Sequel: For One Beat More ›
Smiling Politely
Your Weakness Is Fear
"Ol said I'd find ye in 'ere."
Lexi blinked and froze on her little stool as she heard his always familiar Sheffield drawl.
"Matt," she swiveled to face him. He looked different from last time, well it had been about 9 months and twenty-three days since she had seen him in the flesh.
Not that anyone was counting.
His brown hair was shorter and he was leaner, she could see a new tattoo creeping around the sides of his neck and his stretched lobes were a little smaller. It suited him, but then everything always did.
She blinked again. Although she had known he was here, in the same city, in the same building, actually sitting six feet away from him in the tiny sweatbox she worked in was a bit of a shock. The local support band she had been vaguely paying attention to through her little window were long forgotten and it was all she could do to remember to breathe properly.
He was the first one to break the silence, "Figured we'd bump into each other eventually so thought it was best just to get the awkwardness out the way," he smiled shyly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, he wasn't ready to play the show yet so he had an excuse to leave when things got really awkward. Clever boy.
"Quick thinking Batman," she smiled, not meeting his eyes. She hadn't since he'd walked into the room. She didn't think she could. Not after what she had done to him, it wasn't fair. Why did he always have to be the bigger person? The lovely one who didn't hold a grudge? He should hate her. Should be trying his hardest to avoid her. No one would blame him, Oli and the boys would probably help him, it was plainly obvious at least they weren't her biggest fans these days.
"So, um, hows tour going?" she asked the least controversial, most obvious vague question she could think of.
"Not bad, some of the dates have sold out so far so it's going to be a good run," he rocked on his heels and glanced around the sparse cloakroom, being the beginning of summer jackets weren't really needed tonight. Technically he shouldn't be allowed in, no matter how many A's were on the laminate hanging from his belt loop but the rules in this place generally depended on who was flaunting them.
"Good. You guys work real-"
"Excuse me," a voice from the other side of the window called impatiently.
"Shit, um you're really not supposed to be in here," Lexi shot up from her stool, "Hide."
Before he had a second to react her small hand was on his arm and she shoved him into a rail of coats before spinning back around to the window.
"Hi," she smiled politely at the two snotty scene girls on the other side.
He watched her lean over the ledge of the window and couldn't help but drag his eyes down her body. She still looked as good as she always had, even in her jeans and loose v-neck shirt.
The taller of the two girls with the slightly better hair extensions dumped her massive leopard print bag on the desk, her bangles jingling together obnoxiously, "Were you just talking to yourself?"
Matt scoffed quietly to himself, some of these girls really were a piece of work.
Her little bottle blonde friend giggled beside her and the two exchanged a look as Lexi ripped a bright blue ticket off of her little book and taped it to the bag, giving the other half to the girl, "A pound please."
The girl just raised an eyebrow and curled her pierced lip as she handed over the small coin before turning and walking away, "Loser."
"If they knew that you'd broken the heart of the drummer from Bring Me The Horizon -"
Lexi jumped and turned around to find Matt standing directly behind her. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water and silently freaked out. The one thing stopping her from forming a sentence or even a coherent thought was that he still smelled the same. Fresh and warm and Matt-like. She had missed it. Missed him.
But she had Josh.
"I'd better head off and warm up, the last support are getting ready to come on," he motioned out of her window then his eyes met hers, "It's really good to see you again Lexi-Mae."
She smiled at her middle name, he had been the only one outside her family allowed to use it. Suddenly his lips brushed her cheek and with one last slightly squint smile he left the tiny room. She pressed her fingers to her cheek and shivered at the shot of electricity that ran down her spine.
But she had Josh.
Lexi blinked and froze on her little stool as she heard his always familiar Sheffield drawl.
"Matt," she swiveled to face him. He looked different from last time, well it had been about 9 months and twenty-three days since she had seen him in the flesh.
Not that anyone was counting.
His brown hair was shorter and he was leaner, she could see a new tattoo creeping around the sides of his neck and his stretched lobes were a little smaller. It suited him, but then everything always did.
She blinked again. Although she had known he was here, in the same city, in the same building, actually sitting six feet away from him in the tiny sweatbox she worked in was a bit of a shock. The local support band she had been vaguely paying attention to through her little window were long forgotten and it was all she could do to remember to breathe properly.
He was the first one to break the silence, "Figured we'd bump into each other eventually so thought it was best just to get the awkwardness out the way," he smiled shyly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, he wasn't ready to play the show yet so he had an excuse to leave when things got really awkward. Clever boy.
"Quick thinking Batman," she smiled, not meeting his eyes. She hadn't since he'd walked into the room. She didn't think she could. Not after what she had done to him, it wasn't fair. Why did he always have to be the bigger person? The lovely one who didn't hold a grudge? He should hate her. Should be trying his hardest to avoid her. No one would blame him, Oli and the boys would probably help him, it was plainly obvious at least they weren't her biggest fans these days.
"So, um, hows tour going?" she asked the least controversial, most obvious vague question she could think of.
"Not bad, some of the dates have sold out so far so it's going to be a good run," he rocked on his heels and glanced around the sparse cloakroom, being the beginning of summer jackets weren't really needed tonight. Technically he shouldn't be allowed in, no matter how many A's were on the laminate hanging from his belt loop but the rules in this place generally depended on who was flaunting them.
"Good. You guys work real-"
"Excuse me," a voice from the other side of the window called impatiently.
"Shit, um you're really not supposed to be in here," Lexi shot up from her stool, "Hide."
Before he had a second to react her small hand was on his arm and she shoved him into a rail of coats before spinning back around to the window.
"Hi," she smiled politely at the two snotty scene girls on the other side.
He watched her lean over the ledge of the window and couldn't help but drag his eyes down her body. She still looked as good as she always had, even in her jeans and loose v-neck shirt.
The taller of the two girls with the slightly better hair extensions dumped her massive leopard print bag on the desk, her bangles jingling together obnoxiously, "Were you just talking to yourself?"
Matt scoffed quietly to himself, some of these girls really were a piece of work.
Her little bottle blonde friend giggled beside her and the two exchanged a look as Lexi ripped a bright blue ticket off of her little book and taped it to the bag, giving the other half to the girl, "A pound please."
The girl just raised an eyebrow and curled her pierced lip as she handed over the small coin before turning and walking away, "Loser."
"If they knew that you'd broken the heart of the drummer from Bring Me The Horizon -"
Lexi jumped and turned around to find Matt standing directly behind her. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water and silently freaked out. The one thing stopping her from forming a sentence or even a coherent thought was that he still smelled the same. Fresh and warm and Matt-like. She had missed it. Missed him.
But she had Josh.
"I'd better head off and warm up, the last support are getting ready to come on," he motioned out of her window then his eyes met hers, "It's really good to see you again Lexi-Mae."
She smiled at her middle name, he had been the only one outside her family allowed to use it. Suddenly his lips brushed her cheek and with one last slightly squint smile he left the tiny room. She pressed her fingers to her cheek and shivered at the shot of electricity that ran down her spine.
But she had Josh.