The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 44

Shannon’s P.O.V:

‘Yeah, okay. Bye’ I hung up the phone and flicked the hair dryer on again.
I bent forwards, flipping my hair over my head, letting it swing almost to my waist – I really needed to get it cut.
I ruffled my hand through it, aiming the dryer while simultaneously eyeing the jean-clad legs moving towards me out of the corner of my eye.
I turned the power off and cocked my head slightly to get a better look. My eyes slowly travelled up his legs, over the waistband of his jeans and over his tantalisingly bare chest, to finally look into his eyes - which were sparkling with what looked suspiciously like amusement.
I stuck my tongue out at him and waited for him to speak.

‘Don’t tempt me’ he grinned lazily and I clenched my hand over the hair dryer as I fervently wished that I wouldn’t blush.
I don’t think I was too successful. I pretended not to notice my probably flaming cheeks, and raised one eyebrow in his direction.
His grin just widened. ‘What time are we leaving?’
I shrugged, ‘dunno, around half nine? It doesn’t take that long to get to Killiney.’
‘I’m just going to nod along and pretend I know where you’re talking about’
I rolled my eyes, ‘you do that.’
Without another word, I flicked the hair dryer on again. The legs retreated and I sighed inaudibly.

We’d been so busy the last couple of days that we hadn’t had much time alone and I found that I missed the quiet solitude of our apartment in London. The longer we spent here, the more I felt like I was suffocating. I loved my family, but going to college had made me realise just how much I enjoyed being independent and having my own life.
I stood up straight again, quickly drying the last bit of hair.
Just as I was laying the hair dryer down, I felt a pair of familiar arms wrap securely around me. I sank back into his embrace, revelling in the feel of his warm, strong arms surrounding me.

‘Do you really have to start getting ready now? It’s only half seven’ his voice spoke softly beside my ear as he gently pulled all my hair to one side.
His touch sent warm tremors down my spine and I relaxed even further against the hard planes of his chest.
‘I’m a girl remember?’
He chuckled. ‘I don’t think I’m likely to forget’ he whispered, kissing my temple.
Was it just me or was the temperature in the room definitely going up?
I turned around so I was facing him.
‘Good’ I told him, tilting my head so I could meet his gaze.
I was smiling when he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Unfortunately, as with every other time we managed to find some privacy, it didn’t last long. Loud hammering on my door made us pull apart.
‘What?’I couldn’t help the anger and frustration that leaked into my voice.
Nick chuckled and stroked one fingertip lightly across my lips before dropping his arm back to his side as Ryan barged into the room.
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him, ‘what do you want?’
He rolled his eyes in a gesture that was so familiar – like brother, like sister, I suppose – and spread his hands wide, ‘at least I knocked’ he shrugged and shot me a completely unfazed look.
‘Well what do you want?’ I didn’t feel any less irritated.
‘What time are we leaving?’
‘You’re coming too?’ Nick interrupted.
I couldn’t tell by his expression whether he thought that was a good idea or not.
Ryan grinned, ‘as much as I’m sure the two of you would love me to chaperone you, I have places to go, women to please. The usual’
Nick grinned widely when Ryan gave him a knowing look, making me roll my eyes – gross.
‘I’m dropping the both of you to Holly’s though, and you can either kip there or walk home’
Now it was my turn to grin, ‘you make me feel so loved, bro’
He smiled warmly at me, ‘it’s what I’m here for, ma petite soeur’

In some ways – basically, he was charming as fuck – Ryan was very similar to Nick. My mouth twisted into a grimace – nobody wanted to think that the guy you like is in anyway similar to your brother.
I focused on Ryan again when he started clicking his fingers in front of my face.
‘Who died?’ he asked, mouth twitching.
I glanced at Nick in confusion, but he just stared back at me with a knowing look on his face.
‘What were you thinking about?’ Ryan asked.
I blushed; no way was I going to tell him.
His smile widened, ‘now I really wanna know’
I glared at him, but I was pretty sure the effect was cancelled out by my glowing cheeks.
When he continued to stare at me with amusement in his eyes, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
‘You never answered my question’ he protested as I pushed him out of my room.
‘Half nine’ I told him shortly before slamming the door in his face.

