Izzy's POV:
The day Alex left Sheffield was one of the most tragic ones in my life. The way he had barely cared about me after all these years of friendship, the way he had totally dismissed me, the way he had left me behind when he had promised not to. It broke my heart into a million pieces, shattered it to smithereens. Even after we'd spent so many afternoons writing songs together and witnessing how his band became more and more popular, he didn't even care when the time to say good bye arrived. It all started the night of his eighteenth birthday, in which he was fervently knocking at my balcony's door, pleading for me to go up to my rooftop with him because he had some urgent news to tell me.
"So?" I urged him. "What is it, Alex?" He gulped harshly before speaking up, and when he did, he fixed his eyes intently on mine.
"I'm going to LA, Iz" He sentenced, and that was enough to make my heart stop.
"LA?" I repeated. "But that's like the city which is the most opposed to you!" I complained.
"I know" He whispered. "But Mark, you know, our manager, he says we'll have bigger opportunities over there"
"I... I suppose I understand" I muttered, looking away from him and trying to fight back my tears.
"Izzy..." He trailed off, taking my chin in his hands and making me face him. "Please, don't do this"
"I'll just miss you, that's all" I whimpered, letting a tear roll down my cheek. Alex stretched his hand to clear it away, but I simply took his hand and lowered it down. "But this is your biggest dream, so just do it, Al. I want nothing but the best for you"
"Izzy..." He whined, looking actually hurt. "I wish I didn't have to"
"I know" I nodded. "And Sophie? What about her?" I inquired, trying to change the conversation's topic as fast as I could. Alex and Sophie had been dating for a while now, which had also caused us not to spend as much time together, making me start developing a sort of resentment towards him. Lately, Alex had begun getting too much attention from girls. It wasn't bad, but I knew it was only because his band was growing bigger. It wasn't like Alex wasn't pretty; he had a really sweet face and such a caring way of being, but he wasn't exactly your typical rock star image. He was more on the good boy side rather than on the bad boy one, and his acne was still the main cause of his nightmares.
"I broke up with her" Alex admitted. "I don't think a relationship between us can work when there's so much distance in the way"
"So does that mean you won't be traveling here for a visit every now and then?" I spat.
"Izzy... please" He begged. "I don't know. I promise I will come back home whenever I can, but it just doesn't depend only on me"
"Yeah" I murmured. "I guess you're right. I just thought I was going to have you here for a little longer. I was hoping you would be there for the first time I ever had to go to college and that sort of stuff, you know"
"I'll be there" He smiled. "Spiritually talking" He nervously chuckled. "I'll always be there for you, Izzy, no matter how many miles are in the middle of our way"
"Do you promise to call whenever you get the chance?"
"Of course, I will" He tenderly smiled at me, and I couldn't help but get him into a tight hug. "You know, out of all the people in this town, you're going to be the one I'll miss the most, Izzy"
"Really?"
"Yeah, you're not that easy to forget" He winked. "Besides, how could I forget? Even after everything you and me have been through together" We laughed, and I was sure that we were both thinking about the same things. We had let some stuff slip through our fingers every now and then, and we'd occasionally had sex more than just that first time. It was fun, and we did it because we both enjoyed being with each other so much, that we couldn't control it.
"I'll never forget you, Al. I'll pay you a visit during college holidays" I smirked, just as a deafening silence fell upon us. Before I could realize, Alex was leaning closer and closer towards me, and suddenly, his lips were on mine.
"Sorry" He muttered, abruptly breaking apart from me. "I... I didn't mean to do that, I actually don't know why I did it" I shamefully looked away from him, staring out into the sky and hugging my knees. "I... that was weird"
"Mhm" I hummed, nodding my head at him. It wasn't like we'd never kissed, but we never did it so tenderly, and so out of the blue. This was getting out of control very fast. "So... when are you leaving?" I asked, trying to cut through the tension between us.
"You're not going to like this, but... tomorrow"
"Tomorrow?!" I squealed, my eyes growing wide in shock. "Alex, why didn't you tell me before?!"
