You're Gone and I've Gotta Stay High

Chapter 8

A/N: So shit hit the fan. It's time for a confrontation. And some smut. That was a warning. It's not too bad though.

"What?"

"You heard me Gaskarth."

Jack was on his feet so quickly he almost toppled over. "Rian, Zack, let's go. I think they should be alone" he said. The two of them both nodded and they all vanished back into the venue. My eyes caught Alex's and he clenched his jaw.

"What the hell Valerie? You show up here, looking so good it hurts, and then attack me? This was supposed to be a happy night for me..."

"It's my job! Do you think I'm happy about this?! Do you think it's easy for me to see you?!"

All of what he said took a moment to register in my head and my lips twitched into a small and proud smile.

"Wait, you think I look good?"

Alex groaned and got up to start pacing around the room. He ran his hands through his messy, sweaty hair and puffed out a long breath. Watching him was like watching my old memories- painful and comforting at the same time. But the question was still in the air and I still needed to know.

"Answer my question Alex.Why did you cheat on me?"

He hit his knees in front of me and the sudden closeness made my heart waver. I felt dizzy. I've missed him. I want to forget all this happened and just fall into his arms. 

"Valerie... Lisa came over that day and totally surprised me. She was crying and going on about how much she missed me. She kept spouting off a bunch of memories we shared together and I hugged her to soothe her. Suddenly I was against a wall and she was kissing me and I just got swept up. But I swear to you... it meant nothing. We were just together for a long time. I was weak and it was wrong. And after you left, I told her that I hated her and that she ruined everything.... You were my everything. I tried so hard to get ahold of you..."

I pursed my lips in an attempt not to cry or scream. Why didn't I just hear him out before? It wasn't like he had done it time and time again. As I sat there, listening to his story, and thinking back, I started to hate myself.

"Alex..."

But I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say? Where was I supposed to go with that? It was hard to think of anything with Alex looking so broken in front of me.

"I still love you. I still miss you. Every damn song on that album is about you or about something we did together. You're always on my mind Val. And seeing you now- I just can't believe it."

Alex grabbed my hands and I stared at our fingers laying on top of each other.

His rough calloused fingers that have touched every inch of my skin.

A sudden need for him started to ache in my stomach. It had been so long and I could feel the months building up. I almost forgot what it was like to be touched and to be satisfied with intimacy. 

I licked my lips and just waited. I couldn't hold down my desire for him. It had been SO long....

"Val?"

There were no words to say so I just fell forward and started kissing him. He reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around me; crushing me to him. We fell onto the floor and I landed on top of him.

"Valerie, do you still love me?" Alex asked, breaking our lip contact.

I wasn't ready to talk about my feelings. I just wanted to live in the moment and probably do something crazy and stupid.

"Shh."

I pushed my lips back to his again and his hands slid down to the back of my thighs. His tongue traced my lower lip and I moaned. The things that boy did to me.

He lifted his back off the floor and I pulled off his shirt. His exposed chest was a sight that took my breath away. I ran my hands up it and then down his arms, stopping to trace his skeleton tattoo and then the rose on his hand. He was a piece of artwork in every sense of the word. He watched me through half-lidded eyes and his breathing was becoming shallow. I needed him so badly I thought I might blow up.

I pressed my hand flat against his chest and pushed him back down. I slid off the top of my dress and pushed it down to my waist - leaving me just in my red lace bra. His eyes twinkled and he squeezed my thigh. 

"I always loved you in red."

Stop talking, Gaskath. Just touch me.

I leaned down and started to kiss down his collarbone and his hands moved against my almost bare back. His fingers slid under my bra strap and lightly snapped it. What a tease.

Alex's lips trailed like a feather on my neck and on my chest, just above my bra. I swallowed hard feeling his lips so close to my breasts. He sat up and rested against one of the chairs and opened his legs so I fell in between them. 

I scratched at his back as he started to suck on the skin of my shoulder. But I found myself missing the taste of his lips. After all this time, it hadn't changed. He tasted like Chapstick and Jack Daniels. 

My hands ended up in his hair and we were kissing like we needed to do so to survive. He held onto me like I might float away. We were making up for lost time. And there was so much lost time. The months we spent apart flew by like pages of a calendar in the wind. 

"I need you. Now" I half whispered, half groaned.

Alex nodded and went to take my bra off.

But then the door swung open.

"Alex! What is she doing here?!"

"Stop! Stay out of there!"

"No!"

Jack and Rian were both standing in the doorway, holding back the last person I ever wanted to see again.

Lisa.