Skeptics and true believers.

[partridge]

Alexis typically one of those girls who seemed to get caught up in a Summer Romance. And oh how she hated it. Though she wasn't one to 'put herself out there', nor was she one to appear coy and shy in the season of hot nights and equally hot days. Being a somewhat alternative and down to earth person, Alex tended to shoot for the boys that she did have a chance with, but were probably not the best choice when it came to a relationship. But thats what summer romances were all bout, weren't they? Meeting a boy while he was away visiting relatives for the holidays, spending every free day together, sneaking out when time seemed to catch up on you, all leading up to a teary goodbye and promises to call each other. But that never happens, does it? You both get too caught up in school, and know that it's better to leave what you had as it was, instead of brining up something you never know will work. Well, even though Alexis wasn't a fan of this whole ordeal, she couldn't honestly claim she hadn't even been through that scenario.

Though this summer, the British teenager had made a promise that she wasn't going to get involved in any guys who were simply visiting Kennigton for the summer. She hated the feeling of wanting something, but ultimately knowing you were never going to get it. And why waste summer drooling over some Junior boy who wasn't going to be around when she needed him most? Alex had plenty of friends that she could be spending her time with. Sometimes, the girl simply wished that she could turn back the time, before she came to the USA, when summer in England wasn't full of romances like this. If she were in Great Britain now... odds are the girl would be spending her weeks at music festivals, or traveling over the boarders to Paris or Ireland. Though she constantly wondered what it would be like growing up there these days, the teen knew that she wouldn't seriously want to trade what she had here for anything. Come school she would be in her Sophomore year, the real beginning to her life.

But at the moment, it was summer, and school was pretty much last on her list, other than summer lovers, that is, for the young girl's engender. Alexis had been seeing Ross allot lately, and quite frankly, she couldn't get enough of him. Heck, he was her best friend, but she never seemed to get sick of him at all. Not even when they bickered or fort over little things, because the girl knew that they would eventually look back on it and laugh. The teenager had spent the morning doing one of her favorite things, sleeping, before heaving herself out of bed to go and grab a bite to eat with Ross. They had seen a movie that afternoon, before deciding to drive down to Colman Lake for a late afternoon swim. As they both jumped of of Ross's jeep and began to make their way down to the far side of the lake, away from most of the afternoon crowd, the girl couldn't help but smile to herself. This was what summer was all about; hanging out with her best friend, and knowing that time was not your limit anymore.

Alex wore a modern green lace dress that reached the middle of her thighs, the sleeves falling around her elbow. It was cotton, and light enough for the warm summer air that seemed to cling to their skin as the two walked side by side, towels in hand, drawing closer to the cool waters of the lake. The girl also wore a hat she had found in the back of Ross's car, which was gray with a black strip around the middle. Her brown hair fell wavy around her shoulders, casual and nice, but nothing she had done to impress anyone really. Under her clothes the girl wore a salmon colored bikini, with pale flowers and such patterns printed on the fabric. It suited her creamy completion, as well as fitting her slender shape. Once the two had finally reached the banks of the lake, Alexis glanced around for a moment. She could see that the sun was going to be setting in a while, hence the reason the lake wasn't as full as it usually was in the middle of the day. Alex dropped her things on the ground, including her over-shoulder bag, while kicking off her white flip flops. She studied the water for a second more, before turning to Ross, a grin plastered across her youthful face.

[outfit]
[bikini]
[tag - rosssss (:]

[Ross Willamette]

At the beginning of the summer, Ross had been highly concerned how his last real summer in Kennington would be spent. He knew that the summer before college would be a flurry of goodbyes and technicalities getting ready for the big change. This was his final chance to have the summer every teen dreamed of. Lazy days by the lake, late nights and timeless days. At first things had looked as though they wouldn’t turn out how he had hoped. Arlene was having some problem that she refused to discuss with him and Chase had been spending more time with his other friends, the ones that got him in trouble. This left only Alexis.

