You Mustn't Give Your Heart To A Wild Thing

"Are ye ever not at Dannys?" I mumbled, refusing to drag my eyes from the magazine I'd been perusing and give a proper welcome to the figure leant in the doorway. I'd known who it was by the loud, rapid footsteps across the floorboards. I knew who it was because he'd done the same; at precisely six thirty in the evening, every day since we'd met.

"I'm not there now"

I rolled my eyes and switched positions, scooting across one cushion and pulling my knees up to my chest. I knew exactly where he was headed, and I refused to get sandwiched between Alex Gaskarth and the arm of the couch again. "No, ye not, I see that"

He chuckled softly and flopped down next to me, in the exact spot I'd suspected he would. Running a hand beneath his grey beanie and smoothing his fringe, whilst tugging the hem of his cobalt blue shirt down with his other. "Well I'm no Einstein Verity Ann, but I'm pretty sure you've just answered your own question"

I clicked my tongue against my teeth and turned the page slowly, purposefully. Hoping; in vain, that he would get the message. "Whatcha readin'?" He sang.

"One hundred and one ways to get rid of creepers" I nodded dryly, letting the magazine fall from between my fingers and into my lap. "So far though, I'm not impressed. Ye still here and if anything ye visits have become more frequent"

"You say that like it's a bad thing"

"What makes ye think it's a good one?"

Alexander William Gaskarth never usually had to try with the ladies. Everything about him told me this and each new tell tale sign of his 'hearthrob' status, angered me that little bit more.

I'd be more than happy to slap his silly little smirk from his lips each time he spoke to me, and it crept silently from the corners of his mouth. Samantha claimed I'd be just as happy kissing that same pair of lips. I promptly silenced her, with my well practiced and regularly voiced rant about singers in bands. And the expression on her face told me they she no more wanted to continue the conversation, than I wanted to have it in the first place.

"Were getting to know each other Verity Ann, were..."

"I don't think that ye talkin' at me about ye'self constitutes as 'getting to know each other'" the size of his smirk only increased as I made speech marks with my fingers in the air and I let my head loll back against the cushions. Before closing my eyes and taking a long, deep breath. "besides if ye knew me at all, ye wouldn't call me Verity Ann"

"It's your name, isn't it?"

"It's my full name Alex" I stated, "It's what my parents used to call me when they was pissed off at us, it's what..."

"Maybe I'm pissed at you" he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging outward to make his smile toothier, and his shoulder nudging gently against mine.

"I'm pissed at ye and there's no Alexander Williams comin' outta my mouth" His eyes grew wide as I edged a little further from him. His brow crumpling in confusion for a second, before his gaze fell to his hand; resting gently atop my right thigh and a light blush washed across his cheeks.

"Would it make you less pissed at me if I took you out to dinner?"

"I've eaten"

"You haven't"

I nodded toward the array of plates and bowls on the coffee table. None of which were mine, but Alex wasn't to know th..."That's not yours Verity Ann. You don't eat meat"

"How'd you know I..."

"I pay you more attention than you think, or than you probably want" he laughed sheepishly, folding and unfolding his arms rapidly across his chest as he glanced around the room. "and there's half a hamburger hidden just..." I groaned loudly as he flicked a plate up in the air to reveal a half eaten burger; still slightly wrapped in it's 'Wendys' paper, underneath. "For someone that lies a whole bunch, you're really bad at it"

"What makes ye think I lie?"

"You're a girl. And, you've done nothing to make me think otherwise" he answered simply.
It was Alex Gaskarths simplicity that got right under my skin; it was Alex Gaskarths simplicity that exposed my unnecessary complexity.

Ask him what his favourite colour is and he'd reply without a seconds hesitation, blue. Ask me, and I'd spend the next twenty minutes weighing up the pros and cons of purple versus red. He wouldn't stand in Pinkberry for thirty minutes debating original over passionfruit and he wouldn't take forty minutes to pick a movie in Blockbuster.

Alex's simplicity was that which only came from knowing exactly what he wanted. This is where I fell short and this was another reason I knew Alex would win, eventually.

"D'ye ever get bored of knowing everything?"

"Everything in general or everything about you, Verity..."

I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for the Ann; I could see his lips curling to form the 'Ah' and I swore I heard his sharp intake of breath as he prepared to speak, but it never came. Instead, as I let my eyes flutter open, I caught him moving toward the edge of the couch and rising slowly to his feet; smoothing his t-shirt down where it had grown crumpled around his waist before shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

His dark brown hair hung heavily across his face; shielding large chocolate brown eyes I knew would be shining with amusement, and I couldn't tear my own eyes, of a slightly lighter shade, from his sugar pink pouted lips. Still half expecting to see the shape of an 'A' flash across them. "I'd like to think I know everything about you Verity" he grinned rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet as he flicked his head back to shift his fringe from his eyes. "But I'm counting on the fact that I..."

He was silenced by the low, loud roar of my stomach and I couldn't help but giggle as he tilted his head to one side and raised his eyebrows skyward. "And you say you've eaten?"

I felt my cheeks burn red for a second or two and dropped my eyes to the floor. "Where are ye taking me?"

&&

The restaurant was small enough that we slipped inside unnoticed on my part and unrecognised on Alexs. The restaurant was large enough that they stocked Alexs favourite brand of light beer and understood what a vegetarian actually was.

It was hidden at the end of a tiny street just off of Sunset; the sort of place that you wouldn’t find had you not been looking, and Alex had been like a child in a sweet shop since the moment we’d stepped inside.

The walls were covered from floor to ceiling in gawdy red and orange wallpaper; the unrecognisable pattern was broken up by various photographs of patrons that had been tacked to the wall following one too many Margaritas and if you stared at it long enough it appeared to move right in front of your eyes. And the tiled floor beneath our feet had caused both of us to stick a little as we followed our waitress to a small table in the corner.

