alexander- a.t

24. sunday night, february 2004

Alex walked down the street with a bouquet of flowers he had just bought at a nearby petrol station. He saw Joanna waiting at the corner they had discussed and smiled.

"Hey." He came up behind her and wrapped his arm with the flowers around her so she saw them first. She gasped and clasped the flowers in her hand.

"Thank you, Alex." She turned around and kissed him quickly. "Did you miss me?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Since this morning?" He wondered but when she raised her eyebrows he realised she was serious. "Every second." He changed his answer. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him to give him another kiss.

"So what are we doing?" She wondered. He shrugged.

"I figured we could just talk or summat. Nothing too exhilarating, I'm a bit hungover." He replied honestly. She frowned slightly but shrugged.

"Okay. Do you wanna get coffee?" She asked. He nodded and threw his arm around her as they walked to a nearby coffee shop.

Alex ordered and paid for the drinks before bringing them over to the sofa that she had chosen to sit at. He put his arm around her and sipped his coffee. It was already starting to get dark outside.

"So, do you think Arctic Monkeys will go far?" She asked, batting her pretty eyelashes at him. He shrugged.

"Hope so. We're putting in enough practice and we've got a bunch of gigs coming up now that we've done one. I'm excited." He told her. She kissed his cheek, her breath smelled like coffee beans but he didn't mind.

"Written any more songs?" She followed up. He nodded. "Any about me?" She added. The answer to that, was no but Alex was afraid he would offend her if he said that.

"Maybe." He decided on and then watched her nervously. Letting out a sigh of relief when she giggled and kissed him in response.

"They better be good." She replied. Alex chuckled and sipped his coffee. "So how long have you and Matt been friends for?" She asked.

"Since before primary school. We've lived next door to each other since we were five. He's really my best friend." He sighed.

As the end of sixth form slowly approached Alex was slightly worried that him and Matt would be forced to go their separate ways. The band was a long shot but it could be the way to stay friends for their whole lives.

"That's so sweet. I wish I had a best friend like that." She smiled. Alex pulled a confused face.

"What about Luna or Kate?" He asked. Alex always thought that they were really close friends but the way she was looking at him made him think she had never thought of it.

"Well, they're my group but like they're both so obsessed with their own lives that I don't really think I could tell them my problems. I'm close with my sister, she's the one I talk to." Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Luna? Really?" He shifted his body, ready to defend if needed.

"Well, I guess because her and Brian's relationship is so one sided she's always consumed by that but I give her a break because of her dad." Alex didn't like Joanna very much when she was talking about Luna. He sat there awkwardly.

"Maybe if you spoke to her about your problems she would listen. She's helped me out before." He tried not to tell her she was wrong, he knew not to do that.

"How did you two even become friends?" she looked almost bitter. He cleared his throat and sipped his coffee.

"English. We sit next to each other." He answered simply. She nodded.