Sighing, I turned around to see Nick standing a lot closer than I remembered.
‘As a matter of fact, what were you thinking about?’ he asked curiously.
‘Uh, nothing’ I said, dodging around him to hurry into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind me.
I could hear the sound of his laughter, even through the door, and a glance in the mirror confirmed my suspicions that my face was well and truly flushed.
I touched my warm skin wonderingly. Nobody was able to make me blush as thoroughly as Nick.
I just didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

Dinner was a quiet affair – everybody thinking about the night ahead. Even my parents were going to a party at one of their friends’ houses.
As the minutes ticked by, anticipation began to hum through my body – I had a feeling that it would be a good night.
I was just putting the finishing touches to my makeup when Nick called through the closed door, ‘I’m going downstairs to call Mark’ before the sound of his footsteps retreated.
I stepped back from the mirror, wearing a matching set of lacy black underwear. I picked up my brush and backcombed my loosely curled hair to give it volume. I sprayed it quickly to keep it in place and checked my makeup again before putting on my dress.
It was black with a high neckline, a low back, and lacy sleeves that came to my elbows. I stood scrutinising my appearance from my smoky eye-makeup and dark eyeliner, to my form-fitting mid-thigh length dress.
I was under absolutely no illusions as to why I was making such a big effort to look good. Scowling at my reflection, I made myself walk back into my room.
I quickly shoved on my pair of black heels - they had bright red soles that could be seen as I walked - and grabbed my bag, stopping only to chuck my camera into it, before hurrying downstairs.

I found Nick standing in front of the ever-present fire in the living room, on the phone chatting away to Mark. I skipped over to him, grabbing the phone out of his hand.
‘Hey babe’ I said cheerfully as I started to play with the decorations on the tree.
‘Well hello stranger’ Mark’s familiar voice spoke into my ear.
I felt myself smile when he spoke – I hadn’t talked to him much since coming home.
‘How are you?’ I asked.
He chuckled, ‘I’m awful. I just miss you so much’
‘Now, now, no need for sarcasm darling’ I pouted.
‘Don’t pout at me Sweetcheeks, you know I miss you’
‘How the hell did you know I was pouting?’
He laughed again, ‘you and Nick pout all the time. I took a wild guess’
‘You just know me so well’ I said.
‘Not well enough Sweetcheeks, not well enough at all’
I laughed outright at the blatant innuendo in his voice.
‘You should work on making your come-ons more subtle’ I chided him.
He laughed, ‘what can I say? Some girls like a guy to be direct’
‘And I’m clearly not one of them’ I told him.
I heard Nick come up behind me and my stomach clenched in anticipation as he slid his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.
‘Is Nick being subtle?’ Mark asked.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ I told him primly, while I wondered frantically what exactly Nick had been telling him.
‘Don’t worry, give him time. He’ll get there eventually.’
I couldn’t help but smirk – he obviously didn’t know much.
‘I repeat, I don’t know what you’re talking about’ I was proud that I managed to keep my tone even.

Before I could wait for Mark’s reply, Nick grabbed the phone from me – much as I’d done to him – and spoke into it, ‘Can you go away now? We’re busy.’
Even as I stared distractedly at the Christmas tree, I could tell he was smiling from the tone of his voice.
The conversation didn’t last long after that.
I closed my eyes and leant back against him when he hung up – I was perfectly relaxed.
‘You look beautiful’ he said softly.
I smiled, my eyes still closed, ‘thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself...we’re even colour co-ordinated’ I said dryly, making him laugh.
I conjured up an image of him and I genuinely started to pray that I wasn’t drooling. He was wearing a black shirt that clung to his muscles in all the right places, with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of dark jeans that didn’t have a single hole in them.

‘What was Mark saying?’ he asked.
I shrugged one shoulder half-heartedly, too comfortable to move, ‘the usual’
Nick laughed quietly, his lips close to my ear, and my heartbeat sped up.
‘How’s Jay?’ I asked in an attempt to take my mind off my rapidly beating heart (and the cause of it) – no such luck though.
‘He’s good as far as I know, though I haven’t been talking to him much. According to Mark, he’s been spending even more time with Nicole. Don’t say it’ he said quickly before I could even open my mouth.
I smiled but decided to drop it.
‘I bet that’s irritating Mark, especially with you gone’
‘You can say that again’ he said, his amusement at Mark’s fate evident.
‘We both know that he misses me more though’
‘Of course’ he chuckled, placing another kiss on my temple.
‘Just so we’re clear’ I yawned.
Mustering up as much energy as possible, I pulled away from him and perched on the arm of the chair closest to me. He pouted at me but I ignored it as I fixed the hem of my dress. He continued to stare so I raised a brow in a silent query, but he just pouted.
‘I was falling asleep’ I shrugged.
He grinned, ‘that’s alright then’

