‹ Prequel: Smiling Politely
For One Beat More
Like Finding All The Answers
Lexi was in their bedroom blow-drying her short hair when Matt came back from Oli’s.
“Hey,” she smiled through the mirror at him as he flopped down onto the bed, “You were gone for a while, get everything sorted?”
He groaned and covered his eyes with his hands, “Nah, I wasn’t at Ol’s the whole time. Been drivin’ around fer the last few hours.”
She frowned and stopped what she was doing, “Something wrong?”
He fished his car keys out of his hoodie pocket and twirled them around his finger, “No,” he paused, watching the keys, “Maybe. I’m not really sure to be honest.”
Lexi sat down on the bed next to him and placed her hand over his keys, sliding them off his finger and placing them on the bedside table, “Talk to me.”
“Just… stuff with Oli, tha’s all,” he avoided her emerald gaze.
“Boy stuff?” she said in a silly deep voice, that sounded uncannily like Sheep.
Matt chuckled, “Kinda.”
Lexi figured she’d better make herself comfortable as he probably wasn’t going to tell her exactly what happened anytime soon so she curled her legs underneath her and propped herself up on one elbow, “Okay, let’s start from the beginning, what did Sheep want to talk to you all about?”
“Jus’ about visas and sortin’ a bus, basically were we happy to do the same as las’ time and all tha’ kind of stuff.”
“Right,” she nodded, “So that stuff was all fine?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, absentmindedly drawing little circles with his fingertips over her bare knee, “Then he got to the last bit. Askin’ if it were alright if girlfriends were allowed to come, an’ Oli started.”
Lexi frowned, “Started what”?
Matt sighed, “Started wi’ the were it a good idea to ask you to come cause o’ everythin’ that’ happened after las’ time and stuff.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” he sighed again.
“So, uh, what did you say to that?”
He shrugged, and tugged his hat down further on his head, “I told ‘im he had nothing’ to worry about an’ tha’ it was none o’ his business. That we were goin‘ to be fine, tha‘ we are fine.”
She smiled and leaned forward, pushing his hat off his head and running her fingers through her hair, “There’s nothing to worry about with us, last time was just… I don’t know,” she shrugged, “Me being an idiot, not talking to you, telling you what was going through my head.”
“This time is nothin’ like last time,” he turned to look at her, to properly look at her for once. Her hair hadn’t been dark purple for a while, it was back to her natural chocolate brown shade that made her green eyes stand out and she had now wore a little silver ring in her nose. She was obviously in the process of getting ready to go out later as she had smoky grey eye shadow on with a little black eyeliner and her lashes were dark.
She smiled at him as she leaned forward and planted her lips on his softly, “This time is so much better than last time,” she ran her fingers through his hair, “But I don’t want to cause any friction between you and Ol, if that’s what me being on tour is going to do.”
“It’s Oli’s fucking problem, he can grow up an’ deal wi’ it himself,” Matt exclaimed, “I’m not havin’ a shit time on tour wi’ out ye jus’ cause he’s spat the dummy.”
“Nobody else minds?” she asked tentatively.
He shook his head, “No one else has one single issue wi’ it.”
They lay in silence for a minute, thinking things over.
“This is my slightly rubbish way o’ askin’ ye to come on tour wi’ me,” he clarified.
She grinned, “You don’t even have to ask, I’d love to come with you.”
“Good,” he smiled.
“Your not worried about what Oli was on about are you?” Lexi asked.
He looked back at the ceiling, “When Sheep brought it up I’ll admit that it was the first thing that popped into my head but when Ol started, I don’t know I guess I just snapped an’ immediately defended us, defended you.”
“But now…”
“But now I think about it, yeah I’m a bit worried that you’ll feel the same way after spending’ all tha’ time together in such close proximity but I think we’re in a much better place than we were las’ time.”
Lexi nodded, “I get that. If the shoe were on the other foot I guess I’d feel the same but I really want you to know that if I do feel that way, that I need space then I’ll tell you and we’ll work it out, or try to at least.”
