Babysitter or Boyfriend?

Chapter 20

A/N
GUESSWHAT?! My internet is FIXED! Yay! Its so much faster now and i can update faster and easier. Thanks so much for being patient with me while it was down...trust me, you all weren't the only ones suffering :P Another thing...I'm getting really bored with writing this story. I am so so so so so glad you are all enjoying it (I hope), but as an author with about a bazillion ideas running around inside my brain, I'm itching to write something new! So although this is not the last chapter, we're getting very, very close. Be prepared. Enjoy, much love.


Oh, and parts of this chapter are pretty mushy...because I like it. I write romance for a reason ;)





Chapter Twenty



As cliché as it sounds, Alex's kiss was more than I ever could have hoped for. His lips touched mine a little hesitantly at first, and then, when I moaned softly, he increased the pressure and really began to kiss me.

I nearly melted into the sand when the tip of Alex's tongue nudged my lips gently, but his arms held me steady and I dared to kiss him back.

When Alex finally pulled his lips from mine, it was as though a part of me had been torn away. "So," I managed to say breathlessly. "Does this mean...?"

"That I love you, too?" Alex's eyes twinkled. "That I've loved you for months but have been too chicken to tell you the truth?"

I blushed and gave a small nod.

"Yeah," he murmured, and stepped closer to brush loose hair off my face. "That's exactly what this means. I've fallen for you, Ave, and when Brooke said that stuff about you being madly in love with me at the party, I almost didn't dare hope it was true."

I grinned, placing my hands on his broad shoulders. "Well, then, I guess it's your lucky day," I teased, glancing up at the sky. "Or rather, your lucky night."

"That's my girl," Alex lowered his head until our smiling lips were pressed together once more. This time the kiss grew passionate very quickly and we sank onto the sand, tangling our arms and legs together as though we couldn't possibly get close enough.

A long while later, as we cuddled together and stared out at the ocean, Alex placed his lips against my ear and whispered, "Who knew I'd spend Halloween night making out with Tinkerbelle on the beach?"

I burst out laughing. Leave it to Alex to say something completely ridiculous like that.

"A super hot Tinkerbelle," he went on, trailing kisses from my earlobe down to my collarbone. "My girlfriend makes the hottest Tinkerbelle there ever was."

"Girlfriend?" I perked up slightly, twisting my body to look him in the eye. I liked the way it sounded coming from his mouth: girlfriend. I suppose it was sort of implied with all the kissing and especially the 'I love you' stuff, but it was still nice to hear him confirm my hopes.

Alex looked unsure for the briefest of moments, then nodded warily. "Only if you want to," he said. "I know it might be strange for awhile, but I gotta say, kissing you isn't strange at all. It feels really natural." As if to prove his point, Alex gave me a quick peck on the lips.

I grinned at him. "Girlfriend," I repeated. "Guess this means I'll have to change my Facebook status to 'In a Relationship.'"

He tickled my ribs lightly. "You better."

My grin suddenly faded. "But what about Jake?" I blurted.

Alex swore beneath his breath, then gave me an apologetic look. "Yeah," he grumbled. "Jake's gonna be pretty pissed off when he finds out, isn't he?"

"You think so?" I was a little taken aback. "But you're his best friend-the one person besides mom and I that I'm absolutely positive Jake trusts."

"Yeah," Alex said uncertainly. "But Jake's also mentioned that he thinks I'm kind of a player, and that I go through girls like some guys go through socks. I'm not so sure your protective older brother will be thrilled to find out I'm in a relationship with his little sister."

"Jake said that?" I asked, irritated with my brother for being so cold. "That he thinks you go through girls like socks?"

Alex placed his lips against my forehead. "He said it during an argument," he responded. "We both said some pretty nasty things. Jake may have been able to say in a nicer way, and he apologized later on, but I'm almost certain he meant it. To an extent, anyway."

I nodded, swallowing hard.

"Ave," Alex's arms tightened around my waist. "I don't want you to think you're just another girl to me-someone to break up with a month down the road. You're not; you're absolutely not. Because I'm in love with you. I've never been in love with anyone, besides you," he hesitated. "Do you believe me?"