It hadn’t occurred to Ross just how Alexis would bring about that summer he had wished for. The two had ended up spending almost every waking hour together. That is, the time when Ross wasn’t working. They would go to movies, as they had earlier that day, or hang out in their secret tree house. Both teens enjoyed sleeping in late, but recently they had been getting up just a bit earlier in order to prolong the time they had together. Despite their frequent quarrels and petty arguments, they couldn’t seem to spend enough time together. It truly was the prefect beginning to what looked like it would be the perfect summer.

The late afternoon sun skipped off the glassy surface of Colman Lake, scattering yellow and orange rays across the growing shadows. It was almost seven-thirty, and, in Ross’s opinion, the perfect time for a swim. Everyone had already vacated the beach in favor of dinner tables and evening news, things that Ross cared little about. The day had been a hot one; hotter than usual. As was the norm, hardly any wind blew, causing the muggy, warm air to drift lazily around the lake.

Ross was wearing a nondescript surf shirt and his favorite pair of plaid board shorts. He counted them among the greatest inventions of mankind. The lining inside of normal swimming suits was restrictive and tended to bunch. He much preferred to wear a pair of boxers underneath his board shorts. Since board shorts were Ross’s everyday clothing style, he was always ready for a swim if the opportunity presented itself.

Ross set his flip-flops down next to his towel on the log they used as a diving board, having opted to take them off earlier. Alexis cast a youthful grin his way, sending an extra jolt of excitement through him. Ripping off his shirt, Ross tossed it aside and bolted for the log. Once at the end, he pushed off and launched himself into the cool water; executing an almost perfect dive.

After breaching the surface and tossing his water laden hair to the side, Ross yelled out to Alexis. ”Come on! The water feels amazing! Unless, of course, you are too intimidated by that perfect dive. Don’t worry, I won’t judge if you can’t do it as well as I can.” A sly grin spread across the boy’s face, obviously getting a lot of pleasure out of taunting her. He hadn’t lied, however. The cold water soaked into the skin and washed away the sweat that seemed to cling to his body in such muggy weather.

[Board Shorts]

[partridge]

Looking at Ross now, Alexis's grin increased just that little bit more. She took him in, from the scruffy blond hair on his head, his arms which were feverishly put to work every time he went off to the farms, his patterned board shorts, right down to his flip flops, of which were several sizes bigger than her own. She wasn't checking him out, but just taking a moment to actually look at Ross. The girl was more than happy that she had spent the great majority of her Summer with him. He wasn't like most friends, where you would call up before hand and organize set dates, times and venues. When it came to spending time with Ross, either of them would generally rock up on each others doorstep, or seek out to find one another at a place they assumed the other would be. She liked that about them, the informality and spontaneous quirks.

It was only a few seconds that Alex looked at him, but enough for the girl to shake her senses. removed his hat and placed it gently on her bag, straightening up as the girl watched the boy bolt off to a diving log. She laughed aloud lightly, her eyes catching the water splash in different directions when Ross's body broke the surface. She waited until he had broken up into the open air again, before cupping her hands over her mouth and exclaiming "Show off!" Alexis was about to peel off her dress when she stopped to listen to his words. The girl shook her head slightly at his comment, before stripping off to reveal her swimmers.

"Stuff as good, I'm gonna do it better." she stated, running up to the log. But instead of diving off the end, the teen jumped up and over the water, brining her knees to her chest into a bomb. The water cascaded around her as she hit the surface, probably splashing Ross too. She wasn't a heavy girl, but the result of a bomb wasn't exactly going to be the same a pin dive, was it? Alex let go of her legs, kicking her way up to the surface again. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling away the wet pieces of hair from her face. "Told ya I could top it." she grinned at him.

[Ross Willamette]

Ross laughed and shook his head as Alexis accused him of showing off. Sure, maybe he was showing off a little bit, but it wasn't something he hadn't done a thousand times. Alexis slipped out of her dress to reveal her salmon colored swimsuit. At that moment, something in Ross's mind switched gears. Every other time they had done this, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, but for those few moments, Ross found himself realizing just how beautiful his friend was.

