," she said, hugging her. They said goodnight and separated to their individual bedrooms. Anna sat on her bed, staring at the wall.

   "This is impossible," she said to herself. She groaned and laid backwards on the bed.

   Neither of them knew it, but both Anna and Alex were laying in their beds, focusing on one thing and one thing only. Each other.