Just Friends...

Chapter 2

Alan’s Point of View

                I was alone in Kennadee’s house, like I had been many times before. I walked into the kitchen and served myself a bowl of Lucky Charms before returning to the living room and turning on the TV to Nickelodeon. A rerun of SpongeBob was playing and I let it while I ate my cereal. My mind wasn’t really focused on the show however. It had wandered off to what almost always occupied it; thoughts of Kennadee. I still couldn’t believe she didn’t know. I had really enjoyed spending the day with her yesterday. Even though I complained about watching her chick flicks I didn’t actually mind. I enjoyed them and if they made her happy then I could live with that. We had simply seen the same movies over a million times, I’m pretty sure I knew the words to The Notebook by heart already. Anyway, I’d watch them a million times more just to see her smile. She always teared up in the same parts although she tried to pretend she didn’t. I, of course, would mostly just end up watching her most of the time, without her noticing. She was absolutely beautiful and I could watch her all day without getting tired of it. She never noticed however. I’ve been in love with her since high school and she couldn’t tell. Now she was dating this douchebag Brandon. I clenched my jaw at the thought of him. God, Kennie deserved better than that asshole. I only put up with their relationship because she seemed happy most of the time. Notice I said most. That dude had made her sad so many times as well that it took everything in me not to go rip his guts out. Of course, I never did. I would just let Kennadee cry on my shoulder and spoiled her so much in order for her to smile. I always imagine that she would realize I was the right guy for her but so far that hadn’t worked out in my favor.

                I set my plate down on the coffee table and buried my face in my hands for a moment. I knew I should move on but I just couldn’t. No one except my bandmates knew of my crush on Kennadee. I shook my head trying to rid myself of thoughts of Kenn and walked to the kitchen again, bowl in hand. I cleaned the kitchen, which had been left a mess from yesterday. Once I was done I went back to the living room to shut off the TV. I picked up the pillows and blankets that were lying around and set them in their rightful place before heading upstairs to take a shower and get ready. I grabbed some boxer briefs from the guest room which was pretty much my bedroom here and walked into the restroom attached to it. I pulled off my shorts from last night before jumping into the warm water running in the shower. I let the water wash away all the sweat and dirt and along with that I imagined my worries of Kennadee washing away as well. I let myself relax under the warm water. It took me about 15 minutes before I decided to turn off the water. I stepped out, wrapping a towel around my body and pulling on the clean underpants. I hung up the towel to dry before walking back into the room to get dressed. I pulled on black skinny jeans and one of our band t-shirts with the sleeves cut off. I pulled on my black vans before going into the restroom to mess with my hair. Once I was done I tossed my clothes in the laundry basket before heading to Kennadee’s room to pick up the mess she left. She had a habit of leaving her room a wreck behind her when she was getting ready. I really didn’t mind cleaning up for her but it wouldn’t hurt if she did it herself. I picked up all the stray clothes from the floor and tossed them in the laundry basket before making the bed. Afterwards I picked up her mess of the makeup section on her desk and stored everything accordingly along with hanging up the towel she had left on the bed. Once everything looked good to go I grabbed my phone and checked the time. Noon. I didn’t have to be home until around three since the guys wouldn’t be there yet.

                I grabbed my keys and one of Kennadee’s beanies before I made my way downstairs. I stopped by the mirror next to the front door to slip on the beanie. I mentally thanked Ken for this last minute check up mirror. I walked out and locked the door with my spare key and then made my way to my car which was parked in the driveway. I sat in the driver’s seat for a moment before deciding on getting Kennadee some lunch before heading home. I knew her well enough to know that she never took lunch to work. I turned on the radio on Sirius XM’s Octane before pulling out of the driveway. Her favorite lunch place was about 15 minutes away and I hoped I wouldn’t get traffic. I was about halfway there when one of our songs came on the radio. A grin broke out on my face and I turned up the volume. This was the best feeling. Although touring and the whole music scene didn’t seem so real at times this made it worthwhile. Hearing one of the pieces of music that you worked so hard on come on the radio made everything feel much more real.

                I arrived at my destination just as Bones Exposed finished playing. Perfect timing. I shutoff the engine and walked inside the little salad shop, locking my car behind me. “Good Afternoon! What can I get for you today, sir?” a woman, probably a bit older than me, asked from behind the cash register. I didn’t even look up at the menu. “A vegetarian salad with a unsweetened iced tea, please.” I answered ordering for Kennadee who is a vegetarian. I don’t know his she did it. No meat? I would die. The lady nodded and asked, “is that all?” I nodded in response and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. I handed the lady some money before she could even say how much it was. I had done this enough I already knew. She smiled and took my money, handing me the change a second after. I thanked her and took a seat on a nearby table to wait for the food.

                I pulled out my phone and opened the twitter up to check my notifications. There wasn’t much new. A couple of new followers, lots of favorites and retreats, same old same old. I looked through a couple of the tagged posts from fans and replied to a couple. My order was called out just as Aerosmith’s ‘I don’t want to miss a thing’ started blasting from my phone. I cracked a smile knowing who was calling. This song was Austin’s ringtone. I noticed the lady crack a smile as she handed me my food. I smiled, thanked her and exited the place as I answered my phone. “Baby!!!” Austin said as soon as I answered. I laughed. “What’s up Carlile.” I asked into the iPhone. “Hey, man. You need to get anything for today? I’m out now.” He asked. I thought for a bit. “No, just the drinks. I think Phil and Tino were getting the rest.” I informed him. “Alright. Hey were you able to get Kennie to go?” he asked my smile dropped a little as I got into the car. “No, she’s going out with Brandon tonight.” I answered. “Ugh, fine. Sorry man. Hey you want to go out to eat in a while? I’m starving.” “It’s fine. And yeah sure, let me just drop of Kitty’s lunch. Pick me up at my house in a half hour.”  He agreed and we said our farewells as I turned on the car.

                I arrived at the Highpoint after 10 minutes. I grabbed the food from its spot on the passenger seat and exited the car. I made my way into the shop to find Kennadee behind the front desk. “Hey there beautiful.” I said making Kennie’s head pop up. “Gingy!! What are you doing here?” she asked, a smile on her face. I smiled as well. “Just thought I’d drop off some lunch for my Kitty.” I answered as I walked over to hug her setting the food down on the desk or more like counter. She wrapped her arms around my waist and I held her tight. She pulled away from me, the smile still painted on her face. “What did you bring me?” she asked excited. “Your favorite.” I answered and she squealed a little. I chuckled. “Thank you. Are you staying for a while?” she asked and I shook my head. “I have a date with my man in a half hour.” I joked. She laughed. “Cashby is still going strong I see.” It was my turn to laugh. I shook my head slightly and hugged her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Remember you have a date with me and the boys.” I said as I began walking towards the door. “The boys and I, Ashby.” Yeah, I forgot to mention that Kennadee is a huge grammar Nazi. I rolled my eyes as she correct me before continuing, “and how could I even forget?” she shot me a smile before I exited the building. I smiled at myself. She could make me smile with anything she did. One day, Alan. One day. I told myself as I began driving home.