Disclaimer: The following chapter demonstrates the way that watching The Notebook as a tween as influenced my entire idea of what romance is. Cliches ahead!
"It's closed." Alex announced, giving the door another little rattle, for good measure.
"Closed? They can't just close a lighthouse!" Norma said incredulously from behind him, peering over his shoulder as if she didn't quite believe him. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum opening times were quite clearly displayed on the door, along with an impressively sized padlock. He bit his lip to suppress a chuckle.
"Well, it's not a working lighthouse, Norma." He explained, watching as she took a step back, her hands on her hips, casting an appraising glance at the decidedly museumised lighthouse. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she glanced out at sea, then back up at the darkened tower.
"It's not?" She cocked her head to one side innocently, still frowning grumpily, and Alex pressed his lips together, not wanting to laugh at her.
"Don't worry. The ships will be fine."
She rolled her eyes at him, before taking another step back, taking it all in. For a second, he genuinely wondered if she was considering scaling it.
"It's not as tall as I thought it would be." She said thoughtfully, confirming that she probably believed she could somehow climb it, before she sighed in defeat, throwing her hands in the air like the whole night was ruined.
"But we walked all this way..." She whined and Alex laughed for real this time, glancing over her shoulder to where he could literally still see the beach front hotel where Gabe and Sarah had got married.
"Norma, it was like, 500 feet."
"Oh, you try doing it in heels then." She huffed, reaching down to slip her high wedges off. Alex smirked at her, watching as she stepped down from the towering heels, secretly glad of the few inches of height she lost when she took them off. He wasn't generally insecure about his height, but those damn heels put her dangerously close to being taller than him and that was something his ego could do without. She straightened, glaring at him like she was daring to make a comment as she scooped them up by the straps.
"Happier?" He grinned at her, pleased when she rolled her eyes but smiled back at him, nodding.
"I'd be happier if we could go up the lighthouse."
"We'll go up the lighthouse tomorrow," he promised, like he was talking to a child. Her face lit up and she seemed temporarily appeased, taking the hand that he held out to her. "Come on." He pulled her away from the lighthouse, down the grassy embankment back towards the beach, patiently waiting as her bare feet picked an wary path down the uneven surface.
They reached the beach, finding a wide border of jagged rocks and driftwood lining the edge of where the grass met the sand, and she paused, looking uncertainly at the terrain. Alex didn't even hesitate before reaching down to hook one hand under her knee, hoisting her weight up easily. Her arms came up naturally to wrap round his neck as he swung her across the rocks and wood, before depositing her back on her feet on the soft sand. She missed the contact immediately, letting her hands trail around the back of his neck, down his shoulder and eventually dropping to her side as he set her down.
"Thanks." She mumbled, suddenly feeling shy as she looked down, watching her toes squish through the sand.
"No problem." He said easily, gazing at her for a moment before clearing his throat and turning away, heading towards the small pier that jutted out across the ocean. She padded along after him, swinging her heels happily as she walked, relishing the occasional breeze that cut through the humidity of the night.
The pier was roughly 30 feet away from them, but it felt like a lifetime to reach it, as they walked in a companionable silence, the tension beginning to creep back in between them. They caught each other shooting tiny glances out of the corner of their eyes, and then looking away shyly, as if they were two kids on prom night.
That was probably the last time Alex had felt so unsure of himself around a member of the opposite sex. Girls had never been a problem for Alex. He seemed to always be able to find a steady stream of pretty, uncomplicated women who were happy to engage in the sort of relationship that didn't take up much of his thoughts, feelings or time. He felt a pang of guilt as he thought of them, wondered if they'd ever wanted more and he'd just been too closed off to notice. He felt like a different man now, feeling almost too much in the presence of Norma Bates. He felt lost, elated, out of his depth, helpless and delirious, and every time he made eye contact with her, she looked at him like she knew all this. What had she done to him?
The breeze picked up suddenly again, and he watched in his peripheral as Norma's hair was whipped around her face, having a sudden thought.
"You cold?" He said, shrugging his jacket off.
