Happy New Year

Every year it was the same old thing for Alex. Start the year alone, spend the year mostly alone aside from some meaningless flings, and then end the year feeling even more alone than he had when he started. This year felt different though. Since Norma Bates had moved into town, Alex actually felt like he belonged. She made him feel needed and that was something he had never felt before.
Yet, here he was again, leaving work only to go back to his house...alone.
"Romero." Alex says into his phone as he gets into his car.
"Hi, Alex." Norma's voice fills his ear. His lips twitch upward and he starts his car.
"Hello, Norma." he replies.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
"Oh nothing. This is more of a social call." she tells him.
"Oh?" he asks, straightening in his seat.
"Well Dylan had decided on throwing a party this year and Norman and Emma all invited some kids from school and I...well I didn't want to be the only adult around here and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to drop by." Norma offers, twirling the phone cord between her fingers. Her heart was racing with nervousness as she awaited his answer.
"Uh, yeah. Okay I probably can." Alex says, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.
"Oh great!" Norma replies, not bothering to hide her pleasure in his acceptance.
"What time should I drop in?" he asks.
"Oh. Well the party is going now. So...whenever." she says, looking around at the many teens filling her living and dining room.
"Alright. Should I bring anything?" he asks, already driving in her direction.
"Nope. Just yourself. And a good attitude. No grumps allowed." she tells him. He chuckles and nods.
"Okay, well i'll see you soon then." he tells her.
"Bye." she says sweetly before hanging up. She looks around for Norman and finds him in the living room next to the radio with a drink in his hand.
"Hi, honey." Norma shouts over the music.
"Hello, mother. Are you having a good time?" he asks.
"Yes. Alex is going to stop by soon." Norma says happily.
"You invited the sheriff?" Norman asks.
"Norman! You'll never guess who came. Bradley brought a bunch of her friends. Your party is a success!" Emma says with excitement.
"It was. My mother invited the sheriff." Norman tells her.
"Oh no." Emma says, looking to Norma with shock.
"Come on, it's Alex. He isn't going to arrest anyone." Norma tells them.
"He's the sheriff. You can't invite the sheriff to a high school party, mother!" Norman shouts, getting angry.
"Okay, so he won't come inside. I'll stay outside with him." Norma says.
"Can't you just uninvite him?" Norman asks.
"What? No! I'm not doing that. No one should start the year off alone." Norma tells him.
"It'll be okay, honey. Have fun. Let loose." Norma tells him, rubbing his arm.
"Fine, mother." Norman says before walking away with Emma. Norma sighs and looks around, suddenly feeling out of place in the crowd of young adults who are drinking or making out.
She steps out onto the back porch into the unusually warm air with two bottles of wine in her hands. Even in her dress, Norma felt comfortable. She walked around to the front of her house just as Alex's car pulls in. Norma walks down the steps to meet him in the gravel.
"Evening." he says. Norma looks him up and down, displeased to see him in his sheriff's uniform.
"You're gonna have to take off your shirt." Norma tells him.
"Are you drunk already?" he asks.
"No. I just...Norman didn't want his party ruined by the sheriff coming. So I need you to look and be like Alex. So take off your uniform." she says again. Alex nods and u buttons his shirt, peeling it off and placing it back in his car, leaving him in his black t shirt.
"Better?" he asks, holding his arms out.
"It'll do." she says, grabbing his wrist and pulling him toward the house.
"So your house is filled with teenagers?" he asks.
"Yes but we aren't staying inside." Norma tells him.
"Then why are you taking me inside?" he asks as they walk up her front porch. She glances back at him with a smile.
"You'll see." she says mysteriously. She releases his wrist and opens the door before stopping and looking back at him.
"Stay close." she instructs before turning back to walk inside. He follows her up the stairs and for a moment, Alex thought she was taking him to her room. But instead, they turned right at the top of the stairs and go through a door that Alex didn't even realize existed. The door led to another set of stairs that led to the attic.
"You want to spend New Years in your attic?" Alex asks.
"Have a little faith, Alex." Norma says, grabbing a step ladder and pulling it to the middle of the attic.
"Hold these." she says, shoving the bottles of wine into his arms. She steps onto the ladder and reaches up to push aside a tile of the roof.
"Norma." Alex says with caution.
"Hope you're not afraid of heights." Norma says, walking further up the ladder before pulling herself onto the roof. She looks back down at him, holding her hands out for the wine. Alex hands them up before crawling up next to her.
"Wow." Alex says, looking around her roof top. She had set out two lawn chairs as well as an elegant rug and a blanket.
"It's where I come to get away." Norma tells him, sitting down. Alex sits down beside her and looks out at the beautiful view before them.
"Cheers." Norma says, handing him a bottle of wine. They clink their bottles together and begin drinking.
The stars lit up every inch of the sky, a view Alex had only seen maybe once or twice in his life. There was a few minutes of silence before Norma interrupted it.
"I don't know why but looking at the stars always makes me dream." she says, gazing at the sky with a soft smile on her face. She looks over at Alex to find him already looking at her.
"Do you have any resolutions?" she asks, gazing at him curiously.
"I'm not really a resolution type of guy. I just try to get by." he says honestly.
"Nothing you want to do? No goals you want to accomplish?" she asks.
Only to gain the courage to kiss you. Alex thinks to himself.
"Nope. Not really." he says, looking away from her and back to the stars.
"You?" he asks.
"I...I think I really just want to focus on myself. I've been so wrapped up in everyone else's problems lately, trying to make life easier for those around me. I think this year I want to learn to love myself." she tells him. He looks over to see her smiling at the sky in front of them.
"Only you have the power to change how you feel and I think that's the most beautiful thing." she finishes. Silence follows her confession, making Norma shift in her seat. Had she told him too much? Was he expecting more from her?
"Did you invite me here out of pity?" Alex asks, the words spilling from his numbed mouth accidentally.
"Why would you think that?" Norma asks, looking over to him.
"No one willingly invites me anywhere. I'm used to it. But then you come and you start involving me and...if you don't want me involved, don't feel like you have to reach out to me." he tells her, not daring to look into her eyes.
"Alex I don't want you to feel like you don't belong anywhere. If I invite you, it means I want you here. I always want you here, Alex." she tells him.
"I don't get it." he whispers, shaking his head.
"What?" she asks.
"How...how someone like you could want to be around someone like me. You're...you're beautiful and joyful and just full of life and love. Norma, I blend in with the crowd. It's what i'm best at. But you stand out-"
"You're special to me." she tells him. She didn't know if it was the alcohol making her brave but she was through with hiding from him.
"You don't blend in. You never have. You're good. In this corrupt town, you are the only good thing left. You're the light in a dark room. I want you around because you make me joyful and you make me full of life and love." she says, grabbing his hand. He finally looks away from the sky only to find the stars in her eyes.
She grabs his cheeks, pulling him closer to her. She hesitates, their noses brushing against each other, their breath mixing together.
"I have a resolution." Alex whispers, his eyes fluttering closed, his eyelashes tickling her cheek.
"You do?" she asks. He nods, leaning in the rest of the way to press his lips against hers. Her hands grab the back of his head, pulling him even closer to her.
Down below, inside the house, the group of teens all shout in unison,
"Happy New Year!"
There was cheering and clapping but all Norma cared about was her tongue dancing with Alex's, their lips having their own celebration. Eventually, they pulled away, both breathing heavily and smiling.
"Happy New Year." Norma whispers. Alex chuckles and nods, replying to her in the same volume.
"Very happy new year."