© Copyright 2012
All work is property of Leah Crichton, any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal.

Watching Sawyer solve a Rubik's cube was like bearing witness to a modern day miracle. Alexa didn't have a watch so she began to count as his capable hands twisted, turned and manipulated the tiny cube they held. They were so fast, she had a hard time focusing on the counting.

“One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi.” By the time she was at twenty-two, he was done.

“Looks like we have a winner,” Sawyer said, kissing her nose and widening his eyes, “I'm a lucky boy.”

She blinked unable to quite register that he'd achieved the impossible. The cube looked so scrambled...she never thought he'd finish. Not in twenty-two seconds! And God, it was so hot that he did. Uncharacteristically, she pushed forward and set her mouth on his. The muscles under his shirt tensed, their cords stretching as he reciprocated. She couldn't wait to discover what they'd feel like holding her. He opened his mouth and before long, the kiss was passionate – like any reservations she'd had were gone.

Sawyer stopped and smiled before he whispered, “a very lucky boy.”

“We should get back out there. I don't know what I'm supposed to tell Rachel.”

“Right, the inconvenient best friend forever.”

“She is my best friend forever,” Alexa defended. “She's just a really crappy timed traveler.”

“Same difference, sugar.”

Maybe he had a point but Rachel was going to kill her. At least she thought so, until they went back into the living room and she saw her friend.

Rachel held a beer loosely in her hand. She sat on the couch a lot closer to Robbie than she had been earlier, so close in fact, that she had a leg rested on top of his. Robbie's hair fell loosely over one eye and they were laughing while he drummed rhythms on her knee. She was trying to guess the song.

Lane, Charlie and Sebastian were cleaning up the kitchen and Devin was picking up her candles and streamers. Tally and Adam were putting their shoes on.

“Later,” Tally said. “It was nice to meet you Alexa. I can already tell you're spectacular for putting up with Sawyer.”

“It was nice to meet you too,” Alexa said. “Hopefully we'll see each other again.”

“Guaranteed,” Tally promised. She leaned in close to Alexa. “I've known Sawyer for a long time. I don't know what it is about you, but he's smitten. Trust me, we'll see each other again.”

Her heart started to race at the thought that what Tally said might be true. Was Sawyer falling in love with her? Was he already in love with her? “Thanks, Tally.”

“No worries,” Tally said. “Take care of him. Sawyer talks tough but he's got a good heart.”

Before she could reply, Sawyer was beside her. “You talkin' about me Tal?”

“Just saying your swirly threat never came to fruition.”

The corner of his lip turned up. “Never too late darlin'. You tempt me.”

“Let her tempt you,” Tally said nodding to Alexa. “I have my hands full with Adam.”

After Tally left, Alexa sat on the lone armchair across from Robbie and Rachel while Sawyer went to help Devin.

Rachel had her eyes closed and Robbie was intently tapping on her knee. “Guns and Roses,” she said. “November Rain.”

“Good guess,” Robbie said. “Next?”

“Ready,” Rachel replied.

He repeated the same but in a different pattern. “Go.”

“Broken. Lifehouse.”

“I think in between dinner and now I've fallen in love with your friend,” he said to Alexa. At his words, Rachel's eyes sparkled and she perked up.

“Listen,” Alexa said. “Can I talk to you?”

Rachel pouted, disengaging herself from Robbie's lap. “Why do I get the feeling that you're going to deliver bad news.”

Alexa walked to the hallway and spoke in a hushed tone. “I kind of just told Sawyer I'd spend the night with him.”

Rachel leaned in closer. “Two things. One. What the hell am I supposed to do? And two, how did you end up slumber partying with Sawyer West?”

“One, I haven't figured that out yet. Two, I lost a bet.”

Rachel's eyes lidded. “What bet?”

“You know that little Rubik's cube key-chain? I kind of bet Sawyer that he couldn't unscramble it in sixty seconds.”

“Wow. Proof that you do live under a rock. Go to the corner store and buy any one of the teen magazines. I guarantee you somewhere in there is a picture of Sawyer with a Rubik's cube. Everyone knows those things are like a crutch or something to him. He doesn't go anywhere without it. You had to have known this, or you wouldn't have bought him one.”

Alexa shrugged. “I didn't realize he was that fast. I've seen him with it before but it's very casual. He told me them helped him think.”

“He's like three seconds slower than the world record holder, genius. You didn't stand a chance.” Her voice raised an octave or two. “I can't believe you're going to lose your virginity based on a dumb bet!”

Leave it to Rachel to assume the worst! “I am not going to lose my virgin-” Alexa realized she too, was being rather loud. “My virginity,” she whispered.

Charlie's blonde curls peeked out from behind the entrance to the kitchen. “Ladies, everything okay over here?”

