Twenty-five ~ Birthday

Mia couldn't have given me a more perfect gift for my birthday.

She'd filled a frame with photos of the two of us. On some of them we were smiling, on others we were pulling ridiculous faces. In all of them, though, I looked happy. A selfie on top of the lighthouse, drunken poses at parties, experimental shots whilst sunbathing on the beach: she'd captured our developing friendship over the course of the summer. It was one of the most touching presents I'd ever received.

"Mia, it's perfect," I said, my fingers tracing the pictures. "Thank you."

"Have you had a nice day, then?" she asked. "Did Alastair get in touch?"

After placing the frame on my bedside table, I scooped up my keys. "Yeah, just a quick message."

I ran her through my day as we headed to the beach, explaining that I'd Skyped my dad and it had been great to have some dedicated family time—albeit through a computer—that didn't involve business. With Mum more chilled out now that her work was over, and Dad not mentioning life in London at all, my Camberley bubble remained intact.

As usual, Mia and I were the last to arrive at the beach, and it was a source of amusement among the boys.

"Late for your own party?" Austin shouted across to us as we clambered down the stone steps. "Poor form, Rosie."

I laughed and extended my arms for a hug as we got closer. He swept me up in a tight squeeze before setting me down on the sand. As he released me, he placed his standard two kisses on my cheeks.

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks." I smiled.

We chatted for a few minutes, Austin keen to know if I had any local gossip to share from the wedding, until a shadow fell over us.

"Are you going to monopolise the birthday girl's attention, or can I have my turn now?" Brent asked.

Austin rolled his eyes, throwing his arm around Mia's shoulder to lead her towards the basket of drinks. I turned my gaze onto Brent and smiled.

"Happy birthday." He smiled back—a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Thanks. Glad you could come."

"You'll be happy to know that I've left my inner lifeguard at home," he said. "However, I would appreciate it if you refrain from stepping beyond the chair this evening."

I smiled in amusement but nodded. "Sure."

"Also, I got you something."

I hadn't noticed him holding anything, but then he produced a bottle of wine from behind his back. Surprised and touched that he'd chosen to buy me something, I couldn't help but let my smile widen as I read the label.

"Pinot Grigio."

"I'll admit I'm no wine expert, but Mia assured me it was good quality."

I laughed. "Maybe I'll also refrain from drinking it tonight. We all know what happens when I get too drunk off Pinot Grigio..."

The edges of his lips curved upwards as our gazes locked, both remembering that evening all too well...

"Thank you," I said. "You needn't have."

He shrugged. "I wanted to. And you're right, we've both seen how much you enjoy it."

"Rest assured, this one will be drunk to be enjoyed, not to get completely wasted."

"Good to know."

As our conversation trailed off, I turned my attention onto his appearance. It would be hard to beat how mouth-watering he'd looked in that suit, but he still pulled off jeans and a white shirt. 

The top few buttons were undone, giving it a more casual vibe and revealing a patch of his tanned, toned chest—the same portion of skin I'd ran my fingers down that night outside my front door...

"You look nice," he said, making me realise that he'd been checking me out at the same time.

"Thanks." I smoothed down my shorts. "So do you."

Unable to keep away any longer, Austin bounded up to us, thrusting a bottle of beer into Brent's hand.

"Have you given the birthday girl a birthday kiss yet?"

Tension threatened to hang in the air after his playful comment, but Brent diffused it.

"Well, it's hard to get some time alone when people interrupt us," he said, his face straight as he raised his eyebrows at Austin.

Austin chuckled to himself and slapped Brent's shoulder. "Nice that your sense of humour has returned. Good work, Rosie." He winked at me, then sauntered back towards the drinks.

I knew Brent's comment was likely just a comeback for Austin's benefit, a way of refusing to give in to the awkwardness that his friend had tried to create, but heat still flooded through my veins at the thought.

"Don't mind him," Brent said before taking a long sip of beer. I watched his lips lock around the rim of the bottle, gripping it as the fizzy liquid trickled through the neck and into his mouth.

"Oh, I don't. I'm gonna put this inside before someone knocks it over and breaks it. You know how I feel about wasting good quality wine..."

He smiled. "I do."

Once at the top of the steps, I surveyed the beach. Brent had joined the rest of the group and Austin swung his arm around his shoulder. Mia's photo frame had been a near tearjerker, and if I thought too much about how I'd miss this small circle of friends and their beach parties, then that would be the catalyst that set me off.

With the wine safely stored away, I took a few moments to gather myself. I couldn't dwell on the future. I needed to live in the present and enjoy myself. So that's what I did.

~~~

"Never have I ever... slept with more than five people."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Austin. That's the third question you've tailored towards me."

Austin smiled and shrugged. "Just the way the game works, Torts. Drink up."

She took a sip of her drink while I gauged the actions of everyone else. Nobody drank. Brent swirled around the liquid in his cup, seeming bored. He sat beside me, our knees touching with his free arm stretched out. Whenever I leaned backwards, I could feel it there, like a kind of backrest inviting me to relax against it.

"Never have I ever pursued two people from the same friendship group," Mia shot back at Austin.

James and Tariq spluttered with laughter, while Austin rolled his eyes and took a sip.

"You wanna play dirty, Torts? Because I can make this a lot more embarrassing for you if so..."

"I think we should leave it there," Brent said. "Before someone says something they regret..."

"Tell me about it," Brooke said with a sigh. "This circle is drowning in sexual tension."

Several pairs of eyes flickered in my direction—not that I needed that confirmation. I'd struggled to keep my focus off Brent all evening, and several times I'd caught him staring at me, too.

"Time for another drink," Austin said, scrambling to his feet.

Mia's watched his retreating figure, and I placed my hand on her knee to direct her attention away from him.

"Take no notice. He's just trying to wind you up. The best way to beat him is to ignore him."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. Do you want another?"

I had no doubt that her main purpose for heading over to the drinks wasn't to top up our cups, but rather to continue her bickering with Austin away from everyone else. Nevertheless, my cup was empty, so I handed it over.

"You're probably not gonna get that back for a while," Brent said.

"I know."

I watched Mia tug at Austin's arm to get his attention. He looked down at her with an amused twinkle in his eye as she launched into a tirade of abuse.

Back in the circle, Brent rose to his feet and an outstretched hand appeared in front of my face. Smiling, I took hold of it and let him pull me effortlessly upwards, his hands then closing around my waist to steady me.

Our eyes locked at the intimate embrace and I craved more of his body touching mine—his fingers on my skin, his lips against my neck, his hips pressed to my hips. Instead, though, Brent's hands dropped down to his sides, and I removed myself from the temptation by chasing up my drink from Mia.

