‘You're my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.’ - Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook.

Long chapter ahead. Okay, people. I give you permission to love me like no tomorrow.

Picture of Daniel by the side.

Song for the chapter: Here's to never growing up - Avril Lavigne

This chapter and the next is dedicated to friends everywhere. I have just one friend and she's more like a sister to me. But since I joined Wattpad, I've made a bunch of them. Life is all about friendship so if you've got an amazing friend, hold on to them and never let go.

Maddie, B... This one’s for you.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Hasta La Vista, baby

Daniel moved closer to her. “You're the most beautiful woman I have ever met,” he whispered quietly as he closed the distance between them, and reached for her face, cupping her jaw in both his hands.

He stared into her eyes, brushing his thumb across her cheekbones. Then he lowered his mouth to hers.

For a long, hot second her lips softened and opened under his. He tasted her sweetness and had to fight the primitive, carnal urge to drag her to the floor. Then she tensed in his arms, arching her upper body away from him, pulling her face from his grasp.

“Daniel, stop. What are you doing?”

“Kissing you. What does it look like?” he tried to kiss her again but she held him off.

“I though we weren't doing this. I thought we'd decided it was a mistake.”

“I know. For two smart people we can be pretty dumb sometimes.”

He didn't give her a chance to say any more, simply lowered his head and kissed her. After a tense second, her body softened and she made a small, helpless sound at the back of her throat, opening her mouth beneath his.

Desire rippled through him. She felt so good. So right in his arms. Madness to think he would ever have been able to resist doing this. Sheer madness.

Her hands clenched into his shoulder muscles and her whole body trembled as she strained closer. She wrapped a leg around his hips and rubbed herself shamelessly against his hard-on.

He wanted to push her against the wall and take her standing up. He wanted to tear her T-shirt off and suck her breasts until she screamed for him to stop. He wanted to fulfill every one of the dirty, horny fantasies he'd forged in the darkened quiet of his bedroom when he was fourteen years old.

He was alread—

Daniel woke with a start as his ringtone echoed in his room. He cursed under his breath as he thought of what would have happened in that very enticing dream if he hadn't woken up.

What the hell was wrong with people and interrupting his moments with Char?

His phone rang again and he snatched it from under his pillow with a snarl.

“What?” he asked harshly into the phone, wiping the sweat that formed on his forehead.

“Calm down, man. What crawled up your ass early this Saturday morning?” Zach asked with a chuckle.

“Screw you, Zach. You just had to call now, didn't you?” he growled.

“Lemme guess, Char?” Zach chortled.

“Shut up and tell me what you want,” he muttered, rolling off the bed.

Zach laughed. “I was just calling to remind you of our plans. I hope your fornicating in the dream didn't wipe your memories. Go get Char ready, we'll be there in two hours.”

“Whatever,” Daniel said before ending the call.

It was times like this he really hated people.

He went to stand by his window, looking directly into Char's room. She saw her spread on her bed, sleeping, lightly snoring.

He checked the time on his phone. 7:29. Char would kill him if he called her before 7:30. Which was exactly why he was going to do it.

He called her, holding the phone to his ear while he listened to her phone ring in the opposite room. She tossed on her bed, covering her ears with a pillow.

He rang her again, laughing lowly as she saw her raised her head and sat up straight on the bed. Her eyes were still closed, her hair all over the place.

And still, she looked beautiful.

The call ended and he waited a few seconds before ringing again.

Char's hand frantically searched for her phone, her eyes shut.
She reached under her pillows as she held the phone in her hand, swiping at the screen to answer.

“Hello?” she asked softly and Daniel smiled as her small voice filled his ears.

“I could hear you snore all the way from over here,” he said with a smile.

Immediately, her eyes opened as she searched for the stalker in her room. “Daniel?”

“The window, dummy.” he rolled his eyes at her.

“Good morning. I see the assassins have failed.” she yawned as she stood by her window.

“That still doesn't change the fact you snore like a pig.” he chuckled.

She glared. “And this is coming from a man that drools in his sleep.”

His eyes widened slightly. “I do not!”

“Do too!”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Do not!”

“Shut the hell up, the both of you! It's still early and people are trying to sleep. Char, we're going out. Make yourself some food, whatever!” Ryan screamed from downstairs.

She rolled her eyes at her very caring father. And please, note the freaking sarcasm.

“Go take a shower. I'm coming over,” Daniel said as he left.

She sighed and walked into her bathroom like a zombie. Sleep hadn't completely left her yet.

