Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Katie

"Real love baby oooo dont keep me waiting I got real love baby, wait until you taste it," Van and Bondy were ballroom dancing around the beach, lit up by the flash on Alices camera as she videod their more than just a little entertaining performance.

I giggled against Ben's chest, ear pressed to his jumper so that the sounds our friends made came second to the sound of his beating heart.

"Theyre such tossers arent they," he chuckled under his breath, I smiled along.

"Love them for it though," I yawned letting him rock me in time to their singing.

The beach was empty, lit only by the light pollution from the main road. The waves glistened as they rolled in and I couldn't help but be drawn in by them, kicking my shoes off and leaving them under a tree hoping the others wouldn't trip over them whilst I was gone.

"Whatre you doing?" Asked Ben quietly watching me with a curious frown as he worked it out for himself and did the same.

"Going for a walk," I smiled back over my shoulder, pushing my hair from my face where it had been tangled up by the breeze.

He grinned back at me, taking my hand, letting me lead him down the sand to the edge of the sea.
It was warmer than I expected it to be and it tickled my skin as it washed over my feet, dragging sand between my toes.

We were quiet as we walked in step, fingers loosely linked as our arms swung gently. I was watching our bare feet skim through the water, watching the way it sparkled under the stars as it splashed and lapped at our ankles, but ben was watching me. I could feel his eyes on me. I could see him smiling in my periphery.

"What?" I asked with a shy smile glancing up at him for a moment, looking away before my cheeks could heat up with a lazy shade of pink.

"Nothing," I smirked softly but he didn't look away and so I stopped walking, turning back to him as my tongue grazed my lips and I struggled not to laugh.

"What?" I asked again, grinning like a little girl when he took my other hand in his and tugged me gently towards him until I was barely inches away. He placed my hands on his chest, his own slipping down to my waist as he looked down at me, his nose brushing mine, his eyes full of affection. "Ben," I smiled suddenly oh so self aware, he smiled back, eyes locked with mine.

Our friends seemed so far away now, though I could still hear their singing and laughing, their shouting as they tackled eachother and rolled around in the sand fighting over the last cigarette. They were fainter, as if the director had turned them down, pushed them into the background and turned the waves, the breeze in the trees, gentle rustling, gentle breathing, up a little more. As if the world had tuned into us.

I felt that lazy shade of pink tinge my cheeks, felt my eyelashes flutter as I tried my best to remain confident, to meet his gaze.

"Love it when you do that," he said, his voice a little huskier than before.

"When I do what?" I asked quietly, my own voice struggle to break through. He smiled stroking his fingers up my arm and shoulder to brush a stray hair from my eyes and hold my cheek.

"When you look at me like that," he said, his hair tickling my skin. We were close but we could have been closer, our hips barely brushing, vintage denim on vintage denim as he caught my belt loops with his fingers and tugged me a little closer once again.

I could feel the static between our lips, but when I thought he was going to kiss me, when my lips parted for his he ran his thumb across them instead and leant in to my ear.

"You wanna come back to mine tonight?" He asked, I bit my lip so as not to ruin the moment with a giggle.
When I didnt say anything he smirked, "youre blushing again kate, do you know that?" He asked with a knowing smile, the teasing kind which only ever made me blush harder.