At the lake

Chapter 10: Watched it Burn

Alex followed me inside and I kicked my trainers off at the door. He did the same but placed them in a neat line on the mat. "Who did you say you lived with again?" He asked as his eyes scanned the circular hall anxiously. His eyes drifted up the spiralling staircase to the right of the door.

"Kevin. He's a student but, he's not around much." I answered. Once I was on the second step up, I looked back over my shoulder and smiled at Alex innocently, holding my hand out to him to take it. He returned my smile shyly and took my hand.

As we climbed the spiralling stairs, I didn't look back. Was I really showing my professor my bedroom? Did I tidy?
My heavy wooden door opened and I let go of Alex's hand, and dived onto my bed. I quickly shuffled round so that I was lying flat on my stomach with my legs bent up in the air, and my ankles crossed.

I sighed softly, it had been such a long day: waking up hungover, the hike with Jamal, the rugby match,  hours of painting and a panic attack. I felt wiped.

Alex was lingering shyly by my closed bedroom door, his eyes observing all the drawings and photos I had hung up along the walls and ceilings that were glittered with fairy lights and little tokens of souvenirs.

"So? What do you think?" I asked. Seeing as he was my art professor, I really wanted him to like it. All of it. It was the only part of room that Kevin said was, and I quote, 'not so bad.'

"I think it looks beautiful." He said, whilst crossing the room and sitting himself down on the edge of my queen sized bed. I moved a lot in my sleep and there was plenty of room for a large bed in here so I upgraded this year.
Alex looked at me then, tilting his head slightly at me and then his eyes wondering, taking all of me in before looking back at my mural. "Is it about you and your friends?" He asked.

"Yeah. It's all of it." I said quietly. We stared at each other for a while then, my chin resting on the palm of my head as I looked up at him. We just, stared at each other.

Feeling a little self conscious, I licked my lips and bit my bottom lip in thought as I sat up and crossed my legs together.
"You can take your bag off and stuff y'know." I chuckled and Alex smiled as he dropped his satchel and gently leaned it against my bed post. Then he unzipped his black raincoat and hung it on the back of my swivel desk chair.

Whilst Alex was getting himself more comfortable I pulled out a tin from a box under my bed, and opened it. Inside the tin was a bag half full of weed. It was my secret stash, for the nights that got really bad and I couldn't sleep. It wasn't really what I smoked for a night out, but it stopped me from dreaming.

Alex watched me as I grabbed a tray and placed what I needed onto it: my grinder, rizzler, filter, lighter.  As I licked the paper and rolled it neatly, I began on my second.

"Here." Alex beckoned his hand at me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "you wanna try roll?" I asked, a cheeky smile on my face.

"Yes haha, I'll roll you one." He chuckled. He looked so care free in this moment, like he wasn't thinking about anything else.

"Hmm okay. But if you mess it up," I said pointing an accusing finger at him.

Alex threw his hands up in surrender, "I won't." He laughed.

I slid him my tray and watched him intently as I twisted the end of my joint between my fingers. "Fuck off!" I screeched, completely surprised. Alex had rolled the sexiest looking joint I had ever seen.
"How do you know how to do that?! You're like 50!"

Alex erupted into a deep laugh, his head went back a little and he put his hand on his forehead as he did.
"Firstly, I'm thirty five thank you very much." It was his turn to playfully point his finger at me this time. "And secondly, I'm an artist." And shrugged at me like that explained everything.