Strings

Preparation

Nothing to wear, nothing to wear, nothing to fucking wear. Alex was trying to find something, anything to wear to that bar tomorrow night. Just because it was one fifty in the morning and he still had sixteen hours until he was going to pick her up, he wanted to be fully prepared to take Riley out and there was no way he could go to sleep. The four cups of booze he'd knocked back really meant nothing anymore; he used to only be able to take a couple of sips before he wasn't able to walk straight, and now he could handle almost any amount like a pro.

Maybe... The green v-neck, match her eyes? Or the black one, keep up the badass with a leather jacket, impress and don't stand out next to her. Of course, who could, she turned heads just by walking in the room, and if he looked like enough of a badass it could scare away any of those heads. The great contradiction.

Black V-neck it is. Alex pulled it on over his head, then grabbed the torn up skinny jeans off the dresser and danced around until he got them on. The door opened as soon as he got the zipper up, and he was already headed for the bathroom. "What's up Jack?"

"Nothin' much, just a little drunk. What about you?"

"Trying to figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow night. Thought I oughta try it on, make sure it still looks good..."

"You know it looks the same now as it did at our last show, in Philly. And you were wearing that white scarf with it. Before the show you had a black beanie on, and I'm almost one hundred percent sure you were wearing a fake mustache. The stache would definitely impress the ladies." Jack plopped onto his bed, watching Alex's reflection in the mirror as he paused mid-scarf-putting on.

"Ya know me so well." Mirror Alex chuckled, pulling on the beanie. "But it's a no to the mustache. I don't feel like that would leave a good impression."

"Man, she already thinks the world of you, but I'm pretty sure she thinks you just look at her as a crazed fan with a major infatuation. I almost feel bad for her."

"What makes you think that?" Alex came back out, unraveling the scarf and then taking off his shirt. Jack took his shirtlessness in, then looked away when Alex gave him a look.

"She just looked so upset every time you looked away, and she just gave this face, like she couldn't figure out what she wanted, and every time you looked back she just seemed awkward and uncomfortable, trying to get passed any barrier she saw." He started putting on shorts and pulled back the comforter on his bed.

Alex sat on his bed, looking like he had the wind knocked out of him. "Wait, did she really look like that? The whole time?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, because when you were hugging I could only see her eyes and those were watering up pretty quickly. I just feel bad for her. You're not going to talk to her when we leave this town, which is pretty sad." Jack closed his eyes, rolling over to face the wall. "And you're leading her on, going out with her tomorrow night. Let's be real, she's not your one in a billion, she's just one in a few thousand that you'll find another of when you reach other legs of the tour."

"Harsh." Alex laughed, thinking how it could be true, but on the other way around. He had every intention of talking to Riley, even after they left for the next tour. Maybe taking a plane, coming back and seeing her when this was all over. But what if she really thought of him as just some singer with a little crush, and then feel the need to move on to someone else as soon as they were gone. She was more than just one in a billion, she was like the only one. It was too early to let her know, that would just make her feel even more uncomfortable and a lot more of an obligation to keep up with the pathetic singer. That was possibly the first and last thing he wanted; to be around her and get to know her, but then to have her feel tied down when he was so far away.