”Why would you, out of all the people, buy our house?” I asked Jimmy.

We were sitting on the beach right by our house and staring at the waves and just chatting.

We sat on my favourite spot in the sand. It was that very same place where I had lost my virginity to a certain someone, and I visited the place often because it held so many nice memories.

”Because I know how much that place means to you,” he told me, ”And that way, you don't have to move out.”

”What do you mean?”

”I'm going to let you live there.”

”By myself?”

”Well, yeah. Unless you want someone to live there with you,” he said with a shrug.

”Jimmy... I don't even know what to say. This is... This is too much. You're being way too kind,” I mumbled and touched his arm. He smiled at me.

”I'm counting on that one day you will buy the house from me and you can live there with your family,” he told me.

”I can't thank you enough. You saved me,” I said and pulled him into a big hug. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side.

”I know we haven't known each other for that long but you've become really important to me. And... Brian's my best friend and you're really important to him, too,” he told me.

”Yeah...”

”Is everything okay between you and Brian?”

”Well, no, not really... We just had some unfinished business and we finally talked about our past and, yeah...” I mumbled and looked at my feet in the sand.

”Do you want to talk about it?” Jimmy asked me quietly. I shrugged.

”I feel like I'm falling in love with him,” I whispered.

”Oh, uh... I didn't really expect that.”

”I know. I don't know what to do because he just got married and everything...” I said and let out a deep sigh. I felt Jimmy take my hand and squeeze it tightly.

”You're really beautiful, flower girl,” he said quietly, ”I'm sure you could have any guy you wanted. Fucking hell, I'd take you any minute. But Brian... He's really happy with Michelle. They've been dating for, what, five years.”

”But that's the point. I truly, honestly believe that he could be happy with me if we had been given the chance,” I mumbled and leaned my head against his shoulder.

”But things are the way they are now,” he said, ”I wouldn't recommend trying to get in between Brian and Michelle. Michelle and her twin, Val, aren't the nicest people when they're jealous of their men...”

”I would never ruin anybody's relationship,” I shook my head, ”That's not what I'm like.”

Jimmy and I chatted for a little while before he had to leave. I went back inside and started unpacking my things because fortunately I wasn't going to move away and could keep living in my own home for a little while longer.

I decided to text Jimmy and ask him out for a drink to thank him, and he agreed to come if Brian and Michelle could come too. At first I was going to cancel the plans because I really didn't want to spend time with Brian and Michelle but Jimmy pointed out that it would've been good for me to get to know to Michelle, too, and maybe become her friend.

So later that night we all met in a bar, and ordered a few drinks. I figured that since it was a weekend, I could have a bit more than I usually had. I just didn't want to get really drunk and embarrass myself in front of everybody.

”Jimmy, I want to thank you again for buying the house,” I said and raised my glass for him. He grinned and patted my thigh under the table.

”And thank you, Michelle and Brian, for inviting me to your wedding,” I thanked them and flashed a smile.

I couldn't honestly stand looking at the two of them for long, they looked so cute and... They looked like they were really in love and that broke my heart a little. Brian had his arm around Michelle and she was sort of leaning against his chest, and smiling widely.

”Let's just enjoy this night and get to know to each other,” Michelle said and everybody nodded.

As the night went by, all I could think about was the fact that Brian would never love me like he loved Michelle. I mean, when we were together, we were both just teenagers, we knew nothing about love. We had been together for a few years only. And Brian and Michelle... They had been dating for, what, five years so they must've been pretty serious about it. They must've loved each other very much.

Without meaning or really trying to, I got pretty drunk. I tried to drown my sorrows, and actually felt a bit better when I wasn't fully aware of everything that was going on around me.

”Sophia? How are you going to get home?” Brian's voice sounded distant to me.

”I'll walk,” I mumbled with a shrug.

I leaned my head against Jimmy's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me, holding me tightly.

”Walk? I don't think that's a very good idea,” he told me.

Then he turned to Michelle and whispered something to her. She nodded and stood up.

”Jimmy, I'm taking you home,” she said.

Jimmy agreed and got up, helping me up, too.

I thought that Michelle would be taking the both of us home but it turned out that Brian wanted to take me home. He took a hold of my arm and started walking me out of the bar.

He opened the car door for me and I got in, immediately closing my eyes and leaning my head against the seat.

”Don't pass out,” he told me as he got in the car and started driving, ”I don't think I can carry you into your house.”

”Why did you want to take me home?” I mumbled.

”I thought it's easier for me to handle a drunken girl than it's for Michelle.”

”Was that the only reason?”

”Yes.”

”So it didn't have anything to do with, uh, me? And our past?”

I opened my eyes and focused my eyes on him and my god, he looked so beautiful. I just wanted to reach closer and touch him.

”Sophia... I thought we talked about this already,” he said quietly and let out a deep sigh.

”You know I would never do anything to ruin your relationship with Michelle.”

”I know.”

”But right now... I find it really hard to keep my hands off you,” I admitted.

Brian swallowed hard and bit his lip.

He didn't say a word until we reached our house and he stopped the car in front of it. He turned to look at me and I put on my best come-here-and-i-will-ravish-you-look.

Brian looked at me for a moment before he started laughing.

”Are you trying to be sexy?” he asked and smiled widely.

”I am sexy,” I mumbled and pouted, crossing my arms over my chest. He reached in to pinch my cheek quickly.

”Okay, Soph, off you go. Go clear your drunken head,” he told me.

”Can you walk me in?” I asked him as I tried to open the car door.

Brian laughed and got out of the car before letting me out of the car as well. He grabbed my hands and pulled me up to my feet. He caught me when I almost stumbled over my feet.

I looked up at his face and stayed there in his arms for a moment, mesmerized by his eyes. He licked his lower lip and cleared his throat and for a moment there, I couldn't read the look on his face. I could've sworn that he wanted to kiss me but couldn't do it.

”Come to the beach with me,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

”What?”

”I want to show you something,” I mumbled as a wave of energy shot through my body.

I grabbed his hands and started pulling him with me towards the beach.

I reached the sand and kicked off my shoes, running to our spot.

”Isn't this where we... You know? First had sex?” he asked me as I stopped running and looked at him with a wide smile on my face. I nodded.

”Why did you bring me here, Sophia?” he asked me quietly as he took a few steps closer to me, stopping right in front of me. I looked up at his face, not really knowing what to say to him.

”I... I... I don't know,” I admitted, ”I wanted you to see this place.”

I sat down on the cold sand and looked around the surrounding darkness. There was nobody else at the beach, at least I didn't see anybody.

A moment later Brian sat down next to me and we sat there in silence for a few minutes.

I, without realizing what I was doing, rested my head against Brian's shoulder. His whole body froze for a moment and then suddenly he wrapped his arm around me and laid down on his back on the sand, pulling me down next to him.

I stared up at the sky, looking at the beautiful stars before my eyelids got heavy and I closed my eyes. I cuddled closer to Brian's side and a smile found its way to my lips.