I walk back to the campfire and sit next to Josh on the log. Crystal and Brad are sitting to our right and some of Savannah's friends to our left. Savannah left earlier to go with her boyfriend Kevin. There is old music playing and it mixes with the sound of the waves crashing against each other. The flames of the campfire illuminate our faces and I take in the warmth because it got chilly now that it's dark. It's such a beautiful night. What a perfect birthday.

"Everything alright?" Josh asks me quietly when I sit next to him.

I look into his beautiful brown eyes and nod. "Yeah," I say then put my arm through his. I press myself closer to him. His hand finds mine and he intertwines his fingers with mine.

"So," I say slowly. "-you didn't tell me you were buying a house."

He chuckles. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I was going to find one so quick."

I smile. "Where is it?"

"It's close to where you live." He glances at the beach. "Close to here."

"You're going to have to show it to me."

He looks at me. "Of course. It's going to be your house too."

I rest my chin on his shoulder as I look up at him. "I love you, Josh."

His expression softens when he hears that and he reaches out to stroke my cheek. "You have no idea what it means to hear you say that."

I smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you." I trace his check with my finger. "I love the way you love me."

He brings up our hands and kisses the top of my hand. "I'll always find ways to show you how much I love you."

I sigh, happily. "Kiss me, please." I whisper. He half smiles then leans in. I feel my body relax when our lips finally meet again. I didn't even know how empty I felt without him until this moment, when he kisses me again. It's a short kiss, nothing crazy, considering we're not alone. We smile at each other shyly when we pull away.

I rest my head on his shoulder and look at the campfire. Now, it really is a perfect night.

"Hey!" Crystal says after a moment. "We didn't sing happy birthday!" She stands up.

"It's not really nece-" I stop because they're already singing. I laugh feeling embarrassed. I don't know what else to do so I focus on Josh. I look at him as he sings. I can see him singing this same song to our kids someday. God. He's going to be such a great father. I suddenly feel an urgency in getting our lives started together. I know it's silly because I should enjoy the present. The now.

"Thank you," I say awkwardly when they stop singing. I look at Crystal and smile. "Thank you for all of this."

She smiles then hugs me. "You're welcome. We need to make a pact."

I frown. "What type of pact?"

She looks at Josh and Brad excitedly. "That no matter what, we'll keep this tradition alive." She waves her hands around us. "Having campfires and spending time together."

Brad stands up and puts his arm around her. "I'm down."

I smile at her. "I like that."

She smiles then puts her hand in the middle. "Come on, we're doing this right now."

Brad groans but puts his hand on top of hers and I put mine on top of his with Josh putting his on top. "For Savannah," Crystal says putting her other hand on the very top. She smiles at all of us and I wonder how many drinks she's had. "Ready? Whoooo!"

We all laugh as we wave our hands back.

"There's no going back now." She warns then laughs and grabs Brad's hand and pulls him to the water.

I laugh. "She's drunk, isn't she?"

"Just a bit." Josh chuckles. "Brad will take care of her."

I smile then look up at him. "Walk me home?"

He grins then reaches for my hand. "Of course."

We hold hands as we walk on the sand until we reach the sidewalk. We put on our shoes before we keep walking. We weren't far from the house. It's about a ten minute walk.

Josh pulls me to him when we reach the house. He kisses me on the porch, under the moonlight. It's dark and quiet outside and I concentrate on the way his lips feel against mine. They're so soft and gentle. We kiss until we run out of breath and he kisses my forehead before hugging me tightly. I smell him, feeling content to be back in his arms. I don't ever want to know what it feels like to not touch him again.

After a moment, I look up at him. "Stay with me?" I whisper. Savannah's car is not in the driveway so I know she's not home. I know she wouldn't mind Josh staying with me. She'd probably mind if she heard us though.

Josh kisses me in response and I smile. I turn to unlock the door then grab his hand and pull him inside. I don't bother turning on the lights. I lock the door and head straight for the stairs. Josh hugs me from behind when we walk into my dark room. His arms are tight around my waist and he presses his lips on the crook of my neck. I close my eyes and try to focus on my breathing.

I turn around and place my hands on his cheeks so he looks at me. The moonlight hits his face so I can see him perfectly. I missed that fire in his eyes. I missed the way my skin burns under his touch. I missed his arms around me. It is there, in the intimacy of the dark room, as we look at each other with desire, that I know is the perfect time and place to tell him.

"Let's get married." I whisper holding his gaze.

His eyes widen in surprise and then a grin spreads across his lips. "Wait. Is that a yes?"

I smile and nod. "Yes."

His arms tighten around my waist and he picks me up making me laugh. "Wow. Thank you," He says before kissing me. He sets me back down then looks at me. "Please put the ring on?"

I laugh. "If you really want me to."

He kisses my cheek. "It's more than a ring to me. It's commitment."

I smile up at him. "You're very cheesy." I kiss him. "I love it," I say then walk to my nightstand. I pull out the jewelry box from the drawer. I take out the ring and slip it on my finger. Then I turn around and show my hand to him. "Happy?"

He grins grabbing my hand. "Very." He kisses my hand. "Don't take it off."

