Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Lasting Impressions
Author's Note: Straight to the thank yous this time.
Tissamy: Aww, it sucks that ficwad ate your review. But your thought really does count. Just knowing that your review was actually longer than what was posted is more than enough motivation for me to post something new.
somethingorother: If only I had a boy to fill my voicemail box... lol.
clementineDestructor: Alex Gaskarth is not just a manwhore. He has feelings. Adorable feelings. lol.
Facing lions.
“How the hell did you survive a double shift and clean up duty?” Steph asked as I took off my plastic name tag.
“Motivation.”
“What motivation?”
“Rent money,” I simply replied.
“Ah, gotcha.” She jumped down from her seat on the counter.
“Yeah.”
“Well, you look tired as fuck, so get some sleep once you get home.”
“Alright, mom.” She chuckled and I pulled her into a tight hug.
“Bye.”
“Adios!”
In efforts to avoid the cold winds outside, I put my hood up and quickly walked over to the black Jetta in the parking lot.
As the engine warmed up, I sat in the driver’s seat. Cold, tired, and hungry. It was the perfect way to start my weekend. Luckily traffic was on my side and I was able to get home in about 15 minutes.
To my dismay, I was greeted with an OUT OF ORDER sign when I walked over to the elevator. Needless to say, a string of expletives escaped my mouth as I climbed the 2 flights of narrow stairs.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…” I muttered, upon reaching the 3rd floor landing.
Slumped against my apartment door was Alex Gaskarth a.k.a. the last person I wanted to deal with after 10 hours of waiting tables. Luckily he was asleep, which meant that I still had a chance of getting inside without being faced with an awkward conversation.
Carefully, I stepped around his sleeping form and unlocked my door.
Okay, I’m halfway there.
Then came the tough part. If I opened the door too quickly, he would fall backwards, hit his head and wake up. If I opened it too slowly, he could wake up before I got inside. So I had to come up with another mode of action.
I slipped my foot in the space between his back and the door, then bent my knee so he was leaning against my leg. Then I quickly opened the door and I almost made it inside but--
“Chloe?” he sleepily asked. Crap.
“Alex, why are you here?”
He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“I was waiting for you to come home from work,” he replied. “I thought you got off at 4.”
“Double shift. Hannah called in sick,” I explained. “So you’ve been here for 5 hours?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Isn’t that a bit drastic?”
“Well you’ve been avoiding me like the plague for the past 3 weeks. Isn’t that a bit drastic?”
“What are you talking about?”
“C’mon, Chloe. You haven’t been answering my calls, you changed your work schedule--”
“Unlike you, my world doesn’t revolve around Alex Gaskarth,” I quickly retorted. “I have school and rent to worry about. I don’t have time to answer all the calls I get, and as much as I wish I didn’t have to work crazy hours, I need the money.”
“Then why did you skip out on Mike’s party last week?”
“Like I said, I need to work.”
“Bullshit. The Chloe I know would never miss a party.”
Fuck, he’s got me there.
“Well I guess that shows how much you know about me,” I said, hoping that he wouldn’t see through my weak defense.
“Fine. Be that way, but we both know that I’m not leaving until we talk things over.”
Fuck, he’s got me again.
I looked down at my feet and thought through my options.
1) I could make a run for the door and lock him out.
Good side: I could put on my stereo and forget that he’d stopped by.
Bad side: Guilt would eventually catch up to me.
2) I could play the ‘I’m-really-tired’ card, and put this off for another day.
Good side: He’d feel guilty for keeping me from sleep. After all, I’d just got off a 10-hour shift.
Bad side: Alex would be back sooner or later.
3) I could let him inside and talk things out.
Good side: He’d eventually leave.
Bad side: I’d have to explain how I feel, and frankly, I’m not ready to admit that I maybe kinda, sorta like him, too. But for all I know, he just wants to get laid.
With a sigh of reluctance, I realized that options 1 and 2 would inevitably lead to the 3rd.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with,” I grudgingly said.
I stood aside and let him into my apartment. He took a seat on the couch and I sat on the opposite end.
“So what’s this about?” I asked.
“I like you, Chloe.”
“Wrong answer,” I dryly replied.
“If you listened to the voicemails I left, you’d know that I’m telling the truth.”
“I listened to them. I still think it’s bullshit,” I said, keeping my guard up.
“Then why do you think I’m doing this?”
“I don’t know… It’s probably a bet with one of the guys.”
“Your brother would kick my ass if I messed with your head like that.”
“Then it’s your ego. You’re compelled to do this because I turned you down.”
“Wrong again. I know it’s hard to believe, but lots of girls have turned me down. And last time I checked, I haven’t filled any of their voicemail boxes,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Is it really that hard to comprehend that I’m looking for more than a quick fuck?”
“This coming from Alex Gaskarth, king of the manwhores. You’re not exactly known for monogamous relationships.”
“Okay, I know I don’t have the best track record, but I really care about you, Chloe.”
I rolled my eyes in efforts to convince him, as well as myself, that he was just kidding.
“Why are you so fucking stubborn?” he asked, leaning back into the couch.
