The next morning, Alex, Marissa, and Serena lounged around on the couch, eating cereal and were searching for something to watch on TV.
"Ooh!" Marissa said with a mouthful of cereal. She pointed to the TV, "Will and Grace!"
Serena chuckled and turned the channel back.
"God Marissa you've seen this one a million times," Alex lulled her head back, "You own every single season."
"Shut up," Serena and Marissa said in unison, their eyes fixed on the TV.
After sulking for a moment, Alex let a mischievous smirk escape her lips. She dipped her spoon into the leftover milk in her bowl and raised it to her lips. Then she slurped the milk as loud as she could while staring at the TV, pretending to be listening.
Marissa's eyes widened and slowly turned her head to look at her blonde girlfriend. Serena tilted her head from her laying position to look at Alex while she slurped again. The blonde fought to keep from smiling and kept staring at the TV.
"Alexandra Grace Kelly," Marissa said sternly.
Alex finally broke into a smile while she looked at her girlfriend and brought the entire bowl to her lips.
"Don't," Marissa tilted her head forward and put a fake scowl on her face.
Just asked Marissa finished the word, Alex tilted the bowl and noisily sucked down the rest of the milk, while Marissa looked on, mouth agape and Serena fought not to laugh at the adorable interaction between the two.
When Alex set the bowl down Marissa smiled at her, "You uh…" Marissa pointed to Alex's milk mustache, "Got a little something."
Alex leaned over and pressed her lips to Marissa's, erasing her milk mustache and transferring some leftover milk to Marissa's lips.
"Ew," Marissa whipped off her mouth, "Alex!" She grabbed the blanket next to her and wiped her mouth.
"Hey!" Serena called, "That's my favorite blanket."
"It's Alex's fault," Marissa grumbled.
"Aww," Alex leaned over and wrapped her arms around Marissa.
Marissa rolled her eyes and leaned into Alex. She knew that she couldn't stay mad at Alex when she was in a playful mood like that and even more annoyingly, she knew that Alex knew.
The loud knocking on the door interrupted their lazy morning. Alex looked at Serena who seemed to know what Alex was trying to say.
"No please," Serena deadpanned, "Don't get up. I'll get it."
"Thanks," Alex smiled resting her head on Marissa's shoulder, not wanting to be far away from her brunette beauty.
Serena easily flipped open the locks and pulled the door open.
"Do you ever wear clothes?" the visitor asked referring to Serena's cami and boy shorts, before stepping inside, not waiting for an invitation. "Hey Blondie, where are my keys?"
"Come in," Serena quipped sarcastically as she closed the door, "Make yourself at home."
Jodie narrowed her eyes at the shorter brunette, but instead of saying something she walked to where Serena was sitting and sat in her spot, ignoring her and watching TV.
"I was sitting there," Serena put her hands on her hips, blocking Jodie's view of the TV.
Jodie knew that it was Serena's favorite spot to sit so she remained there, trying to see the TV around the shorter girl. "You're a better door than a window."
"Jodie!" Serena snapped, making Jodie look at her.
"Yes?" Jodie asked with a fake innocent smile. She batted her eyelashes for effect.
"Ugh!" the psych student huffed and stalked into the kitchen, "Why are you so damn difficult?"
"Why don't you wear clothes?" Jodie quipped getting up and following Serena into the kitchen.
"It's my fucking house!" the shorter brunette's voice raised a few octaves, leaving Jodie stunned and frozen in the steps.
Alex and Marissa were watching the interaction from the couch.
"Shouldn't you do something?" Marissa whispered, resting her cheek up against Alex's as they watched the two fight.
The blonde shook her head, "Keep watching. It's just getting good."
"You're so immature!"
"You're so controlling!"
"Don't you have your own apartment to hang around at?"
"Yeah, but it's more fun to be here and bug you," Jodie smirked. They were inches apart, Serena angrily staring at Jodie who looked smug, not at all phased by the shorter girl.
They stood like that for a few more seconds before they both moved in, their lips crashing together. Jodie's hands easily found Serena's waist as the shorter girl's hands made their way to the back of Jodie's head. The sheer force of the kiss sent them back into the counter, where Jodie finally pinned Serena.
Serena took charge and started pulling Jodie to her bedroom without loosing physical connections.
Marissa looked at Alex with an open mouth and Alex just grinned, "I knew it was only a matter of time."
"They're having sex," Marissa's expression still one of shock.
"Probably," Alex shrugged. She studied her girlfriend for a second, "Wanna go outside?"
Marissa quickly nodded.
Alex chuckled and stood, offering her hand to Marissa. Marissa took the blonde's hand and let herself be pulled out onto the back porch.
