Milestones: Commitment

The sun beat down on the coast, firing up the sand on the beach where Michelle and Brian were relaxing, lying out on beach towels in only their swimsuits. All around them other people were doing the same, soaking up as much of the sun's rays into their skin as they could.

Michelle had laughed quietly at Brian when they had arrived due to him ripping off his shirt, grabbing her tanning oil and drenching himself in it.

"So you tan like a girl now?" she had asked, stifling her laughter and receiving a glare from her boyfriend.

"No," he'd replied back, lying out on the beach towel, face up. "After that tour, I need to get all my color back." And he was right - he was definitely a few shades lighter than he had been the last time Michelle had seen him then.

Flipping the page in the book she was reading while she tanned, Michelle looked at her watch, picking it up from the towel where she'd set it, and checked the time. Noting that they'd been laying in the same position for half an hour, she set her book down and turned to Brian. He had ear buds in and she could faintly hear the music that was playing. She could tell by his steady breathing that Brian had drifted off into sleep.

"Bri...," she said, lightly kicking his leg with her foot as she propped herself up on her elbows. Eyes traveling over his chest, smooth skin teasing her to touch, Michelle could see the fine sheen of sweat and tanning oil glistening on him.

Sighing when he still didn't wake after she continued to nudge his leg, Michelle sat up, leaning over Brian's torso and bending down to place a kiss against his stomach, slowly moving her lips up to his chest. Breathing out cool air through her nose against his body she slid her hand across his lower stomach, her nails lightly scratching him there. Finally he stirred, but just barely.

Smirking, Michelle moved over one of his nipples, flicking her tongue out against it, repeating the motion until it turned hard, and she felt Brian groan.

Feeling her assault on his chest that had woken him, Brian picked his head up and looked down at her, pulling out one of the ear buds. "Do you need something?" he asked, smirking like he usually did. Michelle picked her head up and smiled, nodding as she leaned into his lips, stealing a kiss.

"You need to turn over before you burn," she said quietly, her breath puffing against his lips.

"That's it? That's what you woke me up for?" Brian asked, a sense of playfulness shining in his eyes.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you, and if you get burnt I am not rubbing you down with aloe, because I know you'll whine like a little baby in the process," Michelle chuckled, and Brian rolled his eyes.

"I so do not act like a baby," he mumbled, flipping over onto his stomach anyway.

"Mmm...you'd be surprised," Michelle said, rolling over onto her stomach as well. But as she did so, her stomach churned and a burning liquid shot halfway up her throat before subsiding. Grimacing at the taste of digestion left in her mouth, she swallowed.

Catching the look of discomfort that had flashed across her face, Brian looked at her curiously.

"You okay, baby?" he asked, and she took a breath, nodding.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little...," she said, and Brian frowned in disgust. "You know how you said the chicken we had last night didn't taste right?" she asked, and Brian nodded. "I think I might have undercooked it. I kinda felt sick earlier this morning but it passed quickly. This time was worse," Michelle explained.

"So, do you think you have food poisoning?" Brian asked, squinting one eye against the sun as he laid his head down, facing her.

"Probably," Michelle sighed, grabbing her book and beginning to read again.

"Well do you still feel sick right now?"

"Yeah..."

"We can go home if you want, and you can lie down or something," Brian suggested.

"I'm already lying down," Michelle giggled, and he rolled his eyes.

"But still - the sun's probably not good if you're going to be sick, especially with it this hot."

"...You don't mind going home?" Michelle asked, hesitant.

"Not at all. I'd rather you not be sick," Brian answered, and Michelle nodded, getting up. Picking up their clothes and towels as Brian helped, she felt her stomach lurch again, only harder, and bile shot its way up, this time reaching her mouth. Choking it back down with a cough, she nodded. "Yeah. I think going home is a better idea. I'd rather puke there than here." Nodding in confirmation, Brian helped her carry their things back to his car.

Lying back on the couch with the box fan on the floor near her, blowing cool air, and the TV on, Michelle felt a little better. Brian was probably right about staying out of the sun until she was feeling better. Though she was sure she was sick because of the food they'd eaten the night before, Michelle couldn't stop from wondering like many women do from time to time if she was pregnant. The thought scared her. She hadn't planned on kids so soon - at least not until she was married. But whenever the thought popped into her head she tried to push it away, telling herself she was on birth control and had been continuously since she was sixteen years old. There was simply no way. And even if she could have been, she didn't want to tell Brian until she was certain she was pregnant.

Quieting her mind when Brian came back from the kitchen with a cold glass of water, Michelle smiled.

"Do you need anything else, babe?" he asked, setting the glass on the coffee table in front of her. Nodding, Michelle felt the dull twinges of an oncoming headache that she didn't want to deal with.

"Can you get some Tylenol for me from the bathroom closet? It's on the second shelf down," she asked, and Brian nodded, heading to the bathroom.

Pulling open the closet door he came face to face with a box of tampons, no Tylenol in sight. Wincing from his slightly immature ways, he reached out and slid the box to the side, reaching for the back until he got the pain killers. Pulling the bottle out, his elbow knocked into the tampons and the box fell to the floor, the little packages inside skittering out. Curing himself, he hesitantly kneeled down and quickly put them all away, shoving the box back into the closet and slamming the door shut. "Gross...," he whispered to himself, heading back to Michelle. When she saw the grimace on his face upon his arrival, she looked at him with confusion playing across her face.

"...What's wrong?" she asked. Grumbling, Brian felt his spine twitch.

"Your tampons fell all over the floor, and I had to pick them up..."

"...And the problem is?" she asked, taking the bottle of Tylenol from him as he handed it over.

"Well they're icky, and they go in...ugh," Brian said, twitching again.

"Baby? ...Your dick goes in there too," she pointed out, sighing at his issues.

"Yeah but that's totally different," he said, throwing himself down onto the couch next to her.

"How is that different?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"Cuz when I do it, there's no... blood involved," Brian mumbled, shuddering at the thought.

"Okay, now you're being gross," Michelle sighed. "Just...stop being a baby and be quiet," she said, kissing his cheek before taking the Tylenol and hoping she felt better soon.