*****

Char walked into her bedroom with a white towel wrapped around her. She made her way to her closet and stopped as her eyes caught sight of something in her peripheral vision.

On her bed, there was a white shirt, denim shorts, and the black bikini bra and underwear that Cat had gotten her a year ago.  Beside them, there was a note.

“Wear this. PS. Wear it, don't even think about saying no or I will dress you myself.” she read out loud, chuckling a bit. She didn't even want to know how Daniel found the bikini, she'd shoved deep into her closet.

She dressed quickly, hurrying down the stairs.

The heavenly smell of pancakes filled her senses as she steppes into the kitchen. She found Daniel sitting behind the counter, a plate of pancakes next to him, his eyes fixed on his phone and it looked as if he was texting someone.

“Hey,” she said as she got closer, her eyes fixed on the pancakes.

“Are you talking to me?” Daniel asked, his face raised.

“Of course not. There is a delicious looking plate of pancakes right next to me, so how could I be talking to you?” she asked, her eyes still on the pancakes.

Daniel chuckled slightly. “It's all yours. Dig in.” he slid the plate closer to her and watched as she devoured the entire plate.

“Ugh, you even eat like a pig.” he told her, his face scrunched up.

“Like I care what you say,” she rolled her eyes. “What are we doing today?”

“You'll just have to wait and see,” he replied, going back to texting on his phone.

“No, no. Thank you for let me watch you constantly text as we hang out. I would hate to bore you with my company.” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as he focused his entire attention on his phone.

He looked up and chuckled. “It's just Zach. No need to get jealous.”

“Whatever,” she muttered.

“They'll be here soon, go get ready.” he ordered.

“They?”

“Zach and Cat.”

Char nodded as she ran up to her room to grab her shoulder bag. She ran a comb through her hair, wincing as the entangled strands pulled. Her hair was still wet, which made it harder to comb.
The door bell rang the minute she stepped into the kitchen. Daniel was halfway to the door and she joined him as he opened it to see Zach and Cat bickering.

“All I'm saying is that you should change.” Zach argued.

“All I'm saying is that you should shut the hell up,” Cat retorted.

“Catherine, don't give me that attitude,” Zach warned, completely unaware that they had an audience. “It's too short.”

“So how do you want me to dress? Like a nun?”

“Of course not, but those shorts are too short. I can practically see your ass poking out.”

“Zach,” Cat drawled out. “If you don't shut your mouth, the thing that comes out will be your teeth.”

Zach shrank back, but didn't relent. His eyes turned to the door, which had been open for five minutes, making eye contact with Daniel.

“Hey man, tell me what you think of those shorts.” he indicated to Cat's shorts. “Are they too short or really short?”

What kind of a question is that?

Daniel wolf whistled. “I don't know about you, but I am liking what I'm seeing.”

That sentence earned him a fierce glare from Zach, an eye roll from Char, and a thumbs up from Cat.

Daniel laughed.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,” Zach raised his brow warningly. “That's my woman you're talking about there.”

“That's a lot of ‘heys’,” Char muttered.

“Char, Char,” he reached forward to hold her hand. “This isn't appropriate, is it?”

“No, no,” she drew her hand from him. “Leave me out of this.”

He glared at her.

“You're just wasting your time. Even if I wanted to change, I don't have any clothes.” Cat crossed her arms on her chest.

“Of course you do,” Zach replied. “Remember that really long skirt that Char wore in January? She could lend it to you.” he said hopefully.

“I'm not wearing a skirt that weeps the floor like a wedding gown.” Cat rolled her eyes.

“Hey!” Char whined.

“Look, it's noon. If we're gonna do this, let's get it over with.” Cat said before turning and walking away to the car.

“Damn, that ass...” Daniel muttered.

“I will stab you,” Zach threatened, the veins in his neck almost popping.

Char burst out laughing. She didn't really see anything wrong in what Cat was wearing. It was a white Roccia top and blue ripped Carson shorts. Okay, now she thought about it, the shorts were a little bit short. And it was ripped, which added to its shortness.

“I'm also wearing shorts, Zach. No need to worry.” she patted his back sympathetically.

“Yeah, but your shorts isn't as short as her shorts.” he whined.

“Dude, right now, you look like a desperate sixteen year old.” Daniel said.

Zach glared at him. He was just making things worse.

“Let's go already! I call shotgun.” Cat yelled from the car.

“You guys are a bunch of sixteen year olds stuck in adult bodies,” Char said as she locked the door, and walked to Cat. “Come on.”

