AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A little over an hour later the chatter in the room hushes into silence, and I look up to see Alex walking onto the stage. Behind him, the rest of the group take up their spots, lifting guitars and sticks, and placing fingers on keyboards. But it’s Alex everybody is staring at, the one they can’t drag their eyes from. He has this incredible presence that is difficult to ignore. Stage-Alex commands the room, struts about as if he owns the place, caressing the microphone as if it’s his first love.
This is the Alex I first met. Intense and serious, he stares out into the crowd, the corner of his lip curled up. I bite down on my own lip, feeling my heart start to race. I’m nervous for him, but there’s something more, a need that vibrates inside me from my head to the tips of my toes.
It appears that the rest of the girls in the room feel the same way. There are cheers and screams as he strums the first chord, then Stuart hits the drums and the whole crowd erupts. I glance at David, who is staring up at the stage, and I see his foot tapping out a rhythm in time to the beat. But when Alex starts to sing my gaze swings right back to the stage, and he leans forward, singing into the mic, his voice low and sultry and full of swagger.
The boy’s got game, and he knows it.
As the set continues we’re pulled into the crowd, dragged along with the surge as everybody moves towards the stage. I reach out for David’s sleeve, holding on tight, trying to keep him by my side.
That’s when my eyes meet Alex’s. I can tell the moment he spots me. His gaze stays on me for a drumbeat longer than anywhere else, and he smiles as he sings, his wink causing a hundred women to whistle and call. At the end of the song he mouths ‘I
fucking love you’ and I mouth it right back, feeling the pounding of my heart and the aching need in my body. I’m so busy staring at him, I almost forget David’s here.
He leans in to whisper in my ear. “They’re bloody good.”
I nod, smiling hugely. “The best.”
“Your old man is the singer, right?”
“Yep.” A couple of heads turn at this, and I feel the disapproval of nearby females.
“Even I think he’s hot,” David says.
I start to laugh, but then I see Alex’s eyes narrow as he stares at me from the stage. Is he jealous? For a moment I feel indignant. What right has he got to feel anything approaching resentment when most of the women in this room want to jump him? All I’m doing is having a laugh with our new neighbour, while Alex is practically humping every female watching.
So I do the adult thing and stare right back. Then I stick my tongue out at him. He shakes his head and laughs softly, staring down at his guitar, and I feel marginally better.
* * *
We go backstage after their set is finished. Alex is in what masquerades as a dressing room, though really it’s a living room with a couple of mirrors. He’s sitting on the black leather sofa, legs stretched out in front of him, a cold bottle of beer in his right hand. His eyes are closed, his head is back, and the sweat is pretty much dripping off him. His hair glistens with it.
“Hi.” I walk over and he sits up, making a grab for me, pulling me into his lap. “Let go, you’re soaking.”
“I love making you wet.”
“Um, this is David. From downstairs,” I say, alerting him to the fact we have company. Other than the band, of course. Those boys have known me for years. They’re used to the way Alex makes me blush like a teenager.
“Downstairs where?”
“He’s our new neighbour, I invited him along. David, this is Alex, Alex this is David.” I stand up and let them shake hands. Though Alex seems friendly enough, I can still sense an edge to his voice. Like he's sizing David up.
“All right?”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too. You Australian?”
“Yeah, I arrived in London last month. I really enjoyed the gig, it was great.” David is doing his best to be friendly, but he looks slightly uncomfortable. It could be that Alex is still hyped from the set, but he’s giving out a dangerous vibe, as if he’s on edge. I’m not sure I like it.
David obviously doesn’t, because the next moment he’s leaving. “Well, I’m gonna head off. Thanks for letting me come and watch. I’ll see you around, Lara.”
“Thanks for coming. We appreciate it.” I put the emphasis on the ‘we’. More for my benefit than Alex’s. I hate appearing rude and it seems as though he’s chased David off. “I’ll see you soon.”
I wave, and David gives me a little wave back, walking out of the door and into the hall. I count to five and turn around, staring at Alex.
“Well, that was rude.”
“What?” Alex shrugs and grabs his beer, swallowing it down.
