Can't Dream Without You.
i don't wanna live this life without you, i don't wanna know what it's like.
“I have to fly home soon.”
“You suck.”
“You wish.”
Ellen glares at her boyfriend, who’s lying underneath her on the couch. Alex laughs, pushes her shoulder gently and smiles. Her glare doesn’t shift, however, and Alex smiles apologetically, ducking his head down to kiss her.
“You’re lucky I love you.” She says, sighing out a laugh and slumping forward against his chest, burying her face against his shirt.
“Yeah, I am.” He replies, smiling as he nuzzles against her blonde hair.
She blushes to herself, looking back towards the TV where Marley & Me, Alex’s movie of choice, is playing.
“I don’t see why you can’t just stay over here with me,” She says, not looking at him, “surely it’d be easier.”
Alex sighs a little, because they’ve had this argument before, and Ellen’s almost always ended up upset over it.
“You know I can’t,” He says, kissing the top of her head, “I’d love to, I really would, but I can’t. The band’s just starting to take off, and I have college, I can’t just leave.”
She frowns, bites at her lip and keeps her eyes on the TV. He sighs quietly, tugging her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I love you,” He whispers, and he feels her relax slightly.
“You’d better.”
They’re at the airport a few days later and Alex kind of doesn’t want to let Ellen go ever, so they’re standing there in the main lobby, near the lines and lines of people waiting to check in their bags and make their way to the departures lounge, one step closer to their destination.
“Do you have to go?” Ellen asks against his neck, looking down towards the floor.
“You know I do, baby,” He says, kissing the top of her head, playing with her hair gently, “I wish I could stay here with you, or take you with me.”
“I’m sure I can fit in your suitcase, Alex.”
“I’m not sure I’d let you. You’re too important to get thrown in with standard luggage, anyways.” He says, kissing her forehead and lingering, tugging her closer.
“I like how that’s your first thought on that suggestion. Not, ‘oh, you could get a ticket’.” She laughs, and Alex laughs too, kissing her gently as the loudspeaker tolls before the announcement.
“Last call for flight BW-548 to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. That’s last call for BW-548 to Baltimore and Washington.”
Ellen pouts, twists her fingers into Alex’s shirt and hugs him tighter, even more reluctant to let him go than ever before.
“Do you have to go?” She asks in a tiny voice, looking up at him. He sighs, bites at his lip and blinks back tears, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away from her.
“I love you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He promises, kissing her again and holding her as close as he can.
He pulls away finally a few moments later and backs towards security, blowing kisses as he stumbles, right up until he nearly falls backwards through the turnstile and has to turn around for his own safety.
Ellen laughs at him, blows him a last kiss across the foyer and wipes at her eyes, turning on her heel and heading home.
When she arrives back, she finds her phone sitting on the coffee table where she’d left it, except with an unread message.
1 New Message: Alex <3
She cocks her head, raises an eyebrow but presses the ‘open’ button anyway, giggling and blushing when she reads the message.
I miss you already.
They get by in the two months Alex is gone with frequent phone calls, texts at every moment they’re awake and have a free few seconds to inform the other of what they’re doing, and the occasional video call, which involves a lot of shuffling around in bed with laptops in the early hours of the morning.
There’s a knock on Ellen’s door about three weeks before Alex is due back. She frowns, stumbling around, still wearing her pyjamas and heads for the door.
She opens it to her sheepishly smiling boyfriend, who grins, and ruffles his hair as she stares at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice greeting.” He laughs, resting his hand on her hip and tugging her in for a kiss.
“No, seriously.” She says, pulling away from him. “Why are you here? You’re not supposed to be back for another three weeks.”
“I thought I’d surprise you.” He says with a soft smirk, biting at his lip.
“You could’ve warned me. I would’ve actually gotten dressed properly.”
“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, would it?”
She raises an eyebrow as he drags about three suitcases through the door with him.
“Did you bring all of Baltimore with you, or something?”
Alex laughs, perches himself on the arm of the couch as she reappears in the sitting room, taking the seat beside him and looking at him.
