Dirty Laundry
16
2012
After their surprise reunion at the gallery, Alex and Riley were almost inseparable for the month and a half that followed. Alex had some time off between tours and things at the gallery were finally starting to settle, so Riley felt more comfortable taking time off. She definitely did not abuse that, of course. She only took the time was was entitled to, and that was probably not enough.
The pair usually found themselves out to dinner or a movie, grabbing coffee or a few drinks, or even enjoying a night of free booze and snacks at any art events Riley needed to attend and brought Alex as her plus one. After any of these outings, they often found themselves back at Alex's house, and more specially in this bedroom.
Riley, having only slept with Brian before she slept with Alex, was completely surprised with the strong sexual attraction she had to Alex. She didn't know if it was just because he was the first guy she felt comfortable with going there since Brian, so her body almost always reacted in that way when he was around. She didn't mind it whatever the reason. For the first time since Summer was born, Riley finally felt like a young female in her twenties. She didn't have to take everything so serious all the time and she certainly didn't have to obsess over the status of her relationship with Alex. For the time being, she was perfectly fine the way they were.
For Alex, though, he was a little more sure about how he felt about Riley, why he felt that way and where he wanted their relationship to eventually go. He knew that he really liked her and he absolutely enjoyed every second they got to spend together. He enjoyed quiet nights, just grabbing a slice of pizza with her just as much as the nights that ended with them tangled together under his sheets.
He couldn't shake the feeling sometimes that she was hiding something from him. She never invited him to her place and never spent the night at his place. She claimed that her roommate was a little odd, so she didn't feel comfortable bringing him over and not coming home at night. Alex thought that was weird, but accepted it. He didn't really have any other reason to think Riley would lie.
OF course, Riley did have a secret. She still hadn't told Alex about Summer and she knew that she needed to tell him but the longer she waited, the worse it would be. She was scared. She really liked Alex and she wasn't ready to lose him if he freaked out over her having a kid. But the fact that she liked him so much was also why she needed to tell him. She wanted to be able to be totally honest with him.
Right before Alex was going to leave town again, he decided it was time to take Riley on an actual date. Sure, they were already "hanging out" at least three or four times a week and sleeping together pretty regularly, but they never specifically stated they were ever on a date.
Without hesitating, Riley accepted Alex's date invitation but she wasn't told at all where he was taking her. All she knew was they would be gone all day and she should dress comfortably. He picked her up in front of her apartment building earl that morning and still refused to tell her anything. After driving for a little while, Riley was able to figure it out. Alex was taking her to Universal Studios - specifically to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Knowing Riley was such a fan of the series, he couldn't believe she'd never been. He immediately decided he needed to take her and was able to pull some strings and get them a special pass that allowed them to cut all the lines.
As they walked into the park, Alex couldn't help but watch Riley for every reaction she had. While she wasn't completely impressed with the main part of the park, as she was a Disney addict, and "there was no comparison," as she said, the second they crossed into Harry Potter World, her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July, and it was hard for Alex to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in his belly every time she shot him a smile.
They had a great time together and it was good for Riley to remember what it was like to just have fun. She wasn't the biggest fan of rides, especially crazy roller-coasters, but since Alex was so excited to be there with her and assumed she loved all the rides, she didn't have the heart to burst his bubble.
Riley pushed away her fears and went on everything and in the end she was glad she did. Going on those rides sort of felt like a metaphor for her life - instead of being afraid of something meant to be fun, enjoy it - and that's what she was doing with her life now - specially with Alex.
Later that night, when Alex dropped Riley off outsides her apartment building, he gave her a goodnight kiss. Riley prolonged the end of this kiss by attaching her arms around his neck and kissing him back with all her had. It was her way of thanking him for an amazing first date and also her way of hopefully letting him know how she felt about him.
Her kiss may have revealed a little too much of what she was feeling because once she pulled back, Alex asked her if she wanted to come back to his place. It was hard to Riley to respond with a straight face when she told him she didn't have sex on the first date. Alex laughed at first but then sort of understood where she was coming from. Having gone on their first real date meant they were taking a step further in their "relationship" and they had to make sure that "relationship" was based on more than just sex - which it totally was.
With their new sex embargo, Alex and Riley found plenty of other activities to do together to pass the time from hiking, to riding bikes on the beach to taking art classes and cooking classes and being completely touristy and driving down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to talk pictures with all the stars.
