old fashioned • dj&ts

vii. seven eight nine

Eddie and Alexis kept that night a secret, taking a cab home and telling everyone the next morning that they both got sick and had to leave. Meanwhile, they were in Eddie's room talking and kissing all night. When they stayed together at the motel, Eddie never thought they'd sleep in the same room again. Now, she was waking up next to him in his bed. The pain from his hangover felt like nothing when he looked at her. He never wanted to stop looking at her.

They were already close before the events of the night before, so sneaking around for the next couple of weeks was easy. He could take her out without anyone blinking an eye, and when they left the room together to hookup nobody even noticed they were gone. He was still being encouraged by the other boys to make a move, and Alexis was still getting questioned if she looked at him for a second too long. Nobody suspected anything different than their usual flirtatious friendship.

When Eddie found out Teddy Price offered The Six a record deal, he had half a mind to pick her up and kiss her in front of everybody. He nearly did, but he stopped himself and just hugged her. They celebrated later that night, but he realized more and more that he wanted to show her off to the world but couldn't. Alexis was still afraid their relationship would make things more difficult and awkward if it was public, and Eddie agreed. He never asked about the healed burns on her chest. She never intended to talk about them.

The band recorded the album in six days, and then their tour manager started booking them more shows across the west coast. Soon enough, they were leaving for a tour.

Before they left, though, Camila found out she was pregnant. Her and Billy got married that night.

"You're not pregnant, right?" Eddie asked quietly as he danced with Alexis. She laughed and shook her head. His breath smelled like whiskey. "I wish I could kiss you."

"I'm going to stay with Camila," she told him. "I can't let her do this alone."

"I know. You're a good friend," he smiled. "I'm going to miss having you around every day. I'm going to be waking up next to Graham. He's not as pretty."

"You're not going to sleep around with your groupies?"

"Why would I do that?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. This is it, he thought. This is where I hit the ground.

Alexis only wanted to know where he stood before he left for a year. She knew life on tour and everything that came with it. She's seen what drugs, drinking, and desire have done to bands and musicians she's read about before. If she prepared for it, she thought, maybe it wouldn't break her heart.

"Isn't that just life on the road?"

She shouldn't have said anything. She should've taken it all back, or stopped talking before she made everything worse.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Eddie scoffed, letting go of her and walking away. "I'm getting another drink."

She watched him walk away and her heart felt heavy. She wanted him to deny it, to ask her to be his, but he didn't. He just left. He didn't even say goodbye.

"Are you okay?" Camila asked the next day, noticing how quiet Alexis was. "I miss them, too. It's too quiet around here without them."

"Yeah," she nodded, staring straight ahead. Billy called that night, and he kept calling every night for the first part of the tour. He started to forget, then started calling in the middle of the night, and then stopped completely. Camila would fall asleep crying, and Alexis would stay up waiting for a call that never came. Maybe it was good that she set everything on fire before the tour. She had a year to get used to him not being around. When he came back, it would be like nothing ever happened between them. Still, the idea of him sleeping with other people made her want to throw up. Her problems were nothing compared to Camila's, though.

Camila decided to fly to a show one night. Alexis stayed home to prepare the house for the baby. She sent her best wishes with Camila, but couldn't get herself to tag along. She didn't want to know what Eddie was doing. She didn't want to see it or hear about it. She was happier that way.

Camila came home that night. She was supposed to be gone the whole weekend.

"Billy is a fucking whore. I showed up and he was in the bus with two girls all over him," she cried. "This baby will not grow up in a broken home, I won't let that happen."

"You're going to forgive him?" Alexis asked. Camila looked at her.

"I love him," she cried. "I love this baby. I have to forgive him. There's no life without him."

Alexis didn't argue. She just hugged her broken, beautiful best friend and let her cry as long as she needed to. While Camila cried, Alexis couldn't help but think about what the rest of the guys were doing. If Billy, the only band member committed to anyone, was already fucking around with groupies...

"How was everyone else?" Alexis asked, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Eddie wasn't with anyone, if that's what you wanted to know."

"I didn't-"

"I know you like him, Alexis. I see the way you are when you're with him," Camila said quietly. "That's how Billy and I used to be."

"I don't know that I want anything to happen," Alexis told her. "If Billy could do something like this-"

"Eddie's not like Billy. He falls in love and he stays in love," Camila sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"We're not in love." Camila chuckled, collecting herself. She wasn't going to cry over Billy anymore. She couldn't.

"I've known Eddie my whole life. I know what he looks like when he's in love."

"We're not in love," Alexis repeated. They weren't. They couldn't be. She couldn't be. "If we were, he would've asked me to go and I would've went with him. I stayed here with you because I love you."

"I love you, too."