“Been more smiles than there’s been tears, been more good than bad years. Ain’t it crazy baby, how we got here, it all started with a beer…”


The better half of her group was already riding a mild buzz by the time Charlotte made it down to the hot pink canopy on the beach. Jules, Robbie, and Peter were already at the giggly stages of drunk. And the rest of her friends were well on their way, and Charlotte knew she had to catch up regardless of whether or not Darcy showed up.

“Strip! Strip! Strip!” Jules giggled, raising her plastic cup in the air.

Everyone was already down to their bathing suits, and arriving later than she originally anticipated, Charlotte was having to get to her friends’ level in half the time. Jules chant rallied the rest of her friends, and Charlotte went to appease them just so they wouldn’t be too disturbing to the other people around them. She tugged her tank top over her head and tossed it into one of her bags, adjusting her high necked, lacy bikini top. Then she shimmied out of her shorts and fixed her black bottoms on her hips. As a reward, Jules handed her the first drink of the day, and Charlotte was off.

She wasn’t sure how much time had actually passed. It couldn’t have been much more than an hour. She’d finished one drink and was into her second when Jules elbowed her. They looked up the beach from their place beneath the canopy. And there he was: board shorts, t-shirt, flip flops, sunglasses, and a towel slung around his neck. How brave did he have to be to willingly walk into a lion’s den where he only knew one person? How much courage did it take to knowingly put himself in a situation that might be awkward or uncomfortable? Charlotte wondered if this was some sort of sacrifice on his end to prove that he was serious about what he had said.

Charlotte handed her cup to Jules and walked towards Darcy, meeting him up the beach. She smiled as she approached and turned to walk back with him. “You made it,”

“I thought it might be too soon to assimilate myself with a bunch of guys who were seen as professional foes just a couple days ago,” he looked down at her and smiled. When he glanced back up at the bright canopy, he took a deep breath, “what am I walking into?”

“My friends, my crew. They're in the arts so they’re a little… quirky. They’re everything to me, so if you're serious about wanting a relationship or whatever, they’re gonna have to like you,”

“That’s a lot of pressure,”

Charlotte reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers, “you’ll be fine.” She looked back at the canopy and spotted all of her friends staring at her. Well, staring at Darcy. With the exception of Jules, none of them even knew Darcy existed, let alone knew Charlotte well enough for them to be holding hands. “Everybody, this is Darcy. Darcy this is Jules, Robbie, Peter, Gina, and Lindsey… Significant others will be here shortly.”

Darcy waved with his free hand, “it’s nice to meet you all.” He cleared his throat and looked down at Charlotte, hoping the sight of her would ease his nerves. After a number of muted responses, Darcy ducked beneath the canopy as Charlotte led him closer, pouring some of the vodka lemonade into a red plastic cup for him.

Charlotte then led him to where she’d previously been sitting and pulled him down with her. He stretched out his legs in front of him and took a sip. Charlotte could hardly believe her friends didn't begin interrogating him immediately. She was almost proud of them for showing such restraint. They talked easily with him, not asking anything too out of the ordinary, and Charlotte was amazed at how he spoke to them like he was catching up with old friends. That was something she admired about him.

As it got later and later into the afternoon, Gina and Lindsey’s boyfriends showed up to celebrate, and the boys took it upon themselves to start up a game of beach volleyball. It was Peter and Darcy against Robbie and Gina’s boyfriend, while everyone else sat on the sidelines cheering on one of the teams. Charlotte couldn’t keep her eyes off of Darcy as he played; running around, diving and jumping across the sand. He was pure athleticism despite being much taller than the other three guys around him.

Jules linked her arm around Charlotte’s and leaned in closer. She too had her eyes glued on Darcy, “he’s back in town? For how long?”

Charlotte couldn’t even peel her eyes away from him, “retirement. Or until the Kings decide to trade him. We haven't gotten to talk about it much,”

“Is the sex good enough to keep stringing him along?” She nudged Charlotte’s arm.

“He said he wants to try something more serious now that he’s a semi-permanent fixture here,” she looked over at Jules. “But yes, the sex is fantastic,”

Jules got a shit-eating grin on her face and then looked back at Darcy. Charlotte could tell she was scoping out his body, since she had been pretty sparse with the sex details. But when Charlotte looked back at him too, Darcy was bent over, hands on his knees, waiting for the serve. When they made eye contact, he winked at her before returning his complete attention to the game.

---

Never in twenty-four years of life, did Charlotte enjoy a Fourth of July more. The volleyball game was followed up by everyone running towards the ocean for a midday dip. Darcy had clung onto her in the water, spinning her around in it like a child. And when they finished that, the group made their way back to the canopy for food and more drinks. The sun was setting down, and everyone on the beach was prepping for the fireworks. With drinks refreshed, Charlotte made a spot for herself in between Darcy’s legs. She leaned back against his chest and rested her arms on his legs. When she tilted her head back to look up at him, Darcy tilted his head to the side and smiled at her. He bowed his head and pecked her lips quickly. It was really the first display of affection he showed her in public. Ever. She was shocked that he chose to do it, but equally amused with his decision to do so in front of her close friends.

Everyone was either cuddling up with their significant other or deep in conversation about something, so Charlotte murmured, “what were the terms of this trade?”

He grinned, “are you asking for my salary?” When she shook her head insistently, he continued, “one year.”

“So until next July?”

Darcy sucked in a deep breath. How could he explain this to her without making it sound like he had no idea how long it would be? “Best case scenario, they offer me a new contract so I can spend more than one year here. There are trade deadlines in December and February, and I could be traded at either of those. Then free agency opens July first.”

“You think you’ll get a new contract?”

