Best Thing In Town

“Are you going to puke? You feel a little warm… do you feel like you’re going to faint? Don’t faint, that would be bad…”

I groaned for the past twenty and however many minutes Alex had been worried about my state and whether or not I was going to puke all over him and his beautiful couch. If he didn’t shut up, I would make him. But I wouldn’t tell him that – taking someone by surprise is always the best.

“Dammit kid, give me some room to breathe!” I pushed him away from me because once again he was kneeling down on the floor looking up at me with big, wide, chocolate brown eyes like a lost puppy. I didn’t feel like I was going to puke: no, however I did feel like my head was on fire. I was also sure that I was going to cry because I hate feeling ill.

“Do you have a routine? For when you’re usually ill?” He questions as if everybody has a plan for when they fall ill and as if it was going to magically make me feel better. Ha.

“I’m usually with Tony.” Oh mouth, thank you for that “He usually speaks to me and tells me things and just generally makes me feel better…”

“Tony your brother?” Alex asked sceptically and I nodded my head, he was the only Tony in my life… unfortunately – sometimes “Do you want to phone him and talk to him?”

For a moment I contemplated his idea. Even if I wasn’t showing it, I definitely did feel bad… and dizzy: I was in the need of ranting to someone who understood my hatred for feeling ill. I was however worried Alex might consider me childish, I mean it’s not everyday an twenty year old needs to ring their Brother when they’ve contracted a rain head cold.

“Yeah…” I mumbled, trying not to be embarrassed.

“Cute,” Alex smirked as he handed me his phone “type in his number and press the green button,” he instructed – did I really look like someone that couldn’t use a cell phone?

But still I rolled my eyes and did as he said. I pressed the green button and pulled the phone up to my ear whilst Alex plopped down on the couch beside me. Being a lot bigger than me, he managed to make my bum raise a couple of centre-meters off the seat – rude.

“Hello?”

“Tony?”

“Jay! Hello sis, what have I done this time?” He sighed, because it was true. Whenever I rang Tony he had done something wrong and I was usually prepared to shout at him.

“I’m ill…” I moaned pathetically into the phone, my bottom lip jutting out even though he couldn’t see me: but hey, a habit is a habit right?

“Oh god, Jade you are not ten, you don’t need to inform me every time you’re ill!” and queue the ten year old inside me replacing my normal and mature body.

“I don’t like being ill Tony, I really don’t like it. My head is pounding and my eyes are really heavy and I think I might die if you don’t save me.”

I felt Alex stiffen besides me and turned to face him, wondering what it was exactly that had caused him to do so. “Do you really think you’re going to die?” He whispered, his brows pushing together in worry and his face so serious I felt like I was being interviewed by a police officer for sitting on the disabled seat on the bus.

“No.” I rolled my eyes: a bad thing to do when it did feel they were going to fall off.

“Jade…” Tony groaned “I’m with my friends. I can’t be caring for my sister over the phone when I’m with the lads, they’d rip it out of me forever!”

“You’re choosing your friends over me? Friends over your poorly baby sister? You heartless man, I hope your wedding goes down the-” I stopped before I could say anything, a cough erupted throughout me like one of those volcanoes on an abandoned island and whilst I was coughing.

Alex grabbed his phone from my hand and stood up, moving away so I wasn’t able to reach him. “’Ello mate, its Alex… Jade's urm, her friend…” he sheepishly added, unsure of what we actually were because I hadn’t dubbed us ‘friends’ yet.

Something Tony said must have been funny because the next thing I know Alex was chuckling to himself and shaking his head

“I promise that won’t happen,” he added quickly “Oh right. She’s with me because her room mate and her boyfriend are doing some celebrating…” another chuckle, wow what small brains boys have. “… she is persistent I agree!” Alex beamed, shooting a wink in my direction which clearly showed he and Tony the Dick were speaking about me.

Something I didn’t agree with – and the fact I sneezed, bless me, also proved this point because when you sneeze somebody is thinking of you: fact… Well, it’s an Jade Fact anyway.

“Right, no she’s definitely not faking, we were outside earlier and it just started pouring it down. We were in the rain for a good five to ten minutes, so she’s probably got one of those over night colds… yeah, yeah,” he nodded his head with every reply he gave; clearly people could see you when you were on the phone to them “obviously she wants you here… but she’s going to have to put up with me!” he said proudly “Is there anything specific I should do to calm her? She does seem a little on edge…”

Did I? well, I suppose the fact I’d nearly bitten my thumb nail completely off did show this. But my head was on fire. Seriously, someone had set the forest in my brain on fire and the fire brigade were not rushing to put it out!

“She likes that? No I didn’t expect that! But I’ll try… Okay man. And congratulations on the engagement!” And he then put the phone down on the table and all was well.

Kidding, of course my Brother had clearly told him something and he was now going to use it against me and the smug smile on his lips was screaming for me to kick him in the face.

“What?” I barked, which I shouldn’t have done because ouch, head pains.

Alex shrugged and plonked himself back on the seat beside me, this time being careful not to send me on a mission to the moon. I eyed him sceptically and then he opened his arms and nodded down at his body “Come on.”

Was he offering me a hug? I was a sucker for hugs, I loved how safe I felt with someone’s arms wrapped around my body and Alex's arms did look so inviting… damn but technically I still didn’t know him very well, but it wasn’t like he was a murderer? We were nearly friends and hugs, I love hugs…

Two seconds. Two seconds was all it took for me to move from where I was sat into his arms. As soon as I was lying against his chest his arms wrapped themselves around my body, one of his hands finding my hair – absentmindedly playing with it. I was comfortable, I felt safe and warm. It honestly wasn’t weird at all and I’m sure a normal person would have been really, worried about cuddling up to a-near-friend on his sofa, but oh well the world goes on.

