Testing the limits (Sample)

CHAPTER FIVE - A TOUCH OF PARADISE

"Sure. I'm going to catch some sleep as well, so I'll see you later." I follow Brad to the study and drop my bag on the floor. Brad heads to his room and I walk back out to the kitchen to catch up with Diana and Richard.

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I spend most of the morning with Richard looking over my car. He's the one who got me into cars. My dad was never really into that sort of thing. He was an accountant who worked long hours.

We never really had much in common growing up, he wasn't much of a handy man, preferring to work his brains more than his hands. I was the opposite. I didn't have the brain for numbers like dad, but I enjoyed building and fixing things.

So while Richard wasn't around much when Brad and I were younger, he always included me in everything when he was home. I think he liked that. Brad was never into it, mainly doing it to spend time with his dad. Whereas I lapped up everything he said.

After lunch Brad was up, so Lucy, Ryan Brad and I sat in the backyard drinking beers and sharing stories of the last 5 years. Well I shared what I could. Most of my deployment information is classified.

We had a barbecue for dinner then after the sun set everyone slowly started to disappear.

I watched from the veranda as Lucy walked down to the beach and sat down in the sand. She laid back and looked up at the stars. I could only just make out her silhouette in the moonlight, but I knew what she was doing. When we used to come here as teenagers we would sneak out at night and lay out under the stars, talking until the early hours of the morning.

I smile as I make my way down to her. These are the memories I love most about Lucy. Just me and her, relaxing and sharing our dreams. I reach her in the sand and lay down next to her, she looks over at me and smiles.

The moon glowing on her skin makes her look angelic, almost magical. She looks back to the stars and after I've committed this moment to memory, I do the same. We're silent for a while until Lucy breaks it.

"The stars look different in England." I smile at the sound of her silky soft voice.

"They look different on most continents." I watch a smile form on her perfect lips.

"I could never see them in London itself. Too much light pollution. But sometimes we'd go to Ryan's home and I could see them there... but it wasn't the same as here." She muses.

"Here's better." I state. Nothing is better than right here. In this moment.

"I agree." I can hear the smile in her voice.

Silence descends upon us again, its comfortable just being in her presence.

"I found the Big Dipper." She points up at the sky and I chuckle

"That ones easy, can you see Cassiopeia?" She's quiet for a moment, searching the heavens

"No...." she says after a while. I take her hand in mine and point with it to the stars, outlining the shape amongst them.

"I was looking in the completely wrong place." Lucy giggles, the sound making my heart beat faster. I chuckle and lower our hands, but I don't let go of hers. I can't.

The sparks I feel from her touch are giving me new life, it's like that first breath after holding it for so long. She doesn't move her hand away either, and I'm comforted by that fact. We point out more constellations, our heads leaning together, shoulders touching.

"I've missed this..." I admit to her. She squeezes my hand making my heart leap out of my chest.

"Me too." Her voice is soft. I turn my head to face her as she does the same. We are so close I can feel her warm breath on my lips. I'm looking into her beautiful brown eyes, I can't help but look down to her lips as I see her tongue sweep across the bottom one.

I want to kiss her. I need to kiss her. I slowly move in towards her until our lips are almost touching.

"Are you sure they're down here Brad?" Ryan's voice makes us pull apart quickly, we both look back up to the stars and Lucy slips her hand from mine. I miss it instantly. My breathing is heavy and my heart is beating out of control, like I'd just sprinted 10kms uphill with a full pack.

I control my breathing just as Brad plonks down beside me and Ryan sits beside Lucy. Lucy and I both sit up as Ryan hands us beers. Ryan looks at me apologetically when he hands it to me. I know straight away what he's sorry for. He knew I was going to kiss her. And he knew that wasn't the way for Brad to find out which is why he warned us. I hate that they interrupted us, but I'm grateful for one thing... I got the confirmation I needed.

There is absolutely nothing going on between Lucy and Ryan.

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