Lexi stood in the basically deserted ice cream shop, tapping her flip-flop wearing foot and contemplated which flavor to get. In reality there were just way too many flavors of ice cream for anyone to make a quick decision. Especially her. The worker stood quietly at the cash register, waiting patiently, probably bored out of her mind. It was only 11 o'clock, not exactly prime time for ice cream, but when she wanted something, she got it. Now, if only it was possible to decide what she wanted to order.

Minutes passed and eventually the worker said, "Just let me know when you're ready," and started restocking cups and cones.

Lexi sighed and tapped her fingers against her chin. There were just too many choices. Did she want something fruity or chocolaty? Did she want a sherbet or an ice cream? Cup or cone? What kind of cone? How many scoops? Did she want a topping? There were just too many options.

A gust of warm air blew behind her, signaling the entrance of another customer, and Lexi felt the difficulty of choosing a flavor suddenly intensify. But we're at the beach, she reasoned, they're probably not in a hurry, I know I wouldn't be. With the comforting thought that beach-goers are hardly pressed for time, Lexi began her walk along the large freezers once again, contemplating her flavor choice. Just as she reached the chocolate section there was a loud, tactless, unmistakably masculine clearing of the throat.

----

Justin walked into the store surprised to find another person wanted ice cream this early in the morning. He was even more surprised that he didn't know this person. The Hamptons was actually a pretty small town, at least during the months that the population of New York deemed the weather not good enough for a beach trip. Granted, it was late April and the weekend so far had been gorgeous, so maybe she was from the City.

He eyed her from behind, her long dirty blond hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, a loose cotton t-shirt covered her torso, and knee length yoga pants hugged her hips and her ass, holy shit her ass.

No, Justin thought, I definitely would have noticed her if she lived here all the time.

She started walking towards the freezers, inspecting each flavor with a critical eye, her fingers pressed to her full Cupid's bow lips, as if this was a life or death decision. Justin bit back a sigh and made eye contact with the worker, standing at the register, looking bored to death.

‘How long has she been here?' He mouthed.

The worker smiled and answered, ‘ForEVER.'

Justin smiled back and winked before mouthing, ‘Leave it to me' enjoying the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks.

He checked on the girl in front of him, she looked as though she hadn't moved an inch since he turned to talk to the employee, and realistically, she probably hadn't. Justin took a few steps in her direction and with a deliberate clearing of his throat, he watched amusedly as she turned and shot a dirty look at him, pleased that the front half of her was as attractive as the back.

"Need some help?" Justin asked her with a grin, leaning against the glass case holding the ice cream.

Without another glance in his direction she answered, "I'm fine, thanks." She addressed the worker, who looked so thankful to be doing something it was like the Second Coming had arrived, "Do you think I could try black walnut?"

"I really wouldn't do that." Justin advised. "At first it tastes like brown sugar, but then it tastes like dirt."

The girl rolled her eyes and turned to the now hesitant employee. "No, it's okay, I want to try it." She coaxed with a smile.

She grabbed the tiny spoon with a bit of ice cream on it and placed it in her mouth, rolling the frozen treat around until it melted. Justin chuckled as she tried to hold in the scowl when the brown sugar faded and the dirt flavor washed over her taste buds.

"Told you so." He bragged and she scowled at him, though he reasoned it was just the ice cream talking. "Black walnut makes my face look like that, too." Justin stated with a smile. "The only people I know who like it are old people, but I'm pretty sure they just don't know there are better flavors out there."

"You make my face look like this." The girl said and walked around him to the second freezer, filled with all the colorful ice creams meant for kids.

"Hey, get this one." Justin told her, pointing to mint chocolate chip.

"It's...green." She answered and made a face.

"Lots of things are green." He replied. "She'll get mint chocolate chip." He said to the worker, who had followed them over to the next freezer.

"What? No I won't!" She told the worker before turning to Justin. "You don't even know me! Don't order my ice cream!"

 "She'll have it on a sugar cone." Justin seemed unfazed as he nodded for the worker to start scooping.

"No! Don't do it!" She told the worker.

Justin locked eyes with the worker and nodded his head. "Actually, make that two, I'll get one too." He then addressed the girl. "You'll like it, I promise."

"Don't promise things to me! I don't even know you!"

Justin laughed. Why was she getting so worked up over ice cream? "Sure I know you. We just met!" He mocked.

He walked to the cash register, with her hot on his tail, still, he assumed, ready to refuse her ice cream.

"4.99" The worker said, a little unsure if putting the two cones on the same check was the right move.

 "Keep the change." Justin said as he handed her a ten and grabbed both the ice cream cones from their holders. He licked one happily, and smiled at the clearly disgruntled girl next to him. "Mmm, tasty." He said and held the second cone out to her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and then the ice cream cone before snatching it quickly from his hand. "You're so rude, you know that?"

Justin laughed. "I just bought you ice cream!"

She groaned and turned quickly on her heels and walked out the door.

"You're welcome!" Justin called, still grinning as he watched her walk to the left and then out of sight.

