A Memory Faded - [Sixteen]

Fletcher approached Alex at the end of the day, with a look of unease in his eye, but a smile on his face. He was masking something. Worry, most likely, about his sister. But there was a part deep inside of Alex that thought it could be to do with the morning’s events. He rubbed the back of his jet-black hair with a gloved hand, and sighed. Looking into Alex’s eyes he gave an uncomfortable smile.
“Are you okay?” she asked, “You look nervous.”
“Well my sister’s condition isn’t great. And also…I’ve made a decision.”
“You have?” Alex’s face brightened.
“Yeah…but…aw, man, I don’t know. I mean, I like you. I really like you, it’s just…well, for starters, I don’t want to end up hurting you, and secondly, if things go bad, I don’t want to drag you down with me. You don’t need the hassle. So…it’s up to you.”
“Fletcher, I don’t care if you hurt me or drag me down…I just want me and you to be…”
She took his hands in hers and looked into his amber eyes.
“Us.”
He smiled, this time, not nervously, not uncomfortably, but so his beautiful eyes glinted with happiness. He moved his hands up her arms and leant forward as if to kiss her. Their noses were half an inch apart; their eyes locked together, ignoring the world for the fact that to them it had, in that very moment, stopped spinning. Every breath, every pendulum was held for that moment they shared. He leant forward, his nose brushing hers as he tilted his head sideways, and put his lips on hers. She felt the cold metal of his lip ring against her mouth. It dug into her, but she didn’t care, it was part of his kiss, the one she’d longed for, she’d have given that much blood and more, as she felt the metallic tang of blood entwine between them. His fingers ran through her hair, and she put her hands on his back, as if supporting her fragile frame from this chemistry that was creating a blissful corrosion of her inhibitions. He pulled away, slowly, not a rejection, but the end of that particular chapter in this new-formed romance.
“Fletcher…I…” Alex stuttered, “I…”
“Come on. Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“I have band practice, duh. C’mon!”
“Since when were you in a band?”
“Ages. Elizabeth’s our bass player, Aaron is the drummer, I do guitar and vocals, and Ami is lead guitarist. She totally rules. We’ve got a show next week at The Bridge.”
Alex recalled passing The Bridge a few years back. It was as the name stated, under a bridge, with an alley down one side, and a street on another. Some huge bands had been there, Madina Lake, Saosin, even My Chem, back when they first started out.
“Wow. That’s awesome.”
“I’ll get you a ticket from my house. And I’ll call Sam down there and ask him for a pass.”
“A pass?”
“Backstage.”
“Oh, sweet.”
“I would’ve done it even before we were together.”
“Seriously?”
“Duh, you’re like one of my best friends.”
Fletcher put his arm around Alex and picked up his guitar case with the other, walking towards the bus. Ami looked on from the steps of the main building, her Epiphone Les Paul Studio cradled in her arms. A smile flashed across her face, and her dainty fingers slid across the strings, playing a light acoustic riff.
“Well done, my friend.”
The door behind Ami opened and Elizabeth appeared. She stared into the distance at the two of them. She smiled, but with the curdling feeling of disappointment in her stomach. Putting her Squier Bass down on the concrete, she turned to Ami.
“Since when were they going out?”
“As far as I can tell…”
A strum echoed through the air.
“Just now.”