Miracles apparently do happen, because Dad manages to get through the entire meal without going on one of his rants. Sure, he's patronising as fuck, and he makes a lot of assumptions, but at least he doesn't start going on about immigration policy or pill testing trials or kids skipping school to strike for climate action. He doesn't even bust out his catchphrase—'the leftist agenda'—the whole afternoon.

Bella grows quieter as we move from the main course to dessert. She smiles as she listens to Mum, Katie, and Riley talking, but doesn't contribute much to conversation unless they ask her a question. So as soon as everyone has finished their slice of coffee and walnut cake, I start clearing the table. Bella jumps up to help me. Normally, I'd take the plates off her and insist that guests don't help with the dishes, but I'm actually glad to get a few minutes alone with her in the kitchen.

I set the plates on the bench and as soon as Bella has stacked her pile beside them, I pull her in for a hug. She melts into me, her head against my shoulder.

'You okay?' I ask.

'I'm really tired,' she says. 'Just mentally fatigued, you know?'

'Lots of social stuff today?'

She nods against my chest. 'Yeah. Lots of people-ing.'

'Do you want to take off?'

'Soon. We should—' She waves a hand towards the stack of plates.

'I'll deal with that.' I kiss her forehead. 'Do you wanna wait here while I load the dishwasher and then we'll say our goodbyes?'

'Yeah.' Bella kisses my chin and I dip my head to press my lips to hers. We kiss softly for a few moments before I reluctantly pull away.

'Give me a minute,' I say.

'You can have two,' Bella tells me with a smile. 'I'll rinse, you stack?'

When I pull up in front of Bella's place, I pull on the handbrake but don't switch off the engine. She's tired and I don't want to presume.

'Don't you want to come in?'

I run my hand through my hair. Of course I do. But I'm also conscious of the fact she seems pretty exhausted and might need to rest. Plus, I've monopolised a lot of her time already this weekend.

'Do you want me to? I wondered if you might need some space to chill and, you know, de-people.'

'You know you don't count as people.'

'Uh, sorry?'

Bella shakes her head. 'That probably didn't make sense. But it's like…' She sighs and I switch the engine off, waiting to understand what she's trying to tell me.

'Socialising can be pretty mentally draining, right? Remembering names and making small talk and putting in the work to keep conversations flowing. It's tiring. But then… there are people who are easy. There aren't many of them, but they're the people I can be quiet with. And not just quiet as in not talking. Quiet as in still. Peaceful. Does that make sense?'

'I think so.'

'I can count my easy people on one hand,' Bella says. 'And you've been easy since the second time we met.'

I don't really know what to say to that. I'm pretty overwhelmed and the only responses that come to mind seem either inadequate or too much too soon.

So I let my lips speak in other ways as I lean across the console and kiss her. I tangle my fingers in her hair and kiss her until I run out of air and when I can't kiss her anymore, I press my forehead against hers and try to catch my breath.

The corners of Bella's mouth lift as she fingers the hem of her dress. 'You know,' she says, 'I do distinctly recall you promising to get your hands up my dress. Plus, I'm wearing like, the most uncomfortable pair of undies I own because you liked the look of them.'

I swallow hard and pull away, tip my head back against the headrest. 'Your folks?'

'Will be at the sailing club until late tonight. They were going out on a friend's boat and then having dinner with them.'

I don't need her to ask me again. I'm out of the car and at her door, pulling her into my arms, kissing her neck as her giggles turn to gasps. She fumbles with her keys while I press my erection against her backside, keeping my promise as I slide my hands under her dress and squeeze her thighs and toy with the hem of her underwear. We almost fall through the front door when she finally manages to fling it open, but I wrap an arm around her waist and kick the door closed behind us.

'Bedroom,' she says, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the hall. She sweeps all the clothes she dumped on her bed earlier onto the floor and then I'm on top of her, her legs around my waist and my lips on her neck, her collarbones, back to her mouth. Her hands scrabble at my back as she arches beneath me and I grind into her and imagine how fucking amazing it will be to be inside her. I'm not in a rush to have sex with her just yet, though. It's been a long time since I just enjoyed exploring all the ways two people can make each other feel good and I'd almost forgotten how much fun it can be.

I hook one arm under Bella's thigh and then she's laughing into my mouth because I'm trying to get my other hand into her undies without actually pulling my hips back enough to give myself the space so I grab a handful of her arse and thrust my hips against hers until her giggles turn into groans.

Bella shoves her hands down the back of my shorts and grabs my arse and fuck me if that isn't a massive turn on. But then she grabs the waistband of my boxers and it's like she's trying to pull them off but she's actually pulling them up and giving me a hell of a wedgie.

'Bel, gimme a sec.' I get to my knees and pull my t-shirt off and unbutton my shorts. Bella uses her feet to push them down and then she sits up and lifts her hands so I can pull her dress over her head. She's not wearing a bra so I cover her tits with my hands and my lips. She fists my hair and holds me close as she squirms and whimpers and rubs herself against me.

I shift my weight off her and slide my knee between her thighs as I keep kissing her, deep and sloppy, and when I flick the hem of her underwear she moans into my mouth and grabs my wrist. And it's so fucking hot, the way she shoves my hand under the lace and then pushes it to where she wants it and when I lean down and swipe my tongue across her nipple her thighs clench around my wrist and she's telling me it feels so good and then she's crying out and coming and she's so, so fucking beautiful. When her shudders subside, her fingers wrap around my dick and maybe it should be embarrassing, how quickly I lose it, but it's not because it's Bella and doing this with her is the most natural thing in the world.