The library

February 11th 2004

I woke up to a lovely sensation. My hair was being stroked softly and my body was being lifted and dropped softly repeatedly every couple of seconds. My eyelids fluttered open slowly and I looked around from behind misty eyes. It wasn't my room.

My room didn't have a desk in the corner like that, nor did it have that schoolbag messily tossed onto the floor either. It also definitely didn't have that shiny, white Fender Stratocaster propped up on a stand across from the desk.

I turned my head and looked up at him. Alex was looking down at me with a soft, dopey smile. His long hair fell into his eyes, making it look more like a thoroughly used brown mop rather than a head of hair.

"Thanks for looking after me yesterday babe." I cringed slightly at the endearment he'd used. I still didn't know what was happening to us. It had been shaky ever since the practice in Neepsend where he was miserable and refused to tell me why.

"No problem." I muttered and rolled off him, laying next to him on my back, staring up at the ceiling.

I heard him sigh quietly before taking a slightly shaky breath and turning on to his side to face me.

"You forgive me right? Lottie? Why are we -  no, why are you even angry at me?" His voice cracked under the low hanging fog of the morning. His breath wasn't that pleasant either.

"I'm not angry, I'm just sad and disappointed that we can't tell each other things, Alex." I mumbled, not daring to look at him lest I get caught in those glowing brown jewels.

"I honestly don't know what the fook you're on about Lottie because our just getting angry over nowt." Alex's whisper turned into more of a whine as the sentence progressed.

I sighed. "What's the time?"

There was a small shuffle and the bed moved and dipped slightly.

"Five past ten."

"Well that's college fucked off then." I mumbled.

"You need to have a day off once in a while," Alex spoke quietly and I felt as his fingers played with mine on the bed, "it's good to have a lie in, especially with how early you've been waking up."

"I like waking up early. It lets you get more done every day." I risked a glance in his direction but when I caught sight of those eyes, like two beautiful lakes on his landscape, I decided against it and looked back up at the ceiling.

Alex ignored my point. "Plus you'll be able to see the Monkeys rehearse a brand new song if you come along to Neepsend. You wouldn't be able to do that if you were at college." The smug little smile on his face was evident in his voice.

I looked over at him and sure enough the two corners of his mouth were upturned, hypnotising mine into doing the same.

"I suppose I couldn't." I shrugged and sat up, rubbing my face and itching my head.

Alex did the same as me but groaned slightly. "Hangover." He mumbled and I nodded slightly.

"Can you drive me to mine so I can get changed?" I looked over at Alex and he smiled and nodded as if doing so would be the best part of his day.

I turned my back to him and allowed myself a small smile.