ARABELLA • Alex Turner

TWENTY THREE

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"Jesus Christ."

   Arabella looked up from her reflection in the mirror at the sound of Alex's voice, watching his brown eyes rake her body and his right hand shove through his dark hair.

"What?" She laughed.

They'd been in Portugal for two days now, and this was the first time they were venturing out to the beach. She had decided to wear her favourite bikini for the occasion, a black strapless one which left little to the imagination but was perfect for lying outside all day without getting weird tan lines.

"Nothing." Alex replied, eyes still glued to her body as his teeth tugged at his bottom lip. "Just–wow."

   Arabella turned back to the mirror with a smile, dimples sinking into her cheeks.

She finished applying the clear mascara she had bought specifically for swimming, along with SPF lip balm. The sun exposure over the last few days had dusted her nose and cheekbones with little freckles, like coffee-coloured constellations on her skin.

   "I was gonna ask you to do me back, love." Alex extended a bottle of sun cream in her direction once she was done with her makeup, clearly still admiring her. He was only half-dressed himself, sporting a pair of navy blue swim shorts and the silver chain he always wore around his neck.

   Arabella took the bottle and squeezed a generous amount of the sweet-smelling liquid into her palm, approaching Alex and turning him around so that she could reach his back.

   He was silent while she massaged the lotion into his skin, clearly enjoying the feeling of her warm hands on his body, but when she was done he turned around and addressed her.

   "You're so beautiful."

   His voice was quiet and his eyes were soft as he studied every little inch of her face in the perceptive way he always did whenever they shared intimate moments. He looked at her as if she'd hung the stars in the sky, and even though they had been dating for over a month now, locking eyes with him still made her stomach flutter.

   "You're more beautiful." Arabella replied earnestly. Words were Alex's thing, and she could never do justice to the way he made her feel with his sweet comments, but she tried her best to reciprocate. "You're perfect."

   Alex cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her tenderly, whispering something along the lines of what did I do to deserve you? Arabella's heart skipped a beat.

   "Reyt, turn around. Let me do yours."

   Despite the fact that he'd done it countless times over the past few days, the feeling of his firm hands rubbing the lotion into her skin was heavenly. He spread it across her shoulders before moving lower, even making sure to cover the strip of skin beneath her bikini top.

   Once he was done, he stepped away and handed the bottle back to Arabella, leaving her in front of the floor-length mirror in favour of finding a shirt to wear.

   She worked the lotion into her arms and legs while she watched him rifle through his suitcase, apparently feeling indecisive. He eventually dug a white henley out and, deeming it suitable, pulled it over his head.