Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

Time stood still as Alice felt Blake kiss her forehead. Her body screamed to reach up, kiss him back, and let her fingers run through his hair But, her body was frozen from the shock of his touch. She must have stood there for a minute or two, forcing herself to breathe slow and steady. Finally coming to her senses, Alice closed the garage bay door to get some privacy, and slumped onto the floor. All the time she had spent trying to forget about Blake had gone to waist as thoughts of their short time together came rushing back.

Alice thought about their friendship more than anything, and she realized just how much she was missing it. It was lonely in New Coven, even with the few good friends Alice had made already. If it hadn't been for Blake, she probably wouldn't know any of them anyway. Blake was like water, and Alice was a camel missing her oasis. At that moment, Alice would have done anything to change the past. Change what she had so horribly messed up. But, Blake was already gone from the shop, and she had other matters to attend to first. There was something Alice couldn't quite put her finger on. Something that was tugging at the back of her head. Something serious.

Suddenly, as if getting branded in the rear, Alice jumped up. Marcy was still missing, and panic swept across her as she started to hunt for her missing receptionist. The garage was empty, save for herself of course, and the bathroom was too. Alice made her way into the office and found Marcy happily sitting at her desk. The look on Alice's face must have told her something was wrong, because she looked startled as Alice burst through the door. “What's the matter, Alice?”

“Where the hell did you go?”

“What do you mean?” Marcy was starting to look nervous, and Alice wondered what was going on around here today. First Hank apparently never called Blake, then Blake showed up, and now this.

“Where did you go? Bla . . . Dr. Hansen came in for his key and you vanished.” It was Alice's responsibility to run the shop while Hank was out, and she took missing employees very seriously.

“Oh, um yeah. I went out to the shop and uh, got flagged down by an old friend of mine on the street. I just talked to him for a second.”

“You sure that was it?”

“Yeah, sure I'm sure. Geez Alice, calm down.”

Alice suddenly felt like an idiot for giving Marcy such a hard time, and was relieved to find her safe and sound at her desk. They closed up shop and Marcy gave Alice a ride home, same as she did every night. Only, tonight the car ride home was quiet. Usually, Marcy talked on and on about things so random Alice could never keep track. As Marcy pulled up to Tess' house, she grabbed Alice's arm before she could open the door. “Hey Alice?”

“Yeah Marcy?”

“Be careful. Okay?” Alice gave her a funny look, wondering why all of a sudden Marcy was so somber.

“Yeah, okay Marcy. Have a good night.” Alice got out and went inside, watching Marcy's headlights fade away as she pulled out of the driveway. No one was home, and a quick check of the clock made Alice begin to worry about Tess. With no note on the fridge, Alice paced around for a few minutes before decided to call Tess' cell. She may have still been in the doctor's office, but Alice needed to know she was alright.

Tess didn't answer her cell phone, and neither did Hank. Already it was pushing seven o'clock, and sitting around waiting for them to come home was like torture. Alice thought about calling Blake, to ask if he could find Tess' doctor. But, her fingers and brain refused to pull up his number on her phone.

Alice decided to wait until eight before allowing herself to panic. Tess and Hank were both adults, and were probably just at the store waiting to fill a prescription or something like that. Yes, Alice was probably over reacting, and Tess would probably laugh at her when she came home. Alice set about making dinner, deciding that when she was finished eating, she would call them again and check.

The oven was on, as well as the stove top. Even the microwave was cooking away Alcie's dinner. She turned on the radio to sing some tunes as she waited for her food to finish cooking. Sitting on a kitchen stool, Alice let her feet tap the floor with the rhythm of the music. The water was almost at a full boil, and she was getting ready to drop her noodles into the pot when she heard the faint sound of the front door opening.

Alice knew she had locked it, which meant only one thing. Tess and Hank were finally home. She turned to find them walking through the front door, but the hall was empty. Assuming they went to their bedroom, or maybe the bathroom, Alice returned her attention to her cooking. Seconds later, Alice heard the door slam shut hard, and she quickly threw in the noodles so she could go and find out what was wrong. She turned off the radio on her way, worried the noise would upset Tess in her already frail state.

The hall was still void of anyone, and no one was at the door. The coat rack was empty, making Alice worry just a bit more. Hank always hung his hat up, always. She peeked out the front door, seeing that there was no car in the driveway. A small twinge went up her spine, but she pushed her fears away quickly.

Alice began a search around the house, finding neither one of her house mates in any of the rooms. Tess' house wasn't large, and it only took a few minutes to find the entire place empty. Thinking it was just her imagination, Alice returned to the kitchen to finish her meal. She set the table quickly, and dished out a generous portion of her homemade spaghetti. Just as Alice sat down to eat, the sound of glass shattering in the direction of her room made her jump. She gave out a little cry from being startled and reached for her purse that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Someone was definitely in the house, and Alice needed her phone if she was going to call 911. Her purse was gone, even though it had been there only a few minutes ago. Alice began to slowly panic as she remembered what Marcy had said to her when she dropped Alice off.

Alice left her seat at the kitchen table, making a break for the front door. She knew she would have to go past her room in order to escape, but the only other reasonable exit was on the other side of the house. Alice made it to the door, ripped it open, and took one step outside before feeling a strong hand grab her wrist and yank her back inside. Alice heard the door slam shut and the bolt being thrown as she was painfully tossed to the floor.