Pairing: best friend!alex x best friend!reader
It was a winter morning in Sheffield High Green 2002.
Alex, the boy next door you’ve been friends with since you moved here, was standing in front of your door. He was picking you up so you both could walk to school. It wasn’t that long of a walk but it means the world to you.
You opened the door with a huge smile
“Hey there, luv,” Alex murmured, still sleepy. The nickname rolled off his tongue with that thick accent.
“You’re late.” You scolded, playful, you could never be really mad at him.
“Oh hush, it’s only 5 minutes.”
You put your jacket on and closed the door behind you, looking at him
“Nah, I’m staying right here,” he answered sarcastically
“Ha-ha-ha.” You rolled your eyes, “Let’s go now before Mr. Harris yells at us again.”
Even though it was only two words he had said there were at least 7 voice cracks.
The doorbell rings and Mr. Harris class FINALLY ends, you couldn’t stand him.
Your friend Lauren walks up to you
“Have you seen the new student?” She asked you
“Actually a cute boy, only saw him for a few seconds when passing him in the hallway,” She sighed
“So many girls in our school have boyfriends, why don’t I have one?! There are a lot of boys here! Does no one like me?!” She vents, but you could tell she was half joking
“Jesus Christ, Lauren. Screaming through the hallway won’t make anything better.”
That’s when Alex walked out of the class while Lauren was still whining about how she’s single
“Quit whining Lauren, maybe that’s one of the reasons you’re single.”
You chuckled at their banter
Four hours later the bell rings once again, chairs scrape and you find yourself walking next to Alex towards the exit while Lauren is engrossed in talking with the new student.
“Didn’t see you in the last four hours, where were you?” You asked him, looking up at him, well not really…he’s kind of small.
“Oh, I was in the music room with Andy and Matt.”
“Oh yeah, you wanted to start a band with them right?”
“Yup, I asked Jamie if he would be the guitarist, but he’s still thinking bout it.”
“What genre of music would you even do?”
“Like The Strokes, I guess. Indie Rock or alternative, you know how much I love that band.”
“I mean I do have a great muse don’t I?”
Your face got warm, “Oh really? Who?”, you asked flustered
“You know exactly who.” He answered actually confident
After Alex brought you home, you were thinking about his words over and over…His muse
You shake that feeling down and focus on cleaning your room since Lauren wanted to come over.
But you stop at every task. What did he mean by that?! You guys are just close friends…right?
After you’ve finished your cleaning you lie down on your bed, replaying every moment Alex was more than ‘just a friend’. That one time the whole friend group was at the beach and he glanced at you for a second too long. Or at a party where you both sat on a sofa, everyone around you was drunk, you both sitting so close that your knees touched…but you were pulled out of your thoughts when the doorbell rang.
You went downstairs to open the door for Lauren, and she instantly jumped into your arms.
“I have such great news!!”
“Hold up let me close the door, girl!”
Now you’re lying on the floor playing with a stress ball while Lauren talks about this new boy from school, supposedly named Isaac.
“And then he gave me his Number!”
“Wow, seems like after all you’re not going to be single soon.”
“I hope so. He’s really nice.”
You hesitated before speaking up again
“Alex told me something today.”
“Yeah? What did he tell ya?”
“I…I don’t know if it was directed to me but he said that he has a muse for his music. And ever since he said that to me it just stuck in my mind.”
Lauren looked down at you
“Girl, it’s about time you noticed. That boy is literally head over heels for you!”
“No he isn’t…he’s my bestie.”
“Ever read a book? FRIENDS TO LOVERS TROPE?”
“Yes, I do. And I believe that Lex is in love with you.”
You bit your lower lip and sighed
“Maybe. I’ll keep an eye on him for now.”
The next day was a Saturday, yesterday morning you were just thinking about how happy you were that you could sleep in tomorrow. Well, that didn’t age well. You didn’t sleep that night because your thoughts were somewhere else, with someone else. Alex. That boy drives you crazy, mixed signals? Really, Alex?
You hadn’t closed your blinds properly, so the early sunlight shone right into your eyes. You groaned and turned to face the wall.
That’s when your chunky Nokia started buzzing on your nightstand
“Christ,” you groaned, opening your eyes groggily.
To your surprise it was Alex
“Hello?” You realized too late that you should’ve cleared your throat because your voice sounded like a frog
“Luv, I know it’s early but do you wanna go with me?”
“Sure, but we can reschedule. I mean, did I just wake you up?”
Oh, Alex you idiot. You kept me awake all night.
“No you didn’t, I’m coming.”
