Chapter 27 #2
Elena ran to catch up with him, but he refused to waste any time.
He needed to take his mind off things, and a cold sea was exactly what he needed.
Alex closed his eyes and let the waves rock him.
He knew Elena was waiting for him to speak.
All of this was new. Never before had a girl managed to get him so worked up.
He'd always liked control, but every time Elena was around, he couldn't think straight.
He wondered if she felt the same way. She had her own centre of gravity, and there was nothing he could do to get away from her.
Hell, he didn't want to. He loved her too much to go back to how his life was before.
Alex let his head fall back. He couldn't run away from her forever.
When he turned back, she was smiling at him—all traces of mischief long gone.
She threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Instinctively, he placed his hands on the small of her back.
Although the water was cool, he felt Elena's warmth invade him.
In the distance, children were laughing, but Alex was unable to concentrate on anything but the siren in front of him.
If she started singing, he'd follow her underwater.
Without warning, Elena placed her lips on his.
For a few moments, Alex was stunned. For months, she'd been the one holding back.
Now Elena was taking the lead, and Alex didn't know what to do. She backed off when Alex still wasn’t responding.
“Why aren’t you kissing me back?” she asked, her head cocked to one side.
“Why are you kissing me in the first place?”
“Because I love you.”
Since when was she so outspoken?
“But you wanted to take it easy...”
“So you don't want me to kiss you?”
“No! I mean, yes!”
Alex grumbled. Every time she was with him, he scrambled for words. Her chest shook with silent laughter.
“I want you to kiss me every day. All day long, as much as you want to. I just don't want you to feel like you have to do anything if you're not ready.”
Elena rested her forehead against his.
“In that case, you'd better get ready.”
“I think I'll survive.”
Elena kissed him again, and this time Alex kissed her back, all tension gone. Their kisses were soft, light, and full of love, and that was all he needed right now. When they drew apart to catch their breath, Elena placed a final kiss on his cheek. An idea occurred to Alex.
“Oh, no! No, no, no! Alex, don't.”
She tried to free herself from his embrace, but before she could break away, Alex pulled her under.
Once back above water, she glared at him, and Alex laughed.
She had the charisma of a wet puppy. Elena tackled him, and they splashed around like children.
Alex couldn't remember the last time he'd been so carefree, but he was now.
If only they could stay like this forever.
Elena's face suddenly fell. Panic invaded her features.
“Oh no...”
“What did you do?”
For several long seconds, Elena seemed to be caught in a dilemma she couldn't resolve. She looked up at Alex with a grimace.
“You've got to help me.”
“What?”
“My top came undone. Help me close it.”
Alex laughed even harder. Could it be that karma had caught up with her? He had to tease her a little. “I've been asked to undo a bikini before but never been to lace one up.”
Elena frowned, which only made his fun increase. He quickly tied the bikini strings, and she ran to the beach without looking back.
“Hey, wait!”
Still grumbling, she grabbed her bag and stormed off towards the seawall. Sophie and Nina watched her leave.
“What's going on?”
“She's jealous,” Alex replied, crossing his arms with an amused look on his face.
***
Ever since the bikini incident, Elena had mastered the art of eluding Alex.
She'd give him discreet glances, but as soon as he turned to her, she'd act like nothing had happened.
At first, Alex had thought she needed time to grumble, but evening had come, and Elena was still pretending he wasn't there.
He hadn't expected her to be so jealous and territorial, but he loved it.
“Your sweetheart is still mad, I see.”
Sophie sat down beside him on the sofa. Alex was going to have to find a way to make it up to her if he wanted her to talk to him again before the weekend was over. Making up with this mermaid would be the best part of his day. He was already hers. She just had to understand that.
“I know. I have a plan.”
They prepared to go to a tapas bar. The girls had all decided to get ready, so Alex had little choice but to follow suit. He pulled on a black shirt and rolled up the sleeves. This would have to do. While they were getting ready, he checked one last time that his plan was well thought out.
When Elena walked into the room, Alex was unable to react.
The only word that came to his mind was breathtaking.
