Rian smiled as he walked through the back door of Breanna’s house. Breanna was standing at the counter, cutting some vegetables. She laughed at something Alex had said and her eyes sparkled. Alex on the other hand was sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. His eyes never left Breanna.
“Hello lovebirds! How are you doing today?” Rian teased as he walked further into the kitchen.
He chuckled silently at the reactions his words caused. Breanna sent a “Hi Rian!” his way without looking up. Her cheeks got a faint pink color. Alex didn’t say anything, but his cheeks were pink as well. He shot Rian a death glare while getting off the table.
Rian never understood why these two weren’t dating. Nobody really did. Alex and Breanna were perfect for each other. When they were together – which was practically all the time – they always seemed like boyfriend and girlfriend, except for the kissing and the sleeping together. Yet they kept telling everybody, themselves included, that they were just friends.
A hand on his chest interrupted Rian’s thoughts. Before he realised what was happening, Alex had pushed him out of the kitchen and into the backyard.
“Hello lovebirds?” Alex fumed. “What the hell?”
Rian blinked a few times before he realised what was going on. He wanted to laugh, but stopped himself when he saw the look on Alex’s face.
“Dude, I was just joking.” He answered Alex instead. “But judging on your reaction, you finally discovered your not so secret feelings for Bree.” He teased.
Alex’s hand finally dropped to his side and he stared at his shoes. His cheeks were a deep red and he mumbled something incoherent.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.” Rian said. A mocking smile was lighting his face.
“I said: that’s no reason to call us lovebirds, asshole!” Alex answered while he looked back up to Rian. The blush had left his cheeks and he sounded more confident than before.
Rian ignored the insult and squealed, almost making Alex question the sexuality of his band mate.
“So you admit it! Finally, it’s about time!” Rian was so excited he was practically bouncing up and down. “What made you finally realise it?” He asked. The curious tone was obvious in his voice.
Alex couldn’t help but smile at Rian’s enthusiasm.
“Sitting here in the kitchen reminded me of how we first met.” He simply stated. “The music… Wait, you don’t even know how we met, do you?” He asked when he noticed the confusion on Rian’s face.
Rian simply shook his head no. Alex’s eyes darted to the kitchen window. He smiled at the sight of Breanna, who was clearly singing along to the cd that was playing, and started talking.
Alex took in his surroundings as he walked into the small café. Epic. The name sure fitted it well.
On top of the right wall someone had painted Music & Meetings in a black, fancy script. The rest of the wall was covered in Polaroid pictures and vinyl covers. The left wall stated Famous Fiction in the same script and was covered in posters of movies and books.
Alex smiled as he spotted the cover of So Wrong, It’s Right on the right wall. His lips curved further upward as he heard Tom Delonge’s voice coming through the speakers, singing about the girl at the rock show.
‘Jack was right,’ Alex thought as he carelessly strolled towards the counter. ‘I already like this place.’
The girl behind the counter had her back towards him and was quietly humming along to Blink-182. She carefully arranged a few plastic cups before turning around.
“Hello sir, how can I help you today?” She chirped while whipping the counter. She wasn’t looking at Alex.
“Well, one of my friends recommended the mac and cheese.” Alex said, glad she hadn’t recognized him.
A small, sharp intake of breath told him he had felt safe too soon. A pair of sparkling blue eyes shot up to meet his own brown ones and for a second Alex thought she was going to scream. To his relief she just smiled.
“A very good choice. Anything to drink with that?” The excitement in her voice was well controlled, but Alex picked it up effortless.
“Just a coke, please.” He answered politely.
“Mac and cheese and a coke, coming up.” The girl said. She sent another smile in Alex’s direction before turning around and disappearing into the kitchen.
Alex took the opportunity to look around a little more. It was very calm in the café. Except for Alex, there was only an older couple sitting by the window. Alex felt at ease and made a mental note to thank Jack later.