Before Alex was ready to leave for around round of shows, Riley received an offer from an old professor to come do a presentation at this art conference in Paris. She knew Alex was going back to Europe and hoped their paths would cross and as luck would have it, they would. Alex would arrive to Paris the day of Riley's conference and then have the next two days off to spend with her.
As the day approached, Alex and Riley could hardly contain their excitement to see each other. It had been two weeks since Alex said goodbye to Riley in LA and it had almost been a month since they last slept together. Neither of them had said it out loud, but Paris seemed like the perfect place to end their sex embargo.
The plan was for Alex to check into their room first as Riley expected to be busy all day and most of the night at her conference and banquet that was to follow after. This was why when Alex entered their room in the middle of the afternoon, he was surprised to find Riley laying in the bed with a hood pulled up over her head, covered under two heavy blankets. He frowned as he walked closer and saw a variety of pill bottles, a box of tissues, a pile of used tissues and a thermometer sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. He knew Riley had been complaining of a cold earlier in the week, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
Alex quietly put his things away and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt before he sat on the edge of the bed and reached forward to lightly touch Riley's cheek. Her skin felt warm and clammy, so he assumed she still had a fever.
"Riley," he whispered softly.
Her eyes soon fluttered open and she gave him a sleepy smile when she saw him.
“Hey Alex,” she greeted in a rough and raspy voice.
Alex frowned when she cleared her throat. “Hey froggy. What happened to you?”
Riley pushed some of the blankets away and leaned up a bit on her elbows. “I’m sick.”
“I see that. What happened with the conference?”
Riley sighed. “I went. I tried my best to not look like I felt as awful as I do. Professor Mason took one look at me and knew. I swore I could handle the presentation. She assured me not to feel bad if I couldn’t do it but I insisted. I got up there; I was already nervous. I got halfway through when a huge coughing attack came over me and I needed to take a break to compose myself. Another attack took over leaving me a bit light headed – which was about the time Professor Mason went up there and took my notes and finished for me.”
Alex reached over again to lightly touch her cheek. “I’m sorry, babe. I know how much you were looking forward to his.”
Riley nodded. “I tried to stick around a little longer but I didn’t even make it to the banquet. That’s where I was supposed to network with people and try to promote my gallery and I just feel like I let Stacey and everyone down.”
“That’s silly,” Alex shook his head. “Did Stacey say something?”
Riley nodded. “Yeah. She told me to get my ass to bed.”
“Smart girl,” Alex smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her warm forehead.
Riley used whatever energy she had left to lean up and warp her arms around Alex’s neck in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re finally here,” she whispered.
Alex smiled shifting his position so he could give her a real hug. “Me too,” he replied when he let her go. “Is this my hoodie?” he asked when he got a clear view of what she was wearing.
“I may have borrowed it the last time I was at our place and forgot to give it back.”
“And all this time I’ve been fighting with Jack because I thought he stole it and lost it.”
“Sorry,” Riley frowned. “I hope it won’t cause the band to break up.”
Alex laughed. “I think we’ll pull through.”
“Good,” Riley gave him a sleepy smile and laid back against the pillows. “I’m sorry I got sick.”
“Don’t apologize,” Alex scolded. “It’s not your fault.”
“I tried to get better before I got her. I went to the doctor yesterday morning before my flight. I begged for the strongest antibiotic I could get.”
“Does it help?” Alex asked lying next to her.
“Sadly all it does it make me super nauseous so I end up throwing up shortly after I take it. I’m not sure it’s ever in m system long enough to work.”
“Well, have no fear. I’m not sure you’re aware but I’ve spent some of my time off becoming a doctor.”
“Oh really?” Riley laughed, pausing somewhere in the middle to couch and let out a sneeze.
“Yeah, so just let Doctor Gaskarth work his magic and you’ll feel as good as new.”
“Work your magic.”
“Okay, close your eyes,” Alex instructed.
Riley did as she was instructed and as soon as her eyes were closed, Alex’s lips landed
softly on hers.
“How’s that?” Alex asked, pulling back after a few seconds.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I might need a few more dosages before I feel any results.”
“Fair enough,” Alex nodded before bringing his lips back down to hers.
“On second thought,” Riley said, her words slightly muffled as she turned her head away from his kiss. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“When is you and I kissing ever not such a good idea?” Alex gasped.