******

“No, no, no, Daniel. Come on, wake up, you can't just leave me like this.” Char pleaded mockingly as she knelt by his side, holding his head to her chest.

“No!” she yelled theatrically, as he closed his eyes.

“You both’s a dramatic bitch,” Cat rolled her eyes as she pointed her gun at Char, “Say your last prayer, bestie.” She said with a smirk as she pulled the trigger.

Char screamed as the paint hit her chest. “Ah!” she yelled as she fell to the floor, laying dead.

Zach appeared and pointed his green gun at Cat with the sadistic grin etched unto his face. “Hasta la vista, baby.” he pulled the trigger aiming directly for her chest.

“Ah! I've been shot!” Cat yelled, clutching onto her injured area and falling back dramatically. “Tell my boyfriend I love him...”

The second Zach heard ‘boyfriend’, his eyes perked up. He rushed to Cat's side, kneeling by her head side as he held her in his arms. “No, no. I didn't mean to shoot you. Your boyfriend loves you too...please wake up.” he rested his head on her arm, as he sniffed.

Cat's eyes opened. “Really?” she asked, trying to make her voice sound like someone dying.

“Yes.” he whispered, sniffling loudly.

She smirked. Then waited for a few seconds, before jumping out of his arms, grabbing the nearest gun.  She stood before him, grinning, with the gun pointed smack-bang at his head.

“Any last words, baby?” she asked.

Zach blinked. “You were dead. You can't just wak—”

He didn't get to finish his sentence as the paint hit him just above his chest.

“Rude,” he whispered, just seconds before he died.

****

“My entire body is gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow, ” Zach groaned as he leaned his head against the head-rest.

They were currently seated in Cat's car, with Zach next to Char in the back seat, Cat in the passengers seat and Daniel, driving.

“Tell me about it,” Daniel said, as he drove slowly.

“Yeah, I feel like I just got run over by a truck. Twice.” Char said, massaging her neck. “All thanks to you, Cat.”

“Yeah, all thanks to you, Cat.” Zach repeated.

“What? Don't blame me. It's not my fault y’all don't know how to play Paintball.” Cat shrugged.

“You cheated.” Zach drawled out.

“I did not!” Cat argued.

“Yes, you did. When a person gets shot, he doesn't just resurrect and shoots his shooter.”

“I still cannot believe you singlehandedly shot all three of us.” Daniel shook his head.

“What can I say? I'm awesome.” She smirked.

Daniel reached forward to the radio, switching it on. When he didn't near anything, he hit it hard a couple of times. “What's wrong with this thing?” he hit it harder, trying to make it work.

“Hey! Take it easy. This is my Car.” Cat scolded him.

“Well, fix this piece of junk. I need some music in here.” he rolled his eyes as he told her, his attention on the road.

“Rude,” she snarled at him. “It's broken. I haven't found the time to repair it.”

“Then why on earth did you make us drive this car?” Zach asked.

“Because I wanted to contribute to this,” she gestured to the four of them. “Whateve this is, since you guys won't tell me where we're going.”

“I told you before, it's a surprise.” Zach said.

“Wait. But I didn't get to contribute,” Char spoke up.

“Don't worry Char, you being here is enough.” Zach smiled at her.

“I still need some music in here.” Daniel said.

Zach cleared his throat a couple of times, earning a few glares from the rest of the group.

“Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be. And baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars. Yeah, we'll be counting stars.” Zach sang.

Char smiled at him. This is one of her best songs and she didn't know how he knew, or if he knew, but God bless him.

“I see this life, like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line, in my face flashing signs, seek it out and ye shall find,” She continued.

“Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold. And I don't think the world is sold, we're just doing what we're told,” Zach sang loudly, laughing.

“I feel something so right by the doing the wrong thing,” Daniel sang.

“I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing,” Cat added.

“I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie,” Daniel continued.

“Everything that kills me makes me feel alive,” Char sang.

They all paused for effect, and smiled.

Before, “Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be. And baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars.” They all sang loudly at the top of their voices.

Char continued alone, higher this time. “Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be. And baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, said no more counting dollars, we'll be, we'll be counting stars.”

“Take that booty, watch it burn. Sing in the river, the lesson I learned,” Zach sang.

“Take that booty, watch it burn, Sing in the river, the lesson I learned,” Cat and Daniel chorused.

“Take that booty, watch it burn. Sing in the river, the lessons I learned,” Char repeated.

“Take that booty, watch it burn. Sing in the river, the lessons I learned,” They all bellowed at the top of their voices.