“Why are you here so early? Seriously. You can’t have just thought ‘Oh, I’ll fly over to surprise my girlfriend’ just randomly.”
“I could’ve done.”
“I’ve just thought,” She says with a pout, “because you’re here earlier, you’re going to have to go back earlier.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Yes, necessarily. This always happens.” She says with a sigh, frowning up at him.
“Well what would you say if I said I wasn’t going back?”
“I’d say you’re an idiot.”
“Well, I’m an idiot then.”
“What?” She says, confused. Alex gives her a shy smile and slides onto the couch next to her.
“You’re kidding me, right? What about college? The band?”
“I dropped out. They can call when they need me and I can fly back for a while, so long as you can come with me.”
“I honestly don’t believe you sometimes.” She says with a small laugh, leaning sideways and resting against his chest. “You’re such an idiot.”
“Yeah, but you love it.”
“This is true.” She replies, smiling. “Where exactly are you planning on staying?”
“I was kind of hoping you weren’t just going to kick me out on my ass after I’ve moved from America for you.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
Alex looks scared for a second and it makes Ellen laugh, because he seriously thought she’d kick him out.
“I don’t know where your clothes are going to go, but we’ll find somewhere.”
It takes three separate trips to get all of Alex’s crap up the stairs and into Ellen’s room (well, their room, technically.)
“Alex?” Ellen says as she pulls another plaid shirt from one of his bags and starts to fold it up.
“Yeah?”
“I really do love you, you know.”
“I know,” He says with a smile, moving over to her and taking the shirt from her hands, holding them in his before kissing her gently.
“I love you too. I don’t just fly away from home for just anyone, you know.”
“I would hope not.” She says with a laugh. “Were the boys not annoyed, or anything?”
“No, not really. They said they’d do it too, if they were in my position.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Do you know what Jack asked me when I told them I was leaving?”
“No, what?”
“He asked if I thought you were ‘the one’.”
“He did? What did you say?”
Alex steps closer to her, looks down at her with a smile and she feels her heart flutter in her chest.
“I said I knew you were the one.”
“You suck.”
“You wish.”
Ellen glares at her boyfriend, who’s lying underneath her on the couch. Alex laughs, pushes her shoulder gently and smiles. Her glare doesn’t shift, however, and Alex smiles apologetically, ducking his head down to kiss her.
“You’re lucky I love you.” She says, sighing out a laugh and slumping forward against his chest, burying her face against his shirt.
“Yeah, I am.” He replies, smiling as he nuzzles against her blonde hair.
She blushes to herself, looking back towards the TV where Marley & Me, Alex’s movie of choice, is playing.
“I don’t see why you can’t just stay over here with me,” She says, not looking at him, “surely it’d be easier.”
Alex sighs a little, because they’ve had this argument before, and Ellen’s almost always ended up upset over it.
“You know I can’t,” He says, kissing the top of her head, “I’d love to, I really would, but I can’t. The band’s just starting to take off, and I have college, I can’t just leave.”
She frowns, bites at her lip and keeps her eyes on the TV. He sighs quietly, tugging her closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I love you,” He whispers, and he feels her relax slightly.
“You’d better.”
They’re at the airport a few days later and Alex kind of doesn’t want to let Ellen go ever, so they’re standing there in the main lobby, near the lines and lines of people waiting to check in their bags and make their way to the departures lounge, one step closer to their destination.
“Do you have to go?” Ellen asks against his neck, looking down towards the floor.
“You know I do, baby,” He says, kissing the top of her head, playing with her hair gently, “I wish I could stay here with you, or take you with me.”
“I’m sure I can fit in your suitcase, Alex.”
“I’m not sure I’d let you. You’re too important to get thrown in with standard luggage, anyways.” He says, kissing her forehead and lingering, tugging her closer.
“I like how that’s your first thought on that suggestion. Not, ‘oh, you could get a ticket’.” She laughs, and Alex laughs too, kissing her gently as the loudspeaker tolls before the announcement.