‘Shannon, Nick, are you ready?’ Ryan’s voice floated through the open doorway.
‘Yeah, we’re ready’ I called back as I stood up from the arm of the chair.
‘Then come on’ he shouted impatiently.
Rolling my eyes, I gestured for Nick to follow as I left the room. Ryan was waiting beside the front door, and after taking one look at me, he frowned.
‘Where’s the other half?’ he spluttered.
I glanced down at my bare legs before answering, ‘I’m afraid this is it’
He shook his head vehemently, ‘no, you’re not going out like that’
‘I’m eighteen, you can’t stop me’
‘Well, I don’t have to drive you’ he retorted.
I glared at him, opening my mouth to make some scathing remark, when Nick interrupted me.
‘Don’t worry’ he told Ryan, ‘that’s what my jacket is for’
I turned my glare on him, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.
Ryan sent him a calculating look, ‘really?’
Nick nodded, ‘of course, you never know who could be staring. Don’t worry, I’ll look after her’
‘I’m not a child’ I practically shouted, but neither of them even spared me a glance.
‘You know, I like you more and more as the days go by’ Ryan smiled at Nick in a male-bonding sort of way. Nick accepted it with a nod.
‘I hate you both’ I muttered, throwing my hands in the air and marching over to the door.

Strange how I just knew they were rolling their eyes at each other when my back was turned. I heard footsteps behind me, and had to step back as Ryan barged past, ruffling my hair as he went. I practically hissed in anger but refrained from lashing out.
‘Don’t be mad’ Nick spoke as he appeared beside me, ‘it was the quickest way’
‘You didn’t have to treat me like I’m five’ I huffed.
He shrugged, ‘I was putting your brother’s mind at ease’
I smirked, ‘whatever you say, Mr. Jealousy’
‘How am I Mr. Jealousy?’ he asked indignantly.
I sauntered out the front door, making sure to sway my hips, ‘just remember’ I called back to him over my shoulder, ‘Sean’s gay’
He didn’t have anything to say to that.

We drove along the dark roads in relative silence.
For some reason, I couldn’t decide whether I was extremely excited or extremely nervous for the upcoming night. The result left me feeling jittery, and I couldn’t sit still as we made our way to Holly’s house.
‘Stop’ Ryan said tensely.
‘Stop what?’ I was still annoyed about earlier.
‘Stop fidgeting. It’s really irritating’
I just rolled my eyes and we lapsed into silence again. It can’t have taken long to get to Killiney, but to me it felt like hours.
We began to drive past houses that were getting increasingly large and...well, the best word to describe them would be fancy. Ryan pulled up outside a large set of open iron gates that were well lit up by the spotlights set into the ground – yeah, Holly was rich.

I undid my seatbelt and opened the door as Nick got out of the car.
‘Have a good time’ Ryan said, ‘don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’
I laughed, ‘so there’s not much I can’t do then?’
He glared, ‘you know what I mean’
I rolled my eyes, ‘Nick’s with me remember? I don’t think I’d get away with much, even if I wanted to’
‘He’s part of the problem’ Ryan muttered darkly.
I just laughed as I got out of the car.
‘Have a good night. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’ I called back to him, mimicking his words before closing the door.
I grinned when he flipped me off as he drove away. The joys of brother and sisterly love, I thought happily to myself. I found it almost impossible to stay annoyed with him for longer than an hour.
I turned to Nick, ‘you ready?’ I asked, holding my hand out for him to take.
He nodded and we began the short walk to the house.
Surprisingly, all my nerves had melted away and I was just happy that I’d get to see all my friends.

When we reached the front door, I opened it and walked inside. I figured from the sounds of loud music that were spilling outside, the chances of someone hearing me knock were slim.
I smiled to myself as I led Nick down the familiar hall towards the kitchen, barely even glancing at the many doors and hallways that branched off the corridor we were walking along. I knew this house like the back of my hand.
We passed a few people as we made our way to the back of the house, where the music was loudest. I didn’t know any of them so I just moved passed them without a word.
I wanted to find Holly and Kylie before I did anything else. We stopped in the doorway to the huge kitchen and I bit my lip. It was going to be harder than I thought to find them; the place was packed. The lights were dimmed, so it was hard to make out who anybody was from a distance.
There was a large living area off to the left and the centre of the kitchen was dominated by a large island that was strewn with glasses and bottles of alcohol and mixers.

Her house was as modern as mine was rustic. The far wall was almost entirely taken up with glass doors, the majority of which were open, leading to a wide deck and a small garden which was on a slight slope. The house had an amazing view over the sea, which was currently partially lit up with moonlight. There were lanterns dotted around the garden and fairy lights had been strung up around the deck, giving everything a pretty glow.
The garden, deck and kitchen were packed with people laughing, talking, and most importantly – drinking. There were clusters of people dotted around, and in the living room was a particularly loud group gathered around the low coffee table, playing Kings.

