theres a light on in Chicago and I know I should be home.

Okay. This my ever first one shot and it's about Pete. Its weird that he had to announce their engagement the day after I started writing this. Actually it was more annoying than weird. Anyway, its okay. Please leave constructive criticisms after. I'd really like it if you'd tell me what you think. I'm kinda annoyed at it. Oh well. I wanna dedicate this to my friend Nicole. Just coz.

You only hold me up like this
Cause you don't know who I really am

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He knew she was going to be there. She had to be. He tapped nervously on the bar with his forefinger as he scanned the room. The place was packed with people. Several eyes looked back at him but they weren’t the ones he was looking for. So he continued to tap and he continued to look. He couldn’t believe how anxious he was feeling at that moment. Who could blame him? It’s been almost three years since he’d seen or spoken to her. And now he was sitting on the same stool he sat on when he’d first met her. He didn’t exactly know what to do when he did find her. He didn’t know what to say. They were together for only a few hours and that was it. But those few hours meant the world to him.  He knew he wanted to see her. He had to.

“Hey, man. Can I get you a drink?” the bartender inquired of him. He was a tall, Irish guy with a full orange beard and black shirt. Pete stopped and looked at him for a minute; trying to recall if he’d seen him before. But he didn’t recognize him.

“No thanks,” he quickly replied. “But you might be able to help me. Does Alex Marshall still happen to work here?” Pete waited for a reply and half-heartedly wished that he'd say no. He hated confrontation. And now he wished he would have just gotten the drink.

The bartender smiled at hearing the name. “Alex? Yeah. Yeah. Lemme get her.” Pete’s heart dropped at hearing his reply. She was there. It was actually happening. He wanted to see her but he didn’t actually think he would. Before he came, he thought of different scenarios of how their reunion would go down but all of them ended up with them never actually meeting. He kept imagining what she probably looked like. Does she still have her beautiful red hair? Are her eyes the still shade of green? Was she still petite enough for him to hold in his arms? Different questions flowed through his mind as he waited. He started to brush his hair off his face as sweat started to gather on his forehead. He rubbed on his eye. He was so nervous he couldn’t sit still. He didn't exactly know what he was doing there. But he was glad. He was glad that he didn’t go through all the trouble of forcing his manager to book the place and not get what he sought after. A moment to see her again.

“Pete?” a melodic voice came from behind him. Just from hearing it, he knew right away it was her. He turned around and saw exactly what he came to see.

“Alex,” he said sounding more like a whimper. He felt his knees start to give but he held himself up. “I can’t believe it.”

He walked towards her. And as he did he couldn’t help but think how good she looked. Her hair was longer and wavy. Her skin was like porcelain. And her eyes were spellbinding. He sighed. He gave himself hell for not doing this sooner.  It could have been easier if he did. But his growing fame stopped him. He had his band. And during that time, that was what was important. She smiled at him. He looked good. Taller. After a few seconds of just looking at each other, they snapped out of it and hugged.

“Pete Wentz. Wow,” she didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? She couldn’t shake off the fact that he was a rock star now.  He and his band are known all over the world. He’s got celebrities phone numbers on his phone. Millions of girls drool over him. And all she was was a one night stand. A girl he wanted to bang. And all this time she thought he had forgotten about her. It was to be expected. “I see you’ve met my cousin.” She pointed at the bartender.

Pete laughed. He finally knew why he looked so familiar. “Yeah, you guys look terribly alike.”

They both laughed but it quickly subsided. There was an awkward silence after that. Pete looked around the room and Alex stared down at her boots. She didn’t think she’d see him again. The possibity of them meeting again was so unlikely to her. It had been three years since they last saw each other and one night didn’t seem like enough time to remember someone. Not her at least. Not some bartender in a dingy bar. She shifted her feet in her boots as she thought of this and meanwhile Pete examined her. He was curious as to what she was thinking. And Alex could feel the he was staring at her and it was making her feel uncomfortable.

“When my boss told me you guys booked the place for tonight I didn’t think you were gonna come,” she admitted. Pete raised his eyebrow at her.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Alex shrugged. Was he really asking that question?

“You guys are big now. I mean, you no longer have to sleep in a van,” Pete chuckled. She was right and he knew it. A lot of things have changed for him since they last laid their eyes on each other. He was living the dream. But none of it changed how he felt about her and all he wanted was to tell her that. He wanted her to know that every night since that one, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wanted to tell her that even after he’d been with other women, they never compared to her. He wanted to tell her that he moved all the way to L.A. just so that he could be with her even if it meant giving up his life in Chicago. He wanted to tell her all. But before he could say anything she cut him off—“I think they’re calling you.” She pointed over at his band mates who were waving for him to come on stage. Bummer. He nodded disappointingly at his wasted attempt. He was so hyped up already but it had to be shot down. If only he could have a few more minutes. But he didn't so he smiled at her and turned on his heel.

