The Road Ahead of Us

Alex sighed as he stood on the front porch of his and Rian's house. He wasn't sure what he would find when he went inside. Isabelle's car wasn't out front but since she hadn't been driving it the night before, that didn't mean she wasn't here. Alex finally took a deep breath and gained enough courage to slide his key into the lock and open the door. He was hit with silence, which just made his heart race more.

He took in another deep before making his way up the stairs. Part of him didn't want to find Isabelle upstairs. A part of him, the guilty part of him, wanted her to be off with someone else, having cheated herself. Of course, that was a very small part of him but if she had cheated too in her drunken state then maybe they could just forgive each other and move on. When he pushed his bedroom door open though he was faced with the fact that his love had not been with another man the previous night. She had been in his bed waiting for him when he instead was in her bed, with another women.

Alex's heart ached as he moved quietly into the room, looking down on the beauty that was his girlfriend. He could see that she was dressed in one of his Glamour Kill t-shirts. Her blonde hair was like a mane floating around her head on the pillow. She had a small smile on her face as she slept, as if her dream world was pleasing her. Alex didn't want to wake her as the reality of her life had just turned upside down, and he was the cause of it.

Alex just couldn't decide what to do. Should he tell her? Should he pretend that everything was okay and that nothing happened? For the time being he decided to let her sleep so he ventured into the bathroom and removed his clothes, which stank of alcohol and Lisa. He then turned the shower on as hot as it could go and proceeded to spent the next twenty minutes scrubbing his body down with his body wash, trying to get any trace of Lisa off of him. Finally, once he was satisfied that he was clean enough, he stepped out and wrapped himself in a white towel and went back into the bedroom where Isabelle still slept soundly, unknowing of her disgraceful boyfriend's presence. He quickly changed into a clean pair of jeans and a plan t-shirt before throwing his dirty towel in the hamper and exiting the room.

He made his way downstairs and into his kitchen where he found Rian, who looked like he had just woken up, making a cup of coffee.

"Morning." Rian greeted, sipping at the dark liquid. "Where were you all night? Iz is upstairs, she was worried sick about you." Alex sighed and sat on a stool, putting his face down on the cold counter.

"I fucked up, Rian." He mumbled making Rian frown.

"Why? What did you do?"

"Last night... I cheated on Izzy." Alex whispered, not having the strength to admit that any louder.

"What the fuck?!" Rian yelled making Alex groan.

"Shhh, don't wake her!" Alex told him, lifting his head up. Rian had a horrified expression on his face as he looked at Alex.

"What are you going to do, Alex? I mean... you.... what? How could you do this?" Rian questioned. Alex groaned again and shook his head.

"You don't know the worst of it yet..." Alex knew that Rian would be angry with him when he found out the rest. Rian had always been the most protective over Isabelle out of Alex's group of friends. Any time the couple got into a fight, Rian almost always took her side. Though of course Isabelle was usually right when it came to their fights.

"What else did you do?" Rian grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Rian just couldn't believe that Alex had done this. Sure, he had been drunk. They all had been but as far as he knew, Alex was the only one who couldn't control himself. No one else had cheated that night.

"Not what... who." Alex watched as Rian's eyes widened. "And where."

"Who and where?" Rian's voice was now low and growl like. He was pissed and seemed seconds away from ripping Alex's head off.

"Lisa," Alex whispered, casting his eyes down to the floor. "And in Isabelle's bed." Alex cringed as he heard Rian's quick intake of breath.

"I cannot fucking believe you, Alex! Not only did you cheat on Isabelle, but with your ex, who she hates, and in her bed." Rian semi yelled. He was about ready to explode and scream, not caring if he woke Isabelle up or not.

"Isabelle doesn't know that I dated Lisa. She think's I haven't really seen her since high school." Alex mumbled. Everything hit him then and he felt the tears spring up in his eyes. What had he done? What will he do now?

"What are you going to do, Alex?" Rian questioned, echoing Alex's thoughts.

"I don't know, Rian. I have no clue. I want to tell Isabelle, but I don't want to lose her, I can't. Not again." Alex not had tears falling freely down his face.

"Alex, you tell her or I will." Rian threatened making Alex groan and wipe at his cheeks though it was useless, more just kept falling.

"I need time, Rian, alright? I need to think this through... I need.... her." Just then they heard the soft foot steps on the stairs signaling that Isabelle was making her way into the room. Alex jumped up and made his way to the coffee maker, keeping his back to the doorway, trying to hide his tears.

"Alex, we need to talk." She said as soon as she entered the room. Alex turned to see her standing in the doorway, her arms crossed.

"Umm yeah... sure." Alex told her. Rian and Alex exchanged a glance before Alex followed her from the room and up to his bedroom. "What's going on?" He asked once he shut the door behind him.

"Where were you last night?" She questioned as she went over to the closet, searching for clothes to wear.

"Um.... well..." He started. To tell the truth or to not tell the truth.

"Answer carefully, Alex." She told him as she slid out of the Glamour Kills shirt she had slept in. Alex found it hard to concentrate as he looked at her exposed body which she quickly covered up with a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

"I was at your apartment." He answered quietly.

