When Nick and Alex climbed into the car, Alex was silent.

Nick soon made small chat, trying to clear the air, like he always did.

Eventually he gave up and put on the radio.

I don't know how he was sober enough to drive, but I suppose that was my fault.

I sort of caused a scene, and I'm sure that sobered them up and killed their buzz.

I pulled Alex's jacket a little tighter around me and sniffled.

Van looked at me quickly.

"You alright?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I guess." My small voice sounded back.

I suppose quite literally I was alright, but inside I felt a wreck.

We reached the hotel and as we climbed out, and Alex pulled out maybe his fourth cig, I gazed at his hands.

An image of him kneeling in front of me with sweat on his brow and bloody knuckles flashed through my mind.

What was he doing?

What had he been doing?

I looked down at his boots. They looked dusty.

I hoped that he hadn't gotten into a fight with anyone.

Van and Nick closed up the car, and I walked softly behind Alex, who was walking off to the right, so that he could smoke a cig before going inside.

I walked as quietly as possible.

When he slowed down enough to let out a puff, I grabbed his free hand, and he turned around quickly.

I brought it up to my face and examined it, touching the edges of the bandages.

"Are your hands okay?" I asked.

He sucked on the cig.

"Me 'ands aren't really the thing to be worried about." He said as smoke left his lips and nose, making him seem like a Dragon.

I frowned and looked back down at his hand.

"What happened to them?" I pressed.

"Just hurt em is all." He said.

"Hurt them how?" I said, curiously.

"Not important." He puffed out more smoke.

I finally dropped his hand and he seemed to relax, though I hadn't noticed his stiffness.

I reached up and took my hair down, letting it cover the sides of my face and back and I pulled the jacket closely around me.

"Are you not cold?" I asked.

"No." He answered shortly.

I looked down at my chucks. I wasn't sure what to say to him.

I wasn't sure what to say at all, really.

To anyone.

I just wanted to curl up and sleep.

I didn't want to cause anyone trouble.

I didn't want to ... I just didn't want to be around anyone because I felt like a burden.

Though, I was extremely grateful for having people close to me.

"Let's get you inside." He said, dropping his cig and stomping on it.

He eased a hand into my back as we walked back to the boys, and walked into the hotel, up to our room.

Nick opened our room, letting me, Van, and Alex inside.

"Could you lads stay with her while I go pick up the rest of the lot?" He asked.

Van and Alex nodded.

This was going to be awkward.

When Nick had left, I slipped off Alex's jacket, walking up to him and setting it in his lap. He was sitting on the couch.

Van sat at a table.

I turned around and bent by the bedside, picking up my red plaid pajamas and walking into the bathroom.

After washing up and changing, I came back out and as I walked over to the couch, Alex sent me a small smile.

Apparently he liked these pajamas. He said red was a good color on me.

I sat down on the couch and just messed with the sleeves.

"Did anything else bad happen tonight?" He quietly asked.

I cringed at the words "anything else".

"I got grabbed by another Man. Or two." I whispered.

Alex let out a heavy sigh.

"One of them hurt my bruises." I said, pulling up my sleeve to look at my wrists.

He let out an overdramatically exasperated sigh and threw his arms around me, pulling me to him and holding me.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I swear one day you'll be able to walk into a bar and nothing bad will happen."

"I don't know about that."

He kept me in his arms for a while, and Van avoided looking at us for a while, before finally side glancing and letting a small, knowing smile sit on his lips.

I couldn't ever be angry at him.

Even when he wanted something, or liked something, if they weren't going his way, he'd let them go, no matter how much he didn't want to.

He cared about other people a lot, and that was something that I was grateful for.

Though, I wouldn't stop treating him like my best friend.

I'd still he his hand from time to time. I'd still cuddle with him and lay with him, stay up late with him and talk or just watch the sky.

He was my best friend, and frankly, I'd be damned if I let anything ruin it.

I let out a sigh.

Listen to me, talking as if I were dating Alex.

After a while, Van threw his head back.

"Feeling a bit shit." He said, staring at the ceiling with his blank blue eyes.

"Good." Alex laughed under his breath.

Van hadn't heard him.

I certainly had.

"Think I'm gonna go down to the lobby and snatch a cup of coffee or tea or somethin'." He said.

"Do you lot want anything?"

"Could you please get me a cup of tea? My head hurts." I murmured softly.

He nodded and stood up, stretching. His sweater pulled up a bit and revealed some of his pale skin.

He mosied over to the door and walked out.

As the door shut , Alex let me go and I backed up a bit.

He looked at me for a moment and then spoke; "Where does your head hurt?" He asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on where I felt the pain.

"Around here." I said, mentioning to the right side of my head.

He immediately brought his hand up and rubbed the side of my head.

I sighed and sat back as he did this for a few moments.

"Any better?" He asked, softly.

"I guess." I sighed.

He leant forward and I felt heat rise throughout me as he placed a kiss on my head.

"How about now?" He asked.

"Yeah." I laughed.

He smiled and sat back.

We sat there in silence for a minute until I let out a couple thoughtless words.

I didn't mean to think aloud, I really didn't.

"What a way to have a first kiss."

I instantly regretted saying those words.

I wished that I could have taken them back.

Alex's head shot up and he gave me a weird look.

"That was your first kiss?" He asked in shock.

"Y-Yes." I replied.

"I'm so sorry." He laughed. He didn't sound sorry.

"Do you find that amusing, Mr.Turner?" I asked in a cynical tone.

"Quite, actually, yeah." He said, his accent holding it's natural slur.

"Shut up." I laughed, looking away.

After a moment or two of laughter, I finally scoot back on the couch, putting my back against one of the arm rests.

Then, Alex's phone sounded loudly with a text notification.

He looked slightly confused as he reached into his pocket, and looked at the screen.

His expression changed to a blank one, and his eyes held a vacant yet attentive look as he stared at the screen.

Van came in the door just then and I looked over to him as he sipped one cup, and held another.

"Excuse me..." Alex murmured, getting up quickly and walking to the balcony door, opening the sliding door and then closing the curtain as he stepped out.

I heard it close again.

He didn't want to be seen or heard, whatever he was doing.

This only made me more curious.

Van stared at the door as well, with an equally curious expression.

We looked at each other and then he walked over to the couch, handing me the cup of tea.

"Cheers." I smiled at him as I brought my knees up to my chest.

"No problem..." He said, gazing back over to the door.

"What's wrong with 'im?" Van asked.

"I dunno. That was weird, wasn't it?" I asked.

Van nodded.

~

It had been 10 minutes, and Alex had not yet returned.

I found curiosity take over me, and I crawled to the door, laying on the floor.

I pulled the curtain only a centimeter and peaked at what he was doing.

He had a cig and he was on the phone.

He had an unreadable expression on his face.

I backed up and sipped at what was left in my cup.

I hope he was alright.

Van pat the seat next to him and I returned to his side.

We leant against one another.

My head on his shoulder, his on top of mine.

This night is one to remember, certainly.

~~~

Foreshadow.