“We're fine,” Rachel said through clenched teeth. “Alexa bet Sawyer he couldn't solve a Rubik's in less than sixty seconds. Since she lost, she said she'd spend the night with him.”

Charlie smiled wide. “That wasn't much of a bet, was it?”

“I know, right?” Rachel said. “Anyway, I'm now homeless for the night.”

“Don't be silly, you can stay at our place. Or even here. In the room that Lane uses for yoga, there's a pull out couch.”

“I don't want to be the third wheel.”

“So don't,” Robbie's voice cut-in. “I'll stay here. We could hang out. I'm not leaving until I stump you on drum that tune.”

Rachel's eyes darted to Robbie and her lip parted. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Why not?”

Her French-tipped manicured nails clasped together under her chin as she turned back to Alexa. “Yeah okay. Let's stay here.”

It took a good hour before Charlie, Sebastian and Devin were done enough to leave. Lane said goodbye as quickly as possible, his posture rigid and jaw stiff before high tailing it to his room, leaving Robbie, Rachel, Sawyer and her alone. They watched a movie. Rachel actually pretended to watch but spent the majority of the time flirting with Robbie in hushed whispers.

Sawyer was stretched on the couch with one arm behind his head and the other wrapped around Alexa. She rested her head on his chest, the lull of its rise and fall was making her sleepy and she fought to keep her eyes open. He softly rubbed a finger on her shoulder. “You're tired. We should sleep now, yeah?”

The thought of curling up against his body, strong and warm was too hard for her to resist. She nodded as he pushed her up first and rose to stand beside her.

“Night,” he said to Robbie and Rachel. “You know where the bedding is.”

“Yup,” Robbie said. “Good night.”

Robbie started tapping a tune on Rachel's leg again. She smirked slyly and sang, “like a virgin-”

At which point Robbie made a face and yelled out a high pitched, “woo!”

Rachel continued, “touched for the very--”

Sawyer gave her a knowing smile. “I think Robbie may have met his match.” He entwined his fingers through Alexa's. “C'mon,” he said.

Every inch of her body felt impossibly hot. And not in the good way. In the, she wanted to find a rock to hide under way. Why was Rachel so...Rachel? As she followed Sawyer to the room she muttered an apology on behalf of her friend.

When he opened the door to his space, it suddenly didn't matter. She had to work hard to find her breath. Her hand splayed across her chest and she stepped into the room to investigate. She'd never seen anything like it.

Three of the four considerably sized walls were floor to ceiling black bookcases, minus a larger than life wardrobe. Stacked on each shelf of the bookcase, almost as if they were jammed in there until maximum capacity was reached were more books she'd ever seen anywhere except a library.

The bookshelf free wall was plastered in old music posters. Nirvana, Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden. In front of them was a massive king sized bed adorned with a black duvet and tons of pillows.

Alexa squinted and moved forward to get a better look. Geometrical and Physical Geodesy. Biological Diversity. Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. Finite Applied Mathematics. Molecular Biology. “Are you kidding me?” she whispered.

“I like books,” Sawyer said. “Almost more than my guitars.”

“Is there anything fictional or are they all textbooks?”

“There's fiction over on that one,” he nodded to the wall across from them. “But most of 'em are textbooks. Told ya that I kind of was forced to learn things, yeah? It's something that stuck I guess.”

She shuddered at the memory of Sawyer's breakdown. Rather than speak about it, she wrapped her arms around his waist, sure that she was falling head over heels in love with Sawyer West.

Sawyer closed his arms around Alexa. His fingertips were able to brush the end of her hair which was still remarkably high on her head. He loved that she'd wanted to fit the part for him but the thing was—she was playing the part of a girl people assumed he'd be into. Alexa was his type without changing a thing. He liked a girl that had a brain and wasn't afraid to stand up to him. From the second he'd met her, she'd proved it. Looks came second, and she wasn't lacking in those either.

“What are you thinkin' about, sugar?”

“Truth?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Truth.”

She pulled away but not out of his grasp. “That I'm glad you're smart. But I'm sad about how it happened in the first place.”

He tried not to cringe visibly but inside his stomach churned and anxious butterflies took flight inside. “I'm sorry about how I treated you that day—when you found out.”

She shook her head from side to side, her red ponytail swinging. “Don't apologize. I didn't mean to push you.” Her face dropped. “Actually since we're being honest, I did, but I didn't have any idea what I was doing to you. I'm the one who should be sorry.”

“You got nothing to be sorry for,” he assured her. “It felt kind of good to get it off my chest.”

Alexa nodded. “I don't want to ruin my first night with you talking about things that hurt you. Unless of course you want to talk.”

Her eyes were half open, no surprise considering she had been falling asleep during the movie. He let go of her, trailing his fingertips down her arms before going to his wardrobe to gather a two pairs of sweats and a t-shirt. He handed the shirt and a pair of pants to her. “You can change in the bathroom. Lane usually stocks extra toothbrushes in the top drawer. Help yourself.”

