Happy

[005]

"You look like a proper mess."

Alex glanced up, his lips turning up at the corners as he took in the young woman before him. He was sat in a little café, in a corner booth with a cup of steaming hot liquid in front of him. Zooey grinned at him, sliding into the seat opposite him as he gestured for her to do so.

"I feel like shit." He shrugged a shoulder.

Zooey frowned. "How come? Things didn't go well with your phone call?" Then her frown disappeared, in favour of a raised eyebrow and teasing smirk. "Or was your night that terrible?"

Alex let out a small laugh. "I'm gonna ignore the comment about my... Activities last night. As for the call with Lisa... It went... okay. But I haven't called Tay, yet, and I'm just trying to come up with a decent excuse as to why I don't want a relationship with her." He replied honestly, taking a sip of his coffee quickly. "Oh, um sorry for being rude, but, um, do you want anything to drink?"

She blinked at him before darting her eyes to the cup in her own hands, making his cheeks flush with colour.

"I didn't notice that..."

"You're really oblivious, too." She laughed, shaking her head lightly. "So why haven't you called Tay again?" She asked.

"I just, –" he sighed, bringing a hand to the back of his head and ruffling up his hair. "I don't know what to say, I guess."

Zooey shrugged this time. "Tell her the truth."

"What – that she was my basically my friend with benefits while on a three month tour?" He snorted.

She laughed. "No. Tell her that you and Lisa have only just broken up and you're not ready for commitment to someone else, and neither are you romantically interested in her."

"You make it sound so easy." Alex mumbled, taking another sip of his coffee.

"It kinda is."

Alex sighed softly, shaking his head. "Maybe so, but it's fucking with my brain and I just, I really don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt her feelings or give her false hope or anything."

"What false hope would you be giving her?" Zooey scrunched her eyebrows together. "You'd basically be straight up telling her that you don't like like her." She paused, shaking her head, messing with the silver stud in her bottom lip. "God, I sounded like a fucking thirteen year old then."

Alex laughed, nodding his head in agreement. Zooey rolled her eyes in a playful manner but the corner of her lips turned up in amusement.

He knew that what she was telling him was true, though – since he would, basically, be telling her that he didn't want to get into a relationship with her, and neither did he even have any feelings for the younger female. But Tay was also pretty persistent and she could put up a good argument if needed. He could easily just call her to say that he didn't want to be with her, and she would probably be able to act so upset and broken that Alex wouldn't think twice before agreeing to commit to her.

He didn't know how to explain that over to the flame-haired young lady sat across from him, though. Even he had a hard time trying to grasp the concept of how he'd never be able to say 'no' without feeling immense guilt for upsetting someone else with his decisions.

It had always been that way, ever since he was a kid. He'd let his 'friends' walk all over him, and continue on being the second option to everyone else even though it hurt knowing that he would never be as important to someone as that someone was to him.

Alex was one of those people that put other people's happiness before his own, which was why he knew that he had to be careful when making phone calls to a woman who really wanted to get together with him.

"I guess I'm just afraid that I'll let Tay guilt trip me into being with her, or maybe that Lisa would, like, call me back and twist my words. Again." He eventually settled on replying.

Zooey eyed him for a moment before nodding with a small shrug of her shoulders, and then taking a sip of her coffee. Alex did the same, and for a couple of minutes, neither said anything; merely looking around the little café while taking occasional sips from their coffee mugs.

"You're not going to call her, are you?" Zooey spoke up, making Alex turn his head to look at her.

"I will." He defended himself, before adding an: "... eventually."

Zooey laughed. "Well then." She got to her feet, brushing off imaginary dust from her ripped black skinny jeans. "Fancy catching a film with me? I really want to watch Ender's Game and the guy I was supposed to catch it with found out that he had a 10,000 word essay to write and hand in by tomorrow." She laughed again, shaking her head.

Alex smiled, getting to his feet as well. "Well, your date needs to sort out his priorities." He joked, making her snicker as she gently nudged his arm with her elbow.

"Don't be an arse. He's my bestie."