“Last call for flight BW-548 to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. That’s last call for BW-548 to Baltimore and Washington.”
Ellen pouts, twists her fingers into Alex’s shirt and hugs him tighter, even more reluctant to let him go than ever before.
“Do you have to go?” She asks in a tiny voice, looking up at him. He sighs, bites at his lip and blinks back tears, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away from her.
“I love you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He promises, kissing her again and holding her as close as he can.
He pulls away finally a few moments later and backs towards security, blowing kisses as he stumbles, right up until he nearly falls backwards through the turnstile and has to turn around for his own safety.
Ellen laughs at him, blows him a last kiss across the foyer and wipes at her eyes, turning on her heel and heading home.
When she arrives back, she finds her phone sitting on the coffee table where she’d left it, except with an unread message.
1 New Message: Alex <3
She cocks her head, raises an eyebrow but presses the ‘open’ button anyway, giggling and blushing when she reads the message.
I miss you already.
They get by in the two months Alex is gone with frequent phone calls, texts at every moment they’re awake and have a free few seconds to inform the other of what they’re doing, and the occasional video call, which involves a lot of shuffling around in bed with laptops in the early hours of the morning.
There’s a knock on Ellen’s door about three weeks before Alex is due back. She frowns, stumbling around, still wearing her pyjamas and heads for the door.
She opens it to her sheepishly smiling boyfriend, who grins, and ruffles his hair as she stares at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice greeting.” He laughs, resting his hand on her hip and tugging her in for a kiss.
“No, seriously.” She says, pulling away from him. “Why are you here? You’re not supposed to be back for another three weeks.”
“I thought I’d surprise you.” He says with a soft smirk, biting at his lip.
“You could’ve warned me. I would’ve actually gotten dressed properly.”
“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, would it?”
She raises an eyebrow as he drags about three suitcases through the door with him.
“Did you bring all of Baltimore with you, or something?”
Alex laughs, perches himself on the arm of the couch as she reappears in the sitting room, taking the seat beside him and looking at him.
“Why are you here so early? Seriously. You can’t have just thought ‘Oh, I’ll fly over to surprise my girlfriend’ just randomly.”
“I could’ve done.”
“I’ve just thought,” She says with a pout, “because you’re here earlier, you’re going to have to go back earlier.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Yes, necessarily. This always happens.” She says with a sigh, frowning up at him.
“Well what would you say if I said I wasn’t going back?”
“I’d say you’re an idiot.”
“Well, I’m an idiot then.”
“What?” She says, confused. Alex gives her a shy smile and slides onto the couch next to her.
“You’re kidding me, right? What about college? The band?”
“I dropped out. They can call when they need me and I can fly back for a while, so long as you can come with me.”
“I honestly don’t believe you sometimes.” She says with a small laugh, leaning sideways and resting against his chest. “You’re such an idiot.”
“Yeah, but you love it.”
“This is true.” She replies, smiling. “Where exactly are you planning on staying?”
“I was kind of hoping you weren’t just going to kick me out on my ass after I’ve moved from America for you.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
Alex looks scared for a second and it makes Ellen laugh, because he seriously thought she’d kick him out.
“I don’t know where your clothes are going to go, but we’ll find somewhere.”
It takes three separate trips to get all of Alex’s crap up the stairs and into Ellen’s room (well, their room, technically.)
“Alex?” Ellen says as she pulls another plaid shirt from one of his bags and starts to fold it up.
“Yeah?”
“I really do love you, you know.”
“I know,” He says with a smile, moving over to her and taking the shirt from her hands, holding them in his before kissing her gently.
“I love you too. I don’t just fly away from home for just anyone, you know.”
“I would hope not.” She says with a laugh. “Were the boys not annoyed, or anything?”
“No, not really. They said they’d do it too, if they were in my position.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Do you know what Jack asked me when I told them I was leaving?”
“No, what?”
“He asked if I thought you were ‘the one’.”
“He did? What did you say?”
Alex steps closer to her, looks down at her with a smile and she feels her heart flutter in her chest.
“I said I knew you were the one.”