#lovedrunk

Chapter One, Part One:

"We really did pick a great time to move in Lain!" Roxy Harmon chuckled to her best friend, "Snow tonight apparently!"

"Oh well, these little things are sent to try us!" Lainie Robertson smiled and surveyed the dilapidated bistro she was honoured to be standing in!

"This is never going to work Lainie!" Roxy eyed the surroundings and winced at the sight of torn wallpaper on the walls showing the bare wood behind it.

"Relax Rox, this is so going to work! Just you wait and see! Once we've got it spruced up we can open and business will pick up! There isn't another diner for at least 2 miles! Have faith friend, have faith!" Lainie seemed too excited to listen to reason, this was going to be a dead loss! The landlord even said it, but Lainie always had a way of turning mud into gold! She'd never let Roxy down yet…but there was always a first time!

It was a lot of work, but if anyone could do it, it was Lainie! She had managed to secure a loan to purchase everything she needed to create her own little diner, "Lainie's"! This had been her dream since she was a child and her grandmother taught her how to bake her first sponge and roast her first chicken! Lainie saw potential…

…where Roxy saw a disaster!

But over twenty years of friendship had to count for something! Going through high school and university together, comforting each other over doomed relationships and failed exams. Sticking together through thick and thin. Roxy owed her friend that, especially after she saved her life! They didn't talk about it, but Roxy had never forgotten…and she never would!

"Aaaaaaachoooooooo!!!" A young blonde sneezed in the cold street as the much predicted snow fell and lay thick on the ground. Selena McLean stood in that street every night, waiting to catch a glimpse of her heartthrob, Dexter Maloney! She and her friend Erin Daley had followed Deadly Nightshade since the beginning. They were an indie/rock band doing the rounds in every club and venue in Moonlight Falls, sometimes beyond. There were no limits to Selena's devotion, Erin on the other hand was a bit more sensible…

"Selena honey, I think Dex had other plans!" Erin's teeth chattered as she tried to speak. Selena just smiled at her friend, her teeth chattering too and her lips turning blue, "Come on, let's go home. We can see Dex and Ash another day eh? We're going to catch our deaths out here, I didn't bring a coat and this snow is pretty heavy!"

"But Erin that's the point!" Selena's squeaky voice chirped. Erin gave her a puzzled look and replied;

"I don't follow…"

"Well the plan is to catch pneumonia and Dex finds me lying in the snow, he scoops me up and rescues me! I get to sleep in his bed for a few days as the doctor says I can't possibly be moved and by that time he'll have fallen completely and utterly in love with me! See???"

"Oh honey, you're a special kinda crazy aren't you? And that's why I adore you!" Erin smiled and shook her head as a car stopped outside the block of flats and then began to slowly drive by.

Erin rubbed her arms to get a little warmer and pleaded "Now can we please go home?"

"Alright, I can see Dex tomorrow!" Selena gave in, still cheery over the thought of seeing Dex the next day!

When the boys arrived home from their gig, Dexter spotted Selena outside his abode and ordered his best friend and band mate, Andrew Mitchell, to slow down and try to stay out of her sight! "Just go round the block one more time!"

"What the hey Dexter???" Drew cursed under his breath, tired and cold and wanting very much to get into his nice and warm bed.

"Please Drew! I'm really not in the mood for them tonight!"

"Okay, but you owe me!"

"I'm goin' to bed! I've had enough of this drama from both of you!!!"

"Well goodnight then Drew, jeez PMS much?" Ashton, Dexter's older brother laughed under his breath as Drew left the brothers to unpack their gear. After having to go round a further three times, Drew was in a very bad mood and stomped into his room without a civil word to either of them.

"It's not working is it Dex?"

"No, no it's not! We want different things and…you want things I can't give you!"

"I love you so much and I'd give up everything for you! You just don't give a damn about me and I can't live like that Dexter!"

"No, no you can't!"

"Is that all you have to say? It's over and you don't even bat an eye???"

"I…don't know what you want me to say Rosalie…"

"Say you love me!!! Dexter???"

Dex had recently split up with his girlfriend of two years, Rosalie. She wanted him to give up the band, he wanted to get more gigs and even a record deal if they could. She wanted to get married, he wanted to focus on his music and his painting. He thought he loved her, she knew she loved him. He knew he should feel bad about the break up, but he didn't…and that made him feel bad!

This was having an adverse effect on Dexter's painting. All he could draw lately were stupid still life paintings! It made him mad and frustrated, his walls were adorned with his masterpieces and he'd planned to cover his entire room, but one wall was bare. It wasn't going to fill up any time soon! Usually if he painted in his underwear, he got better results…not this time!

Another strawberry later and Dex heard raised voices coming from the living room which was a miracle as Drew and Ash were jamming!

