same way it always did when he kissed her, and the same way that it had fifteen years earlier when he’d kissed her for the first time.
“Hey,” she said pulling away from him slightly. “You know the rules. No mentioning of the age!”
“Sorry,” he said laughing; “I forgot that I wasn’t allowed to say thirty at any point today.”
Charlie hit him with the oven gloves that she was holding, but Matt just laughed again and pulled her back towards him.
They kissed, and Charlie could have happily never stopped kissing him. The problem was she knew that they had guests to entertain. So reluctantly, she pulled away from him again. “That’s not going to carve itself,” she said nodding in the direction of the lamb.
He gave her a wicked grin as he reached for her hand to pull her back to him once more, but she quickly stepped back and said; “come on Mr Grayson, we’ve got company!”
“Yes Mrs Grayson,” he said still grinning but finally turning to the job at hand.
***
Everyone was getting ready to leave, as Charlie stood at the front door talking to Claire. She could feel Matt watching her, and she knew that he’ be trying to read the expression on her face. Yet she was trying desperately to conceal it from him.
“It’ll be okay Claire. We’ll sort things out I promise. I’ll come and stay with you for a couple of days, and we can even go to the spa and treat ourselves,” Charlie said trying to sound as reassuring as she could. She also hugged her best friend tightly, as everyone else made their way over to the front door.
“Thanks Charlie,” Claire whispered squeezing Charlie tightly before the two of them stepped back from one another.
Nick threw his arm casually around Claire’s shoulders, and kissed Charlie on the cheek. “Happy Birthday again,” he said smiling before he walked out of the house leading Claire into the night.
Charlie saw Claire turn and give her a desperate look, and she tried to smile at her reassuringly. She felt awful though that there wasn’t more that she could do for her best friend tonight.
“Night hun,” Rach said arriving by Charlie and hugging her.
“Thanks for coming,” Charlie said to Rach and Ben. She then smiled and turned from Rach to Ben so as to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Wouldn’t have missed it,” Ben said throwing a wave to Matt who was now sat on the sofa having said all of his goodbyes.
“Thirty, thirty, thirty, I believe you’re thirty!” Rich sang like a small child whilst dancing stupidly in front of Charlie, and she couldn’t help but laugh at his immaturity.
“Night Rich,” she said with laughter still in her voice.
“Night,” he said before winking and flashing his cheekiest of grins at her.
She shook her head at him by way of warning not to do what he was thinking of doing, but this only made him laugh. It also didn’t work, and she suddenly felt the familiar sensation of Rich’s goodbye. He grabbed her around the waist, and whilst supporting her neck with his right hand he dipped her to the floor. He then kissed her squarely on the lips before returning her to her previous upright position. Charlie shook her head again, and Rich laughed once more.
“Night,” Bex said to Charlie whilst at the same time rolling her eyes at Rich.
Charlie smiled and hugged her.
“Laters,” Rich said as he grabbed Bex’s hand and led her out into the night behind the others.
Charlie closed the door with a small sigh, but as she turned round she saw Matt walking over with two glasses of red wine. Charlie took one from him gratefully, and kissed him in return.
“Please don’t ask me yet,” she said knowing that he wanted to know what she’d been talking to Claire about.
Matt nodded, but kept the concerned expression on his face as he looked intently into her eyes. She looked away though, frightened that she might betray Claire’s confidence if he kept looking at her that way.
“Good birthday Mrs Grayson?” He asked. Changing the unspoken subject and taking back the glass of wine that he’d just given to her, which he then put down on the table by them along with his own.
Charlie nodded, and smiled as he pulled her to him. She put her arms around his neck, and he kissed her whilst wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. Yet just as the kiss was intensifying between them, he