Babysitter or Boyfriend?

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Alex called me just after nine o'clock the next morning, as I was applying mascara to my eyelashes. I put him on speakerphone while I finished. "You still up for beach day, Miss Watson?" He asked. "It's the perfect day for it. I can just feel it."

I laughed. "Well, you'd certainly know," I teased, remembering that Alex had once told Jake and I that he spent hours and hours each week at the beach-even if just to study by the water. "I'm definitely still up for it. Just tell me when."

"Sweet," Alex replied. "I'm thinking the sooner the better, because it's going to get pretty crowded. And hey, I was thinking of inviting my roommates and maybe a couple of other friends, but if that makes you uncomfortable just say the word and we'll go, just the two of us. We can take everyone else some other time."

I smiled at his thoughtfulness, and as much as I loved spending one-on-one time with Alex, there was no reason he shouldn't invite his friends to the beach. Alex and I weren't in any way an item, and therefore our time together didn't always need to be so exclusive. The more the merrier, right? "Of course you should invite them," I assured him. "I'll even ask my roommates if they'd like to come along."

"That'd be awesome. I'm just going to round up some towels and sunscreen and stuff, and then I'll head over to your place and you and I can make a run to the store for snacks and drinks while everyone else gets ready. Cool?"

"Cool," I confirmed, and a moment later we disconnected the call.

Finishing up in the bathroom, I hurried back to my bedroom to change. Until I was about sixteen, I only ever wore one-piece bathing suits. Then, on a particular shopping trip with friends, I purchased my very first bikini. I'd never been overly fond of my body-for so long every time I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a scrawny, flat-chested kid. Things had definitely improved over the last couple of years, and the more I wore them, the more confident I felt in bikinis.

I selected my favorite-a cool, almost metallic blue suit with a large Hawaiian flower printed on the corner of the left breast-and changed quickly. Pulling a tank top and shorts over the suit, I slid my feet into a pair of comfortable white flip flops and wandered into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal. After dinner the night before, I insisted Alex stop at the store for a box of Capt'n Crunch (my guilty pleasure) and a gallon of milk. Call me childish, but I got cranky if I stayed hungry for too long in the morning.

I was just pouring milk into the bowl when all three of my roommates clomped downstairs together. "Morning!" I greeted them cheerfully, and they replied with similar enthusiasm before going about their own breakfast business.

"So, Avery, do you have big plans for your first full day in Santa Barbara?" Melissa, the redhead, asked with a grin in my direction.

I swallowed the food in my mouth before responding, "Actually, yes. Alex and I, and some of his friends, are headed to the beach in about an hour. I was going to ask if you three wanted to join us. I'm not sure how many people there will be, but it should be fun. If you don't have other plans, the more the merrier."

Brooke, from her position in front of the open refrigerator, whirled around to face me. "I'd love to go to the beach," she said quickly, then glanced at Melissa and Kimberly. "We were thinking about going shopping or something, but the beach is much better. I need to work on my tan, anyway."

"Great," I said when the other two agreed that they'd like to come with us. "Alex is picking me up in a few minutes to run to the store for snacks and drinks. Then I'm assuming we'll all just carpool to the beach. So maybe like an hour?"

They nodded, but before any of them could reply or ask questions, there was a hard knock at the front door. "That'll be him," I stated, and strode towards the door to let Alex in. He looked good-black and blue plaid swim trunks, a blue t-shirt, and flip-flops. His brown hair was wavy and tousled as always, and on his nose was perched a pair of Aviator sunglasses. Damn...Alex Riley wore Aviators really, really well.