"I believe you," I told him, nuzzling my cheek against the soft material of his t-shirt. "And for the record, I've never been in love before you, either. You're my first."

"That means a lot to me," Alex whispered, kissing my head. "More than you know."

It was past two o'clock in the morning by the time Alex and I managed to pull ourselves up off the sand. I rose slowly, wincing at the pain that immediately followed. I should've known better than to sit still for a long period of time-all it did was stiffen my healing joints. I felt like a ninety-year-old woman.

Alex watched me with concern in his eyes, and when I had managed to stretch my arms and legs to their full extent, he promptly swept me off my feet and carried me like an infant towards the parking lot. I grinned, wrapping my arms around his neck. This was way better than a piggyback ride.

"You going to be okay driving back?" he asked, lowering me gently to the ground beside my car.

I nodded. "I'll be okay," I assured him. "It's not that far."

"I'll be right behind you," he whispered, brushing aside strands of hair that had long escaped my Tinkerbelle bun.

By the time I pulled into a parking space at the apartment complex, Alex was already out of his car and running across the lot towards me. I stepped out of my car and he immediately took my hand, lacing our fingers together as we walked slowly to the front door.

"Come in," I murmured, tugging at his waist when he attempted to stay put on the porch. "You can tuck me into bed."

Alex grinned and allowed me to pull him inside by the hand. He stayed in the hallway outside my bedroom while I removed my costume and replaced it with a pair of pajamas. I stopped in the hall for a quick kiss, before flouncing into the bathroom to remove the last of my makeup.

He said sitting at my desk by the time I returned, and I slid deftly onto his lap. "You sleepy?" he buried his face in my neck.

"Mm hmm," I responded, kissing his cheek. "It's been an eventful night."

"The good kind of eventful, right?" Alex teased.

I laughed. "The best kind of eventful."

Not long after that, I climbed into bed and Alex drew the covers up over me. "Pretty girl," he said softly, smiling down at me. "Sleep well."

I nodded. "Thank you for tucking me in," I teased, and was rewarded with a gentle kiss on the lips. And then another and another.

An hour went by before Alex finally left.

* * * *

One month later...

"All set?" Alex asked, joining me once more in the parking lot behind his car.

"I think so," I stared at my duffel bag tucked safely in the corner of his trunk and then smiled up at him. "I can't wait to be home, even if it's only for a couple of days."

Alex pulled me into his arms and I buried my face in his neck. "Yeah, except I'm going to have to pretend we're just friends for the next two and a half days."

I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his soft, familiar lips. "Alex, we really need to tell Jake about us," I murmured, sighing. "This weekend. He deserves to know, and the longer we keep it from him, the more upset he'll be."

He nodded. "You're right," he admitted a little grudgingly. "Yeah, of course, you're right. We'll tell him this weekend. Get it over with, and then we're free to be as mushy gushy as we want. All day, every day."

"Well, I don't know about that," I teased, and Alex playfully tickled my ribs.

I dodged his hands and raced back into the apartment to use the restroom one last time. It was Thanksgiving weekend and Alex and I were headed home to Sacramento to be with our families. Mom was thrilled when I told her Alex and I wanted to make the trip together-ever since my accident, she wasn't so keen on the idea of me driving long distances. What mom didn't realize that our real motivation behind driving together was because five hours apart was pure torture for Alex and I.

It sort of goes without saying that in the month since we made our relationship official, Alex had proven himself to be the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. He was attentive and sweet, without being overbearing or obnoxious. Plus he was a great kisser, and easily the hottest guy at UC.

And he was mine.

By the time I made it back to the car, Alex was already in his seat, ready to go. I climbed in beside him, buckled my seatbelt, and took Alex's outstretched hand across the console. He kissed my fingers lightly, then turned the key in the ignition. We were off.

Mentioning Jake, and the task of telling him the truth that weekend, put a bit of a damper on my mood, and I stared somewhat gloomily out the car window. It wasn't long, however, before Alex squeezed my hand lightly and said, "What's wrong, babe?"

