36: Tetris in the Headlines
Rhys
The guys enter the living room one by one just as Alec and I are setting up the drinks.
Apparently, they are going to have a chill-out session I'm only beginning to learn about. Alec briefly explained it to me while we were preparing some snacks. They were having a little problem with composing a beat for this particular song they are currently making. And he said and I quote, "If we can't come up with it serious, then we'll come up with it drunk." So here we go, having a momentous recording session in the living room. Yay.
If you told me six years ago that I'll be in this counter, preparing drinks and about to witness Eunoia doing their magic, I'd have cursed at you. That's how I resented them back then. No reservations.
I come eye to eye with Cyprus as he plops lazily on the sofa. There is an expression on his face I can't identify before he gives me a condescending smirk. I quickly look away. Irritation simmers in my gut, my hands forming in tight fists in front of me.
The last encounter I had with Cyprus was three days ago and even then, I had already caught up with what he really wanted from me. And it's not to test me, or tease me about the prospect that I'm here to fuck one of the band members. He wants it to be him I'd fuck. That message had been loud and clear the moment he began standing closer than what's comfortable to me.
Call it female instinct, gut feeling or whatever, but you'd know. You'd just know if the guy was just fooling around or really wanted it. You'll see it in his eyes, his stance, the way he talks to you, the way you can feel his presence without seeing him. And right now, I feel those pesky eyes washing over me like an itch.
A shoulder nudges me and I look up to see Alec staring at me warily. "You gonna be okay?" he asks softly.
I bite my lip, considering it. Aside from Cyprus giving me a hard time, I truly want to witness them making music. How they come up with a tune, how they hold their instruments, and experience their musical prowess. It isn't a hard decision to make. Shaking my head, I give him a faint smile. "Yes, I'm staying."
Alec nods. "I talked to him before we went to the beach. He promised he'd stay away from you."
"Promised, huh?" I place the drinks on a tray, busying my slightly shaky hands. Cold sweat runs down my back. "Let's hope he'll hold up to it. I don't know if I'm in the right mind to deal with him."
I snap my mouth shut after that, my face morphing into a fierce scowl. I didn't intend to admit that. But if there's anything that has noticeably change between Alec and I is our openness to each other. I often find myself telling him my deepest fears, even the uncomfortable ones to say. I haven't come to terms with it, hence the scowl. But Alec, he never judges, never makes me feel any less than... he's just there.
It's comforting, freeing but sometimes I feel too bare that all I want is to crawl away from him.
Like right now. He's looking at me with his smoky gray eyes, worry lining his face. I don't know what to do with someone worrying me. I never had that for a long time. Rosie, she worries for me, but our relationship is familiar and convenient. What I have with Alec is more intimate, an unfamiliar ground.
"He'll make do of his promise, Red. I'll make sure of it."
I nod my head, not looking at him. "Okay."
Silence.
I hear him sigh and grab my hand. I quickly look to the living room but the guys are busy throwing shit at each other. I turn my head back to Alec, widening my eyes in warning. He shakes his head, his voice lowers into a soft whisper. "No, listen to me. I don't like your bullshit okay. If you're okay, at least make an effort to sound like it. If you're not okay, look me in the eye and tell me what you need me to do."
I feel a burning in the back of my eyes. Horrified, I press my fingers over my lids, my ears ringing at the sound of laughter and loud male voices. I open my eyes to see Alec, his brows pulled low, his mouth twisting in a grim line. When I speak, my words come out in a delicate breath. "I want you to stay close to me. If you will. Please."
Alec smiles at me, blindingly bright with relief. "I know you might not need me, Red, but I'm here. You are free to ask me for anything. Please do. As much as your pride will allow."
He kisses me on the forehead before turning back to the counter. I follow him in the living room, trays in hand. The guys immediately feast on the snacks we brought and grab for the beers. Alec pulls me to his side as he sits opposite from Cyprus. They all stare at us in silence, waiting. The only sound that can be heard is the nachos Toro is chewing obnoxiously.
I roll my eyes, fully aware of the presence looming over me. "What is it?"
Peyton claps loudly. All head snaps to his direction, where he sits between Cyprus and Missori. "You guys together or something?"
I chuckle under my breath. "Cutting right to the chase, are we?"
He shrugs, grinning. "Might as well do."
I glance at Alec who's leaning back casually against the sofa. He doesn't say a word, giving me a boyish smirk and an innocent shrug. I guess I haven't clarified what we are either. I shift my attention back to the guys. "Will there be any problem if we are?"
They all avoid my eyes, except Cyprus. He raises a patronizing eyebrow at me, that smirk still in place. He keeps his mouth shut as I stare him down, but it's still as if I can hear his voice in my mind. The whispers of I told you so and indirect insults that he made sure I'll remember from our fleeting encounters.
Peyton speaks again, causing me to break free from Cyprus' gaze. "Honestly, yes?"
"Peyton," Alec calls out in a warning.
Peyton shakes his head. "No, Alec. Serious. The press is so bad already. It's a problem."
I frown. Suddenly, I feel cold, my insides doing somersaults. "What do you mean it's bad?"
Alec sits up, putting a hand over my shaky ones. When he speaks, his voice is stern, one with an underlying bit of caution. "It's nothing." He keeps his eyes to the guys. "You needn't have to worry, Rhys. Can we start now, please? Where are the music sheets—?"
"No," I say tightly. Alec stiffens. My throat feels like I swallowed shards of glass, painful and strained. Goosebumps rise on my skin as the air suddenly feels stiff and heavy on my shoulders. "What is it, Peyton?" My voice cracks at the end, fear so suffocating grips my entire being. I have a gut feeling that it's about me. I'm just not sure if I can handle it if it ever is.
"I..." He hesitates, looking between me and Alec. Peyton's eyes stay beside me, but he snaps quickly to attention when I repeat his name. "The press thought you're a stri—"
Toro jumps in quickly, effectively shutting him up. "There are speculations about you and Alec. Some articles are positive ones, some are negative, but really," he gives me a noncommittal shrug. "It's expected, Rhys. It's best if you wouldn't read any of it."
I examine them. Their shoulders are hunched, like puppies with their tails tucked between their legs. Something is wrong. Something they know I wouldn't like, something they don't want me to know. I slip my hands out of Alec's and reach for my pocket. My sweaty hands prevent me from turning on my phone. "Come on." I curse as my phone remains unresponsive.
Alec snatches it from my hands. "No," he says sternly.
I see red, then. I'm breathing hard, my hands closing into tight fists. Angry tears prickle at the corner of my eyes as I glare at him. "Give it back, Alec." I keep my tone cool and firm.
Alec's features grow unsure. Slowly, in tensed silence, he gives it back to me. I'm completely aware of the pairs of eyes watching me as I successfully turn it on. My fingers clumsily search for my name, typing it wrong a few times before I click search.
It loads and I wait with bated breath. It feels hours, feels so long as I sit with my other hand closing and opening, knees bouncing restlessly, my jaw clenching and unclenching in nervous anticipation. The guys are too silent, the dull lull of the waves overpowered by the horses fiercely galloping inside my chest. A calm before the storm, they said.
Then the results slowly unfurl in front of my eyes. And I suddenly can't breathe. I stand up, pacing, before fat drops of tears cascade down my cheeks in a rush. Everything feels too tight. The walls closing in from all around me. "No... no... no... Oh, my god."
The phone slips from my grasps. I vaguely hear Alec's voice in a distance while the headlines I read replays inside my head. Nasty, gut-churning headlines that get louder and louder every time I hear it.
A loud sob rips through me.
"A-Alec, I can't..."