-Frank, why'd you bring us to this high-school reunion?
The red headed man smiled at the darker man next to him.
-You're such a snob. Most of the guys here are well over college.
-The girls are minors.
Frank Kennedy wiped his forehead and smiled - "I'm not keeping you here. I for one am very fond of a certain minor who's grown to be an exquisite redhead."
-You're nuts! Andrew - wanna ditch it?
The third man in the party smiled and patted his arm affectionately -
-No. I got the love of my life here too.
-Now you've intrigued me! Who's the lucky lady?
-Wouldn't you like to know?!
Andrew laughed and with a light step left the party rushing in the house.
He saw a small dark haired woman wave cheerfully at Andrew and run excitedly towards him. He caught her with little effort and twirled her in the air as you'd do a five year old child.
Her laughter was music.
"Andrew! You're here! Does that mean-" she smiled and blushed suddenly aware of the crowd "Are these your army buddies? I wasn't aware that you and Frank were together".
Andrew took her elbow and directed her towards the building laughing at the excited young woman and whispered something in her ear. Having done that she stopped him and gave him a kiss on his lips. Too short to be lover-like, but she seemed pleased with herself.
It wasn't too long that at the barbeque held on the lawn he noticed the same young woman flirting shamelessly with two, no - three men, one after the other. She was holding a huge 'Grey's Anatomy' next to her. Andrew approached her. She turned to him with keen delight and hugged him briefly. The muscular man smiled at her fondly and pinched her cheek. Her eyes caught Rhett's gaze. He gave her a grin and watched her blush defiantly.
Some time later, he saw her surrounded by a flock of young men yet managing to escape to the back side of the building. For some odd reason he followed her.
"Dilcey, will you give me a glass of wine?"
"No Miss Scarlett. You want me thrown by Mr. Wilkes to the street?"
"Oh, Dilcey, don't be such a prude. No one will know. Besides, aren't you coming to work for us?"
The black woman smiled at her with undisguised affection "I know that's your doings. Pork told me."
She blushed and gave the cook a small peck on the cheek. At the door she grabbed a Budweiser bottle without anyone noticing, or so she thought.
"You aren't 21, are you?"
The amused voice startled her but she recovered fast enough recognizing the drawl from the library.
"I'm no school girl either."
"How old are you?"
"Guess." she smiled showing a dimple.
"Don't give me that! You got enough men waiting for these smiles in the lawn."
She chuckled a bit embarrassed - "You'll still have to guess my age, because I won't tell!"
He couldn't. Something in her sparkling eyes made him wonder. A tall hazel eyed young man came by her and swept her off the ground.
"Charlie! You're here!" she squealed with delight "Andrew didn't say- Oh! You're here!" And she hugged him closely.
"Thought I'd leave you to the vulchers? As long as you remember you're mine, I don't mind you toying with them."
"As if you were mine!" she laughed.
"You packed?" he asked.
"No. I got two months before med-school begins."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then" and he left.
"So you're off to university?" asked Rhett, trying to get as many clues as he could.
"Med school." she smiled.
"So why wouldn't she give you the beer?" his eyes were dancing.
"She wants to wait for my birthday I guess " she squirmed.
"You are an awful liar"
She liked his eyes, and she lingered with answering him while blushing a bit.
"Don't blush, I won't tell your secret."
"Scarlett, what are you doing a-drinkn' when you know-" A white haired man approached.
"Oh, pa, it isn't mine, and as you see it's perfectly sealed so I wasn't drinking, was I? I was just holding it for- for -"
"Butler, Rhett Butler" the dark haired man smiled "and your daughter was just insisting that she can't drink, not even a sip of beer because she hasn't turned 21 yet."
"21? Sure she hasn't"
"Oh pa, don't go around revealing my age. Ma always says-"
"I know what your ma says, that's how I married her before her turning 20" he huffed and turned.
She smiled at Rhett Butler resignedly not relinquishing the bottle just yet "I guess I got caught."
He smiled and didn't bother taking the bottle from her hand "You won't tell me your age?"
"No" she smiled and handed him the bottle "I'd like to remain mysterious".
His roaring laughter made her smile as she took his offered arm "Show me around, you seem at home".
She showed him the garden, the path leading to the club house, and the one leading to the beach. He got a phone call and excused himself hastily. She watched him walking towards the parking lot with an interest she was not used to.
"You like him" she was startled as Charlie touched her shoulder "I knew we share the same tastes. You like them manly and older."
" You gave me a scare! Charles Hamilton - don't do that."
A few hours later he was trying to rest in the library, not to think of his coming assignment when he heard the voice of the annoying lieutenant Wilkes, who was hosting the affair.
"Wouldn't you like to consider it, Scarlett?"
"How dare you?! And to think that Melly - and you -"
"Don't be upset. She is like me. She understands me."
"I- So what was I ? A distraction? Something to feed your ego? Why have you been calling on me for months?" The voice was low with rage.
"Melanie thought -"
"Melanie this and Melanie that. You are the lowest kind of man. She and Charlie are honest, but you put on this act for the world to see, you pursued me and, -"
The sound of a slap was loud and clear. The door shut down soon after and a small vase nearly hit his head while being thrown furiously to the other side of the room.
The look on Scarlett's face was priceless had he not felt sorry for her.
"You should have made your presence known." she uttered with total humiliation, as the tears began running down her cheeks. She faced the door.
"Hey," he held her shoulder shortly and gently asked "would you like to share with a complete stranger who won't judge you what just happened?"
The green eyes gave him a piercing gaze and she blurted -
"Ashley just explained to me that he's been trying to lure me to a threesome with his fiancé, and that in fact he's never been interested in me one bit."
He gulped, she seemed too young for complex relationships and from the shock that she evidently manifested she was.
