Alex

Sat in my living room, I was tirelessly flipping through lines and sipping my black coffee. It was a quiet morning, since I didn't have any filming to do, and I was making the most of it. I can't remember the last time I actually got to sit on this sofa; usually I had no time to chill out in my own house besides eating, sleeping and working. It wasn't because I never had time to, but because I never took time to. I'd rather be working than sat wasting time in my house alone. Between movies, I didn't have much choice, however. 

The intercom buzzed and I frowned, heading over to the monitor that showed who was at the gate. The distorted face of my sister, Angelica, came through on my monitor. She was stood outside with her daughter, Amelia, my niece, holding her hand. I buzzed them in, allowing the gates to slowly creak open. 

It wasn't long before my sister strode in. Her perfume was sweet and she walked with an air of confidence. The small child, hiding behind her legs slightly, stared up at me, nervously. She was always a shy kid, but we hadn't ever spent much time together so I couldn't blame her. I was always too busy working to go to any afternoon tea dates with her and my sister, but I never missed birthdays. Jenny always chooses great birthday presents for Amelia.

Angelica, unlike her daughter, was not shy around me. She bounced over to hug me tight, cooing that she had missed me. She ran a fashion brand and had been in South Korea for the last few months for some business, so my life had been relatively Angelica free. Minus the constant texts, of course. She wrapped her small child around her and giggled, bouncing her to make her laugh. Their laughs are eerily similar; it's creepy how alike they are in all aspects. 

"Uncle Alex," Amelia gave me a shy smile, "come to the park with us?"

"Like she said, Alex, you're coming to the park with us. You're always cooped up in this house, so we're going to get you some fresh air." Angelica declared, taking out her phone and tapping out a message to somebody whilst she spoke.

It was pointless arguing with Angelica; even as children, she always got her way. 

It wasn't long before we were piling into Angelica's car, as per her order and on our way to the park. I wasn't so enthusiastic about being dragged to a children's park, but I was glad to be saved from my own silence for a little while. I had made sure to grab my hat before I left, however, because I didn't want to have to deal with any fans today. 

Angela pulled into a space in a car park and climbed out to help Amelia out of her car seat. I looked across the busy road and saw a smallish park. We were by the university, which was a headache for me since most of my fans were about that age. I kept my head down as I crossed the busy street following behind them as they raced to the swings.

Entering the park, I took a seat on a bench and decided to just enjoy the scenery. There was a handful of blossom trees scattered across the little park and their petals were really beautiful, a soft pink, blowing around and landing on the grass and in the water of the fountain. Albeit, the ones along the gravel path had been trodden into a brown mashed-up texture that was not as pretty.

Just across the park, walking along the gravel path, was a guy who looked to be about university-age. He looked to be deep in thought, bopping his head rhythmically as he walked. His hands clenched and unclenched, but it looked to be a sub-conscious gesture. He hadn't noticed me so I pulled out my phone and averted my eyes from him, pushing him out of my mind.

He was cute, though.

I felt a small tug on my trousers and looked up from my phone, seeing Amelia smiling sheepishly at me. She pointed to the swings and asked me to go with her, so that's what I did. If I didn't, Angelica would only nag me about being a bad uncle and that wasn't worth the hassle. Amelia sat on the swings and I started to push her, going higher and higher. It felt close enough to a workout, so I didn't really mind. Amelia was screaming with giggles as the swinging increased, which was a bit of a headache. 

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger." Angelica smirked, to which I only grunted in response.

Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the guy from before was now sat on the fountain wall, hunched over a notebook. A few fallen blossom leaves had landed in his hair and it made my heart skip a beat, which was a bit strange. The sunset cast a ring of warm, golden light around him and I couldn't help staring a little.

"Oh my god, is that Alex Hill?"

"It is! That's his sister, Angelica."

I sighed heavily, halting my swing pushing, much to Amelia's dismay. Ducking my head, I sent Angelica a look and made myself scarce, heading towards the main street where it was a little busier. Heading into a café, I took a seat in a booth far away from the door to keep out of sight. Texting Angelica where to meet me, I leant back in the booth and breathed deeply to let out the stress. 

Angelica didn't really understand my opposition to fan interaction, but she knew enough about what had happened to let it slide when I acted like this. 

"Coffee?" I offered Angelica as she stepped into the small café, heading towards my booth.

"Iced, please." Angelica beamed, "Those fans were really nice; you could have said hello." 

"Good, I'm glad. Still not taking my chances, though." I shook my head, "Amelia, want anything?"

"Could I please have a milkshake, uncle Alex?" 

I'm not sure how somebody as forthright as Angelica ended up with such a shy and polite daughter like Amelia, but it was refreshing. It had been a while since I spent this much time with my niece and I was pleasantly surprised by how tolerable she had become. Joining the queue at the front of the store, I waited behind two guys who were talking at an obnoxiously loud volume. 

The kind of things they were gloating about were not things you wanted others to hear, but it was of little concern to them. 

I often exaggerate how loud I find Angelica, but at least she has class and decorum, unlike these two. As their conversation continued, I began to get irritated by how explicit they were being while catching each other up on their dating lives. I mean, my niece is sat mere meters away and if she overheard them, I'd be fuming. Something in particular I caught onto made a spark of anger finally burst inside of me.

