L is for Love

Chapter 8

We eventually reached North Sands, the little town where the beach house was situated. Both cars climbed the hill and reached the top where the house was waiting for us. I got out of the car and ran over to the door. I halted outside the door, holding the key up but too afraid to turn it.

“Go on Becks!” Aria shouted from inside the car.

By now Lee had got out of his car and was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

“What’s the matter? Just open the door! There are frozen pizzas in this car. If you don’t hurry u then they’re going to melt!” he shouted over to me.

“But I can’t-“

“She’s scared the alarm will go off Lee” said Aria standing hunched over in the back of the car ready for Lee to help her get and out and over to the door. I laughed to myself, Lee had only offered once but she seemed to think he was going to help her again. Although to my amazement he didn’t hesitate to and did so without saying a word. I close my eyes shut, quietly praying to myself before I unlocked the door and ran to the cupboard where the alarm was in. I pushed in the key and turned it anticlockwise, disabling the alarm. It made a beeping noise and a relief flowed through me. The panic was over.

 Now you’re probably thinking I’m just being stupid and overreacting but the thing is once I didn’t get there within the twenty-five seconds and the police turned up thinking that someone was trying to break in. It was only that Anna managed to persuade them to see what had really happened, otherwise we could have quiet easily been arrested. There was no way that I wanted to be back in the same situation.

I walked out of the bed room and walked back into the kitchen. Aria was being carried in by Lee at this point. He put her down on one of the seats and went back out to the car to help the rest of them with unloading the cars. I looked at Aria who was now grinning with that smug smile of hers. I shook my head smiling whilst I did so. I was happy for her, Lee and Aria made a cute couple. Actually were they a couple? I hadn’t heard her actually say anything.

“So...Aria...What’s up between Lee and you?” I said winking at her.

She laughed, “I don’t know but I can cope with all this!”

We both laughed out loud. By now the others had come inside, bags in their hands. They looked at us weirdly as if we were insane but the more they did the more we laughed. I fell over laughing so much that my sides ached. Aria by now was crying with laughter.

“Ok? What are you laughing at?” asked a freaked out Amy

“Were- were” we couldn’t manage a sentence because we were laughing so much. Then it occurred to me...what we’re we actually laughing at? By now I was getting spasms up my sides so I tried desperate to rein in my giggles. I eventually managed to do so, Aria the same.

“The funniest thing was that what we we’re laughing at wasn’t even funny!” Aria said between sudden bursts of laughter.

“I know right!” I said back to her.

“So what were you laughing about?” asked Amy again, still confused by what was going on.

“Nothing...” we said in unison both looking at each other with evil grins upon our faces.

I grabbed my bag before they could question us anymore and proceed in taking it into one of the bedrooms and throwing it into a corner. Lee unpacked the pizzas a put it into the freezer.

We all then went into the living room area and I could see Jason and Amy looking through the pile of DVDs that everyone had brought. I ran back into the bedroom and unzipped my bag taking out the two I had brought. I walked back into the room and realised that the group had already decided on something to watch as the trailers were playing on the screen of the black 32” LCD television.

I sat down between Ben and Aria, which was about the only free space left on the corner sofa. I didn’t mind though because sitting her meant I could see out of the window and the sun was setting across the sea. It was such a beautiful view. In fact during I ended up watching more of the sunset than the film. The sky was a blend of red and purple tones, each different colour bled into the next and the sky melted into the horizon. It was amazing; I loved the view from the beach house you could see for miles up the coastline.

Lee got up after about half an hour of the film and went over to the table which had four large carrier bags on it.

“What’s in the-“my question had been answered by the clatter of glass bottles. “Oh!”

“Well you didn’t think we’d come all this way and not bring any...refreshments. Did you?”

I shook my head. I should have realised to be honest. In fact thinking back on it I could have probably brought some of my own. Lee handed a bottle to Ben and offered the rest of us a bottle of cider.

“I’ll have one!” me, Aria, Lily, Carmen and Anna replied. He handed us the bottles.

“Amy, Jason do you want one?” Lee inquired

“No thanks Lee” Said Jason

Amy didn’t reply but when Anna offered her some of hers, she agreed. She took the bottle and took a sip before screaming out “Urgh what is that?”

“Its cider Amy. Although I have to admit it’s not the best.” I said slightly frowning whilst taking another sip.

“Says the girl who was drinking blue stuff last night!” said Ben looking at me smirking.

“I wasn’t drinking last night!” I snapped back. He raised his eyebrows, as if doubting me. Then I thought; actually I had had a bottle of WKD just before Aria had taken it off me and finished the last of its contents. That explained the hangover...

We continued watching the film and it wasn’t long before Aria and Lee were cuddled up together. I looked at Aria, she noticed and then her face changed to look rather smug. I smiled and chuckled quietly to myself. I noticed Anna had seen what I had and we smiled at each other before mouthing ‘Awww’ at each other. They both looked so cosy all cuddled up on the sofa. I breathed a sigh of disappointment. Again I wasn’t able to do something like that. I looked back over to the screen and began watching the film again. The smile had now gone from my face and I was feeling a bit glum. The film wasn’t even that interesting; something about some pop star that was trying to make a comeback. I stared into the screen not really paying attention to it. I was almost in a daydreaming daze. It reminded me of Amy in class the other day; which in turn reminded me of the poems that we had been studying in English. They were all so idealistic; stories about love and passionate romances. I had always found them hard to believe and even more so now. There didn’t seem to be anyone out there for me. I continued feeling sorry for myself dwelling on my hopeless love life.

I was brought back to reality when I felt something against my arm, it was Ben, he had passed out and was half lying on me. I didn’t mind, he was so warm and cuddly I just wanted to snuggle up next to him but I didn’t for fear that everyone else would see. I scanned the room to see if anyone had noticed. I didn’t think they had. They were all still glued to the screen, complete with dazed expressions. That was everyone apart from Aria who was also sleeping. She had curled up and her head was resting on Lee lap, his arm around her. I could feel Ben wriggling more and more, he was getting closer to me. He was now in almost the same position as Aria. I looked down at him. He looked so peaceful. I smiled a smug smile. Maybe I wasn’t so unlucky after all.