Pressed Beneath This Spell

"Matt! Gimme my phone, did it ring?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?" Alex opened it up to see if there were any missed calls.

"Fuck Alex, no. It didn't ring."

Alex slumped and looked towards the fans filtering into the room for a meet and greet. He heard Matt laughing behind him.

He wanted to get all of this over and done with so he could go scope out the area coffee shops. This was a routine the guys had come accustomed to. He had to force all of this inside him though. All of the anxiety. Everyday it was getting less likely that she'd be at their show. They were so far from her town. He'd started to think he'd missed her and all of this was for nothing. He hated thinking that though. She really was all he could think about. He didn't understand it. [iShe was just a girl, he'd tell himself. He didn't even know anything about her! Zack had his own theories to try and get Alex to chill on the Corie-thoughts. Trying to tell him that she could be anything...a hermie, a drug addict, had STD's, serial killer, tranny, etc. Alex somehow knew she was flawless. It was as if something had put him in a trance. And he couldn't get out of it.

The rest of the guys had had their own conversations with him. Especially when Alex would get so moody that they had to do something before they threw him out the bus window. Jack had surprisingly said the most assuring words to him and was the one to cool everyone else down. He could see that Alex needed Corie. She was the type of girl to even him out. Alex had a side to him that even scared Alex. Try as he might to hide it or run from it, Alex always still had a mature side. A side that wanted a good girl at his side. A side that wanted a girl like Corie at his side, to support him with love in anything he did. He needed someone to talk to and make him feel comfortable letting that side out. So far, Corie had been the only one capable of that, though Jack had only seen her for maybe five minutes.

"Finally! Damn, man I love the fans but there's so many." Alex was hastily walking down the sidewalk.

"Chill. This girl isn't just gonna get her coffee and leave, remember, it was her favorite coffee shop. So they'll pr'bly stay there awhile. So just chill the fuck out, man."

Rian had been the trusty companion to accompany him on his coffee shop excursions. He didn't really mind seeing Alex this flustered. He'd gotten enough shit from him in the past for having one constant girl at home so this torture that Alex was enduring was kind of payback in the mind of Rian. He was the only one besides Jack who didn't want to throw him out the damn window.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't get it." Alex slowed his walk down as they came to a coffee shop. He looked in the window and saw nothing but some empty seats and laptops. He shook his head while turning around in frustration and leaning on the side of the building.

"I just don't fuckin get it, I mean, why do I have to think about her so damn much. I try to hide it but it just, it just doesn't work."

"Maybe she's a witch and cast a spell on you." Alex chuckled.

"Believe me, I've thought of that already. If she is, then it's workin and I don't fuckin care."

Rian stood against the wall with his exhausted friend.

"Do ya think she still, uh, thinks of me, or just fuckin forgot?"

Alex's eyes were stuck on an ant on the sidewalk.

"No idea, bro, but this can't all be for nothing."

"Yea that's what keeps me comin back to these damn coffee shops. The smell isn't even botherin me."

Alex looked around as if pondering what the meaning of life was. Then with one swift motion he hurled himself from the wall and back on the sidewalk toward the bus. Rian smirked and scuffled up next to him.

"Still can't believe Alex fuckin Gaskarth proved the whole love-at-first-sight thing."

"Yea, fuck...I just don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm turnin into you with the whole one-girl thing."

"It's not that bad, ya know."

"Yea, I'm sorta seein that now."

They made their way to their buses and the guys tried to hide their anxiety. They wanted him to find her already and this quest was more than half way over. In three months they'd be in Europe. And they did not want to venture across the open sea with a mopey Alex. Throwing someone out of a plane was highly dangerous, and a little bit against the law. They wanted him to be their Alex again. He still goofed around with them like kids taking over a summer camp, but he was different. He was plagued with this Corie on his mind like it was a disease.

Alex walked past with a slight shake of his head. He hated showin all his doubt, apprehension, excitement, eagerness, but he couldn't help it. He hurled himself in his bunk and laid staring at the ceiling. He heard them talk to Rian.

After a few minutes of trying to sleep he heard his phone ring. This thoughts raced with her voice on the other end saying that she was waiting for him nearby. He didn't even look at the screen to see who it was. He didn't want to miss the call.

"Hello?"

He didn't hear anything. He knew they hadn't hung up though.

"Hellllllo?"

He heard someone breathe heavily, almost as if it was a sigh. It had a feminine touch to it. Before he could say anything however, the call was ended. Whomever had called had hung up. And whomever had called had restricted their number.

"Damnit." He was pissed but a sudden burst of energy ran through his veins.

He almost fell out of his bunk as he fumbled to the guys.

"DUDE! I THINK SHE CALLED!!!"

The guys stopped everything they were doing and stared in amazement.

"Wait a minute, you think she called?" Rian asked.

"Yea! I mean it was restricted and someone sighed so I bet it was her!"

"WOA. Slow down bud...what do you mean restr-...sigh...what?"

"I answered my phone and no one said anything, but whoever it was sighed. And it was a chick for sure."

"How do you know the difference between a chick and a guy's sighs?" Zack asked followed by a chuckle.

"I just do fucker, it had to a been her."

Alex was looking at his phone again, willing it to ring again.

"Honestly, you don't know if-"

"It coulda been, Zack, so shut it." Matt was glaring at him with eyes telling him to let Alex have his peace.

Alex didn't feel like being placated so he turned around back toward his bunk when all of a sudden his phone rang again. He turned around looking at the guys, and everyone had their breaths held and wide-eyes glued on him.

"Hello?"

"Hey dear, how is tour going?" His shoulders slouched and all expression left his face, which wasn't a good sign for the guys.

"Uh, hey mom..."

The guys figured that it was just Alex's mom trying to call but it didn't work. It happened sometimes. Alex turned around slowly and went to the back of the bus. He decided to tell his mom all about it, much to his dismay, but he needed new advice. And a chick's POV.