A Step Forward

[Alexandra Lawson]

{OOC Note: Takes place the same day as this thread}

Alex was in a good mood. Anyone could figure this out because the diminutive redhead was terrible at keeping such things secret. There had been something about reconnecting with a part of herself that had been long dormant that stuck with her throughout the day and put more than a little pep in her undertaking of the daily chores she had to deal with. The laundry baskets didn’t seem so heavy, the kitchen wasn’t that dirty to begin with and she’d even found the motivation to run the vacuum through the apartment all while accompanied by Alex softly singing along to the music she was playing at a probably too high volume for an apartment building.

When the door opened and Ezra Cooper stepped inside, Alex didn’t notice. She was busy putting the finishing touches on the pasta she’d started. She’d taken to heart Ezra’s complaints about hitting drive throughs and cheap delis for food while he was working and since she had the day off thought it nice to surprise him with something when he got home. The apartment was filled with the familiar, yet almost out of place sound of the fast paced song Alex had lost herself in while she hopped manically around the kitchen, utterly oblivious to the world around her.

Sorry I'm not home right now
I'm walking into spiderwebs
So leave a message
And I'll call you back
A likely story, but leave a message
And I'll call you back

And it's all your fault
I screen my phone calls
No matter who calls
I gotta screen my phone calls

[Ezra Cooper]

His shift ended on a pretty weird note. Twenty-four hours on even a mutant like him was no joke and as he dragged himself up to his apartment with Alex, Ezra was ready to just crawl into bed as the smaller spoon.

It changed when he heard the familiar sound that he had missed so much the past few years and he went through the door, his eyes twinkling at the thought of his girlfriend being the one singing. And he was right as he watched her prance around the sizeable studio apartment. Not only was Alex singing, the smell of pasta had filled the apartment and immediately Ezra’s stomach growled.

He started the next line in the song in his off-key voice as he came up behind Alex, ruffling her hair. “Hi you.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex jumped at the unexpected voice that started up alongside her own. She gave that sort of lopsided, childlike grin that Ezra had grown used to as his fingers went through her hair. “Hi, yourself.” She said, the song temporarily forgotten as she stood up onto her tiptoes in order to pull Ezra down to her so she could reach his lips for a ‘welcome home’ kiss. She held the embrace for a moment, her other arm snaking up around his neck before she hopped up, pulling herself into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.

“I missed you.” Alex spoke quietly, her voice barely audible over the music in spite of their closeness. Her grip on the tall, lanky EMT tightened as she clung to him, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

[Ezra Cooper]

Seeing the smile and then receiving the kiss made Ezra feel warm all over. He dropped his bag to the floor and wrapped his lean arms around his tiny girlfriend when she hopped up and wrapped herself around him. He was used to the affection coming from the redhead but it somehow felt different today.

Her breathy whisper made Ezra pull away for a second to look at Alex for a while before a smile took over his face. “Same here. You cooked?” He asked, the smile turning cheeky. “What’d you make me?”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex had never stopped loving Ezra during their three years together, not by a long shot. It hadn’t been being with him that brought out the general malaise that she’d been stricken with in recent months though it had filtered into the affection she gave and received. After having her heart stirred and her passion stoked by the impromptu meeting she had earlier in the day (a trick she would certainly be getting Addie back for), it almost felt as though Alex was experiencing the strong feelings she’d always kept for Ezra in a new light. Her heart soared the moment she saw him and a surge of emotions had almost brought tears to her eyes.

“Yeah, spaghetti.” She said, still clinging to Ezra even as they both looked over toward the stove. “Don't get your hopes up, the sauce is from a jar.” Alex gave a short snicker then before she turned her bright, expressive brown eyes back to him. Her arms slipped from around his neck so she could cup his face tightly and kiss him deeply. The gesture carried with it a resounding joy and Alex-like whimsy that had yet to be displayed since they moved into the apartment.

“I have no idea what happened today.” Alex said, slipping out of Ezra’s embrace and crossing the kitchen toward the stove so she could check on the pasta she had boiling. “Addie called this morning and dragged me out to her studio for some… thing and she throws this group of guys at me and, I mean they’re hella talented and all but what the hell am I doing there, you know?” She rambled on, idly waving a hand about as the words came tumbling out with reckless abandon. “They played, and we did some stuff, which was cool and I think someone mentioned some plans, contracts or something or other and that was kind of freaky. I think it went well and that’s where we are.” She ended the stream of words with a short shrug of her shoulders before picking up the pot of boiling water and heading over toward the sink where the colander waited to strain the pasta. “And how was your day?”

