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Dönnerstag 21:47
Mia hurriedly made her way up the stairs. Mia didn't want to come to Sam's gig but Hannah refused her refusal and dragged her with her. During a break where Sam had offered the mic to Sarah, the boy came to find her and apologized.
“It's not that I don't like you Mia, Alex was really not ready to talk to anyone.” he has said to her a hand on her shoulder and a sincere look she had rarely seen on his face “The guy is terrified at the idea of you being upset at his sorry ass.”
“He is avoiding me ! Of course I'm upset !”
Sam made a face “Then go talk to him. But can you like … keep an open mind. Please ?” A sigh had escaped her but she had nodded decisively.
Just before he has to go back on the stage, Sam gave her instructions to Alex hiding's place. Upstairs, down the corridor past the toilet, the third door to the left. Mia hesitated a moment to knock before settling down on just barging in the room.
Alex froze on the spot and Mia did too when she saw the bruises on his face. And his bandaged wrist. She stared at the rest of his clothed body, wondering how many bruises were hidden behind them.
Alex muttered “I gonna kill Sam.”. But she heard it and a flare of anger washed over her.
“And I'm gonna kill Sam for not telling me you got beat up.” she said walking towards him. “Alex please tell me you went to the hospital for this”
The other teenager sighed but nod, eyes casted away from hers. The grip around her heart tighten. Mia wanted to touch him, to make sure he was really here, but she was scared of touching a bruise and ending hurting him.
“Why would you want to kill Sam ?”
Alex answered after a moment of silence “He wasn't supposed to tell you were I was. Bad friend” For a moment, she had the annoying impression of having another guy in front of her. The one from their first meeting, the one who appeared cold and distant with anyone who wasn't Sam. Open mind, the “bad” friend has said. Keep an open mind.
“Well he dodged the questions I had for the last three days, and refused to tell me a way to contact you, to protect your privacy from your girlfriend so I think he is a good friend just fine”
Alex managed to smile a bit at her annoyed tone, but it just looked forced. Mia gave up the fear of hurting him. She stopped between his open leg and softly laid her hands on his cheeks. “Alex please, I'm completely lost here. Just … just talk to me”
He finally looked at her, and Mia held his look. “I don't know how to” he finally whispered.
“Well, usually you put words together, it creates sentences that hold a certain meaning.”
Alex chuckled ruefully between leaning forward to hugging her fiercely, hiding his face against her stomach. Mia rested her hands on the back of his head, affection
bursting in her chest. But also something more sharp. She could think of so much questions to ask and she felt like if she asked any Alex would snap.
She took a wild guess “You don't know where to begin ? Or you just don't wanna talk ?” He shrugged and Mia rolled her eyes. “How to talk course n°2. When there is two possibilities you have to chose or the other to help your interlocutor”
Alex detached a hand from her back and promptly gave her the finger. A familiar gesture now and Mia chuckled at it. She started to have sore feet at standing like this for the last hour. “Let me seat ? My feet hurt”
Alex retreated back into the couch. But she when moved to seat at his side, he grabbed her hips and brought her towards him until she was seated on top of his thighs. She raised an eyebrow at him but he only hid his head back in her shoulder. Hiding his face against her seemed to be the new pattern.
Mia sighed but let herself relax against him. She wanted to ask why he was hurt. She wanted to ask about Björn. She wanted to ask him so many things. But she also felt like she won't have any answer to any of theses tonight no matter how much she wanted them. The girl rested her cheek against his hair and closed her eyes. The sound of Sam's rap was muted threw the door, so she couldn't understand clearly the lyrics but the sound of his voice and the cheer of the crowd soothed her nerves.
“Do you hate me ?”
She chuckled without any trace of humor “I don't hug people I hate Axel. And I definitely don't climb on their lap”
“I hit someone with a skateboard”
“I know I was here. Doesn't change my answer”
Alex didn't answer anything. Mia wondered how he would react if she pushed the subject of Tuesday. “He has no permanent damage if you wondered”
The body against her suddenly tensed “How do you know that ?” he asked hardly and she wanted to swat the back of his head.
