Meg sat at a kitchen stool in Alex's house. She'd baked blueberry muffins for the boys, and she munched on one herself while they practiced. She'd chosen not to sit in the living room since the drum set was so loud, but she wasn't sure that the small distance between the living room and kitchen made much of a difference. She'd forgotten how loud instruments could be.
While they were not playing, talking about how to adjust a new song, a different chord here, a change in volume there, she flipped through a novel she was reading, but when they started playing again, she would mark her place and watch them. Alex would occasionally look up from his drum set and smile at her.
When they finished playing, Roy and Joel set their guitars on stands and unplugged the amps. Alex set down his drumsticks and went to Meg at the counter.
"Come on upstairs," he told her.
He snagged two blondies for himself and she followed him upstairs. He sat in his desk chair and ate the pastries, his eyes looking her over as he chewed.
"I think I like having my girlfriend at band practice," Alex told her.
"She likes being there, too," Meg said. Meg sat on his bed, leaning against the pillows.
Alex finished eating and wiped his fingers on his pants.
"I love you," he said simply.
Meg stared at him. She realized her mouth was hanging open slightly, and she closed it.
"Goddamn it," Alex said. "Again?"
"I'm sorry," Meg said. "You took me by surprise."
"Well, do you or don't you?"
"I don't know," Meg whispered.
Alex put his head in his hands and Meg knew they were remembering the same moment. They'd been together for a few months, and they had been making out on the couch on the porch. Earlier, he'd put a record on the record player and they'd danced. She was wrapped in his black sweatshirt, and his arms were around her, and he stopped kissing her to say "I love you."
Then Alex had pulled her into a tight hug, and she'd whispered "I love you, too."