----

It was stupid of her to come, the Hamptons weren't even her scene, but her friend Kayla had bailed over some ‘really pivotal case' at work, and the payments were already made. So here she was, stuck with a completely misadvertized "beach" house in the Hamptons, alone, with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream some guy had practically forced onto her. Though, she had to admit, it was pretty good, once she got over the fact that it was green.

The nerve of that guy, though. How ridiculous. Who just forces people to buy an ice cream that they don't even want? You didn't really have to buy it though, she thought, he bought it for you...and tipped the worker five bucks. That was nice of him...

"Stop." Lexi ordered herself as she opened the door to her rental house. "He's rude."

Lexi sighed and leaned fully back into the plush couch in the living room. This week was about relaxation, work had been slowly suffocating her and a break was desperately needed. Once her ice cream was finished she would change, walk the mile down the road to the beach, and lay out all day. She was bent on it.

----

It was around 11:30 when Lexi woke up, chilly, and still on the beach. I must have fallen asleep. Tenderly, she reached behind her and felt her back, thankful for no burn, at least not yet anyway. To her left, Lexi grabbed her cover up and pulled it over her head, glad for its residual warmth left over from sitting in the sun for ten hours. With a sigh she stood up, shook out her towel, and tried to navigate her way off the dark beach. Upon standing up Lexi immediately heard the loud growl her stomach made. She hadn't eaten since that stupid ice cream cone...

There was nothing open besides one of those horrible twenty-four hour convenience stores that always seemed to be found around touristy areas. The ones that only carried Arizona Iced Tea and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Without any other feasible choice Lexi walked through the aisles and grabbed a box of nuts, a giant bottle of water and made her way to the register.

"Do you ever eat actual food?" The man at the register asked her.

Lexi lifted her head and her hand stilled from digging into her oversized purse in search of her wallet. Who was this man telling her to eat real food? And why did his voice sound so familiar? Oh. Ice Cream Guy.

"Hello again." Ice Cream Guy said with a smile. A gorgeous smile. An it will make your knees weak and embarrass yourself smile.

"Are you going to tell me I've picked the wrong package of nuts out?" Lexi asked and handed him her debit card.

He reached for it and as their hands grazed, Lexi was glad, but if she was honest with herself, surprised, to feel no spark or shiver, just cool, calloused fingertips, instead.

"Alexis Dunmore, huh?" Ice Cream Guy stated as he swiped her card through the reader and pressed the necessary buttons.

Opening her wallet again, Lexi tucked her debit card back in its place. "Yep." She answered, still a little annoyed at his behavior in the ice cream shop.

"You don't look like an Alexis." Ice Cream Guy observed.

"That's why the only person who calls me that is my dad, but only because he's too stubborn to admit that the name he chose for me sucks."

"So...what does everyone else call you?"

Lexi was silent for a beat, contemplating whether or not she was willing to give him the satisfaction of knowing what everyone else called her.

"If you won't tell me, you can always be Alexis to me." He said, as if he read her mind.

"Lexi." She sighed, "You can call me Lexi."

"You're not curious what my name is?" He asked and handed her the first copy of her receipt. "Sign, please." He added out of habit.

"Nope." Lexi handed back the receipt and grabbed her plastic bag before making her way to the door.

"See you later." Ice Cream Guy called out happily over the sound of the jingle bells as the front door opened and closed.

----

It was a few days until Justin saw Lexi again, he watched as she stood awkwardly on a narrow pathway leading to the beach. Her knees were bent as if she was ready to jump at any moment, her brow furrowed and her shoulder scrunched close to her neck as if she was cold. She looked like a hilarious mix between terrified and angry and Justin found himself laughing quietly at her predicament, whatever it was. All logic told him not to approach but he was never one to follow what anyone told him to do.

"We meet again." Justin stated, bent at the waist to speak closer to her ear.

Lexi must have jumped three feet in the air, "Oh my god, Ice Cream Guy! Don't do that!" She yelled, as she threw a hand to rest over her heart.

Justin laughed out loud, it was more like a loud cackle and he mentally chided himself, it wasn't exactly the sexiest sound he could have made. "Ice Cream Guy? Really? That hurts. I'm thinking about just giving you a random name to call me, anything is better than Ice Cream Guy."

"How about we make a deal?" Lexi suggested. "You help me out with something and I'll let you tell me your name, and I'll actual try and call you by it."

"Oh, I'll help you with something," Justin joked his eyebrows wiggling.

Lexi scoffed. "You're outrageous. Was that a yes or a no?"

Justin straightened and put his hands behind his back, "It is an affirmative, ma'am."

"Ew, don't call me ma'am, you know my name, you can use it."

Justin laughed again, this time making a conscious effort to laugh his sexiest chuckle. "Alright, alright. What's the problem, Lexter?"

"That." Lexi answered gravely, pointing an arm to the empty pathway towards the beach and choosing to ignore his hideous nickname for her, this was just too serious of a problem.

