Love Drunk: Chapter Twenty

Dexter Maloney saw something that broke his heart, the woman he loves was being cheated on by her cad of a boyfriend! Just as he was about to jump in and distract her somehow, she bypassed him and took the elevator up to her flat. When he finally got there, she was standing at her door looking rather shocked...was he too late?

Dexter tried to get his breath as he whispered "Freckles?" but Lainie did not respond!

Instead she just stared into space as there seemed to be a bit of a commotion inside the flat...

...then Alex appeared, partially dressed! "Lainie! Lainie!"

"What have you done?" Dexter mumbled, still looking at Lainie who was completely in another world!

"Shut up!!!" Alex growled, "Evelyn?" Dexter's mouth fell open! All this time, he'd never known her real name? Her name was Evelyn! And at that moment, even though it was Alex who said it, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard!

"She obviously doesn't want to talk to you!" he managed to say.

"I told you to SHUT.UP!!!" Alex screamed in Dexter's face as Lainie muttered something.

"What was that freckles?"

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Alex's face was turning blue as the veins in his neck were popping out, "Baby! What you THINK you saw..."

"Um I saw it too?" Dexter weighed in.

"Go to hell you jumped up emo freak!!!" Alex spat.
"Emo...?" Dex let out an exasperated groan at the mere mention of it. Alex was the one with the emo haircut, not him! 

"Evelyn what you saw, it means nothing...SHE means nothing!" Laine muttered something again, something almost inaudible. "What baby?" Alex leaned in closer.

"She said you've to get out!" Dexter heard her, and he heard the heartbreak in her voice.

"Oh you would say that!"

"Go Alex!" Lainie glared straight at him, "Go and never ever come back!"

Selena appeared from the flat and grinned at Dexter, "I told you! You will be sorry! Now she hurts...like I hurt!"

...and she was gone!

A week had passed and Lainie was a shadow of her former self! Dexter was at a loss, he had no idea what to do to make her feel better! So he gave her space! He was there if she needed him and he didn't force his presence upon her, he just listened when she wanted to rant!

Lainie wanted to open up to Dexter, she wanted him to know that she was secretly glad that Alex had shown his true colours and betrayed her. Roxy had told her it wasn't the first time, that he'd cheated on her at Uni too!

Alex was calling, texting, emailing, but she ignored everything! She wanted nothing more to do with him!

Charlotte would come round and blabber away to her, "I don't often dislike people Lainie but..." she would tell her how she didn't like Alex and that it was a blessing that he turned out to be a cheat. 

That there was someone out there who was meant for her, "Like my Andrew!" she beamed. 

Lainie had to agree, Charlotte and Drew were the sweetest, most adorable couple.

That afternoon, the boys were practicing for their first gig since Dexter's accident. Ash was still quite down over Dexter's attitude towards Erin, and Dex was pining for Lainie as per usual. The only one that was actually quite content was Drew! 

Fed up with the long faces of the Maloney brothers, Drew called a halt to the practice and announced he was going out, "I'm off to Char's for a bit of sunshine! You guys are like a wet weekend!" 

Dexter scowled and argued back, "Hey I'm lovesick here!" and Ash also waded in,

"Me too! Yeah Dexter! I can be lovesick too!" he pouted and threw down his drumsticks in frustration, "Just because she's that freak's friend...jeez!" he fumed.

Drew sighed and shook his head, "Well here's what to do! Ash? Screw what Dex said and be with whoever you wanna be with! Dex? Go and talk to Lainie, because right now she needs to feel loved and wanted more than ever. And who knows? You might end up winning her heart if you act now! Later losers!" he chuckled and left the brothers to think about what he'd said!

Dexter took Drew's speech to heart and found himself sitting in the diner as Lainie made them coffee. He was going to act! "Milk or cream?" Lainie called to him.

"What?" he spluttered as she giggled sweetly.

"In your coffee pretty boy!"

"Ohhhh, just black! I need a hit, like a slap in the face!" Lainie giggled even harder.

"Why's that then Dexy?"

"I'm...fuzzy!" And still she giggled, he didn't know what he was doing to amuse her so much but he liked it!

"Then shave!" she winked at him and sat the tray of coffee down, "ROXY! COFFEE!" she shouted through to the kitchen, "So, I am privileged! A rock star in my diner!" she sat down beside him.

Dex sipped his coffee and felt his heart flutter, "Oh not yet! Someday maybe!"

"Anything new? Got any gossip?" she asked him cheerily.

"Well...I was wondering if you fancied going out tonight?"

"What like a date?" Dexter nearly spat out his coffee.

"Ha HOT!" he stammered, "Ugh, well...not if you...no no!" Lainie was laughing again...

"Relax pretty boy I'm teasing!"

"So, would you? Like to go out and have a few drinks and a laugh...but no dancing, cuz I don't dance! Well I do but it's very embarrassing for everyone involved!" Lainie's cheeks hurt from the constant smiling, he was so sweet!

Dexter continued to sell this "not a date" to her, "I just...miss your smile and your laugh! It's great to hear you laughing again freckles, I never want to see you sad again! So we'll get drunk and make a fool of ourselves, how about it?"

"Yes Dexy, I'd love to!"

Dexter knew this wasn't a date, he knew that! But it didn't stop him from showering, tidying up his hair and beard, wearing his best shirt...

...yeah this was NOT a date!

Lainie stood in front of her mirror and inspected the dress she had chosen to wear for her...

...it was NOT a date!!!

Dex sat opposite Roxy waiting for Lainie to come out, it was intimidating! He'd known Roxy as long as he'd known Lainie, so why was she so scary tonight?

