11a knock sounded at the door.
"Hold on!" Alexx said.
she came to the door and was startled to find a familiar face.
He didn't expect to see her in a blue bikini either.
"Horatio? what brings you by old friend?" she said.
"Just thought I'd stop by, you're calling me old friend and I feel bad." he said.
"Aww so this was a sympathy visit?" she said letting him in.
Her hair was in waves down her back and dripping water down her skin. Suddenly, his mouth got very dry.
"Uh Alexx do you have any water?" he asked.
"Uh, don't it look like it?" she said holding up her hair.
"You know what I mean Alexx." he said smirking.
She laughed and got him a bottle tossing it to him.
"Jamie, Horatio is here! I think you inspired a sympathy visit when you told him how he forgot about us." she said out the door.
Jamie walked in with her curly afro dripping water everywhere she had on a teal bikini that complemented her skin tone.
"Hey uncle H." she said grabbing a piece of watermelon out of the bowl Alexx had.
"Stop it get your own!" Alexx said. she motioned for Horatio to follow them to the backyard. Alexx always stayed at their beach house during the summer it had a fenced in backyard but it opened and the beach was right there.
Jamie ran down to the water and Alexx walked gracefully down too.
"You haven't been here in two years Horatio. why is that?" she asked him.
"Well I just thought you needed time. after-. you know." he said.
"After Henry died? come on you can say it. you don't have to be on ice with me. Henry died and I'm over it now. I'm not going to break down and cry at the mention of his name... at least not anymore." she said quietly.
"I know Alexx but we just knew how much you loved him and we didn't know how you were taking it." he said.
"Horatio, how did you feel when Marisol died?" she asked.
He felt his heart clench, that familiar feeling he got whenever her name was mentioned.
"I felt... alone. like I needed someone with me to help me get through it." he said realizing where she was going with it.
"Exactly now knowing that feeling do you think staying away helped me?" she waited. "No it didn't."
"I'm sorry Alexx, I guess we just thought that since you had Jamie and Bryan." he said.
"They were grieving too though. what I'm saying is Horatio I wanted you to be here with me and you weren't. you're my closest friend here in Miami and you stayed away from me when I needed someone the most and treated me like I was a nutcase waiting to crack." she said her new York accent getting more and more profound. she looked out watching as the sun was beginning to set.
"I'm sorry Alexx I never realized it." he said.
"It's okay it's over with and done now. look at the sun it's so pretty. remember how we used to do this when Marisol died? I told how it helped me get over my fathers death and then my mother's." she said leaning on him.
"Yea. I remember."
she used her key to unlock the door.
"Horatio? baby are you in here?" she said.
She walked through that house finding him in the kitchen looking at pictures of he and Marisol in the dark.
"Honey, turn the light on you're gonna make yourself blind." she said flipping the switch.
"I WANT TO BE IN THE FUCKING DARK!" he yelled.
She jumped because Horatio had never yelled at her before.
She waited before speaking again but turned off the light.
"I just came to see how you were doing. I brought you something to eat." she said quietly hoping to avoid another outburst.
"I don't want to eat anything." he growled.
"Well you are. I'm not taking no for an answer." she said firmly.
"You don't have to take it but I'm gonna tell it." he said.
She huffed and turned on the light.
"Alexx I said I don't-." he was cut off by a smack on the face.
"Shut up! You're not going to be in here moping around not eating and killing yourself sitting in the dark! Get up and go shower and when you come back you will eat." she said.
He got up and went upstairs. When he came back down his nose was filled with wonderful aromas. Roast beef.
He sat down watching Alexx walk around fixing his plate. She'd taken off her heels and was now four inches shorter leaving her at her five foot four inches.
She set the plate in front of him.
"Eat." she demanded.
He huffed and picked up the fork pretending he didn't want to even thought they both knew he couldn't resist eating Alexx's cooking.
"Well look at that! You haven't turned into a cave man I see." she said smirking.
He ate all of his food and sat in silence.
"Horatio come with me for a minute." she said.
She led him outside where the sun was beginning to set. She sat down on his grass and pulled him down with her cradling him in her arms.
"When I was seventeen my dad died from cancer. It was unexpected; we didn't find out until he had about three weeks to live. After he died I found my self going to the beach and watching the sunset. It broought a lot of peace to me and it let me sit down and think about the good things. This is what I want you to do when you think of her. Right now you do it everyday; I'll even come over and do it with you. but as time goes on you'll feel better. I promise. I did this after my mother died too. If you need me I'll be there." she said softly and soothingly.
He sat back in her arms and watched the Earth swallow the sun.
They got up and went inside and she left.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you that day Alexx." he said.
"I know you always tell me." she said laughing. they watched the sun disappear into the ocean and Jamie came back up.
"Okay Mom I think that's enough beach." she said.
"Why Jamie?"
"Because there is sand in places it shouldn't be in and it's really uncomfortable." Jamie said.
They laughed walking inside.