‘They’re over there by the stereo’ Nick leaned in close to my ear to be heard as he gestured beyond the people playing Kings to Kylie and Holly, who were bent over an iPod, their heads close together as they looked for a new song.
I turned around to face Nick, ‘you read my mind’ I told him, leaning in close.
He just shrugged at me, grinning lopsidedly.
I took his hand in mine as we made our way over to my best friends. I tried to take my mind off the fact that there were more than a few pairs of eyes that looked up appraisingly as Nick walked by.
I felt my smile turn brittle and the urge to roll my eyes was almost too strong, and I momentarily had to shut them and take a deep breath – it really, really sucked to be jealous. That jealousy quickly morphed into a twisted satisfaction though, when I felt Nick’s hand tighten on mine. I looked up to see a few guys I knew from school waving at me from across the room. I raised my free hand in greeting, flashing them a smile, before I turned my attention to my two friends.

They skipped over and each gave me a tight hug, before embracing Nick aswell. He seemed surprised, but not unhappy as he hugged them back. I smiled reassuringly at the raised-eyebrow look he gave me.
‘I’m so glad you came’ Holy burbled in my ear, ‘I love you so much’
I couldn’t help but laugh – she was definitely drunk.
‘I wouldn’t have missed it’ I told her honestly, smiling.
I had just vaguely noticed that Kylie had wandered away when Holly threw her arms around me again, placing a kiss on my lips; ‘I’ve missed you’ she slurred.
I gently disengaged myself from her, ‘you too honey’
She was obviously more than a little drunk.
With one last wobbly smile for Nick and me, she wandered off towards one of the couches. I turned around again to see Nick grinning widely at me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, still giving me that blinding smile.
‘What?’
‘Anything you want to tell me Sweetheart?’ he asked, moving closer.
I finally copped on to what had put that smile on his face.
I splayed my hands out on his chest, ‘did I never tell you I’m a lesbian?’ I cocked my head at him questioningly.
‘You could have told me’ he chuckled, brushing his lips against my own; sparking the usual tingles.
‘I just did’ I grinned, ‘let’s go get a drink’

I surveyed the extensive array of alcohol in front of me as I tapped my finger against my chin in thought. Just how drunk did I want to get?
Nick appeared beside me with a beer in his hand, as I made up a dark rum and lemonade, and grabbed a coloured bendy straw.
‘Cheers’ I said, raising my glass.
Over his shoulder, I saw Sean come in from the deck with Jamie. I immediately started pushing Nick in his direction.
‘What are you doing?’ he spluttered as he just managed to avoid knocking over a tall, thin brunette.
She whipped around to glare at him, but once she saw who’d bumped into her, well, her expression changed pretty quickly. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from saying something I’d regret.
‘Sean’s over there. Go apologise’ I told him, pushing him one last time.
He nodded once as he turned to walk over to Sean, who greeted him with a smile. I waved at him when he glanced past Nick to me.

I felt someone snake their arms around my waist and for a split second, I thought it was Nick until my brain kicked in and I realised it couldn’t be him – he was talking to Sean and Jamie.
I turned around and saw who it was, just as my feet left the ground.
I kissed him on the cheek, ‘long time no see’
‘I didn’t expect you to be here’ he said, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead before he set me down again.
‘I know how much you like surprises’ I smiled, ‘where’s Jenna?’
He rolled his eyes, ‘She’s off somewhere gossiping. It’s all you girls ever seem to do’ he smiled as he said it.
‘I know she’d love to see you’
I hesitated, ‘I’ll be over in a minute, okay?’
He nodded, ‘it’s nice to see you Shan’
‘You too’ I said sincerely.

I made my way over to Nick, Sean and Jamie, depositing my now empty glass on the first available surface I came across.
I guessed that the apology had gone well judging by the way they were laughing at something Jamie had just said. I ducked around Nick and gave both Sean and Jamie a hug.
Jamie was the polar opposite of Sean. He was completely emo – dyed black hair, multiple piercings and had a love of converse. He was hot.
‘I see it didn’t take Wonderboy long to make his presence known’ Sean rolled his eyes.
‘Be nice’ I told him, ‘I haven’t seen him in ages’
‘Yeah, and you just ruined a perfectly good run’ Sean muttered.
Jamie glared at him for me, before smiling at me; ‘Right, moving on. Do you want to come outside? There are people we want you to meet’ he addressed both me and Nick.
I shook my head, ‘nah, I want to catch up with Wonderboy first’
I looked straight at Sean but if he caught the sarcasm in my voice he didn’t comment, just looked at Nick.
With a glance at me, Nick spoke to both Sean and Jamie; ‘yeah, I’ll be out in a minute’

