Best Years // Alex Gaskarth

Chapter 4 - A Daydream Away

Stella's POV
Some way some how at breakfast Luke didn't question how close Jack and I were already acting. I guess this was just in my nature. I had people I clicked with and everyone else I didn't have the energy to get to know. I find smalltalk painfully boring. I was happy to have Jack, we lightly bullied each other but I knew he cared.
"That is the dumbest shirt I've ever seen." I stared at Jack's T-Shirt with BONER in bright red font. "Where the hell do I get one?"
"A boner? You could try porn."
"You're the worst."
They were all going to practice and as usual I tagged along. Both bands wanted to plan a duet to surprise the audience at tonights show. The practice room was so nice. It had a few couches, a lot of speakers, and a small table of snacks.
"So tonight are you going to bust out with the Remembering Sunday verse?"
"The what?" Of course I knew that song but I loved fucking with him.
"Oh, I probably shouldn't assume you know these things. It's from So Wrong It's Right."
"Oh yeah! I guess I was just it was OUT OF MY MIND." I quoted the song in a high pitched voice.
"keeping an eye on the world!" He joined in with me as out of tune as we could possibly be. We could've made glass shatter.
"GUYS." Rian shouted in the mist of our private concert. "I appreciate your singing so much but we should get cracking."
"Oh you didn't tell him he's out of the band yet? That's awkward." I said.
Jack scoffed "How you gonna hate from outside the club you cant even get innn." He bounced over and grabbed his guitar beginning to pluck some notes.
I went over and sat with Luke, Cal, Ash, and Michael. We went on the couches as they were far away enough to let ATL focus.
"When did that happen?" Luke glared at me.
"When did what happen?"
"Your new friend over there."
I shrugged. "We really hit it off at breakfast today. Just clicked I guess."
"Mhm."
"Yeah, I love that man. He's awesome." Ashton said diverting Luke from my soon to be lecture.
"I think we should start with Good Girls. It's a classic." He continued.
"I think we could've not made the setlist hours before the show." Cal raised his eyebrows.
~
After the show Luke was occupied talking to a girl he met backstage. I recognized her from a pop group I used to listen to - Alex and Sierra. She was stunning, her hair ran long down her back and she wore an oversized red denim jacket. He smiled so wide when talking to her and he looked like he was in a trance. I prayed this meant I had some time off from him.
"You want to come back and hang out with us?" Jack ran over to me dripping in sweat.
"If you shower first." I said looking at his wet hair.
"Dude, that show was crazy! The crowd was insane and your brothers band is awesome." He continued to ramble. "I'm gonna put my shit away. Our dressing room has Swedish Fish come look."
I laughed under my breath and followed him. Zack and Alex were standing back there chugging waters like they'd never drank in their lives.
"You guys did amazing out there." I smiled.
"Thanks." They said in unison.
"JINKS! You owe me a soda!" Zack said.
"I didn't think we did THAT amazing." Jack said stealing a water bottle off the table. "Except you Alex. God I could kiss you right now."
"Jack, what the fuck... later tonight." Alex whispered and dramatically winked. Zack stared at them in disappointment.
"For real though do you wanna smash tonight?" Jack finished packing up his stuff and picked up his guitar case.
"Sure." Zack shook his head and looked at me "Smash Bros to clarify."
"Hell yeah we are." Jack blurted out laughing at his own joke.
We got back onto their bus. I prayed Luke wouldn't notice I was with them. I texted Michael real quick and begged him to cover for me. He liked the message and I felt a bit more safe.
I sat on their couch, if you even wanted to call it that. It was ridiculously small. To my surprise Alex sat down next to me. Jack was too busy bouncing off the walls from his left over adrenaline.
"I feel like I haven't talked to you much. Sorry about that... How're you liking touring so far?" Alex asked. He was so close to me I looked right into his eyes. It was terrifying. He didn't smell great after playing a show but he was so pretty I didn't seem to care.
"No worries. Uh," how was I supposed to talk to him? "It's great! Very different from what I'm used to. Sydney is great but it's nice to get away from my hometown. I'm sure you agree with that
youre in a pop punk band." I was rambling.
"Oh yeah?" Alex laughed "You got me there. I love seeing the world but it can get a bit lonely without my family."
"That's why you drag them right along with you."
"Ah yes the Luke method."
"Jokes aside, I get that. I miss my other brothers and my parents."
"Mhm but having good friends makes it easier." He said looking at Jack still bouncing around the room now with added air guitar.