The thoughts only lasted a few seconds before reality hit him full in the face. Or, more accurately, the water from Alex's cannon ball did. Shaking his head, Ross waited for Alexis to reappear at the surface. Everything had switched completely back to normal, leaving Ross wondering whether or not he had really experienced what he had.

Ross shoved all of those thoughts to the back of his mind in order to focus on the present. Alexis had dissed his dive. There was no way he would leave her uncontested. "Oh, you did, did you? How about you try to top this." With one swift motion, Ross splashed water at the girl, then dove towards her, dunking her head slightly under the water. Only to quickly backstroke away in order to evade the retaliation he knew would come.

[partridge]

Had she been with a different boy at this time, in this place, doing this same thing, Alexis doubted she wouldn't be feeling the same way she was now. When it came to Ross, she didn't have to be careful when she was letting her true colors show. Sure, the teenager wasn't one to hide them initially, but nor was she the kind of girl to let all of her traits fall into the hands of any old person. She felt comfortable acting like a total moron around him. She didn't feel like a complete loser if she said something that didn't make sense, or if she made a fool of herself somehow. She didn't have to hold back from acting like a bit of a nut or a tomboy. She she defiantly didn't have to pretend to be one of those girls who only ate three pieces of fries for lunch, in fear that they would look fat. Now that was ridiculous. She knew inside that there wasn't much that didn't feel natural when she was Ross.

Now that she was in the water, Alexis could feel what the boy had been talking about. The lake was gorgeous. It's waters felt as if they were seeping into her skin, grasping any of the toxins or worries she had swimming around inside, and deposing of them quickly. It may have also had something to do with the evening sky, and the mood of their surroundings, but Alex certainly felt rather peaceful and relaxed. Well, she had, before Ross splashed her with water. She was about to protest to that, before he swam over and dunked her head under the surface. She emerged again, spluttering slightly. "Hey! Totally unfair," she called after him.

Alexis was quick to kick into a stream of freestyle. Before she moved here, the girl had hardly ever gone swimming. Sure, there had been some pools around her place, and beaches on the coast, but it wasn't really a common thing. Hence the reason why she adored it so much in summer. The girl chased after him at a steady speed, gaining on him in a few moments. pausing for a second once she had come up to his side, she spoke swiftly. "It's on now, boy." before taking a dive at his bare torso. Alex wrapped her arms around his stomach, rolling them into the water, and consequently, taking Ross down with her. She let go of him once they were both submerged, before retreating to the surface. She took in a breath, before quickly making her own escape.

[Ross Willamette]

Ross didn't even make the attempt to get out of the way as Alexis dove after him. Part of him didn't exactly want to get away. As soon as the girl hit him, Ross wrapped his arms around her as well and struggled slightly to gain control. After a few seconds locked in an underwater wrestling match, they both released their hold, Alexis opting to swim bit further away, thinking she would be safe.

Ross chuckled and splashed a little more water at her. "You little jerk. Take that." The spray of water hurtled towards the girl, but being water, broke into a million droplets, ending in barely a spray. A sheepish grin spread across his face as he realized how lame his counterattack was. Water splashing was obviously not something that Ross had perfected.

After realizing just how badly his splash had failed, Ross dove under water and swam as far as he could, only to rise to the surface again and swim lazily on his back. His lazy course took him in circles around Alexis, giving him time to say something other than a petty insult. "So, this sure beats sitting at home and vegging in front of the tube, don't it? Some days, the pair would opt to stay inside and watch T.V., though their opinion in stations usually ended in an argument, which would inevitably lead to a wrestling match for the remote.

None of these things had ever struck Ross as odd. Wrestling and their little banters seemed to be just a part of friendship. Little did he know what it appeared like to other people. Sebastian, Alexis's older brother, was in his grade, and often would make remarks. Nothing mean, just harmless jests. The two were average friends. A few classes together did that to people sometimes. The fact that Ross was best friends with his little sister caused a slight obstacle in the way fr them to really become very good friends. Sebastian had certainly been dubious of Ross an Alexis's friendship from the beginning, but it eventually proved to be just that. Despite any signs otherwise. Or so everyone thought.

