Something prickles in the back of my neck, like a sense we’re being watched. My eyes scan the area, not seeing anyone paying attention to us, but I still don’t like it. “Let’s take this back to the house,” I murmur against her lips. “Where I can explore every inch of your body without an audience.”
After getting Georgia’s food, we jump into Lexi’s jeep to head home. When we arrive, Georgia is sitting on the couch with Robert watching a movie.
“Hey,” she says, jumping up to grab the bag from me. “Thank you. All that studying has me famished.” She sits back down and opens the box. “Mmm… this smells so good.” She takes a bite of the fried fish and moans. “And tastes just as good.”
Robert scrunches his nose in disgust. “Yeah, if you’re into clogged arteries.”
“Not all of us can eat healthy twenty-four-seven,” Georgia says, taking another bite.
“You’re an adult, Georgia. A little discipline won’t kill you,” Robert replies with an eye roll. Real fucking adult…
Georgia laughs him off. “The movie just started.” She points to the screen. “Want to join us?”
Lexi gives her sister a strained smile, and I can tell she’s holding back from saying what’s on her mind. We haven’t discussed Georgia’s boyfriend, but based on the glare she’s shooting his way, I’m going to guess she isn’t a huge fan.
“Actually, we have somewhere we have to go,” I tell her.
Lexi’s gaze swings over to me. “We do?”
“Yeah.” When I had placed Georgia’s food into the back seat I saw Lexi’s backpack that I know is full of supplies—which gave me an idea. “We’ll be home later.”
Taking Lexi’s hand in mine, I pull her out the door and back to her jeep.
“Where are we going?” she asks with a playful pout. “I thought you were going to explore me in your room.”
I chuckle at how adorable and sexy she is. “When I explore you, I’m planning to be so thorough you’ll be screaming my name. And that’s not something I want to do with your sister and her boyfriend in the living room.”
“Not a fan of his either?”
“Something about him just rubs me the wrong way.”
“I agree. But Georgia is happy, and he’s her first real boyfriend. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him.” I don’t give a shit how excited Georgia is to finally have a boyfriend. If that fool doesn’t treat her the way she deserves, I’ll kick his ass to New York.
“So, where are we going?” she asks when I open her door for her.
“I saw your art supplies in the back. I was thinking we could take a little field trip.”
“You want to watch me graffiti a wall?” she asks incredulously.
“I’ve seen your work all over the city, but I’ve never actually seen you do it.”
“If we get caught, we’ll be arrested,” she warns. “I don’t have anything to lose, but you have a job you love, and…”
“I’m not worried.” I dip my head and press my lips to hers. “Show me a night in the life of Alexandria Scott.”
Lexi
As I drive down the back streets of LA, Alec and I are both silent. I’ve never allowed anyone to witness my work firsthand. Sure, my close friends and family know which pieces I’ve graffitied, but it’s always been something I do on my own. When I’m feeling down, and the world is feeling a little uglier than usual, it’s my way of adding beauty to it, making my small little mark in the big bad world.
I was prepared to go home and have sex with Alec, something that is considered to be the most intimate act between a man and a woman, yet somehow the thought of him watching me paint feels as if I’m baring myself to him—cracking my chest open and pouring my heart and soul into his hands.
I find an abandoned building the city has bought but hasn’t torn down yet and park around the corner. Reaching back, I grab my backpack that contains my spray paints, then hop out of my jeep. Wordlessly, Alec follows after me, over to the giant brick wall. There are already several tags littering the wall, but I find a good blank spot I can make my mark on.
Unzipping my bag, I grab the different colors I want to use and begin to create my picture. Tonight’s image is Alec-inspired. He stands behind me, watching, but doesn’t say a word the entire time. I get lost in my creation. With every spray of paint, a piece of ugly is transformed into something beautiful. A bit of darkness is brightened.
When I’m done, I draw my moniker on the bottom of it—a multi-colored silhouette of a woman holding her surfboard—then step back to check out the finished product. It’s my signature night sky with bright, twinkling stars above the ocean, but tonight, I added a boy and a girl facing each other. They’re small in comparison to the large sky, because in the grand scheme of things, we all are—just two people in a world filled with billions. Next to them is the quote Alec’s mom recited at his birthday dinner: You don’t find love… it finds you.