“When I’m full of germs and you certainly can’t afford to be sick.”
“Oh, pshhh,” Alex shrugged her concern off. “I’ll be fine I never get sick.”
Riley groaned and pulled the blankets up over her mouth. “You totally just jinxed yourself.”
“It’s worth it then,” Alex decided, pulling the blanket away and kissing her again.
Riley easily gave him and pressed her lips back to his. She smiled against his mouth when Alex managed to wrap his arms around her body and hug her close to him.
“I missed you,” Riley said quietly, when they broke from their kiss.
“I probably missed you more.”
Riley rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his comment as they both got more comfortably situated in bed and she rested her head on Alex’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry that me being sick ruins whatever special plans you made for us tonight.”
Alex groaned. “I told you not to apologize for being sick. And I didn’t plan anything.”
Riley scoffed, looking up at him. “Liar.”
“Fine. Maybe the most I did was make dinner reservations that could easily be changed.”
The truth was he did have other plans for their weekend together but he would be able to amend them if necessary.
“Well, I still feel bad,” Riley insisted. “I’m not sure if you know or not, but I was totally going to have sex with you this weekend,” she said, sniffling at the end of her sentence.
Alex laughed. “I had a feeling that may have been an option.”
“Yeah, well, no offense, but I don’t think it’s something I can do without throwing up.”
Alex laughed again. “Trust me; it’s okay. Snot and phlegm don’t exactly turn me on.”
“That’s oddly comforting,” Riley said with a hoarse laugh.
Alex kissed her forehead and pulled her a little bit closer to him. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry at all?”
Riley immediately scrunched up her nose at the thought of food. “I’m okay. Honestly, I just want to sleep.”
Alex smiled down at her and pulled a blanket up over them both. “I can do that.”
“You should see what the guys are doing later. I don’t want you to waste your night off in Paris watching some snot machine with a froggy voice sleep.”
Alex shook his head. “I see those guys all the time; it’s cool. Besides, a night off in Paris watching some snot machine with a froggy voice sleep sounds pretty perfect to me.”
*****
After their surprise reunion at the gallery, Alex and Riley were almost inseparable for the month and a half that followed. Alex had some time off between tours and things at the gallery were finally starting to settle, so Riley felt more comfortable taking time off. She definitely did not abuse that, of course. She only took the time was was entitled to, and that was probably not enough.
The pair usually found themselves out to dinner or a movie, grabbing coffee or a few drinks, or even enjoying a night of free booze and snacks at any art events Riley needed to attend and brought Alex as her plus one. After any of these outings, they often found themselves back at Alex's house, and more specially in this bedroom.
Riley, having only slept with Brian before she slept with Alex, was completely surprised with the strong sexual attraction she had to Alex. She didn't know if it was just because he was the first guy she felt comfortable with going there since Brian, so her body almost always reacted in that way when he was around. She didn't mind it whatever the reason. For the first time since Summer was born, Riley finally felt like a young female in her twenties. She didn't have to take everything so serious all the time and she certainly didn't have to obsess over the status of her relationship with Alex. For the time being, she was perfectly fine the way they were.
For Alex, though, he was a little more sure about how he felt about Riley, why he felt that way and where he wanted their relationship to eventually go. He knew that he really liked her and he absolutely enjoyed every second they got to spend together. He enjoyed quiet nights, just grabbing a slice of pizza with her just as much as the nights that ended with them tangled together under his sheets.
He couldn't shake the feeling sometimes that she was hiding something from him. She never invited him to her place and never spent the night at his place. She claimed that her roommate was a little odd, so she didn't feel comfortable bringing him over and not coming home at night. Alex thought that was weird, but accepted it. He didn't really have any other reason to think Riley would lie.
OF course, Riley did have a secret. She still hadn't told Alex about Summer and she knew that she needed to tell him but the longer she waited, the worse it would be. She was scared. She really liked Alex and she wasn't ready to lose him if he freaked out over her having a kid. But the fact that she liked him so much was also why she needed to tell him. She wanted to be able to be totally honest with him.
Right before Alex was going to leave town again, he decided it was time to take Riley on an actual date. Sure, they were already "hanging out" at least three or four times a week and sleeping together pretty regularly, but they never specifically stated they were ever on a date.