I understood why Alex had brought me here and I was grateful in his doing so. It was hard to find something so perfect in its imperfections whilst surrounded by the looming Hollywood Hills. It was the little slice of normal that I'd been missing terribly since moving into the shadow of the Hollywood sign.

"How's your burrito?"

He had asked me just seconds after I'd taken a gargantuan bite. He had waited until I'd taken a gargantuan bite to ask.

"It's good" I mumbled around the roasted vegetables and from behind the napkin I'd swiftly pressed to my mouth. "Really good"

He beamed proudly and took an obnoxiously loud sip of his beer from the straw he'd insisted on drinking it through. A 'strawpedo' he'd claimed, the actions of a man-child I had argued.

"I found this place a few weeks ago with Rian, I've been waiting to show it off to some new blood" he explained, throwing fries haphazardly into his mouth. "Ri doesn't get excited by the signed Mario Lopez picture behind the register anymore"

"And I did?"

"Have you seen it?" I shook my head no. "He looks smokin', you should definitely check it out before we leave"

I giggled softly and set my fork down on the side of my plate. I could feel Alexs eyes trained on me; watching my every tiny movement, but I'd be damned if I gave him the satisfaction of reciprocating his gaze. "I'll check it out"

"Speaking of 'checking out'"

I rolled my eyes at the air quotes he made with his fingers and picked my fork back up, pushing the remaining food around my plate. The seasoned potatoes had been good, as had the homemade coleslaw and of course the vegetable burrito, but I was stuffed, and my jeans were of a tightness that grew more and more unforgiving with each bite. "Uhuh?"

"You look hot" he smiled sincerely, letting his eyes slowly roam from my face, to the black chiffon blouse I had thrown on, and back again. "Not hot like 'My God I wanna bone that chick and never call her again" but hot in a "jeeez, I'd love to show her off around town and make every other man hate me' kinda way"

He noted the unimpressed look on my face and swiftly changed tactic. “I’m sorry. You look good” He choked suddenly, “I meant to say you look good”

I smiled uneasily and dug my fork into the heaped pile of coleslaw. I had learnt a surprising amount about Alex Gaskarth in the week and a half that I had known him, but this was the first time I’d witnessed him apologising. And for something so trivial; it was the last thing I had expected. “’s okay” I nodded, “Ye just need to word things better”

“I’m a lyricist Verity”

“And I’m a fashion major Alex. Doesn’t mean my outfits don’t clash sometimes”

“You’re a fashion major?”

“Just about” His eyebrows bunched together inquisitively and his lips parted a little as if to question, but his silence told me to go on and I fixed my eyes to the plate before me. I hadn’t quite figured out how to explain myself and my actions during the past few years yet, and I’d not expected to have to do so for someone I barely knew. “I lost my head a little bit” I reasoned, my voice barely more than a whisper. “But I’m getting back on track now”

“Everyone loses their head a little bit when they move out here” Alex smiled through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

“Ye don’t come from California?”

“No Ma’am” He grinned, “Baltimore. Baltimore, Maryland”

“Like the chocolate chip cookies and Tracy Turnblad?”

“Like the chocolate chip cookies” He nodded, “And who?”

“Tracy Turnblat? Hairspray?...Good morning Baltimore…” I let my sing song words trail as a smirk creased across his lips and I felt the heat creeping slowly up either side of my neck, headed for my cheeks. “It’s a film…well a Broadway musical first. I think they’re remaking it with that twit from High School Musical. It’s really good, Rikki Lake was Tracy and…” I clamped my lips together and squeezed my eyes closed as he began to chuckle. “I speak too much”

“It’s a good thing I like listening to you then isn’t it” I opened my eyes slowly; relieved to see that he’d fixed his attention back to his meal.

"Ye don't talk as much as I'd expect. Well, ye do, it's hard to shut ye up once ye get started. But ye've barely told me anything. Maybe ye could give me a little somethin' back"

"I'd give you anything you like Verity Ann Pal...Sorry" He looked a little sheepish and his eyes that had risen briefly to meet my own, were now fixed once again on his food. "I'm just so used to people knowing everything about me. Not that they know me, not that I've even told them. I just...my reputation preceeds me. To them I'm 'Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low', not Alex from Baltimore that hates the smell of fresh cut grass because he has hayfever and listens to the Beatles to wake himself up in the morning'

"Ye get hayfever too?"

"The worst kind. I sneeze all day, I puff up, my eyes puff up, I..."

"Do ye eyes run? My eyes run like hell. Streams, rivers, bucket loads"

"How's that for giving something back?" He smiled broadly and drug his eyes up to meet mine. They were anything but puffy and I was embarassed to admit I found them nothing short of perfect. "This is probably the most honest conversation I've had in a year. Maybe I was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" I asked, reaching across the table to grab my diet coke; I'd made the concious decision to not drink around Alex, something I wouldn't have even considered a month earlier, and placing the cold glass to my mouth. I shuddered a little at the change in temperature and ran my tongue across my lips quickly, stopping short of the right corner of my mouth as Alex's words registered in my head. "And wait, hold up...ye admiting ye might be wrong?"

A small sigh escaped his lips and I felt his legs entwine, slowly and subtly with my own underneath the table. "Alex from Baltimore, Maryland; a place famous for cookies and some Tracy chick, admits he might've been wrong" He smirked, "'Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low' would do no such thing"

'Verity Ann Palmer from Sheffield, England; a place famous for steel making and some dudes called Def Leppard, was finding Alex from Baltimore, Maryland a dozen different kinds of charming' I thought, Verity Ann Palmer of Los Angeles, California would be damned if she admitted this to Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low'