The Road Ahead of Us

"Where do you want this, boss?" Jack asked Kara, holding a box in front of him.

"Just put it on the dining room table, Jack. It's labeled 'Dining Room'" Isabelle said, coming up behind him with a box in her hands as well, Alex following her.

"Well maybe Kara just likes to do some really kinky things in the bedroom with some dining stuff, I don't know what pleasures her. That's Rian's job to know, not mine." Jack called as he disappeared in the direction of the dining room. Isabelle put her box down by the couch and watched as Kara hung her head, much like she always does recently when Rian is mentioned. Rian wasn't even here, stating that he had a dentist appointment and couldn't help the girls move. Isabelle decided that after the guys left tonight, she was going to sit Kara down with a bottle of wine and get her to talk, this was getting ridiculous.

After the friends got the stuff moved into the apartment from the moving truck they rented, Zack and Jack offered to go and return it.

"Do you two want some help unpacking?" Alex asked the girls. Kara was looking through a box full of picture frames, her back to the two of them. Isabelle was organizing the pillows that were on the couch.

"Oh no, that's okay. It's getting late, you should get home." Isabelle said, smiling at him. When he frowned she gestured to Kara's turned back before moving forward to take Alex's hand. She pulled him into the kitchen, shutting the door after them.

"I still think that something is going on with her and Rian. I'm going to try and talk to her about it. She's been avoiding the situation but I know something is going on. I mean when is the last time they were even together?" Isabelle spoke, her voice low as her and Alex stood close together.

"I haven't seen them together since... that day you two came over after getting this place." Alex responded, making her nod.

"That was almost a week ago. They used to spend every moment together, something is wrong." Alex nodded and brought his hands up to run through her auburn hair before leaning down to press his lips to hers for a short kiss before pulling back to smile at her.

"Alright, I'll go then. Call me tomorrow, alright? We can get together for lunch or something." She nodded and reached up on her tippy toes to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you." He spoke, pulling back briefly before kissing her again. When they separated this time, they took a step back from one another.

"I love you too, see you tomorrow." He nodded and smiled at her once more before they both left the kitchen.

"Bye, Kara! Enjoy your first night in your new place!" He said to her, making her turn and smile at him softly.

"Bye, Alex. Thanks for all your help today." Alex simply nodded, smiled at them both one last time, and then disappeared out the door, leaving the two of them alone.

"So! What do you say we have a bottle of wine?" Isabelle offered, making Kara nod softly, turning back to the box she was looking through. Isabelle went and found the wines they had packed, along with a few wine glasses. She poured them both a glass before walking out. She handed it to Kara as they both sat down on the couch. "So are you going to tell me now what is going on with you and Rian? And don't say that nothing is, there obviously is." Kara sighed and put her glass down on the coffee table.

"Well.... he broke up with me." Isabelle gasped at Kara's words. She too put her glass down and scooted closer to Kara, taking one of her hands within her own.

"What? When? Why?" Isabelle questioned making Isabelle sigh.

"He said things just weren't feeling right for him anymore. I think he's met someone else." Kara now had tears rushing down her face.

"Oh Kara." Isabelle pulled her best friend into her arms. "I'm so sorry." Kara buried her face into Isabelle's neck and spent the next ten minutes sobbing and muttering words about how she loved him and how she wanted him back. Isabelle whispered to her back, telling her she was better off without him and would rub her back and run her hands through her hair. "Have you tried talking to him at all?"

"Yes," Kara responded, lifting up a little to wipe at her tears. "I've called and text him, I even went over to the house a few times but he never answers any of them. I think even Alex was covering for him the other day. I went over while you were out getting more boxes and packing stuff with Jack. Alex answered and when I asked for Rian he looked behind him and then looked really odd. He said that Rian wasn't there but... I think he was." Isabelle frowned.

"Alex told me that he has no idea what was going on between you guys." Kara simply shrugged and wiped the rest of her tears away.

"If you don't mind I think I'm gonna just head to my room for the night. I have a lot to unpack and I'd just like to be alone right now." Isabelle frowned softly at her best friend but nodded none the less.

"I will be in here if you need me, alright?" She told her, making Kara nod. She reached forward and hugged Isabelle tightly.

"Thank you, Iz. You are my best friend ever, I'm glad you are back, I couldn't get through this if I didn't have you." Isabelle smiled back softly at her.

"Well I'm always here." Kara nodded and stood up, disappearing in the direction of her room. Isabelle sighed and stood up, she filled up her wine glass before walking over to her open laptop and turned on her Pandora radio to her Hot Chelle Rae station. Soon the sounds of Whatever were blasting through the living room as she began to unpack stuff.

Isabelle found that the box of pictures that Kara had been looking through earlier was full of pictures of her and Rian. Isabelle sighed and got all un-Rian related pictures out before sealing the box back up. She went and put the box in her closet in the far back corner. It was best to keep those away from Kara for now. She then set up the other pictures. There was one of Kara and Isabelle taken back in high school. There was a few of various members of the band, now excluding Rian, or some other friend.

