Alyssa had directed Brodey to the nearest Coffee shop. He hadn't arrived yet, but he was already inside the town.
Alyssa sat at the coffee shop with her hands propped up on the table, unable to focus on any particular thought. Her mind was drifting. From her parents, to leaving, to Tanya, to music, to moving on... and to Karson.
Sure, he had seemed somewhat suspicious. Whenever his phone rang out – and it often did – he would immediately glance at everyone – and especially at her – warily and rush outside. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but... maybe she wasn't.
And then ... why was there this unusual connection she felt between them? It was so unnatural...
Brodey entered. He was wearing a black, professional suit. His purple hair was carefully combed and his boyish jaw-line had become more prominent than it had been the last time she had seen him. She could thank the important aura around him for that. Yet, his deep, brown eyes were glassy and as clear as ever.
He stood before her, as if unable to believe that her form was substantial. Alyssa twisted her hands, drinking in his changed face.
Before either could say a word, he had crushed her to his chest in a bear hug. The hug seemed to go on forever, yet when he finally let her go, it had seemed too short.
They didn't discuss about any of the cases, at least, initially. Brodey told her about his changed schedule as an intern in the agency, and about all the recent updates in school. Alyssa told him about everything that had happened from day one of her arrival in Mel's Town.
However, when she came to the connection she'd felt with Karson, she halted...
To say the least, the expression on Brodey's face was a hilarious conflict between amusement and seriousness.
"Little Liz has got herself a crush, huh? Nice! Just be careful to use protection... and don't let it turn out like your previous relationships..." He laughed out loud.
Alyssa pouted. "What an amazing friend he is..." she thought sarcastically.
"brodey..." she said, her voice coming out as undeniably whiny. "It's nothing like that."
And truly enough, she hadn't felt anything like that before. Surely it couldn't be love. She loved her friends, but she never felt anything like that around them. The connection with Karson was just so... different, yet so very familiar.
"Sure, it isn't."
But she knew that he still didn't believe her. She couldn't blame him for that...
Perks of friends: They knew just how much to annoy you to remove all the hurt in the process. And then you go on poking them to believe you, but they refuse. And amidst all the jokes, teasing and irritation, you forget the gloominess of your heart.
Alyssa knew what Brodey was doing. And she allowed it. She allowed the gloominess to fade away, at least while the joy lasted.
But soon, even their conversation turned towards reality. The deaths. Brodey told her that he would be helping Mr. Moyer with the case. "Do you have any personal suspects?" he asked the same question.
"You know... I really don't. And it would help a lot if people stopped asking that question," she said wearily. She couldn't imagine who would have killed sweet, innocent Tanya. But then of course, Ander and Liarane had been nice, too.
"Any news on Evans?" Alyssa asked him, her voice coming out as half strangled.
Brodey hesitated only for the fraction of a second before saying, "No."
Too soon after the 'no', as if desperate to change subjects, he said, "But I do have news on something else. Care for a drive?" He extended his hand towards her.
Alyssa eyed him critically. "Why are you such a gentleman all of a sudden?"
"Well... let's say, someone happened," he said sheepishly.
Alyssa gasped in pleasant surprise. "Who is it?" she asked excitedly. "Is it that girl with braces, Melanie? Or the sexy model from our school, who was after you, Delilah? Or... who?"
As he drove the car, she went on bullying him to tell her who that 'someone' was.
"Wrong guesses! All wrong answers!" he said, a blush coating his cheeks.
"Please tell me? I'm so curious over here!" She made her puppy-dog eyes and pouted, now literally poking him in his ribs.
"You won't be able to guess, Liz, because you don't know her! Even I met her just today. It was a chance encounter and I don't think I have anyone so lovely before. She's so damn beautiful. Want to know the even better news? I managed to get her number!"he looked childishly excited as he parked the car outside a small sports shop on the outskirts of Mel's Town, in a small town called Wellordam, where Brodey's detective agency was.
Alyssa couldn't stop giggling. He looked so happy and hopeful. It made her feel happy. She flicked her fingers in front of his eyes. "I need details, man. Or I'm not getting out of this car," she said stubbornly.
He glared at her mockingly. "So basically, I got lost in a lane while driving here. It was very empty. There was only this open flower-shop at the corner of the street, among the dusty grey buildings. It was kind of eerily silent there, so I just decided to ask for directions in that shop.
"There I found this girl, buying white lilies. She showed me the way out. I offered to drive here, but she refused. And anyway, we talked and ... um, flirted... for a while before I realised that I was getting late. I got her phone number and promised to call her. Done!"
It had been a simple enough story, but it did shock Alyssa. Brodey hadn't exactly been the type to flirt with random girls. She must've been pretty special to have caught his attention.
"What's her name?" she asked, smiling.
"Majorica Brown."