I place my hand on the back of his neck and reach up to kiss him. "You can't back out now." I tell him.

He tightens his arms around me. "Never." He looks into my eyes. "Pick a date."

"Right now?" I ask, taken off guard.

He nods. "Why wait?"

I laugh at his impatience. "Umm...I don't know. How long does it take to organize a wedding?"

"I have no idea. I've never done it." he winks at me and I laugh.

"Oh my god! We can get married on the beach! It's going to be a small wedding, anyway."

"As long as you and I are there, baby." He kisses my lips.

"October 23rd?" I ask after the kiss. "That's exactly a month from today."

"That sounds perfect."

I know it's going to be tricky to find a dress and get everything ready but we're both so eager, we don't really care. He's right. As long as the day ends with us becoming husband and wife, we are golden.

"I'll speak with your parents tomorrow," He says. "Hopefully, mine can come. I'll call my mother in the morning."

I bite my lip and nod. He reaches out and runs his thumb over my lower lip. I missed the familiar tingles on my skin. "It's going to be alright, Natalie." He promises. "I won't let anything separate us again."

I smile at his words. "You better not."

He kisses my forehead then hugs me tightly. We stand like that in the middle of my room for a really long time. It's as if we're trying to make up all the times we didn't hug for all the time that we were separated.

"Will Savannah come back?" Josh asks softly after a moment.

"I don't know," I say then grab his hand. "She won't mind that you're here."

He grins mischievously as he trails his finger down my arm. He looks into my eyes. "We'll have to wait then."

"We can be quick and quiet." I suggest.

He chuckles. "I think we should keep the number of siblings who have caught us to a minimum."

I blush. Right. We were already caught once by Brad. We'll have to live with that for the rest of our lives. "Sleep with me then."

"I'd love to." He grins.

I kick off my shoes and take off my shorts then lay on the bed. "Can you take off your shirt?" I ask Josh when he sits down.

He looks at me and laughs. "Whatever you say," he says then pulls his shirt off.

I smile at him. "Thank you. I like having a view when I go to sleep," I say and he laughs.

He sits down with his back against the wall and then he pulls me to him.

"I thought we weren't doing anything," I say with a smile as I throw my leg over him and sit on his lap.

"We're not," he says looking amused.

"Hmmm," I say then look at his arm. I trace his tattoo with the tip of my fingers. "What made you get it?" I ask him.

"I've always wanted a tattoo since the military," he says. "I don't know why I never got it." He shrugs.

"Well you got more than one." I smile. "Did it hurt?"

I feel him look at me. "It did but that pain was nothing compared to what I felt then, without you."

I meet his gaze. "How do you not want me to have sex with you when you say things like that?"

He laughs then shakes his head. "God, I love you."

I smile then put my arms around his neck and hug him. "I love you," I say and I feel his smile on my collarbone.

He grips my hips and presses me closer to him. "Maybe we can be quick and quiet?"

I kiss his neck and then freeze when we hear the front door open downstairs. "Too late." I groan.

He takes a deep breath. "That's on me."

I smile looking at him. "Yeah, it is."

He presses his lips against mine and kisses me. After a moment, I pull away.

"What's wrong?" Josh asks.

I frown as I strain my ears to listen. "Is-she crying?" I whisper. We sit in silence for a few seconds. I swear I can hear Savannah crying. She probably thinks I'm asleep. I look at Josh. "I'm sorry, would you give me a second?"

"Of course," he says. "Go."

I kiss his lips. "Thank you," I say then stand up. I reach for my shorts and slip them on as I walk out of the room. Savannah's room is across from mine. I knock on the door quietly. "Savannah?" I call.

Silence.

"Are you alright?" I press biting my lip.

"Y-Yeah." She calls.

"Please open the door."

I wait a few seconds and then the door opens slowly. I study her face. Red eyes. Red, puffy nose. She's definitely been crying. She's still wearing the dress she was wearing at the campfire. "Savannah, what happened?"

She sniffs. "Nothing. Just a stupid fight with Kevin." She crosses her arms on her chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." I bite my lip. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shakes her head. "Not right now."

I nod. "Okay. I, uh, Josh is spending the night. I hope it's okay."

Despite her sadness, she half smiles. "Of course. Just keep it quiet."

I roll my eyes. "We're not doing that." I smile then hug her. "I'm here for you, okay? We'll talk tomorrow."

She nods. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I say then she closes the door. I take a deep breath then turn around and walk back into my room. I shut the door then lay next to Josh.

"Is she alright?" He asks softly.

"She said she had a fight with her boyfriend," I say and sigh. "I haven't even met him and I already hate his guts."

Josh puts his arm around me and kisses my cheek. "I'm sorry."

I put my arm around him and bury my face in his chest. "I know, it sucks. I'm glad my dating days are over."

"No, they're not."

I smile at him. "I mean dating other guys."

"Oh, right." He chuckles.

"Now I'll just go on dates with you." I kiss his neck. "My future husband."

"I like the sound of that." He kisses the top of my head.

I smile then close my eyes. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to sleep now."

He tightens his arms around me. "Goodnight, future wife."

I'm pretty sure I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

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