Your Love Is Standing Next To Me

Chapter 1 - Some magic at 505

"Dammit!"

I cursed loudly when I suddenly dropped my keys on the cold floor of my 505 flat (yes, I was living at 505 and I've been looking for this place for months!). Finally home! After such a long college day, all I needed was a hot shower and some well deserved rest. Nope, no food, as my stomach was already full with all the disgusting things I had to bear the whole day. Stupid gossip, stupid people, the stupid London weather which got me soaked wet on my way home. I could say I kinda got used to this, but I never stopped hoping for some magic to happen and make my life a little more exciting.

I quickly reconsidered things. All I needed was a cigar. Yes, I cigar so that I could smoke all my sorrow away, at least for a couple minutes. I deserved that, right?

I slammed the door of my small but cosy apartment and I started to search desperately in my bag for the pack. I opened it and I had a huge surprise. It was the last one. Damn! I really needed it! I headed to the balcony and fought a little with the hard opening door.

My hands were shaking as I was trying to light up my cigarette. I inhaled the smoke which quickly mixed with the persistent London smell of rain and smog. My lungs got full with this weird scent, with which I started to get more and more comfortable.

I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of the rain, ignoring the street noise. I could have fallen asleep if my fingers hadn't got burned by the cigar that got smaller and smaller squeezed by my strong guitar player fingers.

"Ouch! Dammit!" I yelled and threw the cigar on the wet balcony floor. I started to trample it hatefully clenching and grinding my teeth, somehow hoping that this stupid action would make me feel better.

"Angry, my lady?" a calm warm voice asked behind me.

Angry?! Do I seem angry to you?! Just angry?! Who dared to ask this?! Oh, he was asking for it, this stupid bastard! He really got my nerves! Watch me killing him now! That was what I've been waiting for the whole evening.

I prepared my fist and was ready to break his nose when the person in the other balcony started speaking again.

"Hey, hey, I didn't mean bothering you, darlin'! Chill out, please..."

I couldn't see his face yet but I definitely fell in love with his perfect Yorkshire accent. While living in England, I had the chance to hear a lot of people talking with British accent, but this one... it was just too perfect!

I turned my face to the strange perfect person and remained open mouthed for a while. The boy whose posters had covered my walls for the last couple of years was standing in front of me, trying to make an almost 20-year old girl who just wanted to break his nose relax. Fuck yeah! That was the magic I was talking about!

"Alex Turner..." was all I could mumble.

"Yeah... And you are...?"

It took me a while to get my head out of the clouds.

"Marie"

"Marie, Marie, what a beautiful name! Why you so angry, Marie?"

It was the way he said it. It was the way he pronounced my name over and over which overwhelmed me.

"Ohh... Nothing... It's ok... Now... I just..."

I took out the cigar pack from my pocket and opened it, hoping some mystical force had filled it up. Nope. It was still empty. "Too much magic for one day" I thought.

"You want?" Alex invited me to take one of his cigars, holding his packet in front of me. I didn't want one, I just needed one! And I couldn't turn him down, of course!

"Thanks! I really need it. I don't usually smoke... Just when... you know..." I tried to explain, but I soon realised I made no sense and I stopped.

Now it was the way he was looking at me. Like he was watching a movie, his big brown eyes were staring at me insistently, waiting for me to say something. I panicked for the moment and I tried to make something to seem less awkward, so I started playing with the cigar between my fingers as I was searching through my pockets for a lighter. Bad idea! After two or three flicks, I dropped it and I watched it falling for five floors till it hit the wet pavement.

"Ooops... I'm sorry, I'm just... Oh, mine, I'm so clumsy..."

"You butterfingers, darlin'" Alex started laughing slightly. "No problem, take another one!"

He handed me the pack again, but this time he took it back before I could even touch it. Why you so troll, Alex?

"No, I have an idea!" he said giggling.

He took a cigar from the pack and stretched over the balustrade that was dividing our balconies. He gently placed it between my lips and I slightly squeezed it, trying not to drop it again. He lighted it up and then picked one for himself.

"Be attentive with this one, darlin'!"

I smiled and filled my mouth with smoke.

"Thank you!" I said after blowing it.

"You're welcome."

Oh, he didn't say "darlin'", I couldn't believe it!

"Darlin'" he added making me chuckle.

We smoked together without a sound for a couple minutes.

"So... you are my new neighbor?" I asked unsure about his presence here.

"Just for a while. You know, I love traveling, but I just need to stay quiet somewhere before recording the next album. You know, I need to relax in order to be able to come up with new ideas..."

"So the new Arctic Monkeys album depends on your stay here?"

"You got it, darlin'! Anyway, what are you doin' here?"

"Somehow I live here. I'm a student at architecture..."

"Oh, really? You bet I'll have you designing my next house!"

"That'd be an honor!"

He kept looking at me with that confused and amused look until I turned my head and watched the city lights.

"London is beautiful." He claimed after a long silence in which all you could hear were our loud inhales of smoke.

"Yes, it is..." I said very dreamy, remembering the times when I would have killed to get here.

I checked my watch. 10 sharp. Time had passed so fast!

"Wait a sec, you're living at 505, right?" Alex asked surprised.

"I guess I am..." I wasn't sure about the sequel of the conversation and I decided to say goodnight. "You know, I should go inside now. It's getting cold and I haven't eaten anything since lunch so..."

"Oh, yes, it's ok. So... I guess we'll see each other more often, right?"

"I'm not leaving anywhere!"

I turned around to go inside when I remembered.

"Oh, and thanks for the cigar! It saved me!"

"You're always welcome! Good night, Marie!"

He remembered my name! Yeeeyyyy!!!

"Good night, Alex! See you tomorrow!"

I felt his curious look on my scruff until I closed the curtains. The heck was that?! Alex Turner was my new neighbor? Well... that was definitely the magic I was taking about!

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Please tell me what you think about this first chapter. I'm new at writing (yeah, there might be some grammatical mistakes) and I'd really appreciate your comments, suggestions, ideas, maybe remarks.

Vote or comment and I'll love you forever! ^.^