Sand [FPF]

It was quiet waiting for the others to arrive, I relished the chance to stretch my legs and look at the moon before the others arrived. The stars glittered in the heavens and I sighed, missing those times when I was able to look up for hours with Abbie and just... exist. It was a nice reminder of those times. I watched on quietly as they went to make the exchange. Seemed to be going well, then everything exploded into a bright fire of noise and light. I hit the deck, hands over my head and hoping that it would all be ok. Evidently in the confusion the exchange was made as I felt the sickening effects of the time drive kick in again.

"Please be home. Please be home." I'm not sure if I knew I was talking out loud or not as the vortex swallowed me.

<Alex Snip>
As if reading my deserty thoughts, the universe deposited the Prickly Pixie herself… On my lap.
I cleared my throat.

“Well…” I said.

“… This is awkward.”
</Alex Snip>

How do I act? Do I laugh it off? No, that might offend him. Do I grump, like he would in this situation? Not really appropriate to be rude, he did provide me with a soft landing. It still hurt to think about The Conversation, his hurt misguided opinion that it was better to never love than to love and lose.

He cleared his throat slightly. Must be all the sand.

Oh no. Sand...

"Not again?... I can't take those heals again." I grimaced.

He cleared his throat again.

I looked up into those haunted but beautiful eyes of his and realised two things, not only that yes, it still hurt, and it would to have lost someone. I made a small mental note that as it had turned out, nothing had happened and yet we still both got hurt. Oh sweet irony. The second thing was that I was still sat on him.

I scrambled backwards off his lap into the hot warm sand of the desert.

"Sorry... I.... Sorry." I babbled. Not quite sure what platitudes were supposed to be offered in the situation where you end up in the lap of your... What the heck do I call him? Ex? Ex what though? Technically we were never an item. Weren't we though, in all but name?

"S'ok." He mumbled into the dust and stood up, brushing small crystals of sand off his clothes. He thrust out a hand, almost as if debating if he should. Almost as if it was acceptable to do so. As my fingers clasped around his, I had to squash the thoughts of the movie nights out of my mind. The times I'd fallen asleep on him. They were good times and I couldn't help but smile as he hauled me upright.

"Thanks." I mumbled, equally as awkward back at him. We lapsed into awkward silence. I began to brush off my clothes, so as to look busy and as an excuse not to think about anything Alex related.

"So..?" His voice tailed off and he wiped some sweat off his brow. It was awfully hot, stiflingly so almost. The sun beat down on us unrelenting in it's task.

"I'm going to turn into a crispy friend tomato in this sun if we stay out here too long." I adjusted my clothes, trying to cover up as much skin as possible. The red head in me was howling in terror at the brutal disk of light above and it's painful repercussions. He looked puzzled, his face full of something undefinable. I was trying to carry on as normal, pretend it was all normal between us. I smiled again, smiling always seemed to work, it disarmed grumpy people and made you seem non threatening.

"Yeah." He said.

"I'd ask if you know where the others are... But I guess you hadn't been here long either?" I kept up my amicable nature, trying to come across nice and friendly. Hoping that it might get through, that he might realise I'm not out to hurt him.

<Tag>

OOC - Heh heh heh. Nice idea, happy to run with it! :D