Fix You ~Completed~

Act Four

I saw the ginger boy again when I went to Karaoke Night the following week. Without Kyla. Kyla was passed out drunk on our couch after giving me the closest thing to love he had to give.

His name was Gale.

He came up to me while I was sitting at my usual table, a festive mug of scalding black coffee in front of me. (I didn't usually get black, but I didn't know if I could stomach sweets at that moment.) When he first approached my table, my first thought was that I'd taken his usual spot. I got to my feet, already apologizing, and he simply smiled and waved me off. "The seat next to you taken? Well, seats. Can my friend and I sit with you? He's grabbing us some muffins. I asked him to get three in case you wanted one," the ginger boy with a brilliant smile and sky blue eyes.

Any air I'd sucked in up until that moment just streamed right out of my body. I didn't know how to react. That hadn't happened before. I'd never had a person come up and politely ask to hang out with me. The only time anything remotely close to this happened was the time those girls dared each other to come ask me to sit with them while they were within earshot of me, wanting only to make fun of me when I accepted anyways.

"Uh," I stammered nervously, "go ahead."

"Awesome!" he chirped, taking the seat to my left. The right would be reserved for his friend, who I prayed was as nice as him. I hoped he'd cleared this with the other guy first. I hoped that his friend wouldn't show up and started laughing, or get mad at ginger boy for sitting with me. "I'm Gale Asher! What's your name?"

"C-Clem," I practically whispered.

A sweet smile graced his face. "Wonderful to meet you!" he said, taking my hand and shaking it. I trembled at the contact, unsure of when to pull away. "And that is my friend. You see the shaggy haired guy at the counter talking to Jimmy?"

I nodded, eyeing the counter. Jimmy was the boy who worked at the café. I knew this only because I sneaked a peek at his nametag while ordering once. We didn't speak casually or anything. I didn't speak casually to anyone.

"That's Eddie," Gale clarified, pointing the boy out for me.

I couldn't help but to think something strange when I saw him. Eddie wasn't exactly my type; he was a lot taller than me with wide shoulders (he was the hockey-quality boy from before), ruffled brunette hair that belonged in a band of some sorts, and this really gentle looking face. And he was friends with this sweet and friendly Gale character. He looked like a jock while Gale would be a picture perfect, awkwardly tall bookworm. (I hoped he was.)

My thought was that he- Eddie- was adorable. Not hot, not sexy, not cute- adorable. I had never once had that thought before in my life, not even about Kyla, and it made me feel as though every single organ in my body had been shoved through a shredder before it was placed back inside me.

"Okay," was my response.

"Don't let the prick look fool you. He's a frigging teddy bear," Gale promised, tapping my arm. I shrunk a little under his touch, but didn't pull back like I usually would have. Gale was nice and he wasn't touching a sensitive area. I didn't feel scared like I normally did. "Where's your friend, by the way?"

"My what?" I questioned.

"That guy you're usually here with. Did he ditch Karaoke Night?" As Gale continued with his questioning, his friend came to our table and slid down to my right. I tried to respond, but a plate of fresh chocolate chip muffins was placed in the middle of the table, its sweet scent wafting straight into my nose. "Eddie, this is Clem! Clem, this is my best friend for life, Eddie!"

Best friend for life. That's sweet.

"Hello," I greeted, giving him my best smile. It wasn't the smile I lied with, or the smile I told Kyla I loved him with. This was a smile I reserved for the days spent alone at the library reading my favorite National Geographic magazines, or the times when I'd find Kyla had already passed out by the time I got home from class and I had control of the TV for once. This was my happy smile.

"Nice to meet you, Clem," Eddie responded, holding out his hand.

"So formal," I commented with a weak laugh, shaking his large hand. It wasn't calloused the way Kyla's was, but it definitely could benefit from some lotion. I liked the way it felt. "You guys a-are both very formal."

"We were raised well, I suppose," Gale laughed.

One of the boys who sang "She Will Be Loved" the night Gale offered me the tissue got on stage after Madison the barista finished a rendition of an Avril Lavigne classic. (I'd always wanted to talk to her since she sung Avril Lavigne songs every week at Karaoke Night, but I didn't have the guts and she hung out with the popular girls. Doubt having a favorite singer in common would make her want to talk to me.) He tapped the microphone dramatically before gently singing "Charlie Brown" by Coldplay.

I shifted a bit in my seat, returning my attention fully to Gale and Eddie. They both were staring at me expectantly and here I was, dozing off a little. "That's nice," I complimented. "M-manners are good."

Such a great response. I deserve an award for that. Ha.

"So is this song! Are you a Coldplay fan? You looked excited when Alto started singing," Gale hummed, leaning his elbow on the table while his other arm reached for a muffin. He stole the biggest one and bit into the baked good without a thought. I felt my mouth drop open, but I quickly saved myself. It'd look so weird if I was gaping at him eat like a normal human.

I nodded, trying to seem more at ease than I felt. "Yeah! They're probably one of my favorite bands," I said, not stuttering once. Score!

Eddie grinned at me, choosing his own muffin. He left me the second biggest. "They're a solid group," he agreed. "Their song "Fix You" gets me every fricking time."

"Oh, hush. You've never cried a day in your life, Mr. Tough Man."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "I have too. You made me watch Marley and Me twice."

Gale started to giggle. "Forgot about that. You're right. Sorry, Ed."

Ed? That felt... intimate. A nickname.

I'd never had that. I tried with Kyla and he just got mad.

"Ignore this fool," Eddie begged, gesturing to his friend. I started to giggle, unable to help it. They were funny and I liked it. I wanted more of it. I wanted to be surrounded with their humor, even if it was only for the next hour.

"Oh, I'm the fool?" Gale teased back with a good natured smile.

Alto- because, apparently, that's his name- finished singing to thunderous applauds, most notably from Jimmy the café boy he'd sang with the week before, and stepped off the stage.

Eddie jumped to his feet, abandoning his muffin. "We're up, dude!"

Gale looked at me and grinned. "Wanna join?"

I did. "No, I can't sing to save my life," I waved him off shyly.

He looked disappointed but didn't push me. I watched the two of them sing "You're Welcome" from Moana, which made me laugh so hard I had to grip my stomach so it'd stop trying to blow up.

The guys returned to our table and asked if I wanted to meet up again next week. Even though we really hadn't spoken that much, I said okay. I said "okay" probably three times I was so excited. I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't even let myself think of Kyla; I only thought about myself for once.