~~~

As the evening continued, I teetered on the edge of buzzed and tipsy. The last thing I wanted on my birthday was to reach the stage where it stopped being fun and started being unpleasant. Unfortunately, my responsible behaviour earned some teasing.

"It's your birthday," Tariq said in disbelief when I turned down a top-up. "You're supposed to be the drunkest person here."

"I am drunk." I batted his hand away as he attempted to pour more vodka into my cup. "But who wants to look after me if I'm unable to walk at the end of the evening?"

"I'm sure Brent would volunteer." Tariq giggled at his own joke, obviously pleased with himself.

When the drunken singing started, I strolled down to the shore in need of some peace. Just as I reached the dip in the sand, I remembered Brent's request and retreated to the chair. I'd barely been there two minutes when the lifeguard himself showed up.

"Nice to see you're taking me literally."

"You said not to go beyond the chair, so that's what I'm doing," I said, tilting my head up towards him to smile sweetly.

A smile of his own crossed his lips, and he moved to stand directly in front of me, so close that our chests almost touched.

"And I'm level with the chair," he said, his voice low. "So, really, you're pushing the boundary."

"What are you going to do about it?" I challenged, staring right back at him, my heart racing—and not from the effects of alcohol.

"I'll just have to stay here until I'm sure I can trust you."

Ever so slightly, he leaned forwards, the heat from his body scorching my skin. Despite the undeniable chemistry, that tangible pull between us, I was certain it was a psychological move, too, testing whether I would back away or stand my ground. I stood my ground.

"You know, Austin was right about one thing," I said as I played him back at his own game, edging closer until my chest rested against his.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

I nodded. "It's customary to give the birthday girl a kiss."

Brent's eyes darkened, his fingertips tracing a delicate trail from my hips, over my waist and along my neck.

"Oh yeah?" he murmured again.

Sliding his hands deep inside my hair, Brent tilted his head down to rest against mine, our noses grazing and breaths fusing. My heart thudded against his chest as I waited for the moment our lips would touch and I'd be living the scene I'd fantasised so often about.

With the muscular planes of his body hard against every inch of mine, and the fiery hunger in his eyes, the tension became too high to bear. I pressed my hand against the back of Brent's head and eased his mouth downwards, my lips instinctively capturing his.

Brent's kisses didn't at all reflect his tough, strong character. His lips, soft and delicate, moved leisurely—almost cautiously—against my own. They tasted faintly of vodka and beer but were warm and welcoming, not at all like the cold and distant persona that Brent had so often put on.

In complete contrast to the rushed kiss against the dune, this was so much slower yet somehow more powerful. Brent's hands grasped my hair tighter for just a few seconds before releasing it. His touch slid down my sides, then up beneath the fabric of my top, fingers digging into the flesh of my bare waist. A temptation. A promise. A taste.

Clutching onto his shirt, I arched my back, our hips colliding and my breath catching in my throat when I felt hardness between my legs.

"I don't think we should forget where we are," Brent murmured against my mouth, his alcohol-scented breath tickling my lips, intoxicating me over and over again.

I twisted my head to glance up the beach. All eyes were on us. Out of the moment, I became aware of how close our bodies were—fronts pressed together with a slither of air between us, legs intertwined, with the only thing holding me upright being my grasp of Brent's shirt and his hands crushed against my waist.

Brent reacted first, easing his grip from beneath my top, and disengaging our bodies. Without his support, my knees were weak, and I clutched the wooden chair to steady myself.

From what I'd learned of Brent during the summer, he was an intensely private person. Perhaps the kiss, no matter how electric, was too public for him.

Years of life in Carringham had led me to consider myself an expert judge of character, yet Brent remained an enigma. And when he leant back down to my mouth for a soft peck, despite the crowd watching us, I realised he'd proved me wrong once again.

His eyes lifted to meet mine, and I held his gaze, the intimacy building by the second. Slowly, his hand raised to cup my face, fingertips grazing my cheek.

"I was so wrong about you," he said, resting his forehead against my own. "I'm sorry."

No words had ever meant more to me. It was such a significant thing for Brent to say, rendering me speechless, and my heart pounded as our previous playful flirting on the beach continued to transform into something more formidable.

"That means a lot to me." I managed to whisper back my reply, despite the lump in my throat.

Unsettled by the confusing emotions bubbling beneath the surface, my free hand wound its way into Brent's hair and pulled his mouth to mine. I didn't want to think about the implications of his words, or the increasing tension between us. 

For now, I just wanted to give in to the attraction and get lost in his kisses.

~~~

Thank you for reading :) xx

~~~