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By the time Lola and Alex returned to her flat, it was past midnight and luckily, any trace of Jack had vanished. With any luck, he had returned to whatever bin he had crawled out of. After some fiddling with the door and a slight curse when the key refused to work, Lola entered her apartment with Alex following. She shut it behind them and the two made their way into the kitchen.
As was British custom, Lola turned the kettle on and listened contentedly, as it began to boil and steam rose out of it. The only reason Alex had offered to spend the night at her apartment was the threat of Jack, but now that he had left she wondered whether he would want to stay. But with everything that had been said in the park... maybe he would. She hoped he would at least stay for a nightcap.
"Tea or coffee?"
Grinning, Alex replied, "Tea, of course. I'm not a savage."
Smiling, Lola watched as the switch of the kettle popped up, indicating it had boiled and was ready. She poured the water into two mismatched mugs - one she had painted at a local pottery café and one that Elowen had bought from Home Bargains, solely for the cats on it. After allowing the teas to brew, she removed the tea bags and threw them in the bin, then pouring a splash of milk in each one.
She handed a mug to Alex. "Don't worry," she joked, "It's Yorkshire Tea. We don't dare touch any of that Lipton or PG Tips shite here."
Taking a sip, Alex replied with a grin, "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much."
Both smiling, yet slightly exhausted, they made their way to the settee, placing their drinks onto coasters on the nearby coffee table. Lola rested her head on Alex's shoulder and he drew her close to his side, placing a soft kiss against her forehead.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked her quietly.
Confused, Lola raised her eyebrow slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want me to leave or do you want me to - "
"Stay," Lola finished quickly, her breath catching in her throat. "I want you to stay."
Placing a hand on each of her cheeks, Alex pulled her soft, rose lips to him and kissed her tenderly. She blushed and it felt as though her soul was melting, mixing with his. Softly, she took his hand.
"Come on. We can hardly sleep out here."
Leading Alex by the hand, she took him into her bedroom. It was a smallish, cool room with a lush double bed pressed against the wall. On the adjoining wall, was a large window trimmed with delicate, lace curtains. A slight breeze drifted through the room, which Lola felt gently blow through her hair. On her wardrobe, was blu-tacked a Stone Roses and Damon Albarn poster and just below, a couple of tickets from Liam Gallagher's most recent tour.
