Alone Together

“Well, there’s plenty of room to work with. The only question is where you want everything to go.”

The soft Irish accent breezed around the backyard, its owner digging her hands into her coat pockets and her red hair flowing out from under her Yentl hat. The pink of her lips matched the color of her client’s cheeks as she observed his backyard, taking in every detail and etching it into her memory. Patrick nervously dug his foot into the ground, drawing a line in the dirt and jumping when the landscaper turned to him.

“Don’t do that!” she said softly, nodding to his feet. “It’ll mess up the grass. And I doubt you want to spend loads of money on laying out new grass. It takes forever, too.”

He nodded, and tugged on the front of his hat, adjusting his glasses to see better. “So…when do you think you can start?” he asked. He knew his bandmates would be arriving soon to brainstorm ideas for their new album, and he started to feel nervous at what kind of antics the boys would get up to that might embarrass this stranger.

Taylor bit her lip and glanced around, the scarf protecting her neck against the cool early March wind whipping around as she did. “As soon as the ground thaws a bit. It’s still cold and cracked now.”

He nodded and froze when he heard a car pull up out front, loud music being turned down just before the engine was killed and doors slammed. “Would you excuse me for a moment?” he asked, forcing a grin and running inside. His three band mates grinned at him from the kitchen, the drummer with his hand reaching inside the fridge, guitarist quickly closing the pantry, and the bassist headed for the controller of the PS2.

“Heya, Stump,” Andy nodded, pulling out a cold one and walking over to the couch next to Pete.

“How’s it hanging?” Pete called over his shoulder as Simpson’s Road Rage loaded on the T.V. screen.

“Up high? Down low? Do your goody-goodies flow?” Joe added, nudging Patrick on the shoulder as he too walked into the game area. Patrick sighed and glanced back out the glass doors.

“I thought you guys weren’t coming until four?” he muttered, and all three men looked back at him and then past to the doors when they caught sight of Taylor looking around the yard.

Andy whistled. “Whew-we, would ya look at that. Pat’s got a lady friend over!”

Joe grinned, “And you’re leaving her outside on this blustery day? Where are your manners—get her inside!”

Pete considered the redhead for a moment and said nothing, turning back to his game.

Patrick sighed and tugged on his hat again while he walked to the doors, sliding them open and calling for her to come in. “Guys, this is Taylor Barrie, my landscaper,” he announced as she came in, yanking off her gloves and shivering as the heat hit her hands. “Taylor, this is…the guys.”

Joe and Andy jumped up to introduce themselves, showing no shame as they climbed over each other to be first to introduce themselves. She raised an eyebrow and laughed softly to herself, her green eyes wandering over to where the last member of this odd party sat. Joe glanced over his shoulder and waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t mind Pete, he has worse manners than Pat. Wentz! Get your ass over here and introduce yourself!”

Pete closed his eyes and sighed, rolling his face up to the ceiling before he set the controller down loudly on the couch, walking over to them and taking Taylor’s hand in his own. When his brown eyes met hers, his face softened, and a huge grin came to his face.

“Hello,” he said softly, giving her hand an involuntary shake.

She smiled gently at his and placed her other hand over his, calming his shivering with the warmth her fingers provided. “Hello, Peter.”

--

“Who would you do?”

Taylor rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at the four boys sitting on lawn chairs on the patio, shaking her head and turning back around to the employees she was working with. Pete sat up in his seat, eyes fixed on Patrick as he awaited the answer to the two girls he’d just named.

Patrick sighed, “I dunno, they’re both…attractive women, but I don’t know if I could choose—“

“Angelina Jolie?” Pete nodded, grinning as his friend blushed.

Patrick nodded, “Yeah, Paris has probably been around town so much that nothing is much left in her car.” The four boys all giggled, rolling about in their lounge chairs and yelping when Joe knocked over his water, making it splash all over Andy and making him squeal in disgust.

“All right, Mister Wentz, it’s your turn!” Joe grinned, picking up his now empty cup and balancing it on his palm.

Pete rolled his eyes, sighing as the gentle April breeze lifted his bangs from his face. “Go for it, Trohman,” he smiled.

Joe tapped his fingers together devilishly, his eyes shifting and lingering in one direction. His grin turned into a smirk and he said, “Halle Berry, or Pat’s landscaper?”

Patrick spit out his drink, choking and ignoring the now thoroughly damp Andy with water dripping off his beard. Pete stared blankly at Joe, his eyes darting over to a stiff standing Taylor listening to every word while pretending to only be focused on where her workers placed the new trees.

