Under the Circumstances

Night Out

Tobin's POV:

    The next few days were basically quiet. I mean team-wise. Maybe it's because I've spending so much time with Alex. I can tell Lauren and Amy are starting to wonder about why we are always together. But Alex is new, she doesn't even really know anyone yet, it's reasonable because she needs someone to talk to. I don't see why that can't be me. Right?
    "Tobin?" Lauren waved her hand infront of my face and I blinked, stepping back a bit as I held onto the door I just opened after Lauren knocked. "Do you wanna come or not?"
    "Come where?"
    "To the bowling alley? I've probably asked you like six times now." Lauren stated while crossing her arms and I noticed Amy walking with Moe and Kling down the hall towards us.
    "Oh, sorry. Guess I spaced out for a second." I bit the inside of my cheek. "But, yeah, I can't tonight. Alex wants to go this cupcake place she heard about and then chill here for the night."
    "Okay, I get it." Lauren said and I could hear the sharpness in her voice. "Whatever Alex wants, she gets, right?" And with that she turned on her heels and walked down to the waiting group. I sighed and shut the door.
    "Who was that?" Alex called from the bathroom where she was doing her hair.
    "Just Lauren." I slumped down onto the bed and clicked through the tv channels.
    Alex walked out and walked over to her duffel bag, moving my stuff out of the way so she could reach it. She kicked my shoes away and pushed aside my messily-filled bag. "Just a question, are you always this messy?"
    "I'm not messy."
    "Uh-uh."
    "I'm not."
    "Well if this is what you call not messy," Alex said as she pushed my strewn dirty soccer clothes into a pile, "we could never live together." She finished and I chuckled slightly, internally thinking about what she just said. Live together? She was just making a joke right? Of course. But really... my mind started to wander as I imagined what living with Alex would be like. Seeing her from the moment I fall asleep to the second I wake up... sounds really nice....
    "Tobin?" I snapped out of my thoughts and I felt my cheeks burning as Alex was standing over me, waving her hand infront of my face.
    "Sorry, what?"
    Alex smiled at me and the tension that was building up in my chest suddenly vanished. "Are you ready to go?"
    "Been ready." I replied, rolling off the bed.

The cupcake place was a small, quaint store on the corner of a busy street. There was only two tables, that's all that would fit in the store. But the line stretched down the street.
"Wow, I wonder if it will close by the time we get up there." I said, looking down at my phone. 8:14 pm.
"It won't. This place is open until, like, 3 am." Alex smiled and looked forward. I looked at her, for maybe a second too long, because she reconnected her eyes with mine. "What? I've heard about this cupcake place."
I quickly looked down and shook my head. "I-I don't doubt it." Smiling at her, I turned my attention back to the line.
A gush of cold night air rushed through and I noticed Alex shiver slightly in her light, long-sleeved shirt. "You cold?"
Alex shook her head and turned away as another gush of wind ran through. Biting her lip, she nodded at me. "Maybe a little. But we'll be inside this place in a few minutes."
"You can have this," I said as I pulled off my light blue UNC hoodie, leaving me in only a black muscle tee. "I'm not cold." That was a lie. But Alex being cold was worse than me being cold.
"Thanks, Tobs." Alex replied as she took my hoodie and pulled it over her head. I smiled at the ground. It's cute she has a nickname for me. Wow, stop it, Heath. Just stop. She's so not into you. "Are you alright?" Alex nudged me and I blinked myself back into reality.
"Yeah," I mumbled, then looked at her, "just wondering why you didn't think to take a jacket yourself."
"Maybe it's called stradegy, Heath." Alex smirked and played with the sleeves on the hoodie. "I liked this hoodie and thought maybe if it was cold you would give it to me."
"But what if I didn't."
"But I thought you were a gentleman, Heath." Alex smiled and I laughed, turning my gaze to the line infront of us. She wanted my sweatshirt? Probably means nothing... I looked back up from my thoughts and saw a group of guys that just walked out of the cupcake shop. They were trying to be subtle, I guess. But it was obviously they were checking out Alex, like literally eye-fucking. My jaw clenched and I forced myself to look away, it didn't matter. It's not like Alex was with me...
"Tobs, look we're almost there." Alex pointed out and hit my shoulder excitedly.
I looked at the group of guys that were still there and then at the entrance to the store. "Well, these cupcakes better be amazing."
Then, one of the guys, probably early 20s with slicked back dark hair, laughed and left the group, walking our direction. I swear to god, Imma swing. "Sup, you waiting for a cupcake, sweetheart?" The guy leaned against the brick wall and smirked at Alex. My jaw clenched tighter.
"Excuse me?" Alex asked, standing a little bit taller.
"I could get you up to the front of the line, maybe even get you a free cupcake if you want," the guy bit his lower lip, "Hmm, sweetheart?"
"I think she's good, thanks." I snapped, glaring at him.
"Was I fucking talking to you, bitch? Who are you, her girlfriend? I'd love to see that action." The guy laughed and stepped closer. Alex came closer into my side and wrapped her arm around mine.
"Yeah, she is. Got a problem?" Alex stated calmly. "Thanks for ruining our night. Bye now, dick." And with that she pulled me past the guy and down the street, starting us back to the hotel. I didn't say a word. Maybe I was in shock. Alex just said I was her girlfriend. She said it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward." Alex apologized, suddenly looking very small in my oversized sweatshirt.
"No, no, you didn't... I was just, umm... just surprised, that's all." I stuttered and shut my mouth before I made it any worse. Idiot.
"Sorry... I just..." Alex trailed off, noticing our arms were still entwined. She broke off. "Sorry."
"Don't be, I had fun." I assured her and she rolled her eyes.
"Fun with what? Standing in line at some stupid cupcake place I forced you to go to? And then we wait that whole time and end up leaving... I'm sorry." Alex said again as thunder sounded far away and rain started to fall.
"Stop saying sorry, lex. It's okay, seriously."
"Lex? Now I get a nickname too? I like it." Alex smiled at me and laughed as I noticed the rain was getting heavier.
"Let's just go watch a movie." I said, instinctively putting my hand on Alex's lower back to move her towards the hotel. I felt her back tense up and I jerked my hand away. "Sorry." I said quietly and Alex just looked at the ground, continuing to walk to the hotel. Dammit Heath. Good job.