The Gray Zone

CHAPTER 16

/Jesse's POV/

Alexis' eyes got wet as she finished her answer and seeing her like that made my stomach hurt. She was so fragile. And how the fuck could her last boyfriend tell her something like that? She was a real princess. A Princess with magical hair and a beautiful mind and very sad eyes. We were at the end of the dusty area and right in front of us, down the hills, was Newbury Park.

"You are water 12 feet deep and I am boots made of concrete." I whispered and starred towards the little town beneath us. It was silent for a moment before I heard her giggle slightly. 

"Why are you quoting The Front Bottoms?" 

I turned around and put my arm around her. "Because it's true though."

/Alexi's POV/

The sun was setting behind us and Jesse looked so beautiful right now, even in sweatpants. He was standing close to me and it was the first time that I told someone really how I felt in general and not just drew things in my journal. It was almost surreal, standing here and forgetting about the rest of the world again. I was glad I didn't cry but the quote brought a lump up in my throat again. Months ago he was just this arrogant prick and then I put myself through this time of listening to the same three songs on repeat, dazzling and staying dehydrated and somehow Jesse was still here and looked at me like I was a whole universe. He leaned forward and our foreheads touched while he continued to mesmerize me. 

"Let me kiss you. Let me kiss the deepest and darkest parts of you and plant happiness in your soul and let flowers grow in your brittle lungs and give you the moon and the sun and every little star. Please. Let me, Alexis." He said softly and my hand went around his neck, it was warm and pulsing. 

"Your whispers are the clearest things I've heard in ages." 

Then I pushed myself closer to him and looked up. Jesse's eyes moved quikly as if he wasn't sure this would really happen right now. It was different from the last times we were so close. My heart bumped so hard it hurt until he finally leaned down and kissed me gentle and slow. I kissed him back and held him tight to me. His lips were warm and soft and I melted in his fingertips. It felt all so natural and while parting his lips with my tongue I was actually calm – not that I found it boring but it was so easy to control my actions and that made me strangely confident and happy. He moaned into my mouth as he deepened the kiss and pulled me even closer. My hands were pulling his hair playfully and I began to smile. Jesse began to smile shortly after noticing and then let go tardily. When I opened my eyes again he was grinning like a little boy who has just done something forbidden without any regrets. It was absolutely charming. 

"Wow." He breathed out and brought my hands up to his chest "That was better than in my memory, way better." He winked causing me to giggle. After another moment I went up on my tip toes and pulled him into another kiss to which he instantly by biting my lower lipcent and chuckling "Damn Princess, you're not that innocent are you?" Before his hands wandered around my back and held me close.

"So when you called me in the middle of the night you were really serious?" 

We were sitting on one of the old picnic tables and looked down on the little city. It was almost as if it was cut off from the rest of the world and we were up here above everything. Jesse had handed me one of the beers he had in his car. It was still a bit cool. And now we were here, my leg against his and music playing from the car radio. Actually we were the ones who were cut off from the rest of the world.