Justin looked at the girl standing next to him with a furrowed brow, and then back to the perfectly normal space in front of them. "Ummm, the water is the problem? The sand? The sunset? Do you need sunglasses?" He asked as he pulled his own from where they were resting tucked into the collar of his shirt and held them in front of her face.

"Ugh, no! Come here, you're too tall, you can't see it from where you are." She grabbed his forearm and tugged, making him stand a good six inches lower so they were at the same eyelevel.

"Ohhh!" Justin exclaimed, the spider web becoming visible to him. "That's it? There's not even a spider in it!"

Lexi folded her arms across her chest, causing her breasts to rise a little out of her top and it took all Justin's strength to keep his eyes above her shoulders. "It's probably just hiding in one of the bushes, it'll come out if the web is jostled."

Justin chuckled, his sexy one again. "Well then," He spoke somberly. "We can't jostle the web, then, can we?" He mocked.

"Humph." Lexi sounded with a subtle stomp of her foot. "If you're just going to make fun of me..."

"No, no no!" Justin held out his hands in front of her. "Don't go. Can't a guy joke a little bit?"

Despite her best effort, Justin saw the beginnings of a smile creep onto her face, the corners of her lips turning up and a small dimple on her left cheek becoming visible. "Not when there's a spider!" Lexi grumbled, her smile more obvious with each word.

"Okay, okay. I apologize." Justin added with a smile and a small bow. "Now for this web."

Lexi prepared for the worst, ready to run at any moment. Justin yanked the Harpers Bazaar from her hand, ignored the protest of ‘hey that's my magazine!' from Lexi, rolled it up, and knocked the web down.

"Simple as that." Justin said proudly while handing the magazine back to its owner.

"Gross! I'm not taking that back!" She answered determinedly, "It's got spider webs all over it!"

Justin looked down at the magazine still in his hands, it was covered in spider webs, and if he were as afraid of them as Lexi seemed to be he sure as hell wouldn't want to touch that magazine either.

"Come on," He ordered, holding his free hand out to her.

Lexi eyed his open palm suspiciously. "Come on what?"

"We need to get you a new magazine. I don't bite." Justin answered with a grin. "I'm not a spider."

Cautiously, Lexi placed her hand into his and let him guide her to the nearest store, another one of those damn convenience stores, it looked like.

"So I get to tell you my name now, don't I?" Justin said with a smile as they perused the magazine aisle, her hand still clasped in his.

"A deal is a deal," Lexi recited, keeping her eyes on the rows of magazines in front of her before grabbing a new copy of the latest Harper's Bazaar and handing it to Justin.

"Jesus! You pay this much for a magazine?!" He asked in disbelief and led the way to the cash register.

Lexi rolled her eyes. "No, I have a subscription at home, so it's a lot cheaper. Why? Don't you get an employee discount here?"

"Ha-ha," Justin laughed dryly. "I don't actually work here, I was just covering for a friend."

"Hey Justin," the cashier called as they approached the register. "Who's the chick?"

Lexi dropped Justin's hand, which he immediately slapped to his forehead, and she narrowed her eyes in the direction of the worker. "My name's Lexi."

"Sup, I'm Trace." He introduced himself quickly.

"Charmed." Lexi answered disinterestedly, fiddling with the lighters next to the register.

Justin quickly paid for the magazine and exited the store, waving goodbye to Trace with Lexi following closely behind him.

A few blocks from the store, while they were waiting for the light Justin spoke. "So I guess you know my name now, thanks to Trace."

Lexi nodded. "Sure do, Justin. Are you sad you can't rename yourself something different, something cooler? Like...Chaz...or...Xander."

Justin made a face. "You seriously think those names are cool?"

Lexi laughed, a sound most pleasant to Justin's ears. It reminded him of chimes or tinkling glasses. "No, I was just making sure you don't. Those are the worst names, ever!"

The streetlights flickered on just as they reached the pathway where Justin first saw Lexi standing. The sky had turned navy, a deep orange lining the horizon.

"So much for the beach at sunset." Lexi murmured, a little sadly.

Justin smiled, she was cute when she was disappointed. "Don't worry." He assured, "There's always tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I'll have to knock down another spider web for you."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Oh, joy."

"Hey at least I won't use your magazine again. Though I can't promise it's not for my own benefit, if I have to buy another one of those I'll be out of food money for the month."

Lexi laughed despite herself.

"If you're not doing anything now, do you want to come get coffee or something with me?" Justin asked hesitantly.

Lexi fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the other for a few seconds. "I probably shouldn't. Rain check?"

Justin nodded tersely. "Sure."

Lexi smiled briefly and went on her way. A few steps away she turned and called, "Bye Justin."

"Bye Lexi." He answered back, disappointed she turned him down for coffee, but his disappointment was overshadowed by the fact that he was finally able to tell her his name, and that she was willing to use it. Because, seriously, anything was better than Ice Cream Guy. Well, maybe anything but Chaz or Xander.