He turned back to face her, sliding his fingers between hers, “We’ll be fine. Where do you want to go for dinner?”
“Hey,” she smiled through the mirror at him as he flopped down onto the bed, “You were gone for a while, get everything sorted?”
He groaned and covered his eyes with his hands, “Nah, I wasn’t at Ol’s the whole time. Been drivin’ around fer the last few hours.”
She frowned and stopped what she was doing, “Something wrong?”
He fished his car keys out of his hoodie pocket and twirled them around his finger, “No,” he paused, watching the keys, “Maybe. I’m not really sure to be honest.”
Lexi sat down on the bed next to him and placed her hand over his keys, sliding them off his finger and placing them on the bedside table, “Talk to me.”
“Just… stuff with Oli, tha’s all,” he avoided her emerald gaze.
“Boy stuff?” she said in a silly deep voice, that sounded uncannily like Sheep.
Matt chuckled, “Kinda.”
Lexi figured she’d better make herself comfortable as he probably wasn’t going to tell her exactly what happened anytime soon so she curled her legs underneath her and propped herself up on one elbow, “Okay, let’s start from the beginning, what did Sheep want to talk to you all about?”
“Jus’ about visas and sortin’ a bus, basically were we happy to do the same as las’ time and all tha’ kind of stuff.”
“Right,” she nodded, “So that stuff was all fine?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, absentmindedly drawing little circles with his fingertips over her bare knee, “Then he got to the last bit. Askin’ if it were alright if girlfriends were allowed to come, an’ Oli started.”
Lexi frowned, “Started what”?
Matt sighed, “Started wi’ the were it a good idea to ask you to come cause o’ everythin’ that’ happened after las’ time and stuff.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” he sighed again.
“So, uh, what did you say to that?”
He shrugged, and tugged his hat down further on his head, “I told ‘im he had nothing’ to worry about an’ tha’ it was none o’ his business. That we were goin‘ to be fine, tha‘ we are fine.”
She smiled and leaned forward, pushing his hat off his head and running her fingers through her hair, “There’s nothing to worry about with us, last time was just… I don’t know,” she shrugged, “Me being an idiot, not talking to you, telling you what was going through my head.”
“This time is nothin’ like last time,” he turned to look at her, to properly look at her for once. Her hair hadn’t been dark purple for a while, it was back to her natural chocolate brown shade that made her green eyes stand out and she had now wore a little silver ring in her nose. She was obviously in the process of getting ready to go out later as she had smoky grey eye shadow on with a little black eyeliner and her lashes were dark.
She smiled at him as she leaned forward and planted her lips on his softly, “This time is so much better than last time,” she ran her fingers through his hair, “But I don’t want to cause any friction between you and Ol, if that’s what me being on tour is going to do.”
“It’s Oli’s fucking problem, he can grow up an’ deal wi’ it himself,” Matt exclaimed, “I’m not havin’ a shit time on tour wi’ out ye jus’ cause he’s spat the dummy.”
“Nobody else minds?” she asked tentatively.
He shook his head, “No one else has one single issue wi’ it.”
They lay in silence for a minute, thinking things over.
“This is my slightly rubbish way o’ askin’ ye to come on tour wi’ me,” he clarified.
She grinned, “You don’t even have to ask, I’d love to come with you.”
“Good,” he smiled.
“Your not worried about what Oli was on about are you?” Lexi asked.
He looked back at the ceiling, “When Sheep brought it up I’ll admit that it was the first thing that popped into my head but when Ol started, I don’t know I guess I just snapped an’ immediately defended us, defended you.”
“But now…”
“But now I think about it, yeah I’m a bit worried that you’ll feel the same way after spending’ all tha’ time together in such close proximity but I think we’re in a much better place than we were las’ time.”
Lexi nodded, “I get that. If the shoe were on the other foot I guess I’d feel the same but I really want you to know that if I do feel that way, that I need space then I’ll tell you and we’ll work it out, or try to at least.”
He turned back to face her, sliding his fingers between hers, “We’ll be fine. Where do you want to go for dinner?”