AN: Sorry for the prolonged hiatus.
Joy
Sarah stood directly under the showerhead for what seemed like an hour before the chill finally receded from her bones, praying the whole time his aunt's vacation condo had a huge hot water tank. She had not realized how cold she was until the shivering-to-the-bone dash from the beach to the condo. She did not even stop to grab her luggage, just beelined into the closest bathroom and straight into the shower, wetsuit on and all. When the water warmed enough, she struggled out of the snug neoprene and left it on the shower floor where it fell.
She smiled. As cold as she had been, she loved every second of the surfing adventure with Wyatt. Of course, she was not too shy to admit a good reason why was due to Wyatt himself. While Sarah enjoyed surfing, it was obvious Wyatt had a passion for it, something Sarah admired in people. Not only was Wyatt's passion unmistakable, but she saw pure joy light up his eyes while they were paddling for a wave, and the exhilaration was contagious.
With the chill soothed away and her teeth no longer chattering together, Sarah picked up the discarded wetsuit, rinsed it, and after turning the water off, hung it over the shower rod. She reached for a towel, only then realizing she did not have fresh clothes to put on. She was more worried about getting cold again than Wyatt catching her semi-naked. Though she had to admit that would not be a huge problem. It could be quite fun in fact. They had been taking things super slow, but she assumed this weekend would move things along.
After quickly drying her body she did her best to dry her hair into something presentable. It was not her finest work, but it would have to do. Sighing, she wrapped the soft fabric around her body and opened the bathroom door, only to freeze on the spot. Wyatt stood on the other side of the threshold, one arm raised as though he had been about to knock. With his hand suspended in the air, his eyesight traveled down the length of her barely covered body. Slowly his gaze returned to meet her eyes. Goosebumps broke out over her skin that had nothing to do with the temperature change outside the steamy bathroom.
Wyatt's curly blond hair was still damp and hung over his eyebrows. He wore loose-fitting faded jeans a little thin in the knees and a grey turtleneck sweater that clung to his lean frame in all the right places. Sarah wondered for half a second if his sister had anything to do with the outfit. Not that she was complaining.
Wyatt cleared his throat, finally lowering his temporarily frozen hand and breaking the heated-and-getting-hotter stare.
"Sorry," said Wyatt, taking a step back and raising his other arm, which was holding her bag. "Figured you might need this."
"Right." Sarah reached for her bag, deliberately brushing her fingers over Wyatt's and delighting in the soft blush rising in his cheeks from the brief contact. "Thank you."
Wyatt nodded the motion jerky. "The guest room upstairs on the right doesn't get as cold. So you can have it." He tugged at the collar of his sweater. "I'll just get dinner going."
After another quick visual tour of her bare skin, as if he could not help himself, Wyatt stepped back and turned for the kitchen.
Sarah smiled as she watched Wyatt walk away. A small doubt nibbled at the back of her mind at the mention of the bedroom situation. She shook her head, dispelling the aberrant thought. They were here for a whole week before being joined by some of his family. A guy did not invite a girl for a weekend away, let alone a whole week, and not plan on something happening. He was just being respectful and not assuming anything.
They had been going out for two months already. The furthest they had ever gotten was some heavy petting and making out. God, he was an amazing kisser. Still, every time she made a move to take things further he pulled back. She wondered at times if he was simply not attracted to her, but the hungry look moments earlier put that theory to bed.
Wyatt had the pizza heated and on the coffee table, plates and napkins out, beers cracked, and some generic music playing at a conversational level when Sarah came down the stairs.
"I hope you're good with pizza and beer," he said as Sarah came into the living room wearing jeans, socks, and an old high school hoodie of Wyatt's she had accidentally stolen. Wyatt licked his lips and cleared his throat, forcing himself to not stare. "That is pretty much all we have until we go into town tomorrow."
Sarah grinned that insanely captivating smile and something in Wyatt's chest flipped over. He was done for and he knew it. He had known it since their very first date. It was why he had asked her to come up to the condo early. He wanted to spend every moment with her. He also knew he could not make the same mistakes with her as he had with his previous girlfriends.
Wyatt gestured to the couch and took a seat. Sarah sat down next to him and picked up a beer. "Cheers," she said.
Wyatt grabbed a bottle and clinked it with Sarah's, dipped his head, and said, "to new adventures and a lifetime of good memories."
Sarah gave him a quizzical look and took a sip of the beer.
"So," started Wyatt, putting down his beer and picking up a slice of pizza. "What did you think of the surf?"
Sarah grinned. "I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was expecting to be running back to the condo after the first wave, but, yeah, it was fun. Although, I still prefer surfing when it's bright and sunny, not threatening to snow."
Wyatt chortled. "Yeah, I know, it's a bit crazy. I just—this was the place my friend taught me to surf. It just isn't the same anywhere else."
Shaking her head, Sarah bumped her shoulder playfully into Wyatt's and took a bite of her pizza, the grin never leaving her face as she chewed.