"No." She answered lightly, laughing when he froze, his jacket hanging limply in his hands like he couldn't imagine why she didn't want it. She didn't want it because it was hotter than holy hell out there, the humidity reaching a peak, the air hot and heavy and still, the only relief the occasional sea breeze that managed to cut a brief path through it.
"It's like, a hundred degrees tonight." She clarified, waving her hands through the darkness to try and waft some coolness towards her face. "But you still get the brownie points for offering." She added, watching as he smiled, pleased with himself.
"Well, that's ok then." He muttered. "I just thought you felt the cold." He offered by way of explanation, shrugging casually.
"I thought that's what your Victorian nightdress was for." He said playfully, not noticing her tense up at his words. She cleared her throat, not knowing how to tell him that she had once been afraid to share a bed with him. There had been enough tragic revelations. She didn't need to add another one to the list.
Instead, she just sat down heavily on the end of the pier, leaning back and gazing up at the stars that were only visible in patches through the thick blanket of heavy clouds.
"Looks like we might be in for a storm." She observed lightly, feeling him sink down next to her, sensing his eyes on her face before he followed her gaze to the heavens.
"Yeah maybe." He sighed contentedly, swinging his legs back and forth in an uncharacteristically child-like manner.
Catching her glancing at him, he smiled at her, and she looked away nervously, biting her lip.
"What are we doing?" She asked, after a companionable silence that seemed to go on for a lifetime.
"We're taking in the sea views." He replied simply, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.
"You know what I mean." She was a bundle of nervous energy all of a sudden, her eyes cast down, watching her fingers tap a nervous beat on the wood.
His hand shot out to still her fingers, covering her hand with his own, drawing her attention back to him. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but his words failed him and he just stared at her for a moment, his eyes darting to her lips. It was his turn to feel nervous now, taking a deep breath before swaying towards her, letting his lips tentatively brush against hers.
It was the gentlest kiss Norma had ever received, his lips pressing tenderly against hers, his hand resting lightly over where her fingers were gripping the edge of the pier. His muscles were taught, his neck craning to lean towards her without letting any of the rest of his body touch her. It was a deliberate move, straining his neck muscles to kiss her as innocently as possible.
He should have known that wouldn't be enough for Norma though. She was the one to deepen the kiss, darting her tongue out to flick against his lips, turning her body to face him. He reluctantly kissed her back, beginning to give up on his plan to keep this kiss innocent, feeling her hand drift to rest above his knee. His breath hitched in his throat, but he still refused to move his own body, keeping his hands rigidly by his sides, even as she pressed her chest against his shoulders, her hand moving an inch higher up his leg.
As if sensing his reluctance, she let out a soft noise of irritation, before grasping his hand and pressing it between her knees. He let his hand sit there limply for a moment, before she covered it with her own, apparently growing tired of his hesitating, sliding it up her thigh, sighing seductively into his mouth.
Wrenching his mouth away breathlessly, he snatched his hand back like he'd been burned, watching the confusion flicker across Norma's face.
"Okay, okay..." He muttered, trying to regain his cool. "Just... slow down." He said softly, watching as she smoothed her dress back down over her thighs, covering herself, her gaze haughty.
"Why?" She asked sharply.
"Is that rain?" He asked, flinching lightly, casting his eyes up at the canopy of thick cloud that now obscured the stars completely. "Did you feel rain?" He was changing the subject and they both knew it. She wasn't going to let him though.
"Why? Why do we have to slow down?" She repeated insistently, and he felt her pull away, felt her walls snapping back into place and he sighed heavily, ignoring the steady stream of droplets he was now sure he felt on his face.
"You know why." He said very quietly, and he immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing.
"Fine." She muttered tightly, suddenly scrambling to her feet so suddenly that he worried she was going to fall into the ocean. She didn't though, just set off at a ridiculous pace, half-sprinting along the pier back towards the lights of the beachfront.
"Norma, wait!" He called out, dumbly watching her run away for a moment before lurching to his feet to follow her. The rain began in earnest now, the heavens opening with an almighty crack of thunder. Alex barely noticed though, focused on the figure ahead of him, watching as Norma leapt over the sharp rocks he'd carried her over before, scrabbling up the embankment towards the lighthouse like she was being chased by the hounds of hell.
