Never Forget (Memories)

''Strawberry.''
    I roll my eyes playfully. ''Ice cream?''
    ''Obviously.'' Alec exaggerates an eye roll and I nudge him with my shoulder. ''Like I'd bring you to Cara's and not buy you ice cream!''
    I grin and bound up to the counter. Cara looks up and smiles, her auburn hair pulled into a ponytail that swishes when she moves.
    ''Mornin' kids!'' Cara smiles at us. ''Usual?''
    I bite my lip. ''Have I really been here that much already this summer?''
    ''Lexy.'' Cara grabs a cone. ''You've had strawberry ice cream since you were five. Only strawberry.''
    ''Your memory is something else, Cara.'' I shake my head in wonder.
    ''But to answer your question,'' she scoops the ice cream, ''yes, you have been.''
    ''Oops.'' I grin and shrug one shoulder. ''My bad.''
    She hands me a cone and scoops up Alec's vanilla.
    ''Boring,'' I mutter.
    ''Hey.'' He looks at me, offended, as he hands Carl's mum the money.
    ''Just saying,'' I lick my ice cream. His eyes flicker down.
    ''No distracting me from what I was gonna say, you.'' He opens the door and I wave goodbye to Cara.
    ''Me? Distract you? Never!'' I swirl my tongue around the top of it.
    ''Princess,'' he warns.
    Ignoring him, I pull the flake from the cone and suck off the ice cream, moving towards the beach.
    Alec coughs. I glance at him slyly.
    ''Yes?''
    ''Can you, er, shit. Can you not suck the flake that way?'' he says in a slightly husky, strained voice.
    ''Why?'' I ask innocently. He scratches behind his ear.
    ''Because it, um, might be putting thoughts into my head.''
    ''Oh yeah?'' I grin. ''Like what?''
    He laughs and shakes his head. ''You're terrible.''
    ''What?'' I suck the flake again. ''Maybe sucking the flake makes me think things too.''
    He does a double take and stops, holding his ice cream halfway to his mouth. He swallows.
    ''It does?''
    ''Yep.'' I step closer to him. ''Like how good my ice cream would look in your face!'' I push it into his nose and run across the sand, giggling.
    ''Oh, that's it!'' He calls after me and chases me across the beach. Because of my uncontrollable laughter, he catches me in seconds and I get my payback - his ice cream in my face. I giggle even more and he gets his phone out, snapping a few pictures of us together.
    I look at it - ice cream is smeared across both of our faces, on our noses and across our cheeks. Alec ducks his head and kisses along my cheeks, his tongue flicking out slightly, licking the ice cream off. He kisses my nose and then my lips, putting a stop to my giggles. I do the same back to him and he pulls me close.
    ''Ah hell, Princess, you're amazing.'' He kisses me again and I smile against his lips.
    ''I'd say the same to you, but we all know about your ego,'' I tease.
    He mock frowns at me and I kiss him again, gently grazing his bottom lip with my teeth. He groans quietly and presses his hands to my back, pushing me flush against him. His tongue snakes out and runs the length of my top lip. I shiver, entwining my hands into his hair.
    He kisses me harder, deeper, and my stomach flutters. I stand on my tiptoes, arching my back slightly as if I can get even closer to him and his hand runs along the hem of my top. I move my hands through his hair and I want him.
    I want Alec, badly.
    He pulls back and rests his forehead against mine, breathing deeply.
    ''Fuck, Princess.'' He breathes out. ''You can't do that in public. I might not be able to stop myself next time.''
    ''Then next time, I'll make sure we're not in public,'' I whisper back.
    He opens his eyes. The blue in them in more pronounced, and I can see it swirling, see his inner battle against his desires.
    ''You.'' His breath crawls along my lips in a gentle caress, ''are gonna be the death of me, Princess.''
    ''Oh yeah?''
    ''Yes.''
    ''No-one else-''
    Alec tightens his grip on me. ''Forget about all the other girls before you. They are nothing, Princess, nothing compared to you. There's only one girl I want and I'm looking at her right now. There's only one girl I need, and I'm holding her right now. You, are everything to me.''
    I press my face into his neck and hold him tight. ''Everything?''
    ''Yeah, Princess.'' He turns his face towards mine and I feel him breathe in deeply. ''Everything.''
    His arms circle my waist. We're so close that anyone looking on won't be able to tell where one of us starts and the other finishes.
    So close.
    Too close, to ever let go.

    ALEC

    I exhale sharply and shake my head against her. She's driving me crazy with every look,