Please Don't Try and Turn On the Lights

18. Alex' House Party

Received at 11.37 a.m. from Katie:
She was - she thought you knew. Didn't want to address it in front of the guys though. Apparently, Matt is being weirdly dismissive about it.

Sent at 11.38 a.m. to Katie:
Weird...

Received at 11.41 a.m. from Katie:
Yup! So coffee?

Sent at 11.43 a.m. to Katie:
Coffee sounds great!

-

Two and a half hours later I was walking towards a small coffee house near Victoria Station. Katie waved at me from inside. She looked gorgeous in her green sweater and flowing blonde locks. Something told me that she was the type of girl that always looked gorgeous.

"Hi Rhea!" she exclaimed as I stepped inside. She patted the seat next to her and gave me a tight hug as I sat down, "Jaime really wanted to come but I told him he wasn't allowed to," she snickered, "I figured you would see him later anyway."

"Later?" I asked, confused.

"At the party!"

"Party?"

Katie looked confused for a second before something seemed to dawn upon her, "No, he didn't!" she whispered.

"I'm not following you.."

"Alex is having a party tonight - been planning it for weeks. Didn't he invite you?"

"Uhm, no," I gulped. My eyes were already burning though I wasn't really sure why.

"I can't believe him!" Katie said in an angry tone, "he has been moping around for several months, talking about 'Rhea this' and 'Rhea that' and when he finally sees you, he doesn't even have the guts to invite you to his bloody party! I mean, he wrote songs about you for god's sake!"

"Songs? Plural?"

Katie gave me a knowing look before she shook her head saying, "He is unbelievable!"

"I only know about 'Do Me a Favour'" I added.

"Yeah, that's the first single. I heard a new one no later than yesterday."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, Katie took the hint and switched topics,

"I'm so sorry to hear that Alex didn't invite you tonight. I'm sure he's just gathering some courage to ask you to come. If not, you should just come anyway! I'm really looking forward to get to know you some more - I mean, you were with the guys for a few days several months ago and they still talk about you often so you must be pretty interesting!" she laughed.

-

Later, as I was catching the tube home from Victoria Station, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

Received at 05.07 p.m. from Alex Turner:
Party at my place tonight. You coming? You can bring friends if you want to.

I scoffed.. after the way he had treated me the other night, I didn't want to see him at all before I had gotten an explanation from him - and I wasn't about to go to a party he had been planning for weeks but hadn't mentioned to me before the very last minute. I was not some random girl he could treat however he pleased.

-

The next morning I woke up to several texts from Alex:

Received at 00.13 a.m. from Alex Turner:
Hope you bring cute friends ;-)

Received at 00.22 a.m. from Alex Turner:
You coming or what?

Received at 00.22 a.m. from Alex Turner:
Almost out of Gin.. Just saying. I know you like your G&T

Received at 00.46 a.m. from Alex Turner:
You get my text this afternoon? I'm having a party rn.

Received at 01.26 a.m. from Alex Turner:
So Im takin this as yure not cming tonigtt. Shame though. .. ..... .

Received at 01.59 a.m. from Alex Turner:
Youre missin out. Jamie is druuunk.
Shame u aint here Reha.

Received at 02.01 a.m. from Alex Turner:
*Rhea. I can spelll u kno

Received at 04.04 a.m. from Alex Turner:
I get te message. See ya rounnd.

I sighed. Jamie clearly hadn't been the only one who was drunk and out of his mind yesterday. Alex couldn't even hit the correct buttons on his phone for God's sake.

For a while, I contemplated whether I should text Alex back. Whether I should tell him that I didn't want him to meet my 'cute friends' and that I was angry with him for being so cold the other night. I decided against berating him but still replied:

Sent at 08.43 a.m. to Alex Turner:
Not gonna lie, Alex.
I don't appreciate you texting me all night about a party you invited to me to last minute. If you so desperately wanted me there, you should have invited me earlier instead of spending the better part of our reunion night ignoring my guts.

To my surprise he replied almost immediately. He couldn't have gotten much sleep.

Received at 08.50 a.m. from Alex Turner:
But I did invite you

"UGH!" i groaned out loud in frustration. He obviously didn't get it!

Sent at 08.52 a.m. to Alex Turner:
Yes - and my 'cute' friends. What the fuck, Alex?
What is all this about? I don't get you.

Received at 08.53 a.m. from Alex Turner:
Stupid attempt at being witty.
Sorry - thought I could provoke you to show up even though it was late notice.

Sent at 08.54 a.m. to Alex Turner:
Well, it clearly didn't work

Received at 08.54 a.m. from Alex Turner:
Clearly - still hoped you'd show up though.

Sent at 08.54 a.m. to Alex Turner:
If you wanted to see me so badly why didn't you just say so?

Received at 08.54 a.m. from Alex Turner:
I am now: I want to see you.