Status: In Progress [:

The Only Exception

I Just Needed You

The pattern of the waves breaking on the sand had always been comforting to Sunday, and all she could do in that moment was stand, stoic and cross-armed, staring at the dark, early morning sky. It was beginning to get cold again, and she wished that she had grabbed something warmer than her cable-knit sweater, but she wasn't ready to leave her trance and return to the world.

Juggling had never been her strong suit, she realized with a deep sigh.

It had all started earlier that day. She had been staying at the Huntington Beach house more frequently, as her grandmother's deteriorating health had caused her to move into the house in Malibu with Sunday and her father. Her mother still hadn't forgiven Ann, which had been a source of renewed worry for Sunday. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone except herself, Sunday had a feeling that her grandmother would be joining Henry sooner rather than later, and she hated that her mother's anger could keep her from saying goodbye.

And as much as she wanted to spend as much time with Ann, it pained Sunday to watch her get worse as the weeks went by. So she would escape to Huntington Beach, always calling Alex as she zoomed along the highway towards the house. Usually, they would order takeout, and he would work on music while she poured over her textbooks. Sometimes, they sat outside so that she could paint. Once or twice, they had sat closer than they probably should have and watched one of Sunday's favorite movies.

When Sunday had returned from lunch with Liam, there had been a medical truck sitting in the driveway that had instantly sent Sunday into a panic. Her heart had stopped and she had jumped out of Liam's car and rushed into the house with her heart in her throat. Her father had met her at the door, explaining that it was nothing serious, just a routine delivery of some of her grandmother's medical supplies.

She found the Malibu house crowded with the people that came to deliver her grandmother's oxygen, and it made her feel unable to breathe herself. Liam had offered to cancel a business meeting to spend the night doing something with her instead, but she had forced him to leave, insisting she'd be fine. She just needed to get away, she had decided. So with an apologetic look at her father and a quick kiss planted on her grandmother's forehead, she had decided to spend the night in Huntington Beach. She had dialed Alex's number as soon as she had turned onto her old road, and by the time she had pulled into the driveway, he was sitting on the porch steps.

"That was fast," she noted as she climbed out of the car, already feeling a little better. She tried to tell herself that it had something to do with the fact that she had put some distance between herself and the stress that rested in Malibu, but she had a small feeling that it had something to do with Alex's presence.

He gave a shrug and a sheepish smile, resisting the urge to sling an arm around her as she walked up the stairs and unlocked the front door. He always wanted to do these things, like reach out and pull her into a hug to bring her back when she looked particularly distant, but he always stopped himself, trying to remember that she wasn't his anymore. She wasn't even potentially his, as she seemed genuinely happy with Liam.

But sometimes, when they were together at the beach, he would wonder why she was there with him instead of Liam and if it meant anything. More than once, Zack had told him that he was reading too far into things. He hoped Zack was wrong, but he also couldn't bring himself to ask Sunday about it, a little afraid that she would confirm Zack's theory.

"Can we do something today?" Sunday asked as she dropped her keys onto the coffee table in the living room and shrugged off her jacket, "Something we haven't done in a long time."

The first thing that he thought of was kissing her, and he cleared his throat, trying to push the thought from his head. "Yeah, sure," he shrugged, "Like what?"

She fell onto the couch, her face becoming pensive. After a moment, her expression faded into a devilish grin and she suggested, "Drink beer and eat pizza."

Alex laughed as he sat down on the couch beside her, pulling her feet into his lap. "Okay, Jack," he teased her, "When did you become such a dude?"

"I just want to do something... different," she explained. "Liam and I are always doing things, like going to wine tastings or horseback riding or dancing, and I love all those things, but sometimes I just want to be... messy, if that makes sense."

He tried to ignore the mention of Liam and decided to focus on the latter half of her statement. He understood messy. It summed up essentially his whole life. "Okay," he agreed, "I'll go get the necessary provisions and meet you back here."

She smiled, and as he stood up, she couldn't help but reach out and take his hand, squeezing lightly. "Thank you," she sighed, looking much more relaxed than she had when she had arrived.

He returned the smile, enjoying the feeling of her hand in his. As he left the house, his mind was full. Although they hadn't talked about it extensively, he had gotten the feeling that Sunday's beloved grandmother was not getting better any time soon, if at all. She had once mentioned in an offhanded comment that sometimes she felt like Liam forced her to talk about these things, so he hadn't pressed the issue at all, deciding that it was just best to be there for her when it seemed like she needed someone.

And when she came to him instead of Liam on troubled days like today, he couldn't help his victorious feelings.

