𝚂𝚄𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚄𝙽𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆𝙽 ✩ ɢʀᴜɴɢᴇ

𝚒𝚟. 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗

"I changed my mind. I can't do this. Don't knock. Actually, knock, and I'll go stand on the street corner. When I see Ben let you in I'll leave. I just can't go in there--"

"Alex, stop being so dramatic. Chris might not even be here." Charlie held Alex's wrist and knocked on the door. It was opened a few seconds later by Charlie's dear older brother, Ben Shepherd.

"What's up, loser?" he asked Charlie, greeting Alex with a small "hi" and a wave that she quickly returned.

"Says you!" Charlie exclaimed. "You go and join a cool band and suddenly you have the right to call me a loser?"

"I always had that right. Come on, come in. We're just hanging out."

"We?"

"Yeah," Ben said as he led them into the living room. This was an actual house, so Alex couldn't help but lag a little to look around and take it all in, but Charlie mistook that for nerves and pulled her along. Ben sat in a big chair and gestured around the room. "Kim, Matt, Stone, Jeff, and Chris." He pointed up at the girls and said to his friends, who had stopped talking to curiously look at them, "this is Alex and my sister Charlie."

Alex's heart had stopped. She'd come to terms with the idea of Chris being there, but no one had warned her about Stone and Jeff. She avoided their gazes, waving at Kim and Matt instead before Charlie steered her to sit on the empty two-person couch.

"This is a nice place you've got, Ben," Charlie said, not at all bothered by the presences that were unnerving the hell out of Alex. "An actual house. Fancy."

"Don't worry Charlie, one day you might be half as successful as me," he said in a teasing voice. Charlie quickly shot back with some sarcastic remark that Alex didn't quite hear. She was very aware of Stone's eyes on her and didn't want to look up just yet. Unfortunately, curiosity got the best of her, and she looked up in Chris's direction.

She almost started when she realized he was already staring directly at her. She felt a sudden need to look away but didn't, instead staring right back and appreciating that this was the first time she'd really looked at him. He had a handsome face and nice eyes and a strangely intimidating quality about him. But then he blinked and smiled at her and that immediately went away. She tried to smile back but couldn't fully do it, instead giving him a wide-eyed half-smile that probably just made her look like she'd just realized she'd left her clothes in the dryer. That made his smile bigger and he finally looked away.

"So are you guys still living at that same apartment?" Jeff asked right as Alex tuned back in.

"Yeah. I can't afford another pair of shoes, much less a new apartment. I didn't even buy this duct tape," Alex said, pointing down at the duct tape covering parts of her old boot before struggling to say through laughter, "I stole it from the warehouse I work at."

Everyone laughed and they all agreed times were tough. "So, Stone and Jeff," Charlie began in a tentative voice, "what are you guys up to nowadays?"

They exchanged a look of slight shock, both clearly caught off-guard. Alex caught Stone's eye and they both held the gaze for a moment.

"T-Tr..." Jeff began, but couldn't get the word out.

"Something with Chris," Stone said, looking over at the singer. His eyes were trained on the floor.