“Dude, she’s seriously right there,” Patrick hissed, glancing nervously over at Taylor. “Please do not insult the woman who is in charge of my lawn. She’s doing a really good job and I kind of need her if I don’t want this place to look like a shit hole.”

Pete nearly fell out of his seat when his cell phone began vibrating, and he jumped up to answer it, hurrying away from the prying ears of his friends. Taylor sighed and allowed herself a quick glance back at him, blushing when she noticed Patrick catch her and wink in her direction. He excused himself from his party and walked over to her, to “check on her progress.”

“You’re not the first you know,” he smiled, leaning over and admiring a bush that was soon to be placed in the ground.

She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, clipping her pen to her notebook and resting it on her side. “First to what? Landscape your lawn? Its appearance would suggest otherwise, I’m afraid,” she smiled, walking away and over to a tree sprig, taking note of its type in her book and the amount brought onto the lawn.

“To get caught gazing longingly at Pete,” he grinned, following her. She forced a laugh, looking back at him with amusement.

“Gazing longingly? Oh please,” she said calmly, sidestepping pots of new flowers strewn about.

Patrick laughed and glanced back at Pete, still talking on his phone in a soft voice he saved for only one person, fake and real all at the same time. Pat frowned slightly and turned back to Taylor, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “A crush is fine, Taylor, but don’t get carried away. He’s with someone, and although I haven’t known you all that long, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She looked up from her book, her closed mouth in a soft smile and she patted his arm. “Patrick, thank you, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about. “

Her green eyes followed Pete as he walked back over to his seat, rubbing his eyes and freezing when he noticed her looking at him. She turned away and looked back at her notebook, placing a checkmark next to the type of shrubbery before her. “Nothing exciting like that ever happens to me.”

Patrick looked at her sadly and glanced back at his friend, sighing when he saw the pained expression on Pete’s face as he tried to seem excited to talk to Ashlee. Turning back to Taylor, Patrick coughed for her attention. “Listen; me, Joe, and Andy are going out later since Pete has plans…” He trailed off when he noticed her cheeks turn pink, and quickly pressed on. “So I mean, if you don’t have any plans, why don’t you come hang out with us?”

Taylor considered his offer, recalling the pang she’d felt when she heard the four of them laughing and having a good time. She had always wanted friends as fun as that. With a small smile, she nodded. “Sure. Just text me when you guys want me to meet up? The number you have is my personal cell.” As Pete put away his phone he turned and their eyes locked briefly before they both quickly looked away. “You guys seem pretty fun,” she mused to Patrick.

--

“You need some plants, Pete.”

Pete glanced up from his notebook with most of the lyrics for the new album and looked at his girlfriend with raised eyebrows. “Where did that come from?” he asked with a small smile, setting aside his pen and giving her his full attention. Ashlee shrugged and plopped down on the couch next to him, wrapping her arms round his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t know. This place just looks like it needs some sprucing up,” she yawned.

“Tired, sweets?” he chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She nodded and snuggled into him, letting her eyes drift shut.

He smiled and looked back at his notebook, flipping it open to the page he was working on before. Ashlee opened one of her eyes and skimmed over the paper before asking, “Can I read it?” He jumped and quickly shut it, looking shyly down at her.

“Not yet, Ash. Wait for the album to come out,” he smiled, standing up and putting his notebook in a drawer of his desk.

She groaned and lay down, looking over at him through lowered lashes. “Why don’t you let me read your lyrics?” she asked.

He sat down in the chair for his desk and swiveled to face her. “If it’s any consolation, I only really let Pat, Andy, and Joe read them—and even then, really only Pat.” Ashlee frowned and got up, pushing past him and his outstretched arms.

“Good night, Pete,” she muttered, closing the door to his bedroom and leaving him locked out to sleep on his couch. Pete sighed, too tired to try to worm his way into his room. He plopped down on his couch, kicking off his shoes in aggravation. His phone buzzed, alerting him to a new text, and he laid down with a sigh.

It was from Patrick, and it contained a picture of a very drunk Andy and Joe hoisting Taylor up into the air at the boys’ favorite bar. She was laughing, holding on for dear life, little crinkles forming in the corner of her eyes from her smile. Along with the picture Patrick had included a text, “THIS GIRL IS SO COOL! NEW BFFS FOR LIIIIIIFE.” Pete chuckled, always a fan of drunk Patrick. With no judging eyes, he allowed himself to look at the picture of Taylor freely. He tried telling himself the pang he felt in his stomach was jealousy of his friends being out drunk while he was left to sleep on his couch, and not because he was jealous he wasn’t one of the men holding up that laughing goddess.