While Marissa slid the door shut, Alex laid down in the hammock. She held out her arms for Marissa who easily climbed into the hammock and laid half on top of Alex, her arms wrapped around Alex's middle and her head on the blonde's shoulder.
Alex lazily stroked Marissa's hair while she looked out at the water. The sky was overcast and the waves were lower than usual. Marissa closed her eyes, loving the feeling of the bartender's fingers running through her hair. Marissa marveled in how no matter which way they lay, they always seemed to fit perfectly with each other.
"You know at some point you have to go back to school right?" Alex said and then added, "You've already missed like four days."
"I've missed three days," Marissa stated, matter of factly.
Alex raised an eyebrow knowing that Marissa knew what she meant.
The taller girl raised herself over the blonde as best she could and took a deep breath. Alex brought her hands to Marissa's hips and smiled up at her girlfriend who looked adorable while she was deep in thought.
"I think that I'm…" Marissa started to says as she played with Alex's heart necklace, "going to move back to Newport."
Alex's expression was unreadable as she studied the girl on top of her.
"I want us to stay together," Marissa quickly added, "I just…I don't want to ruin things this time by going too fast."
Finally the blonde nodded, "Makes sense."
"Smile?" Marissa asked Alex.
Alex couldn't help, but smile at the adorableness that her girlfriend was full of.
Marissa's smile faded and she studied Alex's face before tracing her finger along Alex's face, from the top of her nose, to under her eye, and then down her jaw line. "You're so beautiful."
This incited a very rare blush from the blonde.
Marissa smiled again and a laid her head on Alex's shoulder.
The brunette was almost asleep again when they heard a car pull up and stop in the driveway. One car door opened, then slammed closed and they could hear heels on the front porch.
Marissa smiled lazily, "It's Summer." She sat up as much as she could in her awkward position and called, "Sum we're in the back!"
Alex put her hands over her ears and rolled on her side.
"Stop being such a wuss," Marissa sneered at her girlfriend.
Summer came walking around the corner of the porch with the usual bounce in her step.
"Hey!" Marissa beamed and got out of the hammock. Apparently she forgot that the hammock could swing because when she let go to hug Summer, the hammock swung away from her with her girlfriend on it.
Anticipating the effects, Alex rolled off of the hammock and barely landed on her feet to keep from face-planting into the wood porch, while the hammock kept swinging. Having avoided that near-disaster Alex paused on the ground, but when the hammock came back toward her she was hit in the side of the head with the wooden piece that held the hammock together.
"Shit!" Alex hissed and grabbed her head.
Summer, being the only one that witnessed the accident because her best friend's back was turned during their hug, knelt down next to Alex and stopped the hammock from swinging so the same thing wouldn't happen to her. "Are you okay?"
"What happened?" Marissa asked.
"You just gave your- uh, Alex a concussion," Summer stumbled over a word that she wasn't sure she could use. She didn't want to assume that Alex and Marissa were together again.
"My Alex?" Marissa asked with a smirk, looking at her best friend.
"I didn't…know…" Summer started, but changed the subject, "You gave her a concussion."
"It's not a concussion," Alex rubbed her head.
Marissa carefully leaned in and parted Alex's hair where the wood hit surveying the damage. Her eyebrows furrowed as leaned closer. Then she slightly smiled, "I don't see anything babe." Marissa gently kissed the area and then helped Alex to her feet.
"I guess it's safe to say you two are together again," Summer tried to fight a smile from showing her true feelings about their reunion.
Marissa beamed and nodded, "Yeah."
Both brunettes looked over at Alex who was still frowning and rubbing her head. Marissa suddenly felt really bad and snaked her arms around the blonde's waist. "I'm sorry. Do you want some aspirin or something?"
The blue-eyed girl couldn't help, but smile at Marissa. "I'm okay. Really."
"Are you sure?" Marissa bit her lip, "Do you wanna go lay down?"
Alex shook her head, "It's okay."
Marissa gently put her finger under Alex's chin and turned Alex's head to the side so that she could kiss the injured area again.
Alex grinned when Marissa finished, "Well, now that I think about it. It kinda hurts here." Alex pointed to her cheek and Marissa followed her finger with a kiss. "And here," Alex pointed to her other cheek. The brunette chuckled and kissed Alex's other cheek.
"And, uh, here," Alex pointed to her lips.
The taller girl tentatively pressed her lips to Alex's, immediately starting to gently nibble at the blonde's bottom lip.
This lasted for a few seconds before Summer cleared her throat.
Alex immediately blushed and broke the kiss while Marissa smiled smugly.
"You two are disgustingly cute," Summer leaned back on the railing of the porch.
