Ariana’s POV –
“I’ve been waiting to hear those words come from your lips,” Alex says quietly, the corner of his lips tugging upwards into a smirk. I let out a small chuckle, my eyes brimmed with tears. He moves so he’s kneeling down on one leg in front of me. His large hands cup my cheeks, wiping away the stray tears.
“Careful there Alex, it looks like you’re about to propose,” I joke, leaning my cheek into his palm. His skin radiates warmth and I physically relax from his touch. Alex chuckles quietly under his breath, dropping his gaze to the floor before looking back at me. From his golden skin to the darkness and depth of his eyes, I feel myself weaken.
“I need to you to kiss me,” I whisper, my bottom lip wobbling unsteadily. I inhale sharply, trying my best to not break down all over again. I can still feel Justin’s touch crawling over my skin, the way his forceful lips felt against mine.
“Get rid of him,” I plead with him and Alex silently nods, dark eyes searching mine.
“I’d do anything for you,” he murmurs, leaning forward. His kiss is one of pure softness and gentle movements. I crumble underneath him, urging him to continue so I can get rid of all traces of Justin.
I want Alex, all of Alex.
He never once applies forceful pressure, his lips gliding against mine in a sensual way. It feels like he’s fixing me from the inside, mending all the broken cracks of my heart. I don’t realise I’m crying softly until he pulls back, resting his forehead against mine —
“Detente hermosa. . . it pains me to see you so broken.”
I reach up, quickly wiping away the tears on my cheeks. A slight blush creeps up my neck and I’m embarrassed at how much I’ve broken down in front of someone like Alex.
“It’s okay, I think I’m slowly being fixed.” I murmur in response, my lips stretching out into a small smile. Alex grins back at me, chocolate brown eyes shining brightly. I can’t help but mirror his happiness, it’s contagious.
“The next time I see Justin, I’m going to kill him.” Alex suddenly says, his face quickly masking over with a tense look. He helps me up off the floor, wrapping an arm around my waist. My body feels weak and sore and I’m grateful to have Alex to lean against. I’m too tired to protest against him so instead I laugh dryly, nodding my head.
“You have my full permission to do that.”
“Gracias hermosa, not that I needed it anyway.” Alex winks at me cheekily, helping me out of the door. I can’t help but laugh at him, the addicting sensation of butterflies still fluttering away in my stomach.
*****
“Caleb, why are you jiggling your leg like that? It’s so annoying,” I say, shoving his shoulder lightly. He’s sat beside me in Alex’s car, his right leg bouncing up and down.
“He’s a nervous wreck because he’s bringing his girlfriend down to the woods to go camping.” Alex explains, keeping his eyes on the road. I frown as I turn towards Caleb, slightly confused.
“Why are you a nervous wreck?” I ask him. He throws his hands up in the air, catching me by surprise at his sudden reac-tion.
“Because! Nicki doesn’t do camping. She hates leaves and mud and bugs. She’s going to be cranky all weekend and I can’t un-invite her.” He sighs heavily, leaning back into his seat and sliding down it.
“Why did she agree to go?” I giggle quietly at his reaction. He looks like he’s about to give up on girls entirely from the deep frown on his face. Caleb doesn’t answer me and instead pouts unhappily, folding his arms across his chest. He pre-tends to not hear me and Alex chuckles in the front seat, shaking his head.
“She agreed to go because she’s doesn’t trust Caleb. Her worst fear is another girl getting down and dirty in the mud with him.” Alex says, turning briefly to give me a humorous smirk.
“She sounds like she has trust issues, you should re-assure her.” I comment, turning to give Caleb’s shoulder an awkward sympathy pat. He groans in frustration, tugging at his dark hair.
“I honesty would un-invite her but I’ve always wanted to have sex outdoors. She’s my only way,” he grumbles. I hold back a laugh but just can’t help myself from teasing him further.
“You’ve always wanted to have sex under the stars whilst the moon shines and the birds sing their oh-so-beautiful song? Sounds like a great chick flick.” I tease him. In the front seat, Alex burst into laughter, the sounds filling the car. I join him and Caleb turns to glare at me, his mouth hung open.
“Hey! I’m going through something very traumatic here. This isn’t the right time for your girlfriend to be turning this into a funny situation!” Caleb protests at Alex. My laughter dies down and I can feel my cheeks grow hot from Caleb calling me Alex’s girlfriend.
Alex doesn’t seem phased by it and instead continues to chuckle at Caleb’s expense.
“Dude, she’s funny. I’m not going to stop her.”
I bite down on my lower lip and instead stare out of the window as Alex and Caleb continue to argue with each other. They sound like an old married couple bickering over the last slice of an almond cake. Eventually, Alex slows down and parks outside my house, killing the engine. He quickly jumps out of his seat, walking around and opening my door for me. The blush on my cheeks deepen and I turn to give Caleb a goodbye wave.
“Good luck with Nicki,” I smile and he gives me a grateful smile and a goodbye wave in return. I hop out of Alex’s car and he immediately slides an arm around my waist, walking me to my front door. The sky is dark and we walk in silence, his body radiating heat through mine.
“So…” I drift off, approaching the front door. Beside me, Alex chuckles quietly under his breath.
“Is this where we say goodbye?” I ask him, looking up into the swirls of his eyes. I immediately feel taken aback, the beauty his eyes hold will never not have an effect on me. Alex shakes his head in protest, his hands dropping down by his side.
“I was wondering if you’d like to join me this weekend? I have the entire weekend to myself and we’re going camping,” he smiles, looking slightly nervous. I’ve never seen Alex look nervous and it only causes me to blush deeper.
“You want me to go camping with you?” I ask him quietly, inching a tiny bit closer. Alex clears his throat, nodding his head.
“That’s if you don’t mind bugs, leaves, trees, mud and possibly not showering for two days?” Alex asks, his usual confi-dence returning. I bite back a smile, shaking my head.
“I don’t mind those things.”
His face lights up and he takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers together. I can feel my heart thumping wildly against my chest, threatening to break through any moment.
“Is that a yes?” He murmurs and I nod, feeling butterflies go crazy inside my stomach.
“Give me five minutes to get my things,” I whisper.
“Take all the time you need. The bugs can wait.” He drops his hand from mine reluctantly, taking a small step back.
“What about having sex in the outdoors? Is that something you’ve also wanted to do?” I joke, laughing as I remember Caleb’s reaction. Alex chuckles again, a cheeky sparkle in his eyes.
“Is that an offer?” He breathes out, taking me by surprise. I open my mouth to respond but no words come out so I quickly snap it back shut. A shiver of anticipation and excitement travels down my spine and I find myself struggling to breathe normally.
“Did I just take your breath away hermosa?” Alex asks me confidently, a smug look on his face. I roll my eyes at him —
“You wish Alejandro.” I lie, turning the key in the door and stepping inside. He simply grins back at me, walking down the path backwards with his keys in his hand. I watch him go, every hair on the back of my neck stood up pin straight with excitement.
I can’t help but feel this way, it’s what he does to me.