Waking up next to someone is one of the best feelings in the world.

Waking up butt naked next to someone while having slept in the sand isn't such a great feeling. I was stiff, sore and completely chilled to the bone, cold sand has a way of sucking the warmth right out of a person. The only part of me that wasn't cold was the side that had been snuggled up against Lou, he stirred when I rose and began dressing.

I cringed when I felt sand in places that would make it uncomfortable later on but at least put my under things back on so that I could go and wash the sand out of my butt-crack. "Wah? Are you leaving?" I smiled at the sudden, groggy question that came out of a very confused looking Lou.

"No, I'm cold and sore. Sand doesn't make a good bed." I threw on my work shirt before exiting the little shack. Just by the position of the sun in the sky I knew it was getting late, we had been out here a while and I had fallen to sleep twice in that time. Hopefully everyone else at home were out working when I got in, I didn't want the million and one questions that I knew were forming in their minds.

The tide was also a fair way in since I had last looked at the water, had time gone by that quickly?

"We should really be heading home," Lou came up behind me, his arms went around my waist while he rested his chin against my shoulder. This felt too good for it to come to an end so soon, the thought brought forth mine and Lou's current issues. We were both adults but we still both lived in our parents home, that would make for an awkward situation if one of us wanted to spend the night...especially at my parents home.

"I think I'm going to move." At the suggestion I felt Lou stiffen a little behind me, "there's an empty house down the road from my parents. It's still on their farm but has been empty for a few years, since the farm hands left. I think I could get that place looking respectful in a few weeks." I wasn't looking forward to that task, the lawns were a mile high, there was a junk heap to one side and it needed at least two new windows.

"You had me panicking for a moment, though I was wondering how this was going to work. I don't think your parents would appreciate hearing you moan in the middle of the night." I bit my lip, that sent a thrill straight down my spine to settle in the pit of my stomach.

"Don't even go there or we'll be spending the night on the beach." I could feel and hear Lou's small moan as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. If we weren't careful we'd be going for round three soon enough but I really needed to wash and get the sand out of each nook. Thankfully Lou too didn't take it any further, his grip loosened when he managed to calm himself down.

"I'm going to talk to my parents too, I want you over at my place as much as I want to be at yours. But I think we should get going, it's getting late and I'm on the night milking. Are you busy tonight?" Lou asked, I had never really thought about what the Smith's did on their farm but it seemed they did the same as my father.

"I'll come over and give you a hand if you want, Boy is teaching Crow and Lately how to milk the cows so us girls are off duty until they get the hang of it." I had been looking forward to showering, eating and then going to curl up in my nice, warm bed but sitting out in the cool night air watching Lou work was just as appealing.

We moved fairly quickly as soon as plans had been made, Lou dropped me back down at my parents home. I tried to look as 'normal' as possible when I walked into the house and was thankful when only Flick emerged suddenly from a side corridor. Thank god Lou hadn't tooted his horn or everyone else might have come running too.

"Holy sh*t, you two did it! Didn't you? There's sand all in your hair, whoo, go you!" Putting a hand over Flick's mouth I pushed her down towards my bedroom and only removed my hand because she licked it and the door closed firmly behind us.

"Okay yes! We did it down at the beach, so what? And for your information we're dating now, okay? Can you not tell everyone please? The last thing I want is dad getting all territorial because I've slept with and am now dating Lou." A noise behind us made me turn, I groaned when I saw Teal emerge from my wardrobe with a huge smile plastered across her face.

"Oh my god! You slept with Lou? Holy sh*t!" Why did they keep saying holy sh*t?

"Shut up Teal! Jeez you two, what's so surprising about sleeping with a guy that I've crushed on since I was seven? Seriously? Okay yeah, I might have acted like I hated him for all those years but I didn't. I was p*ssed at him for what he said in high school and annoyed at myself for being such a lovesick puppy. Now can we please get over it? I'm going to help him milk tonight." I regretted my words as soon as Teal and Flick wiggled their eyebrows at me, Teal began giggling like an idiot and Flick grabbed my hands whilst trying to twirl me around.

"Oh my god, you two are so stupid! I'm going to smack one of you if you don't stop soon!" I threatened the both of them but they carried on, regardless of my empty threats.

In the end I let Flick twirl me and ignored Teal as she made smooching noises around us. It took both of them a while to get over it but by the time they had settled down we all ended up laying on my bed.

"Seriously though Ruby, Lou's had ooglie eyes for you for ages! I'm surprised you never noticed it." Teal seemed the most pleased out of she and Flick at the news, had I ever noticed Lou looking at me? Probably not, since that day in high school I had made a mental note to ignore him completely and I guess it had worked because where ever I went from that day to very recently, I hadn't seen him.

"You do know he surfed on the same circuit as you twice...please tell me you at least know that?" Teal pleaded with me but I shook my head, this was all news to me. Without warning Flick smacked me in the gut, it wasn't hard but it got the message across, was I really that blind?