[partridge]

It wasn't an unusual thing for the two teenager to wrestle and tackle each other. Generally it was provoked with reason, but Alexis couldn't honestly say she had never just tackled Ross for the heck of it. She briefly recalled a time last year when she had spotted the boy, being a Junior at the time, walking across the sport fields, and she had simply sprinted across to tackle him, in what she insisted was merely a hug. Sure... his friends had gotten a kick out of it. some freshmen girl running up and hugging Ross, but neither of them had really minded. But yes, other than that, either of them both had a good reason to bater, wrester or otherwise play fight against the other.

At his failing attempt to splashed her with water, Alex merely grinned and laughed a little. "Wow. So harsh, Ross." she mocked him, rolling her eyes slightly. Her brown eyes watched as the boy dove under the water, popping up relatively close to her. She let her bodying rise to the surface, so she was also floating on her back. She could feel the humid air hovering just above the water which prevented her from getting cold, really. When he spoke, the teenager turned her head to the side slightly, her eyes following him as he swam. She made a bit of an effort to drift closer to where he was, for conversational sake. Well, thats what she was telling herself, anyway.

Nodding at his comment, Alexis quickly realized that he probably wouldn't have caught that movement. "Defiantly. Beats having the twins barge in every ten minutes asking if we want refreshments too." Sure, it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the girl knew Ross would catch onto that. There was some truth in it, though. It seemed her entire family had doubted their friendship at the beginning, and though they accepted it now, there were still some odd little quirks her brothers and father had about the two. Sebastian found it rather amusing, and and a tendency of sending teasing comments their way. Her father would often pull Ross aside for a moment, just to have a 'little chat'. Whatever that meant. Jackson and Jason though, they were a different story. The twins loved to pop into Alex's room, purely to annoy the girl. She wasn't too sure if it bugged Ross or not, but she sure knew it affected herself.

She had let go of that now though, letting her mind focus on Ross, and Ross only. She even found herself noticing the way his hair could be plastered down by water onto his head, yet still his fringe would flick out at all random angles. "I don't think I could imagine any better way to spend summer, you know." she mentioned, a little softly, her eyes looking up at the chalky sky above them both.

[Ross Willamette]

Though the sun was seriously dipping in the evening sky, the muggy air still clung to the very surface of the water. The long summer day mixed with the intense Ohio sun generally resulted in intensely hot afternoons. The sun would bake the earth, bouncing heat off of everything which mixed with the direct rays of the sun, causing drastic temperature spikes. Luckily almost every building in Kennington had air conditioning. It was deemed an essential in such an environment.

Out of everything the heat complicated, Ross loathed it most when it came time to buck Mr. Jameson's hay. Generally a machine would do it, but some fields needed to be specially bucked into a pickup so they could take it to the barn, rather than to the warehouse that the rest of it went to. The giant machine couldn't fit into the places that the pickup could, so it was left up to Ross to do that work. Generally, early morning would be a good time, but even then it could get really hot and heat stroke was a real threat.

Luckily for Ross, today was not such a day. Today he had set aside just for Alexis. They never really scheduled times to hang out, but they had decided a while ago to set aside a day to see the movie they had gone to see earlier. That way nothing could interrupt it. The rest of their day hadn't been planned out in the least bit. Things came naturally, as they usually did. Since it was unbearably hot, they went to the lake to swim. Besides, the lake at sundown was one of the most amazing sites one could ever behold.

Ross chuckled at Alexis's comment about her brothers. Her entire family had a strange interest in the two. Ross's family knew about his attraction to Arlene, so they didn't bother teasing him about Alexis. Jackson and Jason took a morbid fancy in annoying Alexis. Luckily for Ross, he didn't find them all that obnoxious, though it was obvious that Alex took it personally. Landon, Alex's dad, was the best however. Ross really liked the man. He would pull him aside and jokingly tell Ross to keep his hands to himself and the classic, "You use it, you lose it" line. It was obvious that the "little chats" were just a joke, however, since both parties had openly denied that they had anything going on. Plus, they simply didn't act like it. Or not enough to overshadow their denials.

