I Don't Do Lonely Well

“That’s the last of it,” Alex sighs, dropping a box on the floor. He turns to me, a smile on his lips. “This is really it. We officially live together.”
“Milestone in our relationship.” We share a small laugh, and he laces his fingers through mine.
“Next step, coming on Warped with us this summer.” He looks at me hopefully.
“I have my interview with Dulaney next week. Can we talk about it then?” He nods and presses his lips to my forehead. “Do you want to make dinner with me tonight?”
“I’d love to.”
I pour the spaghetti from the strainer into a large bowl while Alex opens up the spaghetti sauce and pours it over the noodles. The front door opens. “Smells great in here,” Cody compliments. The oven beeps.
“Babe, can you pull out the garlic bread?” I ask Alex. “Thanks, bro.”
“Sure thing,” Alex responds, pulling on an oven mitt.
Alex excuses himself to the bathroom before we eat, and Cody and I take a seat at the table. “Hey, can we talk about something?” I begin. Cody looks up at me and nods. “Is this weird for you? You know, Alex moving in and everything.”
“Weird, no. Different, yes. As long as I don’t have to hear you two going at it every night.” I scoff and flick a crumb from my garlic bread at him.

Alex breaks down the final box and looks at the time. “Shit, babe, you could have gone to bed.”
I look up from my Counseling text book and look at the clock. 3:00 am. “Wow, I honestly didn’t even realize the time.” I close my textbook and drop it on the floor next to the bed. Alex collapses tiredly, coincidentally on me. “Alex,” I groan.
He reaches up and turns off the lamp next to the bed, sending the room into darkness. His lips press to my neck a few times and then trail up to my lips.
We exchange kisses for a while until Alex’s hands start running over my body, sliding inside of my t-shirt. Usually at this point, I start feeling the nervousness churn through my body.
What if I actually get pregnant this time? What if we’re not careful? What if he doesn’t warn me?
But it’s gone. All I want is him, and I make sure he knows it, pulling his hips against mine.
He lets out a low groan and pulls out of the kiss. “Jesus, babe,” he chuckles, his voice low and raspy. I push him over onto his back; he grasps my waist as I lean back down to kiss him, rolling my hips slowly over his.
He almost immediately sits up and lifts me off his lap, resting me underneath him so that our heads are at the foot of the bed. “Alex,” I whine.
He just chuckles again and leads his lips further and further.

I look at Alex in the reflection of the mirror as I put on my makeup. “Can I put makeup on you?” I wonder. I turn to look at him.
Alex stares at me strangely while brushing his teeth. He rinses out his mouth. “Absolutely not. Why the hell would I let you do that?”
“Alex, please!”
He scoffs. “Yeah, I heard that enough last night.” His lips pull into a smirk.
My jaw drops a little, and I squeal as he squeezes my ass as a farewell to leaving the bathroom. “Alex!” I cap my mascara and chase after him, around the kitchen table, down the hallway, back to the living room, and finally to the couch where I tackle him and pin him under me.
“Virginia! Get off!” His body racks with laughter. I struggle to uncap the mascara, and his hands fight against mine. “Come on! Babe, stop!”
“Just one eye? It’s not waterproof!”
“Virginia!” His hands fly to my sides in a last ditch effort. I shriek and grab his hands to stop him from tickling me.
Somewhere amidst the struggling, we end up clattering to the floor. The mascara rolls out of my hand and under the TV armoire.
“I win.” Alex leans down and pecks my pouting lips.
“You’re no fun.” He helps me up off of the ground and kneels back down to pull my mascara out from under the TV. My lips pull into a mischievous grin. I push him from his knees onto his butt and take off in a full sprint for the bathroom.
I almost get the door locked when Alex’s hands meet the handle. He twists and pushes against me, and we continue with this struggle for a good few minutes, shout at each other through the door. Finally, the door swings open, sending me stumbling back against the sink. Alex kicks the door closed behind me.
“Got you.” He traps me between the sink and himself, resting his arms on either side of my body. He pecks my lips.
“This is oddly reminiscent,” I ponder. “Except you’re not soaking wet and naked.”
Alex laughs, burying his face in my neck. His phone rings loudly from the kitchen. “Shit, I’m late.” I laugh and cup his face, pressing my lips to his before pushing him towards the door.

I hear the door open and Alex call, “Babe? I’m home.” His footsteps lead to the table where I left him a note at a nerf gun. “Welcome home from work,” he mumbles. “This gun with ammo is yours. I have one, too. Game on.”
His laugh fills the small silence that cultivated probably from rereading the note I left. I peek over the counter, silently setting my nerf gun on the counter to balance it, and fire a Styrofoam bullet at his chest.
“Oh, it’s on.”
Our war ultimately ends in an overturned couch, scattered cushions, and a broken plate.
Alex rests his hands on his knees to calm his laughing. “That was the best thing I’ve ever come home to.”
He finally calms his laughter and meets me in a short kiss. “I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.”
Alex and I end up passing out before Cody even comes home from band practice tonight. He’s found himself a new band to partake in, and they’re a really cool group of guys with a girl drummer. Mad respect.
I think Alex moving in was the best thing we’ve done for our relationship yet, and maybe, just maybe, I can live with the prospect of marriage coming a little sooner.