Instead, Mia inspired deeply and answered calmly “One of the girls kept me posted. She sent me a text with a phone. While I was in class and wondering if you remembered how to answer to a text. A worried text from your girlfriend for example”
He didn't relax or apologized for the radio silence. Keep an open mind, she admonished herself mentally. “Okay, let's do this differently.” She pushed him from her until his back rested against the back of the couch. “I say something and you answer yes or no. I got to be a little bit less lost and you get to stay with your lack of knowledge in talking. Fair ?”
Alex stared at her and she stared right back. Then he murmured a tired “Okay” and let his head fall against the wall.
She thought at Sam's words. The guy is terrified at the idea of you being upset at his sorry ass. “You know I was scared for you right ?”
Alex gulped before slowly shaking his head from left to right. Fuck.
“Well I was. I didn't understand shit. And I was scared.”
Alex lowered his eyes to her and he looked so sad.
“Were you scared of me ?”
“Alex you hit someone with a skateboard.” She felt stupid, repeating this.”You hit someone I thought was your friend-”
“No” The answer was so hard it startled her “That monster is not my friend. And if he go near you again I-” He stopped talking and his hand violently lend several time on the cushion.
Mia would like to tell she wasn't scared of the gesture but she was. She grabbed his shoulder to get him to focus and stop hitting things. She offered a quiet apology when he winced in pain and immediately removed her hand.
Downstairs, Sam had given the stage to Sarah for a slow song. And the soft and slow melody filled the air around them. She sure as hell didn't felt appeased.
“You were angry he was in your apartment”
Alex answered, his eyes closed, filling this way the purple stain around his eyes “Yes. My sister apartment” he added “that I closed behind me and that nobody can't open from outside without a key”
Realization dawned slowly on her “Björn has a key and you weren't aware of it”
Alex shook his head in negation. An horrific realization really. During few minutes, she was alone in an apartment that couldn't be opened from outside with a man her boyfriend clearly hated enough to smash his back with a skateboard. A warm hand landed on her cheek. Mia forced herself to take a deep breath, looking up at her boyfriend anxious expression.
“I was so scared, Mia.” he whispered so low, she barely heard it “He could have hurt you and I didn't even think about it. I didn't think he could even come near you. He can't go near you Mia, he can't hurt you”
Mia leaned forward, shushing his anxious words. Her arms found their careful way around his neck to hug him. She rested her forehead against his. “I'm okay, he didn't do anything to me. I'm okay.” She assured him. A tear run down his cheek and she swiped it away with her thumb. He winced in discomfort and a misplaced chuckle escaped her mouth. Far too wetly for her liking. Now wasn't the time to cry. Or to laugh at her boyfriend pain. She murmured “Sorry”
“It's okay” he mumbled at her apology
“I can't barely touch you without causing you pain, Alex.” she argued “That's far from okay.”
Alex snorted before he asked with a naive tone “No make-up sex for us then ?”
She rolled her eyes, easily shifting into the lighter mood surrounding them “I would swat the back of your head, but I'm too scared of causing you a commotion. I kinda like your brain. And your you”
“That's not how language work”
“Oh so now you're the expert in language ?” the girl teased. She expected a laugh or a smile, instead her boyfriend's embrace tighten around her. “I'm sorry for scaring you Mia” he murmured against her cheek. “For Tuesday and for not answering you. I … didn't wanna lose you too. I can't lose you too”
Mia frowned, not sure how to understand the 'lose you too'. She guessed it has something to do with Sophie like the vast majority of Alex's pain. But she didn't know what happened to Sophie. Did Björn did something to her ?
“You're not gonna lose me Alexander” she said “Like I said. I like you. I'm not going anywhere” she assured him, kissing softly his cheek “I'm not going anywhere”. A kiss to his brow. “I'm staying right there with you” A kiss to his nose. A kiss to his eyes. She pushed back his hairs. A kiss to his forehead. “I'm with you okay ?”
Alex smiled and kissed her softly. “Okay”</h3>