Let the Floods Cross

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Dale exclaimed when she answered her door.

She folded both arms across her chest as she stared down the man on the other side of the door. Her eyes narrowed while her lips tightened in an uncomfortable position; she just answered her door for the last man she wants to see right now. Regardless of the fact that he is her boyfriend’s best friend, Dale did not want to welcome him into her home.

It is beyond her that Alex had the audacity to show up at her house after everything he had done. She is exasperated; Alex did not even deserve her time.

“Look, Dale, I can explain…”

“No, you cannot! You do not understand what your actions caused! I had to spend the night at Kaya’s loft, and do you know why? Because YOU BLEW HER OFF LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING! You broke her heart and you don’t even care.” Dale shook her head at him, starting to turn away.

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt bad about what he had done to Kaya, but honestly, Kaya is not even the subject of his concern right now. His mind is still on Liezel and what he had done to her. He needed to fix this before they stay apart for good.

“I’m here to talk to Jack.” Alex said quietly.

Dale pursed her lips at him.

“Yeah, you don’t really care about Kaya. You are here to find Jack because he is not at his place so you assumed that he is at mine. You are absolutely right Alex… and you know what else? I also know that you are here to find Jack so you guys can find a way to fix your relationship with Beckett. I got it—Kaya is all of a sudden in the back burner.” Dale rambled on and on in her fury.

Alex looked over her shoulder when she saw Jack appear from her living room. He studied his best friend’s face, trying to get a reaction out of him. Jack knew about the affair as long as Dale did, he knew what Alex had gotten himself into; but what he wants to know is if Jack is ashamed of him for treating Kaya the way that he did.

“Dale…” Jack placed a hand on his lover’s shoulder when he approached.

Dale didn’t look at Jack.

“If you are going to talk to him, get the hell out of my house and talk all you want. This piece of filth here is not stepping foot in my property.”

Jack nodded solemnly and side-stepped past her to get to his friend. Before closing the door on the two guys, Dale shot her boyfriend a meaningful look. He, in return, shot her an apologetic look before walking over to Alex’s car. Alex did not hesitate to follow his friend.

When they both got inside the car, Alex mumbled for Jack to buckle his seatbelt.

“We are going for a ride.” Alex said when Jack shot him a look.

Jack nodded, unsure of what to say. All he knows is that he has to be here for his friend. Alex made a huge mistake but he still deserves to have someone to talk to. Jack will always be that person who will make himself available to Alex; when Jack needed him during his most vulnerable moments, Alex was there for him.

“Do you want to talk about this, bro?” Jack asked when his friend pulled the vehicle away from Dale’s driveway.

After informing Jack that they are just going around the block repeatedly, Alex thought about what to say to his best friend. He didn’t even know where he should start. The events of last night happened so fast—so much has happened. He did not know how to justify everything he had done, now that he got caught in the act. Jack never asked Alex why he was sleeping with Kaya, however, now that Liezel caught him in the act, he might have to provide his friend an explanation.

“I love her, bro.”

“Why did you do it in the first place?” Jack asked the obvious question.

Alex hummed quietly in deep thoughts. He tried his best to find an actual reason of why he had done it. Five months ago, things were going okay for the two as per normal. She was off to France for the French Open and he stayed in Baltimore because the band had to head off for tour in a few days. He was lonely, so lonely that he turned to Kaya for his needs.

They were very discreet about everything they had done, having their meetings infrequently. It was the reason that the two were never caught in the first place. After his major conflicts with Liezel three weeks ago, he had needed Kaya more frequently. That was the reason why their affair was discovered.

“I was tired of being neglected.” Alex replied.

“You never minded before, why now?” Jack asked.

“No Jack, it wasn’t just now. We’ve been going at it since May.”

Jack’s eyes widened but his friend did not see it; he is focused on the road ahead of him.

“Damn, you guys can run long term Ponzi-schemes and not get caught. Five months is hell of a long time, bro.”

“I know. What do I do, Jack?” Alex asked helplessly.

Jack traced random shapes on the window and stared out at the window. He wants to help Alex fix this situation but he does not know how. Knowing Liezel, she would never forgive him for such a betrayal. Jack understands how much she hates infidelity. She hates people being unfaithful to their significant other, and her very own boyfriend had done it. It is not going to be easy winning her back.

“You know you have to fight for her right?” Jack asked.

Alex made a sound of affirmative as he took another turn around the block.

