~The Right Thing~

I woke up with the sun making my eyes sting, and once again the view was perfect. But I heard the sounds of people out in the living room, and really didn't feel like facing Lindsey or Gabe. I just didn't get how he would seem so cool and relaxed one minute, then suddenly withdraw. I shook the thoughts off and made my way to a hot shower and clean clothes. I found a sketch pad and some pencils and sat in front of the large floor to ceiling windows and started sketching the skyline. Blah, I thought. It was good, but I was used to all the people in Florida on the boardwalks and beaches who didn't think I was creepy for wanting to draw them, shirtless and all.

I turned to a fresh page and my hands decided to draw Gabe, with a shirt on, stretched out on the couch holding a book. I have a perfect memory, which as an artist comes in handy. I even added the stupid cats curled up at foot of the couch, close to his feet. I was working on some shading when I felt like I was being watched. I looked up from where I was sitting on the floor and saw Gabe standing behind me, looking at the sketch. I froze, not sure if he was going to be upset, but part of me didn't care. It was my room and my sketch pad.

"That's really good." He said, "Lindsey just got up and wanted you to come out for brunch, if you're hungry?" I got up and put away my sketchpad, feeling a bit snarky but I knew I needed to be the better person. "Sure, tell her I'll be out soon."

They were sitting at the table when I came out, and Lindsey jumped up in all her 5'10" model body awesomeness and ran over and hugged me. I'm 5'3", why she is so freakishly tall I have no idea. "Alice! Glad you are finally awake! I missed you, how was the drive?!" And on and on as she drug me to the table and I ate while she gushed about her perfect life. I was almost done eating when she came up for air. She poked Gabe and said, "Did Gabe tell you about his band yet? He is amazing on the guitar, and Thaz, you met Thaz yesterday, he plays the drums. Their band is Dirty Little Freak!" she giggled and finally looked like she might be about to take a bite of food, then "Oh, Alice, Gabe's band is playing this weekend! You have to go to the show!"

"Kiera's voice is shot, we are probably going to have to cancel until it gets better." Gabe ran his hands through his hair. Lindsey practically squealed and waved her unused fork at me. "Alice can sing, her voice is amazing! She can sing anything!" I wanted to kick my sister, and pack my shit and move back to Florida. But I was going to do the right thing and be the better person, even if it killed me.

Gabe looked at me, all smiles and dimples. "Really? We do covers, whatever the venue wants. If you can really sing then you should come with me later and meet up with Thaz, and Kevin, our bass player." I nodded, why was I nodding? Great, I thought as I smiled and tried to look enthusiastic, just great.

My sister warned him about me, but she doesn't know that I know, does she? And fuck my life, as she could read minds she says, "Just behave yourself around Gabe sis." She winked like it was a big joke and I kind of wanted to choke her, but I just sighed, and looked towards Gabe. "What time are we leaving Gabe?" He looked at his watch. "In about four hours." I smiled a big fake smile and got up and hugged my sister and told her I was still tired and went back to my room.

~Practice til it hurts~

We climbed into Gabe's Charger and headed towards downtown Seattle. Thankfully he had the radio up just enough that I could avoid conversation. I stared out the window, hoping I could somehow get my bearings if I ever had to drive through the city. 20 minutes later we were pulling up in front of a large house. I followed Gabe around back and into what I thought was a garage, but turned out to be quite a studio, with equipment and soundproofing and the whole nine.

Thaz came over and gave me a hug. "So I hear you can sing?" "Yup!" I decided I liked Thaz, he was all energy and no pretense. I saw a dark haired Asian kid tuning a bass, who nodded at me then went back to his guitar. Gabe grabbed a song listing and handed it to me. "Need any of the words?" He asked. "Nope" I got this, I thought, easy day. "So the venues pick the songs?" Gabe nodded. "They all like the cover band motif, so…" I chuckled and took another look at the list then set it down, and headed over to the mike, which I had to adjust down quite a bit. "So I take it Kiera's freakishly tall like my sister?" They all laughed and Thaz slid behind the drum set. I turned towards Gabe. "By the way I also play guitar, in case someone breaks their fingers next." He laughed and winked at me. Oh, such a little tease, aren't you I thought.

We started with Faster by Within Temptation, which I think was more a test of me than anything, because I could feel them staring at my back the whole time. I smirked when it was over and Gabe nodded and winked. "Not half bad." Thaz huffed. "Half bad Gabe, are you mad? I think we should fire Kiera." I just shrugged and waggled the mike at them. "Next song boys?"

~Friends?~

Practice took several hours, my throat was tired, but I was still a bit giddy by the time we got back into Gabe's car. He seemed relaxed and not so uptight at the moment, so I decided I needed to be the adult and make amends.

"Gabe?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk? About last night? I wanted to apologize…"

He interrupted "No. Please don't apologize, I was being an ass and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I really felt bad after seeing that drawing this morning, I guess I read too much into what you were asking."

I sat a second, thinking. "So, friends then?"

He looked over and flashed an almost art breaking grin. "Definitely friends."

We chatted aimlessly and I felt a lot better, it seemed he did to. I still really wanted to get him with his shirt off, but I decided it was too soon to ask. I noticed as we drove we were heading in what seemed like the wrong direction towards my sisters place. We pulled up in front of what looked like a run down version of a Denny's. He flashed another smile at me. "Could you eat? I could eat." I grinned and followed him into the restaurant.

