Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Still intrigued by the fact that my father seemed to be one of the few people who didn't like Joshua, I started a kind of analysis process about him. Many would be interested in his money or the fact that he was an extremely sexy guy. He has several interesting points, so what would make him uninteresting? Gregory was right about my father perhaps thinking that I wasn't compatible with Joshua's busy life, but on the other hand, he would be a guy who could easily provide a good life for the girl he was with, which any father would want for his daughter. But what is it about Joshua that my father doesn't like? Besides, my father knows him well enough to guarantee that he's not good for me?

"Alice? Are you listening to me?" Hannah interrupts my thoughts.

I soon realize that I've been letting Hannah talk alone about the trip. I return to the cafeteria, listening to what Hannah was saying.

"What were you talking about?" I try to resume the conversation.

"I was thinking about inviting Benjamin on the trip. I talked to him a little today. He's a nice guy. Don't you think?"

I nod.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. I also thought about inviting him."

"Really? Then I think there's a better chance of him accepting!" She says excitedly. "Because...I was worried he wouldn't accept if I invited him. But with you...you seemed to hit it off right away."

"And speaking of him," I watch him a little lost in the cafeteria, but his eyes light up when he sees me. He approaches us.

"Is this seat taken?"

Before I could answer no, Hannah takes the lead.

"Of course not! Sit down. Make yourself at home!" She opens a huge smile, which is a little embarrassing.

Benjamin returns Hannah's smile, but a little reserved.

"Thanks," he sits down and puts his tray of food on the table. "So, Alice...did you sort things out with your boyfriend?"

"Does he know about Joshua?" Hannah asks, and I nod.

"I think your advice led me to a pre-breakup," I say jokingly.

"Really?" He freezes. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't expect that to happen."

"It's okay," I end up laughing at his concern. "It was going to happen anyway. But anyway," I shrug my shoulders. "We're going to travel this weekend. Do you want to come?"

"Where to?"

"Isle of Wight," Hannah rushes and answers for me, making Benjamin's gaze shift to her. "It's going to be really cool. You can come with us...if you want, of course. Other people are also going!"

Hannah was giving away too much information to Benjamin, it seemed like she was desperate for his attention.

"Yeah, it'll be cool," I shrug my shoulders and receive Benjamin's gaze back.

"Then I'll go," he smiled.

"Great! I'll tell my sister that we'll be bringing someone else!"

Hannah gets up from the bench excitedly, heading towards the cafeteria exit.

"Is she...always this excited?" Benjamin says amused, although it was possible to tell that he was a little embarrassed.

"Sometimes," I let out a small nasal laugh. I check the time on my phone and it was already close to the next class.

"I have to go. See you later," I say goodbye to him with a smile on my lips and head out of the cafeteria.

***

The days until the weekend passed by quickly. The day had dawned and we were already on our way to the Isle of Wight. As the cabin that Samantha had rented only had three bedrooms, we decided to split up into groups of three. My sisters and I would stay in one, Gregory, Nathan, and Benjamin in another, and Samantha, Hannah, and Sarah in the last one.

"This is amazing!" Sarah exclaimed, looking admirably at the landscape after getting off the bus. She approached a short bridge that gave a view of the sea.

"Wow!" Nathan said with the same intensity as Sarah, equally admiring the scenery.

I grabbed my backpack and got off the bus with my sisters, Samantha, and Hannah.

"So, what do you think?" Samantha commented as we looked around.

"It's really incredible," I replied, enchanted.

"We have to make the most of it!" Hannah linked her arm with mine and led me along with her to the porch that gave a beautiful view of the sea.

"Let's have a barbecue!" Gregory proposed, excited.

"I'll prepare the meat!" Sarah spoke up.

"Can someone grab the drinks?" Nathan walked with a box in his hands, coming up to the porch.

"I'll get them!" Benjamin said and headed back to the bus.

"It's with the barbecue stuff!" Nathan shouted so Benjamin could hear.

"What's this?" I asked, seeing several candles inside the box after Samantha opened it.

"It's your birthday."

"What?"

"You think we were going to forget?" Hannah said excitedly.

"But I didn't even say when my birthday was..." I narrowed my eyes, deducing where Samantha had discovered the date of my birthday. "Did you look at my file at the company?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Of course. You thought I wouldn't look? What if you were a master criminal?" Samantha smiled ironically. "And...if it weren't for that, we wouldn't know that your birthday is tomorrow."

"She's right," Gregory commented, putting another box on the table. "If it weren't for that, we wouldn't celebrate it."

