Bed of Lies

Chapter 1: Brave New World

Alex Romero had been staying at the Bates Motel for three months now due to his house being torched by the now deceased Zane Morgan. Just this morning, he had received a phone call reporting that his house was now rebuilt and ready for him to move in. He located his suitcase at the corner of his motel room and began packing his things. He folded multiple shirts he found laying on the dark motel carpet and placed them in neat piles into his case. He then collected his medication, razors and aftershave, sliding them beside the folded shirts. After his items were all packed, he roamed his jacket and found his cheque book. Alex knew that Norma had been struggling to keep the motel afloat and felt bad that her attempts to receive income would be impossible with the new bypass being built in memorial of city councilmen Lee Berman. He wrote down the amount of money and clarified it with a signature. He picked up his room key and case and opened the door, trudging over the gravel to his truck.

Alex was hanging up his uniform in the back seat of his truck when he saw Emma and Norma exiting one of the motel rooms. 'Norma' he shouted. Even though Norma was only a few doors down from where his truck was situated, she halted dramatically and spun around to face him. He gestured a tilt of his head to beckon her over, she obeyed. As she walked over to him, he followed suit until their bodies were a certain distance apart. Norma glanced at the case in the back of his truck and realised that he wasn't going to be staying at the motel anymore. 'You're leaving?' She asked sadly, not wanting to believe it. Alex nodded awkwardly.
'Yeah, the house is finally ready' he clarified. Norma looked at him with her sad, piercing blue eyes. 'Oh' she said, feigning a smile to mask her disappointment. He noticed her hesitance and awkwardly continued. 'It's amazing what the workers can accumulate within 3 months'. Norma looked at him blankly. 'Um, here' Alex spoke, handing her the motel keys. She looked at the keys intently, trying to avoid eye contact. It was abnormal to her that she was sad about Alex leaving, he didn't even like her from what she gathered. He then reached into his pocket again and gestured to her what looked like a cheque. Norma immediately realised what was occurring - he was giving her money. 'This is for all the time I spent here'. Norma shook her head surreptitiously. Alex frowned at her mannerisms. 'No. No' she said.
'Norma. Norma, you need to take it' he insisted.
'No. You're a family friend I am not taking your money'. Norma and Alex were both stubborn, neither were likely to back down. While Norma was consistent with her protesting, Alex spoke over her, attempting to have dominance over Norma. 'The bypass is done and they're starting cars on the finished park tomorrow. You're gonna need this. I'm not taking no for an answer'. Norma looked at him wide eyed, almost intimidated by him telling her what to do. She sighed and took the cheque, glancing down at the generous amount of money Alex had given her. Norma was slightly confused, two years ago Alex had told her they weren't friends, yet they had grown a lot closer and she still didn't know the title of their relationship - friendly acquaintances? Sheriff and ex suspect? Or what Norma thought/hoped they were - friends? After staying silent for too long, Norma gave Alex a shy smile. 'Thank you' she told him. He rolled his eyes at her stubborn nature and thought about what to say next. He shuffled his feet nervously. 'Well, thank you - for everything.'
'Sure. Sure, sure, sure' Norma replied. Alex didn't know what to say so he turned on his heel heading towards the truck but her quiet voice stopped him. 'So I uh, guess I'll see you around?' She laughed. 'Yeah' he returned a smile. Alex struggled at professing his feelings, so he stepped closer to Norma and curved his arms in a wide circle as though to hug her. Norma was too surprised that she held her hand out in defence, wanting him to shake it. Alex let out an anxious laugh while pushing her hand out of the way. He tried to be more forward and moved his arms to Norma's waist. Norma giggled nervously and murmured an 'okay' before cuddling him like a four year old. Alex stood with one hand placed on her lower back and the other by his side. Norma felt strange being so close to Alex but weirdly, it was comfortable. She nuzzled into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Alex moved both his hands to her upper back and leaned towards her lips when she turned her face. Norma started to panic and quickly kissed him twice on his cheek. 'Bye' he said in embarrassment. Norma grabbed his hand and squeezed it. 'Bye Alex' she smiled.

Alex jumped in his truck and revved the engine. As his car began to pull away from the motel driveway, Norma ran in front of the car and he halted to a stop. Norma couldn't let him leave, she had to say something. Alex looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. Tears welled up in Norma's eyes and she roamed her brain for something to say. 'I, I just wanted to tell you' she stuttered. She couldn't say anything that would stop him from leaving but she wanted to imply to him that she was thankful for his presence. 'I always felt... Safe when you were here' she finally said. Alex looked up at her and smiled with appreciation. He liked the fact that Norma felt protected around him, he cared about her a lot. 'Thank you Norma' he nodded. Norma started intently and Alex noticed tears forming in her eyes. He looked down uncomfortably. Norma smiled sadly. As he drove off, Norma felt like her safety net was gone. She was sad that she wouldn't see Alex everyday around the motel, she liked his company. When the car was out of sight, Norma stared into the sky for a while. She wrapped her arms around herself and let a tear escape her eye. She didn't feel safe anymore. Alex was gone, and so was her safety.