Isabelle's favorite though, was of course one of her and Alex. It was taken on Valentines Day of their senior year. Isabelle was in a cute knee length pink dress, a pair of matching flats on her feet. Alex was dressed in black skinny jeans, a white button down shirt and a black jacket, his hair stuffed under his ever present beanie. The guys had just found out that they had been signed to Hopeless Records. Alex had his arms wrapped around Isabelle's waist and had her lifted up, spinning her around. Her arms were around his neck, both of them were laughing and smiling at one another, their noses almost pressed together.

Isabelle smiled at the picture and went to place it on the shelf with the rest of the picture frames and other things. After she had most of the stuff unpacked, she grabbed her laptop and glass of wine before going to her bedroom to start unpacking her stuff. After putting her stuff down, she grabbed her phone and dialed Alex's number.

"Hey, baby!" He greeted when he answered.

"You knew Rian broke up with Kara." She immediately said, earning a sigh from him.

"I didn't know for sure, he never came out and told me that he had, he just said that he didn't want to see her if she came by. It wasn't my business, so I didn't ask." He told her honestly.

"Why didn't you tell me that? You knew I've been worried about Kara and you just told me that you didn't know a thing, that Rian wasn't acting any differently. You lied to me, Alex." Isabelle didn't know why this angered her so much, but the thought of him lying to her about something like this, just made it feel like to her, he could lie to her about anything.

"Oh come on, babe. Don't be like that." He begged. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to stay out of it as much as I could. I figured that if Kara wanted you to know about it, she'd tell you, same with Rian and I, if he wanted me to know, he'd say it, but he didn't so I just figured that they wanted to keep it between them."

"She thinks he found someone else." Isabelle blurted out.

"Whoa, what?" Alex questioned. "Now I know for a fact that, that is not true. Rian hasn't even left the house. Even earlier when he was supposed to be at the dentist he was actually here, he just didn't want to see her."

"Then why did he break up with her, Alex? It makes no sense, they were so perfect for each other." Isabelle said, sitting down on her mattress that she had yet to put her sheets on yet.

"I know that, babe. Some times feelings just change." Alex's answer made Isabelle frown.

"So are you saying your feelings could just change for me?" Alex sighed and her question and Isabelle knew he had just ran his hand through his hair.

"Babe, I think if my feelings haven't changed for you yet, after four years of being with other people, I really don't think they will ever. You know I love you with all my heart." Isabelle knew she was being unreasonable, getting mad at him for useless things.

"I just don't want to lose you, Alex. Kara and Rian have technically been together longer than us now, because of our break. I figured that they would be together forever. They were so perfect. I just don't want that to happen to us, ever." She told him honestly.

"It won't happen to us, Izzy. You are my past, present, and future. You are my everything and you will stay that way even after I have taken my last breath, you hear me? I'm not going anywhere, I will love you until the day I die, and even after that too." Isabelle now had tears welling up her eyes. When did she get so lucky to have gotten this perfect man back?

"You promise?" She whispered, trying to contain her tears.

"I promise, love. You and me, forever." He vowed, making her smile through her tears. "I love you, Isabelle Irene Sanchez, nothing will ever change that, you got that?" She nodded, though he couldn't see it.

"I love you too, Alex, so much. You are the greatest man in the world." She heard him softly chuckle on the other side of the phone and then give a small sniff as he too was crying.

"Well can the greatest man in the world come over? He misses his gorgeous girlfriend." Isabelle giggled.

"His girlfriend would be upset if he didn't." She responded.

"Good. I'll see you in ten minutes. I love you."

"I love you too. Hurry." She told him, making him laugh.

"Already out the door, babe." He said and sure enough she heard the familiar squeak of his front door as it shut.

"See you soon." With that they hung up. Isabelle smiled, wiped at her tears and stood up. She took a drink from her wine before going to her boxes of stuff. Two days previously Alex had treated her by taking her to the outlet mall and bought her a ton of stuff for her new room. She now had a beautiful red and black suede comforter with deep red sheets to match. She had wonderful wall art to hang up. He also surprised her with a few picture frames with a few pictures of them together inside them. She set up the pictures, one of them kissing on her nightstand, one of her sitting on his lap on her dresser, next to it a picture of just Alex, smiling widely at the camera. All the pictures had been taken in the past few weeks that they had been together.

She put the sheets on her bed before starting to put some of her clothes away in her dresser and closet. She smiled when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She rushed over and threw it open to find her boyfriend grinning at her.

"Hey, beautiful." He greeted. He took a step forward, grabbing her into his arms and pressing their lips together. He continued to walk, pushing her backwards as he shut her bedroom door with a quiet bang as they continued to kiss. This was heaven for both of them, and they wouldn't change it for the world.