A young woman had let herself into the boys' flat, Charlotte Kennedy put her hands on her hips and pouted, trying to shout over the drums and guitar, "You boys are making too much noise!"

"Aww Char, you're a poet and you don't know it! Wanna write us a song?" Ash chuckled and continued to batter his drums.

"I'm trying to think! Keep it down!"

Drew piped up "Come on Charlotte, go with the flow, relax…why don't you have a go on Ash's drums! Very theraputic, just imagine it's his head!"

Ash pouted and yelled "HEY!!!" still drumming away.

"Hey guys? What was I saying again?" Drew sniggered at Charlotte's forgetfulness and gave her a wink and in his sweetest voice replied;

"That we were sounding good!" Charlotte gave him a puzzled look in return.

"Was I? Oh…but keep it down!"

"Um I don't think I would say that but…okay if you say I did Drew then…no I would never…" Charlotte was a very kind and caring person, if a little kooky! She lived alone with her cats, Mr Fuzzickles and Mrs Ubercutes, she had been married but was now divorced. The boys often wondered if she'd been this kooky all along or if it was the split that made her that way.

"Oh goody here's Dexter come to greet you in his pants again Char! What a treat!" Ash shook his head and giggled at the sight of his younger brother in very little clothing strolling towards a visibly shocked Charlotte.

"OH MY GOODNESS!!! DEXTER MALONEY!!!" Charlotte gasped and tried to look anywhere but at Dex.

"What?"

"Put on some clothing at ONCE!!!"

"Uh this is MY house? Go back to yours!"

"Noise and nakedness, it's just too much! I'm calling Mr Grimes and having you…told not to be noisy and naked!"

"Okay, off you go!"

"Yes I will, goodbye! What?"

"Maybe you could help me get dressed Charlotte? Something that you would approve of huh?" Dex gave her his cutest smile as she blushed and shook her head, her beautiful streaked hair flailing into her eyes.

"You boys are unbelievable!!!"

"Oh come on, you love us!" he grinned cheekily at her and batted his blue eyes. Dexter knew just how much charm to use to make women weak at the knees and lost for words.

"Just stay clothed and quiet, you hear?" Charlotte's face turned crimson and she flapped her arms as she turned and left muttering away to herself.

"Yes Ma'am!" Dex saluted her and headed to his room to put some clothes on.

With their possessions packed and waiting outside the flat upstairs, the girls surveyed the old bistro once more. "Are you sure about this Lainie?" Roxy gave her oldest friend one more chance to change her mind…

…but Lainie was determined, stubborn and totally adorable once she got an idea into her head! And when she got an idea in her head that was a crazy idea, Roxy always followed her even though there was a very big chance of failure, she would go down fighting with her! So when she replied "Yes Roxanne, I've never been more sure about something in my life!" it was good enough for her!

"Then I guess we do this thing! All or nothing right?"

"All or nothing girl!" Lainie grabbed hold of Roxy and hugged her tightly…

"Thank you!" she looked Roxy in the eyes sincerely.

"For what?"

"You know, for always supporting me!"

"Is it even a question?" As Roxy stepped back, she felt her foot crush something on the floor, it was sticky and squishy…

"Ewwwww what was that???"

"Just…don't look, let's go unpack!"

Ash found Dex crouched down outside their flat engrossed in some activity downstairs. Two pretty young women were arguing over cases and boxes, Ash came to the conclusion that they'd rented the flat above the old bistro. It had stayed empty for months since the landlord's wife had found out about his bit on the side living there. It was nice to see new people in the building, such attractive people of the opposite sex. He could tell that young Dexter was thinking the same thing the way he was silently observing the girls. "What's occurring little brother?"

"Nothing, just…having a bit of alone time!" Dexter replied in a hushed voice.

"Uh-huh! Alone time!"

Ash gave out a small laugh and softly kneed his brother in the back, "So, why don't you go talk to her?"

"To who?" Dex tried to sound nonplussed.

"Oh it's like this eh? Well she won't see you from all the way up here so why don't you go and offer to help her carry her stuff in?" this wasn't like Dex, he usually had a way with the ladies, talking to them was easy for him. Ash always found it hard to get a conversation going when he really liked a girl. Making friends, no problem, asking her out? Whole different ball game! When Dex didn't answer him he kneed him again and almost knocked him through the bannister, "What's the matter? Why won't you go introduce yourself?"

"Because dear brother I am quite happy to observe from up here! There is no need for me to introduce myself! I'm just hanging out!" Dex let out a huge sigh and continued to watch the two girls moving in and squabbling over suitcases. It was obvious to Ash that Dex had a thing for one of them, so why hadn't he made a move?

End of Part One.