Booze on the Beach

Xavier became a bit conscious with how he drunk from the bottle as Marissa mentioned 'a bit'. By this point, he didn't give it much thought. Since he often drank on the beach, alone and only trying to sleep. It helped him sleep, particularly dreamless sleep. Although he never slept long, and hangovers plagued his mornings. "Well, I got drunk a few times before I came to the island." Xavier shrugged casually with an easygoing smile. He hadn't lied, but he had deflected the question as best as he could. He didn't think he had a problem, not then and not now. He didn't return a comment to the lonely statement. It would be a blatant lie if he said anything other than what was true.

He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose ever so slightly. "I tried smoking once, but I never particularly liked it. I sometimes would around my friends, cause they insisted. The headaches and the taste were just too much for me to enjoy it." Xavier sighed ever so slightly. He also didn't like the smell, especially how it always stuck on his clothes cause of hanging with those friends. But, Xavier didn't enjoy thinking about them too much. It only reminded him they were gone now. "I've never been interested in drugs, really. My older brother and oldest sister taught me about how they were bad when I was really young." More people he disliked thinking of. Everyone was gone.
Xavier took another swig of the bottle, it already being noticeably lighter. It helped to be drunk rather than think of what he had lost after the evacuation.

In the meantime, Xavier had no idea Marissa was eyeing him. He never really thought he was that fit, especially since his body was more attuned to avoidance and parkour rather than specifically speed or strength. But now that she swam right next to him, and Xavier's thought were drifting from what he had before, he started to become quite aware of her. He hadn't realised she was quite toned... damnit he liked toned people... Before his brain even internally vocalised the next thought he was about to have, his face became bright red as he realised what he was doing. Very abruptly, he dove his head under the water. Xavier only kept one arm out of the water, the one that held the bottle above the water. He could gladly keep his head below the water forever, to hide his embarrassment, but that would be rude. Xavier emerged again, not even having to get air. Perks of underwater breathing. His face was less red now that he cooled it off. Very quickly he took another sip of the alcohol. Now water dripped from his hair, nose and chin, and various droplets covered his face and neck.

Xavier could feel himself getting drunk, and mentally noted it now took him an entire bottle to get tipsy now. He shook the bottle as he finished another sip, and found it empty. He sighed, placed the bottle onto the sand, then reached into the bag to grab another. It had been harder to get drunk. His attention returned to Marissa as she bitterly laughed. He felt less upset when he thought of his parents while drunk. "I wished I listened to mine more." It was Xavier's turn to bitterly laugh. He opened the bottle and took a swig. "I was a dick to mine. Not anymore, though, don't even have to deal with me now." They would have been disappointed with him if they were alive. That was what he had convinced himself with.

As soon as Marissa even began to say the word 'thirsty' he immediately dove his head under again. He wouldn't even give her the opportunity to see the absolute crimson look he had on his face at that moment. Stupid attractive people with good muscles and butts... A part of him just wanted to scream underwater as soon as that thought entered his head but he knew he would never live that down. He rose again, a very slightly grumpy look on his face. Although a slight blush on his cheek wouldn't go away now. Xavier had no idea if it was the alcohol or not.

However, he blinked a bit in surprise at the change of Marissa's tone. Despite being tipsy and quite liking Marissa... he couldn't talk to her. "Hm? Course I'm alright. I'm having fun." In all fairness, it wouldn't be a complete lie. Xavier was having fun. But he so helpfully avoided adding that this was the most fun he has had within the past 5 or so months. Although Xavier liked her, Xavier couldn't talk about all the issues that had plagued him for months now.

The moment she hugged him, Xavier froze. The only thing that actually stopped him from just sinking was his tail that kept him afloat. There would be a lot of reasons why he froze. Xavier didn't mind hugs, but he always took a moment when someone hugged him without warning. He always liked being free to move, so it always caught him a bit off guard when he couldn't. The last few months had so little social interaction as well... he hadn't been hugged by anyone other than Dani in all of that time. Another reason was simply that he hadn't expected Marissa to hug him. He hadn't viewed her as the type who would care, initially. But... his opinion rapidly changed. Although he froze and didn't return a hug, he didn't pull away either. Xavier even forgot about how she was only wearing a bikini while also being so close to him. That wasn't what the hug was about... what he only thought about was how she actually decided to comfort him.

Xavier looked a bit embarrassed now, but not really because of Marissa. More about how she just comforted him, and about how he was so obviously miserable. Xavier felt he didn't actually deserve to feel miserable, nothing had gone wrong in his life that justified it. Others had it worst. So now he felt embarrassed. But Xavier got distracted by Marissa start making a sand castle. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Well yeah, but not since I was a little kid." Xavier grinned as he drifted closer to where she had started to make a sand tower. Of course he had a lean a bit, since he didn't have legs... He started to make a sand tower next to Marissa's own.

Xavier laughed lightly. It was so... genuine. It kind of surprised him as well. He continued to help make this sand castle, but he couldn’t help but keep glancing back at Marissa. The way she looked, as she moulded the sand into the image she had, was honestly quite captivating. He hadn’t quite realised it when she they first met, it just bounced off his mind... but now that Xavier looked at her face, he couldn’t help but think she really was beautiful. Everytime she even remotely looked in his direction, he quickly focused on the sand castle rather than the absent movements he would do while he looked at her.

It was another moment while Xavier became a bit more absent minded as he sculpted that he felt his hand touch Marissa’s. This time, he didn’t blush, but blinked. He looked at her, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Although he wasn’t blushing, Xavier knew how flustered he was. His heart pounded, if it weren’t for the fact he could hear it in his ears, he most certainly would have felt it in his chest. A part of him wanted to do something, like this moment was where it could happen. But he wasn’t sure specifically what.

Xavier blinked and looked away from her face as she spoke, then focused on his hands as she guided them during her little tutorial. “Thanks, I haven’t really done any sculpting stuff in years. You’re a lot better at it.” Xavier chuckled, one of his hands rubbed behind the back of his neck as he did. Promptly, he returned to his own side, not too sure on how to deal with all the stuff that he had started to feel.

Xavier slowed his own workings to a stop as Marissa spoke. He stopped so he could focus to listen to her, with genuine interest. Instead of interrupting her, or to throw her off, he decided he would let her work on the castle as she spoke. He kept glancing between her hands and her face. Xavier wasn’t particularly artistic, but he could appreciate the work and the passion.

Right then, Xavier could so clearly see the work she had done to create such a good looking castle, and so much passion. It was something he always enjoyed with his friends and people he liked. To see them talk about something they’re passionate about. It was how their face lit up, and their eyes contained so much excitement, that really left a warm feeling in his chest. He knew how it was to worry about talking about one’s interest to another. To open yourself in a way, and be greeted with apathy. “No, no. It’s fine, really. I like it when you talk about it, you seem so excited.” Xavier smiled at her, truly. Even with things he couldn’t say he likes, or wasn’t good at, he found the enthusiasm to listen when someone was just so happy to talk about it.