True Blue

Chapter Thirty Five

The next morning, after a short and tense discussion, they agreed it would be best to move Alex and his things back to his house temporarily, until Norman got used to the idea of him being around. Norma held back her tears the entire time, hating herself for doing this to Alex and lying to her own son.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Alex says as he sets the last of his things back in his living room, seeing Norma's eyes well up with tears as she stood awkwardly near the door. He quickly crosses over to her and pulls her to his chest, rubbing her back.
"I'm so sorry, Alex." she tells him softly, sniffling slightly as she buries her face into his chest, inhaling his scent to calm herself down.
"It's not forever, okay? We can make it work." he tells her optimistically.
"Promise?" she asks, looking up into his warm gaze.
"I promise." he says, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"You should go or you're gonna be late." he says, pressing his lips to her forehead before stepping away from her.
"Okay. I'll try to call you tonight." she says, biting her lip as every step she took towards the front door sent a sharp pain to her heart.
"It's okay if you can't. We have to be smart about this, yeah?" he says, glancing up at her as she hesitates at the now open door.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. But I'm still gonna try." she says with a soft smile, making him smile back at her with a soft laugh.
"I'll look forward to it, then. Drive safe, okay? I love you." he says, still smiling widely at her.
"I love you too." she says, meaning every word, before finally stepping out and closing the door behind her.
She felt his absence heavily as she picked Norman up from Pineview and took him back to the house. She didn't know if she was distracted by how much she missed Alex, or if things were suddenly different between her and Norman, but they barely spoke a word to each other that night. Even dinner time was silent, nothing but the sound of forks scraping against plates.
And Norman went straight to bed after dinner, leaving her rushing to the back porch, already dialing Alex's number into her phone. She bites her lip and paces the back porch nervously as she waits for his answer.
"Hey."
Just one simple word brought a bright smile to Norma's face and heat to her cheeks.
"Hi, Alex." she says softly, her smiling ringing loudly in her tone of voice, making him smile.
"I've missed you." she says, leaning against the railing as she pictured his smile that she loved. She would give anything to see him right now.
"It's been four hours." he says with a light laugh.
"Yeah, well, I still missed you." she says softly into his ear, making his heart race.
"I missed you too." he tells her, swiveling in his office chair as he stares at the picture he kept of them from the newspaper after the winter festival.
"How did it go with Norman?" he asks, still not sure her being there alone with him was a good idea.
"It...It went...I don't know, it's weird. It's like we don't know how to act around each other anymore." she says, her nails picking at the wood of the railing nervously.
"Well, you've been away from each other for a while. Might take some time to get used to each other again." he suggests, knowing how close she used to be with Norman. A love like that doesn't go away easily, he would know.
"Yeah. Maybe." she says softly, desperately wanting to talk about something else. She didn't know how long she would be able to talk to him and she didn't want to spend it talking about her problems.
"Where are you?" she asks, wanting to get a better mental picture of him.
"The station. Figured I'd use the opportunity to catch up on my work." he says, staring at the stack of files that somehow grew on his desk again.
"So you're saying I'm a distraction?" she asks playfully.
"You definitely capture my attention, yes." he says with a smile, making her giggle into his ear.
"What're you wearing, Sheriff?" Norma asks, her voice taking on a sultry tone, making him shift in his seat. He loved when she called him that.
"Norma Bates, are you coming on to me?" he jokes with a smile, his body buzzing with excitement at just the thought.
"Answer the question, Sheriff." she says softly, her seductive tone making him swallow hard.
"I'm wearing my uniform, Norma. What're you wearing?" he asks, already moving to lock his door. With the way his pants were tightening, he didn't want any of his coworkers walking in on him to see the tent he was pitching.
"I'm wearing my robe, and that little black night gown you love." she says, feeling her nipples already beginning to poke through said nightgown.
"God, I miss you." he breathes into her ear, making her heat up between her legs.
"I wish I was with you right now." he tells her, leaning back in his chair at her looks at their picture again, memorizing her smile.
"What would you do to me?" she asks in a whisper, her free hand already pressing against her stomach as her core begins to tingle in anticipation.
"Are...Are you going to touch yourself?" he asks softly, pulling at his tight pants again, trying to relieve the tension he felt in his pants at just the idea.
"I will if you will." she tells him, biting her lip nervously. She was outside after all, and she couldn't exactly take this conversation to her bedroom where Norman could overhear.
"I'm at work, Norma." he says, though he knew his door was already locked.
"And I'm outside." she says, waiting eagerly for his response.
"Where would you touch me first?" she asks, her hand already slipping under her robe to rest on the strap of her silk nightgown. She leans against the wall of the house, her eyes scanning her surroundings quickly to ensure that no one could see her.
"I'd kiss down your neck, to your chest." he begins, his voice already coming out deep and husky.
She allowed her fingertips to trail down her neck to her chest as he says, her eyes slipping shut as her imagination took over, replacing her fingers with his mouth.
"I'd run my tongue around your nipples slowly while my hand runs down your sides." he continues, making her thumb drag down her chest to flick her right nipple, her back arching slightly as a soft gasp escapes her mouth.
"Touch yourself, Alex." she breathes out, needing him to come with her, even if he wasn't physically with her. She hears fabric rustling on the other end and her heart rate quickens at the thought of him alone in his office.
"Take two fingers and massage your clit lightly." he instructs her, remembering that she had never touched herself before so she might not know what to do. He hears a soft moan through his phone and lets his eyes slip shut as he begins to touch himself with her.
"I need you." she whispers, making him groan lightly at the need in her voice.
"I'm right here. Slide two fingers inside of you and use your thumb to rub your clit." he manages to choke out, his breathing becoming heavy as her gasps and moans pick up.