----

The cell phone blared from its place on the bedside table the next morning and Lexi reached blindly from under the covers to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Lexi! I have the best news!" It was Kayla, whose voice was much too peppy for this early in the morning.

"What time is it?" Lexi interrupted.

"It's like twelve, how are you still sleeping? Oh my god I'm so jealous, but that's okay! Because guess what? I finished my work on the case so I can leave! I'm on my way there right now, isn't that exciting?!" Kayla exclaimed.

Lexi was smiling now, wide awake. "Yeah! I'm so glad, Kayla. Being alone here is so lame! Hurry up!"

Kayla laughed through the phone. "I'll be there in like an hour, go and get ready!"

They hung up, and Lexi felt as though her vacation was finally starting.

----

Justin was walking along one of the main drags in the Hamptons, on his way to meet up with Trace when he saw Lexi sitting next to the window in a coffee shop, his favorite coffee shop. She was with someone she must have known pretty well since they both had their heads thrown back in laughter. He stood in front of the window for a second, realizing it probably seemed pretty creepy, so he tapped on it to get their attention.

He smiled at her and then winked at her friend, mentally shrugging, it couldn't hurt. "You can go out to coffee with her, but not with me?" Justin pretended to pout, and then smiled.

Lexi's friend turned to her and spoke quickly, moving her arms around and then pointing to Justin. He smiled at her friend and puffed his chest out a little.

Lexi finally turned to him and waved him off. "Go. Away." She said, though he couldn't hear her through the glass.

"Not until you agree to come get coffee with me!" Justin yelled, to make sure she heard him.

She winced and glanced around the shop to check that no one was disturbed by his racket. "I'm having coffee now." She answered, though not loud enough for him to hear.

He pressed his ear to the window and yelled, "What?!"

With a sigh she stood from her place at the table and briskly walked out onto the sidewalk where Justin was standing.

"I'm having coffee right now, Justin. I don't want it again later."

Justin shrugged, "Then come to a bar with me."

"Oh, no, definitely not." Lexi stated firmly.

"Well then it looks like I'll be sitting here until you and your friend leave...who is that by the way?" Justin said proudly, as if this was the best decision of his life.

"My friend is none of your business, and you need to leave."

Through the glass they both heard a muffled, "I'm Kayla." She waved at him flirtatiously through the glass and Lexi smacked her hand on her thigh.

"Kaylaaaaa, why'd you have to do that?!"

She pouted. "Do what? I want to make friends here too, Lexi! I have to catch up!"

"He's not my friend!" Lexi yelled, this time noticing bystanders and shop goers turning to observe them curiously.

"He's not my friend." She repeated softer.

"See that." Justin started. "People are starting to look, come to the bar with me tonight and I'll go away." He grinned down at her.

"Ugh, fine. Now leave." She ordered.

"Give me your number and I'll text you the address to the bar later tonight when I know which one we're going to."

"I don't want -" Lexi stopped, deciding it wasn't worth the argument and quickly recited her telephone number, watching as he plugged it into his phone.

"Thanks." He said with a grin and went on his way down the street.

----

"Oh my god, Lexi, why did you not tell me about that hot piece of man you met!?" Kayla questioned incredulously as Lexi made her way back to their table.

"He's not hot." Lexi grumbled.

"Don't lie, Lexi. He's completely to die for. You have the best luck with men, I swear. How did you even meet him?"

"He bought me ice cream." She spat.

"That is so cute! Why are you so angry about it?!"

"Because I didn't want him to buy me ice cream, he forced me to try this one flavor." Lexi continued.

"Well...did you like it?" Kayla asked.

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"What is the point then?"

"The point is..." Lexi paused and thought about it...what was the point? "The point is that he's not cute. He's bossy and sneaky. He's making me go meet him at a bar tonight."

"He's making you?" Kayla questioned.

"Yes. I told him to go away and he said that he would if I went to the bar with him tonight." Lexi stated methodically.

"So...you have a date with...what's his name?"

"It's not a date!" Lexi blurted. "And his name is Justin. I don't know his last name."

Kayla paused to sip her coffee. "How is it not a date?"

Lexi sighed and fiddled with a loose string on the armchair she was sitting in. "Dates imply that we both want to meet up again and hang out and...stuff. This is more like an ordinance."

Kayla crossed her legs. "Dates don't always imply that though...I mean, sometimes people get dragged onto dates and -"

Lexi held up a hand. "Kayla. Shut up. It's not a date."

"If you don't want to go...you don't really have to." Kayla offered. "Does he know where we're staying?"

Lexi shook her head. "No. But..."

Kayla smirked. "But you want to go."

"No!" Lexi argued. "I just know that if I don't go he'll run into me again and I'll have to make it up and it'll be way worse than just going to a bar."

"Lexi...you know no one can make you do anything but yourself, right?" Kayla asked standing from her chair and grabbing her purse off the floor.

Lexi grumbled and looked up at Kayla. "Why are you standing up?"

