Never Him II Alex Turner

𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒 - 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝑒

I was glad to be back at work to have something to keep my mind off of... Alexander. I've told myself that it will hurt less if I stop calling him Al or Alex and just by his full name likes he's a stranger. When my father was alive, he managed to give me some generic advice, but now and then he'd get poetic and profound out of nowhere (drunk). I can't stop thinking about the time I got stood up for prom. My dad came to get me in his rusted old 1967 ford truck. He pulled up, cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he spoke to me "you know kid" (yes he called me kid...at least it wasn't tiger) "if you can't remember the good times with the twat then he isn't worth your precious time." The problem was, all I could remember of Alex we- no, Alexander we're good times. Although it didn't last long, it still hurt like hell, and there was no way I was getting over him this fast. I clocked in and went straight for some coffee. I was yanked by a woman dressed in all black dragging me to hair and makeup. "You're late Miss. Atherton... again, you've got that interview with Arctic Monkeys today for their upcoming North American tour." I let my hand drop from hers, and things began to flash in and out of focus. I felt as though I couldn't breathe and the walls were closing in on me, claustrophobia getting the best of my feeble mind.

I don't remember much else. The next thing I knew I was on a leather sofa wearing clothes that resembled something I would wear but weren't mine. With the boys sat in front of me. "LIVE IN 3 2 1" and I began reading off of the cue cards beside the camera and the overwhelming lights, plastering on a smile and a calm persona. "Good evening England, you're watching T4 music, I'm Maude Atherton and I'm here with Arctic Monkeys today who are about to embark on a tour of North America, right?" the cue card prompting me to look Alexander in his bloodshot eyes and try not to crumble. "Um, Uhh" his voice began to break but was soon interrupted by Matt's heroic save "Yeah, that's right, sorry Al's not feeling to hot." I know I shouldn't have done it but I was spiteful and it felt right. "Life of a Rockstar I suppose, break hearts and drink the nights away" Alexander flinched, and I felt a pang of hurt in my chest and a churning in my stomach, maybe if I kept taking petty stabs at him I would feel better...so I did. "So, what's life like on the road, get into many flings with unsuspecting wide eyed girls? Make promises you can't keep? Or is it just classic Rockstar things like drugs or partying or maybe both?" Matt laughed it off and poked Alexander in the arm, prompting him to laugh along. "No, none of that mostly just getting locked in rooms with stand-offish virgins" Alexander was coming out of his shell and I was retracting into mine. I opened my mouth but was told by someone in my ear to 'save it', so I did.

The interviewed wrapped shortly after that, and I wiped my clammy hands onto 'my' jeans. There was a tradition of the musicians signing my arm after we wrapped, and they were no exception. I was starting to feel normal again until it was Alexander's turn. The moment he grabbed my wrist, it was over. I had fallen again and harder than before. My eyes began to flood and my knees became weak... he noticed. He took my hand and pulled me in, whispering into my ear, "meet me at the Hellcat tonight, I miss you." and he was off.