He smiled, trying to be reassuring. “I’ve only been property of the Kings for three days. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question.” He set his cup down beside him and wrapped his arms around Charlotte’s body. When she turned her head to the side slightly, he nuzzled his face at the base of her neck, “you wanna see my place tonight?”

“Do you even have a bed?” She mocked and leaned her head against his.

He bit her neck softly as she laughed. “I’ve got the mattress, just not the frame,”

“I’m a classy lady. I like bed frames,”

Darcy squeezed her sides, “it’s in Minnesota. I have to go back and get the rest of my things.”

“You better do that fast then.” Charlotte smiled and stretched up to kiss Darcy quickly. He reciprocated in the same fashion. “Have you got most of your furniture here?”

He shook his head, “I’m selling most of it. Just keeping the things I can break down, put in my car, and drive back here. I’m going back in a couple days,” he noticed how her face fell when he said that. Like if he left town again, he might be gone for a few months. She didn’t want him to leave because she didn’t want that idea to become a reality. But Darcy reacted to her expression, “you wanna come along? Road trip it back,”

“I’m a terrible mover,”

“I won’t make you carry anything heavy,”

Charlotte lifted her hand and cupped the back of Darcy’s head, lowering it just a bit more so she could plant her lips on his more squarely. She jumped at the crack of the first firework, and pulled away from him to look up at the sky. Darcy set his cheek down on top of Charlotte’s head as he too watched the sky light up in an array of different colors. Every so often, Charlotte noticed how Jules looked at her, spying on the way they held onto each other. It was like she was conducting a science experiment, taking careful notes on her subjects.

When Darcy tapped on her hip, Charlotte cocked her head to the side as he whispered in her ear. She nodded quickly and searched around for her sandals, slipping them on her feet as she simultaneously shot Jules a look. Take my shit home with you if I don’t come back, was the intended meaning of the look, and she hoped Jules picked up on that.

Without much hesitation, as the fireworks still popped in the sky, Charlotte and Darcy stood up and escaped from beneath the canopy. She had one of her bags in tow only because it contained her wallet, phone, and t-shirt. Her shorts had made it back on after getting out of the ocean. When they were up and walking, Darcy grabbed onto Charlotte’s hand and held it tightly as they strode down the beach. Every so often, they looked up at the sky to admire the show being put on, but mostly they were just enjoying each other. Even with hundreds of people on the beach, it still felt like they were sharing an intimate moment away from everyone.

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it quickly, then held it against his chest as they continued to walk, forcing Charlotte just a bit closer to him. She glanced up at him, “you’re being awfully cute and romantic for someone who just wanted a quick fuck.”

Darcy rolled his eyes playfully and lifted his arm, hooking it around her shoulders, still keeping her hand clutched in his. “I think you know you were always more than that,”

“Your two in the morning texts could’ve fooled me,” she winked, only mentioning this to give him a hard time. She didn't take any of it to heart.

“You’re not a one time fuck kind of girl.”

Her mouth dropped open, “what kind of girl am I?”

He squeezed her hand and smiled, “you want to be taken care of. But not actually taken care of. You don’t want a keeper but you want someone looking out for you; taking care of you… sexually.”

“And what does that mean about me, Dr. Freud?” She pulled away from him just to set her bag down to sift through it for her shirt, and tug it over her head.

When they began walking again, Darcy shrugged. “He would say it’s resentment towards your father and so you act out with sex as a means of getting back at him,”

“What do you say?” Charlotte searched his face for a true answer.

“I say it doesn’t have to mean anything. You’re a strong woman who knows what she wants out of different aspects of her life, and has a plan for how she’s going to get those things.”

She leaned back into him playfully, nudging him to the side. “See, I was just using you for sex all along,”

“I don’t mind, it’s been a pleasure.” He grinned and led her up the beach.

As the show’s finale exploded into the air, Darcy and Charlotte were almost already back at her apartment. They had mindlessly made their way back, deep in conversation. It wasn’t about anything life changing or important, but they were so captivated by each other that it seemed they could go on for hours on end. When Charlotte pushed open her front door, she turned around to grab onto Darcy’s shirt, and pulled him closer. She smiled against his lips as he set his hands on her hips, drifting down to her ass to give it a firm squeeze. Then Charlotte dropped her hips to his, rubbing against him, trying to get him to succumb to her advances.

It took everything in him to resist her. Darcy pulled his lips from hers and looked down at her, searching her heavy, lust-filled eyes. Part of him thought that he was doing the honorable thing by stopping things for the night. He wanted her to know that he was serious about what he’d said; that he actually did want to start something real with her. And another part of him thought he was an idiot. A willing woman in front of him, needy and moaning, and he was about to tell her not tonight.

“Char…” he cleared his throat as her name came out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m gonna head out,”

She let out a soft whine and pressed her lips to his neck, kissing and sucking on his skin gently, “but I’m already wet for you.”

Darcy looked up at the ceiling. Stay strong, you weak bastard. He set his hands on either side of her waist, hoping it’d draw her attention up to his eyes. It didn’t. “I’ll make it up to you,”

Now Charlotte looked up at him, taking one of his hands from her waist and pressed his fingers to her clit from outside her shorts. She let out an airy moan as she rocked her body against his fingers. “You’re really gonna make me end the night by touching myself?” She smirked when his cheeks flushed, summoning every ounce of restraint he had. “Coming all over my dildo isn’t nearly as satisfying as coming all over your dick,” she whispered.

Darcy licked his lips and pulled his hands away from her, moving to cup them around her face. “I promise we’ll have many nights for me to make it up to you.” He kissed her lips slowly, “I’ll call you.” After one last kiss, Darcy backed up to the front door and pulled it back open, stepping out into the night, and leaving Charlotte there in her living room, up to her own devices.

Notes

"It All Started With A Beer" by Frankie Ballard.

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