In Denial | Alex Turner

II

Waking up in the morning has always been the worst moment of the day for me, but luckily, today it was Saturday, meaning I could sleep until noon without anyone bothering me- at least that's what I thought.

My phone buzzed on my old wooden nightstand next to my bed. I blinked my eyes multiple times, trying to adjust to the sudden light that was entering my room. The phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

"Hello?" I asked sleepily while rubbing my eye with my left fingers.

"Monica, did you oversleep?" I heard Elle's voice coming from the other line. What the fuck did she mean?

"The hell do you mean?" I groaned and threw myself back on my pillow.

"The extra shift at the record store? Does it ring a bell, love?" Elle complained sarcastically. I groaned louder and sinked in my bed sheets. Of course, how could I forget my extra shift?

"I'll be there in 30, cover for me, please," I begged her as I stood up from my bed quickly.

"Yes, of course, that's what I've been doing all day," I could hear her eyes rolling. I hung up after thanking her and ran to my bathroom.

-

I parked at a free spot just outside the record store with my old red car that had surprisingly lasted more than I had expected. The wind was cold and made me shiver as it touched my bare collarbone. I knew I should have worn a turtleneck or at least a scarf.

I locked my car and shoved the keys back in the pocket of my black jeans before walking up to the store. The record store was an old building that looked like it was about to collapse, but I guess that's what made it so special and aesthetically pleasing.

"Monica, finally!" Elle exclaimed as soon as she saw me. I took my sunglasses off and placed them on the top of my head.

"Hello to you too," I rolled my eyes and hung my leather jacket on the hangers by the door.

"You know what I was thinking?" Elle asked me after some minutes of silence.

"Am I going to regret asking 'what'?" I lifted my head to face her and stopped putting new records on the wooden shelves. Elle walked up to me and handed me a vinyl with a guy smoking as the cover. "What's this?" I took it in my hands.

"It's one of the Arctic Monkeys' albums. You should listen to it," she advised me and walked back to the desk.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head slowly. My gaze fell on the vinyl in my hands. The guy on the cover was holding a cigarette and his eyes were slightly squinted. The label on the top left of the vinyl was white and had the words 'arctic monkeys' written on it with black letters that reminded me of how I used to write in elementary school.

"Just listen to this album and then bring it back, you don't have to buy it. Just give it a try," Elle tried convincing me and then we got interrupted by the bell above the front door of the shop. I turned around and raised my eyebrows.

Alex.

He had just entered the shop and had also brought a strong scent of tobacco in. His eyes fell on me and inspected me carefully. He was wearing a leather jacket and a plain white t-shirt beneath, along with a pair of black jeans and shoes.

"We meet again," I smirked and raised one of my eyebrows. He nodded in response and walked a few steps in the store, looking around. Suddenly, his gaze met mine and then fell on the vinyl I was holding. Fuck.

"You're a fan?" he raised his eyebrow and smirked at me.

"Nah. I have barely listened to any of your songs. She is, though," I pointed at Elle and looked at her. She was sitting on the desk with her elbows on it, admiring Alex. She waved at him with a smile and Alex did the same with a chuckle.