“Bro, you were so whipped before but now, you have to be shameless about it. You have to be so thirsty for her that she would realize how desperate you are to reclaim what you guys had.”

“I understand, Jack. I have to fight for her like she tried to fight for me before she found out about what I had done.”

He will do whatever it takes to get her back because knowing Liezel for so many years, he knows that time is definitely running out.



Liezel woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing, giving her surroundings a once over before attending to her cellular device. She squinted at the orange wall of Ace’s living room and remembered that she slept on the couch the night before.

Shaking her head, she glanced at the screen and mentally sighed in relief when she realized that Alex had not been the one calling. Deep inside, her heart sank at the assumption that he is not even going to try fighting for her. Instead, she picked up the phone and tried to suck it up.

“Berdy!” Liezel replied.

“Did I wake you?” He replied in his familiar and homey Czech accent.

Liezel managed a smile, because the thought of him looking out for her satisfied her. If her own boyfriend wouldn’t bother calling, at least she have someone who cared enough to check up on her.

“No.” She lied.

“Liar!” And he caught her on the act.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I did wake up because of your call.” She admitted.

The sound of his chuckle filled her ear and she felt slightly better about her situation. His voice instantly left some kind of impact on her.

“I was just calling to make sure that you had enough room for your ego on the flight back here. I mean, that win was epic!” Tomas exclaimed.

Liezel rolled her eyes with her lips tilting upwards. What happened last night was so drastic that she nearly forgot that she had won the U.S. Open a few days before. She also appreciated the fact that he has always been happy and proud of her for her wins, since he had never won a title himself. The day before her championship match, Tomas lost that semi-final match. He was not bummed about it at all—he just supported her with enthusiasm. Tomas is a true friend.

“Beckett?”

“Oh, hey. Yeah, um… yeah I got back okay.”

“Uh, are you okay? Is something wrong?”

Liezel’s eyes started watering, she was fine before he asked her the question. As soon as he expressed concern for her, everything that had happened started flooding back to her. She tried to suppress her sobs but it did nothing to conceal it from her friend. Berdych can most definitely hear her sobs.

“Beckett, talk to me. You know I’ll always be here for you.”

She pondered over whether she should tell him or not. Throughout her tennis career, he had always supported her. When all the female tennis players talked poorly of her during her rise above the ranks, he defended her. When the media scrutinized her when she had won her first title against a fan favorite player, Berdych was by her side. He spoke out against the people in public and told everyone that she was the best tennis player he had ever seen.

He protected her like no one else in this industry ever had. Being a public sports figure is no easy job for her, but he made everything easier for her. She had someone to talk to, someone who understood everything that was going on in her life. Sometimes she kept her personal problems from him, but for the problems that she didn’t, he listened and occasionally talked her out of doing something rash. He was the calm in her storm.

“I-I can’t tell you.”

“Are you sure? If you need me, I’m taking the first flight here from NYC.”

“Alex cheated on me, Tomas.” Liezel blurted out.

There was silence on his end of the line for a few moments. Liezel bit on her nails in anxiety, unsure of how her friend would react. His silence is scaring her. Maybe her revelation is too much for him.

“That bastard.” Tomas muttered instead.

Liezel did not say anything, because Alex is a bastard.

“I liked Alex. He made you happy. He was your forever flame.”

“He was.” She admitted.

“Look, you don’t have to live in Baltimore long term. I have a place up in Chicago, we can head up there for a while before Australia in January.”

Liezel blinked several times and shifted her position on the sofa when she heard Acacia approach from her bedroom. She checked the time on the clock and raised her eyebrows at the detective. It is nearly noon, Ace would be at work normally. The blonde smirked at her friend when she walked into the connected kitchen.

“You have a place in Chicago? Why would you need a place in Chicago?” Liezel asked, slightly amused.

She wiped the last of her tears away, but still clearly shaken.

“I’ve decided to train in Chicago for about a few weeks before I head over to the expos in Asia.”

“And you bought a damn property there just for a few weeks?”

“I thought about moving to Chicago semi-permanently.” He answered.

Liezel closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, only for it to come out shaky. It made her nervous, making life decisions like this.

“I want you to come with me to Chicago, Liezel.” Tomas said, the tone in his voice changing.

He sounded so serious and genuine and it scared her. Tomas had never referred to her by her first name before. The only person who would consistently call her by her first name is Alex.

“I might just take you up on that offer, Berdy.”