“Wait,” she said before he was too far away. Pete swung around as quick as he could. Maybe his chance wasn't gone yet. “I’m closing up tonight. Maybe we could talk, you know, like last time.”

An opening. Pete’s smile was wider than ever. His attempt wasn’t wasted at all. Things seemed to be in his favor and he hoped that it would stay that way til the end of the night. He still had a shot. He didn't want to waste it. “Okay,” he said before he galloped towards the stage. She smiled as she watched him walk away from her. Another night with Pete, she thought. But Alex couldn’t help but feel like she did the wrong thing. She let Pete take over again. She had set herself up.

“We have to get out of here. My boss is going to kill me if he finds out we’re still here,” Alex said pulling Pete’s arm. He was drunk and she knew it. He’d been trying to impress her by drinking continuously after his first round which, in the end, failed to do its purpose. She laughed at his stupidity. It only took so much to impress her. He didn’t have to go to such lengths. But she was drawn to him. His amber eyes caught her off-guard but she never looked away. He got her in his spell. “Let’s go.” She pulled him off his stool. He finally gave in and allowed her to drag him.

They finally reached the door and she let him lean on a lamp post on the sidewalk while she locked up. Pete stared at her ass while she leaned down to secure the bottom locks. He snickered. He’d never seen one so perfectly plump. Alex heard him and she jolted up and stared at him with a menacing look and said—“what are you laughing at?”

He shook his head and tried to conceal his grin. Alex rolled her eyes at him and went to search for his band’s van. She looked up and down the street but found no signs of it. She huffed. “Why me??” she said to herself. She couldn’t possibly leave Pete on the street. And finding his van looked impossible considering her companion was almost unconscious. She stomped towards the idiot and shook him. He was falling asleep still leaning on the lamp post.

“Pete! Pete! Wake up!” she shook him harder this time. Finally, his eyes opened. “Do you have any way of contacting your friends?” She shrugged. He had closed his eyes again before he could give her an answer. She couldn’t help but growl. This was definitely not included in her paycheck, she thought. She was really annoyed now and she couldn't stop herself from looking at Pete with a little disgust. 4:09 AM, she read from her watch. Alex sighed. She was tired and, looking at Pete, she didn't she could drag him all the way to her apartment. Thankfully, there was a cab near by. She placed herself under Pete’s arm and helped him walk over to the cab. “I’m only letting you stay at my apartment because I don’t want to leave you here,” she said pulling him inside the taxi. “And I’d very much like it if you we’re gone by the time I woke up.” Pete nodded.

“You promised me something earlier and I’m hoping that you’d keep that promise,” Alex said to Pete while he lay lifeless on her couch. He didn't reply. She took a peak at where he lay and found that he was already asleep; snoring loudly for the next room to hear. "Unbelievable," she said under her breath. She couldn’t believe that she had a guy in her apartment and had only met him a few hours back. She kept thinking how her mother was to react if she knew about her predicament. She would never hear the end of it. After placing a glass of water on the table above Pete’s head tapping on his shoulder a few times and getting no answer, Alex dragged her feet towards her room to retreat. Her desk clock read 4:32 AM. A shifting sound came from outside her room and she checked to see if whether Pete had gotten up. But he was still lying down. Before she stepped back into her room, she thought how much of a slob he was.

As she brushed her hair in front of her bathroom mirror, Alex couldn’t help but remember what had gone down at the bar earlier that night:

 “Hey sweetface, I need a drink over here.” Alex just rolled her eyes. She could only take so many assholes in one day and for some reason this one she just didn’t like at all. She tried to ignore Pete’s demeaning comments and continued to get other people their drinks. But Pete wouldn’t be let down. He chuckled. “I was just kidding. Come on, don’t be mad.”

“Alright, what do you want?” Alex was still pissed. There was something about this guy that she didn’t like. He came off smug. Very smug. And all she wanted was to punch him on the nose but she didn't. She went to get his order hoping that she could get rid of him. But he just smiled and stared. “Okay. What’s your problem?”

Pete shook his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to see your face up close. You really are very beautiful.”

Alex clenched her jaw. Even though he didn’t sound as cocky as he did earlier and actually sounded very sincere, she flipped her lid. The fucking nerve of this guy, she screamed in her head. She threw her arms up in the air and splashed a very cold glass of water in his face. Everyone who was around gasped. Alex stormed off and left Pete surprised. Pete didn’t expect such a reaction. Normally, girls would swoon and blush. But never did he get such a response like that. People stared at him but he didn’t care. He was in complete shock. He looked at her still while she walked away from him. He sensed that she was hurt.

He was going to call her back but one of the other bartenders—bald and big—came and stopped him—“Hey man, I think you’ve said enough.” Pete did stop. He didn’t want to get into trouble especially when there’s a guy way bigger than he is in the way. He just wanted to apologize. But it seemed impossible to get her attention. She was on the other end of the bar and he big friend didn't show any signs of allowing him to get through. He just sat there; trying to think of a possible way to say sorry to her. And right away, an idea came to him. “Excuse me,” he said to the bartender. “Can I get a beer?”

