Several hours and lots of beers later, we were all very drunk.
Brantley had shown up not long after the party had kicked off, and I noticed he kept giving me glances from across the bonfire. He looked as good as ever, with a clean white t-shirt and dark jeans. A camo hat sat on top of his head.
There was a beer in his hand the entirety of the night.
Somewhere around midnight, the fire was dying. I stumbled into the woods, telling everyone I would gather more firewood. Not long after I walked into the forest, I heard footsteps behind me. I had half an arm full of branches as I turned around.
"Brantley," I said quietly.
My pulse quickened. He looked strong and tall, with the dim light of the fire illuminating him from behind. I swallowed hard, my lungs unable to function normally. My pulse raced.
How was it possible for him to be this good looking? I wasn't sure if it I was imagining it because of the alcohol, but it felt like there was an almost palpable electricity between us.
But we were friends...right?
"I just came out here to see if you needed help."
I frowned, feeling disappointed for some reason. What had I expected him to say. He tilted his head, curious about my response. I smiled at him.
"Yes, that would be nice."
For a few minutes, Brantley and I were quiet as we looked for wood that would be good for the fire. Between the buzz of the alcohol and Brantley's close proximity to me, it made it difficult to concentrate.
We talked amicably, much like we had done on the trip to go get my truck. He was a pleasant person to be around when he wasn't being a giant pain in my butt.
And for a while, we looked in silence.
It was a little bit difficult, because it had rained for just an hour early this morning. It made the wood too wet to put in the fire.
My foot caught a root half hidden under dead leaves, and I fell on the ground with a thump. The wood in my arms scattered on the ground in front of me.
"Are you alright?" He asked, trying to disguise his laughter.
I turned over so I was sitting on my butt, propped up on my hands. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Are you laughing at me, Brantley?" I asked.
He straightened his expression, shaking his head.
"No, no. I'm not laughing at you," He responded, obviously lying. He set down the wood he was holding and walked over to me, sticking out his hand. "Here, let me help you up."
I grabbed his hand and with all my might, yanked him down.
The effort of it caused me to fall onto my back, and Brantley braced himself so he would not fall directly on top of me. Instead, he was on the ground above me with his hands on either side of my head. He looked surprised.
"Who's laughing now?" I asked, smirking.
And then there was silence. I hadn't thought about the aftermath when I pulled him on the ground with me. But his proximity was closer than it had ever been. I breathed in heavily, suddenly unsure what to do.
But Brantley knew exactly what he wanted to do...What we both wanted. He leaned in and kissed me.
It was slow and gentle, but firm. Brantley was more than willing to take the lead while he kissed me, and I didn't mind letting him. I brought his hand up, cupping the side of my face. I lost track of how long we were there, but time didn't matter to me then.
He pulled back, leaving me dizzy and wanting more.
"We should probably get back," He said, smiling. "They're going to wonder what we're doing."
He leaned in and kissed me once more.
"You're probably right," I admitted.
He stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet easily. I brushed the dirt off of my clothes and hair, and Brantley did the same.
"Let's pick up this wood you dropped," Brantley teased.
He turned around, beginning to pick up the wood on the ground near us. I was jealous of how easily he recovered from the kisses; my head was still buzzing.
Maybe he was just good at covering it up.
When we got back to the party, I was worried that the others would tease us for our absence. But no one had even noticed. Brantley rekindled the fire and I found Rose, Callie and Mia in a circle chatting about something. Rose and Callie looked lively; Mia looked moody as I approached.
"You have something in your hair," Mia said, her voice even but her eyes barely containing her contempt that I might have dirt somewhere on me. I shrugged, picking the piece of bark out of hair and tossing it on the ground before grabbing another beer.
"Good turn out, Callie," I said, nodding my head at the people around the campfire.
Through out the night, I met quiet a few of Callie and Rose's friends here. Mia continued to toss me resentful looks, but I ignored her. I stopped drinking so by the time that everyone was leaving, I was sober.
I made sure everyone had a ride home and nobody was driving drunk, and Callie and Rose helped me. I made it home at almost four in the morning.
I fell asleep, the feeling of Brantley's kiss still lingering on my lips.