“Everything that kills me,” Zach sang lowly, smiling. “Makes me feel alive.” he completed with a smirk.

They all chorused, laughing and smiling, not caring that they were deafening the entire town.

When the song ended, they were in full laughing mode.

“You both are horrible singers,” Char said with a laugh to Daniel and Cat.

“Just because I can't sing, doesn't mean I won't sing.” Cat said as she turned around to face Char. “Besides, I sing better than Daniel. He sounds like a broken CD.” she smirked.

“Looks who's talking,” Daniel rolled his eyes as they argued.

Char watch her friends bicker. She smiled, she didn't think she's had more fun in eight years. She had Daniel, the best best friends in the world and she couldn't be more happy.

“I'm gonna propose, you know,” she turned her head to look at Zach. She raised a brow.

“Cat. I'm gonna propose.” he whispered to her.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded sheepishly.

She put her hands on his. “Don't worry. She'll say yes.”

“I hope so,” he swallowed loudly. “I've been planning it for a while now, I haven't found the right time yet but I know it'll come soon.”

She grinned at him. She could tell he was nervous, though she had no idea why he should be, they'd been together for two years and they were madly, and utterly in love.

“Don't fret. You'll find it.”

He nodded briefly, closing his eyes as he leaned against the seat.

“You sing like a chicken,” Cat scoffed from the front.

“What the hell are you talking about? Chickens don't sing,” Daniel rolled his eyes.

“Well to me, they do.” she huffed.

“Shut the hell up, the both of you. You're giving me a fucking migraine.” Zach ordered.

“Rude,” Cat muttered under her breath.

“Yeah, Daniel, keep on driving like a snail. At this rate, we'll get there next Tuesday.” Zach rolled his eyes as he looked out the window.

“Shut up,” Daniel snarled. “I'm just being cautious. I don't want to end up in jail for fourteen years—”

“Getting anally raped.” They finished for him.

“How did you know what I was going to say?” Daniel blinked.

“Everybody says that,” Char shrugged.

“But seriously man, my Ma is faster than this. And she's eighty.” Zach said, kicking Daniel's seat.

“Fine. You asked for it,” Daniel mumbled, as he increased the speed. He was so fast that he went past the speed limit. He took turns, left and right, and he didn't even need to. It was the highway and it was completely empty, except for a Mercedes behind them.

“Whoa, dude. Slow down,” Zach said as he moved with car, wincing when his head connected with the window. “Ow!”

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Cat asked loudly, gripping the seat tightly.

“You idiot,” Char snarled.

“You asked for it,” Daniel repeated as he shrugged. He slowed down a little, a bit faster than before.

The Mercedes caught up with them, revealing an elderly woman.

“Daniel,” Char almost screamed. “You almost killed an old woman. Are you insane?”

“Yeah, an innocent woman could have died, you idiot.” Cat said.

Daniel rolled his eyes. Talk about over-dramatic. Women are so weird.

Char opened her mouth, about to apologise to the old woman when she spoke up.

“You psychotic bunch of fools, drive like you're alive!” she yelled, and drove off, not before flipping them off.

Char raised a brow. “Alrighty then,”

Zach and Daniel burst out laughing at the crazy old woman. And to think they thought she was innocent.

It didn't take long, they came to a stop. “Alright we're here. Get the hell out, all of you.” Daniel announced as he came out.

“The beach?” Char squealed. “You brought us to the beach?”

“Why?” Daniel asked wearyingly “You don't like it?”

“Of course I do! Who doesn't like the beach?” she squealed as she jumped on him, her lips connecting with his.

“Weirdos,” Zach muttered as he walked forward with Cat, leaving them behind.

Daniel chuckled as he pulled away. “Someone's eager.”

“Come on, let's go.” she pulled him along with her, trying to find the right spot. It was a warm day, a beautiful day to be at the beach.

“Here,” Cat called out as she neared an empty spot. “This will do.”

“Yeah,” Char agreed, as they laid their towels and basket on the sand, getting comfortable.

Char opened the basket. She gasped as her eyes roamed the contents. “Wow. You guys went all out, didn't you?” she grabbed a strawberry dipped in chocolate, popping it in her mouth.

She grabbed a second one, about to chew when Daniel pulled her closer and kissed her fervently. She smiled as her arms went around his neck, kissing him back with equal force.

“Ew guys, cut it out,” Cat grimaced, trying to hide her smile. “There will be no swallowing of tongues at the beach.”