“Uhm, excuse me?” Alex’s train of thought got interrupted by the waitress who had come back out of the kitchen. She looked a little uncomfortable as Alex met her gaze. She set down his glass of coke on the counter before speaking.
“I hope you don’t mind waiting a little longer. Breanna is still preparing things.” She said with an apologetic look. “Normally we don’t serve food until eleven.”
Alex glanced at the clock about the counter, which read 10:30. He was about to say that is was no problem when he remembered he was meeting with Rian at noon.
“Do you mind checking if she can hurry up a bit? I don’t have a lot of time.” He asked.
“Off course. I’ll see what I can do.” The girl said with a smile. She patted her eyelashes while doing so, but Alex seemed completely oblivious to her flirting. Her smile faltered a bit as she hurried back to the kitchen.
Alex picked his drink up from the counter and walked to the nearest table. The woman of the older couple sent him a smile as she crossed him on her way to the restroom. Alex politely smiled back before sitting down at the table. He sipped his drink when the sound of his name reached him from the kitchen.
“Breanna, we are talking about Alex Gaskarth here!”
Alex unconsciously sat up straight as he tried to hear the other girl’s answer.
“I’m no magician, I’m working as hard as I can!” The Breanna girl scolded. “Besides, I don’t care if it’s Alex Gaskarth who’s waiting, Sophie.”
Alex could hear the waitress, who was apparently called Sophie, sigh.
“Is that what you want me to tell him?” She asked. “That you don’t care about our customers.”
“You can tell him that unless he’s Freddie freaking Mercury risen from the dead, he’ll have to wait just like anyone else.”
Alex let out a small chuckle at the response and sank back into his seat. As he took another sip of his drink he made a decision.
He was pulling his phone out of this pocket when the waitress walked back up to him. Unlike the previous times she was now staring at the table top as she talked.
“Uhm… I’m afraid…” She started out when Alex interrupted her.
“That since I’m not Freddie freaking Mercury, I’ll have to wait just like everybody else, right?” He finished her sentence.
The girl’s head shot up to look at Alex. He smiled when he saw the look on her face. She was clearly surprised that he wasn’t offended or annoyed.
“Don’t worry about,… Sophie, right?” He said. She nodded and smiled as he continued. “I’m just meeting a friend. I’m sure he can wait a little longer.” Alex smiled.
“I’ll have your food here as soon as possible.” Sophie assured him with a smile before walking away.
Alex watched her walk away as he flicked open his phone. He sent Rian a short text to tell him he would be a little later. When he closed his phone and put it down on the table he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander to the kitchen door, feeling curious about the girl inside.
“Oh yeah, I remember that day!” Rian interrupted Alex. “When we met, I joked about what girl had been keeping you busy and you got all annoyed and …” His voice drifted off as he noticed the look on Alex’s face. “Sorry, please continue!”
Alex was studying the posters on the wall across the café when he heard a gasp coming from the entrance. As his gaze went to the door he saw two teenage girls staring in his direction. The closest to him whispered something in the other one’s ear before grabbing her phone.
Alex smiled to the girls before quickly averting his gaze. As he looked around he noticed the café had become a lot more crowded in the past fifteen minutes. There were mostly young girls sitting at the tables around him and he suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic.
It’s wasn’t like Alex didn’t like his fans. It was nothing like that. Most of them were polite. Maybe a little overenthusiastic, but always polite and friendly. Alex just didn’t feel like dealing with them right now. He just wanted to enjoy his lunch in peace. And maybe think about the mystery girl in the kitchen a little more. Just maybe though.
So when the two girls at the door started to walk in his direction, Alex did the first thing that came to his mind. He fled. He just got up and started walking in the direction of the restroom.
He was almost halfway when he realised that wasn’t the smartest idea. He would have to come out sooner rather than later and those girls might be waiting for him.
He looked around the café for the waitress, wanting to ask her for a little help, but Sophie was nowhere to be seen. He was about to let out a frustrated sigh when a glimmer of light coming from his right caught his eye. His head automatically turned to identify the source of the light.
