Expect the Unexpected (Zack Merrick/All Time Low)

Chapter Twenty One

Cause you know, I can't just leave it easy and uncomplicated :P

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It seemed as though every chance Alex got, when nobody was around or looking, he took the opportunity to steal a kiss. It was cute and a little bit annoying, sweet and chaste. Broadcasting this to everybody wasn't something high on either Alex or Erika's lists of things to do. Given, Alex would tell everybody if Erika had asked him not to. He understood why she wanted to stay quiet, but fuck what the world thought.

Erika knew that if it got around too much, then it would be assumed she was with Alex for money or some silly reason close to it. Technically they weren't together- together, they were two adults making adult choices in who they wanted to have as a companion. They hadn't put a label on it, simply because there was nothing really to label.

"Why are we doing this?" Erika asked with a soft sigh as Alex rubbed her feet for her.

In the last week, Alex had made it a point to spend as much time as he could hanging out with Erika and doing little things for her. He wanted her to be comfortable and maybe even happy.

"Because you were bitching your feet were bothering you." Alex chuckled, kissing her calf and smiling up at her from his seat on the end of the sofa.

Shaking her head, Erika gave him a tiny smile. "No, I mean this. Us. Why?"

"Why? I like you, a lot, honestly. I gave you my number to piss Zack off, had he not took you away I would have easily been the one to do it." Alex confessed as he continued rubbing. "You're smart; you're pretty and really sweet. You put up with my bullshit and you let me be me. I love that about you."

"Alex, now you're just kissing ass." Erika chuckled before her grin turned into a more thoughtful look. "Why did you kiss me?"

This was something they hadn't discussed, in the moment she had returned the favour and things went from there. It was a rash decision on Alex's part, but he didn't regret it. He hoped that this conversation wasn't going to tell him Erika did.

"I kissed you because I really do like you. I want to kiss you all the time; I want to be there when you go to sleep and when you wake up. I know it's crazy, but if Zack isn't going to step up and be a man then let me." He begged, his dark eyes pleading as he moved closer.

"You truly are something else." Erika said softly, patting his cheek as Alex pulled her into his lap. "You, Alexander William, will someday find your perfect girl and when you do you're going to make her one very happy lady."

Alex wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow, wrapping his arms around Erika; he rested his head on her shoulder. Someday find his perfect girl? What if he already found it? What if Alex knew that his perfect girl was already in his life where she needed to be? Was Erika really that daft to the fact Alex meant what he had said?

"I think I have her." Alex voiced his thoughts out loud. "You just have to let me make you happy."

"How do you know I'm your perfect girl?" Erika questioned shifting as well as she could to look at Alex.

Alex brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his dimples showing. "How does anybody know? I just get this feeling."

It felt like a truck and a marching band had hit him all at once when he was with Erika. Everything suddenly became exciting and it exhilarated Alex. When she smiled at him or kissed him, his heart sped up so fast it felt like it'd hammer right out of his chest. She was constantly on his mind and it kept his head swimming and Alex loved it.

"Oh Alex." Erika sighed, giving him a look that was almost sympathetic.

Sure, this was all sudden but she didn't have to act like somebody had died. After all she had kissed Alex back, if she didn't want him then why would she have done that? Why would she have let it continue? Alex was confused and he could start to feel a bit of anxiety set in, this was the last thing he wanted. Inhaling a long, deep breath he slowly let it out to find Erika sitting and staring back at him.