Chapter 25

Sascha's last minute birthday barbecue didn't look last minute at all. Her parents had set up their yard with outdoor furniture, a fire pit, and a long table of delicious food. Baba waltzed around chatting to her children and grandchildren with a bright smile and made sure they had all eaten. She'd been to our table twice already and kept piling Dale's plate with more food. It was amusing to see the strained look on his face. He was full, but he couldn't deny her, not that she would let him if he tried.

Sascha was beaming. Not because she was dolled up (excessively so for a backyard barbecue), but because she was happy. Her family and her boyfriend were getting along. She'd always been worried about her boyfriends meeting her family and she never imagined it could go this well.

After dinner, and Dale's fourth helping of apple burek, some of Sascha's family said their goodbyes, opening up opportunities for games. Some revolved around drinking, but we'd chosen cards. Bullshit to be specific.

I shivered in the chilly air. Spring was here, but the nights were still cold. Attuned my need, Justin placed his free hand on my thigh and rubbed up and down, attempting to warm me with friction. I snuggled into his side as much as the armchairs would allow. He was so warm.

"Suck it, Drummer Boy!" Emily squealed, throwing her final cards down. I was already out of the game, having been the first to put down all my cards. Justin moaned beside me and threw his own deck onto the table. He'd come last.

"This game is bullshit," he whined dramatically.

"Yes dear, that's what it's called," Sascha quipped, making everyone laugh.

Emily stood up, pushing her chair back and almost falling into the potted plant behind her. "Who wants another drink?" she asked excitedly.

"Hun, I think you need more cake to soak up what you've already had first," Sascha called, chasing after her.

A cousin sauntered over and took Sascha's vacated seat next to Dale. They immediately launched into a conversation about an up-and-coming artist they were both interested in. It was nice to see he'd bonded with her family so easily.

Justin leaned down to place a kiss on my temple. "You're cold," he stated, moving the hand on my thigh to my shoulders.

"Just a little," I shivered, leaning into him.

"Come on, let's go and sit by the fire." Standing up, he took my hand and led me over to the fire pit. There were a few people spread out in the yard, but none of them seemed interested in the fire. I recognised two girls from high school and gave them a timid smile. One gave a small wave back but the other just looked at me and requested her friend's attention.

If Justin noticed the awkward interaction, he didn't say anything. He let go of my hand to pick up another log. As he tended to the fire, I stood straight, wrapping my arms around myself. He made quick work of stoking the fire before stepping back beside me.

"Is that better," he asked, checking me over with concern.

"It's okay," I shrugged. Unless I was standing a metre away from the fire, it wouldn't do much so soon.

"Come here," he said in a low tone, pulling me to his chest. I tunnelled my hands beneath his jacket, finding a warm spot to link them around his waist. He wrapped his arms around me and look down into my eyes. "Better now?"

"Much," I smiled, snuggling in closer.

"You're still shivering."

"Just give it a minute."

Justin leant down, his warm breath tickling the skin behind me ear. "You know," he continued in a suggestive tone that sent a different kind of shiver down my spine, "I can think of a much better way to warm you up."

"Oh really?" I challenged, tone matching his.

"Yeah," he nodded, adjusting his hold on me to give himself more space to press his lips to mine. He kissed me slowly and I melted against him.

One week. That's how long it had been. In that time, we'd locked lips plenty. Sometimes it was a quick hello when we met up for coffee on campus, or a lingering goodbye kiss when he walked me to class. Other times, in the relative privacy of our favourite place by the soccer field, there was little to hold us back. We'd gone for dinner and a movie last night, and I had no idea what was happening to the characters. I was more interested in what was happening to me and how I felt like a giddy teenager in the back row of the cinema.

This kiss could lead to something similar if circumstances were different. Reluctantly, I pulled back to clear my head. "If Baba wasn't here and Sass's parents weren't inside, maybe I'd let you try," I murmured against his lips.

"Would you now?" he chuckled, squeezing my hips.

I so wanted to let him try. There was no doubt that he'd succeed, but it was too soon. Kissing like our survival depended on it was one thing, but sex was something else. There were more implications and we both needed to be ready. Even though my body was screaming for his touch, there was so much that could go wrong.

"Maybe." I pressed my lips to his in a soft peck before burrowing back into his chest.

"Question," he began in a soft voice after a few moments of snuggling. "What's with Twiddle-dee and Twiddle-dumb over there?"

I didn't need to look up to know who he was talking about. The girls sitting across the fire, my old classmates.

I shrugged. "They're Sascha's friends, really. I went to school with them too, but we weren't close." In fact, the only time I really spoke to them was during lunch time, and that was because we were all friends with Sascha. Other than our mutual friend, there really was no reason to keep in contact after we'd graduated. "I'm pretty sure they think I'm a snob," I mumbled, eyes trained on the orange flames. They were likely surprised by my catch of a boyfriend, not that I could blame them for that. He was insanely attractive and sinfully charismatic.

