It Takes More

Jack woke up the next morning to his sister shaking him lightly. “Jack,” she whispered roughly, “Wake up.”

“Hmm? What’s going on, Elena?” he mumbled, not coherent enough to speak clearly.

“I’m leaving. I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“Where are you going? Do you want me to come with you?” he asked slowly, not understanding the meaning of her words.

“No, Jack. You can’t come with me. I’m going home.”

“Wait. What?” He sat up abruptly, his head spinning from the action. “You’re leaving already?” he asked, louder this time.

Elena shushed her brother with a wary glance to the other form on the bed with Jack. “Yes, Jack.” She sighed when she noticed a movement on the other side of Jack. “Just give me a hug already, please.”

Jack jumped off the bed, grabbing Elena into his arms. “I’m gonna miss you,” he spoke into her hair as he rested his head atop hers.

“I’ll miss you too, Jack.” She pulled away slowly, grabbing the handle of the new suitcase Alex had bought her two days before, which was filled with clothes he had provided. Shoving that thought to the back of her mind, she exited the hotel room, and then the hotel, hailing a cab as soon as she was on the crowded sidewalk. It was time for her to go back to L.A.

Upstairs, Alex stared at the door that had just closed, much like his best friend beside him. Unlike Jack, he wasn’t baffled by this morning’s events. He knew the reasons why Elena had left so abruptly. But nonetheless, he pretended to be just as clueless as his friend.

“Do you know why she’s leaving?” Jack questioned, his words hanging in the air when Alex didn’t respond. Finally, Jack turned to look at the half-naked singer still sitting on the bed. Alex shrugged. “Please tell me this has nothing to do with you,” he said, his eyes closing as he shook his head. “Okay, what’d you do? What did you say to her?”

Alex stood from the bed, unnerved by his friend’s accusations—albeit true accusations. “What makes you think I said something?” he asked incredulously.

“Did you?”

Alex looked down, unable to keep up his faux innocent charade for long. “Maybe,” he replied, almost inaudibly.

“What the Hell did you say?” Jack was yelling now, incapable of remaining calm when it came to his sister.

Alex flinched at Jack’s tone before resigning himself to having to tell Jack of the conversation between him and Elena the previous night. “Well,” he started.

“Well, what?” Jack’s impatience was getting the best of him.

“Elena may or may not have told me still loves me,” he trailed off.

Jack felt like he was pulling teeth. “And?” he prompted.

“And, I may have told her that I couldn’t do it.” Alex hung his head, ashamed at both the admission and the fact that he wasn’t able to let Elena back in. Sure, he still loved her, always had. But enough time had passed while they were apart for Alex to fall into an easy routine of missing her without actually admitting the fact to himself, let alone anyone else.

Jack watched his friend as he beat himself up internally. He may admit that he felt bad for him, but his love and devotion to his sister always outweighed those he had for Alex. Elena had always come first; everyone knew that.

“You have to fix it,” Jack said finally, turning to see if he could track down his sister before she boarded a plan back to the West Coast.

But Alex stopped him in his tracks. “Weren’t you the one who nearly kicked my ass for even thinking about getting back together with Elena?” Alex’s voice had risen considerably as he used his friend’s words against him. “Aren’t you the one who told me to ‘back the fuck off?’ You can’t have it both ways, Jack.”

Jack spun on his heel. “That was when I thought Elena really was over you. Do you know how long I’ve wished for her to get over you?” he asked rhetorically. “Do you know how long I’ve resisted the urge to beat the shit out of you for hurting her in the first place? But you’re my best friend. I let you get away with hurting my baby sister, because you were the closest thing I had to family aside from her. But I think she’s never going to get over you, man. And honestly,” he began, his voice growing soft. “I don’t know if I can pretend nothing happened anymore.”

“What are talking about?” Alex asked.

“I can’t just sit by and let you hurt Elena. Either you fix this, or—” Jack trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Truth be told, he didn’t want to loose his best friend. But he felt there wasn’t any more he could do. He had finally taken sides. And as always, Elena—his flesh and blood—won.

“Or what?” Alex asked, finally meeting his friend’s gaze. “We’re not friends anymore? That’s ridiculous, Jack. We’ve been friends our whole lives.” Jack shrugged.

After a long, tension filled pause, Alex sighed. “I don’t know if I can fix this, Jack. What if she’s better off without me after all?” he asked, using Jack’s exact words. “What if this is for the best, for Elena?”

“I used to think that, too,” Jack confessed. “But as long as we’re friends, she’s not going to be able to get over you. Whenever I say I’m coming to visit, do you know what the first thing she says is? She asks if I’m coming alone. Or if you’re going to magically show up on her doorstep. As long as we are associated with each other, as long as we’re in this band together, she’s going to ask the same question. She’s not better off without you.

“Look,” Jack started over, changing the direction of the conversation. “I know you still love her, man. I can see it when you look at her; I’m not completely oblivious. So right now, this whole thing is pointless.”



Alex stood outside of the tall building, looking up. He had no idea which apartment was hers, let alone which floor her apartment was on. He was just short of trying every door until he came across the right one when he pulled his phone out of his left pocket.

Dialing the familiar number, he waited through three rings before she picked up. “Hello," she answered groggily.

“Marla, it’s Alex—”

“Alex? Why are you calling me?” she asked, a little more alert.

Ignoring her question he asked, “What’s your apartment number?”

“307. Why? What do you need my apartment number for?”

“Thanks,” Alex mumbled as he ended the call and entered the building just as someone was exiting, saving him the trouble of calling up to her and Elena's room to get the door unlocked. He needed the element of surprise. He had no doubt that Marla would deny him access at Elena’s request.

He ran to the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently as it rose three stories. When the doors flung open, he flew down the hall. His eyes barely caught the numbers as they flew by. 320, 316, 311, 310. He slowed his pace, the numbers getting smaller. Soon enough, he was standing in front of a black door with silver number in the center, just above a peephole. Covering the hole with his finger, he knocked harshly on the frame.

“Who is it?” Marla’s voice called from somewhere deep inside the apartment but Alex didn’t answer. “Who is it?” she repeated, closer to the door. Alex could hear her frustrated groan as he guessed she was looking through the peephole at pitch-blackness. After a pause, the door creaked open, Marla’s skeptical expression filling the space. “Alex?” she whispered harshly. “What are you doing here?”

“Is Elena home?” he asked, ignoring her patronizing question.

“No. Sorry,” she said, not meaning it.

“Marla, who’s at the door?” another voice called from within.

“Not home, huh?” Alex smirked. “Please let me in,” he asked softly, a tentative smile on his face.

“I don’t think so,” she seethed under breath before she called loudly behind her, “Just a delivery man. He got the wrong address,” she lied.

“Please, Marla. Just let me talk to her.”

“Then who are you talking to?” Elena’s voice asked as she walked down the hallway.

Marla tried to shut the door, to hide the person on the other side. But Alex held his hand out, keeping the door from closing completely. Elena stopped short when she entered the living room, in full view of the door. “Alex?” she breathed his name.