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra closed his eyes when his cheeks were cupped, momentarily forgetting about his growling stomach, not even caring that the sauce was from a jar. He returned the kiss happily and let her go when she slipped away. Grabbing his bag, he walked over to their room to stow away the bag under the bed and started to remove his shirt to get into some more comfortable clothes.

As he listened to Alex talk about her day, he realised that the change in her had to do with music and he almost physically smacked himself up the head for not even thinking about that in the first place. He went out of their room with a huge smile. "Are you singing again?" He asked with a goofy grin, almost like a puppy waiting for his treat.

"Got a kid unstuck from a doggy door and then we ate frozen pizza. Uneventful, so contracts? Band? Addie set you up? How sneaky. Why didn't I think of that?" He said the last sentence to himself.

[Alexandra Lawson]

"Yeah, it was so weird." Alex nodded as she went about mixing the sauce with the pasta and putting everything, including the store bought garlic bread and bagged salad onto plates. Her head had been spinning from the moment she left the studio. The initial rush of emotion that came with seeing Ezra had only caused her mental state to grow more erratic, though his continued presence was quickly bringing her back to reality and her sense.

"So, Addie knows this band, right?" Alex moved to the table and set the plates down, beaming a little with a small sense of pride in at least arranging everything so it looked pretty and that she'd put more than minimal effort into preparing it all. "And their singer bolted on them." Alex frowned a little as she turned to fetch silverware. "I guess Addie thought we'd get along so, yeah, she tricked me into meeting them then threw me into an audition I didn't even know I was having." She laughed a little at it all and shook her head. "But it was really cool. These guys are, like, stupid good and they're chill." She smirked a bit at that. "We really hit it off. We're going to be playing a few songs at this bar in town next week." Alex then stood in the center of the kitchen and shrugged her shoulders, throwing her arms up helplessly. "It all just happened so fast but... I think I'm in a band."

[Ezra Cooper]

He walked over to the countertop and sat watching Alex move about the kitchen getting everything ready. He would have helped but it looked like she had everything under control. There was a dreamy glint in his eyes as he listened to Alex talk about what had happened that he didn't even realise he looked like a boy with a crush.

Everything sounded like it was moving fast and quite frankly, Ezra was ecstatic for Alex. And of course, she would fit in. She could fit in anywhere. "That's so boss. I'm so excited for you babe." He beamed, already planning on attending the show whenever it was. Hopefully he would get a replacement so he didn't leave Corey hanging.

"Do you already have a set list? Any songs I know?"

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex gave a sheepish, almost embarrassed smile as her hands went up, through her red hair and gathered it up into a tail which she pulled over one shoulder. "We only have a week to practice and get ready." She said, fingers toying with the end of her hair as she frowned. "I'd be really surprised if we don't suck." She admitted. "If the crowd likes Foo Fighters and the Offspring we'll probably be okay." The frown remained on her features for a moment as she sighed and looked over the table briefly before her eyes turned to Ezra. "I don't know. I'm nervous about it. I mean, I just met these guys today and I'm supposed to go on stage with them in a week."

Alex let out a huff and another sigh. She hadn't lied. Her nerves would have been obvious to anyone, let alone Ezra. He'd known her for the better part of a decade and gotten to know every subtle (and not so subtle) aspect of her personality. And yet, through it all there was a certain upbeat optimism she'd been missing for so long that simply refused to let her get down on herself or the situation she was thrown into. With a finger snap she lit up. "Oh!" She whirled around, her hair flying out around her as she hurried to the cupboard. "I was feeling a little adventurous." The admission came with a faint trace of mystery. She reached up, fishing a glass bottle of Captain Morgan spiced rum from the cupboard. Her eyes shone with a mischievous gleam as she turned toward Ezra, the bottle in hand. "What do you say?"

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra pursed his lips to stop himself from beaming when he saw the adorable display of sheepishness coming from his girlfriend. The girl lacked self confidence severely so seeing her actually proud of herself was actually quite refreshing. He had missed seeing this passion and happiness coming from her. "I'm sure you'll do great. I mean you love those bands. It'll be a cinch for you." He shrugged. Having confidence in Alex was easy. The talent coming from such a little body was extraordinary and he was glad someone else saw it too.

Tilting his head to the side as she skipped over to their cabinet, Ezra wondered what she was up to before smirking when he saw the bottle. He wasn't a drinker, to be perfectly honest. The only reason that bottle was even there was because he sometimes liked having a dash of it in his cooking. And this was clearly a celebration so he wouldn't say no to that.

"Bring it on. But I do want food first. Yes?"

