Jack

I stalked out of the house and continued walking at a faster pace than usual right down the street, at the corner, I stood shivering the the air for a while, deciding where to go.You can't turn your mind straight to drinking. Alex's words echoed in my mind. I sighed, knowing he spoke the truth. I clenched my keys tighter in my hand, and wrapped my thin jacket around me tighter. My long hair blew in my eyes, reminding me that I needed to get it cut, or at least trim it myself. I shifted my weight from my left leg to my right, and looked at the ground, scuffing a toe. Images of Alex in my sister's bed filled my mind, as and she pranced into the room, my hands clenched tightly. The key stabbed into my palm, the sharp pain making my hand recoil instinctively. I looked at the key-shaped dent it had made. A single though filled my mind; why?

I spun on my heel and continued back down the street, my jacket giving me little protection against the winds that had struck up while I had been standing there. I shivered, and turned down the path, racing to the door and sticking the key in the screen door lock. The key wouldn't fit, and I struggled in vain to shove it in. I stopped harassing the poor lock and switched the key over, finding that this one fit. I inserted the second key into it's lock and rushed inside, shutting both doors behind me. Why?

I placed my keys on the table and wandered around the house, looking for Alex. I walked down the hall leading to the bedrooms, looking inside our shared one, and avoiding May's, which was closed. I hoped he wasn't in it, pining over her. He wasn't in ours, and he wasn't in the kitchen nor the lounge room. I headed out into the backyard and the sun room, hoping that his skinny, yet muscular, figure would be lounging around in one of the chairs, soaking up the weak sun, or looking at the clouds through the sun roof. With a sinking heart, I returned to the rest of the house, desperately checking the bathroom and powder room. I came face to face with May's room and, with bated breath, knocked. A few seconds of silence ensued, only to be broken by the thudding of my heart. I knocked again, and upon once more no response, I opened the door to the sickening cold and emptiness. Why?

Turning around, I stalked into my room, my anger growing at the brunette. I was worried, and anxious, and a million other emotions that all related to Alex and his unknown whereabouts, but my anger was winning. Finding Alex's belongings, I started to move them out of my room, first the basics: clothes, deodorant and shoes. Then, I began hunting for all his little knick knacks: his old Ravens cup, the collection of paper clips that he claimed would "come in useful" but never did and spare wallets. His guitar was placed in the room too, on its stand, unlike where it used to lay on top of the dresser next to the cologne, the stand abandoned on the floor. Why? It was beginning to become a question I couldn't bear to ask myself.

After uprooting Alex's possessions and giving them a new home, I laid down on my bed after searching through the unpacked boxes in the sun room and edge of the lounge room, finding a CD player. I put in the only CD I had on me, Infinity On High by Fall Out Boy, and lay face down on the bed, not paying much attention to the enthusiastic music. It was more background noise than anything, and was starting to annoy me and overload my senses. The house was too quiet without the two extra bodies roaming around. I hoped Alex returned soon, with an apology and a reason as to why he had gone.

There was that word again. Why. It was silly, really, that such a small word could have such a huge impact depending on the volume and inflection in your voice. My phone started ringing and I sat up, switching off the catchy pop-punk melodies.

'Hello?' I said, holding the phone to my ear. I recognised the voice on the other side immediately, the person replying with a similar greeting. 'Hey, do you mind coming over? With booze?' I asked.

'Why?'

'Don't say that word,' I snapped, before regaining my senses. 'Sorry, rough day.'

'Say no more.' They cut me off, and I could hear the smile in their voice. 'Give me your address and I'll be there in five.'

- - -

The steel blue eyed, brown haired native came knocking on my door roughly ten minutes after the phone call, a six pack in one hand, and keys in the other.

'Hey there, Baltimore.' He greeted me with a sly grin, walking past and dumping the drinks onto the kitchen counter.

'England.' I replied, shutting the door and clutching the fiver in my hand. I put the note into my pocket, and pulled two beers out of the container, cracking them open fluently. Josh accepted one and took a gulp.

'You open beers pretty nicely, you know that, Jack?' He said, smiling.

'I'll try and take that as a compliment.' I returned the smile and had a mouthful of my own. Afterwards, I picked up the leftover beers and put them in the fridge.

'Oh, it was. I've seen many a man struggle with these things. Not you.' Josh looked at the can, inspecting the label. Another, more flirty, smile and some more beer disappeared down his throat. 'And, you know what else is nice?'

I shook my head, moving discreetly closer, shifting my weight.

'You, as more of this drink fills my veins.' That was my cue. I leaned in, capturing his mouth, putting my drink down on the counter and sliding the money out of my pocket. Josh responded eagerly, nipping at my top lip.

I took this as a chance to deepen the kiss, and slid my hand into his back pocket, leaving the fiver for the beer there and giving his butt a squeeze as I did so.

Josh didn't say a word, but leaned in closer, fusing our bodies. A few minutes of kissing and we pulled apart, Josh picking up his drink and taking a sip. I mimicked him, losing myself in his eyes. Deciding I needed to be drunk, or at the very least tipsy, to go any further with him, I turned my torso slightly so that I was facing away from him, and downed the rest of my can in one go, stifling a burp afterwards.

'Woah, slow down there.'

'Life's too short to slow down.' I replied, swooping in for another kiss before going to the fridge and grabbing another two beers.

'You want another?'

'Since you already got one out.' I turned around and slid it across the bench at him, as he just finished swallowing his first.

'Do we have somewhere more private to be?' Josh asked, drinking more. I had drank half the can, and just as I had hoped, the world was beginning to become blurry.

'Right this way,' I said, leading Josh down the hall and into my room.

As soon as we entered the room, our beers were forgotten as we placed them on the dresser. Josh grabbed my shoulders and kissed me roughly, walking towards the bed. I stumbled over my feet as I walked backwards, sliding my hands up Josh's shirt, helping him discard it as I banged up against the foot of the bed. After his shirt fluttered to the floor, he pushed me back onto the bed, before crawling on top and sliding my shirt up, kissing the bare skin as he did so, he continued kissing my stomach and chest, slowly inching his way to my lips.

My shirt joined his on the floor, and our hands were roaming each others bodies, our tongues exploring each other's mouths. I gasped as he nibbled on my lip, flipping him over, so that I was on top. He ran his hands through my hair, and I moved down, unbuckling his belt and removing his jeans, Josh did the same for me, sitting up and motioning for me to stand. I crawled back onto the bed and he wrapped his legs around me, pressing our upper bodies together. I laid him down again, leaving a trail of sloppy kisses heading south.

'Jack?' I heard a hurt voice from the door. 'Why?'

'Fuck off, Alex.' I replied, barely pausing in my motions. Josh sat up, stopping me, his face bright red.

'Is that your boyfriend, Jack?'

'Yes!' Alex shouted, seemingly angry at Josh.

'No.' I said at the same time.

'What?' Alex sounded even more hurt.

'Haven't been for a while.' Alex slammed the door and Josh bit his lip as I turned back to him.

'Look, Jack, I have a problem now, and I don't want to step on your boy-'

'Josh,' I cut him off, putting a hand to his cheek, 'he isn't my boyfriend. He's the reason I was in that bar. Let's fuck, get rid of your problem, and not give a damn that he's there.' Josh smiled and was only too happy to comply.

Notes

c0l0urfultears

Title credit: Decode - Paramore