Chisel My Heart Out of Stone

One reason that I loved Alex was because he was comfortable in his own skin. Possibly a little too comfortable, but it was what made Alex himself. He could run around wearing only his boxers while singing along with a song from a Disney movie and not be embarrassed. So it was only right that I be just as comfortable around him as he was around me.

He was often my shoulder to cry on and the person that was there for me. He was my best friend. He would watch chick flicks with me without complaining. He was the one I would call in the middle of the night if I had a nightmare. Hell, I’d call him in the middle of the night just because I couldn’t sleep.

So when he got famous and was always gone, things changed. I found myself not wanting to talk to anybody else. I would shut everybody else out because I didn’t want them. I wanted Alex. I wanted my best friend to be there for me, but he couldn’t be. He was always too busy. Too busy making the population of teenage girls happy, too busy signing CDs posters and anything else, too busy having the time of his life. It made me feel insignificant.

I couldn’t help but be jealous of Jack, Rian, and Zack because they didn’t lose their best friend. They got to see him till they were sick of him. They spent their days together laughing and having a good time. I was stuck working at a boring job without my friends to cheer me up—because my friends that weren’t in All Time Low were sick of my moping around. They were sick of my hopeless attitude that only improved for the short amounts of time that Alex was back.

It was four o’clock PM and I had half an hour left at work. Kendra sat at her desk, typing away. I glanced at the clock. “Taylor, somebody’s here to see you,” Lizz informed me. She was, in fact, the closest thing I had to a friend now. “Sound I tell him to schedule an appointment? He said his name was Alex something…”

“I… uh, bring him back.” I quickly rearranged some papers on my desk and turned so I was facing my computer instead of waiting for a client. I heard the chair squeak as he sat, but I didn’t turn. I quickly finished typing a short report before turning.

“May I help you?” I asked politely.

“Taylor…”

I knew that tone. He was apologizing for leaving for so long. I grabbed one of the cards on my desk and flipped it over. I scribbled my address and handed it to him. “I’ll be off work in about half an hour.”

“So is this a date?” he asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “Get out of my cubical, Gaskarth.” He laughed as he got up and left.

“Taylor’s got a date,” Lizz sang.

“Butt out,” I laughed.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I wined as Alex led me through a crowd of people.

“It wasn’t very hard,” he reminded me as he finally sat in a booth. I sat across from him.

“This is your idea of a date?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Not really. But I figured it would be less tense than a fancy dinner or something.” I absently watched as people basically had sex with their clothes. I ignored the fact that Alex and I were on a date.

A waitress came over carrying two drinks and set them down. “Two waters to start you off. What can I get for you?”

Alex ordered something and I said that I would have the same. We talked for hours. Finally, at about one AM. He drove me home and walked me to my door. I reluctantly grabbed my house key from my pocket and played with it for a few minutes while staring at our feet.

“Taylor,” he whispered, cupping his hand under my chin and forcing me to look up at him. My cheeks flushed red. His lips came closer to mine, inch by agonizing inch. Finally, his lips crashed down on my own.

“Alex,” I breathed when he pulled away all too soon. He grinned and kissed me again before I pulled him into the house with me.