Lola & Alex [Slow updates]

Chapter 29: "Félicité."

Everything stopped until the only thing I could hear was my own breathing.

"What?" There was a tremor in my voice for what reason, I didn't know but I asked the question just to make sure that I had heard him correctly.

He rubbed his palms over his eyes muttering under his breath, "Never mind, this was a stupid question. I-I shouldn't have asked you-"

But I stopped hearing him because Charlotte's words suddenly rang in my ears from all those weeks ago.

Your voices sound so melodic together.

Followed by Harry's words that afternoon, I think it wouldn't be so bad though given how interested you are in music.

And then all those times when we both saw each other singing and playing the guitar.

Okay, if I thought practically, I was average in studies. I got more than enough marks to not fail but I didn't have any interest in any of the subjects and that was why I hadn't decided what to really pursue in the future. But music had been my passion for so long I couldn't even remember how it all started in the first place. Whenever I was overwhelmed, I wrote songs and whenever I had nothing to do, I would practice on my guitar.

But it never occurred in my mind that what I loved the most could be my career in the future. I never thought of becoming an artist because I never let even the idea of it enter my mind, already presuming that it was impossible and that it was just one of my impossible fantasies to achieve.

Until now. Opportunity was on my doorstep; I had the talent. The only thing I needed to was just embrace them.

My heartbeat sped up, Was I really going to do this with Alexander out of all the people?

I looked at his still rambling figure, the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he thought so hard, his jaw set in frustration along with his mouth. The same mouth which curled when amused at my antics. The way his eyes brightened even at the little things that could bring him joy and the way they dimmed when he remembered the past.

Yes, I thought, I'd not do it with anyone but him.

Because no matter how hard I tried to remain in denial, we were so similar yet so different at the same time.

And if I really was going to do this, I needed to embrace my feelings as well. Not yet, but soon enough. One leap at a time.

"Yes."

"Can we pretend these past few seconds didn't happen? Let's please forget- wait what?"

Well, talk about déjà vu.

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets in shock causing me to chuckle, "I said yes, Alexie. Don't tell me you're giving up already."

He spluttered, "I- but you-"

But the cartoons behind us who had got suspiciously quiet during the last few minutes jumped abruptly, startling us and said, "Woohoo! We need to decide the name of the name of the band!"

Charlotte kissed my cheek from behind her arms winding around my shoulders, "If you forget me once you become popular, I'll kill you in your sleep."

I looked up at her and swore, "Never going to happen."

She beamed at me and I met Alexander Graham Bell's gaze. This is so crazy, his expression seemed to say.

I smiled devilishly in return because I had a feeling that this was going to become even crazier.

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For the rest of the ride back to the school, we four just sat at the back of the bus googling various names for our band. My band.

This felt like a dream. A dream that you wish to never wake up from.

Charlotte opened her mouth, "How about 'Corruption'?"

I grimaced but Alexander Graham Bell said the words which were on the tip of my tongue, "Eww, this a band not a nation."

She glared at him and he glared right back while Harry and I tried to control our laughter.

Harry asked, "Wicked lollipops?"

I snorted, "Sure if you want our fans to lick us."

It went like that for a few minutes and my God, these names were enough to make a person run far towards a cliff and hopefully make them jump with their tail in between.

"'Got hot not'?"

"What the fuck is that?"

"How about 'Scars for David'?"

"Who the hell is David?"

"Advance on London?"

"Bonjour, you're in Paris."

I groaned and rolled my eyes, "Ugh, all these names are so...cringey. Why can't we find a name to label the one thing that gives us real happiness?"

They agreed with me and suddenly it all...clicked in my mind.

Music.

Happiness.

French.

I opened google translator, suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline in me for no reason except that I was super excited and hoped what I thought would come true.

And true I was proven a second later.

With widened eyes, I turned towards the toads beside me, "I found it!"

Alexie asked with bewilderment, "What is it?"

I carefully clicked on the pronunciation button on the French tab and the woman spoke, "Félicité."

They looked at me with confused eyes, a question on their faces asking for an explanation from me which I gladly gave all the while looking at Alex with what I hoped was convincible eyes, "Music is our happiness. Felicity means happiness. We're French people. So, I translated 'felicity' into French which would mark our nationality on the world if we ever got famous."

Harry and Charlotte blinked at me, "That's actually a brilliant name and the concept behind it was smart."

I mentally patted myself on my head before turning to Alex for his confirmation. But his face wasn't easy to decipher so my mood dimmed a bit yet I said, "You don't have to agree if you don't like it."

Instead, he smiled at me broadly, showing his dimples and said, "I love it. It's perfect and everything I could've dreamed of."

I squealed, the reality finally settling it. This was really happening and it was no dream.

It was mix of both. A dream coming true.

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fun fact: ive actually seen the mona lisa & been to paris. (i forgot to mention this in the last ch 😭)

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