Status: Slow updates. (Sorry guys)

You Like Me Just the Way I'm Not

Shameless

Belle left the studio feeling weary. She felt bad about rejecting her crew, especially James. Dinner sounded great too but she honestly just wanted to go home and be by herself. Belle needed comfort more than anything. Once she'd get home, she would have a warm shower, possibly eat something small and then go to bed. She knew Adam would mostly likely to be late back so she wouldn't have to worry and stay up.

Instead of taking her usual route home, Belle decided to take a shortcut through an alley way. It wasn't till she was half way down that she noticed a group hanging around near to the end. From what she could make out, there were four of them. They were all laughing and from the sound of bottles clanging, they were definitely drinking. Belle stopped mid step and stared at the small gang. Cursing herself for taking this route, the group caught her attention and Belle gulped in panic before taking a few steps back and turning round to go back the other way she came. She quickly got out her cell and dialed Adam's number. It rang a few times before he picked up.

"Adam! Thank god, I think I'm in trouble and I'm lost."

"Where bouts are you?" his voice came from the other end. She could tell it sounded displeased, he was concerned, as anyone would be if they were in this situation.

"I'm somewhere down an alley, in the neighborhood around the central area, I can see a grocery store across the road, ShopStop I think it says," she squinted, desperately trying to give Adam something that would help him find her. She could sense movements coming closer and Belle tried so hard to pick up her pace. "Adam, please help me, oh god," she begged. "You're breaking up!" Belle cried frantically. She spotted three shadows behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?" One of them spoke. They were right behind her. Belle gulped in fear. She could smell the faintest bit of alcohol on his breath. He wreaked terribly.

"You're not from around here." Another one spoke.

"I-I'm just trying to get home." Belle stumbled on her words. Out of the darkness, she could tell they were all smirking at her fear. She tried so hard not to let it show on her appearance. Belle glanced down to her phone and bit her lip once she saw that Adam had been disconnected from the call. She was all on her own now.

"Oh, look what we have here lads, we have a British lass." The guy that spoke first came closer to Belle. Two more bodies appeared and together the four closed in on her until she was stuck frozen in the middle. One of them who was hooded approached Belle and noticed the item she was carrying.

"What's this?" he asked, now intrigued.

"What does it look like?" Belle snapped back but instantly regretted it when one of the guys from behind pulled on her arm and grabbed her guitar case. Belle cried out in pain as his nails dug deep into her skin. She went to kick the one that was now holding the straps; a pair of arms grabbed her waist and trapped her easily. "Hey! Give that back asshole," she yelled although it hardly did any justice. Belle trembled and winced when the one from behind pushed her into the wall. She scraped her lip and immediately, she could taste the blood.

"This is a real nice guitar. I guess you're a musician then, I like that." the hooded one said huskily. Just the sound of his voice made Belle grimace in disgust.

"Good, then you're gonna love me." a familiar voice came from nowhere, taking the guy with Belle's guitar down. Belle was confused at first on who it was that sounded so familiar but when she finally caught his face, she was left stunned against the wall. It was Alex. Two more shadows appeared and Belle recognised them as Zack and Adam. Together, they both took down another two guys, heavily punching them right into their jaws leaving them spaced out on the ground. The last gang member grabbed Belle, holding her from behind. He smashed his beer bottle against the wall taking everyone by surprise. They all turned to them both.

"Let go of me." Belle pleaded, trying to wrestle out his arms. Alex sensed the fear and anger in her voice. His eyes locked with hers before they turned to glare at the guy holding her.

"Get your hands off of her!" Alex said, outraged.

"Or what?" the male smirked as he began moving his hand lower on Belle's body which caused Alex to grow even more fierce. Belle's eyes widened as Alex raised his knuckle, swinging it right at the male. Belle ducked in time before she could get hit. She felt the weight off of her as the guy went crashing straight into the brick wall. Belle felt as if she was going to fall flat on her face until an arm pulled her straight to them. She knew it was Alex. Belle leaned in on his chest and she could feel his rapid heart beating. It was racing.

"Are you alright?" she heard him ask. Belle smiled as she locked eyes with his.

"I am now," she said. For the first time since their arguments, Alex smiled at her and she knew straight away it was genuine. He was so worried about her. The way he looked at her before he took the guy down who held her captive confirmed that.

---

"Are you sure you're alright?" Adam asked Belle for the thousandth time. Belle rolled her eyes in annoyance. He wouldn't stop asking and she knew he was concerned but he didn't need to keep asking every single second.

""Yes Adam, I'm fine," she repeated her same answer again, hoping this time it would finally convince him to stop asking. Adam could hear the irritation in her voice. "How did you manage to find me? The phone disconnected."

"We tracked your cell." Alex told her. Belle made an o with her lips.

"Well you found me just in time, thank you."

Zack handed Belle's guitar back over which she kindly thanked him for. The bassist shot her a tiny smile and a nod.

"Maybe we should head back home Belle, now that you're safe and everything."

"You're not going to meet with the guys at the bar?" Belle asked surprised. It wasn't like Adam to blow off plans. She understood what happened just now must have shook Adam up a little but there was no way she'd let him give up on seeing his friends.

