Who: Alex and Lilly What: At the bonfire When: July 14 Where: Bonfire Rating: low
Finding yourself on a cruise when you were supposed to be going to Paris with the woman you were dating - were they girlfriends? - was a bit jarring, but not overly terrible. Paris and Alaska were two very different places, but that meant they could go to Paris another time and get two vacations instead of one, especially since this one was mostly paid for minus whatever trinkets they wanted to buy at each stop.
There was a bonfire scheduled for tonight and Lilly was looking forward to going with Alex. It almost reminded her of the Beltane bonfire except that there was no orgy here. She walked off the boat beside Alex and in a moment of impulsivity, reached for Alex’s hand to hold. It was a light hold since Lilly’s brain kicked in that the touch had been sudden and she left room for Alex to pull away.
Alex didn’t quite know what she and Lilly were. But she knew at no point did she desire to be with anyone else other than Lilly. This certainly wasn’t Paris, but it didn’t bother Alex too much. They’d make it to Paris eventually.
At the hand grab, Alex’s brain told her to relax. She smiled at Lilly and tightened their hand grip. “I’m really glad to be here with you.” Alex stopped walking, just for a few seconds, to look around. “It’s pretty. So are you.”
Lilly was glad her little faux-pas hadn’t ruined it. She did make a mental note to be more careful next time - she had just gotten swept away on the idea of being on vacation with Alex. Maybe this was a good practice run for Paris which was much more ‘romantic’ than Alaska was.
She gave a soft laugh, though her expression was one of accepted compliment. “It is pretty. I match with the surroundings.” She meant the snow. It wasn’t the same amount of snow they got in the winter, but Lilly had quickly learned snow was possible all year here. “You look beautiful.” She realized for the first time that she and Alex looked a bit like polar opposites in their features while they had similar preferences for the colours they wore. “This is the first time I’ve been on a cruise where I wasn’t working in some way.”
Alex smiled and leaned over to kiss Lilly. “You do match.” She looked surprised at the compliment, as usual shocked someone gave her one. The brunette didn’t come for a world of loving words. The snow didn’t bother Alex, although she did grow up in California. Yale had snow, though.
“I’ve never been on a cruise at all. But I’m glad my first time is with you.” Alex looked at Lilly for a few seconds.
“This sounds stupid, but well…should we actually officially date since, we’re…pretty much already doing that?”
She found herself laughing again. This time it was more because there was a rush of release of something she had been thinking for a while. It was reassuring to know that Alex felt this way too. For how long, Lilly didn’t know, but just the fact they were more of less on the same ‘wavelength’ helped.
“I would like that. I haven’t had the urge to go on a date with anyone other than you in a long while.” Lilly hadn’t actively been looking, either, but she saw that as part of the same ‘sign’. “Does that mean you’d be alright if I called you my girlfriend or would you rather not put a title on things?”
Alex relaxed with Lilly’s laughter. “Neither have I. I even stopped hooking up with Kenny a while ago.” Which felt like an odd big step for Alex. “Yes, I think girlfriend or partner works.”
And with that, Alex wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s waist as the two made it to the bonfire. “It looks pretty.” And everyone still wore clothes, which made Alex feel oddly more comfortable.
She found them an empty spot and sat, eyes closed as she breathed in the warmth of both the fire and Lilly.
Lilly hadn’t known that Alex had stopped sleeping with Kenny, but knowing that she had made her chest do a few somersaults with happiness. It made things feel more real even if she was happy with their previous arrangement. This was a nice next step.
Sitting down with Alex, she held her girlfriend close - that thought alone put a smile on her lips - and watched the fire for a bit while just reveling in how nice it was. Maybe it was something about where they were that helped, but things felt nice and… simple? Lilly knew it wouldn’t always be that way, but it was a nice feeling to have at the moment.
“I like everything about you… just for the record. In case you have days where you wonder if you’re too much or something.” Lilly had experience dealing with being gaslight and emotionally manipulated by her bastard ex to know sometimes the voices in your head made you start to doubt the good things in your life. Lilly wanted to always be one of Alex’s good things.
Alex couldn’t quite pinpoint when she stopped reaching out to Kenny to hook up, but suddenly she realized they hadn’t hooked up in a month and that had been before the bonfire. Nor did she miss Kenny in that capacity. When Alex realized she cared for Lilly it just felt right.
Now, of course, they took their next step. Alex wanted to tell David and Rebekah, which she would when they got home.
She basked in being next to her girlfriend with a fire. Alex couldn’t recall ever feeling this…normal. Which probably meant things wouldn’t remain so.
“I like everything about you, OH HELL NO.” A grey found Alex and she wasted no time yelling, “Unwept! Unhonoured! Unsung!” The grey vanished and Alex’s relaxed nature probably wouldn’t be found again this evening. “I like everything about you.” Lilly treated her more kindly than anyone.
Lilly tensed when Alex suddenly changed dynamics. Lilly knew two death phrases that she’d been practicing over and over again for Alex, but Alex was quicker than Lilly was. She only opened her mouth when Alex reacted and then it seemed as if the ghost was gone. It probably helped that Alex could see the ghosts to ‘fight’ them, but Lilly hoped one day she could actually be helpful. “I like everything about you too. Even your ghosts.” She paused. “Not that I like that you can see them or that they bother you, but you having that ability doesn’t bother me. I just wish I could aim a gun at them and help you more concretely.”
Alex rested her head on Lilly’s shoulder. “Thanks. At least the house is warded back home now. They can’t get into the house anymore and Eve helps.” Actually Alex owed Eve a night of drinks and food when the ghost became corporal again. The woman helped Alex a lot.
Lilly practicing death phrases meant a lot to Alex, given she hadn’t had help back home. Most people thought she’d developed schizophrenia. Fun times.
Lilly knew all about being thought of as a crazy bitch, but hers was from a diagnosis of an idiot man. She smiled when Alex leaned on her. This was perfect and she silently swore to whoever was involved that if they threw anything terrifying their way right now, she’d find a way to end them. Then perhaps belatedly she also silently thanked the same people/person for making this happen.
“We’ll make this trip a good memory.”
“Good.” Alex just wanted to enjoy time with Lilly.