Misbehave // Alex Gaskarth

Chapter Fourteen ~ Love Is Not A Choice

Song: Hey Ya - Outkast

Title Credit: Girls/Girls/Boys - Panic! At The Disco

&&&

Joey stood near the entrance, staring at the window of the store with an anxious look. His arms were folded over his chest, a cup of coffee held in his right hand. Soft music played in the background, but the five voices didn't seem to calm Joey as they had multiple times before. "What time is it, Abella?" He asked, not tearing his gaze away from the busy street. 

Reaching for my phone, I checked the time and noticed I had a couple of unread messages from Martin. "It's almost closing time." I replied, unlocking my phone before I read through the messages. A few of them were of Martin making a goofy face into the camera, but the others were to confirm the plans we still had for tomorrow night. 

Martin; So I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow, right?

Me; Yeah. Where are we going, though?

Martin; A Chinese place. It's really good, but sorta formal. 

Me; Oh, okay. Well, I have to go. I'm working now. I'll see you later. 

Martin; K. Bye. 

I sighed, setting my phone down on the surface of the counter. Joey paced around the shop, biting his fingernails with his brows furrowed together. He mug of coffee now laid on a table, still half full. "Joey," I said, walking toward him. I placed my hand over his shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. "Calm down, okay? I'm sure Jeffrey just wants to check up on things." 

Joey sighed, pushing his hand through his hair. "I hope so." He mumbled and walked toward the counter. He sat down on the stool, picking at the torn edges of a tattoo magazine. "It's just," he sighed quietly, "I feel like Jeffrey's going to just come down here with bad news. He never visits the shop, only when it's mandatory." He explained. 

I felt bad for Joey. His mother had called him thirty minutes earlier, warning him of his brother's surprise visit to the store. Since then, Joey had become a nervous wreck. He said he wasn't scared of his brother, but he was scared of losing his job. Despite them being twins, Joey told me that him and his brother were never close. Jeffrey didn't have anything against gay people, but he felt uncomfortable knowing that his brother was a homosexual. 

Honestly, Jeffrey had no reason to be uncomfortable, but I also hoped, for my friend, that he was going to come baring just good news, not any bad news. The store wasn't wildly popular, but we did have regular customers that visited almost everyday. It was around closing time when the costumers stopped showing up. 

"Help me get my mind off of things," Joey begged. I nodded, taking a seat on the counter in front of him. "Like, tell me about how things are going between you and loverboy." 

"Loverboy?" I frowned. 

"Alex." Joey laughed lightly. 

I nodded, my mouth formed an 'O' shape before I answered, "I'm not sure what I can tell you, Joey. I mean, nothing has happened since we last kissed." My thoughts traced back to the wonderful kiss we shared, something I longed to do again. Suddenly, Alex's lips were replaced by Martin's. I shuddered, shaking away the thought of his lips against mine. Martin had apologized for kissing me so unexpectedly, but I couldn't shake the thought away. It was anything but pleasant. 

Joey sighed, flipping the non-existent bangs away from his eyes. "Sounds like bullshit." He said in a playful tone. "Have you two done anything beside kiss?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. His smile had returned and I felt happy to see him return to a bit of his old self again.