No. 1 Party Anthem// Alex Turner

7 Mutual Feelings

Arabella's pov
Evie reassured me saying that after a week everybody would have found a new gossip to talk about and I would have been free by it, instead, even interviewers started to ask about the whole situation. «So, Arabella,» the brunette girl with a side part and rectangular purple glasses said. «can you tell us something about this mysterious relationship with Alex Turner?» she asked.
I was still laughing about the answer Chase gave, about wanting to be a stripper, but when she asked the question my smile suddenly dropped. I didn't know what to say: if I said we were not in a relationship, they would have thought I was a whore, fucking any person; on the other hand, if I didn't say anything, they would have kept making their own stories.
Jess recognized that I needed help, so he spoke before I could answer. «I'm sorry, but we're here to talk about our music.» he said.
The interviewer felt attacked and tried to hide her embarrassment with a joke. «You miss all the attention on you, big guy?» she said, followed by a nervous laugh.
Nobody laughed. I looked around, Chase's foot tapped on the floor, whilst Evie was cracking her finger's joints. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to avoid eye contact with the interviewer, that with a cough started talking again.
The woman in front of us felt awkward the whole time, we gave short answers and she kept her horrible jokes to herself.
Once we were done, I felt free and with my friends, we walked through the hallway laughing and joking around. «I don't want all the attentions on me.» Jess said.
«Yes, you do.» I said walking on his side.
«You shut up,» he said putting his arm around my shoulders and dragging me closer to his chest. «I saved your ass.»
«That woman should be fired,» Evie said. «she was flirting with you two the whole time.» she said looking at Jess and Chase.
They spoke at the same time, saying completely different things. «With me? I don't think so.» Chase said, meanwhile Jess said: «I can blame her, I look so good with this t-shirt.». I chuckled as we headed to the exit.
Right in front of the front door, in the parking lot, there was Mark, with his arms folded to his chest and a proud smile on his lips. «For God's sake.» Jess whispered as soon as he saw our manager waiting for us.
«Did someone call him?» Chase asked, without moving his teeth from a fake smile, like a ventriloquist.
Evie waved at him while approaching. «Why should we?» she whisper-screamed.
Mark opened his arms to greet us. «There is my favorite band,» he said, along with the typical laugh of a middle-aged man. «I was waiting for you.»
«Why?» Jess asked straight away.
He approached me, to hug me with his left arm. «I needed to see the best lead singer of all time.» he smiled at me.
I softly chuckled. «Freddy Mercury resurrected and came here, and you didn't tell me?»
Mark shook his head. «I'm talking about you, silly.»
«What did you do Mark?» Jess asked.
He bursted into a big, and fake, laugh. «Why do you think I've done something bad?» he asked.
If I didn't know him, I would have thought he was on drugs, but that was just him being himself.
«I just need to talk to Sara in my office.»
I looked at my friends that were probably even more worried and scared than me. I slowly nodded. «Now?» I asked.
«I'll give you a ride.» he said, tilting his head towards his car.
I shrugged. «Fine.» I said in a sigh.
Throughout the whole car trip, I didn't say a word, I just nodded or shook my head to Mark's questions and pretended like I didn't hear his horrible jokes.
Mark was a good person, but I couldn't stand his ways: he was too nosy and his only thought was money and fame.
We were walking towards his office and I looked at every of my steps, on the blue moquette on the floor. Before entering the room, he stopped with his hand around the doorknob. «I want you to meet someone.» he said exited.
When he opened the door, I saw a man with short dark hair, that instantly turned around with a smile surrounded by his beard. Next to him, I saw Alex, slouched on the chair, with his legs extended under the desk and his arms folded to his chest. My smile slowly faded away.
«Arabella, this is Ian McAndrew.» Mark said.
The man stood up and approached to shake my hand. His handshake was confident and I stared at his eyes tending downwards. «It's a pleasure.» I said.
«The pleasure it's all mine, you're such a talented young girl.» he smiled.
I smiled back thanking him and then, I sat on Ian's chair, since he told me to. Alex was on my right and I prevented myself to look in that way. Ian sat on the desk in front of us and Mark behind it, on his leather chair.
«Okay so,» Mark spoke. «you two are here due to what happened last week.» he said. I took a big breath with my eyes closed, to prepare myself with other embarrassment. «What happened between you two it's not my business,» Mark said, surprising me. «but what happened out there it is my business.» he said with a smirk on his face. «Now, you've been on everyone's lips for the past week, just by being seeing together, so, going straight to the point, we want you to go out together sometimes, even for a short while, just for people to see you.» he said.
I raised my eyebrows looking at Mark shocked. They were telling us to keep on a gossip, just for attention.
Alex looked at me with disgust. «No.» he said without thinking it once.
«But-» Mark tried to talk back, before getting interrupted.
«No,» he repeated standing up. «end of story.»
He walked out of the door like nothing happened and we all stared in the direction where he disappeared and I stood up. «I'm sorry, but I have to go,» I lied. «it was nice to meet you.» I said to Ian before leaving.
I wanted to talk to Alex, even if I didn't know exactly what to say. I jogged out of the building, to the parking lot and looked around to find him.
I saw him near his car, so I walked to him. «"No, end of story"?» I asked, repeating his own words.
He turned around with an annoyed look on his face, under his sunglasses. «What?» he asked irritated. «Did you really want to lie to everybody, just for some fame? Everyday I find out more on what a bad person you are.» he said opening his car's door.
«I'm the bad person?» I scoffed. «You looked at me with disgust, you listened to me just when I had a short dress with a big neckline,» I said. «you hate me so much and I just wanted you to know that the feeling is mutual.» I said.
I wanted to yell at him all the bad things I thought about him, but I just walked away, forgetting I didn't have a car, so I called a cab, that drove me home.