Alex sat on his blue towel, surveying the scenery before him from behind his sunglasses. Nice soft sand, a beach that was not too crowded, water that was almost turquoise in color and not a cloud in the sky. For the beginning of February, it was pretty damn amazing.
Yesterday, after having slept in, he and Izzie had taken a stroll around the area of their hotel, familiarizing themselves with the local neighborhood, before enjoying a leisurely breakfast at a cozy café in one of the smaller side streets. He couldn't remember ever having a vacation like that. He guessed it was no wonder for a boy who basically hadn't left Iowa before moving to Seattle. Unless of course he counted the short road-trips to Chicago and St. Louis with his boys, in Shaun's old, shabby Ford Explorer, which wouldn't go past 45, even on the freeway. They had also been to Vegas once, their graduation present as they'd called it. The booze and some of the other 'stuff' had more or less wiped his memory clean of that whole journey, even though pictures existed that undoubtedly proved he'd been there.
He grinned as his thoughts eventually drifted back to yesterday. After breakfast, they'd changed and gone to the gym that was provided for hotel guests. The sky had been somewhat overcast, so instead of tanning, they'd chosen to check out one of the malls that Izzie had been going on and on AND ON about. She had bought three pairs of new shoes, which lead to him teasing her endlessly about maps and shoes and all of those other common stereotypes. It had been a fun day.
He glanced over to his right, where the by far hottest girl on the beach, in her barely-there pink and brown bikini, was laying on her back, reading one of those trashy gossip magazines. Ok, so maybe he was biased, but that didn't stop him from staring at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Both of them where immersed in their respective activities when all of a sudden, without intro or prologue, Izzie blurted it out.
"I'm over George, you know…That is if I was ever really into him," she added on second thought. Once again, one of her out-of-the-blue statements that left him wondering where it all came from. He wasn't sure how to respond or if he wanted to have this conversation at all. They were sharing a hotel room – if they had a disagreement now, his vacation might not be so peaceful anymore. So he just nodded and said nothing.
"I'm serious Alex. I don't know what I was thinking. But I know I could've handled it better, especially with you. I don't think of you as one of my 'chick friends', and I'm sorry for making you feel that way."
"Ok."
She turned her head sideways to look up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun with her reading material. "That's it? Ok?"
He stared straight ahead, out into the ocean. "There's really not much more to say Iz. Whatever you're feelings are, that's between you and Bambi."
"Yeah, but there is no 'me and Bambi'", she repeated.
"Ok."
"Good. Ok then. As long as we're clear on that." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to convince him right then and there, but somehow it seemed important. She had definitely sensed his unwillingness to converse about that particular topic, but at least for her own piece of mind, some things just had to be said.
--
Later on, the pair was having a late lunch in one of the many beachfront restaurants when they were debating on what to do for the rest of the day. The idea that they could just as well go their separate ways every once in a while had been vetoed by both on their very first day in town, deciding that they'd much rather spend some quality time together. The consensus had been that if they had wanted alone-time, they might just as well have stayed in Seattle.
After going back and forth over how to best spend their evening, Izzie finally asked what had been on her mind before this discussion even started. "Are we too old to go to a club? You know…with music and dancing and stuff?"
He shrugged his shoulders while chewing on a piece of bread. "Depends on the club. I'm not gonna shake my booty in a place where a bunch of 18-year olds are jumping around…"
She burst out laughing. "I didn't know you could shake your booty."
He grinned back. "Find me a place with normal-aged people and I just might prove it to you."
--
Hours later, after a long, drawn-out process of getting ready, that had left her breathtakingly beautiful and him close to a nervous breakdown, they finally arrived at their destination. Instead of a regular club, they had chosen to compromise and ended up at a hotel close by. The bar at this location was divided into an inside- and outside part, with two small dance floors and a booth in one of its corners where the DJ was playing a mix of slow R'n'B, 80's music and a variety of chill-out tunes. The atmosphere was very laid-back, and after a couple of drinks inside, Alex and Izzie ventured out to the patio to catch some fresh air and take in the rest of the surroundings. With 75 degrees close to midnight the weather was perfect, and they wanted to spend as much time as they could enjoying the outdoors.
Over the course of the evening, they started talking to a couple who coincidentally also came from Washington State. Alaina and Matthew were an outgoing pair who had come down to Florida to celebrate their recent engagement. The happy occasion served as the perfect excuse to drink a little more, which led to a lot more funny conversation, which eventually led to dancing after all. Alaina was the type of person who didn't care about other peoples' opinions whatsoever and, after a while, had Izzie convinced that once she let herself go completely, she'd reach another 'level of being'.
Had the blonde been sober, she might have questioned that theory, but in her inebriated state of mind, Alaina's reasoning made sense, and so it turned out to be a hilarious night, with lots of touchy feely moments on the dance floor. Any onlooker probably would have never guessed that Alex Karev and Isobel Stevens were 'just friends', but that's what they chose to tell themselves so it was their own undeniable truth.
Sometime close to 3 am, once Matthew and his fiancée had bid their farewell, her 'level of being' now well above the legal limit, Alex and Izzie decided that it was time for them to head back as well. Both were clearly drunk, though still able to stand relatively straight, so they walked the short distance to the hotel. Izzie had linked her arm through his for balance-purposes, and he was doing the best he could to keep her steady. Half-way home, she started giggling, which cause him to laugh as well.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," she pressed out. "It's just…" And off she went again. Once she had calmed herself down, she started anew. "I gotta tell you something. But ssshhhh!!" She pressed her index finger to her lips and leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "You are indeed an excellent dancer."
He winked at her. "Why thank you. You're not half bad yourself, you know? And let me tell you another secret…" He mimicked her gesture from earlier, speaking directly into her ear, sending shivers down her spine in the process. "You're very pretty tonight."
The blonde started blushing but was fairly sure that the darkness of night would cover it up. She realized that what they were doing could only be categorized as flirting, but the fair amount of alcohol in her system prevented her from caring. Or stopping, for that matter. They continued their light banter until they arrived at the hotel, mastering the steps leading up to the main lobby on their second try.
In the elevator up to the 7th floor, a game of willpower began. The tension that had built up over the course of the night reached an all time high – with stares and almost-touches and words left unsaid – and around floor 4 finally came to a boiling point. The next day, neither of the two would admit to being the 'weaker' one, but when it came down to it, it was Izzie who had kissed him first.
When the lift signaled their floor, the pair somehow managed to stumble into their room where the 'party' continued, with her ripping open his shirt and him fumbling for the hidden zipper of her dress.
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Reviews are always nice (hint hint) :P And thanks for all the lovely ones from the previous chapter!