Chapter Song: Photograph by Ed Sheeran
~Track 9 on 'Songs That Remind Me Of You' (made by Webster)
Webster
"So, Alex, how did you land yourself in Ireland anyway? And don't say by a plane."
"I...uhm...I got a job at Starbucks. Saved up all of my tips for a ticket to here."
"Hmm...coffee guy, huh? I'm sure a lot of young and good looking waitresses work with you then--"
"Gran!"
Webster sent Alex an apologetic look.
They were sitting around the table eating breakfast, a fry up, which Alex had been delighted about. Unfortunately, Gran was grilling Alex with questions like a chef grills a burger on the barbecue.
"What are your intentions?" asked Gran as she sent Alex a weary look.
"I...uh...wait...my intentions?" Alex stammered.
"Yes! You aren't here just to pop in and have a cup of rosy lee, are you? You're here to see my Webster!"
"Gran I think I'm going to take Alex to St.Anne's park." Webster said quickly, saving Alex from Gran's beady eyes.
Alex sent her a grateful look.
"St. Anne's? Do you need a lift?" asked Daideo as he peeped over the edge of his newspaper.
She shook her head.
"Nah, we'll just walk." she said as she stood up and started to fix her leg braces.
In seconds Alex was by her side, helping her out. They started to make their way into the hall.
"Webster Walker! You better bring your coat Missy or else you'll catch your death cold!"
She rolled her eyes as Alex stiffled a laugh.
"She's doing this on purpose. It's just because you're here." Webster mumbled, her cheeks feeling hot.
"Do you want me to get your coat? Alex offered, and she smiled with relief.
"Yeah that you be great. It's just under the stairs over there."
Thank God she didn't have to walk all the way over to the coat press
Would have taken her five hundred years....
"Alright." he said, a smirk on his face.
"What are you smirking at Gaskarth?" she asked.
He laughed and shook his head, still grinning like a fool.
"It's just...it's just crazy hearing your voice."
She rolled her eyes.
"Why? Do you miss my sexy computer voice?" she asked, unamused.
He laughed.
"I'll admit, I do miss it a lot."
He took a step closer to her.
"But I prefer your real voice much better." he said softly, his face inches away from hers.
"That's nice to know." she whispered, her eyes locking with his.
"I missed you Webster." he said as he brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
She sighed.
"Guess the feeling goes both ways then, huh?"
He laughed again.
"Guess it does."
And just as she felt her eyes flutter closed.....
"Webster! Your coat!"
She groaned and Alex burst out laughing this time.
Who knew her Gran was a cockblock?
Alex
It was cold in St. Anne's park. It was the kind of cold that would make you wish you wore two jackets instead of one, or the kind of cold that made you put on a scarf before you went out.
It was an Ireland type of cold.
Different to the type of cold in Baltimore.
The were walking through St.Anne's park--which was huge--and Alex couldn't help but feel completely awestruck by it's beauty.
He had never seen trees quite like these before, about twenty of them all in a row, all of them towering over his head like giants looking down from the sky.
He flicked his eyes over to Webster, who was walking slowly, her green eyes looking at nothing and everything at once. He didn't know what made him do it, but found himself slipping his hand into hers without a word.
She froze at his touch, and a weird expression passed over her face. He wasn't quite sure what expression it was.
It kind of looked like sadness, happiness and pain all mixed together.
She disn't pull away though, and the clouded expression disappeared as they walked on.
"I never did say thank you for the present that you got your neighbour to give me." he said suddenly, breaking the silence.
She laughed quietly, her breath coming out of her mouth in wisps of steam that looked like fog.
"Alex, that was six months ago." she said.
He shrugged
"I know....but you saved my ass from being kicked out of my apartment...and I feel bad for not thanking you sooner."
He stopped walking and stepped in front of her, his brown eyes landing on her green ones.
"So thank you." he said, giving her a crooked grin.
She squeezed his hand in response, making goosebumps appear all over his body.
"I wanted to say goodbye you know...the only reason I left so quickly was because I knew that if I saw you before I left," she paused, inhaling sharply.
"I wouldn't have been able to leave." she finished.
"It wasn't your fault the doctors screwed up during surgery--"
"But it was my fault for wheeling out into the middle of the street."
Alex inhaled sharply.
"Webster it wasn't--"
"Don't start with this bullshit Alex! Nobody forced me to roll out on the road on purpose-"
"Wait, hold on,"
Alex stopped again and turned to face her, his heart racing.
"On purpose?" he asked, his voice quiet.
Her eyes flicked to look at the ground.
"What?"
Webster
She had said too much.
Now he was going to find out.
He was going to find out that she had seen the car speeding down the road.
That she had intened to get hit and die.
Alex
"Webster."
She was refusing to look at him.
"Webster...why?"
"I did it because there was nothing left." she said suddenly, eyes still glued to the ground.
"I did it because I had just lost everthing that I cared about."
He wanted so badly to reach out and oull her into him. He wanted so badly to feel her hand in his again.
"I thought that if I..if I died...things would be okay again." she said, finally looking up at him.
"I thought that dying meant forgetting you."
"But then when I woke up...alive...you were the first thing that I remembered." she gave him a small smile.
"When I woke up, the doctors asked me if I remembered anything...I think they just wanted to know if I still knew who I was. So when I said that I remembered Alex Gaskarth they looked confused....and I started to cry because even after trying to kill myself...I still remembered you."
And then he just couldn't hold himself back anymore. He needed her. God, he needed her like a plant that needs a little rain. He needed her like a pen would need ink.
So he let himself hug her again.
And that was when he realised:
He was in love.
He was in love with Webster Walker.
And it was a horrifically beautiful thing.