Her

Norma Louise Bates

He felt her heartbeat next to his, that was the only thing that had ever mattered to him after all, that she was okay, that her heart was still beating. As they swayed back and forth allowing the music to take them somewhere else, somewhere far away from White Pine Bay and all the inevitable troubles that seemed to surround them, he took in her beauty. Alex Romero was not sensitive, he never got attached to anyone for fear of the same hurt he felt as when he found his mother lying in her bed, lips a pale blue, bottle of Zoloft next to her lifeless hand. He was afraid, although he would never admit it, he was afraid more than anything to love someone, to get attached, he told himself he never would but to his dismay he did. He fell completely and utterly in love with her. Her golden blonde curls, her scent of summer and flowers, her laugh that held his happiness, these were the things that reeled him in, the things that caused his pulse to quicken and words to stumble slightly whenever she was near. She was intoxicating, his feelings towards her were permanent no matter how hard he tried to rid of them. Three years of knowing her and one too many bottles of scotch proved that he would always love her, even if she was a pain in his ass. She stirred slightly, her head moving deeper into his chest. He held onto her like it was the last thing he would do. With her arms tightly wound around his neck, his at the small of her back they moved to the rhythm of the music. As each second passed he realized just how much he needed her, to be with her, for her to be safe. Alex took in the flowery scent of her hair and moved one hand up to the side of her face, gently stroking her cheek careful to not startle her. She slowly looked up, eyes meeting with his. Her eyes, the void of different blues that held so much power over him. He didn't like that he could barely control himself around her, but he couldn't help it, she was remarkable. He gazed into her eyes, trying to read what she was feeling, as his stare continued slowly but surely the corners of her mouth crept up, causing her to flash the smile that had drawn him to her in the first place. She looked so happy, he realized, he had known her for three years, looked at her, most times without her knowing hundreds of times. But rarely did he see her smile, a real smile , not one that she had plastered on her face for the sake of her boys, or simply just to dodge questions, especially his on if she was alright. Her beauty only made him smile as well, three years and he still didn't understand how someone could be so beautiful. They didn't need words to decipher what the other was feeling, they'd known each other long enough to tell what the other was thinking. The smile faded from her lips but still thrived in her eyes as she settled her head back down on his chest. She listened to his heart beat as they continued to calmly move across the floor. The moonlight filtering through the open window illuminated her features and the light breeze blowing through the house made them feel serene. Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" spun on the turntable as the piece pervaded beyond the walls of the living room. He looked down at her once more before allowing his eyes to close. He loved her, she was his life, although it took him years to realize it , Norma Louise Bates was all he would ever need.