Maybe It's Been You All Along - Alex Turner

19

Muffled music blared through the backstage walls, coupled with hearty chatter. People were drinking and joking around in the lounge whilst two sat apart in a dressing room.

Rosanna sat before Alex, blotting his face with makeup, covering the discolouration that had become present over the last forty eight hours. After the altercation with Andy, Alex had developed a dark ring of purple around his right eye and a ripple of bruises along his left cheekbone. His busted lip was on the road to recovery but still looked quite gnarly. His nose wasn't broken, thankfully, and the cut in his eyebrow had scabbed over and caused him little discomfort.

Alex winced quietly as Rosanna dabbed the sponge over his cheek.

"Sorry was I pressing too hard?" Rosanna asked and moved her hand away from his face.

"No I'm just being a sissy," Alex smiled.

Rosanna rolled her eyes and continued covering his bruises.

"They're very persistent in not being covered," Rosanna remarked, layering on the foundation.

"It's me badassery shining through," Alex teased.

"Fuck's sake," Rosanna huffed a laugh and powdered the foundation to set it.

"You know I coulda just gone out with me battered face?" Alex said.

"Yeah you could've but you also wouldn't want to deal with the press asking you why you look like a bruised banana, would you?" Rosanna said.

Alex chuckled and shook his head, "no. No I wouldn't." He looked over at his reflection in the vanity mirror, moving his head around to see how well Rosanna had covered up his bruises. "Wow," Alex smiled, "props to you, can barely notice em."

"Yeah well I've had good practice, these dark under-eye bags won't cover themselves," Rosanna smiled. "Alright, c'mon, you've got a show to perform."

Rosanna got up from her chair and Alex followed her movements.

"You reckon you can sing with that lip?" Rosanna asked, still guilty that this happened to him in the first place.

"Of course I can, darlin'" Alex sang cheekily.

"That's a new one," Rosanna teased.

"Ay, ay, no need to get too flattered. It's me go to 'pet name' in songs," Alex said.

The two of them walked back out to the lounge, getting a fair bit of praise regarding how well Rosanna had cleaned Alex's face up.

"You guys are on in five," the stage manager said and disappeared quickly.

  The band started getting ready to head on stage, joking around with each other when Rosanna felt a vibration in her pocket. She took out her phone and saw her mother's contact beam an incoming call.

  "Sorry I've got to take this," Rosanna said to Alex.

  "By all means," Alex smiled.

  "I'll see you after the show," Rosanna smiled and pressed her phone to her ear, walking off to somewhere quiet. "Hey Mum."

  "Hi darling! Just calling in to check up on how you're going!" her mother's voice chirped through the phone.

  Rosanna chuckled, "mom, I was there four days ago."

  "Yes you were but that doesn't mean I don't want to know how you're going," her mother said. "How's the tour?"

  "Great, we're in Manchester at the moment, the guys are just about to go on and perform," Rosanna said.