Enchant Me by Anne Violet Page A

most
everyone had been introduced he brought me over to a tall, gawky
boy. He seemed shy and was probably no older than
fourteen. 
    “Alexis, this is Alex. You could say he’s
like a younger brother from another mother to me,” he said, a smile
in his voice. 
    I grinned at the sandy haired boy and shook
his hand. I was kind of amused by our similar names. “Nice to meet
you Alex, do people ever call you Lex?”
    Alex glanced up at Christian a small smile on
his face, “no, that is Christian’s nickname for you.”
    I turned to look at Christian just as he
leaned closer. “See, I talk about you to my friends too.”
    I leaned against him, watching his lips curl
up at the corners, mesmerized as he leaned down and brushed a
fleeting kiss across my lips. “I am going to get some food for us,
I will be right back.”
    Smiling, I turned back to Alex who had been
trying to observe us unobtrusively. His pale face flushed when he
realized I had caught him. I tried to think of a way to put him at
ease, movies were usually a good topic with guys. “What’s your
favorite movie, Alex?
    “Star Wars,” he murmured quietly. 
    “Really, that means you have really good
taste because it’s my favorite too.” I said, smiling at
him. 
    He seemed to relax as we discussed our
favorite scenes and characters until loud laughing interrupted us.
We both looked over to find Christian practically doubled over with
laughter at the other end of the shelter, some of the other guys
surrounding him. They all seemed to be joking about god knows what.
But what caught me, was Christian’s throaty laughter and the
happiness on his face.
     “I’ve never seen him so happy-- and
relaxed,” Alex whispered next to me. 
    I didn’t look away from Christian as I asked
softly, “never?”
    “No, he was actually kind of scary when I
first met him at rehab.” He ducked his head and looked almost
embarrassed now, like he was revealing secrets. 
    Finally turning to Alex, I looked at him
questioningly. “What do you mean?”
    “I don’t know how to explain it; he was
really intense, sad… and angry too. Once he got cleaned up it was
better and now he has you.” He smiled sweetly at me and looked back
over to Christian. “I’m glad he’s happy, he’s been like a big
brother to me, watching out for me and helping me through some
rough times.”
    I looked back over at Christian and realized
he was watching Alex and me. I felt that electricity spark between
us. He smiled and lifted his brows as if to ask what we were
talking about. There was no chance in hell of either of us telling
him, so I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. This got him to return
pretty quickly with our plates and drinks. Reaching us, he
handed me a plate that I wasn’t sure could handle the weight of
food he put on it. I looked at it skeptically but dug in; it was a
little smoky from the grill but still fantastic. Christian looked
amused and suspicious at the same time as he glanced back and forth
between Alex and me. 
    “What were you two talking about while I was
gone?”
    Without missing a beat or having to lie I
told him. “Star Wars.”
    “Good choice that is Alex’s favorite
movie.”
    “So I heard, it’s mine too.”
    The barbeque was loud and a little crazy but
I loved it. I had forgotten what it was like hanging out with a
bunch of guys. They begged for duplicates of the pictures I had
taken throughout the day on my digital camera and I promised to
pass them on through Christian soon. All too quickly it was over
and Christian and I waved everyone off promising to do something
else soon. The sun had already set and I gave myself a mental
pat on the back for being smart enough for changing clothes
earlier, it was getting a little chilly. We walked down the beach
and luckily the full moon provided enough light to see by. I leaned
against his side as we walked arm in arm. I took a couple quick
glances up at him as I considered how to broach the subject of