Kayla held out her watch for Lexi. "Well, I don't know what time you're meeting up but it's already six o'clock. We need to get you ready." She said with a smile.

Lexi rolled her eyes and re-crossed her legs. "What are you talking about? I'm wearing this." She said as she pointed to her jean shorts and purple tank top.

Kayla laughed but held her hands out for Lexi to lift herself up with. "Don't be stupid, you know you can't go like that."

"We're at a beach, you know that, right Kayla?" Lexi sighed as she grabbed onto her hands and pulled herself to stand.

"We're in the Hamptons, you know that, right Lexi?" Kayla mocked.

"Fine, fine, fine." Lexi gave up. "Just don't make me look like a slut."

----

Justin sent a text to Lexi around nine o'clock that night with an address and a casual message of, "See you soon."

"Was that him?" Kayla squealed excitedly.

Lexi sighed and ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. "Yes. Are you sure you're okay staying here by yourself? It's so rude of me to just leave you on your first night here."

Kayla rolled her eyes and settled back into the couch for emphasis. "No. What's rude was me not being able to make it when this was first scheduled. I'll be fine here, stop stalling and just leave!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!"

"Be safe!" Kayla called. "Use protection!"

Without looking back, Lexi lifted her middle finger in the air and slammed the front door.

----

Justin swiveled his bar stool back and forth, playing with the peanuts in his hand, but not eating any. If he were honest with himself he would say he was a little nervous, though there was nothing to be nervous about. Lexi would show up. She texted him back with an okay when he sent the address. She would show up.

The door swung open and Justin almost fell out of his chair in his speed to check if it was Lexi. It wasn't.

"You alright, man?" The bartender, Dean, asked.

Justin grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Can I get a Jack and coke, though?"

Justin watched as Dean turned around to fix his drink and wiped his sweaty palms against the legs of his jeans. He hadn't met a girl who affected him this much for years. It was a nice change, he had to admit. Trace had always tried to get him to move to the city so they could mix it up a little and Justin was beginning to think he was right.

"Is this seat taken?"

Justin turned and once again struggled to stay seated in his bar stool, however, this time it had nothing to do with speed and everything to do with the vision standing to his right. Lexi slid into the seat next to his, wearing a muted yellow sundress and an unexpected smile on her face. Once Justin managed to regain his voice he shook his head and answered.

"No, no. Sit, please. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Captain and coke, please." Lexi said, addressing the bartender as he brought Justin his drink. "I see you've started without me. Rude." She joked.

Justin laughed. "I just ordered it, I swear. What's with you and always calling me rude? I bought you an ice cream cone, a new magazine - after I saved your life from a spider web, I might add - and now I'm about to buy you a drink."

Lexi thanked the bartender as he slid her drink across the bar to her before turning to Justin. "You didn't save my life!" She argued as she took a sip of her drink.

Justin took a drink as well. "I might as well have, with you standing there frozen solid. What was your game plan with the spider web, anyway?"

Lexi sat her drink down and turned her stool so her bare knees brushed against the side of his thigh. "I'll have you know I had a perfect solution. When you came out of the bushes or wherever you were hiding I was about to grab a twig to knock down the webs. I just couldn't decide which twig to pick, incase there were spider webs on it, too."

Justin laughed. "Oh, yeah, it sounds like you had it all under control."

Lexi reached for her drink again and took a sip, noticing it was about halfway gone. "Did you drink some of my drink?" She questioned Justin suspiciously.

"Did you see me drink your drink?" Justin responded with a smile and a shake of the head.

"Well it's already half gone..." Lexi started.

"That's all on you, girl." Justin answered with a smirk, his drink hovering close to his lips.

"What are you drinking?" Lexi inquired curiously.

It took a few seconds for Justin to answer, he wasn't used to her showing any interest in him, especially not something as mundane as what he was drinking.

"Jack and coke." He answered.

He didn't need to ask if she liked it, one look at her scrunched nose and furrowed brow and he knew it wasn't her thing.

"Have you even tried it?" Justin asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

----

Lexi paused, debating whether or not to tell him the truth, she knew where this was going. But, she reasoned, it is vacation... "No, I haven't. Whiskey is gross."

Justin looked at her as if she just killed his favorite pet. "How can you think that?"

"It just burns too much, that's why I drink Captain Morgan...it doesn't have the same burn."

"Captain is such a girl drink." Justin challenged, though Lexi didn't take the bate.

"Last time I checked, I am a girl."

Lexi watched as Justin's eyes roved over her and she pleaded with her body not to shiver when she saw his tongue dart out across his bottom lip.

"Oh, don't I know it." He said.

One cheesy line was all it took for whatever suave-points Justin had racked up to be wiped away. With a roll of her eyes and a final swallow of her first drink Lexi chuckled.

"Wow, Justin, I'm definitely not that drunk."

Justin laughed good-naturedly and Lexi was surprised that he wasn't at least a little frustrated at her quick and somewhat cold refusal to buy into his charm.

"I'm sorry, Lexi. That's me saying you look nice tonight. I haven't seen your hair down before."

