Elizabeth felt the first flutters of real nerves as she dismounted Dwayne's bike. She glanced at the dancing boardwalk behind her and shook her head, running her hands through her hair, trying to neaten it.
"You OK?" he asked. He looked at her, pleasantly amused as she tried to style her hair. It was perfect the way it was, "..you know we don't have to-"
"-no, no" she interrupted with a smile and a shake of her head, "I want to, I just feel kind of nervous, you know?"
The thought of spending her night with Dwayne and the others sounded great, truthfully it sounded wonderful.
They were just so much cooler than she was..
He nodded in understanding, "don't be"
"That's really good advice..." she told him in a lightly sarcastic tone with a cheeky grin, brightening when he laughed.
"Come here..." he extended his arm and she went to him, letting him pull her close, his strong arm draped over her shoulder once more.
The road was almost empty, just a few very late stragglers and a cluster of drunk friends.
He began to walk and she let him lead her, feeling safe and comforted in his easy embrace. As they walked towards the quiet, empty wooden stairs leading down to the beach, Elizabeth caught the eye of a passing girl. She had a swim suit on under a crochet dress, her long hair was curled prettily, likely from a day spent in the sea, and her heeled sandals gave her long legs an extra boost. She eyed Dwayne appreciatively, openly, before hitching her bag over her shoulder and turning a small, impolite stare towards Elizabeth.
Dwayne pulled her closer to him and Elizabeth bit her lip, fighting back a pleased smile as she glanced up at him.
It felt oddly good, it felt strangely right that the girl had recognized Elizabeth as being with Dwayne.
He carried on walking as if he hadn't noticed but, when she glanced up at him again, he placed an easy kiss on her head, smirking a little.
She smiled.
They began to walk across the beach, navigating the steps in perfect unison.
In the distance was a roaring fire and figures dotted around it.
She was a excited to see the guys but she wouldn't know everyone else...
Dwayne, seemingly reading her mind with all the ease in the world, let his hand slip from her shoulders. He reached down and took her hand in his instead, giving it an easy squeeze.
"It's just the guys and some random people.." he assured her and, as Paul's laughter floated towards them, she nodded at his words, "I think you'll have fun. If you don't, let me know. We'll leave, OK?"
"Deal"
She let him lead her once more.
They passed across the sand easily, Dwayne's strides long and strong. As they neared the bonfire, Elizabeth saw it was the three boys. No extra guests, no new faces. It was just David, Marko and Paul.
Dwayne looked down at her with a confused shrug, "I was wrong.."
She laughed a little. She didn't care in the slightest that he had been wrong, these were the people she was happy to see.
They were met with a chorus of greetings.
Dwayne made no movements to release her hand and she felt a wave of pleasure and pride wash over her. It was almost as if he was displaying her, displaying their new relationship, telling them all that she was his girlfriend.
It felt..she tried not to blush, a new but welcome excitement building in her stomach.
She didn't have the words.
"Elizabeth" Marko greeted, standing as they approached, "always a pleasure to see your face"
"Hey, Marko" she replied, raising her left hand in a little wave.
He held out a chilled beer, condensation dripping slowly down the shiny can and she nodded at his offer. The curly haired boy grinned at Dwayne, "sorry, none for you, driver. How's the date?"
He laughed when Elizabeth blushed.
She couldn't control it this time.
She had been expecting, kind of anticipating, really, their fun, joking style but that was incredibly fast.
"OK. Get it out of your system.." Dwayne commanded and Elizabeth glanced up at him, trying to suppress her embarrassed smile. She had a very strong feeling the two boys were going to take Dwayne up on his order.
Marko laughed, tapped the lid of the beer can with cheer and opened it for Elizabeth. She took it with her free hand and a grateful thanks. She looked down, focusing on the hiss of escaping air instead of the words she knew were going to start pouring from their mouths.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Wait, what date?" Paul asked from across the fire, sat low on a large piece of driftwood, he grinned happily, "these two are on a date?"
Marko chuckled, sitting down into the sand once more with a heavy thud.
He kicked his feet out before him, his grin wide as he winked at Elizabeth.
It was a casual, 'no hard feelings' wink and she smiled against the lid of the can, taking a small sip. The twinkle in his eyes told her they were torturing Dwayne and nothing more.
"Paul, maybe we shouldn't take about their date?" he cautioned his laughing friend as Elizabeth fondly shook her head at their antics.
Dwayne motioned to another piece of driftwood, a larger piece to the side of Paul's where David was sat, and released her hand.
She moved towards it, smiling at but ignoring the two boys.
It didn't deter them.
"Evening, Elizabeth" David said, his voice low and eyes dancing with amusement. He greeted her with a gracious nod, making sure there was enough space for her to sit comfortably.
