"Look overhead at the stars and the ocean,
Foggy emotions, moments, erosion,
This supernova could cause a comotion."
Supernova - Ansel Elgort
"Since when did you learn how to barbecue?" Nessa eyes Kye suspiciously as he flips another sausage on the grill, the aroma of sizzling meat wrapping around all of us, making my stomach grumble.
"It's in my DNA," He states proudly, and Nessa gives him a flat look in response. "I watched my dad do it all the time growing up, Nessa. Don't get your knickers in a twist." Kye grins down at her, ruffling her hair affectionately before turning back to the grill.
"If my sausage comes out as a piece of charcoal, I'm coming for you, Kye."
"Yes ma'am."
We're on the back patio, scattered around in the lounge chairs and the hammocks. It's a clear night, with stars twinkling brightly above the ocean. The beach at night is one of the most peaceful things I've ever seen. The salty breeze drifts around me as I take a seat on one of the lounge chairs, grabbing my bottle of beer.
The sound of the glass door sliding open catches my attention, and I turn my head right on time to see Alex stepping out. My skin tingles like it always does when I see her, but the electricity in my veins only sizzles when my eyes drop down to what she's wearing. A white backless halter neck top that looks like it's made out of silk drapes around her chest snugly, highlighting her perfectly sized boobs. The cream coloured skirt she has on is flowy, and has a thigh high slit that makes my chest ache in longing.
Alex is so fucking hot. The tiny little outfits she wears make her look ten times more irresistible, and all I want to do is rip them off of her. My heart almost collapsed in my chest when I saw her in that bikini earlier today.
Thankfully, the water reached above my waist and no one saw Hunter Jr peeking up.
Right now, her bare legs are nearly making me salivate, and I remember how soft and warm they felt under my hands. Looking at her, I can almost recall the taste of her on the tip of my tongue, the rush of satisfaction when she orgasmed in my mouth.
Since I first mustered up the balls to kiss her that day of the party, I haven't been able to get enough of her. Every kiss with her is like coming in contact with Heaven itself. Alex is like a drug, I got one taste and now I can't stop. And she doesn't seem to mind it. She makes me feel things. Things I never knew I was capable of feeling, things I never thought I'd feel.
I'm the first person she's been with since what happened to her. I try not to dwell on it, but I can't quite figure out if I'm just her way of moving forward, something casual, or if there's more to it. Either way, I don't want to find out and ruin this perfect little thing we have going on.
My train of thoughts is interrupted when she sits down on the lounge chair next to me, grabbing a can of WhiteClaw as she throws greetings around to our friends. Subconsciously, my shoulders slump, and my body releases the tension that it always seems to have. Her presence is comforting, it always has been. When she walks into the room, all the pressure that's built up inside of me deflates like a balloon.
"Hey," She throws me a smile, brushing her long chocolate coloured hair off her shoulder, revealing her perfect, soft neck and shoulders.
I try not to lose my breathing over the sight of her bare collarbones as I reply. "Hey Peach."
"Alex," Kye calls, grabbing her attention. "Burger or hotdog?"
"Burger, please, Chef Kye." She giggles, taking a sip of the WhiteClaw. Her lips have some sort of shimmery clear lip gloss, making them look incredibly inviting and I'm aching to kiss her, but I hold back. Resisting Alex Rose is one of the hardest things I have to do on a daily basis. Every atom in my being just wants to have her.
I'm getting way too worked up, so I get to my feet, looking for a distraction to clear my head. I walk over to the wooden railing of the patio, and lean my elbows on it, looking over at the ocean, indulging into a conversation with Miles. The next few hours pass by with us eating, drinking, and messing around, Kye even singing karaoke at one point. I keep stealing glances at Alex, because god she's beautiful and I can't keep my eyes off her.
By the time 1am ticks by, everyone is fairly tipsy. I've only had two beers so I'm good, but the rest of my friends, and Alex, are slurring, giggling and slow in their movements. One by one, everyone mumbles good night's and disappears into their rooms, clearly exhausted after the long day we've had. I watch as Alex goes upstairs with Kiara, her arms lazily sloped around Kiara's shoulders.
I clean up as much as I can before shutting the sliding door and locking it. Switching off all the lights, I make my way to my room, slumping onto my bed with a yawn. I reach for my t-shirt to pull it off, when a knock on the door interrupts me. Sauntering over to the door, I pull it open to reveal Alex.