Daniel pulled away, smirking. “Strawberry and chocolate. Delicious,” he winked at Char, who was already all shades of red.

“Disgusting. You know you could've just taken one, right? Instead of polluting my eyes,” Zach scrunched his face up in disgust, looking at Daniel.

“Shut up,” Char muttered, eating another strawberry. She loved strawberries.

“Let's go in the water,” Cat offered.

Char shook her head.  “No,”

“I don't care. Now follow me, let's go change.” Cat ordered as she stood, walking to the broadwalk where she saw a cafe. There had to be a toilet in there. Char followed reluctantly.

When he was sure they were out of sight, Zach turned to Daniel with a glare. “Listen, she's happy, even you can see that. If you hurt her, I will break every bone in your body.” he said with all seriousness, his eyes showing no hint of playfulness.

Daniel nodded without speaking. He agreed with Zach, one hundred percent. Char didn't deserve to be unhappy. And he didn't want to be the reason. He shook his head, he won't be the reason. He was going to make this as memorable as he could, for the both of them.

“You wanna get in the water?” Zach asked as he stood, all signs of seriousness completely gone.

“Yeah, sure,” Daniel replied, wanting to live in the moment.

“Come on,” Zach said as he removed his tank top.

Char and Cat caught up with them before they could get to the beach. Zach stopped in his tracks, as Cat came into his view.

“Lord Jesus... ” he muttered as Daniel nodded in approval.

“What?” Cat asked, her eyebrows raised.

“You. Are. Hot.” Zach told her, his eyes filled with lust.

She'd discarded her shirt and shorts, leaving her in only her red matching bra and panties.

“You can't wear that here,” Zach said as he came to his senses, “It's too...provocative.”

Char chuckled under her breath as she went to sit. Zach was a bit overprotective.

“Shut up, Zach. It's a freaking beach, I can't possibly swim in my clothes.” Cat rolled her eyes at him.

“So? I'll buy you new clothes.” He offered.

“Whatever. You're shirtless, but you don't see me nagging you to put on a shirt. All these bitches are gawking at you. Practically raping you with their eyes. Leave me alone, Zach.” she said as she ran to the water, diving in.

“You've got your hands full, man.” Daniel said with a smirk as he ran after Cat.

“Tell me something I don't know,” Zach muttered, running his hands through his hair. He could tell the stares of all these little rascals was fixated on Cat's body. She was his. Only his.

He ran to the water, joining his friends as they swarm and laughed.

Char watched her friends goof around. Sometimes, it was hard to believe they were adults. They definitely didn't act like it. Her heart was filled with love as she saw them splash water against themselves. Daniel was laughing. It'd been a while since she saw him this happy. Sure, he'd always been happy. But these days, he had this glint in his eyes, that made him look like he was as alive as a person could be. His dark brown eyes shone brightly than before and he always had a smile on his face.

Zach and Cat, they look more in love than before. Char was elated, she wasn't the only one this friendship had helped. She smiled in content. This was a good thing, for all of them.

“Hey, what's up?” Cat asked casually as she walked towards Char. She grabbed her towel and cleaned her body as she sat opposite Char.

“Nothing. Just enjoying the view.” She gave a small smile, her eyes snapping to Daniel.

“So...Daniel, huh?” Cat asked with a raised brow.

Char looked at her friend and chuckled. Gossip time.

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

Cat's face perked up and she inched closer. “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday,” Char shrugged.

“Ooh?” Cat smirked. “Did you two—” she wriggled her brows.

Char laughed. “No. Of course not.”

“Riiight,” Cat drawled.

“Seriously.”

Cat smiled widely. “I'm happy for you,” she said sincerely.

“Thank you,”

Char was tempted to tell Cat that Zach planned to propose but decided against it. It wasn't in her place to tell. And knowing Cat, she'd probably just run to him screaming ‘yes!’ at a question that hasn't even been asked yet.

“So what are we talking about?” Daniel asked as he strolled towards them, with Zach trailing behind him.

“Nothing,” Cat answered cheerfully as Zach sat beside her, giving her a peck on the lips.

“Let's go skinny dipping,” Daniel offered, a huge smirk plastering his beautiful face.

Char turned to her side to face him. “Skinny dipping? At the beach? Hell, no.” she said, shaking her head. She wasn't even planning on getting into the water as she still had her shirt on.

“Why?” Daniel whined. “Don't you want to get in the water at all? It's amazing.”

She shook her head again.

