Fan Fiction ❯ In The Mirror ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

AN: I didn't do much to the second chapter, but I did mess with it just a little. I'm doing the same for chapters 3 and 4.

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I pull the door open, only to be tackled to the floor.

"ALEX!!!" The boyish young man straddling my stomach grins, forgetting that he's just thrown me to the floor. "I left my keys at home again. Thanks for letting me in, `Lex…"

No matter how many times I tell him… "Thomas, please don't call me that… And do you think you could possibly get offa me?!" Pushing him forcefully to the floor, I sit up, brushing imaginary dirt from my worn-in t-shirt.

As usual, he doesn't care that I've been terse with him, and that good-natured grin never leaves his face, not for a second. He even extends a lanky arm down to me and helps me up. I can never stay irritated at him. "Sorry, Alex. It just slips out, y'know?" His head, complete with messy brown hair, cocks to the side in an infuriatingly adorable gesture that makes it even harder to be stern with him. So childlike…

Not like I have room to talk… Sighing, I head towards the mixing room. "C'mon, Thomas, let's get everything going before the rest of the band gets here." Ever the obedient puppy, he follows me into the room. I light up another cigarette, using the nicotine's calming effects to smooth over the situation from before…

"You're right. I shouldn't judge your age by your body. It's right here in your eyes how old you are."

Dragging deep off the cigarette, I run a nervous hand through my hair. So close. He was so close to kissing me. And I'm pretty sure that he doesn't have a clue whether I'm… That doesn't matter right now, because it didn't happen. I don't even know him… Hell, we don't even know each other's names! So why am I thinking about it this much?!

Something pokes me on the shoulder. It's accompanied by a voice. "Alex… Are you planning on working anytime today? Or are you just gonna sit there and stare blankly into space?"

"Oh, right…" It takes more effort than I'd like to put out to get my thinking back to where it should be. And for some reason, the usually unobservant Thomas decides to pay attention to my aberrant behavior and the blush on my cheeks.

"Hey, what's got you so out of it today? I mean, I've been here 10 minutes and you haven't yelled at me for putting the mic cable into the output jack instead of the input jack…" Searching green eyes lock onto mine. "So what's the deal?"

I can't look him in the eye and lie to him, so I turn my head, staring through the glass panes of the mixing room to the studio. "Nothing." On the other side of the glass, he's playing some riff on a black Fender Strat; hunched over the guitar, rocking to an unheard beat, eyes half closed as he loses himself in the music.

"So that's it…" Shit. He caught me staring.

Heat rises to my face as I turn away, taking one last drag off my cigarette before snuffing it in the ashtray. "Yeah, like I said, nothing."

"Oh, come on, Alex! Something happened with that guy, didn't it?!" He tugs on my arm, turning me to face him. "Spill it!"

Normally, I'd push him away, get to work, and ignore him for the rest of the day, but for some reason… "He almost kissed me." Why I just blurted that out is completely beyond me.

He blinks, taken aback for a second. "Okay, what do you mean by almost?"

Not missing a chance to make Thomas uncomfortable, I stand on my tiptoes, moving my face within about 2 inches of his and grabbing his chin. "He was this close to me, holding my chin. And the way he looked at me…" I let go, backing off and pushing my hair out of my eyes. "I dunno, Thomas. It was like he was seeing inside my mind."

How cute; he's blushing. After a moment, he collects himself. "That's… Pretty intense…"

I nod, but don't have time to respond verbally. That damn door buzzer's going off again. This time, it's the rest of the band. I'm actually kind of glad when they ask for help bringing in their gear. Picking up a heavy drum case, I can't help but feel a little more focused. Hopefully, I'm in for a decent recording session…