"So how was the last round of exams? We didn't get to speak much when you arrived." Wyatt bit his lip suddenly nervous. He had been so excited to share this experience with Sarah. He had literally shoved a wetsuit into her arms as soon as she step through the front door.
Sarah winked at him and patted his knee, wearing a half-smile. Wyatt relaxed back into the couch making sure his leg rested against hers.
"They were fine. My professor was really impressed by my term paper. He sent it on to a colleague of his at UCLA. They want to talk to me when school starts back up."
Wyatt loved watching her as she spoke about her day. He cataloged all the little habits and actions she had. Sarah moved her hands like a conductor as she spoke, up and down and around with the ebb and flow of her voice. Her eyes sparkled recalling particularly important or interesting details. The skin at the corners of her eyes would crinkle as she concentrated, trying to remember exactly how something happened. She would chew on the inside of her cheek if she felt like what she said was too much or not what he wanted to hear. And she would constantly look him directly in the eyes to make sure he was following along.
Sarah stopped talking and tilted her head, examining him with a single dark eyebrow raised.
"What?" Wyatt shifted, his knee brushing her knee. Had his thoughts shown on his face?
"I'm boring you with all this technical talk," stated Sarah, but the hint of laughter in her voice belied any offense she may have taken at Wyatt's zoning out.
"No, of course not! I was just imagining being there." Wyatt let his knee fall against Sarah's again, and this time he received a gentle press back in acknowledgment. He lowered his voice so his intention would not be missed. "With you."
Sarah smirked. "You wanted to be in my professor's office as we discussed the importance of oxytocin in early primate brain development?"
Wyatt nodded emphatically. "I want to be wherever you are."
Sarah blushed and her expression changed, becoming determined. The sparkle in her eyes never left but somehow grew to more of a smolder.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For?"
"For inviting me here. I know this is supposed to be a family thing."
Wyatt met and held Sarah's gaze as he spoke hoping to convey just how much he meant his words. "I haven't been back here in a few years, and I'm so glad my first time back was with you. The day couldn't have been more perfect."
Sarah was silent for a long moment, and Wyatt felt heat creep over his cheeks. He should have kept his thoughts to himself, but then Sarah smiled, soft and kind and still every bit infectious. She put her beer bottle on a coaster on the coffee table and then angled herself toward Wyatt—who did the same minus the coaster.
Sarah dropped her gaze to Wyatt's mouth which drew her in like a bee to a flower. She leaned forward, wanting to taste those lips again, fall into the heat of his mouth and strong embrace. She wanted to strip him down and revel in that gorgeous smooth skin sliding over defined muscles she had seen earlier when they changed into their wetsuits. Their lips met, and Wyatt let out a rumbling groan that encouraged Sarah to dive in. She slid her hand around the back of Wyatt's neck and pulled him closer.
Wyatt tangled his fingers in Sarah's hair and fell deeper into the tantalizing kiss. Wyatt found the bottom of Sarah's hoodie, slipped his hand underneath, spread his palms flat over taut, hot, skin, and then began pushing the hoodie up. Sarah's breath caught in her throat.
Someone banged on the front door.
Sarah groaned and began to pull back, but Wyatt held her tighter and mumbled against her mouth, "ignore it."
Another three beats on the door, and Sarah withdrew, her cheeks flushed and lips glistening. "They're not going away," she said, breathless. "We have all week."
Wyatt liked the sound of that but still sighed in frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he stood up and pointed at Sarah. "Stay right there. We're picking up right where we left off."
Wyatt adjusted his jeans that had grown a bit tight in the crotch, for as loose as they were, and headed for the entryway.
One more pause to check himself in the mirror, and he swung the door open to find his sister standing on the front porch. A huge guilty smile was plastered on her face. He reached out and pulled her inside, wrapping her in a hug before she could say a word.
"What are you doing here?"
Prue pulled back to look up into his face, brown eyes searching. "Damn it!" She said after a moment as realization hit. "You still haven't done it."
Wyatt's eyes widened. "SHH!"
Her gaze darted past his shoulder and back. "She's in the lounge?"
"Uh, yeah. We're having dinner."
Pure narrowed her eyes. "You went surfing first!"
Wyatt could not help but smile as he struggled to keep his voice stern. "I'll repeat. What are you doing here?"
"Mom decided since the high school's shuttered because of the strike we should come up early. I chose to get here even earlier to warn you."
Wyatt closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come in, come in." He led her into the living room. Sarah stood at the back of the couch awkwardly.
"Prue, nice to see you," greeted Sarah, stepping forward for a quick hug.
Prue eagerly returned the hug. "Nice to see you again. Sorry to interrupt your evening."
Sarah shook her head. "Don't be silly. We were just having dinner and then maybe going to watch a movie."
Wyatt moved behind Sarah and wrapped both arms around her waist. "There's still pizza. When's mom and Annie arriving?"
"They'll be like twenty more minutes. I convinced Mom you'd not have done any shopping, and you know how she loves making a breakfast buffet the first morning we're here. Traditions are important, you know."
