In Denial | Alex Turner

XXXII

"So you are all from England?" my father spoke after we had sat on the table.

He was sitting on one head of the table and my mum on the other. Matt, Breana, Nick and Elle were sitting on the one side of the table and Jamie, Katie, Alex and I on the other, facing them.

"Yeh, Sheffield," Matt smiled at my dad as he put some salad in his plate.

"I'm from America, though," Breana smiled as Matt handed her the bowl of salad.

"And how did you all meet, then?" my mum smiled, pouring some glass in her glass.

"I met Matt and Alexander at the bar I work at one night and then I met Nick the same night as I was heading back home. After that, we were invited at one of their performances and... yeah," I recalled. Alex beside me was smirking at the sound of his full name.

"And you're musicians?" my dad asked, looking at Jamie.

"Yeh, we 'ave a band," he smiled proudly.

"Called?" my mum asked curiously.

"Arctic Monkeys," Nick replied, feeling a bit left out. I bit my right cheek, trying not to laugh.

"Wait, I think I've heard one of your songs on the radio!" my dad got excited, straightening his back on the chair and looking at Nick. "'I bet you look good on the dancefloor' or something, right?" he tried his best not to laugh.

"That's us," Matt nodded with a smile.

The conversation went on smoothly as we all ate my mum's food. My parents seemed to really like everyone as they kept asking questions curiously and laughed at all their jokes.

Leaning back on my chair with the glass of wine in my hands, I noticed Alex next to me playing with his food while his leg kept bouncing up and down nervously

"Are you okay?" I placed my hand on his thigh and his leg started slowing down and eventually stopped.

"Yeh, just a bit tired, love," he smirked, placing his hand on my thigh. We were speaking in a low voice, not wanting to be heard.

"Any of you smoke then?" my dad eventually stood up from the table after we were all done with eating and grabbed his packet of cigarettes off the shelf behind him.

"I do?" Alex replied unsure, looking up from his plate. 

"Of course you do," my dad shook his head, huffing a laugh and I felt Alex squeeze my thigh.

I looked at him and warmed him up with a smile before squeezing his thigh back. He looked kind of relieved as he shot me back a smile and stood up from his seat, heading outside with my dad.

"Yer just calmed 'im down," Jamie sitting next to me whispered. "'Ow the 'ell did yer do that," he looked speechless. 

I shook my head as I bit my bottom lip to hide my smile and shrugged.

Alex's POV:

I walked outside with Monica's father. We hadn't said a word yet and I was getting even more nervous. 

"You got a lighter?" he asked with a hand-rolled cigarette between his lips.

"Erm, yeah, 'ere," I shoved my hand in my back pocket and took my silver lighter out, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled and lit up his cigarette before giving the lighter back to me.

I took one of my cigarettes out and placed it between my teeth, lighting it up with the same lighter and then putting it back in my pocket.

We stood 6 feet apart and in silence for a minute or two before he finally spoke up.

"So, are you Monica's boyfriend?" he knocked the unwanted ash off his cigarette between his thumb and middle finger.

"No, no," I huffed a laugh and shook my head, looking down at my boots.

"What?" he chuckled in disbelief and turned his body to look at me. "You look too close to each other to not be together," he arched an eyebrow like before and I turned my head back up, looking at him as I brought my cigarette up to my lips.

"We're not together, sir, no," I exhaled while smiling before taking a drag off my Malboro.

"Hm," he nodded and looked away. "Not convinced," I could hear his smile as he spoke. 

"You seem to make her happy, though," he spoke again after some seconds of silence. "Her face lit up as soon as she saw you," he let the cigarette fall on the ground and soon crushed it with his shiny shoe.

"Whatever happens between the two of you, please treat her right, Alex. She deserves it," he walked up to me and placed his left hand on my right shoulder. "Can I call you 'Alex'?" he smiled.

"Yes, yer can, sir," I chuckled and looked at him.

"Then you can call me Gabriel, Alex," he patted my shoulder twice and headed back inside, leaving me smiling to myself.

Monica's POV:

I opened the door and headed outside after I saw my dad come back inside. I left everyone talking with each other about my mum's cooking and decided to head outside with Alex.

I found him smoking and looking at the ground while he kicked a small rock gently. His hair was still gelled back but a few strands had escaped, falling forward as he kept looking down. He had his left hand in his pocket and a slight smile was formed on his lips.

"I am guessing my dad isn't that bad after all?" I teased, taking a cigarette out of my pocket as I watched him snap his head back up with a smile.

"I never said yer dad's bad, love," he turned his body to look at me as I approached him closer. "I just thought he didn' like me," he shrugged, taking his silver lighter out and handing it to me.

"I see you took my advice not to wear your jacket tonight," I looked at him up and down and he chuckled.

"Yeh," he exhaled, almost inaudiable. "Wanted to make a good impression," his smile turned into a smirk as he let his cigarette fall on the ground. He then crashed it with his black shiny shoe.

"How so?" I smirked, raising an eyebrow teasingly. I watched him step forward and checking inside my house, making sure we weren't seen from inside.

"This game we two 'ave..." he started, placing both of his warm hands on my waist. "It's killin' me, Arabella," he lowered his tone. His voice sent goosebumps all over my body and made my lips part unintentionally.

"Yer want me crawlin' behind yer like a puppy?" he inched closer. "Yer want to 'ear me say yer won?" he continued, his voice becoming even lower each word, each syllable.

"What if I just want you?" I whispered back, clearly not thinking this through.

I watched him smirk and lick his bottom lip before biting it to keep himself from smiling.

"So the feeling's mutual, eh?" he raised and eyebrow as he inched even closer to my face. My black boots were making me just a bit shorter than him.

"Monica, Alex? We're playin' cards, yer comin'?" Matt's voice called out, making me jump away from Alex and him placing his hands behind his back quickly.

"Yeh, yeh, we're comin', mate," Alex replied. Matt nodded, popping his head back inside and leaving the door open for us to enter.

"Cards?" Alex questioned, furrowing his eyebrows at me with a laugh.

"It's a tradition, don't ask," I chuckled as I put out my cigarette so we could head back