“I could ask you the same question.”
We sat there in silence for a few minutes. He stared at me while I awkwardly avoided his gaze.
“Fine. If you want me to leave you alone, I’ll leave you alone…” he sighed. “But only on one condition.”
“If it has to do anything with sex--”
“No! Jesus, Chloe. I’m trying to be serious here.”
“Fine. What’s the condition?”
“One song.”
“What?”
“One song. You let me sing one song to you and I’ll leave.”
“That’s it?” I was convinced that this was some sort of jedi mind trick.
“Yeah. But I’ll need your guitar.”
“Okay, if it’ll get you out of my hair.”
I got up and retrieved an old acoustic guitar from my closet. After dusting it off, I handed it to him. Alex quickly tuned it while I sat and waited.
As he fiddled with the strings, I tried to figure out what he was trying to prove.
He quietly strummed a few chords, then started playing. The tempo was slow and familiar, but I couldn’t put a finger on what song it was until he started singing.
“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something
I think you’ll understand
Then I’ll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand…”
My eyes went wide with disbelief because:
A) It was the Beatles.
B) Not even Jack knew that it was my favorite song.
C) Alex seemed genuinely nervous as he played.
“Oh please say to me
You’ll let me be your man
And please say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
Now let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand…”
At this he looked up from the guitar and tentatively smiled at me.
“And when I touch you
I feel happy inside,
It’s such a feeling
That, my love, I can’t hide,
I can’t hide, I can’t hide.
Yeah, you got that something,
I think you’ll understand,
When I feel that something,
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold you hand…”
As he continued singing, I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. This was the last thing I expected from him, and I had no idea how to process any of it.
“Yeah, you got that something. I think you’ll understand…”
Looking up at him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was serious.
“When I feel that something…”
His expression. His voice. His eyes. They told me that he was being honest. Spilling his guts out in song.
“I wanna hold your hand…”
Just like that, I threw caution to the wind.
“I wanna hold your hand…”
Looking at the floor, I bit my lip. It was now or never…
“I wanna--”
I cupped his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. He immediately stopped strumming, but it took a few seconds for his mouth to respond. When he did, it was literally sweet-- he tasted like a cherry starburst.
“So does that mean you believe me?” Alex quietly asked.
Blushing, I nodded and leaned back into the couch while he set the guitar against the coffee table.
“It’s about time.”
With a smile from ear to ear, he eagerly took my hands into his and pressed his lips against mine.
+++++
There you have it: the long-awaited Alex/Chloe kiss.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, because this was one of my favorite chapters to write.
Please rate and review.
It'll only take a moment of your time.
Tissamy: Aww, it sucks that ficwad ate your review. But your thought really does count. Just knowing that your review was actually longer than what was posted is more than enough motivation for me to post something new.
somethingorother: If only I had a boy to fill my voicemail box... lol.
clementineDestructor: Alex Gaskarth is not just a manwhore. He has feelings. Adorable feelings. lol.
Facing lions.
“How the hell did you survive a double shift and clean up duty?” Steph asked as I took off my plastic name tag.
“Motivation.”
“What motivation?”
“Rent money,” I simply replied.
“Ah, gotcha.” She jumped down from her seat on the counter.
“Yeah.”
“Well, you look tired as fuck, so get some sleep once you get home.”
“Alright, mom.” She chuckled and I pulled her into a tight hug.
“Bye.”
“Adios!”
In efforts to avoid the cold winds outside, I put my hood up and quickly walked over to the black Jetta in the parking lot.
As the engine warmed up, I sat in the driver’s seat. Cold, tired, and hungry. It was the perfect way to start my weekend. Luckily traffic was on my side and I was able to get home in about 15 minutes.
To my dismay, I was greeted with an OUT OF ORDER sign when I walked over to the elevator. Needless to say, a string of expletives escaped my mouth as I climbed the 2 flights of narrow stairs.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…” I muttered, upon reaching the 3rd floor landing.
Slumped against my apartment door was Alex Gaskarth a.k.a. the last person I wanted to deal with after 10 hours of waiting tables. Luckily he was asleep, which meant that I still had a chance of getting inside without being faced with an awkward conversation.
Carefully, I stepped around his sleeping form and unlocked my door.
Okay, I’m halfway there.
Then came the tough part. If I opened the door too quickly, he would fall backwards, hit his head and wake up. If I opened it too slowly, he could wake up before I got inside. So I had to come up with another mode of action.
I slipped my foot in the space between his back and the door, then bent my knee so he was leaning against my leg. Then I quickly opened the door and I almost made it inside but--
“Chloe?” he sleepily asked. Crap.
“Alex, why are you here?”
He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“I was waiting for you to come home from work,” he replied. “I thought you got off at 4.”
“Double shift. Hannah called in sick,” I explained. “So you’ve been here for 5 hours?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Isn’t that a bit drastic?”
“Well you’ve been avoiding me like the plague for the past 3 weeks. Isn’t that a bit drastic?”
“What are you talking about?”