"Hi.." she smiled at him, sitting comfortably on the sturdy, thick branch.
"Why? You think it's embarrassing for them if we talk about their date?" Paul checked, speaking loudly and over both David and Elizabeth.
Dwayne glanced at her, checking to see if she was OK, Elizabeth thought, before looking down and into the contents of a simple, plastic cooler.
"Not for Dwayne" Marko said, grinning into his beer.
"Yeah, you're right..." Paul was grinning widely down into the cigarette he was rolling, "must be super embarrassing for her though. Going on a date with Dwayne of all people.."
"Ugh, I know. We know she's new for sure, I mean…to go on a date with Dwayne" Marko laughed.
"Totally slumming it. Everyone knows that blondes are more fun! Hey, Liz-ah, fuck..shit-" Paul had dropped his cigarette and began to fumble for its fallen contents.
"Poor girl-" but Marko's words were interrupted as he began to cough. Dwayne had finally passed him, kicking a huge wave of sand into his face and into his friend's open mouth as he did.
Elizabeth smothered her laugh, taking a sip of beer.
She liked it. She liked their banter, their jokes. She liked their friendship.
She liked that she was part of it, too.
Dwayne moved to sit beside Paul, who held his hands up, papers crumbled in one fist, "Truce, truce man!"
Salvaging his smoke was clearly more important than ribbing Dwayne.
David laughed heartily.
"Finished?" Dwayne asked with amusement, settling down into the driftwood. They all nodded in the affirmative, pleased and comfortable smiles on their faces.
Elizabeth looked thankfully at Dwayne, he was sat a respectful distance away. Close enough to be present, not too close that she would feel like they were turning the three boys into spare parts.
She shot him another grateful look.
"You two have a good night?" David asked and Elizabeth nodded, "yeah, it's been..." she nodded again, biting her lip. It was hard not to think about Dwayne, about how she would like the night to end... "how about you guys?"
"Oh you know, same old.." Marko told her happily.
She drank some of her beer as David lit a cigarette.
"You don't mind?" he asked and she shook her head. She didn't smoke herself but she didn't care if other people chose to, he was down wind anyway, so the smoke wouldn't bother her.
"No, it's cool" she told him sincerely, pleasantly happy that he had the thoughtfulness to check with her first.
"I thought you were having a party?" Dwayne asked as Paul grinned over at him, his eyes holding a secretive gleam "over..."
"It was shit anyway..only good thing was the boombox" Marko clarified, "this is the second party"
"Second party?" Elizabeth asked.
"Second party, after party...the mother fucking better party!" Paul expanded as David raised his beer with a "here, here!"
They happily toasted, Dwayne sipping some soda he'd liberated from the small cooler.
Paul finished rolling and smiled down at his cigarette.
Elizabeth grinned as she watched him...he almost looked like a mother fawning over a new baby...but she shyly, quickly glanced into the fire as she realized it wasn't entirely just a cigarette he was looking lovingly down at.
She remembered his words, his offer from the other night.
He lit it and took a long, deep drag. He held his breath for what seemed like an impossibly long time before exhaling and indulging in another.
He passed it to Dwayne, who shook his head with a comforting smile at Elizabeth.
"I'll get you home safe" he promised her, holding out the joint.
She trusted that he would.
She looked at him, reaching to take it.
Could she do it? She was curious, admittedly, she really wanted to try...she'd just never had the chance before. She knew Michael had tried it, she knew it wasn't a big deal...
She hesitated, glancing to meet Dwayne's gaze again.
She didn't want to humiliate herself. She would cough and choke and splutter...
"I-" she began, thinking about how to reject it, however unwillingly before David offered, "first time?"
She nodded, glancing back at him.
"Have you smoke a cigarette before?" Marko asked easily from his space on the sand, "it's pretty much the same. Just a deeper inhale"
"Nobody here is going to laugh at you" David assured her and she looked at the boys, smiling at their kindness, their reassurance.
"Do you want to?" Paul asked.
"Yes" she replied quickly and honestly.
Paul grinned happily and gave a, 'well there you have it' shrug, "then go for it, don't give a fuck about us.."
She laughed at his words.
Dwayne smiled and moved slightly, sitting close to the edge of his piece of driftwood.
She took the joint carefully.
"Don't overthink it" David advised from beside her and she nodded, moving to inhale.
As the smoke filled her lungs, Dwayne smiled at her. He held a finger, "...wait" and she closed her eyes briefly, feeling her head begin to cloud ever so slightly. When the need for air became too much, she exhaled, coughing a little.
She smiled.
"OK" she passed it to David who looked pleased and conceded, "that's amazing"
The boys laughed as David took a hit before passing it back to her.
Dwayne nodded and she shook her head happily.
They were nothing if not generous.