The light was coming form the kitchen. Sunlight coming through the window was getting caught on the silver blade of a moving kitchen knife.
Alex’s legs seemed to be moving ahead of the split second it took him to make a decision. He walked behind the counter and into the kitchen without a second thought or another look into the café.
When he stepped into the kitchen, Alex’s eyes directly darted to the girl holding the knife. Black chucks, dark blue skinny jeans and a green The Academy Is… shirt under a white apron. Her light brown hair had natural blond highlights. She didn’t look extraordinary, but there was something about her that sparked Alex’s interest.
Breanna fluently made the switch from singing along to the radio to talking when she heard Alex enter the kitchen.
“It’s still not eleven, Sophie. So unless you plan on helping…” She spoke while turning around. Her voice only cracked for a split second when she noticed who she was talking to. “… get out of the kitchen until eleven!” She finished.
Alex didn’t even notice the stumble in her voice. He was too intimidated by the big silver kitchen knife that was pointing in his direction.
Breanna’s expression got confused as she noticed Alex take a tiny step backwards. It wasn’t until she followed his gaze that she understood why he did so. She quickly put the knife down on the counter before looking at Alex again.
“Uhm… Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?” She asked. She tried to sound polite, but the confusion in her voice was not completely gone yet.
“I… Uhm… There were some girls…” Alex blushed slightly. He suddenly realised how ridiculous his reaction had been.
“Fangirls, huh?” Breanna chuckled and Alex’s blush deepened. “I never pictured you as an arrogant ass who doesn’t want to talk to his fans.”
Alex’s eyes grew big at the acquisition. “I’m not!” He practically yelled.
Breanna’s smile only grew wider at his reaction. “Hey, calm down! I was only joking.” She assured him. “You seem like a decent enough guy. And I can imagine it can be very annoying sometimes, the lack of privacy.”
Alex’s blush still didn’t disappear completely, but he managed to crack a small smile. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the fans.” He tried to explain. “It’s just that sometimes I just want to be left along for a while, you know.”
“Yeah. I think I understand…” Breanna hesisated for moment.
Her next words seemed to surprise the both of them. “You know what? If you want, you can eat here. It’s messy and you would have to put up with my horrible singing, but it’s the most private spot I can get you.”
Her words caused Alex’s smile to finally stretch out to his ears. “The singing wasn’t that bad.” He said with a small chuckle. “So I think this spot is just perfect.” Alex said as he sat down on the only chair in the kitchen.
“I immediately felt good around her. We talked the entire time. I left with the promise to come back the next day.”
Alex smiled at the memories. He had gone back the next day. And the day after that. And the rest of the week. It didn’t take long for their conversation to move out of the kitchen or for them to become practically attached to the hip.
“I still remember that Head over Feet was playing on the radio that day. It was also playing today before you walked in and I suddenly realised how true those words are. Don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you are. It has been true since that first time we met.” Alex said with a dreamy sigh.
Rian was smiling like a mad man when Alex finished his story. “So cute!” He exclaimed. “So, when are you going to tell her?”
Alex sent a questioning look in Rian’s direction. “Why should I bother telling her when I know that she won’t respond the way I want her to?” He asked.
Rian let out a disagreeing snorting sound. “Did seeing the light make you go blind? She is crazy about you!”
Alex didn’t even bother arguing. He had heard everybody say that hundreds of times. Instead he said: “So what if she is? After she broke up with Nate, she swore to me that she would never date a musician again.”
His argument was followed by a long talk. It was mostly Rian talking, saying things like “Have you seen the sparkle in her eyes when she is around you?” and “Dude, you are nothing like Nate Navarro!”.
When the boys walked back into the house afterwards Rian looked pleased with himself. He walked straight to Breanna and started rambling about the song on the radio.
After a few minutes he threw a glance in Alex’s direction before looking at his watch.
“Wow, is it that late already? Alex, we really have to go!” He said.
“What, are you going already? We barely talked! Where are you going?” Breanna asked, curious and confused.
