Destroy Rebuild

“Hello, darling,” I smiled as I connected the incoming call from Alex.

“My lady,” Alex responded, and I pictured the calm smile gracing his perfect lips.

He was back in California for a while making arrangement for the band’s upcoming tour. I was a little worried about him going back there, because I was afraid it would set him off again on another wave of depression over us losing the house. He took the news the hardest, and it killed me to see him so upset with himself. But his input on the plans were important, so I sucked it up and wished him luck. He seemed to be handling it well so far.

“How are you?” I asked.

“I’m alright. Pretty tired. And I miss you, like always.”

“I miss you, too,” I frowned. “Both of my boys are gone tonight. I’m pretty lonely.”

“Where’s Will?”

“Aunt Megan wanted to keep him for the night. She thinks I need a mommy break.”

“Well, she’s probably right,” he chuckled.

“Yep.” I giggled. “I have the house to myself for the next eighteen hours. I think I’m in heaven.”

Alex sighed contently. “Glad I could help with my absence.”

“But that doesn’t mean you should take your time coming back to me,” I smiled. “I really do miss you.”

“I know, babe. Me, too.”

“So how is the tour planning coming?” I asked as I sat on the couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table.

“So good,” he said. “It’s gonna be bad ass.”

“I bet,” I laughed. “Decided on tour mates?”

“Issues, Tonight Alive, and State Champs. It’s an awesome lineup.”

“I’ve heard of those bands.”

“There’s gonna be so much epic pyro and lights. I’m genuinely stoked for this tour.”

“Awesome,” I smiled. “Sounds exciting.”

“You should come to one of the shows,” he said smoothly.

“Maybe.”

“I could get you backstage.”

“Oh yeah?” I giggled.

“I could introduce you to the band.”

“Mm, tell me more,” I playfully moaned.

“I could sneak you onto the tour bus.”

“Oh, y…”

I became distracted by the incoming call from Eric, my ex-coworker and the guy who was still madly in love with me. Up until about two weeks ago, I hadn’t heard from him in five months. I was secretly relieved, hoping he’d finally moved on from me. He was a good friend of mine, and
I hated hurting him because I didn’t chose him over Alex.

When he resurfaced the first time and called me, he asked me if we could get together to catch up. It caught me off guard, so I stuttered over words before finally telling him that I couldn’t. I knew Alex wouldn’t be thrilled at all. He knew about Eric and his promise to steal me away if Alex ever fucked up, so any time Eric was even mentioned, he became irritable. Out of respect for him and our relationship, I knew hanging out with Eric was out of the question.

He was very persistent, though. When I turned him down the first time and offered him an empty promise that we would hang out soon, he took it surprisingly well. Every other day I would receive a phone call or a text wondering if I could meet him somewhere for dinner or coffee. I kept feeding him lines to get him off my case for the moment, but it eventually wore off and my phone would light up with his name.

“You ok?” Alex asked.

I groaned as I ignored the call, pressing the phone back to my ear. “Yeah. Just an incoming call.”

He was quiet for a moment before he said, “Your other boyfriend?”

Obviously, Alex was pissed when Eric started trying to contact me again. After the first few times, he started thinking Eric was a psychopath obsessively stalking me. He all but demanded I change my phone number to stop it. But when I called him out on his paranoia and, in a way, defended Eric, he lost it. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or if he was just being sarcastic to be mean, but he seemed to think that I was secretly cheating on him with Eric. It made my blood boil when he said things like that.

“Could you give that shit a rest?” I scoffed.

“What?” he said sharply.

“That ‘other boyfriend’ bullshit. I don’t have any other boyfriend but you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, Whitney. Ask him. He talks to you more than I do.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I shrieked. “I talk to you all day! He’s lucky if I answer the phone!”

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

“Oh my god, Alex,” I sighed. “Please, stop. There is only you.”

The silence seemed to last forever.

“I just don’t trust him, Whit.”

“But do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he sighed.

“Thank you. I know this may not be what you want to hear, but Eric is still my friend. He was my friend long before you came into the picture. But, that’s it. Just my friend.”

“Yeah, well, Jack’s just my friend, but you don’t see me being all in love with him and threatening to steal him away from his boyfriend.”

“Alex…”

“Yeah, I know,” he huffed. “I’m sorry. I just really hate that guy.”

I sighed heavily as my eyes fell closed. “If it bothers you that much, I’ll just keep avoiding him.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, and I was becoming agitated by him.

