Through All These Cities...

“I hope Ali isn’t actually trashing our bus. I’ll be the one who has to clean it up when I get back, everyone else will just live in a pig sty.”

“Nu uh. Mind off tour, off the band, off the bus. Just focus on having some fun outside of work.”

“You view touring, as work?” I laugh, shaking my head, “We’re getting paid, quite a lot of money, to travel around with our best mates and play music every night? Sort your priorities, kid.”

“Kid?!” He laughs stopping us on the pavement, “Did you just call me, ‘Kid’? Who’s the nineteen year old here?”

“To be honest, you act about twelve, so therefore, I am more mature.” I smirk, taking a step back as he takes a step forward.

He hums slightly, biting his lip, shaking his head as his hands pull mine from my pockets and he lets our fingers entwine, “Can I be at least sixteen?”

“Fourteen and we’ve got a deal.”

“Fine, old woman.” Alex laughs, nervously watching down the street as a couple of cars pass, pulling me quickly over the road and back onto the opposite pavements, “Sorry, fear of crossing roads.”

“I’ll protect you.” I wink, laughing as he tugs on my arm with a roll of his eyes, entering a quiet looking pub a few steps ahead of me, “Well this place is lively!”

“You’re gonna get us kicked out, you twerp. Just go sit somewhere and I’ll get you a cider?”

“Rum and Coke, actually.” I grin, walking towards an empty looking corner, where Alex and I won’t be overhear, so he can’t complain about how much my drink is going to cost him.

“You’re one expensive date.” He groans, placing the drink down in front of me, sliding onto the leather bench beside me instead of onto the stool opposite, “But, I guess I’ll have to get used to it.”

“Thank you for agreeing to come out with me.” Alex smiles as he stops us walking outside my bus, “I like you better now.”

“Are you saying you didn’t like me before?” I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest, tapping my foot, pretending to be some what angry.

He shrugs, “Not as much as I do now.”

“Cheeky git.”

He pokes his tongue out swiftly and I roll my eyes at his childish behaviour, gasping as I suddenly feel his lips down on mine, and they’re gone again.

“Well,” He coughs, smiling as he watches my eyes narrow, “See you.”

“See you? Are fucking kidding me, Alexander?” He shrugs as he begins to walk away and I manage to catch the back of his coat in my fist before he can get to far away, “You don’t get to kiss me like a pansy and then walk away.”

“And you don’t get to call me, Alexander and get away with it.” He grins, pulling me back towards him this time, hand gripping tightly at my waist, “I don’t kiss like a pansy either.”

The searing kiss that follows his jibe makes my knees go weak and I’m gripping onto Alex’s neck as he has hold of my hips, to keep myself from buckling. His lips are definitely chapped but I’m sure mine aren’t much better, not that it matters when he pulls away again.

“Catch you tomorrow, Amelia.”

He steps away again, and I let him go, watching him with a smile as he turns back to wave before he gets on his bus for the rest of the night.
Alice is the only one awake when I step though the door with a massive grin on my face, and she raises her eyebrows when she looks up from the laptop, where I guess she editing a video, seeing as the camcorder is plugged into the computer.

“And what are you grinning about Miss Campbell?”

“Nothing to do with you, deary! I’m going to bed, and you should too.”

“Good idea. By what Dan was saying earlier, I think tomorrow’s going to be the official start to the Prank wars.”

“Oh dear god. I’m going to need to brain storm retaliations.”

“Don’t worry; I’ve got a few up my sleeve already. We’ll be prepared.”

It’s suspiciously quiet when I wake the next morning, even though it’s already ten in the morning, and I look around my bunk and the upstairs in case there’s something ready to surprise me.
Tyler catches me tip-toeing downstairs still in my pyjamas and laughs and snorts until I hit him over the head.

“There’s no movement in ‘Minor bus if that’s what you’re so worried about.” He’s still guffawing as I walk past him and into the back lounge, “You looked so fucking funny, like Sherlock Holmes.”

“My God, someone fed him sugar or coffee already?”

“Guilty.” Nate admits, “I made him coffee when he got up, and put sugar and cream in it.”

“Well, thanks Nathan, that’s just what we need when we’ve got an apparent Prank war descending on us.”