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Nineteen

"I'm so full I could burst," I groaned as we made our way back to Michael's car.

"Do you want to walk along the beach like the old days?" He asked, looking at me from over the roof of his car.

We were only a couple minutes drive from Bondi Beach. The air was warm and the sky was clear, making it a beautiful night. I smiled at the memory of him and I spending night after night on the beach, often times sitting and talking until the sun came up.

"Might help to walk some of this food off," I told him.

After the short drive, Michael held his hand out to me, leading me down to the sand. We walked along the beach, making our way from the south end to north with the waves lapping at our feet.

"What a beautiful night," I sighed looking at the sky. The stars were bright and clear in the night sky.

"Do you remember the first time we stayed on the beach all night?" He asked quietly, the waves almost drowning him out.

"You mean when you first told me you loved me?" I smiled softly. "Or do you mean the night we both fell asleep and it started raining on us in the middle of the night?"

"I forgot about that night!" Mick laughed. "We were soaked by the time we got back to the car."

I chuckled softly remembering how we ran so fast to try and avoid the sudden downpour, only to get drenched anyway. The ride home in cold, wet clothes wasn't so bad with Michael next to me.

Hand in hand, we walked in peaceful silence for a few more minutes with nothing but the sound of the waves breaking at our feet.

Halfway up the beach, Michael stopped.

"Hey, Charley," he said softly, turning to face me, "what are we?"

Prior to his surfing trip, I didn't know how to answer him; I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted. I was torn between taking it slow and wanting to be official. Seeing him in front of me, standing on the beach, I knew I had a change of heart. I knew exactly what I wanted.

I took a deep breath before answering. "I don't want anybody else, Mick. I'm tired of taking it slow. I know I told you I wanted to, but I missed out on so much time with you. I don't want to miss anymore. I hope you feel the same."

I was proud of myself for speaking my mind and what I wanted. Years ago, I was scared to say exactly what I wanted for fear of rejection or hurting the other person's feelings.

He laughed lightly and looked away briefly. "Are you kidding me? I've wanted you since the day I saw you. There's never been anybody else for me, Char."

Hearing him say that made my heart skip. I knew he felt that way but hearing him say it, hearing the words come out of his mouth, made me happier than I could have imagined.

"Why Michael Jenkinson, are you saying you want to be my boyfriend?" I teased slightly.

He pulled me into his arms and grinned, "Charlotte Anderson, I'd like nothing more."

Leaning in, I kissed him quickly. "Have you got to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm on at Bondi," he sighed.

It wasn't his favorite beach, having grown up going to the less crowded Bronte. He was always complaining that it was overly crowded with lunatic tourists who couldn't swim and constantly ignored the lifeguards' instructions, putting themselves in danger. At least Bronte was filled more with locals who came to surf and could swim.

"Come on, oh boyfriend of mine," I giggled, pulling him back into the direction of the car. "It's late. Let's get back. Are you staying the night? You can leave from my place."

Winking, he smirked. "I've already got a bag packed."

I should have known that after four days apart, he would have already planned on staying the night with me. I was glad given that it got me more time with him.

Once back at my house, I brushed my teeth as he undressed for bed.

"Is Emma here?" he asked, hushed as I walked back into my bedroom.

I shook my head as I pulled my dress off, "No, she's at Jackson's."

I felt his eyes on me as I turned to gather my work clothes for the next morning.

"You're staring, Mick."

"Can you blame me? You're gorgeous," he replied. He had undressed down to his boxer briefs and was sitting at the edge of my bed, watching me pad around my room.

I couldn't help but laugh. I never thought that he would be sitting in my room in his underwear again, and yet he was doing exactly that.

"You know, I really thought that was it for us all those years ago. I thought that goodbye at the airport was final," I said as I walked over to him, pressing myself between his knees and resting my arms on his shoulders.

He placed his hands around my waist and smiled, "I'm so glad it wasn't."

I leaned in and kissed him gently, soaking in the softness of his lips on mine - the lips I once thought I would never kiss again. I was all at once very aware of his body against mine. His arms that I never thought would hold me again. His chest that I thought I would never rest my head on at night again. His neck I thought I would never nuzzle again. He deepened the kiss and I pushed myself closer to him, pressing myself against his body as much as I could. The kisses turned hungrier, more passionate. I craved his touch, to feel his skin on mine. He must have sensed it as well because in one swift move, he had me laying backwards on my bed and was hovering over me, all without breaking the kiss. My hands traced down his back to the hem of his boxer briefs before tugging them gently.

"Are you sure?" Mick asked me, breathlessly.

I nodded, never having been more sure of something before.

His lips crashed onto mine again, his hands all over my body. I was glad Emma wasn't home because she made me promise that my first night with Michael again would be when she was gone.

What started off as heated and hungry, desperate to make up for lost time, turned into gentle and sensual, savoring each other as if it was the first time we were together - in a way it was, too.

***

Laying there in the darkness of my bedroom, with nothing but the sounds of our heavy breathing, I found myself smiling. He was always good, but he had gotten better. That's what fifteen years will do though. The thought made me cringe a bit. I didn't want to think about how he had gotten better. Snuggling into him, I placed my head onto his chest, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. His heart pounded into my ear as he tried to catch his breath.

"Damnit, I've missed you," he told me, snaking his arm around my waist once he caught his breath.

"We were always good at that, huh?" I replied, smirking into the darkness.

There was no denying that he and I had chemistry both in and out of the bedroom. It was nice to see that hadn't changed over the last fifteen years.

He kissed my head and hugged me to his chest tighter, "I'll say."

Snuggling somehow even closer to him, I sighed.  "Night, Mickey," I told him quietly, quite happy to never leave his arms.

"Goodnight, baby."

I closed my eyes and started drifting off to sleep, being lulled by his strong heartbeat. I was almost asleep when I heard Michael's voice softly.

"I love you," he whispered as he gently kissed my head.

I felt my stomach flip with butterflies. I didn't want to move and let him know I wasn't fully asleep yet and that I had heard his quiet confession. I wasn't sure he was fully ready for me to hear it, even though it came as no surprise. Ever since my feet touched the Australian soil, all I've been told was how much he still loved me. I knew I loved him, too. I always had. Yet still, hearing the words come from his mouth, it took everything in me to not break out in a grin.

He loves me.