Listen To Your Heart

Mandy composed herself and headed into the bathroom, stripping off her workout clothes and stepping into the spray. Thank God, Zack had actually left her some hot water. She was in and out in about five minutes, and once she was out she threw on her clothes. Mandy only put on a little bit of mascara and some eyeliner, seeing as they were only going over to Alex's house, and the guys had seen her without makeup before anyway. Hell, they'd seen her passed out drunk, snoring... hell, Jack even accidentally walked in on her taking a shower once. There was nothing private in their friend group. Mandy threw her hair up in a ponytail and headed back into the bedroom, now in search of shoes.

--

Alex gave Leighton a friendly wave before exiting the coffee shop and heading back towards his place. He'd made it about maybe a hundred feet when his phone starting blowing up. He pulled it out of his pocket to see what the deal was. Apparently he was now in a group chat with Zack, Rian, and Cassadee- and they were gonna help Zack go ring shopping for Mandy! It's about fucking time, Superman! You've only been together for like, what, fifty years? Good call not including Jack in this btw. He's a blabbermouth. Alex loved his best friend to death, but that was just how Jack was. He had a tendency to spoil surprises.

Leighton smiled waving back at him before returning to her laptop. About five words later she stopped, grabbing the napkin with his address and phone number and quickly added him into her phone. Curiosity struck, with his street name seeming so familiar, and she couldnt help but to Google the address. Ironically, he lived only 2 streets away from her little house - she could walk there. Looking at the time - 11:38 - she decided to pack up her things and head home. She hadn't been planning on meeting a whole bunch of people today so she figured she should probably change into something a little less ... bummy

---

Zack chuckled slightly, his phone blowing up at the 'Finally's!' He was receiving from his friends. He knew they'd been together forever, so this move was about time. Reading what Alex said he thought to himself. He hadn't included Jack but it wasn't because he had a blabber mouth, it was because Rian and Alex had experience shopping for rings, and he wanted Cassadee's opinion because he needed a girls opinion, plus she and Mandy were close - So Cassadee could get the ring size. But thinking about it - Alex had a point.

Mandy raised a brow. "What's so funny?" She asked, entering the room. The purple haired twentysomething headed over to their closet, grabbing a pair of flip flops and slipping them on. "Is Jack telling dad jokes again? You guys need to stop encouraging him." Mandy grabbed her purse off the bedside table and slung it over her shoulder. "For once, I'm actually ready on time. Let's make the most of it and get to Alex's early." She gave Zack a quick hand squeeze before heading downstairs to find their car keys-- which were never on the little key rack where they were supposed to be.

--

Alex turned off the notifications on the group text for now-- he could talk to Zack, Rian, and Cass later on at the party. But for now, he had to get his house ready for his friends and now Leighton who was coming over. He straightened up the living areas and passed the vacuum over the rug before heading upstairs to change into a different outfit. People were gonna start showing up any second now, he wanted to actually be ready for once.

Zack locked his phone as Mandy walked into the room, thankful she had given him an out. "I don't encourage him - Alex does. Besides, some of them ARE kinda funny." He smiled, tilting his head slightly as he shrugged one shoulder. He sighed in relief as she walked out the door in search of the car keys, slipping his phone into his pocket. Keeping this quiet was gonna be fun. He slipped on a pair of socks and his shoes, grabbing the keys off of her night Stand and heading downstairs. Holding the keys above his head he smirked "Looking for something?"

---

Looking through her closet, Leighton grabbed the least country bumpkin looking outfit she could find, which consisted of skinny jeans, a black camisole, and a teal three-quarter sleeve flannel button up that she left unbuttoned. As quickly as she could, Leighton changed clothes, tossing her sweats into the hamper. Heading into the bathroom she touched up her eyeliner and mascara, practically the only two things she ever wore, and brushed out her long hair, letting it fall in waves across her back. Glancing at the time she walked back out to the front, slipped on her favorite pair of cowboy boots, and headed out.

Mandy was about to ask Zack what the hell he was talking about when she noticed that he had the keys. "Okay, superman, hand them over." She stood on her tippy toes and jumped slightly to get her keys from Zack, sticking her tongue out and leading the way to the car. "Back to the Jack and his jokes conversation-- you're kinda right. One out of every like ten that he tells is funny. The rest of the time he can't even finish because he's laughing so damn hard." Mandy shook her head affectionately before hopping into the front seat of her Escalade. "You know, I'm so damn small I don't even know why I picked this car."

--

Jack, of course, was the first one to show up. Alex found this out because when he came downstairs, Jack was just chilling on his couch. "Can you let someone know next time? Oh, by the way, I need you to act as least like yourself as possible today. There's a girl coming over. I met her at the coffee shop this morning, and she wants to hear me play. So, for the love of all that is sacred and holy-- act like a normal human being."