"He must have been interested -" he began dryly
"Don't start. His fiancé is. Has been for some time, but I'm not. That's not the point. She knows I'm not interested so he tried to bring me as a trophy of sorts to their bed, as a gift - the utter bastard." She was upset.
"I always saw him as a bit of a dickhead."
"You know him?"
"Most of the army guys here have crossed paths in one way or another." he smiled at her - "You're right. He is a bastard for trying to use you like that. The thing is that you don't seem in love with him."
"I'm not. At least I think I'm not. You see, we've all grown together and for a while I thought- Never mind what I thought. I was an idiot."
"Come, don't be so hard on yourself. If you want to upset him I'm willing to be your cover-up for this weekend."
"How'd you know I use coverups?"
"Other than the young Charlie guy and Andrew you don't give a damn about any of them. I saw your bored look."
She inhaled deeply "And you wouldn't mind?"
"Who said I don't need a coverup? Frank might try and hitch me with a school-girl the sad pedophile."
She laughed really hard "Frank?! He is the sweetest gentleman. He's with my stupid sister. He hardly holds her hand, but he does love her."
"How come?" he smiled at her frankness.
"Sue decided she liked him when she was six. At first she simply pestered him and he was too sweet to tell her to buzz off. Afterwards I think he took for her for some odd reason. She is a horrible human being - selfish whining bitch, but as they say love must be blind."
He smiled appreciatively at her. She stood at the door "Rhett? Right?" he nodded "Thank you. I was really upset and somehow talking to you made me feel better. If you need me for coverups, all you have to do is whistle". She mimicked the last words in a sweet manner that left him smiling for a long while. He forgot his plans to shut himself in his room.
The entire afternoon and evening he had his eyes on her.
In the evening he arrived at the dance floor and noticed a gathering of sorts around one dancing couple that danced in a professional way. It didn't interest him much so he settled at the bar. While nursing his drink he heard her gasping "Sam - mind giving me some cherry coke?"
"Now, that's plain disgusting" Rhett smiled at her.
Unapologetically she smiled and took the long glass the barman handed her "Cherry coke for my favorite dancer, Scarlett child."
"You danced there?" he asked her, smiling. She nodded absentmindedly
"So, you dance, and plan to become a doctor?"
A grey eyed young woman accompanied with a tall red headed man mutter "You can plan, however God -"
"Hello to you too India," smiled Scarlet, "how lovely it is to see you, always positive and cheerful as you are. Why don't you go ask your brother for lessons on positivity, he must have read something about positivity at some point."
"What's Ashley got to do-"
But Scarlett ignored her and spoke to the tall guy " Stu darling, is Brent here too?"
The red headed smiled at her affectionately "Sure, he's been asking of you. Come for a ride tomorrow morning?"
"Sure. The three of us?"
"That will be grand!" he cheered
India grabbed his arm, nearly yanking him from his spot.
"So she hates you because her red headed guy adores you?"
"She is a witch, is all, I wonder how her skin doesn't turn green with all her evil spitefulness."
"And yet her beau adores you."
"Stu Brent and I rode together. Cross country horse riding. They both had a crush on me, but it's dumb, we used to do everything together…"
"So there was never something to be jealous of?"
She smiled a small smile "I may have let Stu kiss me in front of her to make her jealous. But it was done as a favour for him. She refused going out with him the night before. She really is stupid if she didn't realize it was all a ploy."
"Whose idea was it?" he asked smiling.
She gave him an appreciative smile and drank her coke silently. She looked out the window. The sun was setting in the sea. "Will you walk with me to the shore?" she asked.
He smiled and stood willingly. She made him feel light headed.
He followed her to the deserted beach. When she sat on the shoreline he approached - "You should distance yourself a bit, these are tricky waters, tide is coming and a huge wave can come out of nowhere and have you -"
As if by call a huge wave drenched them both, carrying her a bit into deeper waters, but she managed to get herself out spitting water and coughing. She found herself supported by him for a few minutes. It felt as if the world had come to an end when he reached her lips and she reciprocated. Oh, she'd kissed before. Kissed and been kissed several times by several boys. None of those kisses prepared her to the sensation that took over her from head to toe. She felt herself molded into something she never knew existed within herself. It was warm and harsh yet light and gentle all at the same time. She figured that was how Charlie felt when held by his love. It seemed like they were at it for hours. When he grazed her body with his hands she wasn't sure how to respond, but he acted as if it was the most natural thing. Himself exploring her neckline and then her breasts.
When they returned to the condos she allowed him to guide her to his room.
She didn't bother to warn him to be careful, being a horse rider for most of her life she counted on her natural flexibility to prevent any pain. She was wrong, the first thrust nearly sent her screaming but he froze immediately whispering "I'm a bit big, tell me to stop and I'll stop".
She was breathing heavily when she saw those dark eyes and felt herself pulled to them. He understood.
The following morning she left his room before he woke. The ride with the boys took more than she expected and when they returned the entire group was eating by the pool an elaborate brunch.
She noticed him before she saw him. She didn't even bother to pretend when she threw him a stare and left to change. He was by her the minute she passed the door to the main building. He handed her a glass of cherry coke and she smiled "I stink, it'll take me 20 minutes tops-"
But she went after him to his room once again and let him bath her and sooth her sore muscles with his hands and mouth.
Late Sunday evening he was packed. Smiling he asked "Will you tell me your age?"
"You're off to war, aren't you? " she smiled and waved "If you come to visit when you can, I might tell you."
None of them understood how the weekend came to turn out the way it did. But he carried with him to the front line a sweet memory from a sweet siren he never thought he'd meet again, and she? She found the love of her life. The only man she'd ever want. Ever have.