Both guys seemed mildly surprised and shared a look before heading outside. Nick and I watched them until they melted into the crowd.
I raised my eyebrows at him, ‘sick of me already?’
I smiled when his brow furrowed.
‘Who’s Wonderboy?’
‘His name’s Alex. He’s over there’ I gestured over to where he was sitting on the couch and was surprised to find him watching us with interest.
He waved when he noticed us staring, before turning to talk to a random guy beside him.
‘And how do you know him?’
I shifted uncomfortably under Nick’s gaze – had Sean been telling him things?
‘We used to go out’ I said eventually.
He raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Sighing, I continued, ‘we were together for about a year, then we broke up because I met Conor and he met Jenna – who’s here somewhere aswell. Would you like to meet them?’
I knew it was a long shot...
He leaned in close to my ear, ‘one apology’s enough for tonight’ he told me, dipping his head to kiss me lightly.
He turned, disappearing into the crowd before I could even think of a response.

Shrugging, I walked back over to Alex, stopping only to get another drink. I mentally kept count in my head – the last thing I needed was to get wasted.
I sat down beside Alex, sipping my drink, and took a moment to just look at him. He had short, dark hair, startling blue eyes and a smile that could almost rival Nick’s...almost, but not quite...but then, I was hardly objective...
I had been only fifteen when we started going out, and I had to admit that his looks had been a big part of what had drawn me to him, though it wasn’t what made me stay with him for so long. Unfortunately, he was one of those people who only showed his sweet side to a select few and to the rest of the world...not so much. There was no love lost between him and Sean, which was why Sean tended to mock him at every opportunity.
He gave me a wide smile, ‘it seems you have a lot to tell me about’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ I widened my eyes in innocence.
‘Should I do the brotherly thing and go see if his intentions are honourable?’
‘I already have two brothers. I don’t need you to stand in too’ I laughed.
He chucked me under the chin, ‘good, ‘cause I’ve never wanted to be your brother. You look stunning by the way’
I raised one brow at him, ‘how has Jenna put up with you for so long?’
He just laughed – God forbid he’d actually get offended.
‘You “put up with me” for a year, don’t you think you’re being just a tad bit hypocritical?’ he grinned and I was reminded exactly why girls practically fell at his feet.
What I now realised though – and I was very happy about it – was that I wasn’t in the least bit affected by him, or his smile...he might as well be my brother.
‘Yeah, “put up with” being the operative phrase in that sentence’ I retorted.
‘Harsh’

I was just about to reply when somebody jumped on me – literally. I just about managed to get my drink out of the way as Jenna landed on me.
‘Sweetie! Why am I only just seeing you now?’ she slurred, giving me a kiss.
Okay, seriously, what was with my friends having major lesbian tendencies when they’re drunk? I thought.
Alex leaned over, his mouth dangerously close to not only Jenna, but me aswell.
‘Wow, that’s hot’ he almost whispered, interest sparking in his eyes.
Jenna just giggled, leaning in the last centimetre to kiss him.
‘Whoa, I so do not wanna be stuck in the middle of this’ I said – not that they were listening.
I leant as far away as possible. I managed to get away from them...though I was almost certain they didn’t actually notice. Close call, I thought to myself; Alex was a great believer in thinking with his brain and not the one in his head either.

I had planned to go outside and find Nick, but I kept getting stopped by people I knew, or I’d get introduced to people I didn’t know. So after a lot of talking, (harmless) flirting, and two rounds of Kings that I thankfully didn’t lose, I made my way finally out onto the deck – a little unsteady on my feet.
It didn’t feel like that long since Ryan had dropped us off, but a quick glance at my phone told me it was 11:50 p.m. Time flies when you’re having fun and all that.

I zeroed in on Nick immediately. He was lounging on a deck chair, surrounded by people. Trust him to be in the middle of a group of mainly girls – it didn’t exactly put me in a good mood...but maybe that was just the alcohol talking that made me act jealous and possessive...yeah...
I gave the three girls closest to Nick a hug, although it was more to be polite. I knew them all a little, but I wouldn’t exactly call them friends.
The girl sitting closest to Nick (she was practically sitting on him) – Cara, I think her name was, flicked her dyed blonde hair over her shoulder and fixed cold eyes on me.
‘Shannon, this is Nick’
She seemed almost triumphant that she got to introduce him to me – which I found strange because I barely knew the girl – and laid her hand on his arm in a way that made me instantly dislike her – the slutty clothes and ugly expression on her face didn’t exactly help her case either if I was honest with myself.
I looked at Nick. He watched me silently as I knew he’d been doing since I came outside.
I held out my hand, ‘it’s nice to meet you Nick’ I said, giving him my best smile. He returned my grin as he took my hand, ‘you too Sweetheart’
I knew Cara was watching us closely but I didn’t care – she reminded me of Jenny...which made me dislike her even more.