“Thanks,” she said.

She closed the door behind her. Sawyer stripped off his clothes and got into the pair of pants he'd selected for himself. His dogtags were cool against his chest and he gave a small gasp before scooping up his discarded clothes and placing them in the laundry bin.

Alexa returned looking more refreshed than she had before. Her hair was free from its confinement hanging loosely and still the color of blood rather than its natural tone of fire. She noticed him staring and brought a hand to smooth it down. “It's temporary.”

“I'm glad. I'm going to brush my teeth,” Sawyer said. “I don't want you to scare you off.”

“Never,” she whispered.

As he brushed his teeth, Sawyer thought that never was probably true. She'd seen the darkest part of him and didn't run. Girls like her didn't come around often. He wasn't going to screw it up.

She sat tentatively on the edge of his bed with her hands folded in her lap. Shutting the door behind him, he waited until he heard the lock click in place before stalking over to the bed. “You look nervous.”

“Let's just say that spending the night with a guy is not an activity I partake in frequently.”

“Thanks for changing your frequented activities up for me,” he said. He crawled onto the bed straight down the middle. He stretched out like he normally would, sensing Alexa's apprehension had more to do with the subject of Rachel's teasing. “Take a breath and stay a while, yeah? Don't worry darlin' I meant it when I said I just wanted you to sleep next to me. No pressure, okay?”

She seemed to ease then and settled down beside him. Her head rested on his chest a second time that night and her hair fell softly on his skin. He could stay this way indefinitely, he decided.

Her fingers traced faintly across his chest and down to his abdomen. When she reached the spot where individual scars dotted his skin, he inhaled a sharp breath.

Alexa's fingers froze. “I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” he said. “Not really.”

He watched her intently. Her hair now fanned across him, her fingers splayed as she continued to circle small loops on him. She had a beautifully shaped profile and full lips that begged to be kissed. He let her continue for a while longer until he couldn't take it anymore. “Stop,” he ordered.

He tucked his arm around her waist and flipped them both over so she lay on her back and he hovered over her. He took her mouth with his, gripping her hair in his hands. “Alexa?”

Her voice was strained, her breath heavy. “Yes.”

“I think I'm falling in love with you and it terrifies me.”

When she woke up, Sawyer had vacated his spot. Her eyes, blurry at first, focused on the alarm clock. 6:15. Where did he go? Alexa padded down the hallway. The carpet was so soft, it felt like sand between her toes. She rounded the corner to find him, sitting on the piano bench, softly plucking at the keys. She smoothed her hair down, ran her tongue over her teeth. Eww. Morning breath.

Sawyer noticed her and she smiled. She raced down the hallway to the bathroom running toothpaste along her borrowed toothbrush, swishing and spitting into the sink before returning to the living room.

Sawyer had a brow arched. “Good morning. Sleep well?”

“Best sleep I've had in a long time.” She tiptoed over to where he sat.

He patted the top of the piano. “Sit.”

She pulled at the hem of her t-shirt as she sat.

He kissed her sweatpant clad knee. “Anyone ever tell you you look beautiful in the morning?”

She blushed and bit her bottom lip. “No one has ever called me beautiful. Except my dad, which is like, irrelevant.”

Sawyer ran a hand up the leg his lips were just on, stopping at her thigh. “That's because fate was keeping you for me so I can tell you that you're beautiful.”

“You think so, huh?”

“I know so.”

He moved his hand back to the keys and as soon as he played the first few chords, she could recognize the tune. Teenage Dream.

Devin had mentioned Sawyer could sing. Alexa heard him humming or singing a few words while he strummed his guitar but it wasn't like this. His voice was deep and raspy, as if he was seducing not only her, but the lyrics. Right away, she noticed he'd changed a few of them.

She chewed her lip and watched him, mesmerized by how his hands played the keys. She knew what those hands felt like, how soft they could be. How could someone be so rough on the outside and tender within?

Like his Rubic's cube, Sawyer didn't even need to look at what he was playing. As he continued to sing, his eyes were glued to hers. It was electric and sensual and everything she never thought she'd experience. 

When he finished his song, his arm hooked around her legs and pulled her sideways across the piano until she was face to face with him . He moved his hands to her bottom, picking her up and straddling her on his lap.

“You're the best birthday present ever.”

She kissed him, wanting to show him, to tell him how she felt. As she pulled away, he bit her bottom lip and smiled.

“Sawyer,” she whispered.

He buried his face in her hair. “Mmmm.”

“Had some grim birthdays, did you?” she teased.

“That's rich but yeah.”

Falling for someone didn't need to make sense. It just needed to feel right, which it did until the sound of dishes shattering came echoing from the kitchen.