He caught up to her just as she reached the lighthouse, reaching out to roughly grab her arm before he could stop himself.
"Norma! Stop!"
She whirled round the face him, pushing her damp hair away from her face, her eyes burning wild through the darkness.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you!" She yelled at him and he released her arm immediately in shock.
"What the hell does that mean?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous. He was angry, though he couldn't fully grasp why.
She flailed her arms around for a moment, opening her mouth to speak when he cut her off, after letting his eyes travel down her body.
"Norma, take my jacket." He interrupted her, holding his jacket out to her, frowning as she shook her head, crossing her arms in front of herself. The rain wasn't cold at all. It actually offered almost no relief from the stifling heat, the warm water soaking through their clothes, soaking them through to the bone, the sky occasionally lighting up with flashes of distant lightening.
"No." She said childishly, ignoring his outstretched hand, refusing to let him change the subject.
"You think I'm broken now." She mumbled, giving a little shake of her head. "I wish I'd never told you. You're going to look at me differently now. You're scared I'm going to lose it again." Her voice broke, her words barely audible over the roar of the rain and the sound of the ocean crashing angrily behind them, but she didn't cry.
She looked angry more than anything, and Alex felt the same, feeling his anger rise within him as she told him how she thought he was feeling. He wasn't really angry with her - He just resented the situation.
"But I'm not broken! I'm not!" Her voice rose to a shout, making herself heard over the noise of the storm. She panted, all the fight apparently leaving her in one go and she glanced at him uncertainly, her azure eyes flashing at him dangerously before she turned, apparently planning to bolt again. He was too quick for her this time though, his hand darting out to lightly grasp her elbow, spinning her back to him, pulling her close.
"Stop!" He commanded, and she glanced up at him through her wet lashes, her expression so lost he thought his heart might break. He ducked his head to look her right in the eye, imploring her to listen to him. "I know you're not broken, ok? I don't think that."
She took a shaky breath, looking unconvinced, and he let his eyes drift closed for a minute, desperate to regain the feeling of closeness when they had danced. It felt like a lifetime ago now, and he chose his next words carefully, feeling the pressure of saying the right thing now. It would be so easy to take two steps back, but he wasn't going to let them do that. Not this time.
"Nothing has changed." He said pointedly, his eyes boring into hers. "You're still the same woman who once beat the shit out of me in my own house." Her lips quirked up into a small smile before she could stop herself. "And who came and rescued me when I was drunk." He leaned in a little, his hands stroking gently from her elbows up the backs of her arms, pleased when she didn't shy away from his touch at all. "And who once told me you felt safe with me." Her eyes fluttered closed as she remembered that day, a pretty smile playing on her lips. "Do you feel safe with me now?" He muttered, barely audible over the rain that they were both ignoring.
She nodded, and he smiled back at her, before continuing.
"You're right though." He said softly, the honesty tumbling out of his mouth, unable to stop now he had started. "I AM scared. I'm terrified that I'm going to say or do the wrong thing and scare you and then I'd lose you. I can't lose you." His voice was barely more than a broken whisper now, and she leaned in, resting her forehead against his, letting her palms press against his soaked shirt. "And I'm scared of how badly I want to hunt down everyone who has ever hurt you and put them in the ground." He ground out through gritted teeth, not wanting to linger on the thought for too long.
His hands drifted along her shoulders, up her neck to rest either side of her face, pulling her back to look at her, brushing her wet hair out of her face.
"But mostly, I'm scared of how none of that matters right now. Because all I can think about is how much I want you."
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and he watched her mouth hungrily.
"You still want me?" Her voice was so innocent, so hopeful and he realised why she had been so upset with him. He had just wanted to be respectful and gentle, but she thought he didn't want to touch her anymore. Oh if only she knew.
"Of course." She shifted closer to him subconsciously.
"So show me-" She whispered seductively, cut off as he crashed his lips against hers, his fingers tangling in the hair at the sides of her face, tasting rain and champagne and something intrinsically Norma that he would never get enough of. She returned his embrace with equal passion, winding her arms around his neck, closing the last millimetres of distance between their bodies.