"Peach. You okay?" I ask immediately, my eyes assessing her for any sign of discomfort, but I don't find any.
Instead, she smiles up at me. "I can't sleep."
Her words are slow, her accent somehow thicker when she's drunk. Those pearly green eyes of hers are glassy, light as they peer up at me, watching me closely.
"Yeah? Do you want to do something?" I ask, cocking my head sideways as I look down at her. She's a head shorter than me, the perfect height.
"Yes." She hums, pausing in thought. "The boardwalk. I love it there,"
I didn't need to be told twice. The next thing I know, the two of us are sneaking outside, being quiet so that we don't wake our friends up. After she assures me that she's level headed enough to ride her bike, we set off into the night. Even though it's nearly past 1am, the boardwalk is still up and running. A few places are open 24/7, diners and arcades. There's a fair amount of people around as well, families and friend groups hanging around.
Alex is cycling a little ahead of me, and I'm following her down the boardwalk, when she comes to a halt in front of the tattoo shop. I noticed her looking at it yesterday, while we were going to grab food. The tattoo parlour is one of the best I've seen, neon lights and music playing, giving it a whole retro vibe.
"Do you want to get a tattoo?" I ask, coming to a stop beside her and placing one foot on the ground to balance myself on my bike. Alex looks at me, and back at the parlour again, chewing on her bottom lip as she considers it.
"Yeah,"
Twenty minutes later, we're both laid down on two chairs side by side inside the parlor. Our tattoo artists, Lea and Ryan, are getting the equipment ready. Alex is still flipping through a book of tattoo designs, deciding what to get. There's three other customers in here, two getting piercings and the other guy getting a huge tattoo on his back. R&B music pours out from two big speakers, and one of the neon signs morphs into different colours from time to time. I like this place.
"Have you decided yet?" I question, looking over at her. The neon glow from the lights makes Alex look like something out of a movie, inhumanely beautiful. Her green eyes stand out against her tanned skin, and I find myself getting lost in them for a second.
"I want a dragon." She says, shutting the book, snapping me out of my reverie. "A small one."
"Like the ones from Pokèmon Go?" I tease, and she chuckles, shaking her head.
"I drew a sketch of a dragon awhile ago," Alex fumbles in her pockets for her phone, and pulls it out. A small pause follows as she scrolls through her gallery and shows me a picture. It's a pencil sketch of a dragon, not the scary, goth kind you usually see in tattoos. This one is more delicate, more animated. It's wings are spread, and it looks like it's flying. It's shaded in with the pencil, the outline darker.
"You drew this?" I look up at her. "It's fucking amazing."
Alex lets out a breathy chuckle, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you."
"Why a dragon?" I can't help but ask as I pass over her phone back to her.
"My dad used to read me this story about a dragon when I was a kid." She starts, her eyes dropping to her fingers that are on her lap. "I don't remember exactly, but the dragon was like this strong, kind creature who saved all the other creatures in her kingdom. Dragons symbolise growth and strength, in so many cultures and stories. That story really resonated with me growing up, I guess."
"That's... wow." My heart is bursting at the seams for this girl. "You're making me want to get one too."
Alex's eyes light up, and she tilts her head at me curiously. "Really?"
"Is that alright? Getting a tattoo that matches yours?" I chew on my bottom lip, nervously tapping my fingers against the armrest of the chair I'm on.
She smiles, and my insides melt at the sight of it. "I'd love that."
Ryan and Lea return, and ask us if we've decided. Alex shows them her sketch, and they agree to it. Ryan plops on a stool beside me, whilst Lea takes a seat next to Alex.
"Where do you want the tattoo?" I hear Lea asking Alex, and I turn my head in their direction.
Alex pauses in thought, before replying. "On the right side of my ribs?"
She lifts her top and shows Lea the rose tattoo she has on the left side of her rib.
Lea smiles. "Good choice."
"Hey man," Ryan catches my attention. "Where do you want yours?"
I look over at Alex again, who's grinning at something Lea is saying. The neon lights bounce off her eyes, making them sparkle.
My hand reaches up and touches the middle of my chest, a little towards the left. I can feel my heartbeat pulsing directly underneath my fingers.
"Right here."