Paint Me a Picture with Nothing

Chapter Six

“Do you want to do something with me today?” Alex asked as he looked up from his laptop. Taylor was at his apartment, working as usual, but the question made her raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“You, of all people, want me to do something with me?” Taylor asked in shock.
Alex rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, I just feel like you should probably you know? Get out more? So I’m offering.” He responded with a shrug.

Taylor blushed, it was true, and she usually spent her time either in her apartment or at school. “I do get out.” She stated a little more defensively than she wanted.

An eyebrow rose on Alex’s face. “Oh yeah? Then what did you do last night? Because the email you sent me in the middle of the morning screamed ‘I get out!’”

Taylor internally groaned and looked down. “So I wasn’t busy that night, big deal. I go places when I’m not working, going to class, or spending time here.”

Alex sighed. “Do you want to do something or what? We could go get some coffee or just take a walk. Whichever one, I’m getting tired of being stuck within these walls.” He stated.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Taylor gave in with a small nod.

--

Two of there were seated inside of Charmington's, a local coffee shop in downtown Baltimore. The author holding an iced chai latte in his hand as he listened to Taylor talk about music, which to his surprise is actually more than decent.

“I really don’t get why people think that Enema of the State is Blink’s best album when it’s obvious that Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is.” Taylor stated before sipping her jasmine tea.

Alex raised his eyebrows in pure shock. “What?!” He gasped, earning a few disapproving looks from customers within the small shop. He leaned forward against the table, still taken aback from what came out of the younger’s voice. “You’re kidding, right?!”

Taylor chuckled at her boss, who was masking an almost horrified facial expression. “No, I really think that.”

“What’s next? You’re going to tell me that you prefer Blood on the Dance Floor over Green Day?” Alex asked with wide eyes.

Taylor choked on her tea and quickly shook her head. “No! Never! Are you fucking insane? I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for any band to top Green Day.”

Alex let out a sigh in relief before tilting his head to the side. “Really? You think that?”

“Yeah, while Blink-182 and New Found Glory come out to be a tie for close second, I still think Green Day has more of an advantage as far as music goes.”

A crooked smile painted the author’s face, which surprised him, though he tried not to show it. “Huh, interesting.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow. “What? Do you like another band more than Green Day?”

Alex chuckled softly and shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee. "Can't really say I do, but I'm glad to know we're on the same page with music tastes."

"I am too, but we need to work on your choice of Blink-182 albums." Taylor replied with a small laugh.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yes really. You can't tell me that Enema of the State is the best Blink album when All The Small Things is on it."

"It's a decent song!" Alex defended.

Taylor laughed and shook her head. "Okay, no. The fact that you actually think that scares me. Let's be honest though, Al-"

"Mr. Gaskarth." Alex corrected with a slight nod.

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Gaskarth, right, sorry. Anyways, the song consists of the same power chords and 'na na na' lyrics."

"And Happy Holidays, You Bastard definitely makes Take Off Your Pants and Jacket a great album." Alex responded sarcastically.

Taylor chuckled and nodded. "Obviously. It's a great song to listen to, especially since the holidays are coming up." She joked.

Alex playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah, obviously." He played along before his vision trailed over to look at the white wall behind Tay, though a dirty blonde's head blocked part of it.

"I'm glad you agree. So I have a question for you." Taylor proposed, earning a silent response from Alex.

The author was deep into thought, something his tried his best not to do while in public or in front of someone other than Jack. His eyes glanced over the imperfections the wall features, a long black crack going through the middle, though Alex still found it appealing. Something about life's imperfections captivated him and made him crave more. As his eyes locked with the nearly blank white wall, his mind started painting an image of a person, no, a girl. Alex couldn't exactly put a name to her, not that he wanted to, so he just allowed the person come together as his mind wanted. It wasn't the first time his mind created the image of a person. What many of Alex's readers don't know is that these images his mind paints on these blank walls of people are the drawing board to the characters he writes about. This image, however is different, it's someone new of course. This girl looked almost familiar, her long dark brunette hair falling just over her shoulders with a slight curl to it brought a small smile to Alex's face. Before he could put a name to the girl, the image quickly dispersed as he reverted his eyesight to Taylor in shock.

"Did you just space out on me?" Taylor asked, confusion clearly covering her voice.

Alex blinked as he looked at her, his image looked nearly identical to his editor. He didn't respond, he couldn't, he was too busy trying to fit the pieces together. Not once did his mind ever take the advantage to draw out someone he knows. There's no reason. He knew relationships are more than unnecessary, so thinking about Taylor in this way baffled him to no end.

"Mr. Gaskarth?" Taylor asked worriedly.

"I, uh, I have to go." Alex mumbled as he quickly stood up and grabbed his coffee.

"Wait, what? Why're you leaving so soon? Is everything okay?" Taylor asked with a nervous tone, standing up in the process.

Alex glanced down at Taylor before making his way to the door. "I'm fine." He mumbled.

"Are you sure?" Taylor pressed as she followed the author.

Alex abruptly stopped and turned around to look at the young woman. "I said I was fine, so I'm fine." He replied harshly. "We're not friends, stop worrying about me!" He finished before exiting the building, leaving Taylor looking like a kicked puppy as she stood in the coffee shop, everyone in the shop watching as a small tear slid down her face.