Stepping between them, I raise my hands in warning. “That’s enough, William. I think you need to leave. We are here to have fun and you are currently being a Debbie Downer. Unless you want to have fun, with ALL of us, I suggest you leave.”
“I don’t have to put up with this bullshit, I’m outta here.” He storms off, leaving the six of us stunned.
Archie says, “I see he’s still a jerk.”
“I think you mean asshole,” Storm replies.
“He’s your best friend,” Wendy reminds.
“Clearly I need my head checked. Look, let’s forget all this shit and have a blast. We are at Wood-fucking-stock. Let’s party like we’ve never partied before.”
A chorus of, “WooHoo,” “Yeah,” and whistles erupts, and we all turn our attention back to the stage and forget all about William and his meltdown.
Nate comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Pulling me into his chest. Leaning back, I rest my head on his shoulder, close my eyes, and I lose myself to the music and the calmness that is Nate’s embrace. We gently sway together, and in this moment, I have never been more content or happy in my entire life.
Nate leans down to my ear and whispers, “Wanna go for a walk with me?”
Opening my eyes, I turn my head to look at him. I gaze into his eyes and breathlessly whisper, “Yes.”
Nate spins me around and we continue to stare at one another. “I’m so glad I met you here today, Bailey. I feel like I’ve found the missing piece in my life. Who knew I was missing a sexy blonde-haired siren?”
“Ohh stop,” I say, playfully whacking him in chest. “I’m just going to tell Nancy and Wendy that we are going for a walk.” Spinning back around, I walk over to the girls. “Hey, I’m just going to go for a walk with Nate.”
“A walk, is that what they are calling it these days?” Nancy jokes.
“Hardy-har-har…and yes, that’s what I’m going to call it.” I notice Wendy is quiet. “You okay, chickie?”
“Yeah, no, not really. I’m just angry with William. He hates everyone at the moment. I want the happy Willy from our childhood back.”
“Yeah, he has changed recently. Do you know the story between him and Nate?”
“Not in full, but they’ve hated each other for such a long time now. I don’t think they even know why they hate each other.”
“Boys,” I mutter.
“Hence, why I like girls,” she says on a laugh.
“Yeah, you do,” I tease, but I notice she’s still sad. “Forget about him and have fun. Today is the start of your next adventure. Don’t let your brother, or anyone for that matter, ruin it.”
“You are right.”
“Of course I am,” I declare, but I can tell that she is still thinking about William. “Look, William is William and underneath all his jerkiness he loves you to the moon and back, just remember that.”
“I’m trying, but the way he spoke to Nate and you, that was horrible. For the first time in my life, I was ashamed to call him my brother. I’m so sorry he spoke to you like that.”
“Do not apologize for him, Wendy. He’s big enough and ugly enough to do that himself, once he pulls his head out of his ass. Now, I’m going to go for a walk with Nate, and you are going to turn around and have an absolute blast with your girlfriend.” I smile and add, “You two have fun, now go.”
“Love you, Bailey,” Wendy says, as she pulls me in for a hug.
“Love you too, Wendy.” Looking to Nancy, I say, “You too, babe. I’m sooo happy you two finally decided to give it a go.”
Wendy pulls away and puts her hand out to Nancy; she immediately takes it, lifts it to her lips for a sweet kiss, and whispers. “Me too.”
“Go have fun,” Nancy says. “I’ll look after her.” She pulls Wendy away from me and the two of them embrace. I can see the love they have for one another pouring out.
Turning around, I walk over to Nate. “Where’s Archie?”
He shrugs his shoulders and laces our fingers together. We walk off, leaving the two lovebirds happily together.
With each step that we take, my heart rate speeds up. I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I can’t wait to see where the night heads.
15
Bailey
We walk around for a little while before we decide to head to Nate’s car for a rest. He lays out a picnic blanket next to his car. We lie down next to one another and silently stare up at the night sky. A band I have never heard of is on stage, and the music is playing softly around us. It’s very mellow, and I could quite easily fall asleep, but right now sleep is the last thing I want.
Sitting up, I cross my legs and stare down at Nate. His eyes are closed. His hands are resting beneath his head. The muscles in his arms are defined, I guess that happens when you work in construction. My eyes rake over him from head to toe and back up again. “Are you staring at me?” he huskily asks.
“Maybe,” I say. Leaning down I place a gentle kiss on his lips. He pulls his arms from behind his head, cups my cheeks, and holds me to him. My eyes drift closed and once again I lose myself in Nate and our kiss. When I open my eyes again, Nate is staring up at me. Pulling back, I sit up. Nate does the same and we sit facing one another.
“What are you doing to me, Bailey Beckett? I’ve never felt more alive in my life, and I never want to let you go.”
“I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like we are connected and we are meant to be. Nothing and no one will get in our way. Nothing.”
“Bai—” I don’t let him finish, I have more to say. Grabbing his hand I place it on my chest, over my heart, and hold it tightly. My other hand, I place over his, and he lifts his hand and cups mine. “You have my heart, Nate, you and only you. No one else. You are it for me. I love you, Nathaniel “Nate” Winters. Now and forever.” Leaning forward, I gently place my lips against his and close my eyes. As our lips press together, a feeling washes over me; it’s like we have done and said this a thousand times before.
He pulls his hands free, grips my cheeks tightly, and deepens the kiss. This kiss is everything. This kiss is now the best of my life. Our lips fuse tightly together. Gently nipping his lip, I pull back and rest my forehead against his and we stare at one another. The silence is broken when Nate whispers, “I love you too, Bailey. It feels like I’ve loved you since before I saw you walk through the gates yesterday.” He swallows. “I feel like I know you, but it's not from now. It’s hard to explain it.”
“I feel it too, Nate. It’s like our souls are entwined. We were destined to meet, and now that we have, I’m not ever letting you go. You are my antecedent love and I’ll never let go. Never.”
Nate doesn’t say anything. He leans forward and kisses me. His tongue seeks access to my mouth and I willingly let him in. Kissing Nate is one of my favorite things to do. Leaning back, I fall to the blanket below and pull Nate with me. He hovers above my body, cocooning me in. Running my fingers up his neck into his hair, I gently tug and he moans into my mouth. I smile into our kiss and pull him closer to me.