“Good, I’ll wait at the Cornerstone near that one kiosk.”
He hung up and you got ready, put on the comfiest and warmest clothes you own, and went to the bathroom. But you’re still overthinking, where is he taking you?
After a while you walked to the Kiosk and saw him waiting, he noticed you approaching and smiled.
“Yeah, sooo where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see. Follow me, luv.”
So you do, you walk beside him. Very close, your hands almost touching.
A few minutes later you are standing in front of the new cafe that had opened a few days ago.
“That’s where you brought me?” You asked him confused
“Yeah, thought some breakfast could cheer you up.”
“I don’t have any money on me.”
He led you inside to a secluded booth.
You sat down, facing each other. You rested your chin on your palm, frowning at him while he looked at the menu
“You’re weird.” You told him
“I dunno, you’re just weird.”
That’s when a waiter comes up to you guys
“Would you like something to drink?”
“I’ll just have some tea, please”
The waiter wrote down the order on her notepad
“Some tea…and what about you, miss?”
You, totally unprepared because you were still frowning at Al
“I uh, uhm I’ll have some tea too.”
The waiter nodded and wrote it down again before walking away
He chuckled which gave you butterflies
For God's sake! He never made you feel like this before, why now?!
You enjoyed the free breakfast and while he was walking you back home your fingers actually touched this time.
Neither one of you pulled away.
He walked you to your front door, and you held eye contact for a brief moment before you opened the door.
“Thanks for the Breakfast, by the way.”
“No problem, I like spending time with you.”
You chuckled nervously, feeling your face warm
“I like spending time with you too.”
He smiles looking away because he knows you could see the pink forming on his cheeks
“See you Monday morning?”
“Yup, see ya Monday morning.”
You smiled at him one last time before going inside. Your mom was now sitting on the couch watching her favourite show.
“Where were you, sweetheart?” She asked you genuinely interested
“I was just out with Alex for a bit.”
“I like that boy.” She said, which was heartwarming
“Yeah…I like him too.” You answered while already walking up the stairs into your room, it was now around 10 or 11 am. When your Nokia buzzed in your pocket, you pulled it out seeing a message from Lauren.
“Huh,” you opened it and read it out loud
“Heyyy girly, sooo…what would you think about a double date? Isaac told me he’s shy and he’d be more comfortable with a few more people there. You could ask Alex! Xx”
You stared at that message for what felt like an eternity, a double date? Is Lauren really trying to be a wingwoman right now?
After a while, you started texting Alex, but always deleting the text until you just wrote:
“Lauren wants us to go on a double date or whatever.”
That seemed good enough, so you sent it and waited. But he took forever to answer, why isn’t he answering?
But then your Nokia buzzed, he answered.
That’s it? You sighed, already ready to tell Lauren that Alex wasn’t coming, until another buzz interrupted your thoughts.
“She said like 3 pm, today.” You texted back faster than you’d like to admit
“Apparently Isaac is picking us up, so at my house, I guess.“
“Alright, I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Alex rang your doorbell a bit early, but you didn’t mind. At least you were already dressed.
He sat on your bed while you fixed your hair in the mirror.
“Nicer than usual, I mean…not that you usually look bad…” He stopped himself before he could embarrass himself even more.
“You’re digging yourself into a deeper hole, Al.” You said jokingly even though his compliment sent tingles racing up your spine.
He groaned and buried his face in his hands
“Forget I said anything.”
That’s when the doorbell rang again
“That’s probably them,” you turned around and held his gaze for a second
In Isaac’s car, you and Alex sit in the backseat, and Lauren sits in the passenger seat.
“You guys ready to go Bowling?” Lauren asked, curious.
“Bowling? We aren’t going to a fancy restaurant?” Alex asked, surprised.
Lauren scoffed “No, we aren’t? We’re broke teenagers.”
After five minutes of silence, Lauren suddenly starts flirting with Isaac, who’s definitely enjoying it.
You keep shooting Alex side glances every time Lauren says something flirty, both of you trying not to laugh.
At one point, you actually did laugh, and when you turned slightly, you noticed Alex wasn’t looking at Lauren or Isaac anymore.
He was already looking at you.
You clear your throat, and you are taken aback and definitely flustered.
“Anyway…” you muttered, glancing out the window, trying to ignore the weird warmth in your chest.
After a while you finally arrived at the bowling building, Isaac paid for himself and Lauren, you were about to pull out your money but Alex stopped you and paid for you and him.
“Why’d you do that?” You asked, still a little surprised
“Don’t worry about it.” He said awkwardly soft.
