One Shots

We Get Older By The Hour (Alex Gaskarth)

Alexa's POV

I hear the sound of my boyfriend walking up the stairs; I listen to each creek of each step, hoping that it would somehow prolong his appearance. Surely by now it was midnight, I would have checked my phone but I'm worried that it will make a sound when I went to unlock it. I eyed the ceiling above my head and shut my eyes tightly, within a few seconds my boyfriend's hand will be placed firmly around the door handle, and moments after that his hands might even be around my neck. He always goes out and drinks. He'd come home at an unreasonable time, usually waking me up for sex. He doesn't even wake me up -he hits me until I wake up. I have been thinking of getting out of this relationship for a while, but I just can't bring myself to do it. For some reason there is still a piece of hope inside me, that hope held onto the fact that maybe, just maybe, my boyfriend would turn back into the loving man that I fell in love with only two years ago. A groan echoed through the room, sending shivers down my spine. I felt my eyes brim with tears, any second now and I'd be a giant sobbing mess. I feel the bed dip, followed by the sound of a belt buckle being taken off. "Alexa, I know you're still awake." My boyfriend slurred. I looked up from the bed covers and saw his drunken body swaying from side to side. It isn't healthy for him to drink this much, I have no idea why he did this either. Without saying another word, my boyfriend collapsed on the bed beneath him and fell into a deep sleep. His snores filled my ears, making me sigh in relief. Being as subtle as I could possibly be, I stepped out of the bed carefully and got changed into something other than a singlet and shorts. I grabbed a bag from my wardrobe that was big enough to fit a couple of days' worth of clothes inside and filled it with what I'd need. Once I was sure that I had everything, I exited the room and crept down the stairs. I stopped midway through my trip down the stairs to listen to the sound coming from my room; loud snoring. Unsure of how much time I had left, I searched my kitchen for a sheet of paper and a pen. If I was going to leave my boyfriend I'm at least going to say goodbye, even if it was a written note. I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore. Please stop the drinking and take care of yourself. I know that you deserve someone better who can help you through a time like this. I'll be back within a week to pick up the rest of my things. Sleep easy, love Alexa. I ended the letter with my name and then placed it on the table where he'd see it tomorrow morning -or afternoon depending on what time he would wake up at. I took one last look at my house before opening the door quietly and shutting it behind me and then locking it. As I approached my car, the cold midnight wind hit my face, making my body grow cold. I started my car and then began to drive down a series of winding roads. I didn't know where I was going to go right now, I just wanted to drive and think about things for a little while. There aren't many cars on the road at this time of night, after all it was nearing 1AM, and I'd have to go to sleep sometime soon. I ran through a list of people in my head, thinking of those that I could count on during tough times like this. One person shone out above everyone else; Alex. The two of us had met during our last year in high school, he had a girlfriend and I was dating my now ex-boyfriend, things were quite simple between the two of us. There wasn't a care in the world. I drove down a straight street, eyeing the houses, trying to work out which one belonged to Alex. It'd been a while since I had visited him last, he probably wouldn't be all too happy about me unexpectedly showing up at his house at one in the morning. A house caught my eye, which had to be his. I parked my car and then walked out. As I arrived at his front doorstep I noticed that there were a few lights shining through the curtains. Maybe Alex was awake. I placed my hand against the door, knocking on it twice before standing there, waiting for someone to acknowledge my existence. A couple of seconds passed before I heard footsteps trail up to the door in front of me. "Jack? Is that you?" I heard Alex's sleepy voice speak. The door twisted open, revealing a tired looking boy with disorganized hair and a sleepy smile that could make anyone else smile back, even if they were sad. "Alexa?" Alex's tone turned into that of someone who'd just seen a ghost. "Hey, uh, how're you Alex?" I stuttered, trying not to break myself in front of him. I could shatter into millions of tiny pieces right now -this was years of built up problems -but I wasn't going to do that; both for my sake and for Alex's. "It's late, come in." Alex replied, ignoring my question. I sighed silently as I followed him into his house. He sat down in the living room and then looked at me. "Alexa, I knew everything about you in the space of a few months. That was two years ago and I still know how to read you like a book. What's bothering you?" He got straight to the point. I liked that about Alex; he didn't try and make small talk. "I-I," I sighed before continuing my sentence, "I left my boyfriend and I didn't know where else to go." Alex looked at me; I watched his eyes become glassy. "The same boyfriend from high school?" He questioned. I nodded my head in response. "Can I ask why?" He asked. "He started drinking and he, uh, he started hitting me." I mumbled. This wasn't really something that I wanted to tell anyone, let alone Alex. "Alexa, why didn't you come to me earlier?" Alex shuffled closer to me. "I thought I could deal with it." I sighed. Alex softly placed his hands over my elbows, moving them up until they rested against my back. Alex looked back at me and I nodded my head slightly. His hands rested around my waist, allowing me to rest my head against his shoulder. "You can stay here for as long as you like, what's mine is yours." Alex said quietly. "You mean a lot to mean and I never want to see you get hurt." He mumbled. "Thank you Alex, really, it means a lot." I smiled softly at Alex before closing my eyes slightly, waiting for sleep to overtake me and suffocate my mind just for a few hours. I felt Alex pick me up. "Where are you taking me?" I asked. "You are sleeping in my bed silly. I am not letting you sleep on the couch." He said. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. I am so tired. "You know Alex, I've always liked you." I said. "I've always liked you too Alexa." He said kissing me before I fell asleep. I woke up to Alex having his arms wrapped around me protectively. I smiled and realized I was finally safe and loved.