Hold Me Closer

Part Ten

"Ouch."

As I stretched out another leg and heard the joints inside pop like fireworks, I seconded Meg's statement. "Ow, ow, ow."

"You guys alright in the back there?" Nick said, looking at us in the driver's mirror, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

In the drive down to West Wittering beach, me, Meg and Ben had trundled into the back of Nick's car, which despite the fact it probably costed more than my old house, was surprisingly small in the back. Or potentially just a lot smaller when you added a 6"2 puppy-dog Ben to the equation. 

"We're good," Ben said, happily, giving me a small poke in the ribs. "Although on some of those turns I nearly got to second base with Meg."

"Don't remind me," Meg said, groaning, her eyes flicking warily to where Mike sat in the shotgun seat.

Nick 'oohed', his eyes glinting mischievously. "Maybe we should have put Eliza in the back and seen some real girl on girl action."

Ew, I thought, barely containing my retching. "I think I'm going to become a lesbian," I said to Meg.

Meg nodded fervently. "Me too. Boys suck."

We all laughed at Nick's expense, stopping hurriedly when Ben began to shake with laughter and the seat space in the back began to rapidly shrink. I giggled until it hurt, shrieking, "Out, out, out! Before I have PORSCHE imprinted on my side permanently."

Collapsing out of the sports car, I got a chance to examine West Wittering beach properly for the first time. It really was beautiful. The boys had timed the trip just right so that it was hot enough to swim, but with a warm summer breeze wrapping deliciously around my legs. The pale-white sand seemed to stretch on forever.

"You come here often?" I said, turning back to face Nick as he piled some of the barbecue stuff out from the trunk. 

"Yeah, we've been coming here most summers," he shrugged, as I walked over to help him carry some of the cooler boxes. "Me and Jason learned to surf on these waters when we were just little twiglet freshmen, and then learned to pick up girls on the beach when we got older," Nick added, smirking crudely.

I punched him jokingly, sticking my tongue out in disgust. "Too much information, Lord Nicholas. Gross!"

Nick laughed but the sound was interrupted by Mike grabbing  another cooler box and shutting the trunk. "Don't be such a prude Olive," he said, his face smiling but his eyes deadly serious. 

I stiffened or a moment, over come with a touch of shock until Nick began to stare at me weirdly. "You alright Jones?"

What had Mike even meant there? That I was a prude for not kissing him when he had cornered me against the wall and told me that my best friend, his date, meant nothing to him? Jerk. "Yep," I lied, trying to make my voice seem light.

"She's just overwhelmed by the thought of seeing me half-naked," Ben added cockily, sticking his head out of the car.

Dumping the cooler box unceremoniously in the sand, I raced after Ben as he darted onto the beach. "Come back here, Benny boy," I yelled, laughing in an attempt to forget the bloody prick we had invited down to the beach. Mike, schmike. 

"Come to meet your fate," I said, chasing him into the water and splashing him until he was drenched. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You have killed my father. Prepare to die," I said, quoting the iconic Princess Bride movie that we had watched together earlier in the week.

"Inconceivable!" Ben said, his mouth making an 'o' of shock, before he splashed a huge wave of water in my direction.

"What's going on here?"