“C’mon, Chloe. You haven’t been answering my calls, you changed your work schedule--”
“Unlike you, my world doesn’t revolve around Alex Gaskarth,” I quickly retorted. “I have school and rent to worry about. I don’t have time to answer all the calls I get, and as much as I wish I didn’t have to work crazy hours, I need the money.”
“Then why did you skip out on Mike’s party last week?”
“Like I said, I need to work.”
“Bullshit. The Chloe I know would never miss a party.”
Fuck, he’s got me there.
“Well I guess that shows how much you know about me,” I said, hoping that he wouldn’t see through my weak defense.
“Fine. Be that way, but we both know that I’m not leaving until we talk things over.”
Fuck, he’s got me again.
I looked down at my feet and thought through my options.
1) I could make a run for the door and lock him out.
Good side: I could put on my stereo and forget that he’d stopped by.
Bad side: Guilt would eventually catch up to me.
2) I could play the ‘I’m-really-tired’ card, and put this off for another day.
Good side: He’d feel guilty for keeping me from sleep. After all, I’d just got off a 10-hour shift.
Bad side: Alex would be back sooner or later.
3) I could let him inside and talk things out.
Good side: He’d eventually leave.
Bad side: I’d have to explain how I feel, and frankly, I’m not ready to admit that I maybe kinda, sorta like him, too. But for all I know, he just wants to get laid.
With a sigh of reluctance, I realized that options 1 and 2 would inevitably lead to the 3rd.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with,” I grudgingly said.
I stood aside and let him into my apartment. He took a seat on the couch and I sat on the opposite end.
“So what’s this about?” I asked.
“I like you, Chloe.”
“Wrong answer,” I dryly replied.
“If you listened to the voicemails I left, you’d know that I’m telling the truth.”
“I listened to them. I still think it’s bullshit,” I said, keeping my guard up.
“Then why do you think I’m doing this?”
“I don’t know… It’s probably a bet with one of the guys.”
“Your brother would kick my ass if I messed with your head like that.”
“Then it’s your ego. You’re compelled to do this because I turned you down.”
“Wrong again. I know it’s hard to believe, but lots of girls have turned me down. And last time I checked, I haven’t filled any of their voicemail boxes,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Is it really that hard to comprehend that I’m looking for more than a quick fuck?”
“This coming from Alex Gaskarth, king of the manwhores. You’re not exactly known for monogamous relationships.”
“Okay, I know I don’t have the best track record, but I really care about you, Chloe.”
I rolled my eyes in efforts to convince him, as well as myself, that he was just kidding.
“Why are you so fucking stubborn?” he asked, leaning back into the couch.
“I could ask you the same question.”
We sat there in silence for a few minutes. He stared at me while I awkwardly avoided his gaze.
“Fine. If you want me to leave you alone, I’ll leave you alone…” he sighed. “But only on one condition.”
“If it has to do anything with sex--”
“No! Jesus, Chloe. I’m trying to be serious here.”
“Fine. What’s the condition?”
“One song.”
“What?”
“One song. You let me sing one song to you and I’ll leave.”
“That’s it?” I was convinced that this was some sort of jedi mind trick.
“Yeah. But I’ll need your guitar.”
“Okay, if it’ll get you out of my hair.”
I got up and retrieved an old acoustic guitar from my closet. After dusting it off, I handed it to him. Alex quickly tuned it while I sat and waited.
As he fiddled with the strings, I tried to figure out what he was trying to prove.
He quietly strummed a few chords, then started playing. The tempo was slow and familiar, but I couldn’t put a finger on what song it was until he started singing.
“Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something
I think you’ll understand
Then I’ll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand…”
My eyes went wide with disbelief because:
A) It was the Beatles.
B) Not even Jack knew that it was my favorite song.
C) Alex seemed genuinely nervous as he played.
“Oh please say to me
You’ll let me be your man
And please say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
Now let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand…”
At this he looked up from the guitar and tentatively smiled at me.
“And when I touch you
I feel happy inside,
It’s such a feeling
That, my love, I can’t hide,
I can’t hide, I can’t hide.
Yeah, you got that something,
I think you’ll understand,
When I feel that something,
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold you hand…”
As he continued singing, I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. This was the last thing I expected from him, and I had no idea how to process any of it.
“Yeah, you got that something. I think you’ll understand…”
Looking up at him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was serious.
“When I feel that something…”
His expression. His voice. His eyes. They told me that he was being honest. Spilling his guts out in song.
“I wanna hold your hand…”
Just like that, I threw caution to the wind.
“I wanna hold your hand…”
Looking at the floor, I bit my lip. It was now or never…
“I wanna--”
I cupped his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. He immediately stopped strumming, but it took a few seconds for his mouth to respond. When he did, it was literally sweet-- he tasted like a cherry starburst.
“So does that mean you believe me?” Alex quietly asked.
Blushing, I nodded and leaned back into the couch while he set the guitar against the coffee table.
“It’s about time.”
With a smile from ear to ear, he eagerly took my hands into his and pressed his lips against mine.
+++++
There you have it: the long-awaited Alex/Chloe kiss.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, because this was one of my favorite chapters to write.
Please rate and review.
It'll only take a moment of your time.
Sign up to rate and review this story