Sometimes, Ross found himself wondering just how big of a lie his denials were. It was obvious that the pair got along better than most people in the world, and he genuinely cared for her, but the fact that they were such good friends locked firmly in his mind long ago, leaving no room for any contradiction. He did agree with Alexis, though. He couldn't think of a better way to spend his day either. "Me either. It's almost perfect." Ross let his statement hang in the air, allowing the presence of the word "almost" work its magic. He hadn't particularly meant anything by it, but the mystery was still there.

The pair swam around for a bit longer, wrestling some, splashing a lot, and diving from their log a bit also. Eventually, however, Ross grew tired of swimming, and noticing that the sun was almost down, opted to drag himself from the water and back into the clingy, moisture filled air. "I'm tired. Besides, the sun is almost down. We can't miss that, now can we?" The boy picked up his towel and quickly dried himself off, though he didn't replace his shirt. It was still pretty hot, and the slight breeze that had picked up was too nice to don it once more.

After picking up his assortment of personal belongings and waiting for Alexis to follow his lead, Ross marched up to the crest of a nearby hill, his perfect place to watch the sunset. It was a very short walk, so he decided to keep his shoes off, preferring to go barefoot. Once at the crest, the boy plopped himself down and gazed over the lake at the vibrant colors the sun cast as its rays traveled through more atmosphere than usual, causing the brilliant sunsets that Ross had come to know and love. There was no better end to a summer day than one that consisted of he and Alexis watching the sun set over the only place he could ever see himself in. Kennington.

[partridge]

Ross's comment seemed to loom just above their heads for a moment or so, before it simply lifted into the air. Alexis didn't make anything of the almost aspect, for there was no need to. Of course, there could have been a few tweaks here and there that would have made it absolutely perfect. She knew it was only June, and she honestly didn't need to worry about Summer ending, but she did know that eventually it was going to. That kind of pressure seemed to lurk in the back on her head, reminding the girl that when these three months were over... Ross would be in his final year of school, and she would be well on the way of finishing up within a couple of years.

And as much as she tried not to dwell on that subject, the teenager couldn't help but wonder just what would happen to her and Ross after he finished school. She knew he had plans and hopes to continue through to college, and if so, that was defiantly going to affect their relationship in one way or another, and it seemed to be leaning to wards the down side of the throw. But Alex was honestly trying not to think of that here or now, for she knew it was only going to ruin her mood. She she simply kept her smile plastered to her face, her eyes looking directly up at the sky. She could feel the small ripples that lapped against her body whenever Ross shifted or moved, preparing her for another set of wrestling or such. She loved bantering with him like this, it seemed to provide a constant stream of entertainment.

When she heard Ross speak, Alexis gave a nod of agreement. She too could feel her arms and legs becoming heavy and tired, so she followed Ross out of the lake. The girl picked up her orange and red striped beach towel, drying her hair quickly so that it wasn't as wet, and wrapping it around her hips. The teen also grabbed the hat, placing it on her head, before grabbing her own things and following Ross up a nearby hill. Once she reached the top, a little behind the boy, the girl dropped her things with his own, before sitting down on the soft grass next to her friend and crossing her legs.

The lake was like a paint pallet, the rich colors from the sunset spreading and mixing over it's waters. It could practically take one's breathe away, and sitting on this hill in total peace, beside her best mate... well it really did take her breathe away. Alex settled herself quickly, feeling the ever-warm head stick to her body, the constant feel of water dripping down her bare back from her wet hair. She removed the hat from her head, placing it on the ground beside her, now that the sun had set totally, there really wasn't a need for it. "It's so beautiful." she breathed, turning her head so that she could look and send a soft smile at Ross.