"Wait...you guys plan to celebrate it?"

"Why not?" Samantha crossed her arms.

"I believe there are more important things than...my birthday."

"And what would be more important than that?" Gregory furrowed his brow.

"I don't know...being together?" I suggested.

"Together to celebrate your birthday," Gregory replied as if it were obvious. "In fact, you're a bad friend for hiding it. You knew you're punished."

"Exactly, Alice. You deserve to be punished," Samantha adds and receives a devilish smile from Gregory. They both look at each other, and the smile expands on both of their lips before they turn back to me.

It's explained why Gregory and Samantha used to be best friends. The two seem like partners in crime.

"What are you doing?" Samantha and Gregory approach me as if I were prey. As they get closer, I step back until my back hits the wall.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Gregory?" Samantha keeps a smile on her lips.

"Is the seawater cold?"

"What?!" I widen my eyes.

Samantha and Gregory lean in as if they're about to pick me up, but I hear a burst of laughter from them.

"Did you see her panicked face?" Gregory says between laughs.

"It was hilarious, wasn't it?" Samantha leans on him, increasing the intensity of her laughter.

I furrow my brow and cross my arms, incredulous.

"Now they're friends again?" I sound indignant about such a joke.

"Of course not," Gregory replies. "But it was a necessary act. And very funny!"

I give him a small slap on the shoulder.

"There's nothing funny about that." I huff.

"Don't be mad, baby." He puts his arm around my shoulder. "Consider it a birthday prank."

I roll my eyes and watch Benjamin bring the box of drinks.

"Don't let Hannah drink!" Sarah says loudly as she rummages through the box Benjamin brought.

"Yah! Yah! What do you mean by that, huh?" Hannah gives Sarah an almost deadly look.

"You lose control, Hannah," Samantha comments and laughs.

"Yah! It's just what a drunk person does!"

"Don't let her drink," Samantha whispers to me and Gregory.

"I would even let her," Gregory smiles mischievously. "The show Hannah put on when she was drunk was the best." He seemed to remember an old memory. "Does she still do it?"

"And worse!"

The two laugh together.

"Well... Shall we start?" Nathan approaches, and the boys nod, ready to start the barbecue.

At nightfall, the boys decided to make a bonfire.

"Are you the type that doesn't drink?" Benjamin asked as he sat next to me, noticing that all my friends were drinking except for me.

"I am responsible for a child and a teenager. I have to set an example," I point to Agatha and Alex who were devouring a package of marshmallows on my right. "And...I think for them too," I chuckle seeing almost everyone drunk. "But you're not much of a drinker either, are you?" I see that he is sober.

"I'm someone who doesn't really know how to drink. I always overdo it. So...I thought it was better to stay away from alcohol."

I see Samantha stumble over her own feet and sit in front of us, burying her head in my lap.

"You guys are missing all the fun of the party!" she mumbles with slurred speech.

"We're still having fun, Samantha. It's great to see you all drunk," I say, amused.

"The party is yours, Alice. You should enjoy it more," she rolls over to Benjamin's lap. "Guys! Listen to me!" she raises her right arm, demanding attention. "Let's toast to Alice's birthday! Tomorrow she will be...how many?" she squints her eyes.

"Twenty-four," I complete.

"Twenty-four years old!"

"Happy birthday, Alice!" they say in unison, on the other side of the bonfire, while drinking without moderation.

"Well, I'll go back to the party. Since my friend doesn't want to participate!" she says in a grumbling tone and gets up from Benjamin's lap, walking, or rather, stumbling over her own feet, towards where Hannah, Gregory, Nathan, and Sarah were.

"I didn't know it was your birthday," Benjamin comments surprised. "So...happy early birthday?" he says embarrassed.

"Thank you," I smile gratefully. "But if it weren't for Samantha, no one would know."

"Why not? Don't you like birthdays?"

I take a deep breath, bringing my mind back to some memories.

"Let's say that...I don't have many reasons to like this date. Because...it's at this time that everyone I love...leaves," I sigh. "First, my dad. Then, my best friend," I remember when Nathan and I parted. "And now...my throat tightens, preventing me from speaking.

"Joshua."

Benjamin sighs, as if he feels my feelings.

Two days ago I hadn't talked to him. And those two days were the ones I managed, bitterly, not to think about him, except today. And I didn't want to. I couldn't keep hurting myself every time I remembered our last moment together.

