Best Mistake

I watched Alex as he ate more of his food. I'd completely lost my appetite when I found out all of the important people in his life left on his birthday and I was his only other option besides being alone. He probably didn't intend for me to take it that way, but I was stubborn and couldn't help it.

Alex looked at my still full plate, then at me. "You don't like it?" he asked mid chew.

I shook my head. "I'm just not hungry anymore."

He swallowed quickly and put his fork down. "Is this about my birthday?" he asked.

I shrugged, looking down at my hands that were folded in front of me.

He he shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had a quiet birthday? No parties? No shows to play? No room full of people pouring alcohol down my throat?"

All I could muster up was another shrug.

"It's been a really long time. I was kind of excited when I found out I'd be alone today. I was actually planning on sitting naked on the couch watching movies all day long but this," he paused, gesturing towards me. "This is better than that. I wanted to come see you and talk to you. It wasn't a pity thing."

After blushing when he mentioned being naked, I smiled.

Alex leaned back in his chair, picking his fork back up. "Now enough of this sulking shit and eat."

Once we finished eating I collected all of the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. Somehow Alex managed to convince me to let him hang the ornaments on the tree, promising to be really careful.

I was drying off one of the pots when I heard "Jingle Bell Rock" by Alvin and the Chipmunks start playing and looked at Alex. He held the plastic collectors ornament up by the string.

"This is dope," he chuckled.

I set the pot in the cabinet. "I had a thing for Simon growing up," I said.

"I see," he smiled, finding a spot for it on the tree. "So you like the nerdy type."

I laughed, letting the water out of the sink. "I like the Matthew Gray Gubler type."

"Whoever that is," I heard him mumble.

My head shot in his direction. "Dr. Spencer Reid?"

He shrugged, glancing at me before bending to look in the box again.

"Criminal Minds?" I asked loudly, walking from the kitchen to the living room.

Alex shook his head. "Never heard of it."

I gasped. "Man. If it weren't so late I would make you watch a few episodes," I said, looking at the time. It was already almost 9:00.

He stood up straight, an almost sad look on his face. "Do I need to leave soon?"

"Only if you want to," I said quietly.

He smiled. "Good. Because I have to finish the tree and I happen to have spotted a box of hot chocolate in one of your cabinets."

I grinned, turning on my heel to head back to the kitchen. Once I had two coffee cups of hot chocolate ready, I carried them to the living room, setting them down on the coffee table.

Alex stood back from the tree, smiling triumphantly. "Ta-da!" he exclaimed.

I almost gasped when I saw the tree. It looked absolutely stunning. I walked over to it slowly, carefully touching my grandmas ornament that was hanging from the top of the tree. I turned to look back at him.

"This is beautiful, Alex." He nodded, a pleased grin plastered on his face. "Thank you so much."

He stretched his arms over his head and fell back onto the couch, folding one of his legs under him. He reached over and turned the lamp off, leaving the only light in the room coming from the tree and the one candle that was still lit. He patted the spot next to him, picking up the mugs of hot chocolate.

I sat next to him, taking my mug. "Thanks," I smiled.

We talked for a little while longer, exchanging favorites and whatnot. As embarrassing as it was, I already knew half the stuff he told me, being a fan. I would never admit that to him though.

He placed his mug on a coaster, turning his body to me a little. "So did you grow up in Georgia?" he asked.

"Eh," I started. "Kind of. I was born there and lived there until I was about ten. Then my mom got remarried to a man that lived in Florida, so we moved there. Then when I was, like, eighteen or nineteen my stepdad's job relocated him back to Georgia."

"Same place you grew up?" he asked.

"About a thirty five minute drive."

Alex nodded. "So did you know Megan from Georgia or Florida."

I smiled, highlighting the mental note I made earlier to call her. "Florida. She was my first friend when I moved there. She took me under her wing and we've been inseparable since. We really bonded over music. Thankfully we both migrated towards the pop punk scene."

Alex grinned, biting down on his bottom lip. "So just how big of a fan of my music are you?"

My cheeks flushed a bright pink. "I don't know," I chuckled nervously.

Alex shifted, amused. "Well, how many times have you seen us in concert?"

"More times than I can count," I blushed again. A memory crossed my mind and before I could stop myself, the words came tumbling out of my mouth. "Want to know a secret?"

Alex laughed a little, nodding.

"I kind of met you before all of this happened," I said quietly.

Alex sat up a little, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Yeah?"