“Go to sleep.” Alex whispered so I allowed my eyes to drop slowly, hoping that this cold was only an ‘overnight’ thing and that I really wasn’t going to have to battle a cold for a week.

Anyways, I must have felt really bad because I managed to sleep through a whole night without waking up once and when I did wake-up I was no longer cuddled into Alex's chest. I was instead lying on a bed… surrounded by soft fluffy pillows, pillows that were nicer than my own and I had a thick duvet wrapped around my body. To say I was confused would be an understatement.

Carefully and quietly, with a little hesitation I pushed the quilt off of my self and slid out of the bed I hoped to be Alex's and not his roommates who I’m sure was made up as I’d never seen him. I noticed I was still in my clothes from the day before and was grateful Alex hadn’t tried to change my clothes. Don’t you find it creepy when guys in films do that? I do, it’s definitely weird.

My feet padded along the wooden floor searching for wherever he exactly was. A part of me felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable being alone in his house, what if his roommate had returned and I had to hold up a decent conversation with him? Oh the thought. My senses soon however took over my body, the sweet smell of bacon wafted up my nose and already my mouth had began to water because bacon is a gift from God, a gift to say thank you for being an amazing species.

The smell tainted my mind and I no longer wanted to find Alex, I wanted to find the source of that smell and my poor little legs couldn’t move fast enough. More amazing smells attacked my senses, filling my nose and making my mouth water with every passing second. Finally I found the kitchen, but remember when I said I was bothered more about the smell than finding Alex? I lied. Oh no. Alex was stood in his boxers and a white t-shirt in front of the oven, cooking the bacon and although I could only see the back of him I could see his hair was a mess, a few strands sticking up in odd directions and he looked hot… from what I could see.

I was a girl and little things like bed hair and white t-shirts did things to me, no matter who the person was. Dammit, I sound like a bitch in heat! A small whimper left my mouth when Alex's muscles flexed beneath his shirt as he turned over a piece of bacon, the whimper clearly leaving my mouth because I was attracted to the bacon and not him. I bit my bottom lip and prayed that the sizzling drowned out that horrible sound, but clearly luck wasn’t on my side today and Alex turned around, his eyes wide like a dear caught in the headlights; but when he saw it was just little old me creeping up on him, he relaxed and a lazy smile graced his lips.

“Morning sweetheart,” he chuckled turning his attention back to the food “are you feeling any better today?”

“Mhm.” I mumbled, not being able to find my voice yet. I did feel better though!

“I hope so; you’ve slept for twelve hours straight.” He continued as he took the bacon of the heat, my eyes involuntarily following his every move. “Hungry?” He asked with a light smirk, obviously aware of my eyes burning holes into his hands.

I was prepared to answer, but my stomach took the lead and rumbled giving him a clear answer: yes.

“I take it you are then!” He grinned, plating up the food “Beware though. I am no Gordon Ramsey!”

“I never liked Gordon Ramsey anyway.” Voice! You returned to me, why thank you… even if you are two questions late.

My response seemed make Alex laugh to himself, but its true. Gordon Ramsey never was on my ‘top ten list of people I like’ and quite frankly he never will be. Without any instructions I took a seat at the breakfast bar and before I could say ‘Bobs your Uncle’ a fried breakfast was placed in front of my and Alex was sat opposite me. Without hesitation I picked up the knife and fork beside my plate and dug in, first going for the eggs and leaving the bacon for last; if there was one thing my Mother taught me that stuck it was that you always save the best for last. She also once mentioned something about the way you eat in front of male company, I’d clearly forgotten this because unfortunately for Alex I was eating like a beast that hadn’t been fed for years; realising this I glanced up at him but he didn’t seem to notice and was paying attention on his own food; good.

“I’ve never met a girl that’s eaten like that in front of me,” his voice cut through the air – just when I thought I was clear, god damn it.

“Like what?” I mumbled, my cheeks matching the colour of the tomatoes.

“Like a normal person,” Alex justified “normally girls shy away or pick at the food…” did they really do that? Honestly, how could they even sit with a plate of food in front of them and not devour it in seconds.

“I like my food.” I told him honestly “And you’re not a bad cook,” another truth “plus I really have this thing for bacon – but I can’t cook it.” Oh look at me spilling my life secrets “Does it creep you out that I eat normally?” I asked a little confused as to why he’d pointed this out.

“God no,” Alex exclaimed “I like it.” He grinned, his meal finished. He then reached over and grabbed a hash-brown off of my plate, popping it into his mouth as my own fell open.

“Di- did you just take food off my plate?” I gasped.

“No?” he responded innocently.

“I just saw you!” I argued “You took one of my hash-browns.”

“What hash-brown?” He quizzed, his attitude somewhat reminding me of the day we met – or the day he hijacked my phone as I like to remember that.

“You little shit.” I giggled, flicking his nose across the table.

Alex roared into laughter and just shrugged, “You should eat faster sweetheart.” He beamed and I could tell him calling me ‘sweetheart’ was going to become a regular thing, yet somehow I didn’t seem to mind? “Anyway seeing as you’re with me, you’re staying with me today and we’re going on a date.” He told me and I didn’t object. Why, why wasn’t I protesting…?

“Oh a third date?” I pondered and he nodded, just as I placed the last piece of bacon from my plate into my mouth. Noticing I’d finished Alex grabbed my plate and his own, taking them over to the sink. “Where are we going?” I asked, hoping it was going to beat the first and second dates.

“To the park.” He responded casually, because clearly I love children, grass, trees and walking around at a park.

“Brilliant…”

Notes

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