What Happens on the Fourth

DAY 4: MONDAY

MONDAY

Alex's arms were still wrapped tightly around my waist, his chest pressed against my back, when I woke up the next morning. The difference between this morning and yesterday, however, was that I had no inclination to push myself away. Instead, I just re-closed my eyes and wiggled myself further into him. I heard a deep groan in response.

"Still a tease," Alex mumbled in my ear, his voice deep and rasped from sleep. It sent a shiver through me, so I wriggled back a bit further, feeling his morning excitement against me. He thoroughly growled at that, tightening his arm around my waist- pushing himself into my backside. Excitement ran up my own spine.

Alex pushed himself up to hover over me, bringing my lips to his by grasping my chin. I didn't pull away from the unexpectedly romantic kiss- despite my fear of the cliché kissing with morning breath.

It was brief and gentle, though, before he dropped his lips to my jaw to repeat the action, then to my neck. I ran my hands down the back of the long-sleeved shirt he had fallen asleep in, my fingers running across the hard, defined muscles of his back.

"Alex-" I mumbled.

"Hmm?" His voice rumbled against my neck as he kissed it again.

"This-" I bit my lip when I felt his tongue flick against my skin. "This thing- it's just between us, right?" He halted his actions, and I fought my protest. He pulled back, his hazel eyes meeting mine and I noted the excessive green around his pupil this morning. It faded out into the dark brown of his rim like a forest leading into a lake. He cleared his throat.

"Is that what you want?"

"I really don't want to deal with Max and Kate and everyone else's opinion if they find out." If Max learned that he was right, and that Alex and I were, in fact- fucking, as he so blatantly put it- I'd never hear the end of it. His eyes flashed.

"Okay. Then it stays between us."

"No strings attached, right?" I forced a half smile, recalling his words from last night.

"No strings attached," he returned it and pushed himself off of me before rolling off the air mattress entirely. Evidence of the effect of our brief morning encounter was visible through the gray sweats he wore, and my eyes dropped to it before he readjusted. "My eyes are up here, Brooks," he winked, and I glared, earning a deep chuckle in response. "Are you going to hurry up and get ready for the day so we can go get some breakfast?"

"At that diner?"

"Of course," he pulled his hoodie- the same one I had accidentally stolen yesterday- over his head. "And to the gas station," he winked, and I immediately felt my face flush. "I might leave without you if you don't get your ass out of that bed, though." I jumped up, grabbing anything I might need when in the small washroom at the other end of the site, and

exited the tent, Alex on my tail. When I went in to the washhouse, however, he ducked into Max's camper. It was bold of him to assume that Max was in there alone.

I took one look at myself in the small, cracked mirror and physically cringed. My hair quite literally looked like an animal had attempted to nest in it. Though I didn't usually wear makeup while camping, I had been wearing a small amount this time- for obvious reasons- and remnants of mascara lined my lashes.

I quickly washed my face and combed through what knots I could, but ultimately decided on a messy bun on the top of my head before brushing my teeth and applying a light layer of makeup. I rushed back to the tent- spotting Max and Alex- now wearing a pair of jeans with his hoodie- next to the trailer talking to Amanda, Sam, and Matt. I quickly ducked into the tent and changed into a clean crewneck and my denim shorts.