No. 1 Party Anthem// Alex Turner

22 No 1 Party Anthem

Arabella's pov
When I thought I could finally take a rest and spend some time with myself, I got a call.
I was on my couch, playing my acoustic guitar, with my notebook on one side and my sleepy dog on the other. I was playing a song I wrote about Alex, about how bad I felt when I realized he wasn't interested in me and somehow, it helped me more than when I vented with Evie and Chase.
My phone started ringing and it was Mark calling, so still with my guitar pick between my fingers, I answered. «Hello?»
«Hey Arabella, how are you?» he asked me. He almost sounded like he cared.
«Fine,» I said without thinking how I actually felt. «you?» I simply asked.
«Great,» he said. «I just called you to tell you that tonight there is a party in the club we went in December, remember?» he asked, but before I could answer, he spoke again. «Your friends run that place, right?»
«Yeah,» I said. «but do I really need to be there?» I asked.
«Please Arabella,» he begged. «I let you skip all the the after parties of the concerts in Europe, but you need to be there.» I sighed. «What's wrong? You always liked to party.»
«Yeah right, I'll be there.» I said, not wanting to explain to Mark the reason of my weirdness.
The last thing I wanted, was to go to a party, but there I was, some hours later.

Alex's pov
As soon as I stepped in the club, I looked around. I didn't want to admit to myself that I was looking for her, I wanted to see her and pretended like it was a coincidence. I didn't see her and instantly, I was wondering whether she left already or not.
«Come on mate.» Matt said, giving me a pat on my shoulders.
We arrived two hours late, we thought that we should have waited one hour after the party started, so that it would get more fun, but then we fell asleep, and that's how two hours passed by.
The place was as hot as the last time I came, maybe even hotter that time. «I didn't know Cantona was invited.» Jamie laughed.
I looked at him confused and he pointed at the collar of my leather jacket, popping like Éric Cantona's shirt. «You're so funny mate,» I sarcastically said. «have you ever thought about being a comedian?»
I took off my jacket, I couldn't stand the heat anymore.
I was handing my jacket to a guy that worked there, when I saw her having a sly indoor smoke, in a loosen up black dress with straps made in little diamonds, that sparkled under the coloured lights; as she turned around, I saw her bare back, that confirmed my hypothesis that she wasn't wearing a bra.
She had a blood-red lipstick and a dark make-up around her eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off her and I knew I wasn't the only one.
She called her friends that ran the place, for an ashtray. She couldn't smoke in the building, but they let her since she was an old friend. «What's this look of love? Who are you looking at?»
I looked down and saw a short blonde girl: Katie, Jamie's girlfriend. I frowned. «What?»
She giggled. «The look you gave to the girls you like.»
«And you called it...» I said waiting for her to answer.
«The look of love.» she proudly said.
I sighed and Katie left me alone, laughing as she walked away.
I didn't know if I had to approach, pretend like I didn't see her, leave or go talk to her. «Do it.» a voice spoke behind me. For a moment I really thought I was hearing voices, but when I turned around, I saw Chase walking to my side with a glass in his hand.
I looked at Arabella and then back at Chase. «But I- What-» I stammered.
«Just go,» he said. «you really should.»
He convinced me, so I started walking forward, towards her. In the mean time, she finished smoking, but she stayed in the same table, since it was very secluded.
When she saw me, a few feet from her, she turned around, looking for someone to talk to and pretended to be busy. It didn't discourage me and the second after, I was in front of her. She was staring at her empty glass, with just a slice of lemon in it. «I know you don't wanna talk to me, but I need you to listen to me.» I spoke. She kept her gaze around the room, but never on me. «That night-»
«Forget that night okay? And forget the other night.» she interrupted me.
«The- The other night?» I asked unsure.
She finally looked at me, her eyes created a lump in my throat. «The night after this same party,» she said. «forget it, and forget the night I met Arielle, sorry if I didn't know you cheat on your girlfriends.»
Suddenly nothing made sense. I frowned again and waited a second to think. She thought that Arielle was my girlfriend when we were in Australia, that was why she ran away after confessing her feelings. She stared at me. «Arielle is not my girlfriend anymore...» I said.
She raised her eyebrows and slowly nodded. «Right,» she said. «I guess she doesn't like to be cheated on.»
I shook my head. «We dated 'till November, it was nothing serious, we thought we were better as friends, like we are now, I just needed someone for the music video and that's why she was there that night...» I said. She was speechless, so I took advantage of it. «and for instance, "the other night" we didn't do anything.» I said mimicking the quotations marks with my fingers.
She slightly opened her mouth in shock. «But... I woke up in bed with you wearing just a slip.»
I looked down. «Well, I didn't know that,» I said. «you were drunk so I thought it was better if you slept at mines,» I continued. «and you still had your dress on when I fell asleep.» I added.
«Why didn't you tell me?» she asked me. I shrugged. «I feel bad now... I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions when I should have asked you first.»
«It okay,» I said. «may I?» I asked, with the back of the chair in front of hers in my hand.
She nodded and I pulled the chair towards me to sit.
«We are a mess.» she said.
I nodded with a small smile on my lips. «At least now we don't have any more secrets,» I said. «right?» I looked at her.
She smiled looking again at her glass.
«I see your arm is back to normal.» I looked at her wrist, filled again with bracelets. She smiled, that time, her eyes glowed in the dark of the room. «You can play now?»
She nodded. «I played during the whole tour in Europe.»
I unintentionally smiled because she smiled and when I noticed, I looked away. «You-» I cleared my throat. «You look really good.» I said.
Her cheeks became red and she looked down with a smile. «You having fun here?» she asked.
I looked around for a second. «Not really, no,» I said. «you?»
«Not even a bit.» she shook her head. «What if we steal that bottle of tequila and go to my place?» she asked me with a smile colouring her red lips.
I looked at the bottle in the counter she meant, to then look at her. «Why steal it?» I asked.
«I don't have one at home.»
I smiled. «What if we go to my place,» I said marking the word "my". «without stealing the bottle, since I've got two at home.» She looked at my eyes, thinking about my proposal. «I make wonderful margaritas.» I added.
She giggled. «Let's go.» she said standing up.
She walked to my side and then, wrapped her arms around mine. I could tell she was already tipsy, if not drunk.

