We’re both sparsely dressed now, and I only notice the tube of arnica cream on the table when I sit down. “Come here,” he says as he picks it up.
My mom already smeared my face with an anti-bruising cream earlier, but I’m never one to refuse his touch. I get closer, offering him my cheek, and watch as he squeezes some of it on his fingertip. Then I sit there, fighting against my endeared smile as he applies it with the utmost care and gentleness. The way his face is focused, with so much warmth in his eyes while he works, makes my chest ache with too many emotions.
I’m so stupid for not seeing it earlier. It’s right there, in the concern in his steel grays, in the delicate touch of his finger, and merely in the fact that he’s doing this. At this very moment, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life. Lex is everything.
We both realize I’m tearing up when a drop rolls underneath his cautious caress. The worry on his face deepens the crease between his brows. “You should have told me I was hurting you, Andrea.”
Yes, he’s hurting me. In the sweetest, most fantastic way.I love you, Alexander Coleman.
“You’re not. I’m just tired.”
Not convinced, he finishes his tender treatment with even more meticulousness and then gives me a kiss on the lips as a reward for cooperating. Soon after, we resume our viewing of Peter Jackson’s masterpiece.
Usually, I observe religious silence during movies, but I’m feeling particularly chatty tonight, and I can’t help but talk to him during quiet moments. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, asking follow-up questions and taking part.
“Why does it feel like I was gone longer than a day?” I ask, feeling like we were separated for an entire week.
“Maybe it’s because the hours felt so long. Five more, and I would have forgotten your face.”
I let out an incredulous laugh, turning to him with an offended expression. “Am I that forgettable?”
Instead of answering, he turns his gaze to me, and I silently wait as he examines my face, frowning slightly at the redness on the side. “Every time I see you, I’m reminded of how bewitching you are, so I must keep forgetting.”
My jaw drops half an inch, my heart hastens in my chest, my skin flushes, and my mind races with too many feelings to think clearly. For someone who pretends to be bad at romance, he’s fucking incredible at it, isn’t he? How could I be so blind? Even though it isn’t the three words I’m dying to hear, it’s basically the same.
After a few seconds of stupor, I take my phone from the coffee table and open the front camera. Before Lex can say anything, I position myself for a selfie with him, resting my head on his shoulder, subtly hiding Stefano’s blow.
“What’s happening?” he asks, taken aback.
“I’m giving you something to remember my face by.”
The first pic is a failure, and I giggle at Lex’s expression in it. “We’re taking another one. Try not to look like a deer caught in the headlights.”
We do a lot better for the next two. Delighted by my enterprise, I sit up, looking at the three shots alternatively, a broad grin on my face. “We look adorable,” I say before sending him the photos. His phone buzzes on the table, and I give him a proud smile. “There, now you won’t ever forget what I look like.”
His chuckle is contagious, and we share a brief peck. Ready to get back to the movie, I grab a box of cookies from the table and snuggle against him. Now that my mouth is busy with pastries, I’m much quieter.
The only interruption comes when my phone vibrates. It’s Oli, answering the thank-you message I sent before leaving Portland.
Oli
No problem. I’m happy I could help. Just know I’ll always be there if you need me, Hulkette.
I grin slightly at the nickname and type my response.
Me
Thank you, you’re the best. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ll see you tomorrow.
I add a kiss emoji and send it. Getting into Kelex has to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Not only did I find an incredibly fulfilling job with fantastic opportunities and the sense that I’m doing something to improve the world, but I also made great friends and discovered love.
Had I missed their recruitment post on Instagram, none of this would have happened. But as chance would have it, everything lined up just right, and I’m now the happiest I’ll ever be.
I squirm closer to Lex, who’s absorbed by the movie. Being in the crook of his arm, safely tucked in the blanket with him, feels like home.
My phone buzzes in my hand again, and I mindlessly pull it up, already knowing it’s another one from Oli.
Oli