I forced myself to smile at him. "I just hope Jake's okay with our relationship," I admitted. "Sometime I never know how my brother's going to react to stuff."

Alex frowned. "Yeah, I hope so, too," he replied. "Maybe it'll just take some time for him to get used to seeing us together."

"Maybe," I murmured, though not totally convinced.

The drive progressed slowly and uneventfully. We chatted a little, Alex sang along to the radio, and a couple of hours into the trip, I fell asleep against the window.

A few hours later, I woke to a gentle shaking. "Babe, we're here," Alex said. "We're home."

I blinked the sleepiness from my eyes and smiled at the sight of his ridiculously handsome face. "Amazing how time flies when you're asleep," I mused.

"Yeah, not for me," Alex replied with mock-grouchiness. "My girlfriend is sleeping peacefully, while I'm about to die of boredom in the driver's seat."

"I'm sorry," I pulled him closer. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Alex grinned, touching his lips lightly to mine. "Oh, I have a few ideas," he said suggestively.

I kissed him firmly once, twice, and then pulled away and pushed gently at his shoulders. "Jake might see us," I explained, and Alex gave me a pouty look. "Stop! You're cute enough already, I don't need to see your puppy-dog face. That will be the death of me."

"I don't want you to die," Alex began playing with my fingers and sighed. "This is going to be the longest weekend in the history of weekends."

I tousled his hair affectionately. "Come on, it'll be fun," I said, promptly unbuckled my seatbelt, and leapt out of the car.

Jake must've seen us coming, because he ran outside before we were halfway to the front door. I laughed as my brother swept me into his arms, then proceeded to swing me around in circles. Once I was appropriately dizzy, he placed me back on my feet.

"I miss you so much when you're gone," he said, pressing a brotherly kiss to my forehead.

"I miss you, too," I squeezed him briefly, then released him and watched as Alex stepped forward to hug his best friend. The mournful look Alex gave me over Jake's shoulder nearly made me laugh out loud.

Mom was out the door seconds later, and squeezed me until I groaned. "My beautiful daughter," she said, placing one hand against my cheek in a very motherly way. "I'm so glad to have you home this weekend."

"Me too, mom," I responded. I meant what I said, but Alex was right-keeping a respectable distance was going to be tough. Glancing over to where he stood casually chatting with Jake, it took all my self-control not to mosey on up and wrap my arms around his waist.

"Are you hungry?" Mom asked after several minutes of catching up. "I was thinking it'd be fun to go out to eat tonight-we could invite Alex's family, of course."

"Of course," I responded, grinning at my boyfriend. "Sounds great, but I'd really like to take a shower first. I feel like I've been in the car all afternoon." The four of us laughed.

Fifteen minutes later, I was undressing in the bathroom I'd called my own for eighteen years. Just before I climbed into the shower, my phone buzzed obnoxiously on the vanity, indicating a new text message.

From Alex: This is torture. I love you.

I was sort of glad he couldn't see me right then, because I was grinning like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl. It'll end soon, I typed back quickly. And I love you, too.

While I showered, I contemplated ways to 'break the news' to Jake, but everything sounded stupid. By the time I finished, I was frustrated all over again. There had to be a way for Alex and I to sneak away-even if only for a few minutes.

I'd put on a fresh pair of jeans and a simple yet cute t-shirt when there was a knock at my bedroom door. "I'll be right out, Jake," I said loudly. "I'm just putting some shoes on."

"It's not Jake," Alex's voice came through the door.

My heart leapt, and I immediately raced to the door and flung it open. When I saw that he was alone, I pulled him close and stood on my tiptoes for a long overdue kiss on the lips. He stepped into my room, his lips never leaving mine, and lifted me easily onto his hips. "This sucks," he mumbled against my mouth.

I pulled back. "I know it does," I agreed. "Do you think we should try to tell Jake at dinner? Or maybe afterwards?"

That's when my brother stepped through the doorway, saw our obviously cozy position, and folded his arms across his chest. "Tell Jake what, exactly?"

Busted.