Page 26 of Dark Room Junkie

I washed my hands, ran my fingers over my face and through my hair, and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

You can do this. No alcohol, and you’re doing the right thing.

Despite the mantra, I nervously returned to the table. Chris was on the phone, while Ramon and Robert were toasting with another glass of wine. I sat back down at my place and drank from my water. Chris sat across from me, beaming at me like a firefly.

“Oh, you’ve already sorted them out? That’s cool! Shall we meet on Saturday? ... Ah, okay, yeah, then ... We’re at Gallo. ... Yes, the whole band. Come on over. ... Okay, cool, see you later!” Chris hung up the phone. “Alex is coming by later. He’s already sorted out the photos.”

“Oh, cool!” Ramon exclaimed as he continued typing on his phone. “I could use some photos.”

I frowned questioningly, and Marco must’ve sensed my confusion.

“Ramon is in charge of social media,” he explained.

“Not unimportant,” Ramon said from the other side of the table, prompting Marco to pat him on the shoulder

While the two argued and Lukas talked with Robert, I glanced over at Chris. He sat there in a state of contentment. He was like every other drummer I had met; calm and balanced.

“Where do you know Alex from?” I asked.

“Our mothers know each other. I was in high school when Alex and his mother moved to Zurich. They often came to our house. That’s how I met Alex. But ... he was ... I don’t know... Something was off about him. Nowadays, he seems to have gotten it together.”

“Got it together?”

“Yeah, he always seemed kind of scared and disturbed to me. My mother still hasn’t told me exactly what happened. Something preceded their move to Zurich. It was like they wanted to start anew here, but I don’t know more than that.”

“Alex always seems to me like he has a stick up his ass,” Lukas chimed in.

“He was going through a rough time for a while. So leave him alone, okay?” It surprised me how Chris defended Alex.

“When my sister found out he’s a photographer, she tried to flirt with him,” Marco recounted amusedly. “But Alex coldly turned her down. And then I had to listen to her whining about how all the good men are gay, and nonsense like that.”

“I’m not gay,” Ramon said theatrically, running his hand through his brown hair, prompting laughter from everyone.

“Thankfully, our frontman is into both. It would be bad for the image if he ignored the ladies in front of the stage.”

I just smirked and sipped my water. I still didn’t know if my silence was doing Alex or myself any favors. Of course, nobody needed to know that we had something together, but as much as I tried to dismiss it, he kept creeping into my thoughts. His quirkiness fascinated me, which was more attractive than I cared to admit.

Before I realized it, Alex was standing at our table.Of course. He lives just around the corner.

“Hey, guys!”

“Hey!” the group behind me called out, while I just stared at him.

He stood at the top end of the table, between Chris and me, and tried not to stare at me longer than anyone else, which he failed at.

“Here!” Chris said, jumping up and pulling a free chair from the neighboring table. “Sit down and show us!”

“Yeah! Show us!” Marco chimed in.

Alex pulled an iPad out of his bag just as the waitress arrived. He ordered a beer and set the bag next to the chair. Then he opened the app and seemed unsure where to put the iPad.

“Give it here!” Ramon called from the other side. Marco grabbed it and passed it along.

“I’ve already sorted and edited the photos,” Alex said, accepting the beer with a grateful nod. He still seemed a little bewildered and mustered a faint smile as Chris introduced him to Robert. “Nice to meet you,” he said politely and took a big sip.

I watched him the whole time. When he unexpectedly showed up with his cameras in the rehearsal room the day before yesterday, I didn’t know at first how to feel about it. But I was completely aware of the coincidence. Ultimately, it had been fun to play with the camera—or rather, with Alex. He initially reacted somewhat baffled to my advances, which Marco commented on with a raised glass.

“The born front man!” he exclaimed, toasting me with his beer.

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