"Your best friend's still in school?" He asked and she nodded in response as they walked out of the café. "University?"

"Obviously." She deadpanned, causing him to roll his eyes in mock annoyance.

"How old does that make him?"

"As old as I am."

"And how old does that make you?"

"The amount of years I've been alive."

Alex shot her a flat look. "Smart ass."

Zooey chuckled. "I'm twenty-three, and apparently, no one likes me."

"Blink-182 reference. I like you." Alex nodded in approval, stroking his chin with a finger.

"Phew." Zooey wiped at her forehead. "Thank God for that."

-----

"The ending was a bit fucked up."

"I don't get it."

Zooey raised an eyebrow. "What's not to get? It just... Wasn't a simulation, and they tricked him into thinking that it was one."

"So he just destroyed the whole fuckin' planet?" Alex blinked.

"Yeah." She nodded.

Alex frowned. "That's fucked up."

"That's exactly what I said."

"Well." Alex scoffed. "Sorry for being a lil' bit slow."

Zooey laughed lightly, shaking her head. "So... Now what?"

Alex shrugged. "Lunch?"

"Bit late for lunch, innit?"

"Linner, then. That's lunch-plus-dinner. See what I did there?" Alex grinned goofily, giggling to himself.

"You're an absolute genius." Zooey drawled out sarcastically, making him pull on a mock scowl before using his shoulder to nudge her gently. "But honestly. I'm craving a good burger."

"There's a diner down the street and it looked like it sold some tasty burgers. Wanna give it a try?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "As long as it doesn't give me food poisoning, I'm good."

Alex snorted, messing with his fringe before holding out an arm for her. He bowed his down down dramatically, putting on a posh accent: "My lady."

"Thank you, kind sir." She curtsied, also putting on a posh accent as she hooked her arm through his. She laughed lightly, shaking her head as they went on their way to the nearby diner.

Alex couldn't help but grin to himself as he walked. The two walked on in silence, but neither of them made a move to speak, for the silence was oddly comforting. He didn't feel pressured to talk, like how he normally would be feeling when he met new people. It was human nature to be self-conscious and insecure and rockstar or not, Alex was no exception.

Whenever he met new people, his mind would be reeling with thoughts about whether they thought he was a little too weird, or a little too inappropriate. Which was rather ridiculous, seeing as how he was with a best friend of his by the name of Jack Barakat for most of those times.

But the thoughts would still be nagging him at the back of his head. The little voice would be telling him that the person he'd just met was thinking of ways to ditch him and never talk to him again, or maybe the voice was telling him that the person he'd just met actually really fucking hated him from the moment they first exchanged words but were being two-faced by being nice to him but talking shit about him while he wasn't around.

With Zooey... None of those thoughts came round. Maybe it was because he was still trying to figure out how to tell Tay that he didn't want (a relationship with) her, or that he was constantly praying to whoever would listen that Lisa wouldn't call him and beg him to take her back.

While he was with Zooey, all he felt was good vibes. He didn't feel pressured to hold back on his sassiness or asshole-ness, for she would just respond with the same amount of sass with just a dash of asshole thrown in.

Managing a small smile, he glanced at the young woman who was still casually walking arm-in-arm with him. She wasn't looking at anything in particular but her eyes glistened with wander – like the scenery they were passing by was so fascinating, when it was really wasn't anything special. She looked like a little kid seeing the world for the first time, and it kind of reminded him of himself. He'd always had a short attention span and been fascinated with the simplest of things.

Maybe that was why they got on so well. Because they were rather similar in ways that any other person wouldn't be able to see from just looking at them.

The fact that he'd spilled his guts to her – a random stranger – could've also played a part, though. But he liked to think that even if he hadn't done as such, they would've still met, somehow, because honestly? If it wasn't for her, he'd still be stuck in a relationship with a woman that he wasn't in love with, with no friends in the place he was born in and he'd probably have gone mental by his third day in Essex.

"Hey, d'you wanna know something?" Zooey asked suddenly, bringing Alex out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Alex hummed, looking at her.

"Your eyebrows look like caterpillars."