“Fine. If you say so.” Daniel stood, as he eyed her. How could you be at the beach and not want to get in the water at all? He watch as she brought out her book, unfolding the page she was at. Book?
He sighed, as he tore the book from her hand and flung it away to God knows where. “I can not let you not enter the water, sorry.” he shot her an apologetic smile and lifted her up swiftly, swinging her over his shoulder. He walked to the egde of the water with Zach trailing behind him, laughing.

Char blinked as the feeling of déjà-vu hit her like a bucket of cold water. No pun intended. “What? N-no! Put me down!” her eyes widened as in realisation as her words dawned on her.

She closed her eyes as her body landed in the cold water. Thank God she'd taking those swimming classes her mom forced her to take. She waited for her body to adjust to the temperature before coming up for air. Which did not take long because something strong drew her back down. Fear began to form in her as she went underwater. Could it have been a shark. Or a snake?

Not long after, it felt like something was leaving her body. She struggled as the need for air arose. She swarm up, gasping as her head came up. She brought her hand up to her face to wipe the water from her eyes.

Her eyes travelled to edge of the shore where Daniel and Zach stood laughing, clutching their stomachs for dear life. No. Actually, Zach was already on the sand, gasping for air as he slapped his knee. Her face flushed as she spotted Cat sitting at their spot, laughing like her life depended on it.

“Y-your fa-face, Char. Pri-priceless!” Daniel wheezed out as his laughter subsided a little. Only a little. He was still an ass.

She felt bare. Literally. She looked down into the water and gasped as she saw that from her waist up, she was completely bare. What the hell was her bra? She looked around in panic, and sighed as she spotted her white T-shirt floating at a distance.
Her relief was cut short when she realise that she couldn't actually wear her shirt as it as wet and see-through. Everything would be on display.

She used it as a shield to cover her chest area, thankful that her entire body was still underwater, hidden from everyone's view.

“Looking for this, babe?” Daniel drawled out, amusement dancing in his eyes. He held her black bikini bra in his hand, smirking as her eyes widened.

“Oh my God...” she whispered as her eyes followed the movement of the bra in the air.

Zach laughed as he took in Char's expression. “You're an idiot, man.” he shook his head at Daniel.

Daniel laughed as he watched her vain attempt to cover her body.

“If you want it, come and get it. Na na na na, na na na na...” he sang loudly as he danced the bra in her view.

Cat sat in her spot watching in amusement. She was actually really interested in Char's reaction. Her lips twitched up in a smile as she looked at the bra. She'd bought that for Char a year ago and finally, it comes in handy. I'm awesome. She whispered to her self.

“Zach, help me out here.” she pleaded with her eyes.

“No, no,” he shook his head. “Leave me out of this.” he told her mockingly.

Daniel laughed at this. “Karma is like 69. You get what you give.”

Char’s anger pipued. “You little—”

“Ah ah,” He shook his head, chuckling. “Don't curse. It's not ladylike.”

“Give me my bra,” she said slowly.

“It's all yours. Just come and get it.”

“If I do that, every single person on the beach will see my b—” she stopped herself before the words came out.

“Is somebody feeling a little bit shy?” he said mockingly, blinking repeatedly.

“You're such an ass,”

“And you have a fine ass,” he winked playfully.

“When I get out of here, you're dead.” she growled.

“Oh?”

“You are impossible.” she glared at him.

“I prefer to describe myself as ‘delightfully difficult’, and it'll be easier if you just agreed.”

“I'll agree to disagree if you agree that you're a dumb fuck.”

She couldn't believe she was still in the water, which, by the way was really cold. She didn't know how she hadn't caught hypothermia yet.

“Huh?” Daniel asked, confused.

“Just give me my bra already so I can get the hell here. This water is seriously cold and I'm gonna get sick. You don't want to come near me when I'm sick because it's not pretty. Are you even listening to me?” she yelled at him.

Daniel yawned widely. “No, no. I'm listening. It just takes me a minute to process so much stupid at once.”

She rolled her eyes. Lord, grant me patience. Because if Satan has his way, I'm gonna set some bitch on fire...

“So many people are walking around unmedicated, uneducated and affecting my life. One day my patience will run out and I will punch you in the face. Very hard.”

“Well, I'm gonna go sit, my feet are killing me. When you're ready, you know where to find me.” he turned to walk when Char called out to him.

“Wait.” she stopped him. If he walked all the way back there, it was going to be harder for her. “I'll come.”

She took her time, clutching her shirt to her chest. It really didn't do much because it was wet and she was well aware that her chest was on display because Daniel fixed his stare on it like it was the cure to cancer.

