Status: If people leave comments I'll probabaly write more.
Intoxicated by the Lie
Chapter Two.
When Alex was packing up his paper work at five he realised he didn’t have any room in his bag and would have to carry the record separately and it meant that when he was locking his office door Rain Dawson, one of Alex’s co-workers, came over to him and pointed at the see-through bag, a questioning facial expression covering his features. “What’s in there?”
Alex grinned, “Folie à Deux vinyl.”
Rian’s eyes widened and he made to take the vinyl as if he didn’t believe the other, “Seriously? Dude, where’d you get this?”
“The store not far from here, I think it’s a new section. They have a new guy working there too, kind of cute.” Alex smirked at Rian and they both laughed, Rian shaking his head and placing the vinyl back in its bag. “Want to come over and listen to it tonight? I’ll make dinner.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Rian joked as they entered the elevator on their floor and pressed the number for the first floor.
“Don’t tell Cassadee I don’t want her to take you away from me.”
“My girlfriend won’t mind if I have a man-date at yours.”
“Do you want to come over now? Dinner won’t take long to make.”
***
“Dammit I don’t have any garlic.” Alex mumbled as he opened the fridge door and rummaged through the vegetable draw inside. “I’ll see if Jack’s home and if he has any.” It was unlikely but it could happen and it would save Alex walking down to the grocery store (which really wasn’t that far away but still).
Alex knocked on the door opposite his own and rocked back and forth on his feet as he waited. He had left his own door open and he could feel Rian’s eyes watching his back. For some reason, Alex didn’t know why, it made him nervous. “Oh hey,”
Alex jumped as he looked up from his feet to see Jack politely smiling at him. “Hey, um this is a long shot but do you by any chance have any garlic I could use? I’m making dinner,” He motioned casually towards his apartment where Rian was sitting, “and I don’t have any.”
Jack was a little confused but pieced together what Alex was asking. “I do have some actually, come in.”
“Thanks.” Alex stepped into the apartment and was met with a mirrored version of his own. The furniture looked fairly cheap and a little run down, though, where as his was all new.
“Here you go,” Jack said as he handed it over, “who are you cooking for? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Alex took the garlic from Jack, smiling politely. “Thanks, I’m making dinner for Rian and myself.”
“Rian’s your dinner date?” Jack asked, hoping he didn’t sound rude.
Alex chuckled, “Uh, yeah I guess he is. Well I gotta go, don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Alright, see you around.” Jack smiled slightly awkwardly.
“See you.”
***
“So that’s the guy that works at the music store?” Rian asked as he set his beer down, eyes never leaving the screen as the two watched the Raven’s game that was on.
“That’s him.” Alex shrugged his shoulders as he sat back on his couch.
“He seems like the kind of guy you’d go for.”
“He’s just a kid Rian, fresh out of school probably.”
“So that’d make him easier. I bet you can’t get him to sleep with you.”
“Oh really?” Alex challenged, turning to face Rian as he raised an eyebrow.
“Dude I’m willing to bet fifty that you can’t.”
“Oh you are so on.”
Rian smirked and reached out his hand. “Shake on it. I bet you fifty you can’t get that kid across the hall to sleep with you.”
Alex took Rian’s hand firmly, “It’s a bet.”
***
Alex went grocery shopping the next day and made the excuse of giving Jack some garlic to try and get to know him better. He knocked on his door when he knew he should be home and held his breath, making sure he was wearing his best smile. “Hey,” Jack greeted as he opened his door.
“Hey Jack I, um, have garlic… you know, to replace what I used.”
Jack chuckled and invited Alex in. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, though.”
Alex brushed it off as he followed Jack into his kitchen. “It was the least I could do, you saved dinner.”
Jack nodded as he opened his fridge. “Your dinner date.” He didn’t mean to make it sound the way he did, but he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter, being single wasn’t exactly fun. “So have you been dating long?”
“Oh we’re not, just fiends. It was a man-date. Rian has a girlfriend.” Jack’s face flashed with realisation. “I don’t actually have a boyfriend.” Alex wasn’t the best with subtlety.