Jack noticed us staring and stopped. "Huh? You need something? A drink? Too bad they're in here." He said and smacked his stomach.
"All of it?!" Alex shouted. "You better take your happy ass on a walk and get more."
Jack looked at me and seemed as if he wanted to ask me to come. He smiled to himself and avoided the question and sprinted out the door.
"He's insane." Alex laughed.
"That's for sure." I replied.
"So, I hear you do some music as well?" He added.
"Oh! No no, not really." I'm absolutely not embarrassing myself in front of him. I loved making music but I didn't have that confidence with myself yet. Especially in front of him.
"Come onnn. Here." He unzipped his guitar case and took it out. "If you dont want to sing you dont have to." He handed it out to me. "But gimme something."
I suppose I couldn't let him down. I took it from him. My brain immediately went to Black Bird by The Beatles. It was the first thing I learned that really impressed people. I began picking the notes and Alex's face lit up.
"Blackbird singing in the dead of nighttt" he softly sang along with me. My heart was doing a million different flips.
"Take these broken wings and learn to fly." I tuned in with him. Our voices went pretty well together I had to admit.
We went through the whole song. My voice would occasionally drop out when I felt unsure of myself but Alex kept it going strong.
"Damn!" He blurted out. "What a classic. Okay here my turn."
I handed it back to him, hoping he wouldn't notice my shaky hands. I felt like I blacked out for a bit there.
"Hmm lets see." Alex tapped on the strings a bit before starting the chords to A Day Dream Away. It was one of my favorite songs by them. "You know this one?" He perked up.
"Of course."
"Then lets hear you sing a bit more."
"I wish you could see your face right now cuz you're grinning like a fool." I began. Ironically he was. Each lyric that came I could instantly relate back to our situation. He was a day dream away. He was way out of my league so I'll just watch from a safe place. If I ever even had him I'd never be able to survive losing him. Our tune was cut short with Jack bursting back in the room.
"Oh shit! Sorry!" He looked at us. "Keep jamming, I'm not even here." He brought his bags to table and began pulling drinks and snacks out of them.
"It's fine. We were just messing around." Alex set his guitar back down.
Jack shrugged. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. Help yourself." He wandered away again. He could tell I had feels for Alex from the start, I knew exactly what he was trying to do. Give us space so we could get closer. I appreciated him a lot. I pulled out my phone and saw a message from Michael.
"Mikey💩: I stg he's so busy with this girl he met I haven't seen him all night. SIMPPP"
"For real? That's not like him but hey I'll take
It." I quickly wrote back before getting up and seeing what Jack brought
"You want a whiteclaw?" I offered one to Alex.
"Ew, no thanks." He shook his head and gave me a look.
"You don't like whiteclaw?!"
"I mean it's OKAY. It's just not wine."
"Boo, you whore." I cracked a can open.
"What?" Alex laughed utterly confused.
"You better not tell me you've never seen Mean Girls." I stared at him in awe.
"No, why would I?"
"Alex Gaskarth... I can't believe you."
"It's a chick flick I don't know."
"A chick flick." I scoffed. "It's a classic filmed that defined a whole generation." I ran over and pulled Jack's laptop out of his pile of shit on his bed. He told me he doesn't use a password and I doubt he'd care that I took it.
"Oh god, we're watching this now?" Alex smiled.
"Absolutely!" I sat down beside him again and pulled it up on Netflix. "You need to be cultured."
He ended up loving it. We laughed and joked throughout the whole thing. I could feel his leg directly next to mine. I felt so lucky to even be this close to him.
Jack never came back that night. Alex and I ended up forcing me to watch his favorite film and then we talked until 6am. We talked about everything. It started off being about the movies and ended up moving to deep topics then back again to us goofing around. He really was something special. He was both beautiful on the inside and the outside.
When I went back to the bus, Luke was fast asleep. I definitely came back too late, he had to have noticed. I made my way to my bunk to see a cluster of pillows shaped to look like a person under a blanket. Michael must've covered for me. God, I love him he's too good.
My phone lit up from a number not in my contacts:
hey, it's Alex!
I put myself in his contacts yesterday I didn't think he'd text me so fast.
Me: heyoooo
Alex: make sure to get some rest. Lots of traveling to do!
I forgot the buses were leaving soon to move to the next show location. Thank god I got back when I did.
Me: You too! Goodnight, Alex
Alex: night 😴
Today was definitely the best day of tour so far. I kept replying our conversations over and over in my head. He's everything I could want but I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. After all, he was still a daydream away.