When he returned to the house, he found the living room empty. A confused frown on his face, he walked into the kitchen and called her name. There was no response, but he noticed the door leading to the back porch was slightly ajar. He headed outside, trying to balance the pizza and his brown paper bag. "What are you doing out here?" he asked with a laugh as he saw Sunday sitting in the sound. There was a little fire dancing in front of her, and she was spread out on a blanket, one of her sketchpads sitting nearby.

"Waiting impatiently," she explained with a giggle. "Have you brought the provisions?"

He laughed and joined her on the blanket. It was warm for early November, but he shifted a little closer, a small part of him wondering if he'd be able to sling an arm around her once the sun went down. Sunday opened the pizza as soon as he set it down, pulling a piece out. "This was a good decision," she declared as soon as she had bit the gooey end.

He caught her attention when he pulled the bottle of alcohol that he had procured from its bag. "That's not beer," she noted, although she didn't sound too concerned.

"You sounded like you could use something a little stronger," he admitted.

She took the bottle from him after he had opened it, raising it to her mouth and drinking. He bit his lip as he watched her face transform into one of horror as she struggled to swallow the liquid and began coughing. "Someone really needs to teach you how to drink someday," he noted as she shoved the rest of her pizza into her mouth to mask the burning of the vodka. "Two words, Sun: shots and chasers."

After a few more slices of pizza and a large glass of juice to chase the stinging of the vodka, Sunday found herself laying with her head in Alex's lap as she stared up at the dark sky. She couldn't stop giggling and felt freer than she had in a long time. "I can't feel my teeth," she announced, the realization causing her to dissolve into a fit of giggles.

"It's cause you're drunk," he explained. "Wait till you try to stand up. This stuff knocks you off your ass."

It sounded like a challenge to Sunday, so she struggled to pull herself to her feet. As soon as she was erect, the world began swaying, and Alex barely had enough time to stand up and catch her before she started falling sideways. "My legs don't work!" she stammered between peals of laughter.

They returned to their blanket, and Alex poked her nose with a garlic stick. "You might want to eat something else," he suggested, "Soak up the alcohol."

She bit at the end of it, causing them both to laugh again. She sat up and scrambled into his lap, startling Alex. While he knew that it was probably not the best idea to let her be as clingy as she was in her intoxicated state, he couldn't help himself. Besides, it was just the two of them. What Liam didn't know...

"I missed you," she declared, plucking the breadstick out of his hand as she draped he free arm around his shoulder. He tried not to be a skeevey guy, but he couldn't help resting his hand on the small of her back. If she hadn't been focused on her food and smelled slightly like garlic, it would've been a perfect moment, and he probably would have kissed her, so Alex was slightly glad that she was eating at the moment. He wanted her back, he always knew that's what he had wanted from their "friendship", but not this way.

He tried to not think about just how close she was to him at that moment. "I missed you too," he admitted. Needing to kill the feelings that he couldn't stop thinking about, he poured himself another shot, hoping the sting would silence the thoughts in his head. "Another breadstick?" he asked in a strained voice when he noticed she was studying him.

She smiled and gently ran her free hand over his cheek. He wanted to sigh and enjoy her touch, but he was too close to being able to not control his actions to enjoy the moment completely. Her lips were so close to his, and if he just leaned forward...

Instead, he pulled away, shifting so that she was jostled a little in his lap. Her eyebrows furrowed as she slunk onto the blanket beside him. She looked disappointed for a second before her drunk smile returned to her face. "Let's go swimming," she urged him, offering both her hands to pull him to his feet.

Alex laughed but indulged her. He pulled his shirt over his head and opened his eyes to find Sunday wriggling out of her jeans, her lavender bra already exposed. He swallowed deeply, hoping the water was cold enough to help him regain his composure.

He watched as she flung herself into waves, still all giggles and smiles. He joined her in the water a moment later, laughing at the fact that her long hair was already wet and tangled. "I missed you more," he added, amending his previous statement, as he reached out to push her hair out of her face. In that moment, he realized he would never be able to resist her. How could he? He had loved her more than anything, had planned to marry her.

Her eyes landed on his lips, and Alex cupped her cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. He had missed these moments so much. The water sloshed a little as she took a step closer to him, and he didn't think about it for a second before he placed his hand on her back and yanked her against him. She was startled for less than a second before she leaned forward just enough to encourage Alex to press his lips softly to hers.

The hand on her back crushed her to him, a complete contrast to the soft feel of his lips on hers. She felt herself melting, a feeling that she didn't quite know how to classify overcoming her. "We should go inside," Alex announced after a minute.

"Okay," she agreed. He laced his fingers through hers, pulling her back to the shore. He put out the fire as Sunday gathered the empty bottle of vodka and their clothes, and he noticed that she seemed to be taking her time on going inside. He regretted kissing her a little as he tried to focus on the reality of the situation, the fact that she was in a relationship.

"Something wrong?" he asked as she paused outside the door.

