Page 47 of Perfectly Us
Cars come into view, all parked in a small field beside the road. I pull in beside a red truck and cut the engine. Nerves roll in my stomach as I see people up ahead. Some look familiar, like Ruben and the guys he’s hanging around. They were at his party. Girls walk around in bikinis, and all the guys have their shirts off.
Scenarios run through my head of them laughing at me. Or ignoring me altogether. Both are upsetting in their own way.
Alex reaches over and grabs my hand. My heart skips a beat as I look at him.
“It’ll be okay,” he says. “I promise. These people are really cool.”
When he starts to let go of my hand, I gently squeeze his fingers to keep him still. He threads his fingers through mine and rests his head on the seat, watching me.
It’s the first lingering contact we’ve had since we kissed. My mind’s no less clear than it was days ago. I’m still confused about my feelings for Alex. But. I like touching him, being close to him. His palm is so warm against mine, and it helps soothe the anxiety stabbing at my chest.
“We can stay here until you’re ready,” he says, his thumb moving in small circles on mine.
I squeeze his hand again before pulling away. “Let’s go. Don’t forget your bag of snacks.”
“Towels and sunscreen,” Alex says, opening his door. “And Twizzlers. Also, some sour gummy worms. Maybe some chips.”
“Okay, Mary Poppins.” I get out of the car and lock it once he closes his door.
“I like you teasing me. You didn’t do that much before.”
I’ve noticed the slight change too. I still get flustered around Alex and embarrassed. I still worry about saying the wrong thing sometimes. But I’m more relaxed around him now.
Alex hums to himself as we walk down a small hill toward his friends who are gathered near the water. He’s in flip-flops and slides on the grass. I grab him to keep him from falling. He grins as we stand chest to chest, my arms secured around his waist.
“Well, hello, good-lookin’,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. “Do you come here often?”
Shaking my head with a laugh, I pull away from him. Truth is, I liked having him in my arms, our bodies pressed together. Much more than I can process.
“Sexy Lexi!” a guy shouts, looking our way. His biceps are bigger than my head, and he’s wearing a backwards hat. My insides coil. Jocks were the bane of my school years. “’Bout time you showed up, punk.”
“Don’t you know royalty arrives last?” Alex says, doing a little twirl as we reach them. “So you all can be blessed by my grand entrance.”
“A royal pain in the ass maybe,” Jock Guy responds.
“Screw you, Tyler.” Alex playfully shoves against the guy’s beefy arm. “You remember Shiloh?”
“Kinda.” Tyler looks at me. “We didn’t get a chance to talk though. I’m Tyler.”
“Shiloh,” I say, then drop my gaze to the grass.
Alex bumps against me and smiles when I look at him. The sun brings out the gold in his eyes. His freckles are more noticeable too, kissing his cheeks and the very tip of his nose. He tears off his shirt and slides down his shorts, exposing neon green bottoms. His bathing suit is skimpy like he said, more like formfitting briefs than swimming trunks.
A tingle goes through my body as I take in the roundness of his ass and his smooth thighs.
Alex is on the small side: short, lean, and subtly toned. His muscles don’t come from a gym, but rather from him being active in other ways, like swimming and goofing off with his friends. Always on the go.
“Sexy Lexi’s at it again,” Tyler says, nodding to Alex.
“Why do you call him that?” I ask, shocking myself. I never speak up around people I don’t know. But with Alex standing beside me, I’m not nearly as nervous as I usually am.
Tyler laughs. “You wanna tell him, or should I?”
“Go for it.” Alex smirks. “Spill all my naughty secrets.”
Tyler turns to me. “Okay, it happened New Year’s Eve. Ruben threw one of his kick-ass parties, and everyone got shitfaced. Alex here”—he throws his arm around Alex’s shoulders—“took off his clothes and started dancing on the kitchen table in his underwear. Some of the girls put makeup on him, lipstick, that eye stuff, and everything. Got him lookin’ all pretty. He then grinded on every dude at the party, chicks too. Said he was a stripper named Sexy Lexi.”
I bust out laughing.
