Cherry Coloured - Alex Turner

32. Violets for Magnolias

  Maeve was out of character when they woke up the next morning. Despite the cooling temperatures, she didn't cuddle up to his side when he began to stir with the morning light. In fact, she barely moved at all when Alex pushed himself up onto his elbows and retrieved his phone from the nightstand on his side of the bed.

  There were messages from Vienna and Alex sent his responses silently and then placed his phone back, screen face down.

  "Morning, love," he hummed, turning onto his side and looking over Maeve's shoulder to see her face. Her eyes were closed and she breathed softly, barely making a sound. Her hands were tucked up under her pillow and her hair was swept over her cheeks, hiding her from him.

  Alex wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed his lips onto her shoulder, waiting for her to stir like she usually would but Maeve remained fast asleep whilst being entirely awake. Assuming she was probably still tired, Alex thought nothing of it and left her be whilst he went to shower and freshen himself up for the day.

  She waited until he had left the room to open her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She'd been awake for hours and not one minute had passed where she felt like turning over to look at him. Her body didn't recoil when he slipped into bed when he came home that night but her mind was miles away from him. He was humming to himself in the shower like he often would only this time, Maeve wished he wouldn't, all so that she could forget he was even there.

  Alex waited until he'd showered and changed into something clean to attempt to wake Maeve again. He carefully sat down by her legs and brushed her hair out of her face. Eyes still closed.

  "You gonna wake up soon?" he asked her in his hoarse, gentle morning voice. Maeve didn't move. "C'mon sweetheart," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

  "I'm tired Al," she mumbled, still refusing to open her eyes, and pulled the sheets up to her neck.

  "Do you want breakfast?" Alex asked. Maeve shook her head. "I can make you a coffee? Or tea?" He waited for her to respond but she never did. "Alright, I'll let you sleep a little longer," he said and kissed her cheek as he got up off the bed.

He had many fair assumptions that she was unhappy with him after the previous night's events. Yet at the same time, he didn't want to believe it. Alex chose to live in his own world as he made himself a coffee and popped two slices of toast in the toaster. She still came home to mine so she can't be that mad can she? he kept thinking to himself whilst frying two eggs on a small pan he'd had since he first moved out of his parent's place.

  It made him uncomfortable to make only one mug of coffee so Alex pulled out a second and filled it up just as she liked it even though she wasn't going to touch it. Aimlessly, he stood around the kitchen, tapping his fingers on the countertops, scraping in the sides of his scrambled eggs, swishing the coffee around in his mug. He plated up his breakfast and glanced down the hall only to see that nothing had moved. Not even the messages buzzing up his phone enticed him.

  She'll tell you if she's upset. She always does and she hasn't this time, yer fine, he told himself solely to be able to get through his breakfast without losing his appetite. Vienna had been messaging him incessantly since he'd said goodbye to her at the work gala. Not so much attempting to convince him to get back together with her as much as telling him to grow up and talk to her like an adult, asking over and over why he was being so cold to her because of Maeve. Alex simply didn't have it in him to explain it to her one more time.

Tossing his dishes and cutlery into the sink, Alex abandoned the rest of his coffee and decided to try his luck one last time.

The door was still exactly as he left it and when he peered into the room, Maeve had barely moved. Her phone was now in her hand but still she lay with the covers brought up to her neck and half her face buried into the pillow beneath her head. She didn't so much as glance at him when he walked in the door.