"Don't break her heart Maloney!" Roxy told him in a very menacing tone, "Or I'll break you, kapish?"

"It's not a date!" Was all Dexter could reply.

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh! And I'm Kate Moss! Keep saying it Maloney and you might believe it!" she winked.

"It's not..." he began, but the sound of Lainie's door closing made him stop.

And she was absolutely gorgeous! He stood up and was transfixed by her, he wanted so badly to run up to her and grab hold of her. Kiss her lips and tell her she was his world and he wanted her so badly! He wanted to be with her, to him this WAS a date! This was the first date of many! Hopefully!

But he just went with "You look nice!"

"Thanks Dexy!" she blushed as Roxy rolled her eyes and laughed,

"It's not a date guys!"

Dexter and Lainie sat in a booth together as the music boomed from the speakers. Dex had played this venue many times and this was the first time he felt butterflies in that building! Lainie smiled and closed her eyes, "I love this song!" as she hummed along to it.

"Do you wanna..." Dex was about to ask her to dance and she knew it!

"Oh gosh no! Don't even think it pretty boy!" she laughed. "So, when do I get to hear your stuff?"

"Um...anytime you want freckles! I'm not sure if you'd like our material we're kinda rock slash alternative if you get what I mean."

"Like...U2?"

"Well...kinda!"

"And you write all your songs?"

"I do!"

"What are they about?" She'd put him on the spot.

"They're...about my life experiences, Drew's and Ashton's too! They're about love, loss, anger, hate...you know, stuff!"

"What do you love Dexter Maloney?"

"I dunno Evelyn Robertson, what do YOU love?" Lainie blushed at the mention of her real christian name.

"Dexy, don't..."

"I heard Alex call you Evelyn, it's pretty!" Lainie groaned,

"No, it really isn't! I prefer Lainie! My sister is called Olivia, and she prefers Liv! It's just a thing! Please don't tell anyone my name? Only you, Alex and Roxy know!" Dexter's heart swelled with pride at being in an elite group who knew a secret about Lainie.

"I promise freckles, but I think it's beautiful!" She was still blushing, Dexy said her name was beautiful! If only she could tell him how beautiful she thought he was! 
Then a thought came into her head and she giggled. "What?" Dexter laughed with her, eyeing her curiously.
"I have to show you something!"

As Dexter watched the video on Lainie's phone, he felt his cheeks grow hot. "Where did you...I...where did you get that?" he stammered.
"Drew found it on Youtube! Dexy, what were you thinking?"

Dexter gained his composure and decided to come clean, "Well it was when my dad died, I kinda went off the rails...I ran away, yeah at 24 I ran away get over it!"
"Oh Dexy!" Lainie gave him a concerned look.
"Anyway, I had to earn some money so...yeah, strip-a-gram!" he shrugged.

Lainie laughed again, "Oh Dexy, you made a very pretty stripper!"
"Thanks!" he rolled his eyes, "So can we forget about that please? Who else knows?"
"Practically everybody, Drew sent it round the building!"
"Great!" Dexter frowned, "I'll go get us another drink!"

They sat for hours talking about everything and anything! Things they had never known about each other were coming out, it was refreshing! And as the night went on, the more drunk they got! "So...he says...hahaha...I really like you and I was like nooooooo! So then I went inside and was like ewwww!" Lainie slurred, reminiscing about the night Rob forcibly kissed her.

"See...I just saw smoochies and I was soooo mad!" Dex nodded, slurring just as much as she was.

Lainie's eyes grew wide, "You were? Why?"

"Cuz I was jealous silly!"

"You were Jealously? Seriously? Awwww Dexy!"

"You are soooo drunk right now freckles! Ha! You can't even say jealously properly...ly!"

Lainie pouted and frowned, "You're more drunker than me pretty boy!"

"I am not! I can hold my liquor!"

"You can't! Why were you jealous? HA! See? I can say it!"

"Cuz you're my freckles and nobody can touch you!" he winked at her as they both giggled.

"Whoa, late! We'd better get back!" Lainie pouted again when Dex said they had to go home, despite being rather tipsy, she was having a blast!

As they helped each other into the building, Lainie brought up the girlfriend that Dex had mentioned a while ago when she and David were dating.

"It was that Selena, wasn't it?" Dex lied, brushing it off he replied,

"Yeah but it's over, it was just a fling! A one night...fling thing!" he chuckled and pressed the button for the elevator.

As they got in, Lainie yawned and said "I had a great time Dexy, thank you!"

"You're welcome my freckly freckles!" Dex grinned and pressed the first floor button. There was a clunk and a bang as the elevator came to a stop, and the doors were jammed! "Huh!" Dex exclaimed, "I think I broke it!"

"Nooooo!" Lainie laughed and hopped from foot to foot in amusement.

"No joke! I think we're stuck here freckles!"

They stomped and shouted for a while but with it being so late, nobody heard them in between floors. Dex let out a huge sigh and turned to Lainie, "Well, looks like you're stuck in here with me for the night!" he winked as she groaned.

"Oh noes! I don't like it! It's too small!"

"Don't worry freckles, I'll take care of you!"

Lainie stopped worrying and smiled, "I know! I just don't like cramped spaces Dexy!" she hiccuped and leaned on his shoulder.

"Well someone will get us in the morning! Hehe, this is kinda...funny though! Ha!" he laughed to himself.

Lainie held his hand tightly and said "It could only happen to us!" Dexter squeezed her hand back softly, smelling her hair and breathing her in. She suddenly turned, moving her face so close to his... 

...he looked intently at her and studied her big blue eyes, those cute freckles on her cheeks and her button nose, the pouty little lips as she looked back at him and whispered his name...

Oooooh! ;) Until next chapter! XD