"I couldn't" He guiltily replied. "Mark forbid it"
"Oh, my God" I sighed, and I don't think I'd ever felt so sad in my life. "So we don't even have a whole day left to spend together"
"I know" He mumbled.
"I'm going to sleep" I determined, standing up from my spot. I could barely take this any longer, as I was already feeling how I was being left behind.
"Wait, Iz" Alex pleaded, taking my wrist in his hand. "Please, don't leave like this"
"I'll be there to say good bye to you tomorrow" I snapped. "Make sure you get a good night sleep before your flight" I spat, climbing down my rooftop and ignoring Alex's calls.
The next day, as I had promised, I walked to Alex's house, which was right next to mine, and greeted him good bye. There was only a brief exchange of words; our kiss from the day before still managed to recall us that strange awkwardness, and there were so many hard feelings from my part. We only hugged, and I watched as he put his suitcases in Mark's car trunk along with the rest of the Monkeys, to never see him again.
"Oh, don't you look absolutely adorable in that outfit?" My roommate, Sam, said as she looked at me with a finger pressed against her cheek. "Like any good fashion designer, you're dressed to kill"
"Oh, shut up, Sam! I'm dying here" I confessed. I'd moved to Los Angeles as an exchange student in order to finish the last year of my career, and Sam and I had met at a fashion show, in which she was making her debut as a model. She was crazy, but she held an eccentric beauty no one could compare to. She also had an endless passion for photography, and she was the person I loved the most here in LA. Actually, she'd been born in this city, so she knew every hot spot, and she'd introduced me to all of them, almost making me an LA woman myself. If it hadn't been for my very thick Yorkie accent, I think no one from Sheffield would recognize me anymore.
"Oh, you're going to do just great!" She encouraged. "As if you've never been to college"
"I know, it's just my first last day!" I happily yelped, almost knocking down a flower pot with my arms.
"Whoa, aren't you excited"
"Sorry" I giggle under my breath. "I'll just leave now, I don't want to be late"
"Oh, come here!" Sam ordered, taking me into a tight hug. "Good luck, make some new friends, maybe even meet a hot guy, and then come home and tell me everything about it!" I rolled my eyes at her but simply smiled, she behaved like my mother sometimes.
"Same for you. I want to know everything about that photo shoot when I get back here" I demanded, pointing my finger at Sam as I darted for the door.
"Oh, you will, baby!" She assured me, plopping down on the couch just as I opened the door. She was so careless, but in nice way.
As I made my way to college, I couldn't help but walk as fast as I could. I hated being late, and I had a very big problem controlling my anxiety. I could barely keep myself still at any spot, and I would get bored very easily. Still, to be honest, I loved the weather here, and the city wasn't half bad, except for one small detail: everywhere I went, Alex's face seemed to follow me. It'd been years since I'd last seen or heard from him; six years, actually. Of course, he never called nor tried to contact me, and I hadn't put any effort into it as well. There was so much resentment I still held for him for having left me behind after everything we'd been through, and I don't think I was strong enough to ever cross ways with him. Luckily, I'd never run into him, even though I was aware that he now resided in Los Angeles as well. Anyhow, it wasn't enough to stop tormenting my mind. The Arctic Monkeys were the hottest band on Earth, and whenever I turned the TV on, or my computer, or even read a fucking newspaper, his face would be there. The last thing I knew, was that he had let his hair grow and it reached his shoulders, but that had been the last picture I'd seen of him.
Apparently, he was now kind of a ladies man, and I couldn't help but laugh to myself. That wasn't Alex at all, but I guessed fame makes you appear more desirable to people, which I thought was totally stupid. I knew he'd had many failed romances with these hot model birds, and whenever I heard about that kind of stuff, I would always feel a deep pain in my chest. You're fucking welcome for having introduced you to sex, Alex. I'd tried so hard to forget him, but it was useless, so in the end, I learned how to cope with a broken heart and the idea that he was long gone. He wasn't Alex anymore, and I was very aware of that, so I had no interest in ever seeing again, although I knew that I would never be able to love someone as much as I loved him. I would for ever be his, even if he never got to find out.
