It was late afternoon when I arrived at St Nicholas's graveyard. It was a reasonably big graveyard; so I expected to find Alex sooner rather than later. I mean how could I not see him, a basketball player among those graves? But I was wrong. There weren't many people and in my optimism, I had ruled out the option that he could be sitting in front of the grave, which meant it would be more difficult to spot him. I started walking, I looked as far as I could in both directions along the rows of graves. However, I couldn't see a silhouette that would resemble his. I went on the other side and slowly made my way towards the entrance, where I came from.

If Alex hadn't been there, I was out of ideas. In reality, I only had one idea and that was it. Maybe he went home, maybe he was in some library or he went out for drinks with some of his friends. I didn't have any right to be there, to practically stalk him. So I decided to head home. I had a couple of rows of graves between me and the graveyard door, as I heard somebody calling my name. I turned in the direction of the voice.

Alex was standing a couple of rows behind me, I must've failed to notice him. Relief overflowed me. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Once I saw him I realised I hadn't actually thought this one through. I didn't know what to say to him. I must have looked like a stalker, oh god I was one. I looked up where his grandfather was buried. I wanted to turn on my heel and walk out through that door. However, hiding or lying wouldn't do me any favours. So I decided to swallow my pride and tell him the truth.

I told him, that I was worried for him. That I thought we were doing good. That he was ready to play. And I guess I was just scared he might have done something to himself. I was always worried people might've done something to themselves when they disappeared.

"Well, if you've stalked a grave, you might as well see it," he chuckled. I guess he was in a good mood if he could make a joke like that. He led me to the grave, which had only a vase with fresh flowers in it. He might've brought them.

"I wanted to talk to him one last time before the game on Saturday," he whispered, "I wanted to tell him, that I am still doing something I love. And I am not stirring from it."

His eyes sparkled and I noticed, he must've been crying. He had his eyes swollen and the sleeves of his black hoodie had wet stains on them. I squeezed his hand, to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.

He took a breath like it could be the hardest thing to do at the moment. "I guess he heard me, I told him, that I might have started to notice my value. He liked to talk about the value of human beings. He would be happy to know I have found mine," he looked at the letters written on the grave as he spoke. Besides the letters, there was a picture of his grandfather - a man with grey hair and glasses and a stern look.

"So are you okay?" I was afraid to ask, but I did anyway.

"Yes, just getting rid of the jitters," he tried smiling, but the smile hadn't quite reached his eyes.

"Dylan was afraid, you know?" I spoke to fill the silence. 

"I figured, I hadn't gone to practice today," he lowered his head in embarrassment. 

"You should call him and tell him you're okay, that you're ready for the game," I mentioned still remembering the grumpiness I was subjected to by Dylan earlier. The team must have been worried sick by then. 

"I will," he nodded. "Just let me be a couple of minutes by myself, then I'll take you home," he let go of my hand, which I took as my cue to leave. 

"I am taking the subway," I tried not to be a burden, "I only came to check on you." 

"No, don't be silly, it's getting late and I have a car. I'll take you. Don't worry about it," he insisted while jiggling his keys. I nodded knowing I wouldn't change his mind. It would be nicer being driven home than taking the subway. Then I made my way towards the entrance and waited for a couple of minutes before Alex came and we headed home.

During the drive, he asked me to call Dylan and put him on speaker, so he could talk to him "Hey, sorry for lashing out at you earlier. Is everything okay?" Dylan was quick to answer the phone.

I glanced sideways at Alex as his hand gripped the steering wheel a little harder and his eyebrows shot up at the mention of Dylan lashing out at me. I mouthed back that it wasn't like that. Alex nodded, however, his look remained stern as he started talking to Dylan "So, hey man, I am okay. I needed some time off, to think. Rosie found me ... She has been great. We've talked and I asked her to call you, so you could see for yourself I am okay and you don't need to worry."

"You're together?" Dylan's voice was perplexed. 

"Yes, Alex is taking me home," it was my turn to cut in. "We're okay, just don't worry about it and don't rush him," I nudged Alex and rolled my eyes at Dylan's worries.  

"Look, We'll talk when I get in," Alex said cheerfully before we said our goodbyes.

"What was that about him lashing out?" Alex asked immediately after I had hung up, he didn't forget the slip-up. 

"Nothing," I refused to bring him into the little drama between Dylan and me from earlier in the afternoon. 