"Yeah man, that's the one, Nate's roommate. He's the weird one sat outside on the wall, by the fountain." Dickhead one spoke.

"Oh, I think I remember seeing him with some other kid in Nate's flat. Man, he looked like a normal guy." Dickhead two replied.

"That kid isn't normal dude. It's a shame." Dickhead one spoke again.

"Shame." Dickhead two winked.

"You wouldn't actually date him?" Dickhead one gasped.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not cracked, but I wouldn't mind a night." Dickhead two chuckled, "I'll just keep his mouth occupied."

"Fair enough, just don't let Nate find out."

"I don't get why Nate said to leave them alone. Anyway, I'm late for work; my lunch break ended a few minutes ago."

As dickhead two turned to walk out, his jaw dropped as he looked up at me. Noticing this, dickhead one turned to glance at me as well, his eyes widening as I clenched my jaw in anger. 

"Wow, Alex Hill, I'm a huge fan! Can I get a autograph?" Dickhead one said as he saw me.

"Go fuck yourself."

I stepped around him and put our coffee order in, heading back to the table still steaming with anger. Angelica raised an eyebrow at me, probably having heard me cuss those guys out, but I didn't really care. Out the window, I spotted that guy from the fountain crossing the road towards the shop that dickhead two was heading towards. Anger swirled within me and I stood up abruptly.

"Amelia, want an ice cream?" I asked, to which she nodded.

I left the small café, abandoning my coffee and a confused Angelica as I followed the dickhead into the store. If he was going to be a dick to that guy, I planned to interrupt it. Walking through the aisles, I didn't spot the guy from the fountain, so I grabbed an ice-lolly for Amelia and headed for the tills. It was there that I saw that boy from earlier. He was obviously zoned out because he was fumbling with his basket and glancing all around the shop, including at me. I frowned, noticing the way dickhead two beamed at him with a fake, full-toothed smile.

The guy was so flustered that he bumped into the chocolate display, sending them flying and dropping his own bag. I went to grab it, but hesitated. I mean, why was I getting so involved in this drama? I didn't know the guy, so why did I feel the need to protect him from this dickhead? He was clearly a grownup and he didn't need my help. 

Dickhead two moved towards him, bending down to collect the chocolates. As he bent down, he reached into his bag and grabbed a notebook, swapping it with a little piece of paper. I frowned, about to say something when the kid rushed off with his bag. 

"Give me the notebook or I'll get your fucking manager." I snapped, sticking my hand out. 

The guy clearly recognised me, but looked embarrassed that he had been caught. I slapped some money down on the counter for the ice cream and made my way after the kid to return his notebook, still bubbling with anger.

"I have to scan it first!" The cashier called after me helplessly.

"Do you?" I asked sarcastically, leaving.

It was dark now and the guy was sat back in the same place as before. Except, now he was singing. It was a sweet sound, something earthy that sent tingles down my spine and gave my arms goosebumps. Even though it was only a quiet and soft sound, it was clear he had power behind his voice. It was better than anybody I had ever heard and I knew a lot of singers, unfortunately. 

I felt a little bit creepy, approaching him in the park in the dark after following him around, but I'm presuming he'd want this book back. From the tattered state of it, it looked well-used and well-loved and if that guy was reaching for it, he might have seen the guy with it before. Stepping towards him caused him to jump and he rocked scarily close to falling into the fountain, but I kept my arms firmly at my sides, despite wanting to reach out and steady him.

"Sorry to scare you, but that asshole took this and I think it belongs to you. I'm Alex, by the way." I finally found the words, stepping towards him.

It was then that I realised he had headphones on. He slipped them off and I waited a moment, in case he heard me. It became increasingly apparent that he hadn't and I second guessed myself. Did I want to tell him that the guy stole it? It might be incriminating for me to be involved in that and I also didn't want to upset the guy. 

His eyes met mine and my heart skipped a beat once again, but his eyes then flickered with recognition and I panicked. Did he know me already? He hadn't made any indication that he did previously, but I wasn't sure. Silence settled between us and my mouth went dry at the possibility that he knew of me. He was avoiding eye contact by glancing around the park and I frowned, following his eyes. 

"Did you not hear me?" I asked, to confirm.

He shook his head.

"You dropped this in the store." 

I offered him his notebook and he quickly took it, which proved my theory that it was important to him. He seemed surprised that I had it, but not suspicious. I didn't mean to lie to him, but it felt more innocent to say that I had found it than to say I threatened the guy who stole it. 

"Don't worry, I didn't look or anything." I reassured him, seeing the panicked expression begin to blossom on his face.

More silence settled around us, so I decided to break it.

"Your singing was nice." 

His eyes seemed to evaluate my face for a moment, and I decided it was likely he didn't recognise me because he was looking at my face like he had never seen a man before.

"Sorry, I didn't think that anyone else was around. Thank you for returning my notebook."

He was quiet, looking down at the floor, but his voice sent chills through me.

"You're very welcome."

With that, I left to find Angelica and give Amelia her now-melted ice cream.