(no subject)
What Izzie didn’t count on was him being as quick as he was. And apparently unfazed by water when he set his mind to it, contrary to his earlier display of running away to avoid it. One minute she was in control, attempting to spray him right in the face in hopes that he would back up, and then the next her feet were no longer touching the ground, and the hose lay were she used to stand. She’d lost her grip on it due to the unexpected sensation of, you know, being picked up like a rag doll. No, she did not appreciate the rush of blood to her head that came with being thrown over his shoulder.
He was laughing, a sound that she usually gravitated between loving and hating depending on the situation. This was a hate type of situation. “Very funny. You win, okay.” He didn’t stop laughing, nor did he put her down. “No, seriously, Alex, put me down.”
“I don’t think so actually.” He replied, and she could practically feel the smirk he was giving her.
“That was not a question, that was a command. Now put me down.” She pushed against him once, but he didn’t move, he didn’t even loosen his grasp on her.
“Remind me again, which one of us is standing and which one of us is currently this close to being dropped on their head?” Alex sure was a cocky son-of-a-bitch when he wanted to be.
Somehow, and even she wasn’t sure how, she managed to maneuver herself so she was no longer upside down, and instead able to look at him, arms braced on his shoulders, legs on his waist so that she didn’t fall forward. She wanted down, but she didn’t want to fall on her ass. He struggled with her for a moment but miraculously they were still upright, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Not about to be dropped on my head now am I?”
Yeah, there was the smirk again. “Someone’s flexible.”
Izzie shoved him again, which, as it turned out, was a very, very bad idea, because this time he didn’t remain balanced. This time he went backwards and ended up laid out flat on the hood of the car, which was probably a much better alternative to the ground for both of them because it wasn’t so far to fall.
“Ow, jeez.” One hand came off of her waist to reach up to his head.
She bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He muttered, sounding more annoyed than she knew he really was. “Nice moves there. Were you trying to injure us both?”
“I asked you nicely the first time and you didn’t listen so this is what you get.” She replied. Izzie realized that she could technically get up now, he wasn’t holding her to him anymore, and this was a little (okay, a lot) closer to him than she’d been in a few months, but strangely she wasn’t even thinking about moving.
“Well maybe next time you won’t decide to hose me down like a dog.”
“Water is not the problem right now. You do realize you are lying on a soapy car, and when that stuff dries it’s kind of sticky. Might want to change.” She pointed out, the warm sun on her bare arms serving as a reminder of that.
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a proposition?”
She intentionally pressed down into his ribs, passing it off as just readjusting herself. She was pretty much straddling him at this point. “Oh, please, I’ve seen it all before, and it wasn’t that interesting the first time.”
Alex seemed to instinctually take that as a lie, which it was more or less. “You know you want me.”
It was a joking tone. If he had been serious she probably would’ve reminded him, yet again, that she wasn’t ready, or that this was over, or something else that would put a wall between them. So, of course, since he was joking, she found herself kissing him. You know, just to keep him on his toes. Yeah, right.
When she broke it off, which was sooner than she would’ve liked, but later than she thought she would’ve, and pulled back, he gave her this look that was half confused, half content. But he didn’t say a word, apparently waiting for her, probably to explain that away.
Instead, she told him, “You really probably should change unless you plan on helping me. And take something because your head is going to hurt in a few hours.”
“It was worth it.” He didn’t smirk this time. No, this time he smiled, and she thought that those kind of smiles were usually only directed at her, and she really didn’t know what that meant, or how she felt about that anymore.
Alex made a move to get up, and she slid off of him, feet back on the ground. He went back inside without a word, and she knew that was probably her own fault. She’d spent so much time pushing him away, telling that she wasn’t ready, that she needed space, and he had finally learned to listen to her. Right when she wished he hadn’t. But at the same time, things had changed. She wasn’t sure quite how yet, she just knew they had. Maybe it was a shift in the air, or a lack of tension and restraint in the way that they touched. Something was different.
In a way this break that they had reminded her of summer break from school. A time when people de-stressed, forgot the past, and started over again. Maybe, as stupid and cliché as it sounded, this was a kind of new beginning.
She liked to think it was.