You guys have had fun, you never really knew Alex was so competitive when it came to bowling.
Now you guys are just sitting at a table drinking, talking, and laughing.
“So for how long have you been dating?” Isaac asked you and Alex.
“Dating?” you repeated, almost laughing. “We’re not dating.”
You felt Alex shift slightly beside you.
“Right,” he said a second later, a little too casual.
Isaac frowned slightly, as he’d just stepped on something socially dangerous. “Oh, my bad. I just assumed, you know…”
Lauren made a noise that sounded suspiciously like she was trying not to laugh.
“Why would you assume that?” you asked quickly, maybe a bit too quickly.
Isaac shrugged. “I dunno. You two just act like it.”
And then there’s sudden silence.
Not a dramatic one, a weird one. The kind where nobody knows where to put their hands.
He wasn’t looking at Isaac anymore.
He was looking at his drink.
“Act like what?” you asked, softer this time.
Lauren kicked Isaac lightly under the table. “You’re gonna get yourself killed, stop talking.”
Isaac blinked. “What? I’m just saying.”
“Shut up,” Lauren hissed, still smiling.
You let out a small laugh, but it didn’t really stick.
Because Alex still hadn’t said anything.
“We just…” he started, then stopped.
He wasn’t looking at Isaac now, not Lauren either.
“We’re not dating,” he said again, quieter this time.
Then, it annoyed him that he even had to explain it
“She’s just,” he glanced at you for half a second, then looked away again, “My mate. That’s it.”
Somehow that word made everything feel even more confusing.
“Yeah,” you added quickly, nodding a little. “Just friends.”
But it came out weird, too fast
Lauren made a sound that was very clearly her choking on laughter and a sip of drink at the same time.
Isaac just slowly nodded. “Right… yeah. Cool.”
Except now it felt different
And neither of you had looked at each other properly since.
Alex picked up his drink again, but didn’t actually drink it.
You suddenly became very interested in the condensation on the glass in front of you.
Lauren, unfortunately for everyone’s emotional stability, leaned back in her chair like she was watching a movie.
The door of the bowling place swung open with a rush of cold air. You stepped outside first, and behind you, Alex followed a second later. Then the door shut
And suddenly it was just the two of you.
No bowling noise, no voices, no Lauren, and no Isaac.
Just footsteps on pavement.
“Are you cold?” he asked after a moment.
It took you a second to answer. “No.”
He didn’t call you out on it, of course he didn’t. Instead, there was a small pause.
Then he shrugged off his jacket like it was nothing and held it out.
“You’re gonna freeze, luv.”
“I said I’m fine,” you replied automatically, but you were already reaching for it anyway.
That made him huff a small laugh under his breath.
You put it on, but it was too big. Obviously.
It smelled like him. That thought made your brain glitch for half a second.
“You didn’t have to do that,” you said quietly.
But he didn’t sound like he cared.
Your hands kept almost brushing every few seconds like they had no idea what they were supposed to do.
At one point, your fingers touched, neither of you pulled away and neither of you said anything
A few steps later, Alex cleared his throat.
“You were weird in there,” he said.
You scoffed lightly. “I was not.”
“You were,” he insisted, but there was no real bite to it.
That made you glance at him, he was already looking at you again, longer
You slowed down without realizing it, so did he
And now you were just standing there on the pavement, nowhere to go, no excuse to look away, no Lauren to interrupt
And the space between you suddenly felt way too small
He shifts slightly, like he’s about to say something, but stops
You don’t move away, nor does he
Your breath catches when he looks at you again, properly this time.
And it’s like the world finally goes still enough to notice it
He leans in first, slow and careful, like he’s giving you time to stop him
Your eyes flick down to his mouth for half a second
The shout cuts through the moment like a slap
Both of you jerk apart instantly.
She comes skidding up the pavement with Isaac a few steps behind her, looking way too entertained for someone who just ruined something.
“Sorry,” she says, not sounding sorry at all. “We’ve been calling you two for like five minutes, and you just stood there.”
Isaac glances between you and Alex
Then very slowly goes, “…Did we interrupt something?”
“No,” you both say at the same time.
Lauren’s face twists immediately like she’s fighting a laugh
Alex runs a hand over the back of his neck, looking anywhere except at you now. “We were just leaving.”
“Yeah,” you add quickly. “Leaving.”
Lauren lingers just long enough to lean slightly toward you and whisper
And just like that, she walks off,
Alex starts walking too, and you follow them.
Neither of you looks at each other, but the air between you feels completely different now.
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