[Ross Willamette]

The sunset that night was one of the best ones Ross had ever seen in his eighteen years of living in Kennington. There was something surreal, and almost magical about how the sun scattered millions of rays across the horizon. Since the sun was setting lower, the heat was quickly beginning to give way to the warm summer evenings that Ohio was oh so used to. Eventually, it would settle at the perfect temperature, almost as if the hands of fate were holding it there.

Ross looked over at Alexis as she spoke. The thought had been understood without saying, but voicing the seemed to simply add to the magical moment. "Ya. It really is" Ross words were once again, ambiguous. Not even he knew whether he was talking about the sunset, or her. Granted, he wouldn't allow himself to think that he had been referring to her. That had never been an option.

Ross's bemused gaze was met, and broken, by Alexis's soft smile. Most people would have turned away in embarrassment, for everything within him, all the things he had been trying to hide even from himself, were dancing across his face and in his eyes. The pair unashamedly locked eyes for what seemed like eternity, only to have the moment broken by Ross turning his head back toward the sunset.

A sudden wave of emotion swept over him, and, out of sheer instinct than anything else, Ross slowly stretched his arm around the girl and pulled her closer to him. Without turning to look at her, he whispered in a very quiet, almost indiscernible voice, more to himself than to her, "Not almost anymore."

[partridge]

Alexis couldn't help but feel rather filled up inside. She had been, and still was soaking in everything. The day with Ross, and all the little moments they had that would soon develop into fond memories. The small tokens that would fall from her bag, like a stray movie ticket, or the smell of the lake water on her clothes, that would remind her of this day. The feel of the water enclosing her still on her skin, and the memory of the sunset that would stick her her eye lids. Everything seemed to absorb into her body, and Alexis was holding it there for as long as she pleased. And all of these things, all the memories to come, and the ones that were being created... they were fueled by Ross.

Well, Ross and Kennignton, that is. Both played such a major part of her life, and one that Alex sometimes didn't even want to admit. She knew that if she lost either of these things one day, life would most certainly never be the same. Sure, she wasn't a home-grown Kennignton girl, like many others, and in fact, she had only been living here for a few years. But all the same, she lived, breathed and loved this town, and all the magic that it swept her with. And Ross was at the center of it all; the one anchor she had when things seemed to get too rough. She could hardly believe that before all this, Alex had grown up in a country that, compared to here, seemed so elegant, yet cold.

When the boy spoke, she only continued to let her smile stick in place. She couldn't even stop herself from doing so, if she had wanted to, that is. Alex could still see the wide, open, and colorful sky from the corner of her eye, but she wasn't tempted to look at it until Ross did so. The seconds ticked past, which seemed to stretch for minutes, just the silence, and the two caught in the beauty of the moment. As their gaze was finally broken, the teenager turned her head to the sunset again, the reflection in her eyes appearing honeycomb, due to the mix of the two colors. The action that followed was pretty much out unexpected, on the girl's behalf. Sure, Ross had hugged her allot, and sat like this a couple of times before, but this... this was pretty different.

She allowed herself to slide closer to him, feeling their warm skin press together. It wasn't like she hadn't been in a situation like this... but Alexis knew that this was something her or Ross probably never would have found themselves doing. But then again, she didn't mind it in the slightest. And as fitting as his arm around her felt, the teenager let her head tilt slightly, so it rest gently on his shoulder. His words seemed to hover over her head, unable to really reach, but they were pretty too look at all the same. She didn't want to ruin this perfect moment, and really... the girl didn't think she had to say anything either.

[Ross Willamette]

His mind was made up. Ross had decided that this had to be the most wonderful day of his entire life. Better than any birthday. Even better than the day that he won the contest on the radio and got to participate in the big fair and rodeo Kennington had at the end of the year; quite possibly one of Ross's favorite attractions. Such a simple and pure moment in time far exceeded any past joys he had ever known.

