CHAPTER TWO - REUNION
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LUCY
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Ryan and I walk out of baggage claim at Perth airport into the arrivals lounge. I look around to find Brad and laugh when I see him, cardboard sign in hand with "Lucy Goosey" scrawled across it and a goofy grin on his face.
I can't blame him for trying to embarrass me. Not after I picked him up from Heathrow 2 years ago with a massive sign saying "Brad the Cad".
As I get closer to him, I drop my bags and launch myself into his arms. He chuckles as he catches me with ease and spins me around.
“Missed you too, sis”
I grin as Ryan walks up beside me and pulls Brad into a bro hug.
Brad and Ryan have only met a few times when Brads come to London to visit, but they hit it off instantly.
“Love the sign”
Ryan points to the cardboard dangling at Brad’s side as Brad chuckles again.
“Thought I'd return the favour”
Brad picks up the bags I dropped and turns towards the exit
“This all you got?”
I nod
“Yeah, their shipping most of our stuff. Besides, nearly all the clothes we own are warm”
Brad laughs and shakes his head
“Yeah, any excuse to shop”
We walk out of the terminal and into the car park, the hot Australian sun hitting us at full forse.
“Thanks for letting us crash with you, and on such short notice”
Brad shrugs
“You're always welcome sis. Seb is on leave too so it's a full house.”
My heart races and I swallow the lump forming in my throat. Sebastian will be there. In the same house.
Get a grip Lucy. You don't even know him anymore
Ryan squeezes my arm, a show of support for the inner turmoil he knows is going through my mind. I paste on a smile
“Cool. It'll be like old times”
Brad groans
“No. it won't. There will be no parties where I'm cleaning up puke the next morning “
I laugh
“At least you won't be rushing to get the house perfect before mum and dad get home”
He chuckles
“I'm surprised we never got caught. Anyway, I'm on nights for the next week so I won't be able to entertain you much “
We reach Brads car and he pops the boot. Ryan and Brad throw our bags in
“That's alright, we can find our own entertainment,”
Brad closes the boot and moves to the driver’s side of the car
“But first, shower and sleep. That flight was torture”
Ryan groans, causing me to laugh
“You slept the whole time! I was the one who couldn't get comfortable.”
I open the passenger door and slide into the seat as Ryan sits in the back behind me
“Yeah and your constant complaining kept waking me up”
I turn around and stick my tongue out at him, making him laugh
Brad starts the car and pulls out of the car park while Ryan and I continue to tease each other on the drive back to Brad’s house.
He pulls into the driveway and we get out, grabbing our bags from the boot as we continue laughing and taking jabs at each other as we walk through the front door
“Geez you two are like an old bickering couple.”
Brad rolls his eyes, a slight grin on his face as I laugh and push Ryan softly
“He started it”
Brad shakes his head with a smirk as we walk through to the lounge room
“Don't make me separate you two”
We walk in as Sebastian walks through from what I assume is the kitchen. My heart stops as I see him. He's always been hot. Ridiculously hot.
But now...
Holy fuck, words can't describe the god before me.
I take a deep breath and paste on a smile, willing my eyes to behave and not let them travel below his huge shoulders
“Seb!”
He smiles and walks towards me. My god that smile.
Fuck. I can feel my knees weaken
Fortunately he pulls me into a hug before I collapse to the floor. Unfortunately, my body comes alive in ways I haven't felt in a long time at his touch
“Luce! It's great to see you.”
We pull away from the hug and grin at each other, his intoxicatingly manly scent overriding all of my senses.
“You too”
I'd like to see more of you, Preferably without a shirt. Argh! Stop it Lucy!
Ryan clears his throat behind me and I'm grateful for the save from my wayward thoughts
“Sorry, Seb, this is Ryan, Ryan, this is Seb”
I indicate between the two of them and they shake hands
“Good to meet you”
I can see Ryan eyeing him from head to toe, although Seb doesn’t seem to notice.
“Yeah, you too”
They lose their grip on each other and Ryan puts an arm over my shoulder.
“Lucy said you're in the army”
Sebastian nods
“Yeah, SAS.”
“Oh that's cool, see much action?”
Sebastian shrugs, not entirely comfortable with Ryan’s line of questioning.
“A bit”
Brad interrupts
“Sorry guys, I'll show you your room and then I'm heading to bed, I'm beat. You guys are right to share right?”
I shrug and nod at Brad. It's not the first time Ryan and I have shared a bed.
Especially when one of us has needed comfort.
“Sure. I could use a shower anyway, that flight was torture”
Brad points towards the hall and I step past Sebastian, lightly brushing him with my arm. I bite hard down on my cheek to hide the blush that's forming from the tingles the slight touch shot through my body.
Ryan and I follow Brad through the house as he points out the rooms.
We separate in the hall and I enter my room, tossing my bags on the floor, shutting the door and falling onto the bed. I put my hands over my face and try to fathom my reaction to Sebastian's presence. Ryan falls down next to me, making the bed sink from his body weight and lays his head next to mine.
