Destined To Explode

After a couple of hours alone in Alex’s hotel room where we laid – I being wrapped up in his arms – and caught up with what each other had missed, even though we had been on the phone at least once a day over the past three weeks, we decide that it’s time to stop being wrapped up in our world and find somewhere to have lunch before we went back and joined everyone else.

A quick trip to In ‘N’ Out had us filled and we traipsed slowly back to the beach where everyone else was still messing about, Alex throwing himself into the mock football game that was taking place a little way away from the people simply sitting and talking, and I practically shove Drew out of the way until he creates a space so that I can sit by him and Trav.

“Evening, Mr Clark.”

“Well hello, Miss Zicarelli! Where have you two been, huh?” He nudges me with his elbow, winking repeatedly with a grin. “Racking up complaints from the hotel?”

“Oh shush, carrot top; we just talked and then we went to get some In ‘N’ Out,” I laugh as Travis pouts. “Stop thinking shit up in your head, you creeper.”

“Come play football?” Zack pants as he runs up, grabbing my attention as he crouches right in front of me. “I need you on my team, Bambina.”

I snort, raising an eyebrow as I hold a hand over where my scar is. “Not for a few more weeks, Zacky. Drew, go and take my place, boy, while I beat up your friend.”

“Deal.”

Drew runs off with Zack to re-start the game, and I start repeatedly punching Travis in the arm as I watch the gang run around and throw themselves in the sand and sea repeatedly.

Travis is whining as Cass joins us, handing me a Sprite from the cooler that was placed on the far end of the straggler group that didn’t want to be involved in fast paced sports in this weather, and takes the seat that Drew had abandoned.

“Your boy playing too?” I ask as I lean my head against her shoulder, smiling as Travis leans against me in turn. “I think that I might head back to the hotel, y’know.”

The day was catching up on me fast, the early morning wasn’t something I was used too, and the flight had tired me out, and even the walk to find food was something that my body was now telling me was a bad idea.

“Piggyback?” Vinny offers as he leans forward to look at me and I nod.

“Come on then, Petrocelli. You owe me this for all of the bitch work that I’ve done for you.”

Once I’m secure on Vinny’s back, I promise Cass that I’ll pop by her room, that she’s sharing with Rian, later on so that we can gossip and then Vinny is trekking us across the sand, both of us laughing as he finds it difficult to get up the little hill back onto the sidewalk.

When I turn my head at Alex calling out my name, he’s stood still, hand in the ‘okay’ gesture which I shoot straight back to reassure him that I’m feeling fine but then I’m in fits of giggles again as Rian aimlessly tackles him and they both go down like a ton of bricks, Alex protesting loudly with choice words that have parents in the area covering their children’s ears and discussing the foul language.

~*~*~*~

Alex’s POV

Poppy is still awake, although barely, as I step back into the room, waving back at her as she wiggles her fingers in my direction, she was cuddled up in blankets despite the heat, but the toes that were poking out of the bottom of the covers gave away the fact that she’s not trying to keep warm, but feel comforted.

“I’m just changing my shirt, babe. We’re all going for drinks in the hotel bar if you want to come along?”

She shakes her head with a smile. “Too tired right now. If you’re not back when I wake up, I’ll come down and find you.”

I lean across the expanse of the bed she’s laying on and press a kiss to her lips gently. “Call me if you want me to come back up. I’d rather be up here with you than spend hours making sure that Jack doesn’t drunk dial someone.”

“You just go have fun, babe.” She leans up and captures my lips once more. “And you should probably shower too, you have sand in your hair.”

“After years of touring, sand is the least of my worries.” I smirk, just standing and shaking my head and ruffling a hand through my hair at the same time, smiling when I’m still again, Poppy just gazing back with a soft smile on her own face. “See?”

“Alright, Malibu Ken; you got your point across.”

“You love my hair, you don’t have to deny it. I did feel you running your fingers through it while I was meant to be sleeping you know?”

“Fuck you.” She mumbles, flipping over, probably for emphasis as I continue to laugh, slipping my new shirt on without haste. “Hurry up and leave, you hyena.”

“All in due time, dearest.” I smirk, throwing myself down onto the bed beside her and hug an arm over her waist. “Do you feel like going somewhere tomorrow?”

“Like where?” She answers quietly, turning onto her back, an exhausted smile set on her lips. “To In ‘N’ Out again?”

“No,” I squeeze her quickly, leaning my head in so that it’s resting on her collarbone. “Somewhere nice? A date, honestly.”

“Are you getting shy about asking me on a date?” She giggles, trying to move my head so that she can see my face, but I know there’s a little blush high on my cheeks, so I only bury it further into her neck, denying her. “Lex?”

“Maybe I am, just answer the question.”

“Sure, I think I can shuffle some things around, y’know, tell my other boyfriends that I’ll have to reschedule for another time. They’ll be disappointed.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

******

“Are you meeting me later?” I don’t bother with a hello as Poppy mumbles a quick greeting into her own phone. “The house is empty.”

“I’m out already,” she huffs. “I don’t just drop everything for you, y’know?”

“Well, you should.”

Snapping probably wasn’t the best idea when it was me practically begging for her to come over, so we could well, fuck, to put it bluntly, as we did every time either of us had an empty house, and normally there would be no opposition, things like family dinners and other prior engagements being dropped for this time together.

“No, I’m actually trying to be normal right now, so you can forget it.” She sounds so pissed and I can hear talking in the background, meaning she’s most likely not home right now, but there had been no aforementioned gathering that I knew about.

“Is this because Jack almost caught us last time? You know he’s away in New York right now, Poppy, so just come on, please?”

“I can’t. I’m on a fucking date, Alex.” She’s clearly moved away from whoever is making an honest woman of her, otherwise my name would have stayed on the tip of her tongue instead of being spat down the receiver. “So can we do this some other time, y’know, when I’m not trying to have a social life outside of you and the guys?”

“Who’s taken you on a date then?”

“Why do you need to know? Want to warn them not to touch me as well?”

“That was Jack, I’ve told you before! You know that he thinks he’s your brother, or protector, fuck.”

“I’m not coming over, so just forget it, okay? Bye.”

She does, in the end.

I mope for about an hour, wondering whether or not it’s worth calling Lisa before there’s a loud knock on my front door, a smirk already making its way to my lips as I walk to answer it, knowing just who it’s going to be; who it always ends up being.

“Changed your mind have we, Zicarelli?”

“Shut up and let’s just do this.” She slips off her coat and drops it down by her bag, already going to head up the stairs, probably going to situate herself on my bed.

“Not until you tell me who you were out with.” I stand stubborn, arms crossed, unmoving as she hesitates on a step and turns to face me.

“I don’t know why you find this so important, but I was with John, okay? Can we just-”

“Did he touch you?” I raise my eyebrows, knowing just how stubborn Poppy is when it comes to doing something she hadn’t planned in her day. “Is that why you’re here? Did he do something that you didn’t like?”

“I’ll leave again if you don’t stop interrogating me.” She’s quick to turn again, long legs carrying her up the rest of the way until I hear my door squeak open and I follow after the girl who I’ve been secretly sleeping with for almost three months.

******

“I’ve never really taken you out on a date, have I?” I mumble after a couple of minutes of us sitting in silence, one of her hands having started to card through my hair gently. “Even back when we-”

“That just means I have no expectations, and you have nothing to live up too.”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be good.”

Notes