Jack nodded in understanding. “Being singe sucks, especially when you can’t get into bars to meet people.”
“How old are you if you can't get into bars?” Alex asked curiously, smug that his assumption was right and that Jack probably was straight out of high school.
“Nineteen. How old are you?”
“Too old for you,” Alex muttered under his breath.
“What?” Jack was watching him closely.
“Uh, I’m twenty-four.”
Jack nodded. “You want a beer or something? I’m about to watch Home Alone if you want to watch with me.” Alex grinned; it was like Jack wanted him to win the bet.
“That sounds good, thanks.”
“The DVD’s in my room if you want to go grab it. It should be on top of a pile of other DVD’s.” Alex shrugged and made his way towards the door he assumed was the bedroom. It was. Sort of. The room was empty, practically, with the only furniture being a mattress on the floor and a set of draws for his clothes. There was a lamp sitting on the floor by the mattress and a full length mirror on the wall, but that was about it. Strange.
Alex found the pile of DVD’s sitting beside a large pile of CD’s and Home Alone was, luckily, on top. He grabbed it carefully, worried about toppling all of the others over, and shuffled out of the room. As Alex got back to Jack forgot the filter in his brain as he said, “I couldn’t help but notice you haven’t got a bed?”
Jack laughed, “Yeah I know. I prefer to sleep on the floor on just a mattress.”
Alex shrugged it off. “That’s cool, I can respect that.” Jack nodded in reply.
When the movie finished Alex felt half asleep. He didn’t hate the movie but it wasn’t exactly his first choice. However it meant that he had managed to get closer to Jack as they had ended up sharing the blanket draped across the back of the couch and were sitting with their legs bent up comfortably, knees touching. Alex had even managed to get his hand to lightly brush Jack’s leg as he subtly repositioned himself to be more comfortable and in return closer to Jack.
It didn’t go any further than that though, which left Alex a little frustrated and reminding himself that it wouldn’t happen straight away and that he had to be patient. Alex wasn’t a patient person. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alex made sure to say as they removed themselves from Jack’s couch.
He could have sworn there was a glint of happiness in Jack’s eyes at that. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Alex grinned, “Folie à Deux vinyl.”
Rian’s eyes widened and he made to take the vinyl as if he didn’t believe the other, “Seriously? Dude, where’d you get this?”
“The store not far from here, I think it’s a new section. They have a new guy working there too, kind of cute.” Alex smirked at Rian and they both laughed, Rian shaking his head and placing the vinyl back in its bag. “Want to come over and listen to it tonight? I’ll make dinner.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Rian joked as they entered the elevator on their floor and pressed the number for the first floor.
“Don’t tell Cassadee I don’t want her to take you away from me.”
“My girlfriend won’t mind if I have a man-date at yours.”
“Do you want to come over now? Dinner won’t take long to make.”
***
“Dammit I don’t have any garlic.” Alex mumbled as he opened the fridge door and rummaged through the vegetable draw inside. “I’ll see if Jack’s home and if he has any.” It was unlikely but it could happen and it would save Alex walking down to the grocery store (which really wasn’t that far away but still).
Alex knocked on the door opposite his own and rocked back and forth on his feet as he waited. He had left his own door open and he could feel Rian’s eyes watching his back. For some reason, Alex didn’t know why, it made him nervous. “Oh hey,”
Alex jumped as he looked up from his feet to see Jack politely smiling at him. “Hey, um this is a long shot but do you by any chance have any garlic I could use? I’m making dinner,” He motioned casually towards his apartment where Rian was sitting, “and I don’t have any.”
Jack was a little confused but pieced together what Alex was asking. “I do have some actually, come in.”
“Thanks.” Alex stepped into the apartment and was met with a mirrored version of his own. The furniture looked fairly cheap and a little run down, though, where as his was all new.
“Here you go,” Jack said as he handed it over, “who are you cooking for? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Alex took the garlic from Jack, smiling politely. “Thanks, I’m making dinner for Rian and myself.”