The bartender couldn’t refuse and got him his beer. Pete drank it as quickly as he could before he called the bartender again and asked for another one. The bartender raised an eyebrow at him but agreed and set another cold bottle in front of him. Pete gulped it down with a much faster speed than he did the last and he waved for the bartender to hand him another one. “Dude, I think you need to slow down a bit,” the bartender recommended; figuring out what he was up to. But Pete wasn’t having any of it. Not knowing what to do, the bartender placed another beer in between Pete’s hands. It went on like that until Pete drank a total of 10 beers nonstop and right before he gulped down the last drop of his 10^th bottle, Pete was already waving for another.

 “Okay, man. I think that’s enough. You’re practically salivating booze. I can’t give you any more,” the bartender protested. But Pete rejected him and said—“I won’t stop until she’s the one who comes here to give me my beer, alright? If she doesn’t come, I’ll keep drinking. So you keep those beers coming.” Pete stood his ground. The bartender shook his head and retreated. He approached Alex and repeated what Pete had told him.

“I know. I heard him,” Alex said annoyed. The guy was playing her but she couldn’t just let the guy drown himself with beer. She was hesitant but all she did was  huff and walk towards Pete. “Alright, I’m here. Now would you stop? You’re scaring Jim.”

“Oh so that’s his name?” Pete said in punch-drunk way while pointing at his friendly bartender. He pouted at Alex hoping that somehow he could get some sympathy. But she scowled at him. “Hey hey. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I was acting earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just wanted someone to talk to, that’s all. And you were the best candidate. I'm sorry if I thought you we're pretty. I was trying to pay a compliment.”

Alex shook her head. This guy is sick, she thought. But she liked his unusual apology. And even though she hated to admit it, she knew he was truly sorry. When he didn't get an answer from her, Pete potruded his lower lip farther hoping it would get to her soft side. It did and Alex smiled. She had never met anyone so stupid in her life. 

“You’ve been standing there for quite a while now. What are you thinking about?” Alex jumped. She turned to see Pete standing at the doorway with his head leaning on the post. Alex let a breath escape her lips. She didn't expect him to be awake for a few hours. She felt her cheeks begin to feel hot when she saw Pete smiling at her reaction. She was embarassed that someone had actually caught her in the middle of day dreaming. She grabbed her chest and tried to catch her breath. "Why are you up?" she asked him. He didn't say a word. He couldn’t stop thinking how gorgeous she was. Even as she spoke, none of her words were audible. He concentrated on her beauty that nothing else was sensible to him. Never had he seen a girl so pretty. She looked at him curiously as to what he could be thinking. He just stared at her.

After a few moments of silence, Pete suddenly moved towards to her. Inch by inch he grew nearer. Alex started to feel anxious. His advancements scared her but she didn't move or say a word. His eyes drew her. She couldn't stop looking at them and before she knew it he was at arms reach. He stopped before he went any nearer. He examined her for a few minutes; taking in her graceful form. She was everything he wanted in a girl. And he sailed closer until he was close enough to feel her breath. He slowly took his finger and trailed it along her arm. A breath quickly escaped Alex's lips as his finger reached her chest. He leaned his head down near her neck and blew his breath on her. Another breath escaped her lips as a tingling feeling rose up her spine. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster under her chest. After a few more seconds of Pete enticing her with his touch, Alex lost it. She grabbed his arms and pulled him closer to her; forcing him to place kisses on her collar bone and up her chin. She was screaming inside her head. She knew it wasn’t right but she couldn’t fight it. She cocked his head up and kissed his neck ferociously. Pete enjoyed it. Her lips were soft on his skin and it felt good. He couldn’t stop his excitement and Alex could feel it poking her. He then finally cupped her face with his hands and leaned close to press his lips on hers. Their tongues intertwined with each other. Their hands groped. Before they went any further, Alex drew her mouth near his ear and whispered—“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you walk into mine.”

That night, Alex forgot all her own dispositions and beliefs and made love to one Peter Wentz.

Alex stood there as Pete took the stage. She didn’t know how he did it but he did. After three years of not even speaking, he was able to tug at her heart strings. She felt stupid for feeling so much for someone she hardly even knew. But it wasn’t stupid. What she didn’t know was that Pete felt exactly the same. Never had he once been happier than the times he thought about their first kiss. She had him. But none of them could admit it until now.

“Hey guys,” Pete said into the mic while he looked directly at her. “We’re Fall Out Boy. And this first song is called Of All The Gin Joints In All The World.”

Alex’s eyes grew and she knew.

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I used to waste my time on
Waste my time dreaming of being alive
Now I only waste it dreaming of you.