A Touch Deep Inside

Chapter Twelve.

It was late that evening; after dinner, Betty had gone straight to bed and FP and Alice remained in the living room of the cottage, just talking about this and that.

"So, how are you settlin' in?" he leaned forward to grab his glass of water.

"Okay..." she sort of nodded. "Betty is a wreck, she's nervous about not starting school at Riverdale High, she's nervous about a lot of things actually," she hung her head, kind of looking down at her nails, the pale pink gel that covered them softly and her wedding ring.

"Starting to regret coming out here?" he wondered.

"No, but I'm regretting giving her the option of running away..." she sighed. "If it were just me, it would be different. I will always have my girls to think about and I didn't think about them when I said leaving town was the best thing. It's one of those things I said out loud and shouldn't have. Next weekend, Hal is supposed to come with Polly and it's just sort of a mess, no matter how organized I am."

"Look at the bright side..."

She looked over at him.

"You're here and it's over with. You got one kid to look after... Why don't you focus on you? Betty seems more mature than me, I think she can manage."

She cracked a smile, "She said that to me earlier; I should focus on me..."

"Twenty-five years of hell as you seem to be putting it... Why not give yourself the satisfaction?"

"You know, you're pretty smart for somebody who doesn't put a lot of effort into things."

"That's where people go wrong... I put effort into the things I want to do. Not necessarily the things people want me to do for them."

"So, what are you saying exactly?"

"I'm putting in effort for you. To talk to you, to get to know you..."

"Are you flirting with me? Again, Mr. Ladies' Man..." she cocked a brow.

"Wow," he smirked. "Is it working?"

"Kinda," she rose her brow, a smirk in return.

"Glad we could be honest," he ensured.

"I've always been pretty forward and honest about my feelings... How about you?"

"Not until now."

"You saying I bring it out?"

"Didn't say that at all, but not saying it's not true," he winked. "Despite our differences, Alice, I've always cared about you... I can't say you've always been on my mind since we have two very different lives, but when I do, I care and worry."

"I've wiped the floor with you," she ensured. "Always thinking about the past and I do regret a lot of things I have said and done... I know you don't believe me, but I am sorry about some of the things I have written in the paper... When I was writing those things, not only was I thinking about you, but I was mostly thinking about how it would get Hal off my back. He told me to show no sympathy since we were masking the fact that I am even a Serpent."

"And now?"

"Well, I identify as a Serpent and he knows that. I just have to hide at all times because I can't let my girls know. Polly... would lose it and Betty..." she trailed.

"Betty seems like the type to be cool with it," he honestly assured.

"Maybe, but right now I can't chance it," she shook her head. "Things are very new and fresh... I don't know if I'd want to do that to her. She's about to start a school where she knows nobody, the last thing I want is for her to not trust me because she doesn't know who I am."