He tugged me down onto his lap, placing his drink on the ground beside him so he could put his arms around me. Tension I hadn’t even known I had melted out of my body as I made myself comfortable against his chest.
‘Having fun?’ I asked him.
The noise from the conversations around us washed away as I focused on him.
‘I am. I’ve met a lot of great people’ he answered, pressing his lips to my cheek.
I sighed in contentment, ‘where did Sean and Jamie disappear off to?’
A smile tugged at his lips, ‘I think they wanted some alone time’
‘Same with Alex and Jenna...you know, I think they shafted us’
‘Don’t worry; we’ll have a better time by ourselves’
I laughed, ‘I’ll hold you to that’

People were slowly making their way outside, until the deck and garden were packed. Nick went inside to get us drinks as the last couple of minutes ticked by. When he came back, I took a drink from the glass he handed me and almost choked.
‘What the hell is in this?’ I asked, my throat burning.
He burst out laughing, ‘I don’t know – vodka, Captain Morgan, Malibu, Absinthe...I poured a bit of everything into it’
‘Are you trying to make me drunk?’
‘Sweetheart’ he said, slinging an arm around my shoulder, ‘you’re already drunk’
‘True’ I couldn’t really argue with that...
‘But if I get alcohol poisoning...’ I threatened.
He just smiled and offered me some Miller...which I took of course.

When the time finally came, Nick gently pulled me to the edge of the large group that had formed.
He took my hand as the noise around us grew.
Ten...
Nine...
I looked at him and smiled in anticipation.
Eight...
He squeezed my hand.
Seven...
Six...
Five...
Everybody got steadily louder as they counted down the last couple of seconds.
Four...
Three...
Two...
I couldn’t help myself from turning towards Nick at the same time as he put his arms around my waist, tugging me to him.
One...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The shout went up just as fireworks lit up the sky.

‘Happy New Year Sweetheart’ Nick spoke right beside my ear.
‘You too’ I told him, our faces so close to each other they almost touched.
I could feel his warm breath against my lips as I looked up at him. His face was lit up momentarily by green and purple lights, and he smiled in a way that had my heart racing and my hands trembling as he closed the distance between us and kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him as close to me as possible, while his hands trailed lines of fire along the bare skin of my back, down my spine and along my hips, making me shudder in his arms and stand on my tip-toes to have better access to his mouth.
My body zinged with awareness as a combination of alcohol, adrenaline, and pure happiness rushed through my veins. I felt his tongue trace the line of my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I tugged lightly at his hair as my mouth opened.
We both made a noise as he slid his tongue into my mouth. My mind was getting steadily cloudier as each moment passed...hell, I’d already lost track of time...

I felt my hair being yanked but I thought nothing of it as the kiss deepened...hey, what could I say; I was completely in the moment. It was only when I felt a rough tapping on my shoulder that I realised that it wasn’t just Nick tangling his hands in my hair as I’d imagined – or hoped?
I tried to brush the irritating person off with a shrug to dislodge their hand from my shoulder, but the tapping persisted.
Eventually, I pulled my lips from Nick’s, turning my head to glare at whoever was ruining what was definitely the highlight of my night.
Nick obviously didn’t realise that I wasn’t pulling away out of choice, because he made a low noise in his throat and transferred his lips to my neck, making me shiver and close my eyes briefly.
I was pretty sure he’d had more to drink than I’d thought – no wonder he got with so many girls when he went out.

I sent Alex a death glare, who was looking entirely too happy with himself.
‘What do you want?’ my voice was like acid.
Nick tensed and raised his head just as Alex leaned in and kissed me quickly; ‘Happy New Year Angel’
Nick’s strangled sound of disbelief matched my own as we both stared at Alex’s smirking face.
‘What. The. Fuck?’ Nick broke the tense silence, his voice dangerously low.
‘I just wanted to let you know that you’re attracting more than a little attention. If you want to continue your little “party”, you might want to go find a room’ he said cheerfully.
‘What time is it?’ I still managed to sound like I was a hair’s breadth away from murdering him with my bare hands.
It only added to his amusement. ‘It’s going on half twelve’
I just stared at him, my confusion managing to momentarily block out the rage flowing through me.
Wow, I thought, time really does fly when you’re having fun – and it seemed to be getting more and more accurate as the night wore on.

