They both looked unusually happy.
Sat on an empty beach in cold grey fog, which was slowly enveloping them both. They had now rested on the tree, next to each other.
"Do you like this place?" questioned Alex. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the tree at an angle. Marissa layed across her, her head in her lap. Alex was looking up at the overcast sky, Marissa smiling with her eyes closed.
"Yeah." Smiled Marissa. Alex laughed.
"That was so pointless"
"Hmm" She moaned through a smile.
"Anyway. Wake up. Time to go back to my house"
"why"
"it's getting colder…cold doesn't sit well with me, makes me grouchy. Come on" she helped Marissa up.
They walked back again in silence, a lot less awkward than before. Marissa had her arm around Alex.
"I'm cold" Alex stated. Stopping just before her house. "and I hate sand" she said shaking it out of her shoes, letting herself in. Marissa followed.
"So.." Marissa swung her arms into a loose clap idley.
"you can put the tv on. I'm going to wash my feet" she staggered over to the bathroom in such a way that minimal sand would get on the carpet. Marissa laughed and turned on the tv.
When Alex returned, Marissa was sleeping. She pondered whether or not to wake her. Decided she could make the decision better with some food, and a cup of coffee.
"what's going on with us?" questioned Marissa's voice from behind the couch, Alex couldn't see, but looked curious all the same, despite the fact there was no visible audience.
"up to you?" she said, in a light hearted way. Dusk was setting in outside, so Alex turned on a light.
"up to me?…why?"
"I don't want to push you into anything"
"well, what do you want?"
"does your "no lying" policy extend off of the tree?"
"it certainly does!" she exclaimed in fake shock.
"in that case" she paused and walked over to the couch and sat next to her. "I want you. And I wan't you to be happy about it."
"and I am" she smiled. "so" she paused, looking at Alex. "we dating now?" Alex smiled and nodded.
"yeah, but you can so come up with an idea for the first date"
"Ideas?"
"come on…give me some credit! Do I look like the kind of girl who likes to be taken for dinner and a movie?"
"what if I mess up?"
"I trust you. I know you won't" she leaned in and kissed her again. They both smiled.
Marissa fell asleep with her head on Alex's knee. She took in the gravity of the situation. This girl could break her and she knew it. Alex could be no more than phase, but she could also be a whole lot more. She didn't understand Marissa, yet she trusted her. It seemed a little confusing. Alex didn't let it rouble her yet, but decided not to let her guard down until after the first date. She wanted to see what Marissa would pull. It made her excited, and nautious. She smiled to herself. And allowed herself to go to sleep.
Alex awoke to the sound of running water, Marissa was showering. The thought filled her head again. She let out a truly Evil grin and laughed to herself. The water shut off, and Marissa walked in the room wearing a robe.
"hey" Marissa smiled, walking over to kiss her, then stand up again.
"morning to you too" Alex laughed. She scratched her head and yawned, tried to take in her general surroundings.
"I'm going to take a shower" I think. She moaned and shuffled towards the bathroom.
"wait!" Marissa called after her. "can I ask you something?"
"ok, but if its serious, it can wait, I'm not a morning person"
"I was just going to ask if I could borrow your key?"
"why?"
"I have to go get things sorted out. And I'll be back later, I don't fancy waiting around on your doorstep much"
"what kind of stuff?"
"nice stuff"
"hmm you are too vague for your own Good" she gave Marissa a suspicious look. "why can't you just go home?".
"I could…but I really don't want to"
"promise you won't get tired of me…spending all this time with me and all?"
"promise." She smiled, kissed her cheek and took the keys that were dangling from the hook. Alex smiled from the bathrom doorway and watched her leave.
Marissa drove straight to the cohens. She let herself in and walked upstairs straight to seth's room.
"hey seth…summer here?"
"now why would she be? And have you never heard of knocking? I could have been busy"
"when are you ever busy?" he raised his eyebrows to her. "eeew"
"it's the risk of being an intruder; unwanted information"
"summer here or not?"
"she is actually. We're working on the comic. She'll be in the kitchen"
"thanks" Marissa exited the room and walked toward the kitchen. She met summer coming out.
"Hey sum"
"hey coop" she smiled.
"havent seen you for a while. You busy tonight? I could use a break from cohen and his endless "turn this way" "turn that way" "stick out your chest"."
"ok. Well I'll let you know, Mom's home today" summer nodded in agreement. "I gotta dash" Marissa said looking suspicious.
"what did you want?"
"huh?" said Marissa looking confused.
"You were looking for me, yeah?"
"oh…you know that guy…the one who knew all the bands?"
"mmhmm"
"can I have his number ?"
"did you think he was hot? Because I thought he wasn't that impressive, but he got me in all those cool shows, but seriously though, if you're considering my cast-off's , I'll set you up"
"nah it's ok…I'm cool. Number though please?"
"oh..ok. sure"
Marissa quickly left and headed home. She avoided confrontation at home, and found an old backpack of Ryan's. She packed a lot of stuff in there. and started for the door. She heard a key turn in the other side. Not wanting to be seen Marissa ran back in her room.
"Marissa?" it was julie. Marissa panicked and ran to the window. She was trapped. Rather than risk seeing her mother, lowered herself down and dropped into a bush. She smiled to herself at the surreal situation and headed for her car. She drove straight back to Alex's apartment.
"hey I have great news" grinned Alex.
"which is?"
"I have the night off work so you're free to do what you want with me until Monday"
"does that include spending the night?" she smiled, she didn't mean for it to be suggestive but didn't mind the sexual undertones.
"stay as long as you like" she smiled. Alex went over and took off her backpack. She held her by the hips once more, and kissed her. "oh my god!"
"what?" Marissa looked puzzled.
"what happened to your face?"
"huh?" Alex grabbed her and steered her into path of the mirror.
"your head! What happened?" there was a small red cut on her forehead, it was bleeding thickly but slowly. Alex dissapeared and came back with a green box. "sit" she commanded. She unwrapped some cotton and dabbed it with a luminous green liquid.
"Will this hurt?" questioned a worried Marissa, with a furrowed brow causing her cut to bleed more.
"no where near as much as the tattoo" she smiled.
"stay still" Alex said, cautiously moving toward her. Marissa stayed so still, if it wasn't for the color in her cheeks she'd have been mistaken for a corpse. "you can breathe you know" smiled Alex with a small laugh.
"ow" Marissa groaned when Alex applied the cleanser to the wound.
"it's ok. Think of something happy and I'll be finished soon I promise" within a few minutes, she was true to her word and finished up nicely. She taped a small dressing to her forhead. "it's nothing spectacular, but you're only going to be seeing me" she smiled "I used to want to be a nurse once".
"I thought of you"
"what?"
"to distract me, to make me happy. I thought of you"