Zack chuckled to himself, looking at his girlfriend in the front seat of her large car. "Hey, I tried to talk you out of it." He grinned, knowing full well she loved this car with everything she had. It didnt take long for the pair to reach Alex's and for the first time since the two started dating - they beat Rian. Waiting for Mandy before he walked up to the door, Zack noticed immediately that Jack was raving on to Alex about some girl.

---

Leighton sighed to herself as she rounded the corner of her block for the second time. In her haste to get ready and out the door, she had forgotten to grab her keys and had left her phone upstairs. Looking at the time again it was now closing in on 12:15, though when she looked up to turn onto Alex's street she was passed by a rather large Escalade.

"You know I'm never gonna let Rian hear the end of this, right?" Mandy asked, jumping down from the front seat and locking the door behind her. She tucked her car keys in her purse before following Zack into the house, raising a brow at the mention of a girl in Alex's house. "You mean to tell me you thought it would be a good idea to bring a girl over here while Jack is in the same building, just being himself? What'd she ever do to you?" Mandy asked as she made her rounds, giving both Alex and Jack a hug.

--

Alex rolled his eyes at Jack's words, raising a brow when Mandy and Zack walked in instead of Rian and Cass. "Okay, I'm pretty sure hell just froze over. We should call Rian and make sure he's not missing." He joked. "But seriously. Everyone be nice to her. Her name's Leighton, she just moved here from Alabama. She doesn't really know anyone here, and I don't want to scare her off."

"Nah, I'm sure they'll be here any minute. I woke Mandy up early today so we had an earlier than usual start." Zack stated, popping down next to Jack on the couch. He looked up at his friend as Mandy spoke, then listened to his explanation of this girl he had invited. "I gotta say Alex, I'm with a Mandy here. This girl sounds sweet, but we all know Jack isn't going to not be himself for very long." He explained as Rian and Cassadee walked through the door. Zack stood, walking over to the drummer, and gave him a quick hug. Alex and Jack didn't know yet, but due to his relationship with Mandy, it was obvious that he knew. "Congrats man."

---

Leighton stopped as she reached his driveway, seeing four cars in the driveway - including the escalade that had passed her. Glancing past the cars, she could see into the little house. There were two women, one of which was showing off a ring, and four men, one of which being Alex. Once again, what felt like a thousand bricks fell onto her chest as she coaxed herself into going up to the door. To say it kindly, she was a very shy girl... and she couldn't understand why she had put herself in this position. Shaking her head, Leighton bit her lip and walked up to the front door, knocking on it just loud enough to interrupt the xurrent conversation inside the walls.

Mandy headed over to Cassadee and pulled her friend in for a hug. "Okay, you already know what I'm gonna ask you." She spoke, giving Cass a pointed look. The blonde held out her hand to show her the ring, and everyone immediately flocked to her. "Oh my god, it's so beautiful! Like I said earlier, it's about damn time!" She teased, pulling her friend in for another hug. The two listened as Rian announced to the group that he and Cass got engaged, and Mandy used that opportunity to brag that she knew before anyone.

--

Alex had just pulled away from the hug when he heard a knock on the door, signaling that Leighton had arrived. "Okay, guys, she's here. Please, I'm begging you guys. Be nice." He headed over to the front door and opened it, smiling at the sight of Leighton. "Hey, you! C'mon in, you're just in time." Alex waited for Leighton to head inside before shutting and locking the door behind her.

Leighton smiled as Alex opened the door, somehow he had gotten even cuter in the hour they been apart. Taking in her surrounding she gathered a few details, who was with who. Giving a small wave, she spoke lightly in an attempt to hide her accent. It came out much stronger when she was nervous and if there was ever a time to be nervous, it was now. "Hello, I'm Leighton." She spoke.

---

Zack shook his head at Mandy's gloating, though the room quieted down when Alex opened the door, inviting the short blonde girl into his home. She had long blonde hair and stood about half an inch shorter than Mandy, which he was sure would excite his girlfriend. He took one step forward, deciding to be the polite one of the group. Sticking out his hand she smiled at her. "Welcome, I'm Zack."

Mandy waved as well, shaking Leighton's hand after her boyfriend did. "Hey, I'm Mandy." She gave the new girl (who was shorter than her, thank god) a friendly smile and stood to the side as everyone introduced themselves to her. The purple haired beauty got the vibe that Leighton was a sweet, genuine soul-- albeit one who was nervous as hell right now. Mandy didn't blame her-- she was kinda anxious her first time around the guys, too.

--

"That weirdo over there is Jack, the guy who looks like he could be in a toothpaste commercial is my buddy Rian." Alex watched as the guys introduced themselves, and thank god they knew how to behave. "Can I get you something to drink or anything? We'll probably order the pizza in a couple hours, but if you're hungry earlier just let me know."

