Telescopic Hallelujah || Alex Turner

Two

(I really dont want to have to write in the whole Andy and Nick thing so were going to act like it was Nick all along ok? Cool.)

I pulled around to the front and watched him carefully examine the different bins, careful as to which one to put the plastic cup into. He tossed it into the plastics bin and scanned the car park for my car. I wasnt sure if he remembered what my car looked like, so I honked my horn. His head perked up, and he walked over to my car, running his fingertips along the boot and down the side of the car, pulling the door open and shutting it careful as to not the door slam.

"My mum hates slamming doors" he started off the conversation. As do I. "So, what are we wanting to do here, Al" I returned his gaze. "...no ones ever called me Al. I like it;" he stated in an even more chipper mood than before. "Wanna just...drive?" He shrugged, looking out the windshield at the swaying tree-lined street. "Always," I said, reaching across him into the glove box to pull out my sticker plastered CD case. "Aha, what does she listen to then?" He leaned over my shoulder to examine my collection, something I was rather proud of.

Some of the CDs including: The Strokes, Nancy Sinatra, Dr. Dre, and David Bowie. I took a lot of pride in not having a particular taste and being open to new music. "I love Dr. Dre;" he exclaimed. "Whats... this...?" he pulled 'Is This It' by the strokes from the case and opened it, sliding it into the stereo, then skipping to 8 songs in. Combating his action with a simple favourite number. Hard to explain began to play through the speakers of the car. Oh, right, this CD skips the beg-

Raised in Carolina

Im not like that

Trying to remind her

When we go back

As the song went on, Alex started to pick up the melody of the song and began to hum along. The song finished as I pulled out of the car park. I stopped the CD and handed Alex the Dr. Dre 2001 CD, "Xxplosive;" I stated as he clicked the CD out of its case. "Sure you dont want 'Pause 4 Porno'?" He elbowed me, giggling like a schoolboy.

"Absolutely positive sir, need me to stop anywhere, maybe somewhere for you to change, maybe take a quick shower since you just worked...inside a McDonalds?" I gave him a sort of side-eye, though joking, he smelled like fast food. "You sure? I live all the way in High Green..." he questioned. "Yeah, its not a problem." I shrugged, leaving the city. "My flatmates might be home, theyre kind of obnoxious, but theyre my best mates." He moved his eyes to his lap, nodding his head to the beat of the song.

We pulled onto the main road as Alex guided me to 68 Sundew Gardens. A boy with big curly hair and tracky bottoms sat on a white chair in the driveway nursing a beer. "Matthew! This is y/n, dont make her uncomfortable or she'll take your place on my friends tier list" Matt raised his head from examining a video camera, presumably trying to figure it out.

"Hey, nice name." His head dropped back down as he walked into the house, mumbling under his breath. "Damn thing, fucking mystery." Alex opened the door to the house, allowing me into the air conditioning and introducing me to the rest of the boys. "Thats the sitting room, thats Jamie, and thats Nick." Alex introduced them as if they were just part of the house. They waved at me, not looking away from the telly.

"Umm, you could wait in my room while I shower?" He turned back to me from the steps. I nodded and followed him up the steps. I looked around at the state of his room as he rummaged through his drawers. My mum always told me you could tell a lot about a person by how they lived. His bed was made but not neatly, almost as if he did it because someone told him to or it was a habit, definitely not something he wanted to do.

A white fender guitar in the rooms corner caught my eye. "You play guitar?" I questioned, causing his attention to be turned back to me. "Yes, well, no, sort of. I got it for Christmas just a few months ago before I moved out of my parents house. I know a few chords, but I cant seem to figure it out."

He looked back to his drawer towards the end of the sentence. I could sense his embarrassment. "Do you play?" He asked back, being polite. "Yeah, I grew up with music being the centre of my life so I learned when I was about 13, I can teach you?" He smiled at me, seeming open to the idea "... only if you want to, though" I added onto the end, making it easier for him to say something back. "Yeah, anything to spend more time with you" and with that, he was out the door into the bathroom.

I sat there in his room looking at his posters and noting things like the cigarettes on his dresser and the glass soda bottle collection on his shelf. "Whatcha doin?" He came into the room with a towel barely hanging off his waist. "Just getting to know you. What happened to your clothes?" I raised an eyebrow at him teasingly, knowing he had taken clothes with him.

"Didnt like the outfit... also, Im an attention whore." He giggled, looking back through his drawers. "I can tell, but thats okay, so am I." I laughed back. "Just didnt think my outfit was on par with yours." He nodded to my denim cut-offs, lavender flower embroidered tank top, and knee socks. "Here, you pick out my outfit" he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dresser, making me remember he was only in a towel.

I looked through his clothes and noticed he only had jeans. "It's summer, you only have jeans, I have nothing to work with here" I turned to him accidentally looking at his chest for a little too long. "I see the attention stunt is working;" he smirked at me, squinting his eyes. I cleared my throat and just looked back to his clothes, finding a single pair of black 5-inch inseam shorts and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt.

"Ah-ha, why this is perfect, youll look darling" I exaggerated my accent, shoving the clothes into his chest. "Y/n love, I dont have the legs for shorts;" he said, tilting his head down at me. "Embrace it, Al, youll be dandy," I said, pushing him out the door into the bathroom to get changed. He came back into the room, his hair beginning to fluff up again. He was exaggerating by miles. His legs looked fine. "Alexander, you look perfect" he gave me a disgusted look and looked down at his legs. "Im scrawny y/n/n," he breathed out. "Youre not, youre cute." I smiled, causing him to blush, something I brushed off, not wanting to further his embarrassment.

"Whatever, Im ready to leave when you are," I mused, "so ...now then." He said, pivoting on his heel and walking out of the room, me following.

"Heading out now, boys, dont know what time I'll be back. No parties, no impromptu stair sledding, and absolutely no roof drinking." He gave the boys in the living room a stern look. "Okay, mum." Matt jested. "yeah, alright," he mumbled, walking out the door.