“Rian’s your dinner date?” Jack asked, hoping he didn’t sound rude.
Alex chuckled, “Uh, yeah I guess he is. Well I gotta go, don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Alright, see you around.” Jack smiled slightly awkwardly.
“See you.”
***
“So that’s the guy that works at the music store?” Rian asked as he set his beer down, eyes never leaving the screen as the two watched the Raven’s game that was on.
“That’s him.” Alex shrugged his shoulders as he sat back on his couch.
“He seems like the kind of guy you’d go for.”
“He’s just a kid Rian, fresh out of school probably.”
“So that’d make him easier. I bet you can’t get him to sleep with you.”
“Oh really?” Alex challenged, turning to face Rian as he raised an eyebrow.
“Dude I’m willing to bet fifty that you can’t.”
“Oh you are so on.”
Rian smirked and reached out his hand. “Shake on it. I bet you fifty you can’t get that kid across the hall to sleep with you.”
Alex took Rian’s hand firmly, “It’s a bet.”
***
Alex went grocery shopping the next day and made the excuse of giving Jack some garlic to try and get to know him better. He knocked on his door when he knew he should be home and held his breath, making sure he was wearing his best smile. “Hey,” Jack greeted as he opened his door.
“Hey Jack I, um, have garlic… you know, to replace what I used.”
Jack chuckled and invited Alex in. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, though.”
Alex brushed it off as he followed Jack into his kitchen. “It was the least I could do, you saved dinner.”
Jack nodded as he opened his fridge. “Your dinner date.” He didn’t mean to make it sound the way he did, but he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter, being single wasn’t exactly fun. “So have you been dating long?”
“Oh we’re not, just fiends. It was a man-date. Rian has a girlfriend.” Jack’s face flashed with realisation. “I don’t actually have a boyfriend.” Alex wasn’t the best with subtlety.
Jack nodded in understanding. “Being singe sucks, especially when you can’t get into bars to meet people.”
“How old are you if you can't get into bars?” Alex asked curiously, smug that his assumption was right and that Jack probably was straight out of high school.
“Nineteen. How old are you?”
“Too old for you,” Alex muttered under his breath.
“What?” Jack was watching him closely.
“Uh, I’m twenty-four.”
Jack nodded. “You want a beer or something? I’m about to watch Home Alone if you want to watch with me.” Alex grinned; it was like Jack wanted him to win the bet.
“That sounds good, thanks.”
“The DVD’s in my room if you want to go grab it. It should be on top of a pile of other DVD’s.” Alex shrugged and made his way towards the door he assumed was the bedroom. It was. Sort of. The room was empty, practically, with the only furniture being a mattress on the floor and a set of draws for his clothes. There was a lamp sitting on the floor by the mattress and a full length mirror on the wall, but that was about it. Strange.
Alex found the pile of DVD’s sitting beside a large pile of CD’s and Home Alone was, luckily, on top. He grabbed it carefully, worried about toppling all of the others over, and shuffled out of the room. As Alex got back to Jack forgot the filter in his brain as he said, “I couldn’t help but notice you haven’t got a bed?”
Jack laughed, “Yeah I know. I prefer to sleep on the floor on just a mattress.”
Alex shrugged it off. “That’s cool, I can respect that.” Jack nodded in reply.
When the movie finished Alex felt half asleep. He didn’t hate the movie but it wasn’t exactly his first choice. However it meant that he had managed to get closer to Jack as they had ended up sharing the blanket draped across the back of the couch and were sitting with their legs bent up comfortably, knees touching. Alex had even managed to get his hand to lightly brush Jack’s leg as he subtly repositioned himself to be more comfortable and in return closer to Jack.
It didn’t go any further than that though, which left Alex a little frustrated and reminding himself that it wouldn’t happen straight away and that he had to be patient. Alex wasn’t a patient person. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alex made sure to say as they removed themselves from Jack’s couch.
He could have sworn there was a glint of happiness in Jack’s eyes at that. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”