Nothing You've Come To Expect - Alex Turner

27. tenderness a plenty book

I planned on posting this fluffy sweet chapter (but also a bit hot 👀) for Valentine's Day. I'm one day late. Oh well.

~Warning: smutty scene at the end~
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I lift my eyes and I catch Alex on the door, watching me as I place some Halloween decorations outside, by the entrance.
Mr. Whiskers all splayed in the shadow opens an eye every now and then, supervising me.
It's mid October but the warm Santa Ana winds brought summer temperatures. I'm sweating.

Alex just woke up from his afternoon nap. He's bare chested and he's wearing only some lounge boxers.
He brought some weights from LA and his arms, his shoulders and his little turtle bumps show that he has been using them regularly.
I convinced him to let his hair grow and now it is at that awkward lenght where, if he pulls them all back, two strands at the side of his forehead always fall back down, framing his face. I find it hot. He does that right now.

"The prince is risen!" I exclaim when I notice him. I pause for a second, admiring his nice figure. "Like 'em?" I point at the few various-sized pumpkins I put along the path from the little gate to the door.
"Quite charming. Maybe you should have waited a few days though."
"Why? Halloween is only a couple of weeks away!" I walk towards him.
He laughs to himself dropping his head.
"What?"
He shruggs. "With this heat, those pumpkins won't look as fresh by the 31st," he says then.
I plant a kiss on his lips. "Nahhh they'll be fine, buzzkill."
He may actually be right.

"Jog?" He asks
"Ugh...it's too hot babe..."
"Just a walk then?"
"It's like 30°C!" I protest.
"Come on! It's such a nice day! It will be less hot and breezier by the water."
We kept the habit of running or walking on the beach in the late afternoon/evening. It helped Alex immensely with keeping the withdrawals curbed. Those stopped after a few days, thankfully, but we enjoy the activity so much, we still do it every few days. We also like the activity that often comes after that. Ehèm.

Anyway.

Alex extended the rental until the end of the month, but he may extend it again. We're enjoying this too much, playing house. We're having a great time together.
We're relaxing and detoxing from some shit, literally and figuratively. It's just us and our love and some friends every now and then. We've been going to concerts, tried different restaurants, chilled at home, went to see movies or shows, we've been hanging with a few close people. Simple things.
The press lost our tracks and no one's bothering us.

I was afraid that once we started living together some major incompatibilities would arise. But I have to say that aside from some normal minor differences, we harmonize very well in the everyday life. The only thing he's still finding hard to adjust to is my material chaos. I can be messy.
I'm trying to keep it under control but my nature inevitably keeps coming out. It drives him a little crazy, but I'm sure we'll calibrate.

Recently we went to LA in the weekend a few times to catch up with some friends. And getting more stuff from his house. I swear, the guy never has enough clothes, shoes and music instruments and equipment.
I've seen him on the guitar a lot lately trying to come up with something, but he's getting a bit frustrated. He brought back here a track recorder and other things and he's arranging to get a smaller piano. He said that toying with the piano was opening his imagination and he wants to get back to it.

There's another habit that didn't go away. Just like Mr. Whiskers, now enjoying the contained outdoors of the little back garden, Alex leaves little presents for me to find every now and then: a flower, my favorite snack, a funny magazine article cut-out, a strange rock, a little knick knack he saw in a store he thought would make me smile. Way better than the kitty's dead mice and headless lizards. Sorry Mr. Whiskers.
Alex's offerings are often accompanied by little notes, like the first time. They're usually funny or cute, sometimes poetic. I love them.