I sat at my desk, trying hard to focus on the keyboard and computer in front of me. I had three hours to finish typing up this interview or my ass would be fried. I just couldn't stop thinking about Jack's words. Over and over, I tried to tell myself that he only said those things to get under my skin, but the look in his eyes when he started at me stated otherwise. Besides, it wasn't really my concern anymore, was it? I had tried to reach out to Alex, put my feeings out there, but this time Jack actually stood in the way. It was just another day that I'd have to face loving someone I may never seen again. I had grown used to the empty feeling, but that doesn't mean it didn't still kill me.

The sound of phone and printers were buzzing around me. I wasn't the only one who wrote for the magazine, just the most well known interviewer. Most of the time I didn't bother to ask what everyone else had been assigned to. Charlotte was really my only friend here. I soaked in the dim lights and loud noises everyday, half of the time loving my job, and half of the time wishing I could call it quits and pull myself from the music world.

After another hour passed, I finally finished the interview. I hadn't been given much to go off of, so I did my fair share of research on the internet, and even looked up some of the things fans had posted about the band. I did the best I could to make them sound mature for the magazine, but admittedly, it was hard. From here on out, I would make an effort to tell my boss if I have any personal issues with the band he'd given me. It would save us both a lot of trouble. With one click of the mouse, I sent the interview to my boss for him to review. I knew he wouldn't have any complaints, however, he never does.

"So, lover girl," Charlotte's voice took me by surprise. I spun around in my chair to see her holding a folder of what I assumed to be the pictures from last night. In her other hand she managed to balance two cups of coffee. She passed one off to me, and I was grateful. "You wanna tell me what was up with you and the sexy lead singer last night?"

"How about you tell me what was up with you looking so flustered with them first," I giggled. Charlotte had always been a sweet, but determined person. I knew nothing would stand in her way of making it to the top, and she had chosen me to make the climb with her. She was really the only female friend I had. "I really thought you were going to kill Matt."

"Oh, don't doubt me, my love," she winked, sitting herself on the edge of my desk. "They're just so damn hyper. I couldn't get a good shot to save my life, and when I did, I had to think about how I would edit it to have all of their faces in there. Wanna see?"

Honestly, I had no desire to look at her pictures, but I nodded anyway. Char was always very proud of her work, but she wanted me to see them and approve before she sent them off to be published. She carefully took them from the folder and sat them down in front of me. There was one shot of Jack, Zack and Rian. They looked goofy, but serious, though I could still see sadness on Jack's face. I sighed and put the photo to the side, picking up another of Zack, Rian and Alex. This time they all looked happy. This one I liked. Then, there were a few pictures of them all apart. Good pictures, but they broke my heart. Seeing Alex on his own made me want him even more. The last photo was the one she had edited. She had used the picture of Zack, Rian and Alex, and cropped Jack into it. You really couldn't tell that it wasn't the actual photo, but that was the thing with Charlotte, she was very talented.

"They're great, Char," I beamed, holding my coffee close to my chest. "I really like the way you edited that one. Maybe if Jack didn't look so sad it'd be a little better, but no one ever knows what to expect from him, anyway."

"I was thinking the same thing," she sighed, placing the pictures back in her folder. "It's good enough, though. If anyone complains I'll blame it on their awful manager."

"I'm sure he's not really that bad. Just protective of his band."

Charlotte rose an eyebrow and took a slow sip from her coffee. Feeling awkward, I mocked her actions, and took in the sweet taste of white chocolate. She grinned as she pulled her own cup away and rolled her hands, motioning for me to spill my guts.

"Okay, fine," I groaned, placing the cup down on my desk. "I may or may not have a history with All Time Low."

"Hun, I've already figured that out."

"Yeah, well. When I was a teenager, they used to be my best friends. I started dating Jack, and I guess for a while we were really happy together.. But then I found myself attracted to Alex. We were really stupid one night and snuck out to have sex. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but it never ended. We fell for each other, really hard. Not too long after Jack and I hit the one year mark, I tried to talk to Alex about how I was feeling. He told me that he loved me, blahblahblah." I stopped to take a short breath. "Anyway, one New Year's Eve, Alex pulled me aside and promised me that he'd leave his girlfriend for me if I left Jack, and that we'd figure everything out in the long run. Needless to say, we got busted, and it didn't work out. I left, and I never looked back.. Not until last night."

"Wow," Char stared, taking in everything I had just said. Indeed, we were close, but we were never this close. "So the black widow is capable of love."

"Hey, watch it."

"No, I'm just saying, other than myself.. I've never seen you really care for someone. It's really nice to know there's heart in there," she grinned, trying to take the sting out of her words, but they were all true. "So last night when you said you loved Alex.. ?"

"I meant it," I sighed. "I never stopped loving him. I thought I'd be okay seeing him, but I was wrong."

She hopped off my desk and grabbed her folder, offering a gentle smile. I knew where she was going, she had less than ten minutes to turn her pictures in.

"For the record, I think you two would make a lovely couple. If it's meant to be, it will be. Love you, chick."

"Love you."

We've all heard those words before. If it's fate, it'll happen, but I personally believed some things we had to do on our own. I had tried to make things a little easier with Alex, hoping that maybe I'd at least get something in return, but I honestly don't know why I expected so much. Even if, by some chance, he loved me back, it still wouldn't work. We had changed so much over the years, we were strangers. I worked for a magazine, he was in a band. We'd never see each other, and when we did, we'd be hurting Jack.

I leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers againt the worn out wood. Since I had already finished my work for the day, I figured it wouldn't hurt to pack up and head home. The only problem was, I didn't want to go home, because I didn't want to be alone anymore. I ran a hand through my hair and decided to pack up anyway. Maybe when Char got back, she'd agree to go grab a drink with me. Before I could shove my books into my bag, however, my phone started to ring. I rolled my eyes, hoping I wasn't being sent to another show tonight. I couldn't handle that.

"You've reached Jenna, how may I help you?"

"Wait a minute, the girl who does the best interviews also answers the phone? What kind of shit is that?"

My heart stopped. How did he get my extension, or better yet, why was he calling me?

"A-Alex?"

"The one and only! Anyway, listen. I have a few hours of free time and I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee with me. I'm by myself. I know things were awkward last night but it was so awesome to see you again. Meet me, please?"

I stared down at my coffee and thought about his words. A part of me was afraid this was some kind of sick joke, just like I had the first time I ever snuck off to meet Alex, but that's what made it exciting. I pushed the coffee back and began shoving everything quickly in my bag, feeling like I was teenager again.

"Yeah, okay. Meet me at Joe's. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"You got it, doll."

Notes

Another update! (: