I'm Dancing on the Ceiling

Alex walked me to the studio the next day, even though a) he wasn’t recording that day, b) he didn’t need to be up at 5 in the morning and c) he was still half asleep. But, as a good guy, he insisted on making sure I was safe. It was adorable, watching him stumble along beside me, wearing the rumpled clothes he was wearing the day before. I took his hand as he veered towards traffic and held him close to my side.

“You didn’t have to do this, Alex. You look like you’re about to pass out,” I commented as I opened the doors to the studio. The receptionist, who always looked bored, was asleep at her desk, a game of Words With Friends open on her iPhone.

“I did though,” he yawned as I got him down the hall and kicked open the door to my studio which was completely empty. He flopped into a chair while I headed into my sound booth, taking my black notebook with me. I flipped open to a scribble-covered page where my new set of lyrics were.

“What’re you doing?” Alex’s voice came from the other room. I looked at him, where he’d rolled into the sound booth with me.

“Working. What are you doing?”

“I’m tired,” he yawned again.

“You can go back to my hotel room, if you want,” I offered, ripping the sheet of paper out of the notebook and placing it beside it while I copied the lyrics over, neater and exponentially more legible than the first copy.

“Are you wearing a Vikings shirt? Really? Are you kidding me?” Alex asked lazily. I looked down at my purple Minnesota Vikings shirt and back up at the singer.

“You have a problem with my football team, Gaskarth?”

“They’re not even a good team team!” he replied.

“Oh, and like the Ravens are the best in the league? Come on.”

He glared at me as I shook my head.

“Why the Vikings though?” he asked.

“My dad, he was a Vikings fan. He took me to their games whenever he was home. He’s originally from Minnesota but moved to Iowa to be with my mom. But he and I would always head back to Minnesota for a game.”

He smiled and rolled towards me until his knees hit the back of mine and I tumbled into his lap. I landed on my hip, sideways on Alex’s legs. He quickly secured an arm around my waist and a hand on my knee, holding me protectively.

“Hi,” I whispered.

He leaned in and whispered back, “Hello.”

I leaned in to him….

SLAM!

I jumped and Alex’s arms jerked, causing me to slam to the floor. I frowned and looked at the open door where a grumpy Ian stood.

“Hey Ian. What are you doing here so early?” I asked, taking Alex’s hand and he pulled me up.

“What are you doing in my studio so early?” Ian shot back.

“I had a big of an inspiration burst… and wanted to get all the ideas out on paper, properly before we started working today.”

“You scared the piss out of me. I heard people in here and I thought people were robbing us!” he frowned.

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you, Ian,” I replied.

“I’m going for coffee. Gaskarth, I want you out of my studio when I get back. Clary needs to focus.”

Alex saluted Ian who stalked off, cranky and overly tired.

“Oh man. That scared me,” Alex breathed out. I pulled him out of the chair and he stepped into me.

“Will we ever get to have that kiss?” he asked gently. I put my hand on his cheek and smiled.

“We’ll just have to see. But you should get going, before Papa Een comes back, caffeinated and ready to work.”

“Papa Een… that’s a new one.”

I grinned and pushed him towards the door.

“Out, Gaskank.”

“Oi! That’s rude!”

“Darling, you’re adorable and I love having you here, to look at and talk to. I value your life, so that’s why you have to go. Out!”

He leaned down and snuck a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth, barely a kiss at all.

“Come to my show tonight!” he offered.

“We’ll see.”

He pulled my phone out of my pockets suddenly and started pressing the screen, looking for something. Then he started typing, the phone making the clacking noise, before handing the phone back with a wink.

“Let me know what you decide,” he replied and then was gone. I checked my phone and he’d saved himself as a contact, with full information on how to get ahold of him. I smiled. I was the luckiest girl alive.