Without hesitating, Riley accepted Alex's date invitation but she wasn't told at all where he was taking her. All she knew was they would be gone all day and she should dress comfortably. He picked her up in front of her apartment building earl that morning and still refused to tell her anything. After driving for a little while, Riley was able to figure it out. Alex was taking her to Universal Studios - specifically to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Knowing Riley was such a fan of the series, he couldn't believe she'd never been. He immediately decided he needed to take her and was able to pull some strings and get them a special pass that allowed them to cut all the lines.
As they walked into the park, Alex couldn't help but watch Riley for every reaction she had. While she wasn't completely impressed with the main part of the park, as she was a Disney addict, and "there was no comparison," as she said, the second they crossed into Harry Potter World, her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July, and it was hard for Alex to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in his belly every time she shot him a smile.
They had a great time together and it was good for Riley to remember what it was like to just have fun. She wasn't the biggest fan of rides, especially crazy roller-coasters, but since Alex was so excited to be there with her and assumed she loved all the rides, she didn't have the heart to burst his bubble.
Riley pushed away her fears and went on everything and in the end she was glad she did. Going on those rides sort of felt like a metaphor for her life - instead of being afraid of something meant to be fun, enjoy it - and that's what she was doing with her life now - specially with Alex.
Later that night, when Alex dropped Riley off outsides her apartment building, he gave her a goodnight kiss. Riley prolonged the end of this kiss by attaching her arms around his neck and kissing him back with all her had. It was her way of thanking him for an amazing first date and also her way of hopefully letting him know how she felt about him.
Her kiss may have revealed a little too much of what she was feeling because once she pulled back, Alex asked her if she wanted to come back to his place. It was hard to Riley to respond with a straight face when she told him she didn't have sex on the first date. Alex laughed at first but then sort of understood where she was coming from. Having gone on their first real date meant they were taking a step further in their "relationship" and they had to make sure that "relationship" was based on more than just sex - which it totally was.
With their new sex embargo, Alex and Riley found plenty of other activities to do together to pass the time from hiking, to riding bikes on the beach to taking art classes and cooking classes and being completely touristy and driving down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to talk pictures with all the stars.
Before Alex was ready to leave for around round of shows, Riley received an offer from an old professor to come do a presentation at this art conference in Paris. She knew Alex was going back to Europe and hoped their paths would cross and as luck would have it, they would. Alex would arrive to Paris the day of Riley's conference and then have the next two days off to spend with her.
As the day approached, Alex and Riley could hardly contain their excitement to see each other. It had been two weeks since Alex said goodbye to Riley in LA and it had almost been a month since they last slept together. Neither of them had said it out loud, but Paris seemed like the perfect place to end their sex embargo.
The plan was for Alex to check into their room first as Riley expected to be busy all day and most of the night at her conference and banquet that was to follow after. This was why when Alex entered their room in the middle of the afternoon, he was surprised to find Riley laying in the bed with a hood pulled up over her head, covered under two heavy blankets. He frowned as he walked closer and saw a variety of pill bottles, a box of tissues, a pile of used tissues and a thermometer sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. He knew Riley had been complaining of a cold earlier in the week, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
Alex quietly put his things away and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt before he sat on the edge of the bed and reached forward to lightly touch Riley's cheek. Her skin felt warm and clammy, so he assumed she still had a fever.
"Riley," he whispered softly.
Her eyes soon fluttered open and she gave him a sleepy smile when she saw him.
“Hey Alex,” she greeted in a rough and raspy voice.
Alex frowned when she cleared her throat. “Hey froggy. What happened to you?”
Riley pushed some of the blankets away and leaned up a bit on her elbows. “I’m sick.”
“I see that. What happened with the conference?”
Riley sighed. “I went. I tried my best to not look like I felt as awful as I do. Professor Mason took one look at me and knew. I swore I could handle the presentation. She assured me not to feel bad if I couldn’t do it but I insisted. I got up there; I was already nervous. I got halfway through when a huge coughing attack came over me and I needed to take a break to compose myself. Another attack took over leaving me a bit light headed – which was about the time Professor Mason went up there and took my notes and finished for me.”
Alex reached over again to lightly touch her cheek. “I’m sorry, babe. I know how much you were looking forward to his.”
Riley nodded. “I tried to stick around a little longer but I didn’t even make it to the banquet. That’s where I was supposed to network with people and try to promote my gallery and I just feel like I let Stacey and everyone down.”
“That’s silly,” Alex shook his head. “Did Stacey say something?”