She swarm to the egde, and walked the rest. As she walked further, her body came into view. She was conscious as she swallowed hardly. Being practically naked in public wasn't very reassuring considering there was a lot of people staring at her and she was only in her underwear, her chest completely bare with only a transparent piece of fabric covering her.

Daniel's jaw dropped as he took in Char's body. “Hot damn...” he muttered as he looked her up and down.

Char's brows raised. She stopped in her tracks. She could actually use this to her advantage. Just as he'd done so many days ago. This could be her revenge. She smirked as she walked towards him, stopping directly in front of him.

His gaze was still zeroed in on her chest. Surprisingly, she wasn't shy at all, even knowing that he could see through her shirt.
“Daniel...” she whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips. She leaned forward, using him as a shield from the unwaving stares of others. She placed her lips on his lightly, purposely brushing her chest against his bare one.

She could've sworn she felt him shudder.

He grabbed her waist as he pulled her closer to him. She smirked in victory as he kissed her. She had him exactly where she wanted him to be.

She kissed him back, her hand sliding to his hand holding her bra. She took it from him slowly, the hand clutching her shirt dropping as she pressed her chest tighter to his. She seriously couldn't believe she was doing this. She used both hands to tie her bikini bra to her body, internally giving herself a pat on the back for her bravery.

How Daniel did not notice what she was doing was beyond her. Because the minute she got her bra on, she pulled away. The smirk on her face was wide as she saw the lust in his eyes slowly diminish  to confusion.

She leaned into him, the smirk still present on her face. “Don't be mad when I pull a you on you.” she whispered in his ear before towards Cat who grinned proudly.

“I said it before and I'll say it again. You're an idiot.” Zach, who had been watching the show with mild interest, said to Daniel as he tried to put his thoughts together. “A whipped idiot.”

Daniel blinked. What just happened? Was this her form of revenge? This was just cruel. He chuckled at his stupidity. How had he not seen this coming? He had to give it to her though.

She was getting bolder.

On the plus side, he really needed a cold shower and the water was the closest thing he had to one.

*******

“So tell me Daniel, why did you get married so early?” Zach asked. They were seated at their spot, Daniel beside Char, opposite Cat and Zach with their picnic basket in the middle.

“Yeah. Getting married before the age of 25 sounds a lot to me like leaving the party before 10pm.” Cat added and Daniel chuckled.

“I don't know, I guess I was in love.” he shrugged.

Char felt her heart squeeze as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“Really?” Cat asked, not convinced.

“My friends gave me more warnings about her than a drug commercial,” he shrugged again, taking a big bite from his sandwich.

“I seriously want to meet the fucking girl who fucking captured the heart of the great Dr.Dan.” Cat said with a prolonged sigh.

Daniel raised a brow. “You swear a lot. You know that?”

“Yeah,” Zach agreed.

“I know, I swear a lot.” she sighed. “(One.) I am very sorry. (Two.) I'll try to be good. (Three.) One and two are lies. (Four.) You can fuck off.” she said sharply, causing Char to laugh at the look on the boys’ faces.

“I feel fat today. And to make myself feel better, I think I'm going to eat this cake. Yes. Good plan.” Char said as she reached inside the picnic basket to grab a piece of chocolate cake.

“Sack of potatoes,” she heard Daniel mutter not-so-quietly, making her elbow him not-so-hard in the ribs.

“Ouch!” he muttered.

“The more you weigh, the harder it is to get kidnapped. Stay safe. Eat cake.” she told him.

“It's all fun and games... Till your jeans don't fit anymore.” Zach said as he laughed, causing both Daniel and Cat to burst out laughing too.

“It's all shits and giggles... Till someone giggles and shits.” she retorted.

“I miss the age when I thought I would have my shit together by the time I was the age I am right now.” he mumbled as his laughter died down, finishing the last of his sandwich. “You guys are weird.”

“Okay. Let's play a game. Since we all really don't know much about each other, I thought we could do a little something.” Cat said.

“Sure,” Char agreed.

“It's simple. We just tell things nobody else knows about us.” Cat continued, grabbing a packet of orange juice from the basket.

Daniel shrugged. “I'll go first. I'm ambidextrous.”

Zach's jaw dropped. “Say that again?”

Daniele raised a brow. “I said I'm—”

“No, I heard you the first time. You're bisexual?”

“Wait, what?” Char panicked.

“You bunch of pyschos, it means I use both hands pretty well. Especially in writing.” Daniel rolled his eyes.

