Redefine Me, Redesign Me

Alex made some lame excuse about hanging out with Jack before telling Casey and Brady how nice it was to meet everyone. He gave Ellie a quick kiss on the cheek, whistled for the dogs and they followed him out the door. Ellie knew that he was trying to be nice but she really hated that he ducked out so quickly. And now she was left to explain everything on her own.

“Oh how Maryland can change a girl,” Casey teased plopping herself down on a couch.

Ellie rolled her eyes, “isn’t that the reason I came here?” she pointed out.

“He seems like a douche bag,” Brady stated nodding his head towards the front door that Alex had ran out of just minutes before.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders, “He comes off that way, I guess,” she admitted. She had thought the same of him when she first met him, so she couldn’t really hold it against Brady. She still wasn’t sure what exactly made her change her mind about him.

“How did you meet him anyway?” Casey asked clearly interested for reasons that would only benefit herself.

Brady shook his head at his twin and Ellie chuckled.

“You guys are not going to believe me no matter how true it is,” Ellie replied sighing.

Casey’s eyes lit up and she leaned in closer. “This sounds like the beginning of a very juicy story,” she probed eager for Ellie to tell it.

And Ellie did. She started off by telling them of how Lisa had insisted that she go to some party with her and how she basically made Ellie into her own human Barbie. Then, she told them about meeting what seemed like a thousand new people and dancing and drinking. Casey was already calling her a liar and Brady was laughing at every other sentence in disbelief. It threw them both over the edge when Ellie told them about meeting Alex in the kitchen and then going outside with him. And the demanded the real story when she told them she brought him home with her.

“Come on Ellie,” Brady said chuckling, “Did you really expect us to buy that story?”

“It took everything in our power to get you to go to a bar and you’re telling us you willingly went to a party and then took some guy home with you?” Casey asked her tone mocking.

Ellie shrugged, “I told you that you wouldn’t believe me,” she reminded them, “but I haven’t even gotten to the most ridiculous part.”

She went on to tell them about waking up in a foggy haze and then seeing Alex on her couch nearly naked and how he made himself at home once she’d woken him up. She stressed that she truly believed that she wasn’t ever going to see him again when she dropped him off at his house. Ellie paused for dramatic suspense before going on to tell them that the next day Lisa took her to Alex house for a football party.

Casey had her arms crossed and her lips pursed, she was beginning to believe the story while Brady was slouched still chuckling and sighing like Ellie had lost her mind.

They didn’t add any more commentary until Ellie told them about Alex breaking in the following Monday morning.

“What?!” they shouted in unison sitting up straight and looking almost fearful.

It was Ellie’s turn to laugh at them. She knew how ridiculous it sounded and that this was the sort of thing that you’d expect to turn into a horror story.

“He found my spare key outside and let himself in,” Ellie clarified enjoying their reactions.

“Did you call the police?” Brady demanded.

It struck Ellie then, that the thought to call the police hadn’t even come to her mind when she found Alex in her kitchen that morning. Her eyebrows pulled together, she couldn’t believe that she hadn’t thought of that.

“No,” she replied the word coming out as a question, “I just let him fix my coffee, told him not to break anything, and then left for work.”

“Are you mental?” Casey crowed, throwing her hands up.

Ellie shrugged not really sure if she was, “When I got home we talked and then ordered take out and he went home,” she wasn’t sure if she should continue the story or just let the rest go. Would it make her or Alex sound any less crazy?

“And what you just decided to call him up and hang out with him again?” Brady asked clearly not finding this story amusing anymore.

Ellie shook her head, “He was here again the next morning and again after that it just sort of became routine,” she admitted sheepishly.

“So you’ve just been letting some stranger stay at your house all day while you go to work?” Casey asked.

The more questions they asked the crazier Ellie felt.

“No,” she insisted, “Lisa knew him and she trusted him, and besides he isn’t exactly a stranger anymore.”

“So what are you dating him now?” Brady asked trying to figure out exactly how nice he had to be to this guy. He could see that Alex made Ellie happy on some level and he wouldn’t be the one to take that away from her.

“No,” she replied and again it came out as a question.