Her drunk euphoria was gone now. "Can I talk to you about something?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sobbing drunk girls were something that Alex had a fair share of experience with, as he was usually the one that had made them cry. "Inside," he urged her. "You need a blanket and some coffee."

"Can I have hot chocolate instead?" she squeaked out. She was using her brave voice, the one she always used when she was desperately trying not to cry.

He laughed. Such a typical Sunday request. "Of course," he assured her. She stumbled upstairs as he set about making some instant hot chocolate, and when she returned, he found she was still clad in just her bra and panties, but she had a full sized comforter from one of the upstairs guest rooms wrapped around her.

She threw herself onto the couch in the living room, and Alex joined her a few minutes later with two cups of poorly stirred instant hot chocolate. She took it in her hands and stared at it as a few silent tears slipped down her cheeks. "She's..." She pursed her lips before she met Alex's gaze. "My grandmother is really sick," she finally finished.

Somewhat relieved that her newfound distress had nothing to do with him, Alex put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. "It's gonna be okay, Sun," he assured her, "I don't think I've ever met a more... headstrong woman than your grandmother. Except for maybe your mom."

A strangled sob slipped from her chest. "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you," she admitted, "I just feel like I need you sometimes."

Although he liked being her knight in shining armor, he didn't entirely believe her statement. The idea of Sunday needing him was almost laughable to him, as he felt like he needed her more than anything. So he had been prepared to contradict her statement, reassure her of how strong she was, and deliver a comforting kiss when the front door opened. "Sun?" Liam asked, looking both concerned and confused.

She nearly flew out of Alex's grip, looking confused as she wiped her tears away with the corner of her blanket. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a business dinner."

Liam looked unsure of whether he should shut the door and completely enter the living room. "I did," he nodded, "But I called once it was over, and your dad said you were probably here, so I thought I'd come surprise you."

Suddenly, Sunday felt a little nauseous. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she had a feeling it was too early to be as drunk as she felt. She knew that she had to do something, so she stood up, keeping her blanket wrapped tightly around her and walked to Liam, not wrapping her arms around him, but leaning into his chest and letting him know that it was an appropriate moment to wrap his arms around her.

He did so, and she felt a little relieved until he asked, "Where are your clothes, Sun?"

"I went swimming," she mumbled into his chest.

Alex stood up and heaved a sigh. "Well, you seem fine now, Sunday, so I'm going to go," he announced.

"Probably a good idea," Liam replied, his eyes narrowed at Alex.

Alex grit his teeth together as he met Liam's steely gaze. "I'll call you tomorrow, Sun," he added before he brushed past Liam and slammed the door behind him, his frustration getting the best of him.

"Is everything okay?" Liam asked, looking down at Sunday.

While she had been trying to keep it all together, she burst into tears. "I'm drunk!" she sobbed.

To her complete shock, Liam laughed. "Hey," he began in a comforting voice as he pulled her into his chest again, "It happens to everyone."

"Stop being so perfect!" she begged as he took her hand and led her upstairs. He sat her on the edge of her old bed and disappeared into her bathroom for a moment. When he returned, she could hear the shower running. "Is that for me?" she asked hopefully as she shivered.

"Yes," he responded, "I'm going to go get you some water and Advil for after the shower, and then you can just sleep it all off, okay?"

She nodded. "I love you," she mumbled sadly as she clambered off her bed and into the bathroom. It was true, and it made her sad, because she loved Alex too.

After she had showered and Liam had combed her hair and helped her into a pair of pajamas that he had found stashed in her dresser, she slipped into bed, pulling the blankets tight around her and cuddling a pillow to her chest. A part of her didn't want Liam to stay with her, and a different part couldn't ask him to leave. "Are you mad that Alex was here?" she asked, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"Not really," Liam replied, "Although I do worry about him trying to take advantage of you."

"Alex is my best friend," she explained. It was a half truth, but she didn't think Liam needed to know that.

"I know, Sun."

"Thank you for being here tonight," she added, feeling a little embarrassed that she had to be taken care of.

Liam laughed and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "You know I'm here whenever you need me."

"I do need you," she mumbled, mostly to herself. It was a sinking realization.

He planted a kiss on her forehead before he dropped onto his pillow and yawned. "I love you, Sun."

"You too," she mumbled before she pressed her eyes shut and begged herself to fall asleep.

It was a restless night, and finally, she gave up. She felt sick and her head hurt. But the worst was the feeling of suffocation that she got from being in the same house as Liam and next door to Alex. It made her fuzzy brain hurt all the more. In an attempt to get some air, she grabbed a sweater and walked outside into the sand.

The waves were comforting, and the cool air made her feel a little less sick to her stomach. But she couldn't help but think that she had really gotten herself into a mess.
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Always a work in progress