Page 80 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions
I almost lied and said I was fine, but then I remembered how much he said he hated liars and figured the truth would only cost me a bit of pride. I’d abused him enough for one day and it was barely lunchtime.
“There was a bug,” I sighed.
“Ah.” Alex bit his lip, obviously trying not to smile. “Sneaky little things, huh?”
“I didn’t see it coming.”
Alex clucked his tongue, his amusement only growing. “What kind of bug?”
“A…buzzyone.” Wasp or bee. I wasn’t sure. “Murderous, probably.”
“Probably.” Alex lost the war with himself and laughed. Except it didn’t feel like he was laughing at me, more like laughing…with me? Or…at the very least, finding joy from my particular brand of fussiness. “I have bug spray in my backpack if you want some. Won’t help you against murderous-buzzy ones, but will make sure your cute ass doesn’t get bit by mosquitos.”
“Mosquitos?”
“Because of the lake, Blondie. Didn’t you read the itinerary?” Alex sat down beside me on the boulder, his thigh pressing into mine.
“Do I look like the kind of person who doesn’t read itineraries?” I sniffed. “I didn’t receive one. I would’ve read it if I had.”
“I can find one for you somewhere if you want,” Alex offered.
“That’s unnecessary.”
“Suit yourself.”
His body was warm. As warm as it’d been this morning when I’d—no nono. Stop thinking about that. Sneakily, I glanced down at Alex’s legs and the python he had hidden between them. It’d felt big. Really big.
Fuck.
My mouth watered.
“Water?” Alex asked after rustling around in his bag. He waved his fancy insulated metal bottle at me. It was name-brand. Because of course it was.
I hadn’t brought one, even though I knew Mom had a cooler full.
Like an idiot.
“Thanks.” I took the bottle because as much as I hated relying on him—again—I was, in fact, rather parched. I popped the cap open, then paused, realizing with a flicker of heat that Alex had just put his mouth on this. Which meant if I put mine there, we’d be sharing germs.
Like…an indirect kiss.
“I don’t have cooties if that’s why you’re hesitating.”
“Shut up,” I scoffed. Kiss or not, I was thirsty. I took a long, languorous sip. Didn’t want to take too much, so I left it at that, the cool water spilling across my tongue, wetting my dry, dry throat. I sighed when I finished, reluctant to give the bottle back because the chilled metal felt like heaven on my sore fingertips.
“I figured you would’ve stayed behind,” Alex said, rustling around some more, presumably for the bug spray. “I didn’t take you for the hiking type.” His words rankled but he said them in such an open-minded, non-judgemental way that I couldn’t really take offense. It was simply a fact, not an insult.
“I’m not.”
“Then why come?” Alex found the bug spray, and I reluctantly handed him back his water bottle so he could tuck it away.
“I’m here to spend time with Joe.”
Alex glanced around pointedly, the lack of Joe in my surroundings evident.
“You sure you weren’t out here trying to avoid me?” Alex quirked a brow, and I hated that I’d already decided not to lie to him. Because I definitelywanted to.
“Maybe a bit.”
