Tangled Lines: a tri-fic [inevitably incomplete]

Chapter 7: "Plan B"

Hey guys, have a short chapter while I edit the next one. Cheers!

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Part 1: Aleks

Everything felt off.

I sat on the edge of my bed, ukulele in hand, but I couldn't get it to ring out right. Every note was muted and dull. It was almost ironic, really. Reminiscent of how I felt.

You'd think I'd be over the moon right now, after James' confession and everything, but really, it was like he had ripped a piece out of me that I wouldn't be able to get back until I talked to him. And the last thing I wanted to do was talk to him right now. The E minor chord sounded melancholy as I strummed, progressing to a C, a G, and then a D. How many times had I used that exact progression before? And now, I could barely get through it without fumbling. This entire situation was throwing me off my game.

Eddie had noticed my discomfort the night before, of course. I had barely paid attention to the shitty movie, and I wasn't even absorbed in my phone. He had said at one point, "Earth to Aleks, do you copy? You're drifting to the dark side of the moon, man..." but the comment was less than noteworthy, and I had just shrugged him off. The popcorn sat untouched. I had polished off the ice cream afterwards, though, perched on my mattress like I was now.

Even the nobs could tell something was wrong. I'd been less and less involved with them over the past few months, and YouTube had started to feel more mundane than it used to. I'd locked them out, really, and occupied my time with recording with James, Kevin, and Eddie. If I had to do a play through on my own, everything would just come pouring out. Spooky-Craft was a prime example of something like that. So I avoided being alone.

But sitting in the dark, I couldn't hide from everything. I had kissed James in Seattle, for some fucking reason beyond my grasp. Maybe that was the sign I was looking for, the one truth in the sea of uncertainty I found myself sinking into. He did care about me, I knew this. But if I cared about him, too, what would happen next? Where would we go? I wasn't afraid of the guys judging us. Why would they? It's not like being gay is gonna change who we are. Hell, I wasn't even that surprised when James confessed. It's not a big deal to me.

Unfortunately, it would be a big deal to my family, and possibly James', too. As I listed off all the possible problems in my head, everything just seemed to grow more daunting. What if my dad disowned me? What if James and I lost a huge chunk of our subscriber base over this? It'd be so stupid, but people can be stupid.

Fuck, I was stupid myself. Stupid for ignoring how James felt, how I might feel, until now. How the fuck did I never see it?! It was infuriating! How could something like this only present itself when I was drunk? These things are supposed to manifest in smaller signs, not in a tidal wave of vodka and loneliness. I tossed the ukulele aside in frustration, not caring about the instrument anymore. I needed to see James, and soon. I was done with mulling it over.

Part 2: James

Usually I keep the front door unlocked at the Creature House. But something about the day before made me want to lock it and never leave. Aleks hadn't texted me back since he had left, and I didn't know what to think at this point. I knew how I felt. But I needed to know if it was mutual or not.

My phone sat motionless on the desk in front of me. Not a single message, not a single sign. I reassured myself over and over that Aleks would call when he was ready, but I couldn't wait anymore. I grabbed the phone and hit his name on the screen. It rang a few times, a few too many, before sending me to voicemail. I cursed under my breath and hung up. Fuck. Why couldn't this be cookie cutter, Hollywood perfect?

And then, as if written in a script, the doorbell rang. I froze in place. Not a noise echoed through the empty house. Maybe I had imagined it? But the bell rang again, and I was sure it was Aleks. I rushed to the front door and unlocked it, hesitating before pulling it open.

Standing on the porch, in a dark hoodie and khakis, was a stranger. He didn't seem fazed by my clear look of disappointment, or even by the sigh I let out before asking what he wanted.

"I've got a delivery for a Mr....James Wilson," he said, peering down at an envelope in his hand.

"Why didn't you just put it in the mailbox?" I asked, agitation creeping into my voice. The kid was keeping his cool, though.

"Oh, the delivery instructions said to make sure you got this before 4 PM," the stranger said before holding the envelope out to me. I grabbed it, frustrated, and thanked him gruffly. He nodded before trodding down the sidewalk towards a beat up Chevy. He looked increasingly unprofessional with every step, and I wondered who in Hell would trust this kid to deliver something at a moment's notice. I checked the time on my phone: 3:48. Well, if I was on a schedule now, I figured I'd better read the damn letter.

James,

I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. Nothing's been making sense recently, and the last thing I expected was relationship drama. I know you understand when I say that I'm in a rut with YouTube and the rest of my life. I just don't feel like I'm getting anywhere these days, and I don't have a plan B....

So, I was wondering if you might wanna be my plan B?

Meet me at the Field at 4:10, either way. I really wanna talk to you about all this. I hope you can help me understand what's going on, and maybe guide me through.

Thanks for being there for me, I mean it.

-Aleksandr

Aleksandr. Aleksandr. His name, written there in messy scrawl. He signed it, he wrote it. He meant it.

Part 3: Eddie

Tweets were barely trickling in, Tumblr was at a lull, and the YouTube comments were full of spam. At this point, I was just sitting at my computer, doing absolutely nothing. Life was slowing down, finally. Puppychef whined at my feet, prompting a slow scratch behind her ears. It was a lazy afternoon, that was for sure.

The digital clock on my screen read 4:00 PM, and I figured it was time for a snack. Unfortunately, Aleks had a different idea. He burst into my room, slightly flushed, his hair a mess.

"Yo, you okay man?" I asked, sitting up in my chair. His gaze darted between me and my screen.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hey, could you drive me somewhere?" he said as he hovered in the doorway.

"You know how to drive, Aleks. Why do you need me?"

"I'm...meeting someone. And I think they're gonna give me a ride home, soooo..." he replied. Absentmindedly, he rubbed at his tattooed arm.

"Oooooh, is this a date?" I grinned. Aleks blushed and smiled back at me.

"Okay, where are we going?" I stood and grabbed my coat from my bed. My keys were in my pocket, luckily.

"The Field," he said. I raised an eyebrow; the Field was an old park that'd been left to mother nature, since maintenance funding was cut a few months back. At this point, it was overgrown with weeds, but there were still a few benches scattered around the area, and the view was incredible. I decided not to ask any more questions, though. He would probably tell me later.

"Well, let's go, then!"