"After tonight? You must be kidding. There's no way I'm leaving you at home alone."

Belle frowned at him. ""I told you, I'm fine." The blonde was really starting to get pissed off with her manager.

"Perhaps, I can take her home." Alex suggested, breaking up the tension and leaving everyone in shock. "I mean, I can make sure she gets back safely," he said as his eyes cast down to the floor. Belle's eyes flicked over to Alex's who was now staring at her. She then glanced over to Adam who looked like he was actually contemplating on taking up Alex's offer. "We need to talk anyway." was the last thing he said before he kept quiet. Belle silently agreed with him. They did need to talk.

"We should get out of here, these idiots are beginning to wake up." Zack called out making everyone shift uncomfortably. Belle was certain she'd heard a nasty groan come from beside her.

"Thanks Alex." Adam said. He turned his attention to Belle. "I'll be back late so if I don't return tonight, I'm probably kipping at one of the guy's house."

"Okay." Belle chirped. A sudden rush of nerves kicked in as she realised her and Alex would be alone meaning they would have the house to themselves. "Have fun," she said. The gash on her lip stung as she tried to grin at Adam. Her manager gave her one last smile before he left along with Zack. Once they were out of sight, Alex turned to Belle.

"So, home?"

Belle nodded. Together they both headed out the alley and made their way slow to Belle's beach house. The journey was a quiet one as they walked all the way. Their paces remained the same as the pair strode side by side. The uncomfortable silence had made them uneasy. Luckily enough, the house wasn't that far away. Once they arrived, Belle unlocked the door and turned on the lights before heading on in with Alex on her trail. He took the keys from her and locked up then dropped them on the side table.

"I see you cleaned up the flour," said Alex, obviously amused. Belle couldn't help but smile.

"Clearing it up wasn't fun at all, Adam nearly busted my ass for it seeing as he doesn't own the place."

"He doesn't?" Alex asked, he was left shocked. Often some managers rented places when they worked with upcoming artists. They normally had their own place if there were no place else to stay.

"No, his father does." Belle replied. She placed her guitar down on its stand near the grand piano. She then began to strip off her jacket. She winced in pain when she slid one of the sleeves off her arm which caught the attention of Alex. He noticed the sticky red mixture as Belle touched the painful scratches. Alex went over immediately to inspect it.

"Oh god." Belle groaned.

"How did this happen?" Alex questioned, his face alarmed and serious.

"The guy holding me practically dug his nails into my skin." The blonde winced again when Alex traced the cuts with one of his fingers. They were sore but the cuts were beginning to dry up.

"We need to get this cleaned up," he instructed. "Here, sit down, I'll help."

"N-No that's okay Alex, I can do it."

"I insist." Alex said before grabbing her free cut arm and sat her down on one of the chairs at the kitchen island. "Right, do you have a first aid kit or anything similar?"

"In the bathroom, third cabinet on the right."

Alex left and within a minute later, he returned back with bandages, tape and a tube what looked to be antiseptic cream. He placed them down on the counter before heading over to the sink where he filled a bowl with fresh warm water and grabbed a cloth. He arrived back where Belle sat and carefully took her arm. Alex soaked the cloth and began to clean away the dried blood slowly, trying hard not to catch the grazes. Belle fount it hard to breath properly as Alex was so close to her. The female wouldn't dare raise her head to see the male but she did. He was far too concentrated on her wounds, he hardly noticed her staring until he glanced up. Alex smiled and continued with his work before grabbing the tube of cream and applied it to Belle's arm.

"I'm sorry for what happened," she said, taking Alex by surprise. "Between us." His eyebrows knitted with confusion as he looked to her. He hadn't expected an apology from her for what occurred. It wasn't her fault.

"You have no reason to be sorry Belle, I was the stupid one." By now Alex had stopped applying the cream and grabbed the bandage instead. "You weren't the one who acted like a complete dickhead," he said as he wrapped the bandage around Belle's arm. "I offered to help you when I sincerely meant it most and I let you down, for that I am truly sorry Belle, I don't even deserve to be here with you now after what I did." Alex confessed. "I overreacted and I got jealous. It's no excuse but I truly do mean it, I really am sorry for the way I treated you."

Belle knew his apology was truthful. There were no lies in his hazel eyes. She smiled as she'd already chosen to forgive him. Alex finished off and cut the bandage after wrapping it around Belle's arm four times. He stuck a piece of tape on the end to hold it together. Pleased with his effort, Alex grinned at Belle who quietly checked his skills before staring at him. He hadn't moved as his eyes were still on her. Somehow, Belle found herself placing her hand on the side of Alex's cheek. He smiled lovingly at her gesture. He placed one of his hands on her hip. Just the faintest touch sent shivers up Belle's spine. Alex's face drifted closer to hers until their lips slightly touched. Belle took a moment as her heart rate increased. Her nose brushed with his and before she knew it, Belle had closed her eyes and Alex's lips finally met hers.
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So, hope you all enjoy this chapter, I know I did :)

Again, truly sorry for the long wait. Shall do my best to get the next one up. Don't forget to comment, subscribe and those who have already, thank you so much. It really does mean a lot. xx