Alex's POV:
"I'm going out for a smoke, lads" I yelled over the instruments' noise in the studio. The lads nodded carelessly at me, so I took it as a sign to leave.
I exhaled the smoke and watched as it twirled upwards into the sky. LA's sky wasn't the one I was used to, but it was alright. It wasn't the same orange sky I used to look at from Izzy's rooftop, but I learned to let that thought go. It barely had any side effect on me... she probably hated my guts by now, and she had every right to do so. Isabella... she probably wouldn't even recognize me, nowadays. I would think about her every now and then, but the memories of how rude I had been towards her ate me away with guilt. I missed her sometimes, but I was forced to move on, and I highly doubted she wanted to hear from me. To be honest, it was too late already to fix things, and I had a feeling our story had been lost long ago. In fact, it scared me to death to think how she would react if she ever saw me again.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" I heard a girl squealing behind me, just right after she had bumped into me.
"Sorry" I muttered. "Are you alright?" I asked, kneeling down to help her get up from the floor.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm cool" She blabbered, getting the dirt off her clothes. "Didn't see you there, sorry"
"Oh, your sunglasses" I pointed to the floor, where a pair of dark aviators with a golden frame was lying. I crouched to pick them up, just as the girl did the same. I took them before she did, and when I finally raised my head up to hand them to her, I felt my heart skipping a beat. "Izzy?" I gasped in shock. Isabella's eyes went wide in horror, opening her mouth to reply, but nothing came out of it. She hastily stood up as I followed her, fixing her clothes. "Wh-what are you doing here?" I stuttered.
"It's none of your business" Ouch, guess I deserved that. Isabella drifted her eyes from my face towards my hands, which still held her sunglasses, and I quickly handed them to her.
"Izzy, how have-"
"Listen, I've got to go" She sentenced, putting her sunglasses over her head. Fuck, she looked great. It wasn't the same girl I used to fool around with, but it was still her. Her accent gave her away, and even though I had tried pushing her to the back of my mind, it was impossible not to feel my heart warming with just looking at her in front of me.
"Wait, Iz, I know it's been years since we've last seen each other, but I was hoping that maybe we could-"
"What? Catch up?" She spat with irony.
"Uhh, I..."
"I'm late for college, I have to go" She stated.
"Izzy, please. I'm sorry"
"I don't think sorry will make up for these past six years" Totally deserved that too. "And it's not Izzy anymore" She sternly said, shooting daggers at me with her eyes.
"Iz, what are you trying to say?" I chuckled. "I would recognize you anywhere" Right after I said that, the lads busted out of the studio's front door laughing like maniacs.
"Alex, mate, you're taking way too fucking long!" Matt complained, only to stop dead in his tracks when he noticed Izzy standing in front of me. "Oh" He let out, traveling his eyes from me to her.
"Izzy..." I trailed off, ignoring the lads behind me.
"Izzy's long gone, Alex. It's Isabella for you now" She coldly established. "And that's the way it should always remain" She kept on, and even though she was pretending not to be affected by this sudden encounter at all, I could hear her voice beginning to break down. I knew this girl like the back of my hand, for fuck's sake, it couldn't be possible for her not to be feeling anything right now. "Now, if you'll all excuse me" She cleared her throat, shooting the lads and I a serious look. "I have to go" She pushed past me and followed her way, ignoring my calls completely.
"Izzy, wait!" Matt pleaded, but she didn't even turn around for him.
"Was that who I think it was?" Jamie asked in awe.
"Isabella Mc-fucking-Carthey, I cannot fucking believe it" Nick chimed in. "And she hates you"
"Yeah, who would have thought?" Jamie added. "You two were inseparable. I thought you adored the fuck out of that girl, mate"
"She's not the same girl anymore" I mumbled, staring down at the floor. "Let's get inside, we still have a lot to work on" I ordered, heading towards the studio's door.