Reality, however, is a cruel mistress. Ross knew that all too well. It wouldn't be long before this moment was over and he would be thrust back into his life. A life that he was certainly not content with. Too many complications made it nigh impossible for him to truly live. His family, Arlene, college. They all bore down on him like steel weights. One day, soon, Ross would make his decision. He would either face this life he was doomed to despise, or start one which could never live up. Alexis was there, but so was his family. Two very strong forces, though one repelled and the other attracted.

The weight of such thoughts took a physical toll on the boy. A light sigh escaped from his mouth as he pushed as hard as he could to stow such things in the back of his mind for later contemplation. This was not the time or place to worry. Everything seemed to finally fit together. Try as he might, the daunting idea of choosing his path ate away at his mind.

Ross's thoughts were hurled back to the present by a slight shift in position on Alexis's part. She had leaned in a bit closer, and gently laid her head down on his shoulder. It was as if nothing else mattered. All of the fears and worries Ross had felt moments ago melted away as he reached up to stroke Alexis's hair. If only time could stand still. If only we could stay here forever like this. If only, if only.[/i]

[partridge]

If the teenager hadn't been so caught up in this moment, she would have probably been looking about the area surrounding Coleman lake. She had been here countless times, and every day had been for a different reason, and had made different results. Now, if she were to look around, the girl would see the lake, it's glassy completion reflecting the sky above. The fields nearby were a musky shade of blue, a reminder that dusk was settling, but would soon be shifted by the night. Out in the distance was the forest, in which, another special place that the teenager knew of would lay dormant until they visited it next. There were but two cars in the lot, consisting of Ross's own jeep, and a red station wagon which was being filled up with a family's vacation equipment. It was as if when the sun set, and the night sunk in, a dust of peace and darkness fell upon this part of Kennignton, unable to be touched by pain, or disaster, or damaged in any way. Now... this may have not been entirely true, but it felt like it.

Just because everything was changing didn't mean it had never been this way before for anyone else, but Alexis didn't want to consider that. She wanted life to be easy. She wanted to make the right choices, and not have regret follow her around like a hungry dog. She wanted Ross to stay here, but more than that, she wanted him to pursue his dreams, and make himself happy. She wanted to understand what this new... change, this new part of their relationship as - were they still merely friends? - well, what it exactly meant. But then again, she didn't want to know all the answers, and uncover all the mystery. For really, that was half of what made this moment so perfect and surreal.

Had the boy's hand not started to stroke her hair, Alex may have continued to zone out for a while more. But, alike Ross with her action, she was snapped back to where they were at this. It sent her stomach swimming with a vague sense of what felt like butterflies. Alexis allowed her head to turn up wards, so she could see the boy's features. Even now, in the fast fading light, Ross seemed to glow so brightly. In the last of the light, the teenager could see every crease of his face, make out the texture of his skin, the lashes around his eyes. And if one could capture the light from her smile, and the glow that she saw, that illuminated in an invisible light... well, their beam could radiate all of Kennignton.

[Ross Willamette]

The waters had been tested. Alexis had not only accepted his advances, but practically welcomed them with open arms. The initial discomfort that had accompanied the testing of unknown waters had dissipated, leaving behind naught but the anxious butterflies flitting around in the pit of his stomach. Believe it or not, this was the furthest he a romantic attraction had ever gone for Ross. If it was, in fact, a romantic attraction. He still wasn't sure. His entire life had been spent waiting fro Arlene, but ever since she started dating Jayden Lewis, they had grown further and further apart.

Luckily for Ross, Alexis showed up at just the right moment. When he was in the pits of despair, wondering where exactly he went wrong with Arlene, Alex picked him up and helped him stand on his own two feet. He had never, until now, even entertained the idea of Alexis becoming the object of his affections. It had always been Arlene. Things change.

Ross glanced down, meeting Alexis's slightly awed gaze. He had originally thought that nothing could have been more beautiful than the sunset they had just watched. Boy had he been wrong. The soft smile that adorned Alexis's face glowed with a beauty that surpassed everything he had ever witnessed before. It was pure, unadulterated beauty. The stuff that only showed up in fairy tales and chick flicks. A smile crept onto Ross's face, matching Alex's. If it had been light enough to see his eyes, she would have seen straight to his soul. There was no more denying. No more hiding. Every crevice of his face radiated what his mind had been covering up.

