The Only Rings I Have With Me Are the Ones Around My Eye

Audri walked out of her bathroom in just a towel. She had spent most of the day hanging around with Jack, but still had some of her stuff at her apartment, and she really felt like being alone. Drunk sex with Jack was not how she wanted last night to go. Well, sober Audri didn’t anyways. She sighed as she leaned against the hallway wall wondering what Jack was doing right now. Her apartment door clicked open and Alex walked in.

“Goodafter-“ Alex slowly turned the other way. “Why are you in just a towel!?”

“Maybe because this is my apartment Alex!” Audri rolled her eyes as she turned into her bedroom to get dressed. “What happen to the house you bought with Rian!?”

“I get bored there!” He whined.

“Well how did you know I was going to be here!?”

“Jacks twitter.” She could hear the grin in Alex’s voice. She slid on Jacks Ravens PJs and then a plain white shirt. Alex was looking through the fridge in the kitchen when she walked in. “So you two ditched the party early.”

“Yeah,” Audri said pushing him out of the way jokingly and grabbing the Iced Tea. Alex just looked at her waiting for the other part of the information. He was in his tight black skinny jeans and a blue and grey long sleeve striped shirt, his grey beanie in place as usual. Audri grabbed a box of frosted flakes and poured herself a bowl. When she glanced over at Alex he was standing there staring at her, still waiting for what they did. “What?” He just continued to stare at her. “What’s it to you!?”

“Nothing, I can just tell you want to tell me. It’s on the tip of your tongue.” Alex smirked slightly.

Audri sat down at the table not wanting to eat anymore. “Well we fucked obviously.”

“See now was that so hard to tell me?” He sat down and smiled at her.

“Without a condom.” She looked up at him.

“Well people have sex all the time without condoms and they don’t get prego. Plus, you already got prego, doesn’t mean it’ll happen again. Probably won’t.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” She whispered. She pushed her bowl away from her and leaned back in her chair. Her mind wandered to what Jack was doing at the moment, and how she wanted to be with him. Not that Alex was annoying her, but she just wanted to curl up with Jack and go back to sleep.

“Well for one, I’m not the guy who decided to have sex with you, so that’s one reason.” Alex chuckled lightly.

“True,” She shrugged.

“It’ll be okay. You can start to panic when you miss you’re period.”

“When?” Audri glared at him.

“IF! I MEAN IF!” Alex laughed and put his face in his hands. “I’m sorry!!!”

Audri shook her head at him with a slight smile and dumped her bowl out. She stuck it in the sink. Alex and her walked into the living room and sat on the couch. They watched TV and played on their phones for a while. Alex was the first to break the silence.

“So I see there’s still no ring,”

“We haven’t gone shopping for it yet,” Audri mumbled.

“Well wouldn’t you rather him buy you a ring and ask you over a dinner or something?” He challenged.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” She shrugged.

“Why not? Usually girls want it to be perfect.”

“I haven’t really thought about it,” She looked at Alex.

“My point exactly.” He turned forward and started playing with his phone again.

Audri’s eyes glared at him for a moment. “I don’t understand why us being engaged bothers you so damn much! We’ve had sex and the possibility of me bring pregnant doesn’t bother you one bit, but us being engaged?”

“I never said it doesn’t bother me!” He defended.

“You never said it did! You said ‘It’ll be okay’. A baby would tie us together just as much as a marriage will. A baby at 19 is ridiculous too! So I don’t understand what the whole difference is??!” She glared at him. Pretty upset. Everytime her and Alex had been alone recently they always ended up fighting about this, and the worst thing was is she couldn’t tell Jack. One, she was pretty sure Jack was kind of jealous when she hung around Alex alone, and Two, she didn’t need any fights happening between Alex and Jack because she wasn’t going to be the one to break up All Time Low. If it came down to it she’d disappear. Again.

“I guess there isn’t really a difference. You’re 19. We’re in our 20’s. You really don’t need to be getting married now! You have the rest of your life!” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Alex. I’ve explained this too you! We’re not getting married just yet. It’s an engagement. If you hate that word so much I can call it a promise ring, because that’s what it is right now! Jack knows that! Why can’t you get that through your head?!”

“Maybe I don’t want to get it through my head.” He mumbled.

“Why not!?” She snarled. Alex shrugged. Audri rolled her eyes again. “No Alex. I want an answer. Why can’t you get it through your fucking head!?”

“Because I’m not sure how I feel about you!” Alex snapped. When he realized what he
said he panicked. “Hypothetically.” Audri just stared at him not believing what just came out of his mouth. He was off messing around with Kacey all the time, totally dumped Brooklyn, never once, well maybe once, showed any type of interest and was always pushing for Jack and her to get along. And NOW he has feelings for her?

“Hypothetically?” She asked. “Hypothetically MY ASS! You have feelings for me!?” Her voice shook a bit. “Alex we’re best friends, I’m in love with Jack! You can’t have feelings for me! I cheated on him once with you that was that! We agreed on tour that there was a weird lust thing but I thought that was over with! I pushed it out of my head. You have to do the same! You have Kacey now! Why are you doing this?!” Audri stood up and turned to walk away. Alex got up after her and followed her down the hallway pushing her up against the wall.

“Admit that you’re curious too.” He whispered.

“Alex I was. We messed around once. My curiosity is gone.” She tore her eyes away from him.

“Then say that again looking me in the eyes.”

“I can’t,” She whispered.

“Exactly. You’re just as confused as I am. Which is why this engagement isn’t right.”

“Alex, it’s just a promise ring, we can still break up, it’s not like we’re planning anything or I’m looking for a dress. Why are you waiting for me?”

“I’m not. I’m just pointing out that I can see the way you look at Jack. You of all people know me better than anyone else and you know I can read people. You’re head over heels in love with him, but you second guess yourself every moment, which is why you shouldn’t be promising him anything if you’re going to hurt him.”

“What if it’s you that hurts him Alex?” Audri glared. “You know he’s jealous of you and me being alone together, yet you still come over on a daily basis without telling him.”

“You never tell me I can’t.”

“You shouldn’t want to hurt him!”

“He should trust us!” Alex agrued.

“Look at the way we are right now! Pinned against a wall face to face. If he walked in at this moment what would he think!? That I was cheating on him, with his best friend!”

“Tell me you don’t want to kiss me.” Alex demanded.

“I don’t want to kiss you,” I rolled my eyes.

“Look me in the eyes. And tell me you don’t want to kiss me.” Audri looked away from him. They were silent for a few minutes. “Exactly. You can’t. This is what I AM trying to tell YOU!” Alex backed away from her.

“I think you need to leave.” She whispered. Alex grabbed his stuff and left, not saying another word. Audri stood there staring at the door for a few minutes while the tears in her eyes gathered. She pushed herself into her bed and laid down and cried until she fell asleep.