“Hello?” I asked harshly.

“I just know it would be selfish of me to agree to that,” he said sadly.

It felt like my stomach was freefalling to my feet. It hadn’t hit me how hard this was on him until then. I’d never put myself in his shoes, and I know for a fact I would feel the same way he did. For me to want any other reaction besides the one I was given was ridiculous.

“Now I’m definitely going to keep avoiding him.”

“Do what you have to,” he sighed. “You’re the only one I need to trust anyway.”

I shook my head as if trying to randomly shuffle to a new topic of conversation. “So what are you up to tonight?”

“Eh,” he huffed. “I’m gonna go have dinner with the guys. We might go out later, have some drinks.”

“You behave yourself,” I teased.

“Yes ma’am,” he chuckled, and I could tell he was happy we’d moved on to a different topic as well. “Any plans for your wild night of freedom?”

“Well, I was thinking about getting a long bubble bath, maybe putting on a face mask, but definitely catching up on the Walking Dead while eating pizza and drinking beer in one of your t-shirts and a pair of granny panties.”

“Granny panties?” he teased.

“Laugh all you want,” I shrugged. “Those things are so comfortable.”

He laughed. “So, pizza, beer, and zombies?”

“Yep.”

He groaned and it sounded like he was stretching. “Where have you been all my life, woman?”

“Waiting for your slow ass to show up,” I giggled.

He moaned, and it made my cheeks flush bright red.

“What?” I laughed nervously.

He moaned quieter and said, “Just thinking about you sitting on the couch with one of my shirts on, stuffing your face with pizza and chugging beers, watching the Governor behead Herschel, li-“

“Wait, what?” I interrupted. “Herschel dies?!”

“Oh shit,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, baby. I forgot I watched that episode with Rian. I didn’t mean to spoil it for you.”

“Not Herschel,” I whined.

“Oh yeah. Have some tissues handy.”

“Great,” I huffed.

“Anyway,” he laughed. “I was saying picturing you like that is pretty fucking hot.”

“Tears streaming down my face as I mourn the loss of Herschel with pizza grease around my mouth is hot?” I laughed.

“Ok, maybe eliminate the cry fest and the pizza,” he chuckled. “But the part about you in my t-shirt and your panties and nothing else sounds sexy.”

“Even though they’re granny panties?”

“Especially because they’re granny panties. Those things are probably so baggy I wouldn’t even have to take them off. Just slide them to the side.”

“Yeah, real sexy,” I said sarcastically.

He was quiet a moment before he asked, “What are you doing right now?”

I shrugged. “Just sitting on the couch talking to you.”

I could hear the excitement in his voice as he said, “We should totally have phone sex.”

It felt like my body was radiating heat. “Wh-what? N-no.”

“Come on, why not?” he asked.

“I’ve just never been a fan,” I shrugged.

“But why not? It’s fun. You could touch yourself and I’d tell you all the bad things I want to do to you.”

“No, Alex,” I laughed nervously.

“But what if I were to tell you that right now, you’re in my shirt, sitting on the couch, and I’m kissing on your neck, just the way you like it.”

I swallowed hard.

“My lips are tracing over your skin to your throat before moving down, biting on the fabric of the shirt covering your nipples. I nick them every time, sending a sensation through your body down to your pussy. Mm, I bet it’s starting to get wet for me.”

I gasped as the pleasure of his words pulsated through me.

“You take off your shirt, I take off mine. You’re left in your panties and me in my boxers. Those things are just in the way.”

My head felt expanded, like it was under pressure from the overwhelming desire I had for him. He wasn’t going to stop, so I had to call it quits.

“That’s enough,” I mumbled.

“You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to keep going. It just wouldn’t feel the same. So, if you could just come home, like, now, that’d be perfection.”

“Fuck, I wish babe,” he groaned. “I just miss your smile.”

“I miss yours,” I frowned.

He sighed and it sounded like he stood up. “I’m not going to keep you much longer from your momcation. I need to start getting ready for dinner.”

“Alright,” I sighed. “Have fun.”

“You, too. Enjoy yourself. Would it be ok if I interrupt with a text or two?”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” I laughed.

“Sounds good. I love you, baby.”

“I love you.”

“We’ll finish that phone sex later,” he chuckled.

I giggled and rolled my eyes. “Good night, Alex.

Notes