Slowly, the boy lay down in the grass, realizing that the stars were best viewed when one was positioned with their face pointed in the correct direction. As he laid down, he gently shifted her head so it rested comfortably on both his shoulder and chest. After a few moments of lying down, a shooting star shot across night sky, almost traveling from one horizon to the other. Ross made the compulsory exclamation and pointed it out, though Alexis would have been blind to miss it. "Make a wish. Quick!" I wish I could stay here forever. Just like this.

[partridge]

Alexis wasn't actually sure if she wanted to, or rather, could admit this to herself. It was pretty darn obvious that even the best of friends didn't exactly show this kind of affection to one another. This, well, it was boarding, if not crossing the line of romantic affection, as Ross had realized too. Really, the teenager couldn't decide whether this was a good, or bad thing. Alright, so assuming this was what she was thinking it was, how was it going to pan out? Honestly, she had no flipping idea. It could go either way. Either this would... evolve into a much closer relationship, which was kind of hard to believe, considering Ross and Alex were already very close, or it would somehow... cut into their friendship. There was the slim chance that nothing would change at all, but she wasn't too sure that was a option.

So, past that thought, the girl wondered whether, if this did escalate somehow, if it would be a good or bad thing? She was snagged on that thought. There were so many good aspects about it... yet gaining amount of bad too. She hadn't recognized it before now, but she was attracted to Ross, not only because of his looks, but because of his genuine and great personality. But he was that much older than her... and already there had been rumors about the two, so what would happen once he finished school? It was the same subject line as how their friendship would be affected. Alex knew that she couldn't sit here thinking about it, not now anyway. She didn't want to distract herself by all this considering and pondering - she just wanted to forget about everything else, and be with Ross.

When he looked down at her briefly, Alexis felt her stomach do another flip. This wasn't her first romantic moment, nor night, but it was quickly becoming the most special of those which she had experienced. For the boy with her now, he wasn't just some tourist come to find some summer action. He was actually someone who cared about her, who knew her, and vice versa. She noticed his smile, which practically reflected how she assumed her own looked. Then there was something between them - a spark, a flash, a click, something that made her realize this night wasn't going to be cut short.

As Ross made the move to lay down, Alexis let herself slowly follow in suit. She complied by letting her head rest on his shoulder and chest, feeling his warm skin against her cheek. Alexis let her hand further away from the boy reach across her body, gently resting it on his torso. She was glad it was still particularly warm out, otherwise the girl would have been concerned if her fingers may have been cold, for she didn't want to cause any discomfort of any sort. Looking back up now, Alexis did just in time to catch the shooting star of which seemed to soar across the entire sky. She let a small bubble of laugh escape her mouth when the boy exclaimed and pointed out the obvious.

She did, though, make a wish that is. I wish things would stay as they are; perfect. And, oh, how she really did. If the girl could stay like this forever, she wouldn't need to worry about all the different things that jumped at her, only to be pushed back, and thought about at a later date. "Wished and sealed." she said softly, her eyes still glued to the stars above. "I'm glad my dad trust us, you know. Otherwise I doubt we'd be here." she mentioned, mostly to herself, but also to Ross. In fact, the girl hadn't even considered the matter of telling her father what she was up to. The teenager knew Landon, her dad, trusted Ross like he would trust Sebastian or the twins when it came to Alexis, so she knew there was no need to tell him what she was up to. There had been various times when Ross and herself had been out, just chilling or wandering about Kennignton, arriving at a late hour, and he hadn't at all been worried. She had even crashed at Ross's house once, and he hadn't flipped out that much. She felt totally and utterly safe around the boy, and her rather knew he wouldn't do anything that wasn't safe. In fact, if given the choice, Alex would have gladly spent the night like this.