Riley nodded. “Yeah. She told me to get my ass to bed.”
“Smart girl,” Alex smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her warm forehead.
Riley used whatever energy she had left to lean up and warp her arms around Alex’s neck in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re finally here,” she whispered.
Alex smiled shifting his position so he could give her a real hug. “Me too,” he replied when he let her go. “Is this my hoodie?” he asked when he got a clear view of what she was wearing.
“I may have borrowed it the last time I was at our place and forgot to give it back.”
“And all this time I’ve been fighting with Jack because I thought he stole it and lost it.”
“Sorry,” Riley frowned. “I hope it won’t cause the band to break up.”
Alex laughed. “I think we’ll pull through.”
“Good,” Riley gave him a sleepy smile and laid back against the pillows. “I’m sorry I got sick.”
“Don’t apologize,” Alex scolded. “It’s not your fault.”
“I tried to get better before I got her. I went to the doctor yesterday morning before my flight. I begged for the strongest antibiotic I could get.”
“Does it help?” Alex asked lying next to her.
“Sadly all it does it make me super nauseous so I end up throwing up shortly after I take it. I’m not sure it’s ever in m system long enough to work.”
“Well, have no fear. I’m not sure you’re aware but I’ve spent some of my time off becoming a doctor.”
“Oh really?” Riley laughed, pausing somewhere in the middle to couch and let out a sneeze.
“Yeah, so just let Doctor Gaskarth work his magic and you’ll feel as good as new.”
“Work your magic.”
“Okay, close your eyes,” Alex instructed.
Riley did as she was instructed and as soon as her eyes were closed, Alex’s lips landed
softly on hers.
“How’s that?” Alex asked, pulling back after a few seconds.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I might need a few more dosages before I feel any results.”
“Fair enough,” Alex nodded before bringing his lips back down to hers.
“On second thought,” Riley said, her words slightly muffled as she turned her head away from his kiss. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”
“When is you and I kissing ever not such a good idea?” Alex gasped.
“When I’m full of germs and you certainly can’t afford to be sick.”
“Oh, pshhh,” Alex shrugged her concern off. “I’ll be fine I never get sick.”
Riley groaned and pulled the blankets up over her mouth. “You totally just jinxed yourself.”
“It’s worth it then,” Alex decided, pulling the blanket away and kissing her again.
Riley easily gave him and pressed her lips back to his. She smiled against his mouth when Alex managed to wrap his arms around her body and hug her close to him.
“I missed you,” Riley said quietly, when they broke from their kiss.
“I probably missed you more.”
Riley rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his comment as they both got more comfortably situated in bed and she rested her head on Alex’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry that me being sick ruins whatever special plans you made for us tonight.”
Alex groaned. “I told you not to apologize for being sick. And I didn’t plan anything.”
Riley scoffed, looking up at him. “Liar.”
“Fine. Maybe the most I did was make dinner reservations that could easily be changed.”
The truth was he did have other plans for their weekend together but he would be able to amend them if necessary.
“Well, I still feel bad,” Riley insisted. “I’m not sure if you know or not, but I was totally going to have sex with you this weekend,” she said, sniffling at the end of her sentence.
Alex laughed. “I had a feeling that may have been an option.”
“Yeah, well, no offense, but I don’t think it’s something I can do without throwing up.”
Alex laughed again. “Trust me; it’s okay. Snot and phlegm don’t exactly turn me on.”
“That’s oddly comforting,” Riley said with a hoarse laugh.
Alex kissed her forehead and pulled her a little bit closer to him. “Do you need anything? Are you hungry at all?”
Riley immediately scrunched up her nose at the thought of food. “I’m okay. Honestly, I just want to sleep.”
Alex smiled down at her and pulled a blanket up over them both. “I can do that.”
“You should see what the guys are doing later. I don’t want you to waste your night off in Paris watching some snot machine with a froggy voice sleep.”
Alex shook his head. “I see those guys all the time; it’s cool. Besides, a night off in Paris watching some snot machine with a froggy voice sleep sounds pretty perfect to me.”
*****
Notes
Story Title: All Time Low - Dirty Laundry
I feel like this is a very ramble-y chapter in the beginning. I apologize for that. Also, I'm posting it without going back to proofread because it's late and I'm tired. Enjoy!
If you could come back and update, that'd be great <3
1/23/19