Lexi played with the ends of her beach blown waves. "Yeah, sometimes it just gets in the way."

"Why don't you just cut it shorter, if it gets in the way?" Justin asked.

Lexi shivered in fake disgust. "I look like a crack head with short hair."

Justin laughed heartily. "Yeah, I can see that."

Lexi slapped his abdomen with the back of her hand, a little surprised at the feel of the hard ripples of muscle under his t-shirt. "Rude."

 "I like it." Justin added tentatively, "I think it's pretty."

Quiet descended over them, Lexi playing with her empty cup and Justin picking apart the napkin resting under his drink.

"Thanks." Lexi said, glancing at him from under her lashes.

"So," Justin attempted at changing the subject, "I've got an idea."

Lexi sat up straighter, her attention captured. "Oh?"

"How about for the rest of the night we get to pick each other's drinks."

Lexi made a face. "But I don't want to drink whiskey." She pouted.

"Come on, Lexter." Justin prodded, using that ridiculous nickname again. "Don't be such a downer."

"Fine, okay, I give in." Lexi said. "But let's start you on an incredibly manly cosmopolitan."

"Here, then." Justin handed her what was left of his jack and coke. "You can finish this."

Lexi held his glass between her thumb and forefinger far away from her body. "Are you sure -"

"Lexiiii." Justin drawled. "I'm hurt. You seriously think I'm gonna give you something? What kind of a person do you think I am?" He joked. "I'm clean, I promise."

Deciding that she was on vacation and a little risk taking wouldn't hurt her, Lexi took a timid sip of Justin's jack and coke.

"Not bad, right?"

Lexi scrunched her nose and grabbed a handful of peanuts to kill the taste. "No, it's horrible! Ugh! You may have been right about the ice cream, but whiskey has been and always will be nasty!"

Justin laughed and waved the bartender over to order her another drink.

"She'll have a long Island iced tea."

----

It was well after two o'clock when Justin and Lexi stumbled out of the bar each a little more than tipsy.

"This was so fun. So fun." Lexi rambled. Grabbing on to Justin's bicep for leverage.

Justin laughed, not his sexy laugh this time, his ridiculous, honking, I'm going to fall on the ground, laugh. "Because I'm the coolest person ever!"

Lexi looked at him, her eyes wide, in an attempt to feign sobriety. "So cool. But I'm cool too."

Justin nodded his head as they walked along the empty streets. "The coolest. I only like cool people. And I like you."

They were at a cross walk, and Lexi had wrapped both arms around the crook of Justin's elbow. Her eyes were closed, but she nodded her head against his bicep. "Mmm. I liked that Jack and coke."

"What?!" Justin asked. "I thought you said it was nasty!"

Lexi giggled and shook her head. "No. It wasn't. I was just fuckin' with you. I like to fuck with you."

Justin laughed and tugged at a piece of her hair. "You're the rude one! I'm the nice one."

Lexi nodded and held her hands up into the sky. "It's true! It's true! I'm an asshole."

Justin smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "You're not an asshole."

Lexi rolled her body so she was pressed against him, toes to shoulders. Her hands splayed along the small of his back, enjoying the feel of the hard muscle and the dimples there.

----

Justin grinned down at Lexi and let his fingers run through the hair at her temples as she spoke. "I'm glad you don't think I'm an asshole."

Her hands slid from his back around to his chest before sliding forward to slip past the barrier of his cotton t-shirt and down dipping a little into the waistband of his jeans. Like he was burned, Justin took a hurried step back, putting some space between them. Apparently, she was that drunk, now. Suddenly, any sort of buzz Justin felt was gone. It always happened that way, when things got a little too intense somehow his mind seemed to clear.

Attempting to laugh it off, he grabbed both her hands in his and gave them a squeeze, and luckily, she didn't seem to mind. "We should get you home."

Lexi stepped closer to him again and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his chest. "Mmhmm." She whined, pressing a kiss to the dip in between his collarbones.

Justin brushed the hair that had fallen in her face away, tipping her head so the underside of her chin was pressed to his chest. "Lexi," he laughed, "I don't know where you're staying."

One of her arms lifted from his back and pointed in the opposite direction they were walking. "It's that way."

Justin grinned and turned to lead the way, Lexi's hand wrapped tightly in his own. He was surprised at how well she was able to give him directions in her state of inebriation. After four or five blocks they arrived in front of a small, seafoam green beach house.

"This is it?" He asked.

Lexi was already walking past the chain-linked gate up the few steps to the door. Justin held in a laugh, evidently, it was. He met her up at the porch and watched for a few seconds as she struggled to find her keys in that overly large bag he remembered her using at the convenience store.

"Here. Let me." Justin offered and gently slipped the bag from her shoulder.

Lexi pressed her back against the door and giggled. "Oh, thank you! It's just so hard."

Justin merely smiled and pulled her equally large keychain out of her bag. "Jesus, Lexi, how many keys do you need?"

