Rhythm of Love

Alex's Point of View



I stared out of the window as the guys continued talking around me. We'd been sitting first class for hours, on our way home.

Not the home in Paris that Adele's dad was currently selling. We weren't allowed over as residents in Europe for a year, because our Visa's expired. It didn't matter- Welcome to Paradise was already a hit in Europe, and we were scheduled to return to the United States anyways. When our visa's expired, we were signed over to a sister company in the States and given a month to get everything sent home.

Everything was sent to Conner's home, where his parents eagerly awaited our return. Little did we know, once we came back, his parents were leaving the house in his name, paying the bills, and moving to Hawaii.

Now we were on our way home, bringing Damien and Nora a present they weren't expecting in the least, and ready to smell my uncle's breakfast burgers again. I couldn't wait to see Beech, and Eli was ready to patch things up with Nora.

It wasn't until after we had first landed in Paris that Eli told me Nora had given up music. I had laughed as if it weren't true, but then Xavier told me what he had talked about with Nora, and Eli told me what Nora had said, and I had to believe it.

I turned off my iPod, which was playing Homecoming by Green Day, as the plane got ready to touch down. I grabbed my laptop bag and waited as the stewardess made sure everyone was okay before letting us off, and then I was running through the terminal, past strangers, toward the visitor waiting area, hoping they were there, waiting for us.

I saw Beech's dirty blonde hair first, and I grinned. Next to her was my Uncle, and across from them Damien sat on the back of a chair, while next to him Nora slapped his leg and told him to sit down right. I grinned, vaulted over a chair, and pulled Beech into a hug.

"Lex!" she cried, hugging me tightly.

"Hey Beech!" I pulled back to look at her, how she had grown a few inches and was filling out her curves. "Man, what a guy misses in a year and a half."

"Alex!" Nora threw herself into my arms and I laughed, hugging her, taking in her scent. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

"What, did you expect to graduate college first?" She was silent as she pulled away. I turned to her cousin. "Damien, my man! Where's my keys?" He laughed and threw them to me.

"Two hundred fifty for gas and maintenance, bud," he said. I pulled out my wallet and handed him three hundred.

"For taking care of her," I said with a grin, nodding outside of the windows toward where my truck sat. He grinned.

"Eli! Xavier!" Nora called, throwing herself into my brother's arms, and then into Xavier's.

"I see how it is, say hi to them first," a female voice said. My band parted and Nicolette was shown, smiling her face off.

"Ahh!! Nicolette!" Nora hugged her best friend and Damien grabbed my shoulder in a death grip.

"I want you to talk to Nora," he said menacingly, before letting me go and walking over to Nicolette, wrapping her in his arms. I smiled but glanced over at Nora uncomfortably. She was talking to the rest of my band members.

We got our bags and put them in the cars. My uncle was driving Beech, Ivan, and Eli, while Damien drove Conner, Xavier, and Nicolette, leaving Nora in my truck. I shifted uncomfortably and got in, pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards Conner's home.

"So where do you live now?" I asked conversationally.

"Your mom's apartment," she replied. I looked at her in alarm. "She was in pieces when you guys left. Your dad swooped in and carried her away, and the place was vacant. Me and Damien moved in. The band holds practices there."

"Must be distracting, living with your band and trying to balance college at the same time."

"Yeah," she said. I sighed.

"Not even an hour here and you're already bull shitting me, Nora." She stared at me in surprise. "I know you gave up music. I can't understand why, no matter how many times Xavier tries to explain. Music is your life!"

"Was," she said quietly. "Just a story to tell the kids." I shook my head.

"God Nora," I said, pulling onto the freeway. "You're going to make this the worst drive home I've ever experienced."

"Then pull over, and I'll get in Damien's car."

"I can't. Damien told me I needed to talk to you." Her cheeks flushed red and she glared out of the window. "What's going on, Nora? Why is Damien making me talk to you?"

"Because I won't date. Because I won't do anything but college." I laughed.

"So you're focusing on colllege and that's such a crime?" She grimaced.

"When Damien asked me why, I told him the first thing I could think of. I told him it was you." I groaned.

"You're shitting me, Nora. Worst lie to tell the man who tried to beat me up last year."

"But it wasn't a lie."

I tensed. She wasn't... she couldn't...

"Now I know you're shitting me, Nora. Try and give me a day where I don't have to deal with this, yeah?"

"Damnit, Alex," she sighed. "I'm not shitting you. I honestly don't want to date, because I'm hoping we can work things out. Please, just give it a shot, okay? I know how hard it is to believe--"

"It's not how hard it is to believe, Nora. It's the fact that a year and a half ago, you broke my little brother's heart, and now you're trying to get with me." Her face flamed. The rest of the car ride went in silence and I was tempted to apologize, but I knew better. There was nothing to apologize for. "Look, Nora," I said as we pulled up to Conner's house. "I'm sorry." I gritted my teeth. I suck at motivating myself. "But you can't expect me to do all that, when you dated my brother, and he fell so hard for you. You know what kept him going that whole time? You. He wanted to be with you, around you, and as much as I wanted the same, he's more important than what I want."

"But--"

"No," I said. "Go make up with my brother. Please. It's what I want." I got out and walked into Conner's house to say hello to his parent's and put my things away.