Saving Grace. [Alex Gaskarth]

Fun Size.

ALEX

"Hey Ivory?" I whispered. 

"What?" She groaned, burying her head into my chest. 

"You don't think Jack likes you right?" I asked. 

"Alex, why in the world would Jack like me? He was the most excited about us in the first place." She smiled, looking up at me.

"Why wouldn't he like you?" I pouted.

"Because he knows I'm taken." She pointed out, kissing my chin. 

"You're so short." I chuckled, kissing her forehead. 

"FUN SIZE!" She sighed dramatically. 

"Whatever sweetie." I winked. 

I kissed her forehead once more before settling back into the sleeping bag me and Ivory were cramped into. At around midnight she had fallen asleep on my lap while Taylor and Matt exchanged stories with us guys about past experiences they'd had. I had politely excused us and carried Ivory inside our tent, she had woken up in the process but just smiled as I helped her change into my hoodie and sweatpants. 

We had started out in separate sleeping bags, but Ivory was shivering, and sleeping alone seemed even worse after Ivory had slept round not two days before. Despite how cheesy and cliché it sounded, I just liked holding her. She was small, and always cold because of a weird circulation problem, but it only made me want to warm her up and protect her. So I had climbed out of my own sleeping bag and unzipped hers, slipping inside and pulling her into my arms. 

"So why would Jack like me? Where did that come from?" She asked. 

"Just earlier, the way he was looking at you, and he asked you to, y'know, make out with him..." I answered shyly. 

"How was he looking at me?" She chuckled. 

"The way I look at you." I whispered, lowering my head to gently press my lips to hers. 

"Hey Alex?" She said, pulling away. 

"What's wrong babygirl?" I said worriedly. 

"Nothing...I have something for you." She mumbled. 

"Ivory you don't ha-"

"Shut up and accept it, it's nothing really..." She smiled. 

She slipped out the sleeping bag, causing a wave of cold to wash over her and a shiver to run down her spine. She quickly reached in her bag and wrapped her hand around something, before stumbling back over to the sleeping bag and climbing in, wrapping her arms around me to warm up again. I chuckled and pulled her to my chest, running my hands up and down her arms to get rid of the goosebumps. 

"It's nothing really, but you gave me a kiss, so I thought it was time I gave you one too..." She smiled shyly, pulling away from me and unwrapped her fingers to reveal a small and intricate thimble charm. 

"Oh Ivory-Grace..." I smiled, she looked down shyly and hooked her finger over the chain I already had around my neck. I watched her in awe, pressing my palm to hers to take the charm. I took the chain off and slipped the thimble onto it, before fastening it back around my neck. Ivory watched my movements and smiled the biggest smile I'd ever seen her wear, her eyes filled with tears as she leaned forward and balanced the charm between her fingers to press a kiss against it as I had done to her own charm. 

"Thank you darlin'." I whispered, kissing her forehead. 

"My Mom would be so happy right now." She sniffed. 

"Why?" I asked, placing my hand on her cheek and tracing under her eyes with my thumb.

"It's my Mom's charm, she told me to give to the boy who t-takes me away..." She stuttered through her smile. 

"Away to Neverland?" I questioned. 

"The place t-that makes you h-happy." She choked out, grabbing my shirt in her hand and pulling me towards her. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, a lump forming in my throat. She had given me her Mom's charm, she had given me part of the most important thing in her life. 

"I love you." I smiled, resting my forehead on hers.

"I l-love you too." She grinned, a few tears descending down her cheeks. I reached forward and quickly swiped them away, leaving my hand to rest on her cheek while I gently pressed my lips to hers in the gentlest way possible. 

"We're so cheesy!" She laughed. 

"Get it used to it - you're stuck with me." I winked. 

"God help me!" She winked, brushing her nose against mine. 

"Watch it, short stuff."