"With who?" She stood beside the closet, her arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to the side as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Lisa." He whispered. She smiled a very sarcastic smile and nodded. "How did you find out?" She stomped over to the bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She punched a few buttons on it before a voice rang out through the room. It was a voice mail and he quickly recognized his own voice. His own very drunk voice.

"Baby.... hey! Lisa." The way his voice was muffled obviously meant that he had accidentally called Isabelle from his pocket. "I want to be with you tonight. I've missed you. It's been so long since we have done anything. You were always so good all those years ago." There was then some giggling and a female talking though it was too muffled to understand what was being said. "I don't want Isabelle, I want you tonight. Only you." With that, it cut off. Alex felt like his blood had just turned to ice. He couldn't move, he couldn't think, he couldn't breath.

"So, how was she, Alex? Did you two enjoy yourselves?" Isabelle asked as she pocketed her phone.

"Izzy..." Alex whispered, shaking his head. "I am so sorry. I was so trashed last night. It meant nothing to me."

"You were with her after I left all those years ago, weren't you?" She questioned, ignoring that he had spoken.

"Yes... we dated for awhile, off and on." He admitted, hanging his head in shame.

"I can't believe you Alex. You.... you slept with her... in my bed." He looked up at her to see that she had tears running down her face.

"Isabelle, no please. I love you, I love you so much. Please. I am so sorry. I'm a fuck up, I know." He rushed over to her and enveloped her against his chest. He figured she would fight him off but instead she crumbled in his arms and sobbed into his shirt.

"I can't believe you cheated on me, Alex. First Adam, and now you. I can't take this anymore." He sat back on the bed, pulling her into his lap as she clung at his shirt.

"I know, baby, I know." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "It meant nothing to me. I don't even remember it. You know that if I hadn't been so trashed out of my mind, I wouldn't have went near her. I want you, only you." Isabelle didn't respond for a few minutes but she continued to sob.

"Do you want her more because she wouldn't kill your baby?" She finally choked out making Alex gasp. He pulled back to look at her but she kept her head down.

"Isabelle, do not ever think that I blame you for that. You know that what happened was an accident and no one, especially me, blames you for that. I do not want Lisa. I want you. Forever." He insisted. "Marry me." Isabelle's head shot up after he whispered this. She gave a small watery hick up as she looked into his own tear covered face.

"What?" She whispered back.

"Marry me. Spend the rest of your life with me. Let me spend forever showing you how much I want to be with you. I want no one but you, forever." He stood up then, making her stand up as well before he went over to his nightstand and rummaged in the drawer before pulling out a small black box, which he pulled a gorgeous diamond ring from. He then came back to Isabelle who was sobbing and shaking, her face covered in tears. He took her hands and kneeled down in in front of her. "Please, Isabelle. I know that I fucked up, it's what I do but you love me for it anyway. You are all I want. You are so gorgeous, and perfect and so what if we can't have kids, I just want you. Marry me, say yes, please." He begged, gripping her hands tightly.

"Alex... you fucked up so badly this time."

"I know, I know I did baby. Please though, I need you." He sobbed, making her just sob more.

"You really want to marry me?"

"I need to marry you, Isabelle. Please." She stared down at him, unsure of what to do. Sure, he had cheated on her but he was so obviously torn up about it and he just proposed to her. He had a ring and everything so it was obviously something he had been planning. Did she want to spend the rest of her life with Alex?

"There is no one else I would rather spend forever with Alex. You do fuck up, but so do I. We can fuck up, together." She told him, tears still pouring down her cheeks but she smiled a little none the less as he broke into a watery grin.

"Really? You'll marry me?" He whispered, unable to believe it. He could have sworn she'd leave. He didn't deserve her, but he was so glad that she was willing to give him a shot. She was the greatest human being in the universe and he loved her so much.

"Of course, Alex." He happily slid the ring on her finger before standing up and connecting their lips in a very wet kiss. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around the room.

"Mrs. Isabelle Gaskarth. Sounds perfect." He whispered when he set her down. She grinned up at him, wiping at the tears that remained on his cheeks.

"Just as it should be." She said, connecting their lips together again before quickly pulling away, frowning at him.

"What, babe?" He questioned, frowning back.

"What kind of apology is this? You know I don't fully accept apologies unless there are pancakes!" She told him making him crack up in laughter. He then leaned down and scooped her up in his arms.

"Off to the kitchen then, my love!" He called before running from the room with her in his arms. "RIAN!" He yelled as he stomped down the stairs, Isabelle giggling into his chest.

"What, dude?" Rian questioned when they got into the kitchen. He frowned at his friends.

"I would like you to meet, Mrs. Isabelle Gaskarth!" Alex exclaimed as he set Isabelle down.

"Future Mrs. Isabelle Gaskarth. We aren't married yet, babe, just engaged." Isabelle told him as she took a seat on a stool beside Rian.

"You guys are engaged?" Rian questioned. He looked at Alex, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Rian we are. And before you ask, yes, she does know about last night. She is willing to forgive me for my fuck up though." Alex explained.

"After you make me pancakes. I haven't forgiven you yet." She reminded him making him laugh and nod before he proceeded to make the desired breakfast.

"Pancakes, comin right up!" Alex couldn't be happier. He was going to spend the rest of his life with Isabelle. Perfection.