"God, Alex. How are you doing this to me?" she breathes out, not understanding how she could become so aroused by just the sound of his voice.
"I'm so close, Alex." she whispers, feeling the pit begin to form in her stomach.
"Keep going. Faster." he whispers, his voice coming out strained as he feels himself reaching a pinnacle of his own and he pauses to quickly grab some tissues from his desk.
"Fuck, Ale-Ohhh, God." she breathes out as her walls tighten around her fingers, the feeling somehow arousing her more as she finishes onto herself.
"There you go, baby. Good girl." he whispers as she rides out her orgasm, her soft sighs still coming through the phone, making him reach his own release.
"God, Alex. I didn't even know I could do that to myself." she says with a light laugh as she wipes her fingers on her nightgown before tightening her robe around her.
"I'm glad I could help." he says, matching her light laugh as he cleans himself up, careful not to ruin his uniform.
"I didn't know just hearing your voice would do that to me." she says lightly, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"You have no idea the things that your voice does to me." he tells her, his voice deep again, making her shiver with arousal.
"I should probably go before I try to jump you long distance again. Ill let you get back to work. I guess I really am a distraction." she says with a soft giggle.
"You're the best distraction." he tells her with a smile as he moves to unlock his door again.
"I love you." she says softly, feeling tears brim in her eyes at the thought of saying goodbye again.
"I love you too." he tells her, his voice matching her sincerity.
"Okay." she whispers, trying to prolong their goodbye.
"Okay." he says softly, knowing what she was doing.
"I'll see you soon." he promises, wishing he could comfort her in person.
"Okay." she whispers again, making him smile.
"Goodnight, Mrs. Romero." he finally says, waiting for her to fight him on the name.
"Goodnight, Sheriff." she says instead, her heart jumping at the sound of being called Mrs. Romero.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket before quickly heading inside as she finally begins to register just how cold it was outside. The house itself seemed cold without Alex, and dark. Every shadow seemed to grow as she passed it, making her steps quicken before she practically jogs to her bedroom.
Though it wasn't much better there. She could feel his absence strongest here as his scent still lingers in the air and on her sheets. She found herself curling up with his pillow, inhaling his scent deeply until she couldn't smell him anymore.
She didn't know how long she spent tossing and turning in her bed, trying to press pillows against her chest tightly to fill the hole she now felt there, before she finally gave up and set up in her bed. She glanced at her phone and thought about calling him, but seeing as it was now 3 in the morning, she knew she should let him sleep.
As she sat up, she realized just how cold it was in her house. She could practically see her breath and she began to realize this wasn't all in her head.
She quietly snuck downstairs to check the thermostat, hoping something didn't break. She didn't have the money to replace anything right now and she couldn't accept another penny from Alex.
Just as she finishes placing the plastic case on the thermostat, she turns to find Norman walking downstairs in a robe and beanie, arms tucked tightly around him.
"It's freezing in here, mother. Is there a window open?" he asks, approaching her.
"No, I...I don't think the heater is on. I'm hoping it resets itself. Otherwise we may freeze to death." she says, pulling her robe tighter around her, wishing for Alex even more now. He would know how to fix it.
"Hmm." Norman hums as he steps into the living room.
"Maybe we could turn on our gigantic new television and get a weather forecast." he says bitterly, staring at Alex's gift to her.
"Oh, stop it. We needed one." she says tiredly, hating when he got like this.
"Why did you feel like we needed a new television all of a sudden?" he asks, turning to look at her accusingly.
"I don't know. Maybe I was lonely. We're not giving it back, so get used to it." she says firmly, annoyed that she felt like he was interrogating her. She turned back to the thermostat, still trying to read the warranty on it but the font was so small it was difficult. Alex had better eye sight, he would be able to read it.
"Oh, you've become a spaghetti western fan." Norman says, catching her attention again as he holds up the movie Alex had gotten for them to watch together.
"I just got those for fun. Calm down, Norman." she says with annoyance before going back to the thermostat.
"I don't know, this...it's not resetting itself. So...it's broken. I'm just gonna call someone in the morning." she says, just wanting to get away from Norman's accusing gaze.
"Can't you call someone now? It must be below 30 outside-"
"It's 3 a.m. They're repair people, not emergency roadside service. Go back to bed, Norman." she snaps before quickly walking upstairs to her room. She didn't care if she snapped, she was tired and sad and couldn't seem to keep her thoughts off of Alex. Her heart ached that she had to sleep without him for a while, that she had to see him less. She took for granted the short time she got to wake up to him beside her.
Just as she slipped back under the covers, a scarf now wrapped around her neck, Norman walked into her room.
"I thought I'd be warmer if we slept in the same bed." he says softly, waiting for her response. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to say no, but she knew her rejection would only upset him more.
"Uh...yeah, that's fine, Norman. Sure. Okay." she says, not able to think of a valid reason to say no.
He slides under the covers beside her and they sit there in silence for a moment, both staring at the ceiling. She began to play with the ring Alex placed on her finger just weeks ago as she thought of him. He wouldn't want Norman sleeping in the same bed as her, not this soon. Not while he's still possibly unstable.
"What's going on, Mother?" Norman asks softly, breaking the awkward silence.
"Uh...I-I just..." she trails off, thinking of what Alex said to her earlier when she mentioned her tension with Norman.
"I guess we got a little used to being apart, and so...feels a little different being together." she says hesitantly.
"Are you happy I'm back?" he asks, making her turn to look at him quickly.
"Of course I am. I'm really, really happy." she says, and it was true. She loved having Norman back again, she just hated that it meant losing Alex.
"Okay." he says with a soft smile before they both shuffle further under the blanket, an awkward silence settling over them again. Norma slowly reaches over and flips off the light. Her thoughts remained on Alex until she eventually drifted off to sleep, where she was finally with him again.