Casey and Brady raised their eyebrows questioningly.

“It’s really complicated okay,” Ellie said, “He asked me out and I said no but he kisses my cheek and stuff and I…” she trailed off not really sure how to continue. How do you define that sort of relationship? She didn’t know. They were only around each other. It was so private and safe that she had never thought about it before.

“You like him,” Casey finished for her, her tone softer. Casey understood now even if Ellie didn’t.

Ellie opened her mouth to protest but Casey held up her hand to stop her.

“You trusted this guy instantly and you didn’t even realize it,” Brady reasoned, he was clearly on the same page as Casey.

“Call him and ask him to meet us for dinner,” Casey insisted, “If you trust this guy as much as you do then Brady and I need to meet him properly.”

Ellie sighed her head was spinning. “You just want to grill him,” she pointed out as she pulled out her phone.

Casey and Brady smiled back at her smugly as the phone rang.

----------------------------------------------------

“Ellie!” Jack shouted over joyed for reasons that Ellie would never understand. He ran to her wrapping her up in a hug. She hadn’t even seen him since the football party. Then she remembered that Alex had once told her that Jack was a lot like a puppy and was immediately attached to people that he assumed would be around for a while and he had no romantic possibilities with.

Alex had already promised Jack that they could hang out by the time Ellie had called him so he invited Jack along. Ellie didn’t mind because from what she could tell he was the kind of person that would steal all of the attention when things got awkward.

“Alright Jack we don’t want you getting so excited that you pee,” Alex joked, “Let her go buddy.”

Jack and Ellie laughed and took a step away from each other. Alex took the liberty of introducing Jack to Casey and Brady and the all went into the bar and grill that Alex had promised Ellie was super casual and would be a good fit for their strange party.

“Alright Alex,” Casey cut in as soon as the waitress had left their drinks, “let’s cut to the chase.” She narrowed her eyes and rested her folded arms on the table leaning into him.

“What are your intentions with Ellie?” Brady demanded following Casey’s lead.

Ellie was sandwiched between Alex and Jack on the other side of the booth and she felt both pairs of eyes on her. Alex seemed scared while Jack seemed amused.

“Guys please behave,” Ellie begged her words were directed not only to Casey and Brady but to Alex and Jack as well. Even if she had only seen them together the one time, she knew that they would make this whole thing a joke if she let them get out of hand.

“It’s a simple question,” Casey insisted.

“Yeah like ‘what are you going to do with the rest of your life’ when you’re only 13,” Ellie countered.

“It’s okay Elle,” Alex said patting her knee under the table, “I intend to date her but she is refusing me so we’re at a weird stage in our relation-slash-friendship.”

“Great not that we have that cleared up,” Casey beamed before continuing, “What do you do for a living?”

Jack was chuckling and elbowing Ellie’s side clearly finding this question amusing as well.

Alex took a deep breath and glanced to Ellie hoping to God that her friends weren’t like her mom. He really didn’t want to be hated for a job that he loved, especially when it could potentially cost him any future relationship with Ellie.

“Actually Jack and I are in a band together,” Alex replied bracing himself.

“ATL bay-bay!” Jack crowed bounding in his seat.

“For the love of God, Jack,” Ellie sighed. She wondered what exactly went though Jack's brain before he spoke.

Casey and Brady were giving Jack identical confused looks.

“It stands for All Time Low, which is our band name,” Alex explained.

After being brought back to Alex by the mention of Alex Brady was immediately interested, after all he made a living running a bar for underground artists to play in.

And just like that all the awkwardness was gone. Alex, Jack and Brady might as well have been best friends and Casey seemed content with the information, not matter how little, that she had received.

------------------------------------------

For the rest of their weekend visit, Casey and Brady insisted that they get to meet and hangout with all of the people that she knew in Baltimore which gave Lisa the opportunity to throw at party meaning that she liked Casey and Brady already.

Casey and Lisa may as well have been two peas in a pod and Brady was freaking out about how many people Alex knew in the industry.

Ellie was just glad that she was able to sit back and relax knowing that Casey and Brady actually approved of Alex… even if she wasn’t sure how she felt about him.