Take Your Time

January 14th 2012
Tempe, AZ

“How I missed this place,” Addie said as she walked out of the van. A smile formed on her face when she felt the warm Arizona air, oh how much she loved it. Despite the fact that she spent most of her life in Maryland, Arizona was more of a home for her than any state. She looked at Dan, “Since we’re here, can I stay and not continue going on this tour?” She took her suitcase from the trunk, and he took his as well.

Dan ruffled her hair as they walked, “Nice try Adds, no,” he said with a grin, “and visiting your apartment won’t help with the homesickness, trust me, I know,” he added as he accepted a ticket from the valet.

“I want to do laundry.” She tried to look for an excuse, she really just wanted to be home again, inhale that familiar smell of lavender air freshener.

“Hm...” He had to admit, her excuse made sense. “Fine, go ask someone to drive you to Glendale, I think The Summer Set wants to do their laundry as well. Oh, and do my laundry while you’re there?” He asked as they walked to one of the couches; waiting for Sinclair and everyone else.

She sat down while scrunching her nose in disgust, “Eww I don’t want to touch your dirty boxers, ask someone else,” she said.

“Aren’t you my intern? You’re supposed to be helping me around, I thought that’s why people want an intern.” He grinned at her as he took out his phone, “So since when are you okay with The Summer Set? You didn’t look upset at all when I mentioned them.”

She shrugged, “I just tolerate Brian and John, I’m okay as long as they’re around,” she answered simply. She had grown fond of them anyway, but she wasn’t sure if she was okay with Godsey and Stephen just yet.

“As long as who’s around?” John piped in, standing behind the couch Addie was sitting on. She looked up and greeted him with a small smile.

“You’re doing your laundry, right?” Dan asked the guitarist. He nodded in response, “Will you do mine?”

“Dude, that’s disgusting, do your own laundry.” John replied in disgust and Addie couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. “Or ask Addie, she’s your intern.” He added. Addie glared at him and he just laughed, “Fine, just do your laundry yourself, man.”

Addie licked her lips before saying, “Hey um... can you drive me to my apartment in Glendale? I need to do my laundry.”

“Sure, but Stephen’s driving so bear with him, okay? I heard you two had a heated argument yesterday,” John replied, his voice was low.

Dan looked up from his phone, “What heated argument?” John expression immediately changed, he completely forgot that Dan didn’t know and judging from the look Addie was giving him, the older photographer wasn’t supposed to know.

Addie and John was silent for a few seconds until Addie cleared her throat, “Um... it’s not so heated, Stephen and I discussed music yesterday and it was a... touchy topic for me...” she trailed off, looking at her mentor nervously.

Dan sighed, “Addie, I told you to be nice to everyone.”

“He tried to tell me what I should listen to, you know I hate it when people do that,” she frowned. “And I apologized but he didn’t, you’ve to give me some credit for doing that because I did nothing wrong.”

John spoke up, “Stephen’s okay with it, it’s done, there’s nothing to worry about,” he tried to help Addie. He had to admit, his brother can be pretty hard headed sometime, especially when it comes to music.

“Told you so.” Addie mumbled.

“If this happens again-”

“It won’t, trust me, he’s too stubborn to argue with,” she assured him. To be honest, she liked arguing with people who are not stubborn way better, it gives her the pleasure of winning an argument. She rarely gets into an argument though, her music taste is the only thing she likes arguing about.

Dan was still sending her a suspicious look, “Sure.” He said, though he didn’t sound like he was ready to drop the matter at hand.

-o0o-

Addie couldn’t believe she agreed to ask someone from The Summer Set to drive her to Glendale because now she’s unlocking the door to her apartment while John and Stephen towered over her. She forgot having them drive her to her apartment means letting them into her apartment, something she really didn’t want to do.

She opened the door and reached for the light switch. She was soon greeted by the sight of her homey apartment, complete with the miniature phone booth on the table beside the living room sofa and the stack of books beside it. A smile formed on her lips as she inhaled the familiar scent of her place; walking further into her apartment and dropping her bag of laundry on the sofa.

“Nice place,” John commented as he followed suit. He started looking around the apartment. Most of the things in there are pretty normal, photos hanging on the walls, a clock, and two racks full of thick books, motly novels he had never even heard of.

“Thanks,” the photographer said from the kitchen, she took out two bottles of beer from the refrigerator and gave them to John, “make yourself at home but don’t go into any rooms.” She told him before taking the bag full of dirty clothes, probably to the laundry room.

“I thought she doesn’t drink so why are these in her refrigerator...” John trailed off as he looked at the bottles of beer in his hands. He passed a bottle to his brother as they sat on the couch, looking at the blank TV screen in front of them.

They switched looks for a few moments and a grin formed on Stephen’s face, “I wonder which one is her room...” he trailed off as he stood up. He walked over to the closest door and opened it. “John,” he said, “you’ve got to see this.” He looked at his brother.

“We’re not supposed to,” John said, but he stood up anyway. He had to admit, he was pretty curious. He craned his neck so he could see over his brother’s tall figure and was amazed at what he saw.

The walls of the room were covered with a lot of photos, most of them are of models. He could even spot some candid pictures of Addie herself, and he had to admit she looks cute in those. Not beautiful, just cute, she had that innocence radiating from her that prevented him from calling her beautiful.

“What the fuck is this...?” Stephen walked further into the room. He touched one of the photos on the wall with his hand, a frown was on his face. He really had no idea what these photos mean and knowing photographers, they must have some important meaning.

