Chapter 15
I took a deep breath and sighed. "Absolutely. I expected you to refuse."
"Glad I didn't?"
"Oh yeah." I said heavily. "You're beautiful, Alexa."
"Well, it's not the first time you've said so, therefore I believe you," she said cheerfully. "But you snapping that pic at the last moment? Well done."
"You're rather, um, unashamed about your body." I said, trying to sound delicate.
She shrugged. "It's only a bra. My bikini tops are smaller than that and I'm supposed to be seen in those. People are so hung up and repressed here about the silliest things."
Alexa then grinned. "And yes, you'll get to see my bikini top, probably tonight if we use the hot tub. Sound good?"
"Uh, yeah, sounds great," I said, stumbling over myself at the thought of her tits restrained only by a tiny bikini top. "You have a deal."
"Glad to hear it," she said casually, rising to her feet and adjusting the bottom of her tight shirt. "Show me some more buildings and then it'll be time to meet up with Karen and Mike. I want my last two hours to count."
I showed her around some more and aside from holding my arm, nothing noteworthy happened for the majority of the tour. It was only close to the end and a couple of minutes before we were due to meet my parents that she deviated from the tour plan. We were in the botanical sciences building when she decided to visit one of the greenhouses. She took me by the hand and dragged me into one, enthralled by all the flora around us. It was one of the more tropical greenhouses and quite humid inside.
It was also empty of guests, except for us.
She stopped beneath some large palm trees, turning to look up at me, her hands on my chest. She smiled warmly at me, her eyes deep and crystalline.
"Alex, this has been a great day," she said softly. "You showed me around the university I'm going to go to, you've kept me laughing and entertained, but most of all, you've been wonderful and kind to me. I've needed that a lot recently, and you're not just my family but you're becoming a very good and dear friend to me. Very quickly. I want and even need you to know I appreciate it. So much."
I smiled and nodded, trying not to shift back and forth from foot to foot nervously. "I- thanks, Alexa. You've really come to mean a lot to me, too. And quickly. I-"
She put a finger over my lips, silencing me, still looking into my eyes. "I brought you here because we're going to be around company soon, and constantly. I wanted to give you one last kiss. I don't know if it's technically a Dutch Kiss, but it's an expression of my genuine appreciation for what you've done for me and also who you are. Do you understand what I mean?"
I nodded.
"Good," she said, putting her arms around my shoulders. "Then kiss me..."
I didn't hesitate. I took her into my arms and pressed my lips to hers. Her body almost seemed to melt against me and the world fell away, our existence no bigger than the tiny space beneath a greenhouse palm tree, but vaster than the whole universe. I could feel my heart and hers beating together, lost in an eternal moment.
Lost with this beautiful girl. My friend.
My aunt.
And I really didn't care at that moment.
***
We were laughing and having a great time while we ladled out our portions of food from the various boiling pots ensconced in our round table. Mom, dad and I came to this place frequently while Alexa had been to several such restaurants in Europe so we were all at home here. Alexa seemed to have an impressive appetite when she was relaxed and comfortable, because she ate several helpings of beef, lamb and vegetables by herself. Pretty sure only my dad ate more than she did, and that was just to prove he could.
Toward the end of the meal, mom excused herself to go the ladies room while dad got up to pay the bill. There was silence until we were sure they were out of range and then Alexa smirked at me, patting her finger gently against her lips.
"You sure that my lipstick and gloss were back on correctly when we met up with them?" she asked, giggling nervously. "You took my original coating of it right off my mouth with that kiss, you know."
I smirked at her. "This from the woman who tried to suck my fillings out when a Dutch Kiss unexpectedly became a French kiss."
"Psh, you don't have any fillings," she retorted. "And yeah, that kiss did get a little intense, didn't it?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it did. Good thing we managed to stop ourselves right before that old prof came in to check on his plants, right?"
She let out a low exhale. "Yeah. The prof..."
"And I'm still baffled as to how you managed to snap yet another picture during that." I laughed. "But yes, your lipstick was perfect once you reapplied it," I added assuringly. "They didn't give it a second glance. We tidied ourselves up pretty well."
"Heads up..." she said suddenly, indicating my mom's return. I went back to picking at the last of my food while Alexa brought up some generic subject and I nodded in response without really looking at her.
"God save me, Alex," my mom exclaimed as she walked up, giving me a withering glance. "The minute your father and I leave the table you become a virtual lump! Can't you entertain a pretty girl for two minutes on your own without spacing out?"
"Sorry." I mumbled.
Mom looked at her sister. "You're sure he didn't just dump you on-campus and didn't wander off in a fog?"
Alexa nodded. "He did just fine. He showed me around the buildings where I would likely be taking my courses and his answers were both succinct and lucid."
"Thanks for the endorsement." I muttered, earning me a caress on my shin from her foot under the table.
Mom sighed. "I swear, if your father had been one tenth the doughhead you're proving to be around girls, I never would have given him a second date, no matter how cute his butt was."
"What's this about my butt?" dad asked as he strode up while Alexa snickered.
Mom tilted her head at me while looking at him. "Prince Charming here did 'just fine' in showing his aunt around campus, with responses to her queries ranging from succinct all the way to lucid."
"Wow, good job," dad teased, grinning at me. "Keep it up and maybe we can get you a job in the campus hospital as an anesthesiologist."