“We have… Uhm… things to do.” Rian said as he walked to the door. He waved a quick goodbye before walking out the door.
The clear undertone of secrecy in Rian’s voice made Breanna even more curious. She turned to Alex for an explanation, but he shushed her with a small peck on the cheek and a “Bye, talk to you soon!” before darting out the door after Rian.
Confused, Breanna stared at the door for a few moments. Then she turned turned back to the vegetables she had been cutting and tried concentrating on her work.
It wasn’t until ten minutes later, when she went to pour herself a drink, that she noticed a post-it on the fridge that hadn’t been there earlier.
Don’t be alarmed if I fall head over feet.
Don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you are.
I couldn’t help it, it’s all your fault.
- A.
“… We can live like Jack and Sally if we want. Where you can always find me. And we’ll have Halloween on Christmas. And in the night we’ll wish this never ends. We’ll wish this never ends… I miss you.” Alex quietly sang to himself while he walked into his apartment.
He sighed as he threw his car keys and his phone onto the small table next to the door. The song reminded him of Breanna. The Nightmare Before Christmas was her favourite movie, he had lost count of how many times they had watched it together.
It made him sad to think of Breanna. He hadn’t heard from her since he left his message. He felt like she was ignoring him and it hurt.
It wasn’t until he turned around after hanging away his coat that he noticed it. He stopped dead in his tracks, his hand still reaching out for his phone.
A message was scribbled on the mirror hanging above the small table. “You’ve already won me over in spite of me” the red lipstick letters stated.
Alex’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized the handwriting. His lips curved upward as he stared at the mirror.
“Maybe you should come over and pinch me. Because you liking me back, it feels like a dream!”
The voice coming from the living room made Alex jump in surprise. He quickly turned around.
His smile widened when he saw Breanna standing in the doorway.
“How about I kiss you instead of pinching you?” He said whit that crooked smile Breanna loved so much.
He didn’t wait for her answer and closed the fifteen feet of distance between them. Breanna had just enough time to chuckle before his lips were on hers.
The kiss was full of emotion. Love, relief, passion, need. Alex pulled Breanna as close as he could. Breanna’s hands got lost in Alex’s hair. When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, they were both flushed. Matching smiles lit their faces.
“I thought you never wanted to date a musician again?” Alex asked after taking a few deep breaths. He felt stupid as soon as the words left his mouth. ‘Way to ruin the moment!’ He scolded himself.
Breanna, however, didn’t even notice his silent scolding. She was paying more attention to Alex’s hands still lingering on her hips.
“The heart has reasons that reason cannot know.” She quoted Blaise Pascal. She smiled at the expression on Alex’s face.
“Besides, this is different from Nate.” She said. “You are my best friend first and a musician second. While Nate… Well, I fell for his music before I knew the guy behind it. When you introduced us, it felt like a dream come true. I felt amazing when the musician I adored so much kissed me. And I didn’t realize Nate isn’t the guy for me. Not until it was too late.”
Breanna let out a sigh as her past relationship with Nate quickly replayed in her head. Then she looked at the guy standing in front of her and her lips automatically formed a smile.
“Even though I told everyone that the reason we broke up was that he was travelling with the band all the time and I couldn’t stand him having fun with Gabe while I was alone, it was really because we both realised we were supposed to be just friends.” She rambled on. “And with you… With you I know the whole package. And I’m willing to accept the problems of dating a musician. Because I know they won’t outweigh the benefits of dating you!”
When Breanna stopped talking, Alex was silent as well. With a small smile on his lips he waited a moment to see if she had any intention of going on. When she stayed silent, he finally spoke up again.
“I would have settled for a simple ‘For you, I’m willing to make an exception’.” He laughed.
Breanna opened her mouth again, sure enough to make a witty remark. But before she had any chance to do so, Alex’s lips captured hers again. A soft yet determined kiss.
And Breanna smiled into the kiss. For once, she couldn’t be bothered by silence surrounding her.
