Aria sat at the kitchen table, absentmindedly stirring her cereal as she skimmed through a medical journal. The early morning light filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over the space. She had barely taken a few bites when Alex leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheek before stealing a piece of toast from her plate.
"Hey," she muttered, swatting at his arm halfheartedly.
"Morning, babe," Alex said, smirking before dropping another quick kiss to her lips.
Before Aria could respond, a loud, exaggerated groan came from the doorway.
"Oh, come on!" April Kepner stood there, hands on her hips, looking equal parts exasperated and horrified. "Is there any part of this house people don't have sex in?"
Alex rolled his eyes, straightening up. "Relax, Kepner. We were just kissing."
April shot him a skeptical look before grumbling, "Uh-huh. Sure. That's how it starts." She shook her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "First it was Jackson and Lexie in the living room, then Meredith and Derek on the stairs again, and now you two. I can't even enjoy breakfast without seeing—" She gestured vaguely between them. "This."
Aria smirked as she sipped her coffee. "Maybe you should just start eating in your room."
April scoffed. "Maybe you should stop defiling the kitchen table."
Alex barked out a laugh, and Aria rolled her eyes, not bothering to dignify that with a response.
April huffed and sat down across from Aria, rubbing her temples. "I swear, I need a new place to live."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Alex muttered as he stole another bite of toast.
Aria barely paid attention to their back-and-forth, her thoughts drifting as she watched Jackson and Lexie stroll into the kitchen together, both looking far too content for this early in the morning.
They had grown close—really close. They were clearly in the honeymoon phase of whatever was happening between them. Jackson pulled out a chair for Lexie, and she rewarded him with a bright smile before reaching for the coffee pot. Aria couldn't quite put her finger on how she felt about the pairing.
It wasn't that she disliked Jackson—he was fine. A good guy, a great surgeon. And Lexie was... well, Lexie. But part of her still hadn't made up her mind about the whole thing. Maybe because it was still new. Maybe because she had seen how much Mark had cared about Lexie.
Mark.
She hadn't really spoken to him lately. Part of her missed their friendship—the easy banter, the way he could always get her to open up even when she didn't want to. But another part of her was tired. Tired of the constant drama, the back-and-forth, the tangled relationships everyone seemed to find themselves in. She had enough of her own problems to deal with.
She exhaled, taking another sip of coffee.
And then there was Meredith.
They still hadn't talked—not really. Things between them had been... tense, ever since their fight. Aria wasn't even sure how to start fixing things. So instead, she had thrown herself into work. Last week, she had taken time off to attend a conference in New York, one that focused on developments in diabetes research—something that would directly benefit the upcoming clinical trial.
She had hoped the time away would give her clarity. Maybe some distance from all the drama.
But now that she was back, nothing had changed.
Aria sighed, setting down her spoon as she glanced at Alex, who was now flipping through the newspaper like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Are you actually going to work today, or just sit there and steal my breakfast?" she asked.
YOU ARE READING
Shooting Stars
Fanfiction"But he's Evil Spawn." "Don't you think I know that. I didn't wake up one day and suddenly decide I was going to be in love with Alex Karev." Being the daughter of a world renowned surgeon was never destined to be easy. The first born of the Grey tw...
