Return the Favor ( Alex Gaskarth)

give it up for at least a second, I'm getting sick of your bullshit attitude

Steph pov.

“Steph,  where  do we put these?”  one of the girls, Clare  that I was working with  asked holding up a box with a  few tees left.

“Just take them out and  put them with that  one over there. ill sort it after” She nodded and  did what she was told. We were  trying to work as fast as we could, running late from the  massive  line we weren’t expecting after the show. It nearly sold out everything, which was good.

I was on my  knees folding and  putting clothes into a box while  counting inventory when I heard someone clear their throat. Not taking  notice I continued.

The person cleared their throat again, this time making me look beyond the box. ( it was a tall box)

I leaned  forward to look around it, seeing a pair of very familiar grey shoes. Pushing down the sudden twist in my stomach I shook my head and looked back to my clip board.

“Sorry the  merch table is closed”  just thinking it was a fan still in here from the VIP pass.

“Aww common, I really wanted to buy a All time Low shirt”  The male voice whined.

That voice.

 His voice.  Seeping into my ears, his voice traveled through my body making a flutter  of butterflies in my stomach and a lump form in my throat. Memories flashed through my mind. I never wanted to hear that voice again.

“Alex”  I mumbled. My eyes  darted up towards the  boy who stood above me. Well maybe he wasn’t the  boy I remember. 

He had changed. His hair was  no longer  long and a mess. It was now shorter, more neatly  kept. He still had bangs that kept to the side of his face. His face had matured too, noticing he had some facial hair  growing in making him look that much more attractive.

He stood there awkwardly  shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. 

 Wearing a pair of fitted jeans and plaid shirt that was kept open over a  white tee that was low around his neck showing a bit of chest hair. He was  defiantly  more attractive then the last time I saw him.

“Funny seeing you here, steph?”  he smiled down at me crookedly just like he use to. 

No words came to me, my  throat had  suddenly closed as  I looked up at the ghost from my past. This was what  Mandy was trying to tell me.

“Are you going to answer me?or  stay on your knees all night”  he smirked making my face burn up. I  jumped up and clung to my clip board.

“I've been good, just working a lot. Always on the road”   I blurted out.  I could feel his eyes gaze  over me making my heart speed up.

“How about you?”  trying to get his eyes to stop looking me over.

“Good, really good actually. As you can see we're  on tour and such. The band  really hit if off.”

“I know”   ugh, what was I saying?!  I sound like I stalk him or something.

“I mean, that’s great. Im so happy for you. You doing what you’ve always wanted” 

Still smirking I could tell my praise was  giving him his cocky ego back. Crossing his arms over his chest and leaning to one side , he  nodded.

“Yeah, 10 years strong. You  seem to be doing what you love as well. Traveling with bands” 

Now his cockiness was out. Was he  trying to compare  jobs?  Is this why he showed up?

“Yea its exactly that. You  know, travel the world and meet amazing  people. What better job could you ask for?. I don’t have a strict  schedule either.”  Indicating that at least with my job I wasn’t always so strick on time and had i more free time unlike being in a band. I could see the shift in his face, the  scowl he was trying to hide.

“That’s great, im really happy for you.”

I smiled taking in how  fake he was now starting to sound. This is why we couldn’t be.

He was still a jerk, that never changed.

“thanks again, and same to you. Though I should be getting back to packing. I have somewhere to be soon.”  taking out my phone to look at the time. 

He nodded  uncrossing his arms.

“Well,  ill let  you get back to , work”  emphasizing  the word work.

“cool, see you around Alex”  smiling and  squinting my eyes. He  returned one and  turned to leave.  Not bothering to watch him walk away  I knelt back down and  stared at my clip board trying to breath. 

What just happened?

“By the way. You look good!”  He called  from a far.  I pipped my head  up to see him walk behind stage and disappear.

Ugh! Why?  Why did he have to be here, to say that?  Why did he have to look so good.

I hate him.

“Who was that ?”  Clare spoke in a  low  voice as she  passed me the  boxes to load on the truck so the other girls couldn’t hear.

“An old friend”  she looked at me for a  second.

“Boyfriend?” 

“No even close. Just a really old friend”

She nodded not believing a  word  but it was the truth. We were  really good friends, that just got into a  mess and couldn’t escape.