"Rosie, tell me," he said in a singsong voice, trying to change my mind. 

"No, it's nothing." 

"Come on, Rosie," he didn't give up so easily. Somehow I got the feeling he would insist the whole way home if I didn't tell him. So I mentioned that Dylan was worried about Alex not receiving enough help and support from me. 

"So he said, you're practically not doing your job of babysitting me," Alex shook his head in disbelief mixed with laughter. 

He continued to laugh with his booming voice while saying, "I can't believe this guy. You're not even getting paid. And you have made your stakes and terms pretty clear at the very beginning of this relationship. You aren't anything more than a friend to me, definitely not a therapist." 

With his voice laced with laughter being echoed through the car, I noticed how close we were sitting. With him, every room I had been to became smaller in an instant. He was tall and all, but that wasn't the only reason why every room with him in it became smaller. His presence was overflowing and that was what was causing me to turn my whole focus towards him. I understood how people liked him, how he became the team's captain and how Dylan saw him as an older brother. He made me feel, like he had everything under control, while simultaneously showing me the insecure parts of himself and I admired that. 

"Yes," I agreed, "but I know he didn't mean harm. He is just really worried for his team. He wants to get scouted, and if your team doesn't win these games, he doesn't play the important ones. So the coaches won't see him as a prospect. He needs to get his game out there. He can do that by only playing the small games at the start of the season." 

"So you're saying to me that you understand how he can be worried for the team because that compromises his future?" Alex shook his head and teased me while stopping at the red light, "You would be a terrible lawyer." 

"For your information, I took Law and Psychology class last semester."

"Of course you did, but that doesn't mean you could be a great lawyer," he drove off as the traffic light turned green.

"I aced it," I continued, "I could be a great lawyer, I just have a tendency to be understanding towards my friends, and Dylan is one of them." 

"Mhm, little Rosie. Tell yourself, what you must, but I still refuse to believe you would be a great lawyer."

"Fine," I huffed, "why do you think that?"

Alex looked at me seriously, "Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't."

"Feisty," he chuckled, "fine ... you are way too nice."

"And how is that a problem?" I was surprised.

"Lawyers aren't nice," he informed me, "I should know, my father is one."

That was the first time he mentioned his father without me trying to pry out the information from him. He noticed the sudden silence that filled his car. 

"Not that my father isn't nice or anything. It's just... I have seen him in a court office when he used to practice law and I wouldn't want to be against him," he tried to conceal the topic of his father while steering the wheel in the vicinity of my apartment. 

So I nodded, "Fine, I believe you, I would make a terrible lawyer."

He chuckled, "Maybe, but don't worry about it, you are good at so many other things." 

"Thank you."

"This is the part, where you say, I am also good at so many things," he teased.

"Yes, like being humble," I chuckled. 

Alex laughed surprised at my comeback, "Maybe you wouldn't be such a bad lawyer after all."

I nodded content with the fact he knew not to mess with me. 

"We're here, Rosie," he stopped the car in front of my apartment, "sorry again for Dylan scolding you instead of me. It wasn't fair. Tell the word and I'll make it up to you?"

"It's fine," I waved my hand, "you drove me home. We're even." 

"I don't know if we are ever getting even, but okay. I am letting this one slide," he gently smiled. 

"Before I go, I wanted to talk to you about something," I started remembering the stares from earlier. 

"Shoot," he looked at me interested in what I was about to say.

"So, you know that picture that you posted of me being your workout buddy?"

"Yes, what about it?" he sensed the tension in my voice.

"Well, today at uni, I got some stares and my Instagram is a little bit overflown with your lady friends, so if you could ... Please don't post about me anymore?" I averted my gaze towards the street in front of us in embarrassment at my request.

Alex gulped realizing that the attention I was receiving made me feel anxious, "Sure thing, Rosie. Won't post you anymore. Don't worry about it." 

He tried smiling but I could see I offended him with my request. So I tried to make things better, "Look, it's not that I don't like spending time with you. I do. It's just, that I don't like to be the talk of the campus by just being your friend. Okay?"

"No, I get it," he playfully continued, "now, you see how it's being me."

"Yes, being you is the hardest thing in the world," I rolled my eyes, thinking that maybe I didn't offend him with my request after all. 

"You see, now you're getting it," he nudged me while he chuckled. And with that, I knew he was going to be okay.