He was walking her backwards before he could figure out why, closing the few feet between them and the wall of the lighthouse in a matter of seconds, never breaking contact with her lips. She gasped softly into his mouth as her back hit the cold brick, and they both broke the kiss at the same time, both glancing up and realising at the exact same moment that they they were now protected from the rain by a small roof that fringed the lower floors of the building. They laughed breathlessly as they realised they could have been sheltering here all along, before she pulled him in again, continuing her furious assault on his mouth.
His hands drifted down her bare back, sliding down her rain-slickened skin before coming to land on her ass, pulling her against him. For a split second, he worried he had gone too far, too quickly, but she responded with a soft mewl, tightening her grip on the back of his neck, and jumping up suddenly. He caught her easily, smoothly shifting them a few inches to the right and resting some of her weight on a ledge that jutted out there. Her legs came up to wrap around his hips, and a sudden crack of thunder had her tighten her thighs around him, thrusting forward in shock, the act sending shockwaves straight to his groin.
The sky flashed white a split second later, the wind whipping up again suddenly and he wrenched his lips away from hers breathlessly, having a sudden thought.
"You know, we're sheltering under a lighthouse in a lightening storm."
"Uh huh?" Norma was distracted, obviously barely listening as she ducked forward to try to capture his lips again.
"So, that's probably not very smart."
"I guess not." Her hands slid round to his chest, tangling her fingers in his shirt, trying to tug him towards her, frowning when he resisted. He watched as a droplet of water dripped along her cheek, then rolled down her neck and he leaned forward before he could stop himself, kissing the droplet away, and then using his tongue to trace to path it had just taken along the side of her neck.
"I'd hate for us to get struck by lightening before I could make love to you." He whispered in her ear, pleased when she shuddered in his arms, letting her head drop to the side where he could get better access to her throat.
"Yes... that would be... horrible." She mumbled, distracted as he kissed the raindrops from her skin. There was another crack of thunder, loud enough and close enough to make even Alex jump and they both glanced fearfully at the sky, watching as it lit up with another frighteningly close flash of lightening.
"Oh my god. You're right." She whispered suddenly, letting him slide her forward and help her down from the little ledge. "Why have we found the tallest thing around to stand under?!" She asked incredulously, glancing up accusingly at the lighthouse like it was all it's fault. "We're such idiots."
He was inclined to agree, reaching forward to grab her hand, pulling her shrieking and giggling back out into the rain, towards the hotel. He paused to grab her shoes, letting her snatch his jacket out of his hands and hold it over her head, running ahead of him. Considering a few short minutes ago, she would stubbornly rather get soaked than take it from him, he found himself laughing as she took it without asking this time, wrapping it around herself and jogging ahead, leaving him to carry her shoes. He shook his head, watching as the sky illuminated again, spurring him into running after her, towards the hotel room that held such promise.
Big thanks to one of my reviewers, Kathryn, who actually lives not too far from Jupiter and was able to clarify some things I was wondering about the area. She very kindly answered my constant stream of questions and then was OK that I wanted to just ignore alot of it and create a fictional version of the Jupiter coastline. :) If you were to go on Google Maps, you'd see the VAST liberties I have taken with the geography of the area, but let's just suspend our disbelief and pretend, ok? Thanks again, Kathryn!
One last thing, a couple of people asked me if it was the Cat Power cover of Sea of Love I referenced in the last chapter. It was indeed. Probably my fave song of all time! And, after a bit of discussion, I decided to make a playlist of songs I've been inspired by whilst writing this fic. Also, Iris suggested Nick Caves's Are You The One I've Been Waiting For, which goes soooo well.
I don't think I can't add a link to the playlist here, so the easiest way to find it is to go to Youtube, and search for "Fragile Bird" and then specify "playlists" in the search criteria and it's the top one, created by Gene Harlow, with 9 songs in it. I REALLY hope you like it, and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know if you can find the playlist ok and if you like my picks, and, as always, I ADORE reviews! xx
