“It still amazes me that someone as crazy as you does something as calm as painting.”
“It's where I get my crazy from, Lexy. It’s stored up as I paint.” She grins, and winks.
“You win,” I concede and make it back into the front room. The stripy wallpaper is finally up, and both boys are collapsed on the main sofa. Jen claps her hands.
“Up! You have painting to do! I'm not paying you to sit on your arses.”
“You're not paying us at all,” Bing replies dryly. “There's no pizza, no money, no beer. Nothing.”
“I'd go and get some, but I don't have a car.”
“And you can't drive.”
Jen coughs. “I can drive, thank you very much.”
“Driving people up the wall doesn't count, Jennifer.”
“I passed my driving test first time, six months after my seventeenth birthday, Samuel.”
Bing looks at Alec in disbelief. “Is that true?”
Alec nods. “She passed before me. I just got a car first.”
Jen smiles widely.
“Fuck,” Bing curses. “Here.” He grabs his keys from his pocket, and chucks them at Jen. “Scratch my baby, and I'm gonna kick your ass. And for f**k sake, don't do anything that'll get you pulled over.”
Jen dangles the keys from her finger. “I didn't know you had a car.”
“Well, I do. No need to sound so surprised. Now, for that pizza?”
I hold out a hand. “Now, for that money?”
“What?” Alec looks between us then at Bing.
“We're students.” I put a hand to my chest. “You can't possibly think we have money for pizza and beer.”
Bing huffs and pulls out his wallet, shoving a twenty pound note in my direction. “I want the change.”
I slip my feet into my boots, grab my cardigan, and open the door. Jen giggles as she passes through, and I shoot my brother a final smile. “It's not likely. Sucker!”
“Bitch!” he shouts after me.
“Takes one to know one!” I yell back. “Bye now!”
I shut the door and run after Jen, giggling with her. I sigh happily and show her the money.
“I think I fancy a bottle of rose wine tonight, Lexy,” she muses. I point her towards Bing's Ford.
“You know what, Jen?” I grin at her over the top of the car. “I think I do too.”
BING
I watch my sister and Jen leave the flat, gritting my teeth together. Jen winds me up like no-one I’ve ever met before, and I know exactly why it is.
It’s because I’m as attracted as hell to her cocky little ass, and there’s sweet f**k all I can do about it. If she was any other girl, I’d take her by the hands, lock her in that pretty pink bedroom of hers, and keep her there until we’d worked the attraction out several times over.
Alec smirks at me. “Got an itch you can’t scratch, Bing?”
I grunt. “I’m pretty sure that girl from Laura Ashley today could give it a good f**kin’ scratch for me.”
“So call her.” Alec shrugs.
“I will when I’m done here. Lexy would kick my ass if I walked out now just to f**k someone I’ve only just met.”
“But she expects it, right?”
“Yep. That’s why I ain’t gonna do it,” I say resolutely.
“Changing your ways?” Alec laughs.
I shrug a shoulder. “Maybe it’s time to calm down a bit. I’m almost twenty-one. It’s not like I’m a horny teenager anymore.”
“Just a horny twenty-something.”
“Well, yeah.” I smirk. “Maybe I need to find one girl who can deal with that horny.”
“And the attitude, and the snarky comments, and the falling down jeans, and the ego, and…”
“All right.” I punch his arm. “That’s gotta be one helluva girl,” I mutter, staring at the front door.
“Damn right she’s gotta be,” Alec agrees. “She’s gotta be just as cocky and sarcastic as you to be able to put up with your shit.”
“Heidi seemed to have a bit of an attitude.”
Alec shakes his head, sighing. “Heidi? The Laura Ashley girl?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“You know her name?”
“Mate, if she’s hot enough for me to consider doing her more than once, then yeah, I know her name.”
“You sleep with girls more than once?”
I punch his arm again. “It’s been known to happen. Depends how good in the sack they are.” I look at him, grinning, and he laughs.
“Then you should go scratch your itch tonight. You never know…” He raises his eyebrows. “She may be worth three times.”
“Hey.” I point at him. “Don’t f**kin’ push it.”
We both chuckle, and he’s right. I need to get my f**king itch scratched, because the busty blonde babe putting that itch all over me isn’t gonna scratch it anytime soon.
~
ALEXIS
Are you coming out tonight?
Yep. See you at Red?
Nine. DON’T be late.
I purse my lips, and put my phone face down, staring at my wardrobe blankly. I have no desire to go out tonight and get drunk. I have no desire to see my old friends who are on a total different wavelength to me. For them... All that matters is partying and getting drunk.
I want more than that in life. I want an education, a life, a husband, and babies. I want it all, and it wasn't until Devon I truly realised that. It wasn't until Alec followed me home that I realised I want it all with him.
Sure, I've only known him a little under three months, so it's probably kinda naïve and absolutely ridiculous for me to say that – but if Grammy taught me anything, it’s that the heart controls all matters of love. I can't control that. If I did, he probably wouldn't be with me in London right now.
My heart wanted Alec. My heart got Alec. And now, my heart wants Alec for always, and as long as he feels the same, my heart will get it.
Some things in life aren't worth fighting. But I'll always be glad Alec never stopped fighting.
I kiss my fingers, and press them to the glass in front of the smiling image of Grammy and me from this summer. It was one of the times I was helping her in the garden. We were both completely covered in mud, and Mum snapped a picture. It's also one of my favourites, simply because of the look of pure joy on her face.
Every time I look at the picture I remember the pain I felt a few weeks ago when I found out the truth about Grammy's illness. I remember the pain I felt when I found out Alec knew all along - but then I remember the happiness I felt before all of that. If I'd known about her heart problems when I arrived in Lilac Bay, I wouldn't have had that happiness.