ORNAMENTAL (alex turner > ArcticMonkeys)

CONIFER 2008

"Hey, calm down Arabella it's going to be okay. . . it's just Alex." Matt tried reassuring her.

He'd gotten her this far, into the studio not even 100 steps were in between her and Alex who was waiting in a room down the hall, smoking one of his cigarettes out of stress.

"Wait, what band did you say you were in again?" Arabella asked, urgent.

"The Arctic Monkeys." Matt answered simply, knowing he'd probably told her this before.

Alex. The thought nagged at the back of her mind.

While Matt talked to the receptionist, Arabella slumped against the wall breathing hard.

If he was in the Arctic Monkeys, this meant her Alex. Alex who had the light surrounding him, Alex who hadn't searched for her in all the years that had passed.

He was the reason she was depressed, the reason her friends were concerned because he hadn't found her. But who was she kidding, it couldn't have been him. He was just the guy from a band she had a crush on, he couldn't be her match any more than she could be his.

Having a pull towards someone doesn't mean anything other than attraction and the light behind him was stage lights, simple fact.

The only thing that still haunted her was the look he had the second time they'd met, the shocked look as he dropped his guitar and stared out into the audience.

And she was scared.

Without a second thought, well without any at all Arabella stood up, ghosting around the corner and out of sight while Matt's attention was somewhere else.

Arabella ran down dimly lit corridors until she was in a service branch, sitting silently on the ground as tears poured out of her eyes.

"Arabella?" She heard Matt's voice.

"Arabella?" He called again, more frantic.

"She's not here mate, sorry. I'm going to check around the building, call Arielle." He said to someone beside him as he started walking. "You coming?"

"I'll catch up." The man answered, his voice breaking.

When she assumed Matt had left, she looked around the corner; black hair, chocolate eyes, leather jacket. Alex.

He kicked the cement, yelping before slumping down the wall into the same position as her, crying as he held his head in his hands, madly grabbing at his hair.

She almost felt pity to help him, a pull to walk over, until she realized she hated him, he was the one who screwed up her life.

Getting up, she walked in the opposite direction trying to be as quiet as possible. "Wait!" She heard him call before she broke into a sprint.