"Wait, Al, where did Izzy come from?" Matt asked, placing a hand over my shoulder. "What happened?"
"Uhh, we bumped into each other" I briefly explained.
"But did you know she was here?" He insisted.
"Matt, what makes you think I knew she was in LA?" I snapped. "Don't you think I would have done anything I could to avoid running into her if I knew she was here?"
"Whoa, you need to calm down" He exclaimed. "Besides, why would you want to avoid her? She was our best friend"
"Yeah, you said it, she was" I blurted. "Why don't you go after her and catch up if you so badly want to, Matt?"
"Come on, mate, you know I didn't mean it like that" Matt said. "I was just trying to make you feel better"
"Sorry" I whispered, drawing my hair back and heaving in a frustrated sigh. I hadn't even realized I was so mad. "She kind of... pushed my buttons there"
"But did she say something to you?" Nick questioned.
"Not much, besides the fact that she made it clear that she hates me" I replied.
"She certainly looks hot" Jamie commented as he looked towards the direction Izzy had ran off to, and I glared at him. "Just saying, mate" He raised his hands up in surrender, backing away from me. "Can't blame her for having grown up to become prettier"
"Maybe you should send her a message, Al" Matt suggested. "I'm not telling you to become her best friend again, but just to check on her, you know. It's the least you can do for her after everything"
"I think she'd much rather want me not to ever talk to her again" I muttered, facing my back to the lads and entering the music studio.
In fact, Jamie was right. Izzy did look absolutely gorgeous, and maybe that had been what had got me so angry. I supposed I'd always expected her to be sad about the fact that I'd left her, but it looked like that barely mattered to her, and she was doing better than ever. It wasn't like she was an ugly girl back in high school; honestly, she was pretty, but she wasn't one of those girls that would just strike you with their beauty whenever your eyes fell on them. She certainly was one of them now, and damn, she looked stunning. Her black hair fell just below her shoulders in neat light waves, and her almond shaped eyes still looked as vivid as I remembered them. She was still quite a pale skinny woman, but her style had changed so much. Maybe I'd always seen her as one more of the lads and never paid attention to the fact that she was a woman, even when she hung around us, but now, seeing her after so long, I could notice that she had become much more feminine and elegant, and it was so strange to see those attributes in her, but so nice at the same time.
That night I got home feeling like my head was going to explode, as images of Isabella haunted me like a nightmare. I tiredly let myself plop on my bed, taking my hands to me head and drawing my hair back in frustration. I tried getting some sleep, but it was useless. I'd missed her... and I never realized until I saw her. I still held a kind of resentment towards her, and I didn't know exactly why, because she hadn't done anything wrong. I supposed I was too afraid to admit that the main reason for things crumbling down between us had been me, so I was desperately searching for something to blame her for, and failing miserably. It hurt so much to witness she had moved on with her life, even though I'd done it as well. She had appeared again so suddenly, and had left just like that. Did she even care about me anymore? She had to... I'd been her best friend for ages. At least, I still cared about her, no matter how little I showed it. To be honest, I'd never stopped thinking about her, I was just too embarrassed to pop up in her life after everything that went on between us, especially when it came to that last night on her rooftop. Nonetheless, before I could prevent it, I was already getting my phone and typing faster than my fingers could, aching to feel her close to me again.
"Hey, Izzy, I hope this is still your number. Anyways, I wanted to check on you after what happened today. I know things happened between us and we haven't seen each other in ages, but let's talk. There's so much we need to catch up on. The lads and I are going out tomorrow night, and they'd love it if you dropped by... I'll be glad if you do it as well. Let's just leave our past behind, where it belongs, and hang out together. I hope I'll see you tomorrow, Iz. Alex"
I turned my phone off and put it on my bedside table, closing my eyes and resting my head on the pillow. As I focused on my steady breathing, the only thing I could manage to do was hope to receive a new message from Isabella's part the next morning.