[Alexandra Lawson]

It was easy for Alex to shrug off any compliments or praise. She never felt herself fully deserving making any such words feel farcical and almost humorous. She cast a short smile in Ezra's direction as he spoke to her but did little to respond. Of course he would support her and tell her she was supremely talented. What else was her boyfriend of three years supposed to say? That she was only moderately skilled and wholly incapable of fronting a band to any measure of success whatsoever? None of that was anywhere near as easy as people seemed to think, especially for her.

"Go for it." Alex said, waving toward the plate that was sitting on the table just waiting for Ezra to dig in. "I got some cream soda." Although Alex didn't know how well that would work out. She pursed her lips and then whisked toward the fridge, setting the bottle of booze on the kitchen counter in the process. "I picked it up and sort of put two and two together after I got home." She explained, although she really couldn't say why she was explaining all this. Part of her was simply giddy and excited that she'd at least dipped her toe back into the waters of music. "I didn't even really do anything." A giggle escaped then as she turned from the fridge, the six pack of soda in her hand. She swung her arm in a lazy loop and slid the cans across the counter before pushing the fridge door closed and leaning against it. "I'm really freaking out here, Ezra." She said suddenly, her face a strange, twisted miasma of joy, uncertainty, happiness and fear. "This might become a thing but I'm not good enough."

[Ezra Cooper]

He dug in when Alex gave him a wave. He was already halfway finished when the cans made their appearance on the counter. The random thought that seemed to come out of nowhere had Ezra chuckling as he poured parmesan over his spaghetti and continued to finish it up.

Her fears and uncertainty had him looking at her with a sympathetic gaze. "What can I do to convince you that it's going to be fine? Because as far as I'm concerned, you're the best damn singer I've ever known. I mean your stint at DLS when we were still in school is proof of that. And I'm even willing to bet you're better than Addie. And I think Addie is as talented as they come.

"If she can make it, and if she's behind all this...don't you think that's enough to give you at least...a little confidence you're good enough?" He asked with a small smile.

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex's eyes widened as Ezra spoke. There was almost a panic that filtered into her gaze. Her head shook wildly. "No!" She blurted out, hands coming up in an effort to stop Ezra from continuing. "Like, hella people have bought Addie's stuff and paid to see her live. She's the real stuff!" As someone who'd never done anything more than belt out a few songs at a cheese burlesque club in Nowhere, Montana, Alex didn't feel she had any right to even consider putting herself anywhere near someone who'd actually done the things many musicians and artist had only dreams about. Alex considered herself lucky to be friends with Addie and she always figured when some network came snooping around to interview people from Addie's past for a documentary, maybe they'd come to her.

But, alas, Ezra had a point. Addie had been the driving force behind pairing her with the guys in the band. It had been Addie who'd bugged Alex to start performing again. At some point Alex had to assume Addie's actions hadn't been soley based on their friendship and maybe there was something to be seen within the manic, redheaded pixie. Alex's lips parted but there were no words. She lowered her head and then issued a low sigh. "I'll give it everything I've got." She finally relented. "And I'll hope for the best. But I won't have any expectations."

[Ezra Cooper]

"And people like her should recognise real talent, no?" Ezra pointed out before shrugging. He knew she would see his point in the end. Alex was a rational person, she knew there had to be some truth in his words. And when she relented, Ezra reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her towards him. "I'm sorry if I smell like cheese but Imma give you some of this," he pressed his lips against her forehead. "And some of this," and he kissed her lips. "And expect me to be the loudest to cheer in the bar next week. I am invited, aren't I?" He grinned slyly before grabbing the can of cream soda.

"So what're we doing with these?"

[Alexandra Lawson]

Ezra was, in spite of Alex's reluctance to admit it, speaking logically. Addie wouldn't have asked just anyone to try out for a band, nor did she bug everyone about getting back into music like she did Alex. It was difficult for her to fully give in to such notions of her talent, but if someone wanted to foolishly give her a shot who was she to complain?

"Aw, baby." Alex smiled brightly against Ezra's lips as she returned the kiss. "I think you're expecting too much. Way too much." She gave a soft giggle as Ezra pulled away and turned toward the kitchen counter. "Going from meeting these guys to playing a show with them in a week is... Crazy. Like, hella crazy. Even cover bands have to practice... A lot."

Alex chewed nervously on her lower lip before Ezra asked about the cans of cream soda. Her eyes shifted, looking to him and letting the almost mischievous look on his face pull her away from her insecurities. "We're going to drink them." She said a-matter-of-factly. She slid up to the counter and lifted the bottle of alcohol she'd displayed before. "With this."