I nodded. "The Christmas before we moved back to Georgia, all I asked for was two memberships to the Hustlers Club, one for me and one for Megan. I got them but you guys weren't touring that much that year, so I was afraid it was going to be a little useless."

I paused to see if Alex was keeping up, and he nodded for me to continue.

"Anyway, I shit you not, as soon as I walked into the new house in Georgia, you guys posted an update about a tour and you were finally going to my hometown instead of Orlando or St. Pete or Jacksonville. So obviously, I had to go."

I paused again and the smile on Alex's face made me blush.

"So instead of unpacking all of my stuff, the first thing I did was call Megan and she bought us the tickets. We were so stoked. A few weeks before the concert I checked the Hustlers Club website and saw we got early entry and meet and greet. I drove down the day of the concert."

Alex was frowning a little. "That kind of sucks. I don't remember meeting you."

I shrugged. "I never expected that you would. You meet a lot of people in your line of work. Plus, I didn't do anything memorable. I remember awkwardly asking you for a picture and your autograph and I was too star struck to do anything but walk away after."

He chuckled. "That's kind of adorable."

I rolled my eyes, giggling a little. The night replayed in my head. "I was so happy. I think I can honestly say that was the best night of my life. My favorite band was finally in my hometown and I was reunited with my best friend. That was the first time I heard you guys play my favorite song, too."

"And what would that be?" Alex asked, leaning his head on the back of the couch.

I grimaced, unable to decide if I wanted to show him or tell him. Slowly, I turned my back to him, pulling the collar of my shirt down on the left side to reveal the words 'before you ask which way to go remember where you've been' tattooed on my shoulder. I jumped when Alex's fingers traced the words and I wasn't sure if it was because I wasn't expecting him to touch me or if it was because of the bolt of electricity I felt shoot through me when his skin was against mine. I wondered if he felt it too.

"'Stay Awake'," he said and I turned back around to see him smiling. "That's awesome."

I pulled my knees up to my chest. Alex picked up his mug to take another sip. "Anymore favorites?" he asked.

I stared at him for a moment and laughed nervously. "I can't believe I'm telling you this," I whispered. "I've always been pretty partial to 'Somewhere in Neverland'."

"Any particular reason?" he asked.

I was getting frustrated with myself for not being able to control my blushing. Alex had me doing it a lot. "You know, every girl wants to have a song with their name in it. I figured Wendy was as good as I was going to get."

I could see Alex trying to hold in the laugh that was trying to break free. I rolled my eyes, shrugging. "Half of the people that know me now called me Wendy when they first met me anyway! I figured, 'what the hell just go with it'."

"I'm sorry," he smiled innocently.

I sighed. "Well the door is still unlocked. Feel free to run scared."

The look on his face was soft in the glow from the twinkling lights. "You haven't given me a reason to yet."

My stomach did a somersault inside me, butterflies taking flight. Alex smiled sweetly at me, which I returned. He slid his hand over to mine, holding it loosely. It probably wasn't meant to mean much, but for the first time I felt like Alex was really in this with me. He brushed his lips across the top of my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine.

It was quiet between the two of us, but it was comfortable. I hadn't even noticed that I'd fallen asleep until he shook my shoulder gently.

"Hey," he smiled when I opened my eyes. "I'm gonna get going."

I sat up a little and stretched. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," he frowned.

I nodded and stood with a groan. "I'll walk you out."

When we got to the door, Alex turned to me. The smile on his face was contagious as it spread to mine. He pulled me into his arms and held onto me tightly.

"I really enjoyed myself tonight," he spoke, his vocal chords vibrating against my skull.

"Me too," I replied. "I'm glad you thought about doing this."

Alex back away slowly, his eyes heavy with sleep. He put his jacket on and zipped it up, reaching for the door. I shivered once the night air slipped in and wrapped my arms around myself. With a kiss to my forehead, Alex smiled and started towards the steps.

"Get home safe," I called after him.

He smiled back at me and hurried down the stairs, taking two at a time.

Once Alex was gone, I locked up my apartment. I grabbed the two dirty mugs and washed them quickly. Once everything was straightened up, I unplugged the tree and blew out the remaining candle before going to my room.

I frowned at the site of my hamper still lying in the middle of my floor and decided to go ahead and put my clothes away. Once I was finished, I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed.

I was almost asleep when my phone lit up from my nightstand, buzzing. I picked it up and squinted, reading the text from Alex.

I'm home. Seriously, Whit. Thank you for an amazing night. I truly enjoyed spending time with you. Sleep well.

I smiled and typed my reply.

Happy Birthday Alex

Notes