"Talk to him properly the next time you both get together, ask him. He might actually tell you, I swear to god you two are the stupidest people I've ever met. Come on, we have to go and cook some food for the boys to take out for the evening milking. Mum's feeling a bit run down and tired so since we're not milking we have to do it." I followed the two down into the kitchen, I didn't mention again that I was going out to help Lou again to either of them. I didn't want the conversation to flare up again and have mum or dad walk in at the wrong moment.

"Okay you guys, their food is cooked. I'm going to help Lou with the milking over there and don't tell anyone what I told you both. I'll kick both of your asses down onto the beach." I could not stress how much I wanted this to be kept a secret for the time being, knowing Teal though she'd let it slip as soon as I was out of the farm gates.

Both her and Flick made noises until I was out at my truck, dad and the boys still weren't around so I left anyway with the food I had prepared for me...I wasn't sure if Lou was bringing his own out or even if they ate while milking, but there was enough for two in my lunch box.

Pulling up to the milking shed I spotted Lou's blue hilux already sitting outside near the milk tanks. I parked right next to head and went inside to see where he was, to my surprise he was already milking the cows. So it seemed the Smith farm milked their cows earlier in the morning than dad ever had, Jock and I had always thought about the better milking times but never really followed through with it.

Lou hadn't seen me when I walked in but Ethan, his younger brother Jaxon came spotted me and came walking over. He didn't seem surprised that I was there and offered me an apron, safety glasses and gloves. I took them all and put them on quickly, there was nothing worse than walking around with cow sh*t on you for the day or night.

After standing there for what felt like ages, Jaxon decided to switch with Lou and it was only then...when he was climbing up to the main door did he spot me. I could have been annoyed with him, that he hadn't spotted me even though he had invited me out to milk.

But when he smiled any ill feelings that I'd had melted away and pure joy was left settled in the pit of my stomach. Lou indicated that we should go outside, which I gladly obliged. I was sure Jaxon was capable of milking cows as much as Boy was, they were as much into farming as me and my brothers were.

The first thing Lou did when we came to a stop was kiss me, I allowed myself to be pulled in but worried briefly that he'd get cow crap in my hair or on my clothes. When he pulled away I glanced down at the apron and laughed a little, Lou had 'shared' the cow splatted with me as I had feared.

"Sorry, I should have called and told you that Jaxon wanted to come out and milk with me tonight. It's going to be a little boring and restricted because my brother is here." I had a fair idea of why his brother had come out to help Lou milk and who had told him to tag along. Teal had claimed she was best friends with the Smith boys so it really didn't surprise me.

"It's okay, you should have seen Teal and Flick when I got in...I swear they have eagle eyes or something. Flick saw a few bits of sand in my hair and flipped a lid." Lou laughed, like he'd been expecting something of the sort.

"What is wrong with our siblings? Myia and Ella were the same when I walked in, just so you know I hadn't planned on sleeping with you at the beach. But it kinda just happened. So when can I introduce you as my girlfriend?" I was caught off guard by the question, it was one thing to think I was dating the hottest guy on the coast but it was another to thing to actually think about it.

"Now? I tried to make sure Flick and Teal kept it quiet but the whole house is going to know by the time I get back home. So you might as well tell your parents tonight because I'll be getting a grilling tonight as well." Lou cringed, I wasn't looking forward to it but at the same time I kind of didn't care what my parents thought. The round abouts turn was sudden, sure but I was getting towards a happy that I hadn't reached in a long time.

"Okay, yeah. Sisters huh? Can't live with them and...well yeah, can't really live with them." I laughed at that, Lou joined in too. Being reminded of my sisters brought forth one of the last things Flick had said to me.

"So Flick told me something weird. Are you a professional surfer? She told me that you were on a few tours the same time as me but I don't remember seeing you." The sudden colour that invaded Lou's cheeks was a dead giveaway, he even averted his eyes which I found a little strange.

"Yeah, I mean I wasn't surfing professionally. I was there as a physio for one of the guys, and I had a wild card entry so I thought why the hell not. I wasn't using my birth name, I was using a nickname from high school." I think that was the moment I realized, I had seen Lou during one of the tours but I was so frigging disorientated after being wiped out that I thought I'd been dreaming it.

"You were there, weren't you? When they pulled me out of the water? You met the rescuers on the beach and carried me up to the medical staff? It was you...I thought I'd been dreaming." The revelation floored me so much that I had to take a moment to soak it all in. I hadn't been dreaming, it really had been him...the look on his face was one of panic and worry.

It was in stark contrast to the expression on Lou's face at that moment. He feared my reaction, but there was nothing really to react to. So I pulled him in again and kissed him for all I was worth, was this fates way of telling me to get a move on with things? If it was it had been one hell of a kick up my backside.