Arabella's pov
I was waiting in Alex's living room, as he was preparing two margaritas. «Where did you learn how to make margaritas?» I asked.
«I used to work in a pub,» he said. «it's also very easy to make them.»
«To me it's easy to drink 'em.» I said, looking around. His house looked as expensive as I imagined, the type of villas you see on TVs and can't believe are real. «You got a...» my mind went blank. I felt the word in my mouth, but somehow I didn't know it.
«A what?» Alex asked from the kitchen.
«Nothing.» I said.
He leaned form the kitchen, to see what I was looking at. «Record player, love.» he said.
«Right,» I said. «record player.» I repeated in a whisper.
«You can put some music if you want.»
I looked at the vinyls he owned. «I didn't know you like Jazz.» I said.
«My dad loves Jazz,» he said. «I grew up with it, you don't like it?»
I grabbed a vinyl I thought seemed nice. «Never listened to it enough to determine whether I like it or not.»
I carefully positioned the record on the player and the music started playing, as the needle touched it. A syncopated rhythm came out of the speakers, in a lower volume, to keep it as background music.
«Nice choice,» Alex said, walking in the room, with two glasses in his hands. «love that record.»
I grasped the cold glass he handed me. «Yeah right, because I really put myself into choosing the best one.» I sarcastically said.
He smiled and I sniffed the margarita. «The margarita's expert is ready?» he joked.
I giggled. «My opinion can ruin or improve your reputation.»
We sat on the couch and sipped the drink as we talked about anything.

We laughed around and we became drunker and drunker. «I need to use the bathroom.» I said in a mumble.
«It's right there.» he said.
I followed the direction he pointed and after opening three different doors, I found the right one. I looked at myself in the mirror: my lipstick was basically gone and the makeup on my eyes seemed ruined, but maybe it was just my distorted vision as I was drunk.
Out of the bathroom, I saw a door open, so I stepped in the room. It was Alex's bedroom and I looked around it.
I felt guilty I did, I should have asked, but he didn't seem bothered. I approached his desk, where a black notebook was placed, I tried to open it, but I heard Alex's footsteps and I stopped myself. «Is this where you write you lyrics?» I asked him.
I heard him approach, I felt his chest into my shoulder blades. He extended his arm to grab the notebook. «Yeah, but that's no one of your business.» he whispered in my ear putting it away.
I turned around to face him. «A bit rude of you.» I said.
I didn't know why we were whispering, but he made me feel my stomach tingle. «Well I'm sorry,» he said with a smirk. «can I do something to apologise?»
I smiled and broke the small distance between us to kiss him. I held my breath once our lips connected, his lips felt soft onto mine. Again, I felt that feeling, the unreal feeling I felt only with him. We continued kissing. His hand on my face was featherlight, as he leant in close to pull my face toward his. My hands were against his chest, feeling it muscular through his thin shirt.
Our kisses grew deeper and more intense, our bodies were pressing to each other, making the desire grow.
Something inside me stopped me, I thought that maybe it was too early. I moved away and he looked at me confused. «It's late, maybe I should go.» I said.
He nodded still holding my hips. «Y- Yeah right.»
He walked me to the door. «Thanks for the wonderful margarita.» I said.
He smiled. «Text me when you get home.» he said.
I smiled and he looked at me as I took the elevator; the door closed, so did his.