"Do you want to get out of here for a bit?" he suggests. "The night is beautiful. And the view from the bridge is amazing. It might help you not think too much about what you don't want to think about."

I look in the direction he's talking about and agree to go. I briefly turn to Alex and Agatha.

"When you're tired, go into the cabin. I won't be long."

The girls nod. I get up from the grass, followed by Benjamin, and we head to the bridge. The moon shone brightly in the sky, reflecting harmoniously in the water. The slightly chilly breeze gently blew across my face, letting an incredible aroma be exhaled by my breath.

I place my hands on the bridge's safety railing, passionately staring at the calm water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Benjamin stares at nature. "The calmness that nature brings us is refreshing." He leans on the bar, standing at my height.

"Yes. Since I was very young, I've always liked places that bring peace. Especially places like this."

"Since you were very young?" he says sarcastically, letting out a playful laugh.

"Hey!" I hit my elbow on his side, realizing he was making fun of my height, and end up letting out a playful laugh. "When I was a kid." I correct myself and roll my eyes. "My dad always thought I would be a biologist because of this."

Benjamin looks at the water.

"Do you miss him? I mean, your dad."

"Yes. Since he left, I've missed him a lot. But, by pure coincidence, I found him in London."

"Really?"

"Yes! I think the last thing I expected was to find him here."

"I'm glad you found him." He smiles weakly. "Sometimes, I wonder if that would happen to me."

"Why? Did your dad leave too?"

Benjamin shakes his head, letting out a small disappointed nasal laugh from his lips.

"My dad doesn't want to see me. I'm a mistake my mother made outside of marriage. He... Used the part about studying outside of Brazil as an excuse to take me out of the house. And... I haven't even seen my mother since I was fifteen."

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He looks briefly at me, making me stare for a few moments at his bright clear eyes under the moonlight. "These are things that... We can't undo. Because it's not our fault. We become just the result of others' reactions."

Not knowing what to say, I decide to stay quiet.

"But anyway, let's not make this night a melancholic catastrophe. We came to have fun, right? So let's have fun. Without thinking about any problems." He extends his hand to me. "Let's liven up this party a bit."

I smile and take his hand.

***

All that was missing was music. Benjamin's idea to enhance the small party, since the others had only thought of drinking, made everything a little more lively. The cabin had two large speakers, which helped Benjamin carry out his plan. Connected to his phone, a playlist of upbeat music began to play.

Hannah, Gregory, and Samantha sang with all the vigor they had while dancing around the fire.

"Now it's your turn." Benjamin gives me a cunning smile.

"What? No! I-I can't dance."

"Come on, Alice? Are you really going to chicken out?" He frowns. "Just move your body!" He reaches out his hands for me to take them. "I'll guide you."

I roll my eyes and smile, taking his hands.

Benjamin moves his body in a funny way, making me unable to hold back my laughter and encouraging me to dance along with him, even though I danced horribly.

"See? You can dance!" he says jokingly and spins me around, but I end up tripping over his feet. To prevent me from falling, Benjamin pulls me, pressing me against his chest.

His eyes stared at mine, frightened. I feel my heart race as soon as I notice your labored breathing, caused by your quick movements. And suddenly, in the midst of the song exchange, Dusk Till Dawn started playing, turning that moment into a complex one that I couldn't decipher. But your fixed gaze on mine, and our breaths almost as one, had a delirious effect, where I felt hypnotized.

"Are you okay?" Your voice sounded almost like a whisper, as if you were feeling the same sensation as me. With almost no reaction, I nod, affirming that I was fine.

"I'm a terrible friend," I hear Samantha say and throw herself on the grass next to us, interrupting that moment of "enchantment" between Benjamin and me. I move away from him and start observing Samantha.

"What happened?"

"If I tell you, you'll hate me," her voice comes out even more choked than before. Samantha was too drunk. I kneel down, approaching her.

"You drank too much, Samantha. You don't know what you're saying. Let's go inside."

I put my hand on her neck, with the goal of helping her up. Samantha sits down. Her gaze goes from me to Benjamin, who soon kneels beside me to help Samantha.

"I'm a terrible friend, Alice. Don't hate me for it."

She murmurs, as Benjamin picks her up in his arms.

"What are you talking about, Samantha? Why would I hate you?" I wrinkle my forehead, confused.

"I called him."

"What?"

"Joshua."

Automatically, my eyes widen, and when I look beyond Samantha and Benjamin, my gaze meets Joshua's, approaching the bonfire, accompanied by Madelyn and Jack.