Sarah nervously licked her lips. "Your mom's already in town?"
Wyatt turned her around but did not let her step back. "Sorry, babe. I was looking forward to us having the place to ourselves for a few days."
Prue gingerly sat on the armrest of the couch. "Just not the whole place—right?"
Wyatt growled a warning.
Sarah turned beet red. "No—no. NO!"
Prue packed up laughing. "Relax, Sarah. I'm not judging."
"You are going to be spending the night in the attic if you don't shut up," hissed Wyatt.
"Mom would allow that. You know the boys get the attic."
Wyatt breathed heavily through his nose. "Mom wouldn't know."
Prue raised both hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up."
Sarah disentangled herself from Wyatt. "I should go clean up the bathroom."
"No."
"It's fine."
Sarah slipped back upstairs. Wyatt watched her disappear with despair in his eyes.
Prue stood up again. "God, you've got it bad for her."
"Is that a bad thing?" Asked Wyatt defensively.
"Of course not, Wy. It's just the first time I've seen you really fall for a girl. It's kinda cute."
Wyatt folded his arms across his chest. "I've fallen for other girls."
"No, Wy, no you haven't. You've lusted after other girls. This—what you're feeling right now—this is love," said Prue sagely.
"How'd you know?"
Prue walked over to her older, taller brother. "Because I've been on the receiving end of both of those types of looks."
Wyatt gagged. "Gross, Prue. You're my baby sister."
"Who's a sophomore in college."
"Still my baby sister."
Prue stood on her toes and kissed Wyatt on the cheek. "So you dragged her off surfing in this weather, and she's still here. I'd say things are looking up."
Wyatt swallowed dryly. "I hope so."
Prue pulled him back to the couch. "So I was plotting the whole way up here. There are a bunch of activities in town because of the holidays. I think I can convince mom and Annie to join me in town most days at least for a few days. That way you still get to spend time alone with Sarah. It just sucks that we all have to sleep here. I tried putting her off, Wy, honey I did, but you know what Mom's like. Once she's decided on a course there's no way to stop her. I could hardly tell her you were up here with your girlfriend."
Wyatt's breath caught in his chest. "She doesn't know!"
"Of course not. I was not going to be the one to tell our mother that. I love you, but I'd like to live to see my college graduation."
"Annie's going to flip, too. Mom's always said these vacations are for family only," Moaned Wyatt.
Prue gave Wyatt a one-armed hug. "It'll be ok. They knew you'd invited Sarah. They just didn't know she'd be staying at the condo."
Wyatt picked up his half-empty beer and down it. "God, what a mess."
"A good mess, Wy. Remember, this is a good thing. Mom and Annie'll understand. One look at the two of you and anyone can see it."
"See what?"
Both siblings jumped. Sarah appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Prue stood up. "I think I need to take a stroll down the beach. Be back in a bit."
"See what, Wy?"
Wyatt chewed on his bottom lip. "Sar, babe, um—" He took a deep breath. "We've been dating for two months. And I think it's been going really well."
Sarah agreed silently.
"Well, maybe…" Wyatt fidgeted. He suddenly found it impossible to look Sarah in the eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you and say you're my first girlfriend. There've been others. I've just—there's never been anyone like you. I look at you and my palms start to sweat. My heart feels like it wants to beat its way out of my chest. Every time we touch—it's incredible."
"Wyatt," interrupted Sarah.
Wyatt shook his head. "Please let me finish. I suck at emotional shit, and I don't know if I'll be able to start again."
Sarah took a seat on the couch and patted the spot next to her. Wyatt sat still not quite able to meet her eyes.
"I normally know exactly what to say around beautiful women. With you—I get so tongue-tied. It surprises me that we've had a coherent conversation. I get so nervous and giddy around you. It's like I'm back at that middle school dance working up the courage to talk to—it doesn't matter. She doesn't hold a candle to you."
Sarah's cheeks heated up. "Wyatt," she whispered.
"That's why I've known—known since our first date that I wanted to do everything right. I didn't want this to turn into just another relationship. It's special. You're special. I want to make this last."
"Can I ask one thing?"
Wyatt nodded.
Sarah looked down at her nails. "Sorry if this kills the mood. After you became sexually active, how long did it take you to make the move with your previous girlfriends?"
Wyatt cleared his throat for the millionth time that night. "Three dates. Usually the second date."
Sarah reached out at grabbed his hand. "Wyatt, this has felt different to me too. I've never felt this way around another boyfriend. I've never felt this safe or this—loved."
Wyatt squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Sarah Ingerman, I do love you."
Sarah's smile could light up a thousand houses. "I like the sound of that, Wyatt Matthew Halliwell."
Wyatt pulled her into his lap and placed his lips on hers. The kiss lasted serval breathless minutes. When they broke apart it was only for a moment. "No, 'I love you too'?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and kissed him passionately. "Of course, I love you, too, idiot."
AN: Sorry for the disappearance. Life kept getting in the way. I'm hoping to have new chapters up relatively soon. Leave a review/comment. I love hearing from you.
