Style

"Alex?!" I heard Noah's alarmed voice just seconds after a loud bang sounded from the door being shoved open, I suspect it hit the wall behind it. My hand left my face to undo the lock of the stall door, It took me an embarrassing amount of time to unlock due to the shaking of my hands. The door slowly swung open with a high pitched squeal to reveal Noah, towering over me.

"I'm having a-" I tried to speak through my tears.

"I know," he cut me off as he reached for me, pulling me into his embrace. I turned my face to the side so I could breath instead of being suffocated by his chest. "I'm sorry" he spoke again, one arm wrapped around my back, the other cradling my head. "It's going to be okay." he whispered soothingly as he held me. "I need you to tell me what happened" his voice held apprehension of not wanting me to relive what caused this. " I need to know," he urged after a moment of silence passed.

"It was, it- it was everything" I cried out, my breathing ragged. "It's so loud, and the waitress, and the girls watching us" I blurted out faster now.

"What are you talking about? girls where?" he inquired, a worried look covering his face.

"There were girls at a table watching us" I cried out louder, still struggling to control my breathing.

"Alex, hey, Breathe with me." Noah noticed the turmoil I was putting my lungs through. The hand that had been cradling my head took my hand and brought it to his chest where I could feel the rise and fall of his breathing. We stood there God knows how long breathing together. Slowly but surely I began to match his rhythm.

"I'm sorry," I breathed out as I started to feel like I'd fallen from the high of my anxiety. "I'm really sorry,"

"Don't be," Noah moved and tightened his arms around me, giving me a much needed squeeze. "Are you ready?" he asked as he pulled back to examine my face for an answer. I nodded my head with a weak smile. Noah took my hand in his before turning to the door. "Eyes up baby." he reminded me before pushing the door open.

Noah held my hand tightly as we exited the bathroom together, we paused at the table for him to throw money on the table to cover the food we wasted before taking my hand again and heading straight for the door. The confidence he held was so much it seemed to overflow into me, helping me to hold my head a little higher as I followed behind him. Still after all this time, he hasn't quite perfected shortening his steps to accommodate me.

The rain assaulted the concrete outside the venue, It was only a few hours before the doors open and the boys were busy prepping for the first show of the tour. At the moment Bryan had stolen me for modeling. "Ya know I'm not in the band Bry?" I bargained, trying to get out from the front of his camera.

"So." he countered. "They're busy, and you're not, plus you're very important to the band."

"Pffft, yeah right" I made a face as I spoke and he snapped another picture.

"What? you are! Frontman's girlfriend, drummer's sister. Seemed pretty important to me" he said as he examined the photos he just took. As I waited for him to okay his own work, my eyes found the glass front doors of the venue, the view completed by a thick line of fans trailing off out of sight. "Wanna go outside?" he asked, inquisitively.

"It's raining" I said flatly.

"So?" This seemed to be his favorite answer for me.

"You'd let me out in the rain?" I asked him, turning to look at him with a raised brow.

"I'm not the boss of you, and you are not a dog, you can do what you want. I just have to keep this camera dry." he explained. I stood there in heavy contemplation as Bryan stared vat me awaiting an answer.

"Let's do it," I said as a devious smile spread on my face.

My feet took over as I sprinted towards the back doors of the venue. I pushed through the metal double doors and stepped out onto the concrete ramp barely protected from the rainfall by the small awning. "Guess I don't need to ask you twice," Bryan spoke as he trailed behind me with a laugh. I took a tight grip on the railing in front of me and began wiggling my feet from my sandals. I felt a thrill run through me as the anticipation mounted, I squatted down and slipped under the railing with a jump off the cement rise, I was in the rain. Rapidly I was pelted with cold drops working to dampen my hair and dress. my skin turned slick. My eyes went to my feet against the concrete, immediately I stamped my feet into the ground, causing the rain water to splash up and splatter my skin mixing in with the falling rain. I lifted my head to see Bryan snapping away with his camera from the safety of the awning coverage. "Do something!" he called out over the splattering sounds of the rain. I swung my arms out and turned around, and around and around. I threw my head back and soaked in the feeling of the rain against my skin.

Noah

Sound check took forever, I guess that's to be expected with the amount of time it's been since our last live show. Ugh, this is our first live show in so long, My thoughts swirled in an endless dance that threatened to ruin my mood. I made quick strides through the halls of the venue in search of Alex. I had five other things to be doing right now but I can't concentrate on a single one if I don't know where she is. Fuck, where is she? Just as I was giving up I saw the back door propped open with Bryan's body, my legs carried me over quickly. "Bryan, have you seen-" I rushed out just as I caught sight of her over his shoulder. There she is, soaked to the bone, spinning around in the rain. "Alex!" I called out ruining her moment without thinking of it. Her head snapped in my direction as she abruptly stopped,  "You're gonna get sick!"  anxiety kicked in suddenly, "Get inside" I urged. As I watched her face fall and she took on the expression of a kicked puppy I felt awful. Oh God, her shoulders hung low as she approached the building with quick feet, she snapped her shoes up from the ground and slipped past me into the hallway with a lowly uttered "sorry" I felt my stomach twist. "Alex, I'm sorry I-" she had already escaped to the green room before I could finish speaking.

"I'm sorry, It was my idea, I shouldn't have encouraged her." Bryan apologized from behind me.

"Don't apologize," I waved him off. "Can I see those pictures?" I asked, turning back to him. I watched his face light up before he approached, camera in hand. "I was an asshole just then, I'm really sorry," I couldn't stop the words from coming out though I hate to admit fault. I looked over his shoulder as he clicked through the pictures of Alex. There she is, big smile, bright blue eyes, in the sundress I hadn't stopped thinking about all day. Now she thinks I'm mad at her. "I gotta fix this" I sighed as I stepped back from Bryan.

"Sooner rather than later please" Bryan asked with a laugh. I turned towards the dressing room and took off with long strides.

"Noah! over here!" I heard Matt call from down the hallway. "You have an interview in ten." he called out.  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"One minute Matt I gotta do something real quick." I tried to bargain as I reached for the door handle.

"I need you over here now," Matt's voice held a no bullshit tone I know better than to challenge. My hand dropped back to my side before I stepped away from the door and down the long hallway to Matt's destination. I'll just have to apologize after the interview.

Author's Note: Just a filler chapter today, couldn't let Christmas pass without a little something for you guys. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. A bigger, better chapter coming your way before the end of the year!