“Please give it a good thought. You can turn your back from it all.”

“How would you know that I’d want to?” Liezel asked.

Tomas cleared his throat.

“You once told me that you wouldn’t be living in Baltimore if it weren’t for Alex.”

He is absolutely right. She loved Baltimore, it was her home, but there is honestly nothing left for her if it weren’t for her friends here and her ex-boyfriend. She hated the Baltimore scene with the Lockheart Empire dominating and the intense publicity going on. If she had a choice to leave, she would.

“You are right.” She whispered.

Ace reemerged from the kitchen and sat down on the sofa seat across from her. Liezel started to feel a bit insecure about her phone conversation but Ace is not exactly paying attention, pulling out newspaper from the coffee table. The detective placed it on her lap and started reading the content inside the paper.

“And Liezel… can I ask you a question?” His voice got quiet as well.

“Anything, Tomas, ask me anything.”

“You once told me that if you weren’t with Alex, you would be with me without a thought or question.”

Liezel closed her eyes and looked down at her lap. Her heart fluttered at the intensity she is feeling from this. Her heart is also beating rapidly because something like this never happened between the two of them. This time, she knew she wanted to be done with Alex for good. With Alex completely out of the picture, it leaves things between her and Tomas open for interpretation and discussion.

Ace noticed her friend’s discomfort and gave her a glance.

“I did say that, and I mean it.”

“You still mean it now?”

“Yes, Tomas.”

“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

The blonde’s face contorted in absolute interest as she stared at the woman across from her. She wants to know what is going on in this phone conversation; she wants to know really badly.

“Listen, I just need to tie up loose ends around here. Loki Lockheart wants to cover the story of my win and for me to be an ambassador of some shit so yeah. I also have to permanently end things with Alex and start moving out.”

Ace’s eyebrows perked up as her position on the couch shifted. Liezel can tell that she is just dying to ask her what the conversation is about, and she will as soon as the phone conversation is over.

“You do whatever you need to do, I’ll always be around when you need me. I’m just a phone call away.”

“Thanks.”

They both hung up after their phone conversation ended. As soon as it did, Acacia nearly flew across the room and sat down beside Liezel on the sofa. She wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulder, leaning closely for the details.

“You are moving in with Tomas Berdych?”

Ace knew about that Czech tennis player. His friendship with Liezel is public knowledge, sometimes speculated to be something more than just friendship. But the rumors are usually stumped out by the fact that Liezel has always been consistently dating Alex. Now, Ace is unsure of the story.

“I’m not sure. I think I’m just going to head for Chicago for a while. I need some space away from all of this. Besides, Devyn is also there. She decided to record her next record at her hometown this time around. I can meet up with her and catch up on everything.” Liezel explained.

Ace nodded wordlessly. She understood why her friend needed to leave.

“What is going on between you and Tomas?”

“I’ve always wanted him, occasionally I would want him more than Alex if he is with me and Alex is not. It’s hard to explain, but I’ve never ever thought about cheating on Alex. I slept with him once when Alex and I were broken up.”

“It was during a grand slam?” Ace asked, amused by this revelation.

Liezel smirked.

“Do you want to guess which one?”

“Do I have to?” Ace gave her a knowing look, which told her she did know the answer.

Liezel sighed.

“God damn French Open.”

It was always the French Open.

“At least you weren’t cheating; and Alex, yeah he was during the French Open.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Notes

Damn! How do you guys feel about smexxi Berdy intervening in whatever is left of Alex and Liezel's relationship? And I don't know what you guys think/feel about Dale, but who wants to give her brownie points for standing up for her best friend? I mean Kaya may have done questionable things, but her bestie's got her back, yeah?

By the way, emilypfletcher and folieahdude, don't worry! Sometimes gotta hate her too, and the way she reacts to things. I love how you guys kind of see the fault in her too. I mean, yeah, Alex cheated, but it's not just all him being the bad component to the relationship, cuz Liezel isn't perfect either (although she didn't cheat or even consider infidelity to be an option).

Oh and don't forget to subscribe to the last story: Top of Your Ambitions. It is about Zack and Ace. (This story ends in two chapters btw)

One more thing, I know I mentioned Devyn Crackhill several times, i think I'm going to write a Devyn/Rian story in the future as like a spinoff to this series or something. It was originally going to be part of the series but I started writing it and it did not feel cohesive to the rest of the story, so a spinoff in the future would work too.