right person, wrong time. | alex turner & kat stratford

11

Alex and I set foot into a Four Seasons hotel. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, it was one of the most luxurious. Even though my father was quite affluent with his career, he always preferred a modest lifestyle. Hence, I was never used to expensive or lavish places as the one I was currently situated in. The Arctic Monkeys were undoubtedly successful.

"Holy shit, Al. I didn't think you guys were that well off," I said.

Alex laughed as he put an arm around me. "Was that supposed to be backhanded?"

"No. I'm deadass," I giggled.

Alex looked at his surroundings before we as we entered the elevator.

"Anyway. Thank God we made it in fast. I'm not supposed to be around like this at night. Fucking paps didn't catch me for once," he said nervously.

"Paps?" I asked, still not used to his celebrity jargon.

"The paparazzi. Those bastards are always following me around and constantly reminding me of my status. I'd really kill to live a private and personal life for once."

"Well, I'm here to give you a sense of normalcy." I looked right into his soul.

"I know you are, darling." Alex caressed my hand, which he held with content.

We entered an expansively large hotel room. It was reminiscent of a penthouse. There were two separate bedrooms, and out of one came out a man, noticeably taller than Alex. He appeared visibly disturbed and was rubbing his eyes before squinting at Alex.

"Al, you know that I'm a light sleeper. You could've came in a bit quieter," he said, clearly annoyed.

"Apologies, Matthew. Completely forgot that everyone was sleeping," Alex scratched his head.

The guy looked up and down at Alex and faintly shifted his focus towards me.

"Al, you look sweaty and your hair's all tousled. Hold on. Is this another one of those escorts you fuck and bring back from time to time?"

Escorts? Alex sure had even unhealthier methods dealing with our breakup that I did. He gave him a frowning glare. The man rubbed his eyes again and stared at me until I assume his sight was back in focus.

"Wait. Is it her?"

Alex nodded softly. The guy immediately walked towards me in response.

"Jesus. I sincerely apologize." He grabbed one of my hands and started shaking it.

"I'm Matt. Matthew Helders. I play the drums in the band and I've been Al's friend since primary school. I'm so sorry again for that first impression."

"That's okay," I smiled. "I'm Kat."

"I know. I've heard a lot about you. I can confirm that the lad's obsessed."

I laughed. Alex gave him a slight shove.

"Quit it, Matt." He chuckled.

"Alright, alright. Well, I'm gonna go back to bed. Can't wait to hear more from you tomorrow, Kat. If you lot are back at it again, please keep it down," Matt winked at the last sentence.

He walked back into his room and closed the door. Alex sighed and rolled his eyes.

"The guy's been pulling at my leg constantly since we were kids. But I don't know what I'd do without him."

"He kinda reminds me of my sister. Like his mischievous nature," I added. "He's cool."

I plopped myself on the fully cushioned king-sized bed situated in Alex's room. This bedroom was at least twice the size of my own. I admired Alex as he unbuttoned his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror.

"I'm about to hop into the shower, love. Care to join in?" he smirked at me.

As much as I wanted to, I was extremely exhausted. I was also quite sore from the waist down. He had that effect. I restrained myself and sighed.

"I know a man has his needs, but that was definitely enough activity for the night," I joked.

He sadly ogled at me.

"Fine," he sarcastically whined. "You hop into bed then. I can't wait for you to show me around town tomorrow."

I walked over to him and kissed him for a moment. "Me too."

Alex walked into the bathroom attached to the room and shut the door. I checked myself out in the mirror for a brief moment. These definitely weren't the type of clothes to be sleeping in. I noticed a suitcase in the corner of the room, half opened and a messy array of clothes flowing out. I scavenged through the pile and pulled out one of Alex's T-shirts. 'Triumph,' it said in fancy font, a depiction of the UK's flag underneath. I was definitely not the most patriotic person, but I changed into it anyway. Since my panties were literally ripped off earlier, I also slipped into a pair of Alex's boxers. I hoped that he wouldn't mind that I'd stolen his clothes, but I realized that it didn't matter, since we literally just had sex. I looked at myself at the mirror once again and realized that the shirt was only slightly baggy on me. It made sense, considering that Alex was only barely an inch taller than me. I always found it adorable that we were nearly the same height.

I switched off the lights and buried myself under the cozy white duvet covers. One side of the wall, which was where I was facing, was just a huge window. It depicted an even closer view of downtown, with the stars and the windows from each skyscraper glimmering at a competitive level. I glanced at the alarm clock on bedside table next to me. It was three in the morning. I silently dozed off.

•••

I awoke from my slumber to a creaking sound on the bed, followed by muscular arms wrapping themselves around my waist, and pulling me closer. My senses were overwhelmed by a familiar cigarette-forward scent, but also lavender, like the soap. Alex. I could tell he was shirtless, as I felt the shape of his torso pressing against my back. He was still slightly wet from his shower.

At that point, I didn't know what we were. It just felt like a continuation of our past relationship. I was simply glad I was with him again. The hole in my heart was slowly beginning to heal.