Book Half Unread

Soon the gathering settled and it was only All Time Low and I left sitting in Alex's living room. The Gaskarths had gone up to bed and the other families had gone home for the night. We were sitting around watching The Mummy; Alex and Jack were on the couch and I ended up lying across their laps some how, Rian was sprawled out on the floor, and Zack was curled up on the love seat. I remember when we used to do this all the time. I could hear light snoring coming from my right. I looked to see Jack sitting there with his head tilted back and jaw slacked. Then it hit me: Jack didn't like The Mummy all that much.

Alex petting my hair made me look up to him. "Hey, everyone's asleep. Let's go," he said quietly, gently patting my shoulder. The light from the television set flashed against his face. I giggled quietly; his face looked silly.

Carefully I slid off their laps, avoiding landing on Rian's face. Quickly, I went upstairs and grabbed a few blankets, bringing them down and covering the guys before grabbing my shoes and jacket then following Alex out the front door. We walked down the freezing street, leaving our tracks through the snow; I listened to our feet tap on the sidewalk and crunch lightly over the white mounds of flakes.

"So, I know everyone in the entire world has probably asked you, but how's the tour going?" I asked. "You guys have a few more shows left right?"

"Yeah, a few more; it's been going great. It's been interesting meeting people and shit. We've got a show in Poughkeepsie I think the twelth or thirteenth this month. Which ever is Sunday," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You should come out to a show some time. It'd be really cool. I'd get you backstage and you can meet the other bands we've been with."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm not sure if I can though. I've got to move back to my dorm and I've got classes that Monday after, but I'll really try though. Um, I'll give you a call or something about it." I moved my bangs from my face, shoving my hands into my coat pocket.

"You're not just saying that, are you?" he teased, laughing. I watched the heat from between his lips leave in small, puffy clouds.

"No, I'm being honest, promise." I smiled at him, pulling my coat collar up and closer around my neck. I should have grabbed my scarf. The walk wasn't too much longer though. "What time is it?"

"Uh… I didn't bring my phone," he replied with a small laugh. "Sorry."

"Oh, it's okay."

"Are you supposed to be somewhere?"

"Oh, no, no; I was just wondering, because it's just really quiet out."

"Oh. Okay."

After that it was quiet. The few extra miles were trekked in serene silence. I think it had to be at least thirty to forty more minutes of just walking the town's streets before we made it to the park. I sighed, blowing a constant stream of heated cloud masses from my mouth.

He broke the silence as we walked into the park. "Do you remember which tree it is?"

"Why; don't you remember?" I asked. In truth, it was too dark for me to tell where the tree was and I was too embarrassed to say no.

He laughed, shaking his head. His hand reached into my coat pocket and took mine, pulling me towards a group of trees that were by themselves. "Nice attempt at avoiding the question. You always did that when you didn't have the answer." I gave a shy smile.

Looking up, I pointed at a tree, though even in the small cluster of trees, still seemed to stand alone. "Hey isn't that it?" I asked, looking up to him.

"Let's check it out." He pulled me over to it. We circled the fat tree trunk. I guess I was first to spot it; AG + AM 2005 was carved into the wood. "Oh hey you found it. Damn that was a while ago." He ran his hand over it and laughed.

Three years is a long time when you think about. Since the summer of '05 so much has happened. Back then I'd never have thought about what I'd be doing now. My life was simply the pits right now. I wouldn't let people know though. If they knew how bad it was right now, they found out on their own by either stalking me or asking my relatives, or hacking and reading my private blog posts on LiveJournal.

A sudden cold freezing sensation hit my face. Reaching up I felt the crispy, icy substance on my face. I wiped it away and turned to yell at the delinquent when another snowball hit my face. Quickly I wiped it away again and reached down, gathering some snow and throwing it right back at him.

"No way, Aimee!" he shouted, laughing as he ran at me, letting my snowballs hit him. He didn't care. Easily he took me down and I was stuck lying on the freezing ground with his warm body on top of me.

"You're such a jerk," I laughed, smacking his shoulders, trying to roll him off.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"Because you tackled me."

"Why?"

"Because- hey! I'm not playing this game."

"Why?"

"You- never mind."

"Why?"

"You're such a kid!"

His eyes widened. "Sorry, Aimee; I didn't mean to piss you off. I was only playing around." Did I really look that upset?

"No, Alex, it's okay. I shouldn't be so uptight. You know I've always had a stick or something up mine. I need to get over it," I admitted to him, sighing. For me, sighing let all the stress out of my body, that's why I did it so much.

He rubbed my freezing, wind bitten cheeks with his warm, calloused hands before rolling off of me and lying beside me on the snow. I could hear him breathing quietly beside me. Turning my head to the side I saw that his hand was lying near my face. Slowly I reached over and took his hand in mine and held it.

"How was New Years?" he asked. He spoke so quietly I didn't know if he had actually said something.

"New Years was okay. There wasn't anything too special. I was in town. I watched the ball drop, went to bed afterward."

"Seriously; who'd you kiss?"

"Kiss?" I asked him.

"Yeah; do you have a guy in your life again or something?"

I laughed quietly. "No, not since Jack. There wasn't a New Years kiss, nothing. I was with my mom, a bottle of wine, and the TV set. But what about you; did you get your kiss?"

I knew he was grinning. "Yeah, I did. I don't know who she was, but it was nice. I didn't mind it."

I found myself smiling at his statement. "How did I know?"

Time passed and I was slowly falling asleep when I felt him lace our fingers together. "I'm real sorry we didn't talk Aims. Jack and the guys really wanted to call," he said.

"I know Alex, but what about you?" I didn't even register my question before I asked it.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you want to call?"

He was quiet for a while before he gave my hand a squeeze. "Yes."

It was there that I felt Alex and I had a moment. Something went off in my head and I knew that I missed this boy in more than just a platonic way. I had officially fallen in complete infatuation with this boy for the second time in my life.

"Alex."

"What is it?"

"Let's go back. I'm starting to fall asleep."

"It's a plan."