Justin, ever sensitive to my needs, tightened his arms around me before lightening the mood. "Well if they're going to keep staring, we might as well give them the show they're clearly after."

I looked up to catch his mischievous grin. "That's a little mean."

"I don't care," he laughed, leaning closer.

He didn't need to ask twice. Any chance to kiss Justin was a chance I was taking.

Shame it didn't last long.

"Get a room!" Dale's voice called. It was followed by a giggle from Emily.

Reluctantly, I pulled back from Justin's warm lips and buried my face in his shirt. My chest fluttered thinking about the room we had also just been talking about.

Justin reached out to punch his mate in the shoulder as he walked by. Dale just laughed and took up a seat next to us. "Where's Darcy tonight?" Justin asked.

Dale looked to his feet. "No idea."

Emily tucked her hands into her pockets and sat on the edge of a garden bed. She looked pointedly at the fire, a glum expression on her face. Letting go of Justin, I went to sit beside her. "Hey."

"Hey," she smiled. The alcohol was either wearing off or doing its job.

"Everything okay?"

She shrugged.

I had a hunch. "Is it something to do with Darcy?" They were usually inseparable.

After a few moments and one heavy sigh, she nodded. "She and Isaac broke up."

"Oh."

Emily turned to me. "You're not surprised?"

Honestly? No, I wasn't surprised. "Sometimes things seemed a little tense between them. I heard them arguing over the phone once." Between that and the way Emily reacted around her best friend's boyfriend, there had to be something real going on. "Did that happened often? The arguing?"

She tilted her head back to look up at the sky. "More and more recently. This has been a long time coming." The tone of her voice was more relieved than concerned, which was odd considering she was always so worried about Darcy.

"So how come you're here? I thought Darcy would want your company after something like this."

"Actually, she doesn't want to see me right now." She was still focussing on the sky, her eyes blinking profusely. "Or anyone."

"Makes sense." I wasn't sure of the appropriate thing to say. I'd had experience with Sascha's break ups, but this was different. Emily wasn't dumped, but she clearly needed comfort for some reason. There was so much more to this situation than she was sharing. There had to be. "She'll call you when she's ready."

"Hope so," she sighed, unconvinced.

Before I could ask any more questions, Sascha's excited tones interrupted the chatter around the fire pit.

"So I did a thing," she called, trotting over in her shiny heels.

"Are those marshmallows?" Emily queried, seeming grateful for the distraction.

Sascha beamed. "Yes, yes they are."

"S'mores are not a thing," I reminded her. "Wagon Wheels would be much easier, and they have jam."

Sascha raised her brows at me. "They are when you're camping. And I think that's the laziest thing I've ever heard you say."

"We're not camping. And we're not in North America."

"But there's a fire. And I'm pretty sure my cousin may pass out here later tonight, so same, same really."

"How do you even make one?" Emily asked, standing up to help Sascha.

"I goggled it. It's actually really simple."

Sascha launched into her explanation and I wondered how long it would take them to realise they didn't have skewers or sticks.

"So what are we doing about rehearsals?" Dale asked, redirecting my attention. "Our last gig is coming up."

Anthony groaned. "I've been so busy with exam prep I haven't even thought about it."

"We can do a few extra rehearsals at our place this week," Justin chimed in.

Dale considered it for a moment. "As long as Darcy is cool with it."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Justin queried, a look of confusion in his expression. Her break-up must have been so recent that not all housemates had heard yet.

Dale shrugged as if to say the news was inevitable. "She broke up with Isaac."

Unsurprised, Justin sighed. "Ah. That might throw a spanner in the works."

Dale shrugged again. "She'll be fine."

Would she? The final gig was only two weeks away. I couldn't imagine anyone getting over a breakup so quickly, not enough to focus on exams, rehearsals and her final show. If Justin decided he didn't want to be with me after only a week, I would be devastated. Darcy and Isaac were together for a few years, so I couldn't fathom what she must be going through.

Sensing my sudden bout of over-thinking, Justin sat beside me on the edge of the planter. He leaned in, his proximity an instant balm. "You're definitely coming, right?" he asked in a low tone.

"Of course I am," I smiled up at him. "I wouldn't miss it."

I rather enjoyed watching Justin on stage. He was a vision and now that he was my boyfriend, I would feel no shame in ogling. In fact, I hoped he ogled right back.

"Good." He pressed a sweet kiss to my temple, leaving a tingle behind. Then he stood up. "Do you want another drink?"

"Sure."

"I'll be right back," he nodded, eyes looking me over. "Then maybe we can talk about this trying to warm you up thing."

I flushed at the mere mention of Justin trying to warm me up. My body was desperate for his touch, screaming for it actually, and I had no doubt that I'd give in to temptation sooner than planned.

So... I got a puppy! That's where I've been. He's a lot of work right now and has needed my undivided attention. But here it is finally! A new chapter, with plenty of cute moments for our lovebirds. I hope you enjoyed it. There's only a few more chapters left for this part of Jellie's story.

Thanks so much for sticking with it! I appreciate your support.

Kate