As the minutes passed, the weight on her chest lifted. Alex surrounded himself with some likeminded people... ones she was glad to meet. "No I'm alright for now. Thank you though." She smiled up at him. Biting the inside of her lip she looked around his home, it was much nicer than hers just a few blocks over.

---

Zack grinned, noticing the look on the singer's face. His eyes didn't leave Leighton... Zack hadn't seen Alex like this since Lisa... and that was a big deal. "Well I have to break up this introduction but we do have some practice to attend to... ladies, you mind showing Leighton around while we get set up?" Zack question, looking for approval from both his girlfriend, and his best friend - who's house he was offering a tour to.

"Oh, yeah, no problem-- any excuse to get her away from Jack." Mandy teased, standing on her tip toes to give Zack a kiss before watching the guys walk off towards the basement where Alex's music room was. She waited for the door to shut before she and Cass turned to face Leighton. "Okay-- how did you and Alex meet? A girl needs some details."

--

Alex gave Leighton a quick smile and wave before following the guys down to his music room. "Okay, so what do you guys think? I know you just met her, but I think that she's pretty nice. And definitely pretty." He turned after he descended down the stairs and opened the door to his practice area, where the guys kept a bulk of their instruments and one of Rian's drumsets.

To say it had been a while since Leighton had hung out with girlfriends was a bit of an understatement, so when the two girls turned to her she was slightly shocked. Not wanting to ruin whatever bubbling friendship she could find with these girls, she pushed past her wall and grinned. A blush formed on her cheeks as she though of the earlier situation. "Honestly it was all him. I was sitting in a coffee shop not far from here and he invited himself to have a seat... we got to talking and then, well he asked for my number."

---

Zack listened as Rian and Jack gave their approvals, Jack saying she had a cute accent and he wanted to keep her. Zack rolled his eyes at the lanky guitarist. "Jack she's not a pet, you can't keep her. It doesn't work like that." He laughed, grabbing his favorite bass. "Honestly though Alex, I haven't seen a smile on your face since Lisa left. So anyone that can get you smiling again is good in my book."

Mandy smiled softly as Cass nodded her head. "Yep, that's Alex, alright." The vocalist spoke, and Mandy nodded in agreement. "It's been a minute since he's been this excited about a girl coming over. He broke up with his fiancee about six months ago, and this is the happiest we've seen him since then." Mandy added.

--

"Jack, you're staying far away from her. I want this girl to stay around for awhile. And if you creep her out, that definitely isn't gonna happen." Alex spoke, grabbing his book of setlist ideas. He always came up with at least five or six different ones, and hopefully by the end of this jam session, the guys would be able to come up with something that they all liked.

Leighton bit her lip, unsure about the fact that Alex had been engaged only six months prior. What went wrong? Why did he end the engagement? "What happened with his fiancee? Was it bad?"

---

Zack chuckled as Jack pouted, upset that no one was letting him keep the country girl. "Jack, even if you could keep her... shes here for Alex. Now, I'm going to go tune this." Zack nodded towards the door, indicating that he was going to set up his bass in the other room.

"It was pretty bad. We found out that Lisa had been cheating on him, and when Cass and I went to tell him he blew up at us. But apparently when he confronted her later that night, she was honest about it. Her stuff was out the next day. It wasn't like, messy, or anything. But it was kinda rough. They'd been together longer than Zack and I." Mandy spoke, filling Leighton in.

--

"I'll buy you a sex doll and put a cowboy hat on it-- leave Leighton alone. She's too nice for a pervert like you." Alex spoke, sticking his tongue out at his best friend before turning his attention to Zack. "Be my guest, superman."

"Are you serious? Why on earth would anyone ever cheat on Alex? He's such a sweetheart." Leighton mused, heartbroken for him. She knew what it felt like and it would've been much worse if they had been engaged. On the other hand, she was flattered that Alex broke put of her six month depression for her.

---

Zack laughed as he walked out the room, joining the girls in the living room once more. "I said show her around not give her a backstory." Zack shook his head, kissing his girlfriend quickly before taking a seat to make sure his guitar was tuned. Once they were all set up, they'd end up back downstairs in the practice room but for now, he wanted some sunlight.

"I know, right? He's like the nicest person you could possibly meet." Mandy rolled her eyes as Zack came upstairs, saying something about her giving backstory. "Hey, Leighton needs to know what she's walking into! Wish someone would have told me." Mandy teased, gently nudging Zack before heading to get something from the fridge.

--

Alex tried to hear what the girls were talking about when Zack opened the door, but he really couldn't catch it. "I swear, if they scare her off,"he joked. But he knew Cass and Mandy wouldn't dare. They were like the mothers and sisters he never had.

"Oh really now - is that how you feel." Zack called out, looking up from his bass. "Cause I can make it much much better for you." He continued, his voice laced with a playful sarcasm.

---

Leighton laughed at the banter between the two. "Well what about you, how did you two meet?" she questioned, looking between Zack and Mandy.