BLACK ROSE

The first step

Alex. 

I tilt my head back, laughing and inhaling the surrounding smoke. It's a bitter mixture of the familiar taste and smell of weed and... a sweet aftertaste. Letting music drown out all the other noises, I take a trip down the memory lane.

Of just a few hours ago.

I can still smell Ashley's perfume and feel her hot, quick breath on me. I remember the feeling of my fingers tracing her silky soft skin like they're still connected to it. The look in her eyes, the silent burning desire eating her alive. The obvious sexual tension we're both trying to ignore. I still remember the taste of her sweet lipstick, her lips in perfect harmony with mine. Fuck, if only she knew how much I have to control myself around her. It takes every single cell in my body to control like never before. She's got me wrapped around her little finger and she doesn't even know. All I want is to rip those clothes off of her and trace my fingers down her body. I want her under my spell.

"What's so funny to you?" Francis sits down next to me.

It's little past midnight on a Wednesday night, or I should rather say on an early Thursday morning. The best hangouts are the unplanned ones, the spontaneous ones. If it hadn't been for Ray's sudden message, I wouldn't have controlled myself around Ashley. I would've overstepped the line and I know she wouldn't have minded. She would've followed through with it. Now I have an unpleasant situation going on in my pants. One simple message brought me back to reality, reminded me of my unfinished business and requested my company. One message ruined my potential night of fun.

I wave the joint in front of his eyes, giving him a half true, half fake answer. I'm still moderately functioning and acknowledging my surroundings as they really are, though his nod seems suspiciously slow.

"It's a really good song, Alex." He says serious, sipping from his drink. I stare at the cup for long seconds, wondering what's inside it. Any comment would be pointless, it's his decision at the end of the day.

"Thank you," I find myself saying as I realise he's talking about our first song. Unreleased, so far. Mae insisted on me producing the whole song and writing the lyrics, giving me the space to choose. She said I deserved it. Neither Ace nor River said anything, providing me all the space I needed to work my creativity.

"Though it makes me wonder who inspired the lyrics."

I grin at him. "Oh, I won't tell you that, mate." I laugh and realise this little plant is indeed starting to work on my nervous system.

None of us should be here right now. Yet here we are, ditching yet another night of sleep, to be with our friends. When one of us asks for help, for company, even if it means to sit in utter silence for hours, we waste no time and come.

"Alexander," Francis mocks me. "Is there a woman in your life we don't know about?"

I'm thankful neither Parker nor Ace are around at the moment, and that I still have some common sense left, cause I deny whatever assumptions he has. High or not, there's a secret I share with Ashley that I must protect at all cost.

And whilst I'm still playing a game, I never disclose any information.

"You'd know if there was," I say. "It's just past experience and imagination. All you need to do is to be observant and listen closely."

Faking lyrics like this wouldn't be hard. In fact, I've done it a few times. You just need a little context; a little backstory and the lyrics have practically written itself. You just happened to organise the events and give it a life. Sprinkled on top with a few metaphors and hidden meanings, because that's all life's about. It strengthens one's ability to read between the lines.