She's With The Band
Chapter 8;
Imelda felt someone’s finger poke her in the small of her back and she spun around, clothespin in hand, ready to attack.
“Alex! What the fuck?” she gasped, dropping the pin on the counter and throwing a hand over her chest.
Alex giggled and tacked up a forty-dollar price tag next to their baby blue hoodie. “I can’t resist you, Mel.”
Imelda sighed. “Yes, well, get in line, bud.”
Alex frowned at her slightly and shook off the comment. He plopped down in her lawn chair and began fanning himself with one of the Hopeless Records booklets that was lying around. Imelda unloaded the last set of shirts for the display counter before turning around and placing her hands on her hipbones. She slid her Juicy Couture sunglasses onto her sticky hair and glanced over at Alex. He was watching her silently, a cocky omnipresent smirk crossing his face. He tapped his knee and Imelda matched his half-smile with one of her own and set herself down on his lap.
“Shit, you have one bony ass, girl…” he laughed, draping an arm around her barely-there waist.
“Psh, you love my ass,” she teased, looking straight through his dark Maui Jim’s and into his eyes. Alex’s breath caught in his well-exercised throat as Imelda stared right threw him and cut him down to what he really was. She noticed his change of expression and giggled.
“Gaskarth, you are quite the charade, aren’t you. Did you think I didn’t notice that whole bit with the Paramore song last night?”
Alex winced at the very mention of the band name. He shook his head. “No, I just hoped you weren’t going to ask.”
“Well, I did. But it’s up to you whether or not you answer me.”
Alex sighed and ran his free hand through his hair and dropped it back on her lap. They both noticed the tingly feeling they felt when his palm landed on her mid-thigh.
“Hayley and I… have a history, I guess.”
“You?” Imelda choked, “And Hayley Williams?” She knew she couldn’t compete with Hayley.
“Is that so hard to believe?” Alex frowned.
“Yes. She always seemed like this nice, wholesome girl and well, no offense honey, but I know your reputation.”
Alex laughed and shook his head. “Every time. Ha. I still have no idea who came up with the idea that I am a man-whore who has one night stands every other evening, but it’s not true. And Hayley is a very nice, wholesome girl, but she is still a part of this scene and she gets into trouble like everyone else. And… one night, on this tour last year, we met and flirted a lot and I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her. And uh, shit went down and I woke up the next morning from the best night of my life, completely sober, as was she, and she was gone. No note, no call, no nothing. I haven’t heard a word from her since.”
Imelda’s jaw dropped and her throat felt dry. Everything that she had always believed about her favorite musicians was false. She cleared her throat. “Whoa,” she muttered, dropping her hands from around his scrawny neck.
Alex sighed and shook his head again, taking her hands and putting them back in place. “I said I was in love with her. I’m not anymore.”
To Imelda and Alex’s utter surprise, Imelda leaned in and kissed him delicately on the lips. “Good.”
“Alex! What the fuck?” she gasped, dropping the pin on the counter and throwing a hand over her chest.
Alex giggled and tacked up a forty-dollar price tag next to their baby blue hoodie. “I can’t resist you, Mel.”
Imelda sighed. “Yes, well, get in line, bud.”
Alex frowned at her slightly and shook off the comment. He plopped down in her lawn chair and began fanning himself with one of the Hopeless Records booklets that was lying around. Imelda unloaded the last set of shirts for the display counter before turning around and placing her hands on her hipbones. She slid her Juicy Couture sunglasses onto her sticky hair and glanced over at Alex. He was watching her silently, a cocky omnipresent smirk crossing his face. He tapped his knee and Imelda matched his half-smile with one of her own and set herself down on his lap.
“Shit, you have one bony ass, girl…” he laughed, draping an arm around her barely-there waist.
“Psh, you love my ass,” she teased, looking straight through his dark Maui Jim’s and into his eyes. Alex’s breath caught in his well-exercised throat as Imelda stared right threw him and cut him down to what he really was. She noticed his change of expression and giggled.
“Gaskarth, you are quite the charade, aren’t you. Did you think I didn’t notice that whole bit with the Paramore song last night?”
Alex winced at the very mention of the band name. He shook his head. “No, I just hoped you weren’t going to ask.”
“Well, I did. But it’s up to you whether or not you answer me.”
Alex sighed and ran his free hand through his hair and dropped it back on her lap. They both noticed the tingly feeling they felt when his palm landed on her mid-thigh.
“Hayley and I… have a history, I guess.”
“You?” Imelda choked, “And Hayley Williams?” She knew she couldn’t compete with Hayley.
“Is that so hard to believe?” Alex frowned.
“Yes. She always seemed like this nice, wholesome girl and well, no offense honey, but I know your reputation.”
Alex laughed and shook his head. “Every time. Ha. I still have no idea who came up with the idea that I am a man-whore who has one night stands every other evening, but it’s not true. And Hayley is a very nice, wholesome girl, but she is still a part of this scene and she gets into trouble like everyone else. And… one night, on this tour last year, we met and flirted a lot and I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her. And uh, shit went down and I woke up the next morning from the best night of my life, completely sober, as was she, and she was gone. No note, no call, no nothing. I haven’t heard a word from her since.”
Imelda’s jaw dropped and her throat felt dry. Everything that she had always believed about her favorite musicians was false. She cleared her throat. “Whoa,” she muttered, dropping her hands from around his scrawny neck.
Alex sighed and shook his head again, taking her hands and putting them back in place. “I said I was in love with her. I’m not anymore.”
To Imelda and Alex’s utter surprise, Imelda leaned in and kissed him delicately on the lips. “Good.”