Cotton Candy Bruises

12. Afraid

Alex bit his lip from anxiousness as he thought. "I-i wanna go to the beach tonight," he trailed off, "when no one's there." He looked away, avoiding eye contact.

Nicole turned to look at the window that was bordered with black drapes.
Not much sunlight was visible, but she knew that she should help Alex get ready before it got too late.

"Lets go, Bruise Boy." She smiled softly.

Alex sat himself up, still clinging to Nicole's t-shirt for dear life. He wouldnt let go of her for anything.

"We can match, okay?" Nicole said, rubbing his back.

Alex slowly nodded, and Nicole slid a black t-shirt over his head, and helped him slide a pair of ripped light blue jeans on, with black grunge boots.

"Sweater," he breathed.

Nicole grabbed a favorite black sweater from his closet and slipped it over his head.

He sighed as he grabbed a new, lighter handful of his partners shirt while she grabbed a sweater that she'd later put on if she got cold.

Alex clung to her like a lost dog as they walked out of the house and Nicole did everything that Alex normally did. She locked the house, and started his car, and also drove to the beach.

He stared at the lilac sky out of the tinted window, and he struggled to not cry as he felt his eyes begin to sting. His partner hooked a finger in his beltloop just for the sake of his comfort.

He watched the water appear from the road, and as they passed it, he realized how much he appreciated the beauty of a beach, and a sunset together. The oranges, and purples blended together for his satisfaction. It seemingly was a coincidence because of the two colors. Sunset orange was Alex's favorite color, and lilac, or soft purple was Nicole's.

It made Alex feel at peace, but at the same time a bit overwhelmed. He was unsure of how to take the pressure of how he felt at the moment and he felt the anxiety of it bubbling inside of him.

Nicole heard him sniffle and she turned her focus from the road for a moment to check on her boy. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" She spoke out over the low music.

Alex remained staring out the window as he fidgeted with his fingers. "I'm j-just scared," he breathed, "that you're gonna get tired of me being so sad, and so messed up."

Nicole gripped the steering wheel hard, and pressed the gas a bit too much. The cars engine was loud inside of the car and Alex smiled.

"You know I'm scared to drive fast, so if I drive fast will that prove to you that you have nothing to be afraid of?" She smiled.

Alex nodded. "Yes, just don't crash." He laughed.

Nicole looked back at the road and pressed the gas down hard and the car accelerated to a large extent.

Alex turned to look at the road, and Nicole was focused on the open road.

The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon and the only thing illuminating the road now was the cars headlights.

The rest of the way Nicole drove fast, and Alex had something else to focus on other than his thoughts.

When they arrived Alex was in a much better mood but he was afraid that his thoughts would come back.

Alex clung to Nicole's sweater as they walked to the beach, and she layed down a blanket for them to lay on.

"I can start a fire if you'd like." He said, quietly. Still holding onto Nicole tightly.

"You dont have to, but i'd like to see your pretty face." She smiled.

Alex collected an armful of driftwood and dug a small hole in the sand and started a small fire.

They sat behind it, and Alex rested his head in her lap with his back laying on the gray blanket.

The embers illuminated Alex's face just enough to where Nicole could admire Alex despite his cuts, bruises, and puffy eyes.

He smiled when Nicole fixed his septum ring, and he ran the material of Nicole's sweater through his shaky, ring covered fingers.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Nicole asked, running her fingers through his hair softly.

"I-i was just scared that you were gonna leave me. Im afraid that you're gonna leave because of how sad i am sometimes, and how much i need your reassurance." He said, looking up into Nicole's warm brown eyes.

Nicole frowned slightly. "Baby, im not gonna leave you. I promise." She smiled, grazing his cheek with her hand.

"Okay," he said, attempting to smile.

"I dont wanna go home," he breathed.

Nicole looked down at him. "Then we dont have to, my baby boy." She smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Can we just go to Paris instead?" He smiled, looking up at her with a grin.

Nicole beamed, "we sure can, Angel."

A/N
Thank You guys for 1K, it means alot.
Have a great day :)