We Really Need To Stop // ImAllexx

Stop / More

It was just us now: Alex and me - alone - in the empty shop. The varnished-oak floorboards creaked under our feet. In the silence, I could feel the tension between us. My hands were shaking as I focused on his Nikes slightly glowing in the shadows. Now I could finally tell him how I was really feeling. Depending on how it goes, this was going to be the best or worst day at work ever.

"I- I couldn't stop thinking about you... the last two days..." I confessed. Fumbling in the dark, I flicked on the light switches. Only for Alex to flick them back off seconds later.

"Really? Me too," he half-whispered, "I couldn't stop thinking about you, Callie," he said, warm breath caressing my neck, his hands icy cold. I pulled his arms down off me and stood back for a second, frowning.

"So, why didn't you message me... or call me?" I blurted out in a hushed but clearly upset tone. Even in the dim lighting, I could see Alex's Adam's apple rise and fall as he gulped. With his eyebrows coming together, he pinched his forehead and turned to the side. I wished he would look at me. "What did I do? Did I give your mates bad girl vibes?"

Alex laughed at that, "Bad girl vibes would turn me on, if anything!" But then his expression switched back to being tense and his finger and thumb were back to being pressed against his temples. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but..." Alex groaned, "Ahhh..."

"No, tell me. You can tell me anything, I won't judge you," I tried to reassure him. Our eyes finally met again and I watched him take in a big breath, his lips fallen apart from each other.

"Everyone was..." He looked away again, hand to his forehead then came back to face me, "Everyone was telling me not to talk to you, Callie," Alex sounded on the brink of breaking down into tears. "They all were telling me to leave you alone. Leave you be. And that under no circumstances should I ever, ever date a fan," he took in a sharp breath, burying his face in his hands again, his fringe flopping over the thick silver rings encasing his slender fingers. "And usually, I wouldn't. I would never date a fan," Alex scorned himself, looking up to the ceiling, maybe for a message from a god, even if he didn't believe in one.

Feeling a little hurt, I interrupted in fake shock, "A what now?" My hands shot out to cling to his pink hoodie on both his shoulders. Alex flinched, looking like a deer in the headlights. "Who says I'm a fan of you, Alex?" I shook him slightly.

"Oh, I dunno, um... Maybe these dms you sent me?" He said, whipping out his phone at high-speed and shoving it in my face.

In utter horror and embarrassment, I stared at what I'd said before we even met.

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callierosepunk
Alex! Hey! How are you doing? I love your videos 💜 But I think you got the wrong person
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"Fuck," I cursed almost under my breath, "I forgot I even said that," I laughed to myself and wheezed in shame. "Okay, so," I looked to Alex, "I did used to watch your videos."

"And enjoy them," he teased, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"Well yeah, I did. I wasn't watching them for torture," I laughed. "But, I didn't think you'd be re-reading our dms like a creep!" With my loudness,  I broke the strange whisper-tension and jokily slapped Alex on the back.

"Creeeeeep?!" Alex's voice ascended into the atmosphere, going as far as pluto, the forgotten ex-planet nobody cared about anymore. "Don't think you're one to talk," he said, pulling out a Subway cookie seemingly out of nowhere and taking a chunk out of it. "I'm not the one with," he started mumble-giggling, his mouth full of cookie, "someone who doesn't even know I exist, as my lockscreen!" Cautiously eyeing me, Alex raised his eyebrows and continued eating his cookie ravenously.