"This food is amazing!" I said between stuffing French fries in my face.

"I'm just glad you weren't turned off by the exterior. Most normal people try to avoid this place."

I snickered. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I am pretty much not a normal person. And I can pull the light saber in my art box to prove it!" The words were no more out of my mouth when I realized how dirty that may have sounded… and the fact that Gabe was almost choking on his onion rings was not helping. I shoved my water glass at him. "Oh my gosh, do you need medical attention?" I wheezed out through my laughter.

He wiped away tears and drank my water. "Nope, but I think we will be having a duel later." He waggled his eyebrows. I leaned forward across the table, trying not to giggle. "Oh, it is so on when we get home!"

~A little to close/Not close enough~

I dug out my light saber and (nerd alert) my brown bathrobe. I went to the bathroom and put my hair in buns on either side. I came out slowly and looked towards the bedroom door across the way. The door was shut so I tiptoed towards it, raising my light saber. I heard a noise behind me and spun around and swung, nearly decapitating one of the annoying cats, who went howling towards the kitchen, totally blowing any chance I had of sneaking up on Gabe.

I nearly peed myself when Gabe launched out from behind the counter, swinging a double ended red Sith light saber. "Join the dark side… we have cookies!" he said in the worst Darth Maul impression I have ever heard. I spun my purple light saber at him. "Mace Windu bows to no Sith Lord!" I yelled back. We started swinging in earnest, dodging and jumping off of furniture, scaring the hell out of the cats, and pretty much destroying the front room. He had me backing up towards the couch, and at that moment stupid cat number one ran behind me, sending me sprawling back, my light saber flying out of my hands. I gasped as the point of his light saber was aimed at my throat.

"Surrender or die Jedi scum!" he hissed, grinning maniacally. I tilted my throat back. "You're going to have to kill me, a true Jedi would never surrender to the likes of you!" He raised his light saber and I lunged forward into him before he could 'kill' me. We toppled over onto the carpet and started wrestling for his light saber, swearing Star Wars type obscenities at each other. He finally got me pinned, and had his light saber back. "Surrender or die, young Skywalker…" he fairly cackled. "You're not my father, I'll…"

We were interrupted by gasp. I looked up, and of course Lindsey was standing there, holding shopping bags and looking all manicured and horrified. Of course, I was sprawled, robe askew under her new boy toy, but I had a fight against evil I had been more concerned with. "What is going on? You two better clean up this mess!" She huffed off to her bedroom and slammed the door.

I didn't mean to giggle, I really didn't. And I know Gabe didn't mean to laugh. We smothered our hands over our faces and started cleaning the living room, snickering, still making vague Star Wars references under our breaths.

~Getting drawn in~

Lindsey had pretty much been out of sight after that, but I was too busy looking forward to our show on Saturday night. Gabe had given me a black tank top with "Dirty Little Freak" spray painted on it in white. I found my rattiest pair of black skinny jeans and hauled out my black biker books.

I drug Gabe into my room and showed him the outfit and he gave me a thumbs up. "And, my little starving artist, I need you to think of ideas for posters for us. The other ones…" "Are totally lame?" I interjected. He smirked. "I was going to say could use some help, but yeah, lame works." I nodded, already thinking of some good ideas. "I'm on it."

I spent the rest of that Friday drawing and sketching ideas, periodically leaving my room to show Gabe, who I was beginning to think spent way too much time on the couch reading, what I had come up with. We finally settled on a few ideas to show the guys on Sunday. I went back to my room and rifled my belongings for a book, and went out to the other couch and stretched out, receiving an eyebrow raise from Gabe.

"You ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Ya, I've done enough art shows and other things that being screamed at in front of people doesn't really bother me much." Good and bad screaming, I'd had plenty of both.

"Cool," he murmured, "Wouldn't want you to freeze up or anything." He was still reading, and I got that itch in my hands.

"Gabe, can I draw you? In clothes of course, I'm not being creepy." I kind of blurted it out. "Maybe sitting and reading?"

He smiled. "Sure."

I went back to my room and grabbed a sketch pad and some pencils. And when I walked out I may have made a bit of a mmhhmm noise, due to the fact that he was sitting on the barstool, feet on the counter barefoot, holding his book, and no shirt on. I swallowed hard and pretended my heart wasn't about to beat out of its chest.

I grabbed the other barstool and sat adjacent to him, and went to work. I had been right about his excellent muscle tone, he actually had decent feet for a guy, and I was deliberately telling all my girl parts to shut up about his loose jeans that his boxers were peeking out of. I could have drawn it all from the first look I had gotten, and I chastised myself that I couldn't stop looking.

I finished, and handed it to him as he stood up. In front of me, all barefoot and shirtless and way to sexy with his mussy hair and I was not checking out the small trail of hair below his navel that disappeared into his boxers. "It's really good Alice. You're amazing." I think my heart was about to spasm. "Well, I gotta go get ready, I'm taking Lindsey out for dinner." He ruffled my hair. "Get some sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow."

I went to my room, laid down on my bed and pulled my pillow over my head. Fuck my life.