heart of a dagger - alex turner

1. temptation greets you like your naughty friend

huddled up in a booth in the ultracheese sat eight friends, alex, matt, jamie, nick, breana, kelly and arabella.

the group were getting absolutely smashed in celebration of alex's completion of a soundtrack for an upcoming film.

someone was missing.

"where the fuck is miles?" arabella questioned, turning her head round, her long, dark hair cascading down her back.

"not a clue, love. he were supposed be here a half hour ago." alex replied, checking his phone.

arabella groaned and stood up. "i'm off for another lot of vodka, who wants some?"

"we'll all have another shot." matt said. he was already completely wasted, his arm draped over breana's shoulder, who was sitting next to nick and kelly, across from alex, arabella and jamie.

she nodded, climbing over alex's legs and towards the bar. alex watched her walk away, his eyes glancing down to her arse. he quickly caught himself staring a little too obviously and looked away. he quickly finished his drink and slammed his empty glass on the table. arabella, utterly oblivious, leaned forward on her elbows and charmed the bartender into giving her a round of nine shots for free - the ninth in hope of miles arriving - and he did. making an appearance at the booth as arabella grabbed the shots between each of her fingers, miles cheered.

"miles fucking kane! fancy seein' you 'ere!" arabella laughed, handing out glasses.

miles smirked, drinking his own shot. "sorry i'm late, belle."

nick rolled his eyes and put an arm round kelly, while alex watched miles and belle with a slight pang of jealousy in his chest.

belle scoffed and pushed miles playfully. "whatever." she climbed back over alex's legs, stumbling slightly. alex looked at her, his eyebrows raised. 

"y'alright?" he asked, his hand reaching out to hold her arm and keep her steady.

she nodded and laughed. "fucking drunk, mate." she sighed contentedly and sank into her seat between miles and alex.

alex chuckled, letting go of her arm. "i'd say so, ya can't even walk a few inches over to yer seat without even stumblin'."

the romantic connection between alex and arabella was palpable yet unspoken, creating a tension that simmered beneath the surface of their friendship. their playful banter was always laced with flirtation, including a ridiculous amount of hookups, touching and moments that should be casual and platonic often charged with unacknowledged emotion. the undeniable chemistry - their laughter came easy, and their glances lingered moments too long.

alex knew. arabella knew.

hell, everybody knew. but it was never going to change.

matt and breana watched the two, their knowing looks reflecting their mutual awareness of the dynamic between them. nick and kelly mirrored their observations, recognising the unique chemistry.

yet arabella always found a way to try and make it less obvious by flirting with miles. she couldn't control how she felt for alex, and she was admittedly terrified of said feelings. she nudged miles' knee with her own and pointed at his empty glass. "someone's gonna be throwin' up tonight."

miles chuckled, nudging her back. "i'm just getting started. you'll be the one throwin' up before the night's over."

while belle may have been frightened by her own feelings, the flirtations with miles felt like a harmless distraction, a way to camouflage herself. alex watched them closely, his expression hard to read. 

it was his best friend.

"hey, is that a challenge?" arabella laughed.

miles smirked and shrugged. "might be."

alex's grip on his glass of beer tightened ever so slightly as he watched them jokingly go back and forth. he knew it was harmless, but that didn't stop his jealousy.

"i'm off out for a smoke," belle announced, wandering away, however, alex instinctively grabbed her wrist before she went too far.

"hey, don't forget it's bloody cold out there." he motioned to her small, black dress.

she stopped and shrugged. "i didn't bring owt else."

alex sighed and stood up. "you're ridiculous, you know that?" he shoved his leather jacket into her arms. "just take mine."

"fuckin' hell, al, it's fine." she pressed. "probably not even that cold."

he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "are ya daft? it's freezin' outside, you're gonna freeze to death out there without owt else on. just take it."

arabella obliged and slid the leather jacket over her arms, the scent of tobacco and mint filling her nose. "happy?"

alex chuckled, his face softening as he looked at her. something about his jacket enveloping her body made him feel some type of way, but he pushed his dirty thoughts to the back of his mind. "as long as you ain't freezin'."

she laughed and whacked his chest jokingly, wandering off outside. the lingering feeling of her hand against him made his heart skip a beat.

miles watched him with a knowing grin.

--

the booth began to empty. it was past midnight. matt and breana had long since left, along with nick and kelly. jamie had a girl at the booth, and miles was watching alex and belle closely. she had her head comfortably on alex's shoulder, an occurrence which was often repeated by the pair.

"i should leave, i'm gonna pass out...ya comin' back with me?"

alex's fingers traced small circles on her hand. "of course, love," he replied, his voice low, "i ain't lettin' ya walk home alone, not in this state."

the two stumbled away and miles turned to a now lonely jamie, gesturing to where alex had been. "is he gettin' it tonight, then?"

jamie shook his head. "fuck no. he stays round there all' time."

miles raised an eyebrow. "all the damn time? they don't shag, and they aren't dating?"

"i don't get what's keeping those two apart."

--