I didn't know he knew how to cook... The text from Farris reads, followed by a discreetly taken photo of my boyfriend in his kitchenette, cooking me a meal, and wearing nothing but a pair of old volleyball shorts that look a few years too small on his ass.
Keep em' coming. I reply and receive a green-faced emoji. I roll my eyes and slump in my bed. I'm bolting up into a sitting position the second I think of FaceTiming Alexander. That way we can talk while he cooks, and I'll get to watch him while he does.
He picks up on the second ring and his phone is way too close to his face. "Honey I know you're not wearing a shirt. I just wanted to hang out while you cook, I'm bored." He smiles and sets the phone up against something on the counter so that I can see his entire upper body.
"I knew I should've brought you over here. I just didn't want you moving around too much today. Don't wanna shock the system. Plus it's not nearly as clean here," He pouts, looking around.
"That's okay, I know I should stay here. I just wish I had a kitchen for you to cook in. By the way, what are you making us?" He looks down with his eyebrows furrowed.
"All I really know how to make is chicken and rice, so I added veggies and am attempting a stir-fry."
"Mhmm that sounds good. The Alexander specialty."
"You know, we still call each other by our full, long names. When are you gonna start calling me Xan or Xander?" He smiles at me and I stick my tongue out.
"You mean the names everyone else calls you? Never. I called you honey a minute ago, that's shorter," I point out and his smile turns to a smirk.
"I noticed that. Did it even feel natural?" He asks.
I shake my head. "Not at all. I love your name. Al-ex-an-der. Or I could call you muffin?" I giggle, snuggling back into my covers when I feel a draft come in from the window.
"Yeah, it sounds so good when you say it. I can't complain," He says and I blush. "Can't believe I snagged myself a British girlfriend. I've peaked." He stirs everything in the pan, smiling to himself as he does and I press my lips together.
"You're too much. Look at you. My abs could never compare to those," I nod my head towards the screen where I can clearly see the hard and defined lines of his abdomen, chiseled to perfection from hours in the gym and on the court daily. "I don't even have abs anymore," I pout, lifting up my shirt a bit to look down at myself.
"Damn. And that's why I was with you. Hey, listen, something came up—" I scoff a laugh, cutting him off. His eyes soften as he bends down to rest his forearms on the counter and moves his face in front of the camera. "You're just taking it easy, they'll come back when you do. For now, though, the priority is getting you all better. It's just a couple of rest days so you can come back stronger."
I roll my eyes fondly. "It's more than a couple."
"It's as many as you need, Charlotte." I watch him turn off the stove and start scraping the contents of the pan into a container. He probably doesn't even know it, but he's got a small smile on his face as he does, and I smile every time he looks toward me as if he'd forgotten I was here in the silence and is pleasantly surprised each time he looks up.
"Let me just put on a shirt and I'll head over," He says, grabbing his phone and bringing me into the bedroom with him.
"If you must," I sigh.
He shakes his head and narrows his eyes. "Bye, perv."
"How do you even manage to do these by yourself? Reed must help," Alexander says, playing with the baby hairs falling out of the braid I managed after getting out of the shower.
"This one is usually quite easy, but I have trouble keeping my arms above my head for long to do them anymore, so I'll stick to the side plaits instead. They don't look as nice but I have a thing about hair getting in my face, that's why it's always up or back."
He nods, brushing the hair back from my face. I'm curled into his chest as we watch a film, but neither of us is paying much attention as we've been chatting throughout the entirety of it. "I think they all look really nice. Even the side ones look hard to me. My sister is older and thought we were the bane of her existence, so we didn't have the hair-braiding bonding experience," He laughs and I crane my neck to look up at him.
"I didn't know you have a sister as well. You don't talk about your family often," I say softly so as to not sound accusatory. He shrugs.
"What do you want to know?" He asks and my eyes widen. Thankfully, he can't see me with my back against his chest.
"You've mentioned your brother once before, you said he was a model right?"
"Yeah."
"Is he...successful at that?"
"Unfortunately. It's gone right to his head."
"Would I have seen him anywhere?" I continue, wanting to learn as much about Alexander's family and life before Red Ridge as possible while he's willing to share.
"You'd know if you had. He's me with blonde hair." This information has me turning around in his arms to face him.
"Twins?"
"Identical."
"And your sister?"
"She's three years older than Tanner and I. My parents adopted her as a baby when they thought they couldn't have one. Then we came along and they got two spares." My eyebrows furrow.
"Spares? Like the royal family?"
He sighs. "Basically. My mom's got a really successful business and at least one of her kids is expected to inherit it and take over. Elle's not interested, Tanner either, but I'm the youngest. They would rather take it than let me have it."
"So you actually want to inherit the business?" I ask and he nods.
"It's a big tech corporation. I've even interned there before, but nothing I do is..." I put my hand over his and urge him to continue. "My mom and I don't get along. She doesn't like that I have ideas of my own and don't simply listen. Also, she couldn't care less about sports. Says I'd have quit by now if I were actually serious about the business."
My shoulders fall. "That's unfair."
"Yeah, well."
"Screw them, we can make our own company. Build your own brand and your own name." He presses his lips to my head and I can feel him smile.
"Teach me how to braid your hair." He wants a topic change and I'm more than satisfied with what he's shared.
"Thank you for telling me all of that," I say, looking over my shoulder at him as I move to sit between his legs. We both sit up straight and I remove the elastic from the end of my braid.
"Shake it out, and then split it into three sections," I explain and he does. His hands are so gentle, careful of my sensitive skin, especially on my hair. I hand him a brush, knowing he'll be gentle with it. He doesn't say anything about the amount of hair collected in it already.
"Hey, I did it! Sort of," He says and takes a picture on his phone. "Wait, this looks nothing like these pictures." He leans forward so his chest is against my back, looping his arm around to show me the photo he looked up on his phone.
"It's your first try. Let me see." He shows me and I can't hold back a quick laugh. It's crooked and very loose.
"Try again one more time, a little tighter."
"Are you sure?" He asks and I nod. "I like the feeling of your hands in my hair. It's very calming."
"Do you want to lay down?" I look back at him.
"How would you plait my hair then?"
"You can lay on your front," He gestures for me to lay down so I do, resting my head on my crossed arms. I hear movement and suddenly I'm bracketed by his thighs on either side of my hips, though he doesn't put any weight on my body, I can feel his warmth above my lower back. I can't help the smile that stretches my face.
He massages my scalp first with deft fingers, his strong hands gentle and calming. I didn't realize I'd nodded off until I woke up to his hands on my back and shoulders instead.
"Did I fall asleep?"
"Well you haven't said anything for the past ten minutes, so I guessed so." I can hear the smile in his voice.
"It feels nice," I moan and his hands pause for a second before counting exactly the same way.
"I should head back. I've got an early practice tomorrow and then I'll be back to study?" He says, climbing over me to get off the bed and I prop my head up to smile at him, my tired eyes are closed and I'm ready to pass out just like this.
His lips ghost over my forehead and I pucker my lips for a kiss. When I don't get one, I open my eyes and he gives me a regretful smile. "I shouldn't. Wearing a mask everywhere isn't foolproof. I could still catch something and give it to you."
I nod in understanding, rolling over to watch him go. He leans in and gives me a proper kiss on the forehead, lingering there with one hand on the bed and the other on my bicep. When he pulls back, his brown eyes are so warm and dark with the soft glow of the lamp lighting up the room.
"I love you," He takes the words right out of my mouth. "Your lips are mine as soon as I get the go-ahead."
"I'll be waiting for that," I sigh tiredly.
"So will I, Charlotte."