Lexi just shrugged and giggled again, moving away from the door so Justin could find the right key.

It took a few tries, but at last the door swung open to reveal a living room, kitchen, and a hallway where Justin assumed the bedrooms were. Taking her hand Justin pulled her into the house before locking the door behind him.

"Let's get you to bed, alright?" Justin questioned as he led her into the hallway. The door to the right was closed, the one directly in front of them led to the bathroom, leaving the last door on the left as Lexi's room. Justin tugged her gently into the room and pulled back her covers.

"Are you trying to get me into bed?" Lexi joked still hovering near the doorway, her hands planted on her hips and her head tilted to the side.

Justin chuckled under his breath and waved her over. "C'mere."

"Are you going to have your way with me?" Lexi asked again, her eyes narrowing, though her grin only widened.

This time Justin laughed out loud. "No, I'm trying to get you to go to sleep. Come over here."

Lexi took slow steps towards the bed until finally plopping down where Justin had pulled the covers back. She reached behind her back and started tugging the zipper of her dress down.

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Justin cried. "How about you save that until I'm gone."

Lexi rolled her eyes and continued to pull down the zipper. "Please. It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. Tits are tits."

Justin's eyes widened at her candor, surprised that she would ever say the word tits. She started slipping the delicate straps of her dress off her shoulders and immediately, he turned his back.

Lexi laughed and Justin felt the warm fabric of her dress hit his back before the covers shifted and he decided it was safe to turn back around.

"Who would have thought after all that talk you're afraid of me!" Lexi said as she pulled the covers up to her chin.

Justin rolled his eyes and brushed her bangs back from her forehead. "I'm not afraid of you, Lexi. You're drunk and I'm pretty sure in the morning you won't be exactly happy with how this night turned out."

Lexi made a noncommittal noise and closed her eyes before rolling over and tugging the comforter over her head.

----

The next morning, as the last remnants of sleep left Lexi, panic set in. She couldn't remember where she was, or how she got there. With a speed never advised for someone with a hangover Lexi threw the comforter off her head, only to be temporary blinded by the sunlight shining into her room and the pounding of her pulse at her temples. Groaning, Lexi gently pulled the comforter back to her chin as she rolled over. Sitting on her bedside table was a bottle of water and two painkillers, and as Lexi studied them, the night came rushing back. Flashes of Justin and the bar came and went. Different drink after different drink. Laughter. Stumbling out onto the deserted street. Grabbing at his belt. And what was below it.

At this memory Lexi shot up out of her bed ignoring the stabbing pain of her head and reached for the painkillers and water bottle. She seriously was never drinking again. Lexi knew, she knew, it was a bad idea, but had gone anyway. Lexi lifted to covers off her chest quickly, she was topless! What had she and Justin...

Another wave of memories came crashing into her. Him opening her front door, leading her down the hallway, turning his back as she stripped, throwing her dress at his back.

Lexi groaned and slapped her hand to her forehead, seconds later regretting the motion as the whole room felt like it was turning. She said tits in front of him, like it was nothing! A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her. Lexi glanced at the ground, checking to see if her dress was still on the ground. It wasn't. Maybe it was all a dream. Lexi thought, until her eyes landed on her dress, folded neatly on the armchair in the corner.

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door and Kayla stepped in. "I see you're awake. Finally."

Lexi just groaned and moved her hand down from her forehead to cover her eyes.

"What time is it?" She asked, for the second time this week.

"Around ten-ish." Kayla answered and laughed at Lexi's groan as she rolled over to press her face into the pillow.

"Good night?"

"Mmph." Lexi responded, her face still hidden in the pillow.

Kayla giggled and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll take that as a yes. You guys seal the deal?"

Lexi lifted her head just barely enough to address Kayla. "Shut up. No. I was just drunk and he brought me back here."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Kayla gushed.

"No. It's embarrassing." Lexi groaned, rolling over to face the ceiling. "I'm never leaving this room until we have to go back to the city."

Kayla sighed. "I don't get why you're like this, Lex, he seems like a nice guy...and," she paused, contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to bring this up, "And maybe something's trying to tell you that it's time to let the shit that happened with James go."

"Kayla." Lexi addressed, lifting her hands from her eyes. "I appreciate you, but it is too early and I am too hung over to deal with your psychoanalysis bullshit right now."

Kayla let the breath she had been holding out quickly. Apparently it wasn't a good idea to bring James up. "Okay, Lexi." Kayla said. "Do you need anything? Medicine?"

"No..." Lexi paused. "Justin already left me some." She added begrudgingly.

Kayla laughed quietly and pulled down the shades in Lexi's room. "See. He's a nice guy!"

As the door shut Lexi let out a sigh and mumbled. "I know."

----

It was the last day of vacation and although she had been determined to stay in the house for the remainder of the week Kayla managed to get Lexi out to the beach. It was noon when Lexi figured she would indulge one more time in an ice cream cone. Without a second thought she entered the now familiar ice cream shop and pointed to the flavor of her choice. She watched silently as the worker scooped and placed it in a cup before handing it to her. Lexi paid and took a seat at a table in the store, making an effort to stay away from any windows, just in case. 

