ARABELLA • Alex Turner

SEVEN

~

Arabella's mind remained on Alex long after their exchange in the kitchen. Even after five shots, some dancing and several rounds of Irish snap, she found herself continuously glancing around in search of him.

   She glimpsed him once or twice wandering in and out with Miles, and she never missed the weight of his eyes on her as he passed. It took everything in her not to jump up and follow after him like a lovesick puppy each time, and she had no idea why his presence affected her so much.

   Maybe it was the alcohol.

   Or the fact that he was possibly the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on.

   Over the weeks since she'd discovered that he was an artist, she had listened to his band's music a handful of times.

Every lyric stirred something deep in her soul. Alex was an amazing songwriter, and he had the voice of a bloody angel. She especially loved his accent, and knowing that he had written every perfect word that flowed through her headphones moved her in ways she didn't know how to describe.

It was like she had become a puppet, her every thought and action controlled by Alex and his stupidly charming, talented, and gorgeous self.

   By the time midnight rolled around, Arabella was more than a little buzzed.

The figures surrounding her had become fuzzy around the edges, and she had necked so many shots without thinking that she had truly lost count of the amount.

Ever since Sophie had summoned her from the kitchen she had stuck around and partied, not willing to abandon the birthday girl on her special day despite being so hung up on a certain someone who had waltzed in and decided to mess with her head.

   The birthday girl in question was no longer able to string proper sentences together, but even in her inebriated state she could tell that Arabella was itching to leave the room.

   Before she could physically push her friend out of the door and in the direction of the kitchen where Alex had disappeared, the girl herself spoke up.

   "I'm gonna pop out for a smoke. Will you be okay?"

   Sophie nodded her head so vigorously that Arabella became irrationally worried that it might detach from her body.

   "Go! Go and find him. I wanna hear all the juicy details later." The redhead pressed a sloppy kiss to her best friend's cheek, winked unashamedly, and then made a mad dash for Sabrina and Miles before the brunette could even open her mouth to reply.

Arabella shook her head in amusement and finally left the room.

There was hardly anyone in the kitchen and no sign of who she was looking for, but when she slipped out of Sophie's house and into the small patio area out back, she was glad to find a familiar figure there.

Alex was leaning up against the brick wall of the house, blowing smoke into the night. He was all alone, staring up at the sky as the soft silver glow of the moonlight illuminated his side profile.

He turned his head when he heard the door shut behind someone, and upon recognising who it was the knee-weakening smile from earlier returned to his face once again.

Arabella successfully made her way over to his side without tripping, a very real concern thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol she and Sophie had consumed, and unzipped her jacket to free a packet of cigarettes.

"Hello stranger." Alex greeted.

   "Hi." She smiled.

   "Meeting like this is becoming a thing, isn't it." Alex commented with a laugh, digging through his pocket to find a lighter. "Need a light?"