Burning Up

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He smirked.

"Could ask you the same the same thing."

Stepping aside, he walked into my apartment. I pretended not to notice the grazing of his fingers against my stomach as he past.

"I pled a headache when Val said the strippers were on their way." I closed the door and turned to his laughing as he sat down on the lounge. "Now what's your excuse for missing my fiance's bucks night?"

Nick's face stilled. "I wanted to talk to you. About last night..."

"You want another shot?" He asked.

"No, just give me the whole lot"

I giggled as I took the bottle of Stoli from Nick's hands. He laughed and sat back into the lounge cradling his bottle of beer. He was always a beer guy.
Looking down at the glass bottle in my hands, the light caught the five carat diamond on my finger. Looking to my left, Nick was staring at me. The twinkle in his eyes was so much more beautiful than any rock.

"I always loved you." I blurted out followed by a drunken giggle. "For six years I loved you"

Nick's face never changed; no signs of shock or exclamations of outrage. He looked almost sober and yet that twinkle in his eye told me he wasnt.

"What happened?" He didn't even blink.

"I faced the facts. If after six years you hadn't made your move I figured you never would. I moved on, to Tom and then to Nate and then fate would have it that I finally end up with..."

"You should have said something" He interrupted me.

"Why, would it have changed anything?"

He smirked. "No."

A silence enveloped us. With his eyes still on me, Nick took a swig of his drink. I pressed the bottle of Stoli to my lips, welcoming the kick of the vodka as it soothed the slight sting of rejection.

"I'm glad I'm drunk ... and older. I think I would've had a breakdown if you'd said that to me when we were seventeen."

The twinkle in Nick's eyes magnified. "I feel sorry for you; I'm an ass when I'm drunk.

I laughed and emptied the last of the liquid in the glass bottle into my mouth. Nodding I swallowed; If any one should know what Nick was like inebriated it was me, we'd been secret drinking buddies for ages, friends for longer.

Later, with the taste of vodka on my tongue and it clouding all rational thoughts, I lent over, closer to Nick.
He didn't move.
And what followed was the most pure, innocent kiss I'd ever experienced.

"I thought we both agreed to forget about that." I didn't move from the doorway. He did. Standing back up again he slowly walked towards me.

"Problem is, I can't." By now he had reached me. Standing tall in front of me, his fingers skimmed my jean clad hips.

"You made it clear last night you had never loved me like that so why are you now implying that... "

He interrupted me again. "I said I never loved you, yes. But did I tell you that I thought you were insanely beautiful? No. That I've had more than one or two dreams about you? No. That you played the starring role in some very interesting fantasies of mine? No." He smirked as his hands travelled around to my back and underneath my shirt. I shivered as his warm, calloused fingers made contact with my skin.

"What's gotten into you Nick? In less that 24 hours I'm marrying your ..." I let the sentence hang in the silence. His entire palm was now pressed against the curve of my spine.

"Nothings changed. Tomorrow you're getting married and I'm the best man. But tonight is your last night of singledom. If there was ever a time for this to happen its now. We both can fulfil eight years of pent up repression and wild dreams. I want this; try to deny you don't as well."

He knew I couldn't. He was the love of my life for six years and always somewhere in my fondest of thoughts for the subsequent two. His hands were now tracing my spine. The thought of fulfilling my greatest desire was overwhelming; excitement pervaded my mind and pushed all rational thought aside. I smiled. He smirked.

"Tonight, I am in love with you." he whispered before his lips met mine in the hottest, most passionate and raw kiss I'd ever experienced.

***

"I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife."

He lifted my veil and met my eyes. Smiling we lent in towards each other. As our lips met my eyes shifted to the left; to Nick, whose smirk marred his porcelain face.

***

Nick slowly rose from his seat at the main table. He accepted the microphone from my maid of honour as she sunk into her chair.

"So, I was planning on actually writing a speech but I got a little preoccupied last night."

I shifted in my seat. Someone in the back of the banquet hall yelled something about a wild bucks night and scattered laughter met my ears.

"Yeah, something like that." He continued, turning away from the rest of the guests and facing me and my groom. "First things first I'd just like to congratulate the happy couple..." He moved from his standing position at the end of the table and walked slowly up towards me. "...and would personally like to welcome Raphaella into the family."

He reached my chair and motioned for me to stand. He then enveloped me into a hug and angled me behind him, his back faced the crowd. Nobody noticed the chaste kiss he played on my neck and quick bite on my ear lobe over the din of the applause. His warmth left me as I returned to my seat as he did to his, continuing with his speech. The guilt almost tuned him out. Almost.

"...and finally I'd like to make a toast. To Joe and Ella: the perfect couple."

I smiled for the cameras praying the deadness I felt inside wasn't shining its way through my teeth.

***

Images were playing across my eyelids.

Nick kissing his way across my body. The look in his eyes as he entered me for the first time. His face tucked into my neck as his body stilled on top of me. Him underneath me. Me clutching his curls. His hands pinning my wrists above my head. Him. Me. Us.

My eyes shot open.

"You alright baby? I thought you were a good flier?"

Joe was sitting to my right, lounging in the leather seat of the jet. He looked adorable. He was adorable. He was sweet, loving and adorable Joe. And I had wronged him.

"Yeah I am, just not when I don't know where I'm flying to!" I added on, laughing as his face lit up in a smile. I reached for his hand, grasped it tightly and raised it to my lips.

"I love you more than anything Joseph." Guilt was setting my body on fire; it was consuming me, burning me.

"And I love you Raphaella. But that cute act won't make me tell you where were going." He laughed and moved to the back of the jet where the bathrooms were housed.

I reached into my bag that was lying at my feet. My phone had vibrated. The smile slipped off my face as I read the text:

Have a good honeymoon. Just one question, how did you fake your virginity for Joe? xx. Nick