Rhythm of Love

Alex's Point of View

"Wake me up inside, wake me up inside, call my name and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run, before I come undone, save me from this nothing I've become. Bring me to life."

The band Welcome to Paradise had been stuck working with had chosen this song, and I rapped along with it easily. It was one of the few songs I've never bothered learning- I knew the lyrics.

Xavier played out the final keys and I walked offstage, not caring about the other band or anything, really. I let out an 'oof' as a body crashed into mine but I realized that it wasn't, it couldn't possibly be, Adele. Nora hugged me fiercly and I stared down at her with a blank expression.

"You did amazing," she said, looking up into my eyes, searching for something. I stared at her blankly, then slowly peeled her arms away.

"Thanks," I said monotonously, walking around her. "You were good too." I followed Ivan out into the parking lot and did something I hadn't done in a while. I smoked a cigarette.

Adele came around the corner, smiling, followed by that Dawn girl. Ivan slipped inside to find Mitchell and I flicked the embers off the end of my smoke, eyeing her. She slipped a hand around my waist, lodging it in my back pocket, and smiled up at me, pursing her lips. I kissed her as the door opened and both Welcome to Paradise and Behind the Unknown stepped out and Eli turned the corner.

Nora cleared her throat and ran to my brother, who smiled and hugged her. Everything I saw was out of my peripheral vision; I kept my eyes locked on a tree in the distance as I took anotner hit of my cigarette. Eli walked up, took it from me, and took a nice, long drag before handing it back and letting the smoke out slowly. Nora wrinkled her nose and noticed, finally, that the rest of my band was doing it too.

"We don't drink," Eli defended, eyeing Damien and Noah before hugging Nora to his chest. "We smoke."

"That's not true," Damien said. "Alex drinks." I grimaced and looked away, burying my face in Adele's dirty blonde hair.

"He got kicked out of his house," Ivan defended. "And he was worried about Eli, and his uncle gave it to him. He didn't mean to get drunk."

"Oh, getting drunk now, are we?" Adele whispered. I turned my face away and flicked my cigarette, taking another drag. She smiled and nuzzled my neck, nibbling a little. I glanced at her sternly and she laughed.

"O-kay," Nora's friend, Nicolette, said, drawing out the 'o' and glaring at Adele. I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Well I'm going back inside." She pulled Damien back into the building, and the other guys of Behind the Unknown followed. My own bandmates stomped out their cigarrettes and walked in. Adele gave me a parting kiss and left, followed by Eli and Dawn. Suddenly, it was just me and Nora.

I took one last drag of my cigarette and stomped it out, turning to go back inside, but I stopped when Nora said, "Alex, wait."

"I- I don't understand. How can you be with Adele...?" Slowly, I turned back to her, a look of increduality on my face.

"What do you mean, how can I be with Adele? How can you be with my brother!?" I closed my eyes, put myself in check. "Am I supposed to wait for you while you're with my brother, Nora? Am I supposed to watch while you kiss and hug him, and then keep quiet about the things you say and do when he's not around? All the holding hands and hugs? He's my little brother, Nora."

"Alex, I--" She reached for me and I turned my body away from her, crossing my arms behind my head so she couldn't find purchase.

"You might think you love me, Nora," I said. "So I'm doing this for your sake." Everything in me screamed to shut up but I didn't. I couldn't stop now. "I don't love you Nora. I never have, never will. In fact, I hate you. I wish you would leave me alone."

"You're lying," she whispered. I grimaced. "You're not Alex, not my Alex. You're detached and--and--you-"

"You don't have an Alex, Nora. You don't know me. I'm not lying. I hate you."

"Then turn around and say it to my face!" I shook my head and walked into the building.

How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?

Damien stared me down and I nodded and smiled at him.

"Don't worry. I won't be hurting Nora anymore. Never again."