Elena was wearing a mid-length brown satin dress that hugged every part of her body perfectly, and white heeled sandals.
Her long hair was wavy, and she'd done her eyes up.
Elena had walked straight out of a dream.
When she saw him staring at her, she lowered her eyes, uncomfortable.
He wanted to compliment her, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Nina and Sophie left the bathroom.
Although they were both beautiful, he couldn't take his eyes off the ballerina.
On the way to the bar, Nina and Sophie chatted as if nothing had happened while Elena continued to carefully avoid Alex. Whenever he came near her, she started walking beside Sophie. Alex smiled. Even though she'd been grumbling for hours, she held her head high like a real princess.
The atmosphere in the bar was cheerful. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex noticed that Elena regularly gave him furtive looks.
He enjoyed the quiet while the girls chatted.
When she got up to go to the bathroom, he knew he had to act now.
Alex followed her and waited. As she came out, she was surprised to see him.
Elena tried to walk past him, but Alex held her back.
She put as much distance between them as possible and leaned against the wall.
She seemed to realise that he wasn't going to let her slip away, so instead she glared.
“Are you done sulking?”
She looked everywhere, except in his direction. Her hair looked so soft and silky. Alex wanted to grab a curl and play with it.
“I'm not sulking.”
“Oh really?”
Elena sighed. She ran her hands through her hair, carefully avoiding his gaze. “Maybe a little.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No.”
Alex placed his hands on the wall, caging her. As he'd expected, she lowered her eyes.
“Talk to me.”
Elena finally looked up at him, her gaze uncertain. His siren was breathtaking, and all he wanted to do was lose himself in her blue eyes. And kiss her. Now that he'd had a taste of it, staying away from her had become even harder.
“Put yourself in my shoes, Alex. I wanted to impress you, and my top came undone. It was so embarrassing. And you had to allude to other girls. How should I have felt? I thought we were having a moment...”
She bit her thumbnail. How was she so cute? Alex thought of a way to make her feel less embarrassed. The only thing he could come up with was to embarrass himself in turn. If it were for her, he didn't mind.
“You don't have to impress me anymore. You're already the icing on my cake.”
Caught off guard, Elena burst out laughing. Alex leaned in to kiss her, but against all odds, she turned her cheek.
“Don't think you've won me over that easily. I'm still mad.”
“Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Out.”
“But what about Nina and Sophie?”
“They'll have fun without us.”
Sophie knew about his plan. Alex took her hand and pulled her out of the bar. Elena waved to her friends without retaliating. Once outside, she let go of his hand.
“Where are we going?” she repeated.
“It’s a surprise.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“I don't like surprises.”
“I know, but trust me. You'll like this one.”
Alex held out his hand. For a few long seconds, Elena hesitated, then shrugged. She gave him her best smile and linked her fingers with his, her other hand on Alex's arm.
“Okay.”
They walked in silence. When they were together, even the silences were pleasant. He enjoyed the warmth of her palm in his. Alex guided her towards the beach, where people gathered in front of a small stage. Musicians were already playing.
“A concert?”
“You'll like what they’re about to play.”
Another band took to the stage and began to perform.
The small crowd went wild, and Elena followed suit.
She sang and jumped like every seventeen-year-old was supposed to.
The musicians played Maroon 5's This Love, and Elena turned back to Alex, surprise and adoration written all over her face.
While she enjoyed herself listening to one of her favourite songs, Alex admired her.
He'd be willing to pay to see her so carefree more often.
The band went on to play several Maroon 5 songs, with Elena dancing. When the last song was over, Elena returned to him, smiling widely.
“Thank you.”
“Having fun?”
“I love it. There's just one thing missing to make it perfect.”
She placed her lips on his. Before he could kiss her back, Elena stepped back to look at him.
“How did I get so lucky to find you?”
Feeling his heart beat faster at these words, Alex kissed her back. He wanted to convey everything he felt, and Elena understood what he wasn't saying. The music grew slower. Alex put his arms around Elena's waist. They rocked in each other's arms, enjoying the music. Mission accomplished.
***