‘I’m Alex by the way. I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re Nick. It’s nice to meet you’
The sound of his voice brought my anger front and centre again. Nick just glared at him through narrowed eyes. I was inordinately happy that he didn’t lash out – physically or verbally. It would just cause problems that we’d both regret.
‘Do us a favour and fuck off’ I told him in a falsely sweet voice.
‘That hurt my feelings pretty lady. Did your year with me mean nothing to you?’
I knew he was trying his best to wind both Nick and I up.
‘Right now it means less than nothing. Go find your girlfriend Alex’
‘She’s busy at the moment, which is why I’m over here enjoying your company’ he grinned, ‘or maybe I’m just hoping she’ll come over and you two can get reacquainted...again.’

Okay, this guy was really starting to get on my nerves. I could tell Nick was getting really pissed off by the almost tangible tension surrounding him and the way his hands kept clenching convulsively against my hips.
‘Talking of the year we spent together, if you don’t fuck off I think I might divulge some information that I doubt you’d want just anyone to know’ I was desperately trying to think of something, anything to make him leave.
Sean and Jamie came to stand on either side of Nick and I as the smile dropped off Alex’s face.
‘I’d like to remind you that I could do the exact same thing to you’
I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance as I held his gaze, ‘chances are, they probably already know’
I was really hoping he wouldn’t call my bluff – he probably knew a few things I wouldn’t to be blurted out.
Of course I spoke too soon, or thought...whatever.
‘Maybe they do know, but do you really want to risk it? I can think of at least one thing your boy here might not want to find out from me in the middle of a New Year’s party’
I narrowed my eyes at him...he wouldn’t.
‘You wouldn’t’ I voiced my opinion in a tone that could only be described as dangerous.
‘That’s going too far Alex’ Sean said angrily.
Jamie’s mouth was a hard line and I knew he was imagining punching Alex, while Nick just looked confused.
Alex nodded slowly, ‘yes it is too far. You mean too much to me to say something like that...I don’t like to gloat like that’
‘Gloating?’ I literally wanted to rip his head off, ‘get the fuck away from me’ I hissed, turning my back on him in favour of resting my head against Nick’s shoulder.

Nick rubbed his hands up and down my back soothingly.
‘I really dislike that guy’ he said eventually.
Sean snorted, ‘join the club’
‘Did he actually say gloating?’ I burst out.
All three guys looked at me but didn’t say anything.
‘Was he actually implying that he’d say something like that just to try and get to Nick? I mean they don’t even know each other!’
Jamie rolled his eyes, ‘you know what Alex is like’
‘Yeah, and you wonder why we don’t like him’ Sean added.
‘I don’t like him right about now either. Can we just go sit down? The more we talk about him, the more pissed off I get’
They all nodded in agreement and we managed to grab a couple of chairs.
Naturally, Nick pulled me onto his lap – I wasn’t about to complain.

‘I need a drink’ I said decisively.
My buzz was starting to fade after our encounter with Alex and I really wanted to get it back...and then some.
Jamie agreed to go inside and get us all drinks. When he left, I looked around and was surprised to see the place still packed – music was playing and people were talking and laughing, and generally just having a good time. I felt sort of removed from it all. Ever since the countdown, I’d almost forgotten where we were...for obvious reasons.
I don’t even know how Jamie managed to carry everything back in one go. He dropped a pack of cards onto the small table in the middle of our group of chairs, he handed beers to Sean and Nick, placed a couple of extra bottles on the ground, and handed a half-full litre bottle of vodka to me. He also placed a couple of empty shot glasses, along with a giant glass of I-didn’t-know-what in the centre of the table for the loser to drink.

Nick stared at me in disbelief as I took the cap off the clear bottle in my hand and raised it to my lips.
‘What? I wanna get drunk’
He just shrugged – obviously deciding it would be better not to say anything about my drink of choice. Wise man.
I leaned down and quickly kissed him, needing the feel of his lips on mine before taking a drink. The liquid burned as it went down my throat.
I’d always been able to down vodka straight – and quickly too. I could do the same with Absinthe if I was already drunk. It helped when I wanted to get drunk, and fast.
‘Right, Kings it is’ Jamie announced, ‘and then some shots’ he grinned.
I lifted my bottle in confirmation as Sean spread the cards out on the small table.
I quickly explained the rules to Nick before taking another swig of vodka.

