Finding Love

20

I am that person who

Sticks around longer

Then I should. But

Once I’m gone, I ‘m

Gone.

It's mid-November, 2 months later since the incident. A lot has happened in those 2 months. Finn asked Kim to be his girlfriend about a month ago. It was super cute. He took her to the beach for an evening walk. He'd drawn a heart in the sand with candles. Of course, Kim had to cry and happily yelled "YES". Finn has been sitting at our table almost every afternoon now, not that you hear me complaining. Lexi has also been texting, for a couple of weeks, with a boy who is a year older than us. Things haven't really changed with Britte. We once asked her if she liked someone, she didn't immediately answer with a no or a yes.

"Earth to Lily" Owen gets me out of my mind as he waves his hand in front of my eyes. I blink my eyes a few times before I look at him questioningly. "We're here" he announces when he jumps out of the car. I see that I am the only one in the car and get out quickly. Aiden had decided to go to the beach for a picnic. If I didn't know what the climate is like in California, I'd say he's crazy.

I followed the guys as everyone's carrying a bag. I wanted to get one out of the car too, but Jax and Owen wouldn't let me. I sigh, but I shake my head laughing, yet I love them. Jax puts his bag down and takes out a big picnic blanket and spreads it over the beach. The boys follow his example and soon they start to undress. Blushing, I look away, still not used to seeing boys, who are not my two brothers, half-n***d. Certainly not when each of the boys has a body like the roman statue.

While I'm standing with my back to them anyway, I also start to undress. First I decide to take-off my shorts, followed by my t-shirt. I take my hair out of my tail, making it wavy under my armpits. I turn back, to see that the boys are looking at me. It's the first time they see me in a bikini. Owen and Jax don't pay much attention to me but Aiden, Rayen, and Alex do. The first two wink at me, which makes my eyes roll.

But Alex just stares at me, without blinking one off his wide-open eyes. His gaze glides over my body, every spot he seems to store in his memory. Luckily, I'm not the only one noticing it, because Jax pulls out and hits Alex right in the back of his head. Luckily this gets him out of his trans as his cheeks turn red, probably just like mine look now.

The day after I saw him with Chelsey, he came to apologize. So I made it clear that I don't care and walked away. For three weeks, I didn't say anything to him, after the necessary yes or no if I had no choice. Of course, the boys noticed this, and Owen and Jax came to talk to me. I was able to maintain for a few days that it was nothing before I told everything about what happened between us. Jax was ready to storm in on Alex when Owen's words had stopped him, "I've known Alex all my life, and he's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you."

Owen convinced me to start over with him, give him a second chance. Alex was very happy that I said more to him than a short no or yes, but I think he also realized that we weren't exactly friends again, he played too hard with my feelings for that. Since then Alex did everything he could to get us back to before I opened the door that night.

Luckily he did this because of all the effort he had put into it made it work.

‘Let's swim' calls Rayen happily as he walks to the water and jumps in. Aiden shouts a kind of battle cry as he, Owen and Jax, follow Rayen to the sea. "Are you coming too?" Alex asks me when he reaches out his hand to me. I shake my head laughing, "No thanks, I think I'll take a look at this one," I tell him.

One arm slides under my legs and another around my back when I am lifted up and I shout a frightened cry. ‘Alex put me down' I shout laughing as he walks to the water as well. When the water comes to his waist he looks at me playfully. "Ready to fly princess?

"Flying?" I ask confused, but before I know it I float in the air and end up in the water. I come back upstairs laughing as I look at him playfully. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you," I try to say threateningly before I throw water at him.

It's evening and we're all sitting around a campfire. I sit next to Alex and lean my head on his shoulder. He has his arm wrapped around my waist while Rayen gives me a melted marshmallow. Enjoyingly, I close my eyes when I put the glory in my mouth. My eyes fly open again when someone scrapes his throat. In front of us is Chelsey with two of her friends, looking at me dirty. I stiffen up and slide a little more towards Rayen, who gives me another marshmallow as a distraction.

Alex looks at me in hurt when he looks at Chelsey angrily, "What do you want?" he asks. This is what also changed in those two months. Alex started avoiding Chelsey completely, which didn't stop Chelsey from coming back every time. "I just wanted to know if you were getting bored with the fat duck," she says with a fake smile as her eyes wander to me. Alex's eyes begin to spit fire and he wants to open his mouth to say something in return when I interrupt him.

‘It's not worth it' I whisper to him as I squeeze his hand. His gaze softens when he looks at me and nods at me, clearly against his appetite. "Chelsey, are you coming?" I hear a familiar voice saying. A boy with black hair comes to our group and stands next to Chelsey, his gaze glides to me.

"Lily," he greets me when I see the boys pulling up, especially Alex. "Hey Dylan," I say politely back. I made it clear to the boys that I'm not going to be a b***h to Dylan since he hadn't done anything to me yet. "Want to join us?" he asks with a twinkle in his eye, knowing it would make Alex angry. "I'm fine here, but thanks anyway," I say when I squeeze Alex's hand, trying to hold back his anger.

When Chelsey, Dylan, and their friends are gone, Alex pulls me against him again and grabs my hand in a protective way. I look at him for a moment and see that his gaze is fixed on Dylan who, with his friends, is also sitting a little further up around a campfire. When he feels that I am looking, he looks down and gives me a sincere smile that makes my heart beat a little faster again.