When The Lights Go Down

Book of Love

A week passed from the paparazzi incident and much to Alice's relief nothing much came of it. Sure there had been some stories and the pictures had done numbers, but the things she had worried about, lost sleep over, never came to be.

FP had sort of hovered around her for a few days after, checking on her constantly. It was only after she assured him for the thousandth time that really, she was okay, that he finally gave her space again. It was sweet how much he cared, she liked that about him, how he so easily wore his heart on his sleeve.

Which is why she wasn't so surprised when she stumbled across his notebook and read the words scrawled inside. She knew it was wrong, but technically she hadn't purposely peeked. She had knocked it off the table by accident and had caught a glimpse of his writing, and well, her curiosity got the better of her.

The lyrics seem to be leaning towards the romantic side of things and it makes Alice smile. So much of the songs they've written together have been about his divorce and the pain caused by it, it's refreshing to see something lighter and happier in his writing.

"Hey, what are you-" FP begins to ask when he walks onto the bus. His voice startled her and she snaps the book closed. "Is that my notebook?" He wonders.

"Oh, yeah, it fell off the table and I caught a glimpse of what you've been working on. It's really good." She tells him sincerely but his expression is unmoving and he takes the book from her coldly.

"Don't you know it's rude to read people's journals?" He bites, the tips of his ears pink with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would be a big deal since we write together all the time. I figured you'd be showing me it eventually, what's the harm?"

"The harm is, I wasn't going to show you this one. It's not any good anyway, I'm not even going to finish it." He tells her, stuffing the book under his pillow.

"No, you should finish it, really FP it's such a sweet song, so different from what you've been writing lately, I think-"

"I'm not going to finish it Alice, just drop it. Okay?" He barks, catching her off guard.

"I didn't mean to make you mad, FP. I didn't even think you would care, I mean you read mine all the time."

"That's different, you tell me to, I didn't tell you to read this."

She raises an eyebrow at him, so confused by the outburst. "Are you worried I'd be upset you're writing without me?" She wonders. "Because I think it's great, FP. You said yourself you lost the love and spark for it so if it's finally come back then I'm happy for you, you don't need to hide it from me."

He goes with it. "You're not mad?"

"No, of course not." She tells him, smiling that beautiful, bright smile of hers.

"Okay... yeah okay that's good. I'm just gonna go take a breather. Sorry I just, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Hey it's okay, I didn't either, no need to apologize." She assures him. "I'll see you for soundcheck?"

He nods and forces out a smile before scurrying off of the bus, immediately being startled by Fred who was unabashedly listening to the spat between the two. "Jesus," FP gasps. "You could've warned me you were standing there."

Fred chuckles. "Sorry, I would've but you kinda bursted out of there. What? Is there a fire or something?"

"I take it you heard all that and that's why you're standing here?"

"I may have heard a little bit." He agrees. "Is everything alright with you two?"

"Yeah it's fine, she was just reading this song I've been working on and I didn't want her to, that's all."

"Is it but any good?" Fred wonders.

"No it's fine, actually I really like it, it's just... she just wasn't supposed to see it is all."

Fred sighs, catching on immediately. "It's about her isn't it?"

FP is quiet for a moment. "It's just a song. About a girl, yes, but that doesn't mean it's about her."

"You're falling for her aren't you?"

"You've already told me I can't." FP responds, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Fred chuckles. "You've never listened to me before."

"I don't know how I feel." FP admits. "I mean I care about her. A lot. I just assumed it was as friends. Maybe that is all it is and I'm just overthinking it because of how much time we've been spending together."

"Or it's something deeper, hence why you're so freaked about her seeing the song." Fred finishes his thought. He sighs. "Look you already know I'm not a fan of you two hooking up, but if you need to get it out of your system I can't stop you. Just be discreet?"

"She's not someone I want to just "get out of my system". I don't want her to think that's all she is, that she's just a road screw, she deserves better than that." He groans and runs his hand frustratedly over his face. "Like I said, I'm just confused right now, things have been so crazy, I mean, for all we know this could be about Gladys."

"Except it's not," Fred decides. "You and I both know it's not."

"But wouldn't it be a hell of a lot easier if it was?"