“Still there?”
I sigh
“Yeah”
“Intense?”
“Yep”
I extend the word for emphasis, popping the p at the end.
“He's hot”
I laugh, continuing to look at the ceiling.
“That's an understatement”
Ryan chuckles, I see his chest shake out of the corner of my eye.
“Ok. He's a fucking god. You sure he's not gay?”
I laugh and slap his chest with the back on my hand.
“Pretty sure. Sorry”
Ryan sighs
“A boy can dream”
I giggle and pull myself off the bed
“We can't both fall for the same guy”
Ryan puts his hands up in surrender
“Fine! I'll just admire him from afar then.”
I grin and shake my head
“Well that will be both of us. I'm having a shower.”
I walk into the bathroom attached to the room and close the door. I'm grateful Ryan's with me. I could use a buffer when it comes to Sebastian. The physical attraction is so strong, I need to keep my wits around him, so I don't do something stupid to make it awkward for all of us.
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SEBASTIAN
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I watch as Lucy, Brad and Ryan disappear down the hall before sinking down onto the couch.
I'm not over her. Not even fucking close. I forgot what it felt like to be in her presence. It’s a bigger adrenaline rush than being in action or jumping out of a plan. She lights up the room brighter than the sun. If this was a cartoon you would see my heart beating out of my chest.
But at the same time she calms me. It's a heady feeling having two opposite effects coinciding in the one body.
She's even more beautiful than she was 5 years ago too. Her dark brown hair looks so soft, framing her beautiful face with deep chocolate eyes and plump full lips.
I'm not even going to mention her body. My libidos going crazy as it is I rake my hands through my hair and sigh. And here she is with her boyfriend. In the same house as me, sharing a room with him.
I didn't pay much attention to him. I was too busy imagining ripping the arm he had around her off his body. Fuck. I need to stop. He didn't even care when I hugged her.
She'd obviously mentioned me at least once, but to not feel the slightest bit threatened by another guy touching your girl...
He must know I mean nothing to her. She never even tried to contact me over the past 5 years.
But then again, I didn't either.
I'm thankful when my phone starts ringing, distracting me from my thoughts.
I reach into my pocket and pull my phone out, Drake's name flashing across the screen.
Drake is one of my army mates. Like family, well they all are. You don't go through what we have together and not become family. They've saved my ass more times than I can count.
I press accept and put the phone to my ear
“Drake. What's up?”
“Waves are up. We're heading to the point. You in?”
Fuck yes. Anything to get me out of here. I don't even want to think about what Lucy and Ryan are doing in there.
“Yeah, I'll be there.”
The line goes dead. I get up and grab some things from my room and my board from the garage before heading to the beach.
****************
The waves are great at the point as I grab a large one and slip through the tunnel, beating the break to the shore. I jump off the board, scooping it up and head back up to the guys.
We've been out here for a few hours now I stick my board in the sand and grab a beer out of the esky.
Ethan follows suit, cracking open his can and clinking it with mine. I gulp down half the beer in one go. Beside me Chris let's out a low whistle
“Would you look at that...”
We all turn towards where he is staring and I see her straight away.
Lucy walks down the sand with Ryan a couple of hundred metres away.
“The beach certainly got hotter.”
Ethan is practically drooling over her and it takes everything in me not to knock him on his ass.
They wolf whistle and cat call and I'm glad she's out of ear shot. I'd normally join in, but knowing they are looking at Lucy like a piece of meat makes my blood boil
“Cut it out.”
They all look towards me, shocked at my sudden outburst.
“That's Brads little sister.”
Drake raises an eyebrow at me
“Lucy? I thought she was in London?”
I finish the rest of my beer and crush the can in my hand. I'd told them about Lucy a while ago, still not sure why, it's not like anything has, or will, happen between us
“Moved back. Got in this morning.”
“Who’s the guy?”
Chris nods towards Lucy and Ryan who have sat down in the sand and are lost in conversation
“Her boyfriend, Ryan.”
I try to keep my voice nonchalant, but these guys know me too well, they see straight through it.
“They don't seem like a couple.”
I look to Ethan who is studying them intently and he shrugs
“Look how far apart their sitting, and their body language. Plus he's barely touched her... if I had a girl like that I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off her.”
I clench my jaw as Ethan raises his hands in surrender
“Just saying..”
He does have a point. God knows if I ever got Lucy I'd never let her go. Literally and figuratively
Urgh, this is stupid. She's taken and doesn't see me as anything more than her brother’s friend.
I shrug and grab another can from the esky.
“Well they are. Come on, are we playing cricket or what?”
They all nod. Knowing the conversation is over.
Chris and Drake grab the stumps and set them up as Ethan and I grab the bat and ball.
We start to play as I try not to look in Lucy and Ryan’s direction.
