Feckless

Chapter 6

"Alright, we rode the ferris wheel, the bumping cars, and I even won you a stuffed teddy bear along the way. Anything else we need before we leave?" I ask, looking at Alex as she walks by my side. It's not like she's even walking, it looks like she's waltzing her way around. She twirls around in moments, her movements forever graceful. She grabs the toy in her arms in a way that makes her look absolutely fond of it, even if she's only had it for a few hours. Her smile is so soft yet so wide, I think I have never seen her so happy.

"I think it'd be a perfectly well time to leave," she mumbles between her lips, taking my hand again as we keep walking to the other side of the street. I was thinking about taking her to dinner next, maybe have some wine and listen to her laugh some more. If her smile was heavenly, her laugh was something that reached the next level of it. She seemed so high in happiness, yet she hadn't had a single drink or smoke. It seemed infinitely amazing to me, just how much she liked to smile. She must never smile at home for her to smile so much while she's with me. That, or she really likes me.

I was really hoping for the latter.

"I can just catch a cab at the corner," she comments offhandedly as we leave the fair's grounds, her gaze up on the dark sky and stars.

"You want to go home?" I turn to her, a bit amused.

"Well, it's getting a bit late. I'm not really supposed to be out at night, this was just a one time thing," she explains quickly, her eyes not meeting mine when I was almost desperate for her to look at me. I wanted to spend more time with her, an hour at least. I wanted to watch her crinkle her nose as she saw something she disliked, I wanted her sonorous laugh to fill my ears and leave me drunk, I wanted to take her long hands in mine and warm them from the cold.

But she wanted to go back home, away from me.

"I thought we might be able to catch dinner, maybe," nearly pleading, I take her face in my hands and pull her chin down, making her see me, finally.

"I'm not really hungry, Liam Payne. Thank you for the offer," she almost waves me off. She easily steps back, removing her face from my gentle grip, and takes a few strides over to the street corner, waving her arm up high. I can only watch her as she does, a bit taken aback by her choices. I thought she was having a nice time, I thought she would want to spend more time with me. I guess, sometimes, she does only please herself. "It was an absolute pleasure to see you again, Liam."

I can't even respond because she's already inside her taxi, her door closed, leaving me standing there, just watching as she leaves. I can't believe I could be so gullible. I was warned to be careful, I knew she wasn't the stereotypical girl that went out on dates with tons of guys and knew exactly what a date was like. I should've expected less from her, if anything.

I can't believe it never crossed my mind.

Resigned, I shove my hands inside my pockets and start walking back home. No, not even home, Adam's apartment. I had to read each street sign to know I wasn't heading in the wrong direction. It was almost making me mad, the fact that she just left without thinking about it twice, and the fact that I had to be careful of where I was going. If I was in London, I could just keep walking until I was at a club or at the metro station and take a train home. I wasn't even sure there was a club here.

It made me doubt staying in Birchwood for two more months, like I had planned. I mean, I could just go back to London and stay at home, writing some songs, and only going out for food and groceries. I could relax like that too. I didn't need to be in an unknown place, with unknown people.

I just wanted to head home and lie in my bed for hours until the memories of my one week vacation to Birchwood were gone. I didn't want to remember Adam's small bed and smaller bathtub, his grandmother's heavenly food, the small streets. Most of all, I didn't want to remember Alexis Wright, nor her extravagant ways and looks. I didn't want to remember how much she intrigued me, or how she was impossible to stop looking at.

I was regretting the entire idea of coming here.

***

"Are you actually serious? Leaving, after a week?" Adam asked me incredulous over the phone's speakers.

"You said you didn't even last four days here. I lasted twice that," I pointed out as I kept throwing my clothes inside the duffel bag. I didn't want him to lecture me on giving up. He was clearly not the best example.

"I know that, but you actually seemed to be having a good time there." He stops talking, almost cutting himself off, before he let's out a small gasp, "is it because she did something? Did she blow you off? Oh, I know! She-"

"She has nothing to do with this, Adam," I lie flatly, knowing he will not give up quite yet. He always had to lecture me on women.

"Liam, of course she does. What happened?" he inquires, and I can just feel the grin in his voice.

"So I took her out, and we had a great time, but I was just about to suggest dinner and she wanted to head home. Like, separately, to her house, without as much a second look back at me. No kiss goodbye, nothing. She just left." Finally feeling defeated, I sit on the bed, clutching a shirt between my hands as I let Adam process the story.

"So she was uninterested?" he guesses, his tone a bit quiet.

"She kissed me on top of the ferris wheel then left when I suggested dinner," I reveal next, almost turning as if he was there to look at him.

"Mixed messages then."

"You could say that," I agree.

"Well," he continues after taking a short minute to collect his ideas, "I never thought Liam Payne would give up so easily."

I widen my eyes until they're twice as big, turning to my phone incredulous. "I beg your pardon?" I spat.

"Liam never gives up. What makes it different with her?" Adam contemplates, his voice also a bit rougher. "New deal: you don't get to come back unless she kisses you again."

"Are you serious?" I demand now.

"Come on, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, and you feel like giving up is just easier than actually working for her. So yes, you won't come back until she kisses you. I wish you all the luck in the world, my friend," and before I could answer, yet again, he hung up. 

Guess I wasn't giving up just yet. 

a.n.:

first off, i'm really sorry for taking an incredibly long time to update. i was in a bit of writer's block with this story, but i'm proud of the chapter and i think i can get back on track. 

i'm going to be focusing on this story and friends for now, updating one time each week or every two weeks. if i take longer to update, you can message me and i'm sure i'll post soon enough.

please comment and vote!

- andy .x