And So, This Is Love

“I have to go to New York next week for a Glamour Kills photo shoot,” I told Alex over the phone the next day. My head was absolutely pounding. That morning I had woken up feeling like my head was being crushed in the back of a garbage truck, along with an empty bottle of Captain Morgan and a half a carton of melted mint ice cream, half filled with puke sitting on my nightstand.

“Is the rest of the band going with you?” he asked.

“No shit,” I snapped. With my killer headache and uneasy stomach, I frankly wasn’t in the mood for a lot this morning.

Alex didn’t have time for a reply before I heard a scream outside the door.

“Hold on,” I told Alex, getting up and walking out of the room. Jack was in the hallway, and Mauve, Emmie, and Erix had gathered in the hallway as well to see what was going on. The first thing I saw, though, was that Jack was naked and soaking wet with a thin towel wrapped around his waist.

“What’s wrong?” Mauve asked him.

“So I was washing myself with your sponge ball thing, and I was just thinking about how horrible it would be if a spider, crawled out of it, y’know?” I rolled my eyes and turned back towards my room, as he continued, “I just couldn’t be in there any longer with that looming over my head.”

I shut the door and walked over to my bed, climbing in and getting under the covers.

“Jack’s irrational fear of spiders popping up on him when he’s showering or taking a shit is going to far,” I said into the phone, laughing slightly despite how much it made my head hurt.

“It’s completely understandable,” Alex defended with a chuckle, “Those are the moments we are most vulnerable.”

“So are we going to breakfast this morning?” I asked, already picturing the delectable iHop Belgian Waffles in my head.

“I can pick you up in ten?” he asked.

“Give me at least an hour. I have a huge hangover and I’m going to need a very long shower.”

Alex chuckled again, “However long you need, baby. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I said back, and hung up.

Afterwards I went and climbed into the shower. I took a long, hot one and cleaning was only about 20% of what I did.

After I got out and got dressed, I felt a little bit better.

“Hey, we’ve got pancakes going on in here!” Mauve called from the kitchen.

I peaked in, “I’m going out to breakfast with Alex.”

“Oh, bum!” Jack whined from where he was smothering his whole plate – eggs and all – with syrup. “We haven’t had any bonding time lately, Cotton Candy.”

“Well it’s been really hard to tear you away from my sister lately, Jack Attack,” I laughed. He poked his tongue out at me while Mauve flushed red.

“Did you get the email this morning?” Emmie asked me, rubbing butter onto her pancakes.

“About GK? Yes I did,” I nodded.

“Good. I was thinking we can drive instead of spending a bunch money on plane tickets?”

“Sounds perfect,” I said.

We chatted for about twenty minutes before Alex came and picked me up.

“You look dashing today,” I smiled at him, commenting on his black skinny jeans and GK tank top.

“Representing,” he laughed, flicking the straps of his tank top. I giggled and latched onto his hand.

It didn’t take long to arrive at iHop. We walked in and ordered our food.

“So, how long are you going to be down there?” Alex asked me.

“Only about a day or two,” I answered. “I think it’s only one or two photo shoots.”

“So I won’t miss you too much?”

“Of course not, darling.” I smiled.

“So what was up this morning, about Jack’s fear of spiders?” He chuckled.

“Oh, he said he started imagining them coming out of the sponge while he was washing himself,” I giggled.

“Of course,” Alex nodded, his eyebrows raised. But then he suddenly skewered them together. “And of course, that is a completely sane thing to worry about because that would be horrible.”

“It would be,” I agreed. “But not something to worry about until it actually happens.”

“I’m washing myself with rags from now on.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

The food arrived and we dug in.

“How are you so tiny?” Alex asked me with a brow raised as he watched me attack my two huge waffles.

“Exercise, Alexander,” I replied. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”

“Hey! I have abs. They’re just protected by a layer of fat.”

“As if I hadn’t heard that one before.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

I giggled again, looking at him. His eyes had that joking glint in them that I had fallen in love with. But I also hinted at something beneath it.

“I’m sorry, baby boy,” I said, reaching over and taking his hand on mine. “But I love you. You know that?”

Alex grinned at me. “I know. And I love you too.”