Forever For You 🌷

15th May 2015

The sun was high in the sky, bright and casting everything in a flattering golden light and as Izzy stepped out of the car, Alex holding her door open at his insistence, she immediately shielded her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning in to kiss his cheek before he could close the door behind her.

For the entirety of the almost hour long car journey Alex had been wearing dark sunglasses to shield himself from the glare of the road and, Izzy thought, because he knew he looked good in them. His shirt was a pale yellow colour, half-buttoned and tucked into the darkest, tightest pair of jeans he owned and she watched as he walked to the boot of the car, deep in thought in a way that shouldn't have been attractive, but certainly was.

Alex clenched his jaw and adjusted the chain around his neck. He wanted everything to be perfect. "Need teh get the basket," he muttered.

Izzy raised her eyebrows at the picnic basket Alex retrieved from the boot of the car, beyond curious to see what he'd put together in the two hours he'd banned her from entering the kitchen the day before, but the top was covered over with the checked blanket. She smiled innocently when he turned his head back to her, well aware that she'd been caught trying to ruin the surprise.

"Yeh tryin' teh peek, Izz?" Alex closed the boot door with his free hand.

The corner's of Izzy's mouth twitched. "Would I?"

"I fink 's gunna beh worf the wait, babeh," he said nonchalantly. "Lemme surprise yeh."

"I'm excited," Izzy hummed back, knowing that Alex needed to hear it as much as she wanted to express it.

She took his held out hand and he lifted them to his lips to kiss along her wrist. She could feel his eyes on her even from behind the glasses and it made her shiver.

"Yeh readeh, birfdaeh girl?"

She nodded eagerly.

Though Izzy was almost certain they were in the middle of nowhere, no other cars or people in sight for miles, Alex lead the way with confidence, turning from where the car had been parked at the side of the road towards a stony path. Surrounded by tall green grass and inhaling crisp air which made them feel distinctively far from home in the city, they were heading up to a small bank. The heat was palpable already, but the linen material of her white dress which stopped just above her knees, the hems frilly and delicate, provided a welcome breeze. She shifted closer to him despite the warmth, inhaling his scent, treasuring his closeness.

They strolled through trees and Alex tilted his head, admiring the way the light dazzled between the gaps in the branches, then angled his face again to admire hers, how effortlessly pretty and ethereal she looked amongst the natural landscape. "Yeh look so pretteh," he mumbled. "A bloodeh angel in this dress."

Izzy lifted her head, looking down at her outfit then scrunching her nose back at him. "I feel old. Almost thirty."

"Yeh ain't old."

"Got my first wrinkle last week," she laughed into his arm.

"Pshh. Wrinkle schminkle. Gunna love yeh regardless."

Izzy was about to respond when Alex nodded forward and let go of her hand to pull back the gate in their path.

"This is a kissin' gate," Alex said matter-of-factly, crossing half way through the gate before leaning back over to where she was on the other side, pouting. "Means yeh've gotta kiss meh."

Izzy laughed and leant in to kiss him without hesitation, her hand on his cheek. She admired his blissed out smile when she pulled back.

"Fanks, darlin'," he hummed, stepping through, then holding the gate for her to join him on the other side. "I'll let yeh pass now." He retook her hand as soon as it was possible.