I Wanna Be Yours (Arctic Monkeys Fanfiction) UPDATED VERSION

21 | Lace

The food court gave me an anxious buzz that wouldn't go away no matter how many fries I ate. Was it the lighting? Was it the smell of grease, or the clash of trays? I couldn't pinpoint it. The girls in front of me decided on a shopping trip to spend the afternoon and we took a short break for food.

Kelly dipped one of the fries in her milkshake. "So this has been an act the entire time?"

I'd finally made the decision to let them know my situation. I trusted the two not to say anything, and I wanted real advice. I tried to taste the salt at the bottom of the fry container, swerving in my seat. "That's what it started as, yes."

"But you actually do like each other?" Brea put a hand over her mouth. "That's adorable."

My cheeks were pink. "I'm really nervous for tonight. I don't want to slip up."

"It's going to go great." Brea waved her hand, dismissing the thought.

Kelly snorted. "If it's anything as good as Brea's night was, you should be fine—"

"Shut up!" Brea bit her lip, smiling. "Anyways, you won't slip up. Know why? You have us, and we believe in you, and we're not afraid to be honest with you."

"Honest with me?"

"Yeah, honey. We've been thinking about some things."

The food court continued to buzz. "Like what?"

"Well," Brea said, sipping through the straw in the plastic cup. "First, we need to change that ugly bra of yours. I see the strap through your shirt."

"It's a practical color."

"It's tacky and you're not eighty, so let's go buy you a new one immediately. And then we'll help you calm your nerves for tonight. You won't slip up, honey."

I took a deep breath and fixed my hair in front of the door before I knocked. My mind still brought me back to yesterday's festival—I kept picturing the blues as they floated across Alex's face. My heart raced at the picture of his shirt half stuck to his chest, the sweat that dabbled on his temples. The memory wasn't going to leave anytime soon, but I forced myself to come back to the present and on the door in front of me.

Alex opened it, as expected. He leaned against the frame in his pajamas—drawstring pants sagged on the waist and exposed his hipbones. His feet shuffled on the carpet. "My eyes are up here," he laughed.

I swallowed, biting my lip. My stomach felt light. "Sorry."

Alex smiled, stepped back, and gestured to the empty hotel room. It was pristinely cleaned. Like the one I had been staying in with the girls for the past few days, this too had dark grey walls and soft white sheets. The carpet had a minimalistic geometric pattern, and the curtains were black rippling sheets over the low blowing air conditioner. The room was dim, lights shining from spots beside the slate headboards. A lamp in the corner glowed lilac. It was probably supposed to be white, but was somehow tinted a shade darker.

I placed my shopping bag on the ground beside the wall as Alex clicked the door shut. "So, how was your day with Brea and Kelly?"

"Good, yeah," I said, sitting on the bed.

Alex picked up the bag from the floor. "What did you get?"

My eyed widened. "N—Alex, don't."

Before I had the chance to take the bag from him, he opened it up. Something flashed over his eyes. Then he picked up a lace bra with his finger and his brow rose suggestively.

Dear God.

I tried to snatch it from his hands but Alex just chuckled. "I thought we were going to keep this a, I dunno, PG session."

I was getting hot flashes: embarrassment. "Brea made me get it," I mumbled.

Alex looked at me for a moment, watching the heat rise in my face. The lilac lamp flickered. Dammit. This was amusing to him.

"I see," he whispered, tucking it back into the bag. He hopped onto the bed, teeth still showing.

I rubbed my arms and stood up—that couldn't have happened. "I'll be back. Going to change."

"Into something more comfortable?"

Alex was mocking me, so I flipped him off before shutting the washroom door harder than I meant to. I buried my face in my hands; he was laughing on the other side of the door. This was going to be a long night.