I Wanna Be Yours (Arctic Monkeys Fanfiction) UPDATED VERSION

29 | Dial Tone

The phone rang, and it must've been one of the guys calling from the event. I got excited and picked it up, propping some pillows behind me. "How's the meet-and-greet going?"

Brea was doing Kelly's hair on the bed beside me while we watched the news. A guy voice doesn't answer: it's a woman's voice, sounding static on the end of the line. "I'm not at a meet-and-greet. Who is this?"

Kelly turned her head while Brea's hands were still making braids in her hair. "Who are you talking to," she whispered.

I shrugged. "Um, it's Leah. Who are you?"

"Oh. Oh. It's you." The voice became hesitant, awkward. "Nevermind. I shouldn't have called."

"Wait! Don't hang up! Who are you?"

"Sorry. It's Arielle. Is Alex there? I heard this was his room number but I wasn't sure."

Something in my chest dropped, anchoring me to the bed. Kelly and Brea exchanged weird looks. My words almost stumble from my mouth. "No, he's not here. At a meet-and-greet."

"That's why you asked," she said, disappointed. Her voice got quieter. "Sorry for calling."

"Why did you need to call?" My hand hurt holding up the phone and my voice came out with a bit of a bite. "I'll take a message for him if you'd like."

There's a pause on the receiver and I listen to static. "You know what? I'll just talk to him later."

"Later? I don't think there needs to be a later."

Brea stifled a laugh, biting her lip.

"There does. I just wanted to know something, but it's not something you could tell me the answer to. You haven't known Alex long enough."

My head felt hot. "Have you forgotten that you two have broken up?"

"Have you forgotten we call each other every day anyways?" I heard heavy breathing on the phone. There's an unnatural force pressing me into the pillows, as if something was sitting on my chest. Arielle continued, enunciating her words. "Oh, wait. Did you not know, babe?"

Kelly gave me a side glance, trying to listen in. I knew they couldn't hear.

My voice felt small. "You're lying."

"Ask him yourself," she laughed. "And I don't have reason to lie. I don't know you, and I don't care to. I just called to talk to Alex."

"I said he's not here right now," I mumbled.

"Ah, already getting bored of you?" Arielle snapped. "When we were together he'd never be bored. Especially when we fucked—did you know his favorite thing was when you'd—"

"Shut up." My voice was barely over a whisper. Everything felt heavy and my lids felt damp.

"Aw, are you sad? I'd be too if I were you. He's just using you to get over me. So here's what's going to happen: you're going to let Alex know I called, and soon you'll go back to your little home in New Mexico and he'll forget this thing between you two ever happened."

The whole sentence rubbed me the wrong way. "Wait, how did you know I lived—"

"He'll forget you, babe," she said, voice warped on the end of the line. "Remember to tell him I called."

The phone clicked off. Dial tone.

"Who was that?" Brea asked as I set down the phone. My mind rushed back to the present, and suddenly I could hear the muted noise of the news and Kelly's shuffling on the bed.

I looked to the phone, faced down on the bed. "Arielle."

"What? Why was she even calling?"

I got tucked underneath the sheets, my hands holding the top of the blanket, and stared at the ceiling.

Kelly turned off the TV. "You feeling okay?"

Arielle had to be lying. She had to be—but if they hadn't been talking, how the hell did she know where I used to live? Maybe she wasn't lying. After all, I have only known him for three months. But I trusted him more than that, so why were these thoughts still in my head? 

Overthinking. I always had an issue with overthinking. 

 I nodded feebly, unable to utter out the words. "Dandy."

Brea continued braiding Kelly's hair.