John looked around the room and found a stack of polaroids in the corner of the room. He knelt down before inspecting them, they’re polaroids of Addie, more candids of her and he was starting to wonder who took them. “Wall of inspiration? Who knows?”

-o0o-

Addie was turning on the washing machine when Dan’s ringtone played on her phone. She let out a groan before picking it up, she didn’t even bother to ask who it was, “What do you want? Because I’m doing laundry right now.” She didn’t sound so amused, and she wasn’t.
“Why didn’t you show me the pictures you took during soundcheck two days ago? They’re amazing,” she heard Dan said and she immediately ignored her laundry. How did he even
find them?

She licked her lips nervously, “Where did you get them?” She asked him; changing the topic.
“Your laptop,” he answered, and she could hear him clicking things, probably on her laptop. She couldn’t help but groan in response to his answer. “What’s wrong? They’re great, why didn’t you show me?”

Addie shrugged, “I thought you wouldn’t like them,” she answered easily as she finally turned on the washing machine. “And I can’t believe you went through my laptop! How could you?” She raised her tone.

He ignored her protest before saying, “The picture of Frank looks great, it’s like you can hear the music just by looking at the picture...” he trailed off, “it’s not like the usual you, it’s a more relaxed version, who helped you?”

She scratched the back of her head, Stephen helped her with that picture, he told her to focus on his hair and that made her laugh. “Erm... Stephen, actually...” she trailed off and she swore she could hear him grin on the phone.

“Aww look at you two, you’re so cute,” He laughed across the line. “You should at least give him a ‘thanks’, Adds, that’s one amazing picture,” she heard a his other phone ring, “and that means I have to leave, take care, Addie.” He hung up before she could reply.

She rolled her eyes as she stuck her phone into her pocket. She then made her way to the living room, but Stephen and John were nowhere in sight. “Ehm...John? Stephen?” She called as she checked the kitchen, they weren’t there either.

She was pretty sure she told them not to get into any rooms, but the door to her wall of photographs is slightly ajar, making her suspicious. She raised an eyebrow before walking there, she could hear a conversation going on inside. “Why are you here?” She opened the door, leaning on the door frame. Stephen who was looking at the photos on the wall and John who was looking through the polaroids on the floor immediately looked at her. “I told you not to go anywhere.”

“Stephen started it,” John said after a minute of silence. He saw the look Addie was sending them and decided she was really really pissed off. He left the room without another word, not wanting to see Addie blow up, if she was capable of doing so.

However, the older Gomez didn’t seem to care that she indirectly told them to get out. He looked at the pictures on the wall again, “What are they for?” He asked casually, taking a sip of his beer. “You actually have some concert photos going here...” he added when he spotted a photo of Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington during a concert.

“Hm...I take pride in those,” she said; still leaning on the doorframe. “These pictures inspire me to take better pictures, and will you please get out?” She asked politely, though her tone was full of threat.

“But these are already good.”

“Doesn’t count, you’re not a photographer.”

Stephen was about to say something else but decided against it, he got out of the room and Addie turned off the light before following suit. She didn’t even bother to ask what they were doing there, at least they didn’t get into her room.

They each took a seat in the living room and she never thought she’d admit it, but the silence was awkward and she didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry,” John finally said.

“It’s fine.” She quietly replied as she stood up. She didn’t bother to say anything before walking to her room. She started packing clothes into her small travel bag to replace the ones she was washing, mostly just T-shirts. She has learned that being the better dressed one on tour is not nice.

She really should’ve thanked Stephen earlier when they were alone, but she had no idea how. Besides, he broke into her inspiration room, even her family and her friends weren’t allowed in there, he’s not even her friend, she didn’t consider him as one.

Fucking rockstars, acting like they can do anything, she thought to herself as she put her black Taylor Swift lyric T-shirt into her travel bag. She felt as if they’ve invaded her personal space, and they have. Her room of inspiration is so personal, seeing it is almost like seeing her naked in her opinion. She didn’t put up those pictures because they inspire her to take better pictures, she put them up because they mean something to her, something important.

She didn’t realize how long she had been brooding until Stephen entered the room with a basket full of clothes fresh from the washing machine, still slightly damp. “Thanks,” she mumbled as he put it on the floor beside her.

“So the walls, I know they’re not because you want to take better pictures,” he sat in front of her on the floor, “what is it for?” he asked her.

She glanced at him, “Why so interested?” She asked back as she turned her attention back to her travel bag, zipping it up.

“Photographers always are, you’re the artsy kind,” he answered as he watched her stand up. “And maybe I shouldn’t have entered that room-“

“Maybe?”

“Please bring the shy Addie Shirley back.” He rolled his eyes as he stood up as well. He took the basket full of laundry before she could, “Point is, I’m sorry, where’s the dryer?”

She looked at him, “Do you have any idea how to do laundry?” She raised her eyebrows at him, she had a judging look on her face that he was really starting to dislike.

He looked back at her before snickering, “Mom does my laundry,” he admitted, he was pretty embarrassed and he didn’t like how she snorted at his confession. “Hey, I can do laundry if I want to.”

“Continue doing mine, then.” She gave him a small smile before walking to the living room. He watched her as she went and shook his head. But Stephen Gomez doesn’t like it when he can’t do something, and he’s determined to be able to.

Doing her laundry it is.