"Thanks?" Marissa half-asked.
"I'm gonna let you two catch up," Alex kissed Marissa's cheek. She started to walk back inside and paused when Marissa asked where she was going. Alex looked out at the ocean. "Look at those waves."
"Oh," Marissa smiled knowingly, "Wear your blue one."
Alex chuckled, "Got it."
Summer and Marissa sat on the hammock side by side. Marissa glanced over at her best friend, "How was Spain?"
"It was great," Summer smiled, "So beautiful. I got you a present, but left it at your house in a panic." Summer paused thoughtfully, "I mean your mom's house." Another pause, "Are you coming back?"
Marissa nodded, "Of course."
"What about Alex?" Summer asked as she saw Alex walk from the side of the house toward the beach, wearing a blue swimsuit and carrying a yellow surfboard. Marissa noticed some of the bruises from her fight with Trey that the swimsuit revealed.
Alex looked up at the porch and gave a slight smile to the two friends before stepping into the water.
A lingering smile graced Marissa's lips, "We're going to stay together."
"Good," Summer nodded approvingly.
"Good?" Marissa asked with a raised eyebrow.
Summer chuckled, "Don't look surprised. Cohen was the one pushing you and Ryan together. You always seemed more relaxed and happy with Alex. You know, when you're not freaking out about laundry and fat guys that like NASCAR."
"Yeah…" Marissa sighed happily.
"Oh before I forget," Summer looked at her hands, "I kinda…let it slip to Seth what Trey did."
Marissa looked at Summer, not really showing any change of emotion.
"Why aren't you freaking out?" Summer asked.
"I don't see why I should," the taller girl leaned back.
Summer checked her phone, "Because I'm waiting to get a text from Cohen that says he accidentally let it slip to Ryan who is going to kick Trey's ass."
"Trey's gone," Marissa stated matter of factly.
The darker haired brunette raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
Her best friend just pointed to the blonde girl who was now on the surfboard waiting to catch the perfect wave.
"Alex?" Summer asked for clarification.
Marissa nodded, "After I told her, she…practically ran out the door and came back hours later covered in bruises and cuts, but she said he's gone."
"I haven't seen him around," Summer nodded. She then looked at the blonde easily stand up on the surfboard, "She kicked his ass and made him leave?"
"Yeah."
"He's been to prison."
"Alex has been getting in fights and taking care of herself for a long time."
"She did it for you?"
Marissa paused, thinking about what her girlfriend did for her, possibly risking her life. "Yeah she did."
"Wow," Summer looked at her best friend, "I'd say she's a keeper."
After an hour, Alex was finally done surfing and put her board up. She walked up the porch where the best friends were still talking.
"Townsend is so gunning for your position," Summer rolled her eyes.
Marissa sighed, "She has been since third grade." Marissa turned her head to look at her girlfriend, "Hey baby."
Alex grabbed a towel off the railing and wiped off her face. "Hey chica. How's bonding?"
"Great," Marissa smiled.
"Well," Summer looked at her phone, "I have to get going. I promised Cohen we could go see a movie."
Alex laughed.
"What?" Summer asked.
"You do know X-Men just came out right?" Alex asked.
Summer groaned, "Oh no." She got out of the hammock and Marissa and Alex walked her to her car.
Marissa hugged Summer. When they stepped away Summer said. "I'll see you…"
"Monday night," Marissa stated.
"Sunday night," Alex corrected Marissa.
Marissa raised an eyebrow at Alex.
"You've already missed a lot of school," Alex put her hands on her bikini clad hips.
The tallest girl looked at the shortest, "Fine I'll see you Monday morning at school."
"As Cohen would say," Summer wielded an invisible whip and added the sound effect.
Marissa narrowed her eyes at her best friend, who just laughed and got in her car. After Summer pulled away, Marissa turned to the bartender, her arms crossed. The blonde smiled and looped her fingers though the brunette's belt loops and pulled her close, "School is important."
"You said it wasn't last year," Marissa whined.
"I said there wasn't much to learn about the Aztecs," Alex smirked, "Which I just said so you'd hang out with me." She tried to stifle a yawn, but finally let it out and covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm beat."
"Wanna go to bed?" Marissa asked, seductively.
Alex laughed, "Always."
As they walked inside, they heard giggling. When they got to the living room they saw Serena straddling Jodie who was leaning back on the couch.
"Ooh la la," Alex mocked them.
Jodie managed to flip Alex off without her lips leaving Serena's.
"C'mon," Marisa pulled Alex into the bedroom, "We only have a day and a half to be together before I move back. Let's make the most of it."
Alex grinned and allowed Marissa to pull her into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.