Char's shoulders sank in relief. Phew! That would have been a disaster.

“Okay, my turn,” Cat announced. “When I was nineteen, I had a crisis. I thought I was a lesbian.”

“Ooh, kinky.” Zach wriggled his eyebrows making Cat hit him at the back of his head.

“What made you change your mind?” Daniel asked with a chuckle.

Cat glanced at Char. “Well, I decided to try it out. At first it was bad, because I found girls attractive and boys repulsive. But then I met this one girl, very pretty might I add, and I kissed her.” she paused as she took in Char's expression. “Nothing. It was bland.”

Daniel laughed, then stopped when he saw Char scowling. “Why is Char scowling at you, Cat?”

“Because she forgot to mention that I was the pretty girl she kissed!” she growled, her mind going back to when Cat had kissed her because she was ‘sorting out her feelings’.

Zach's eyes widened. Then he burst out laughing. “You kissed your best friend, Catherine?” he asked.

Cat rolled her eyes. “It was one time! And I apologised. Just let it go!”

“So basically, we've all indirectly kissed?” Daniel asked.

“Basically,” Char muttered as Daniel roared with laughter.

Now that she thought about it, it was kind of funny.

“Okay, my turn,” Zach said. “So when I was sixteen, my mother opened an account on Facebook. She said she was looking for love, which I found pretty stupid because she was married to my dad. But then again, everything that woman does is pretty stupid to me,” he paused for effect. “Dad traveled a lot so I got stuck with her most of the time. And she never gave me my allowance. So when she opened a Facebook account, I found it as an amazing to get money out of her.”

“Extortion?” Char asked.

“Shhh,” Zach shussed her.

Char rolled her eyes but let him continue.

“I got a picture of a very handsome guy of the net and used it as my profile picture. I befriended her and you won't believe the horrible sexual things she said to me. My own mother,” he internally gagged. “So anyways, I told her I lived in Columbia and that I needed money to come to New york. We lived in New York at the time. At first she was reluctant, I got to give it to her, she actually had a little brain. But only a little. After a while, she budged. She transferred two grand to the account I sent her and she never heard from me since then.” he said with a chuckle, a sad glint in his eyes.

“That's not even the best part. For days on end, she was sad. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. For a pathetic moment, I actually felt sorry for her, but then I remembered every single thing she did to my dad and I and I was like, no, she didn't deserve my pity. She couldn't give her son his weekly allowance, but she sent two thousand to some random stranger.”

Char smiled sadly at Zach. She wasn't going to lie, his mother was not the best of mothers. Especially to him. He was completely neglected, he didn't have any maternal memories. To him, his only parent was his dad. The one who actually gave a damn about him. His mother was, to put it nicely, a slut. She'd known Zach for only two years but she knew him long to know that he didn't hate people. He was always so happy, playful and carefree. So if he did hate you, then you must've probably hurt him really bad. And the worst part? His mother never saw anything bad in what she did.
You can't change a person that doesn't see an issue in her character.

Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them.

“It's me now,” she said, trying to ease the tension. “So when I was eight, I created this crazy fantasy in my head where I'd grow up in love with SpongeBob, have a splendid SpongeBob-Charlotte wedding in Hawaii, spend our honeymoon in Korea and have little SpongeBob baby boys and little Charlotte girls and live happily ever after in his Pineapple under the sea.” She summed up, with a face-splitting smile.

Cat blinked. “Huh?”

“That is one of the most insanely idiotic things  I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent rant were you even close to anything considered to be remotely rational. I award you no point and may God have mercy on you,” Zach said with no hint of playfulness, his eyebrows scrunched together.

Daniel chuckled. “And honestly, I knew that.”

Char frowned. “You big bunch of meanies.” she pouted.

“Get some help, sister.” Cat shook her head, sipping her orange juice.

“I hate you guys,” she mumbled, stuffing her mouth with a piece of cake.

“And we love you too,” Daniel smirked as he kissed her.

The group spend several more hours at the beach, laughing and talking. They went for a swim a couple of times before the moment to leave came. They gathered the rest of their things, changed and got ready to leave.

“Okay, next stop. Your house,” Zach said to Char as they got to the car.

“Why?” she asked as she got into the car.

“Because,” he shrugged.

“Because?”

“Just because,” he replied as he settled in the driver's seat, switching places with Daniel who sat beside Char.

“Are you going to tell me where we're going?” she asked with little hope, already knowing the answer.

“Nope.”

—————

Ah! My hands are numb...

Over seven thousand words, I deserve an award....

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