----

Around noon Justin left his house and minutes later found himself walking along a street adjacent to where Lexi was staying. His mind told him it was because there was a really great seafood restaurant on this block, but his heart told him it was because he wanted to see Lexi one more time. He thought about calling her after their night at the bar, but something told him she wouldn't really appreciate it. It really wasn't his intention to get her that drunk, he just wanted to spend some time with her. Justin scuffed his sneaker-clad foot along the sidewalk. He really was becoming her stalker now, and a bad one at that. Why would she be on the street adjacent to her house? Shouldn't he be on the next street over? And right when he was about to give up and go back home he saw her. White shorts and navy blue v-neck showed off her curves, but what he noticed most was that her hair was down.

Lexi was walking briskly in his direction and Justin forced himself to stand his ground, though everything in him was telling him to duck behind the trashcan to his right. A few feet from him Lexi's head shot up and by the look in her eyes Justin thought it seemed she was contemplating hiding behind the same garbage can that was calling his name.

"Um, hi." He said lamely, lifting his hand in greeting.

"Hey." Lexi answered, grabbing onto the straps of her purse with both hands.

"How - How've you been?"

"For the past three days? Alright." Lexi humored him.

Justin smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I guess it hasn't been that long since I've seen you."

"No..."

"Feels longer." Justin tried, locking eyes with Lexi. "Come walk with me." He requested randomly.

Lexi looked to her left and right like she wasn't sure whom he was talking to.

Justin grinned. "Yes, you."

"No, I really shouldn't...I'm leaving tomorrow and I've still got to pack, and Kayla will wonder where I am." Lexi reasoned.

"C'mere." Justin said holding his hand out, reminding them both of the night at her house.

Lexi sighed and grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her through the streets she had just begun to know. They stopped in front of a small park hidden between two rickety beach shacks. "I think here is good." Justin decided, pulling her over to the swings with him.

"We only walked for like ten minutes." Lexi said as Justin gently maneuvered her into a swing.

Justin stood behind her and started to lightly push her back and forth. "It doesn't always take forever to get where you want to be."

"How very thoughtful of you." Lexi joked, though his words held more meaning than she let on.

Justin grabbed the chains and stopped her swing. A breeze blew across the park lifting Lexi's hair off her back and floating the soft scent of her perfume to Justin's nose.

"Your hair is down today." Justin noticed.

Though he couldn't see her face, he imagined by the sudden stiffness in her shoulders that her smile had disappeared.

"It is..." Lexi agreed a little confused at his notion.

Justin dropped his hands from the chains of the swing, its momentum stopped a long time ago, and let his fingers drag through Lexi's long hair, the tips of his fingers grazing her back.

"I like when it's down." Justin spoke softly, stunned at the shiver that made its way down Lexi's spine.

"I know." Lexi answered with a forced laugh. "Don't get any ideas."

Justin chuckled and tugged a piece of her hair. "Maybe I should be the one telling you that. You seemed pretty interested a couple nights ago."

Lexi turned her head to face Justin, her eyes questioning and then suddenly he knew she remembered.

"Oh my god!" She moaned turning away from him again. "I can't believe I forgot about that." She called into the sky.

Justin laughed and moved to stand in front of her. "See. I knew you wanted me from day one!"

"I was drunk!" Lexi argued as if it was a valid excuse.

"You know what they say..." Justin started grabbing onto the swing's chains again, a childlike grin on his face. "Alcohol just brings out your true feelings."

Lexi rolled her eyes and giggled. "Justin, no one even says that."

Justin laughed along with her, pushing and pulling her swing easily. "Sure they do!"

Lexi shook her head, her hair whipping around her shoulders. "No, they don-"

Justin pulled her swing towards him harder until her legs were in between his and their noses were millimeters apart.

"They do." He said, his warm breath fanning across her lips.

Lexi licked her lips, nodded her head once, and that was that.

Justin rested his forehead on her shoulder and let out a soft laugh.

"You know it's my last day here." Lexi cautioned.

Justin nuzzled his nose against her neck. "Yeah, I know." He breathed, ruffling the hair at the nape of her neck.

"I'm not really interested in a long distance relationship or any-"

"Lexi." Justin shushed, lifting his head from where his lips were grazing her neck. "I know. It's okay."

"Well, I just wanted to make su-"

Justin wouldn't let her finish, instead he pressed his lips to hers, mid sentence, enjoying the way she sighed into his mouth, his tongue probing deep, not bothering to ask for entrance. She tasted cool and refreshing and chocolaty and smooth. Like ice cream. Like mint chocolate chip ice cream, to be exact. Justin pulled back at his discovery. With a smug smile on his face he looked down at Lexi and stated, "I see you took my advice about the ice cream flavor, huh?"

Lexi smiled but rolled her eyes. "Shut up," She said, before pulling his lips down to hers again.