‘What was it that Alex was going to say that made you, Sean and Jamie so angry?’ he whispered in my ear as he stroked my arm.
I sighed, tucking my hair behind one ear.
‘Does it matter?’
He frowned, ‘well, yeah, kinda’
I smiled softly, ‘I knew you’d say that. I’ll tell you, just not right now’
He nodded slowly, his confusion about the situation evident from the expression on his face, ‘okay, Sweetheart’
He looked more than a little concerned.
I didn’t want him to be worried, so I tried to reassure him as best as I could; ‘look, it’s probably not as bad as you think. In fact, it’s not even bad as such, it’s more just the fact that he was willing to say it to piss us off that annoyed me’ I told him, not being able to help the hand that reached out to touch his jaw.
‘Don’t worry’ Sean piped up, ‘she’ll tell you one day’
I rolled my eyes, ‘I’ll tell you tomorrow – it’s not exactly a secret’
I still didn’t exactly relish the thought of explaining to him what my “secret” was.
Again I felt that need to kiss him – so of course I acted on my impulse. He kissed me deeply; only pulling away to loud sighs and grumbles from Sean and Jamie. I grinned at them, already feeling my buzz coming back.

I lost track of how long we played and how much drink we consumed. At one stage, we played a round using only water – a useless attempt to “pace ourselves”.
I haven’t laughed that much in a long time.
Holly and Kylie came to join us after a while which I was happy about because I hadn’t had a chance to see much of them.

I saw Alex a couple more times as the night wore on, but I studiously ignored him every time. On one trip to the bathroom, he intercepted me and looked like he was about to say something, but I brushed past him without a word. It would be a while before I forgave him for acting like such a bastard. I was starting to understand why a lot of people really didn’t like him.
I knew that Nick wouldn’t have reacted well if Alex had told him my “top secret” – as Sean had taken to calling it in his attempt to make a joke of the whole situation – partly because of what it was, partly because he clearly didn’t like the guy and he was pissed that he’d interrupted us, but also because he’d had the audacity to kiss me.
I honestly didn’t know what had been going through his head that made him think it was okay to kiss me when I was literally still in Nick’s arms. I mentally cursed him the whole way back outside.

I barely even noticed people beginning to leave as it got really late, except when somebody would come and give me a hug goodbye.
Finally our group – that now consisted of me, Nick, Sean, Jamie, Holly, Kylie, and a really funny guy named Luke – were the only people left as the sky began to lighten on the horizon.
We were all staying over, (Luke was Kylie’s “date” for the night).

I managed to stand up; giggling slightly as Nick steadied me with his hands on my shoulders, as we all decided it was time for bed. Nick wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his head on my shoulders.
He was as bad as me – I was almost positive that we were holding each other up at that stage.
‘Where are we kipping?’ I asked Holly with a yawn.
She smiled at us, ‘in my brother’s room. You remember where it is?’
I nodded and began leading Nick back into the house, stumbling slightly at the step up into the kitchen.
‘Night’ I called over my shoulder, and got an assortment of grunts and muttered “nights” in reply.

‘Do I want to know why you remember where her brother’s room is?’ Nick whispered as we slowly walked through the now empty kitchen, which was strewn with glasses, bottles and an assortment of rubbish.
Thankfully it was quiet enough that we didn’t have to shout, though there was a faint ringing in my ears.
I managed to roll my eyes (it was a lot harder than you’d think), ‘I remember because I practically grew up here...not the way you’re thinking’
‘Good’ was his only reply.
I stopped off in Holly’s room for pyjamas when we made it upstairs, before continuing on down the corridor to Brian’s vacated room. I didn’t even have the energy to wonder where he’d been all night – probably out somewhere with Ryan; they were good friends.

I closed the bedroom door behind us as Nick walked over to the bed and lay down face-first. I managed another eye-roll.
I kicked off my heels, and not caring about going into the bathroom to change, I pulled off my dress and threw on my borrowed pyjamas. I wasn’t worried about Nick rolling over and getting an eyeful – he was probably KO’d.
I watched his prone form as I changed – it looked like he’d need some coercion to move. Sure enough, when I told him to at least take off his shoes, he didn’t budge.
‘I’m naked’ I told him dryly.

Unsurprisingly, he rolled off the bed and managed to land on his feet an instant later. He’s so predictable, I thought in amusement.
He eyed me disapprovingly, ‘you lied’
‘Whatever’ I yawned, ‘I’m going to bed’
I heard sounds of him taking off all but his boxers as I made myself comfortable.
He climbed in after me and curled himself around me with one last kiss to my temple, before he fell asleep with a muttered, ‘goodnight Sweetheart’
‘Goodnight’ I whispered in return as I snuggled up next to him.
Now that the alcohol was wearing off – again – I was beginning to feel the cold.

I was glad of his warmth wrapped around me – I mean what else are guys for?