Inside Your Heaven

“That’s almost kind of annoying,” Grace states. “Like every night?”
“Okay, it was my fault last night because I was absolutely, disgustingly hammered. And I really wanted to the night I got back, and every night one or both of us is drunk is a given…so, maybe I’m just overreacting about it. I’ve been home for, what…today is my fifth day home, and one of those days we were back in LA to see Cass.” I shrug and lean against the bar. Thankfully, Blake, who has been promoted to manager, was willing to hire me back whenever I needed some extra cash. And after buying Alex’s present? I need extra cash.
Grace laughs. “Yeah, you might be overreacting about it. I thought you were home for longer for some reason. Kinda feels like you’ve never left.” She shrugs and pours a new beer for a patron. “So, what did you get Alex for Christmas?”
“I don’t want to tell anyone! Because as soon as I tell you, you’ll call me crazy for spending that much money on a Christmas present. I’m going to justify it, though, with saying our anniversary present is combined with it. We both forgot our anniversary.”
Grace laughs again. “Jack doesn’t even know what month we started dating. He knows the day, but somehow the month slips his mind.”
“At least you’ve got that down. Alex and I have a general timeframe of when we started dating. Six months before we had sex for the first time and about two weeks before Christmas.”
“Well, you’ve got to remember somehow, right?”

I shut the door to the apartment and drop my purse next to Alex’s jacket. “Good news, bad news,” I begin. He looks up from his breakfast.
“Bad news.”
“This kid has to get her wisdom teeth out.” I point both my thumbs at myself.
“Good news?”
“You get to supervise me.” I watch his lips pull into a mischievous smirk.
“Oh, do I?” I nod and pull out the chair next to him and take a seat. “And when are you doing this?”
“After New Years, luckily. I made sure I scheduled the appointment for after the holidays.”
“Damn it. I wanted to see you hopped up on the drugs sooner,” he pouts. I roll my eyes and stand up. I head for the coffee pot and pour myself a cup. “Where were you this morning?”
“The dentist…duh.”
“Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense.” I laugh and mix in the vanilla creamer.
“How was your show last night? I wish I could have made it, but still on doctor’s orders.”
“It was great.” He smiles excitedly. I absolutely adore how much he loves what he does. “The fans were wild. How was working? I saw you were home before I was.”
“It ended up giving me a headache, and I had to leave. People were getting rowdy and loud. Grace sent me home before we even got halfway through the shift.”
“Really?” I nod. “How long are the symptoms going to last?”
I shrug. “The doctors told me the could last for months.” I pick up my phone off of the counter as it buzzes. “I need to get this thing fixed.” I run my thumb over the shattered screen of my iPhone.
“My plan expires right after Christmas. Do you just want me to put you on my plan and get a new phone?” Alex offers. “It’s literally going to cost ten dollars.”
“Can I keep my phone number?”
“Probably.”
“We’ll see.” Alex laughs, and I proceed reading the text message. It’s from my Mom letting me know that she’s finally on her way home from rehab, and she’d like to know if I’m coming out for Christmas.
I don’t talk to my parents much anymore. For a while, Alex changed their relationship with me, and then I moved back. Everything went back to the way it was.
My mom went straight from the hospital and into rehab, and my dad went back to his mistress with the child. It’s not easy on me, but it’s not as hard as the first time. Alex knows it’s taking a toll on my brother and me. He’s still wary to talk about it. Cody and I just don’t talk about our personal lives much.
I mean, I’m absolutely comfortable talking to Alex about it; I just chose not to. Out of sigh, out of mind, right? If I don’t think about it, it’s not happening.
I text my mom back and wish her the best of luck and tell her that I’m really sorry that I can’t make it out for Christmas this year because I’ve already told Isobel I’d be over for Christmas.

“Can I talk to you guys?” Cody wonders, walking out of his room. Alex and I exchange a glance before flipping off the TV.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I reply.
“Drew, Kali, Ty, Sean, and I are getting an apartment. So, I’ll be moving out after New Years.”
“Wow.”
“Stepping up in the world. Nice,” Alex chimes in.
“You guys are cool with that?” Cody asks. Alex and I look at each other again and nod.
“You’re nineteen, Cody. You don’t really have to ask, you know,” I laugh. Cody shrugs.
“I just wanted to make sure.” He heads back for his room, and I look at Alex.
“Remember that drunk conversation we had about getting one huge house for a ton of people?” I ask him. He nods. “It’s looking really appealing.”
“Seriously?” He seems kind of shocked but still excited at the same time.
“I mean, I know you miss living with the guys.”
“But I couldn’t spend another night without you,” he justifies. I laugh and shush him.
“What if we went house hunting for a house big enough for all of us? Rian, Zack, Jack, you, Grace, and me.”
“I really like that idea.” He smiles and kisses me. “A lot.”