It only takes a minute...

Authors Note: Well, new story, hope you all like it. Reviews appreciated. They keep me writing, otherwise, i just get bored (: Thanks, x

Summary: One drunken night, two friends take thier friendship to the next level. Deciding it was an accident and to forget the incident, they move it to the back of thier minds. But when Charlie discovers she's pregnant, thier lives are changed forever.

"Charlie! Charlie!" The crowd cheered as a young girl ran down the field, kicking the football further and ruther towards the goal. Everybody knew who she was; she was one of the most successful football players around thier small town. Her heart was pounding as she neared the goal, shrugging off the opposing players as she booted the ball one final time. Time seemed to slow down as the ball travelled towards the goal, the keeper slowly moving to keep the ball from going in. But the keeper had misjudged her timing and fell onto the hard ground as the ball flew into the top corner. The crowd jumped up and down from the sidelines, and she was immediately rewarded from hugs and slaps on the back from her teammates. The opposing team trudged off, not wanting to stand around and wallow in thier misery. The whistle was blown, signaling the end of the match, and Charlie ran over to the crowd where her friends were waiting for her.

"You were amazing!" Her best friend, Eve, said. Charlie smiled at the compliments and hugged her friend over the railings that separated them. Randomers from the crowd congratulated her on the winning goal and she politely smiled at them, before turning to the guys with Eve.

"Well? What did you guys think? See, girls can play football. Some better than guys." With that remark Eve and the other girls laughed, but some of the boys just shrugged and told her 'well done'.

"Well, I think you were brilliant Charlie." Said one of the boys, revealed a moment later to be Alex as he pushed his way to the railing to hug her. "Well done." He said, and some of the guys wolf whistled. He playfully hit Bradley, the leader of the group, who just rolled his eyes and started a conversation with the group about going out for dinner.

"Fancy a chinese Charlie? To celebrate your victory or whatever you want to call it?" Bradley asked, people behind him nodding in agreement.

"Sure, let me just go and get changed and shower. Wait for me by the cars." With that, she ran off across the field towards the changing rooms, rushing to get ready as the group waited by the cars.

"Who's driving then?" A shy girl called Lucy asked, blushing as Bradley volunteered. Everybody in thier 'gang' knew how Lucy felt about Bradley, except Bradley who was practically oblivious to her feelings. Alex rolled his eyes as the girls giggled between themselves, probably making comments about how him and Charlie always seemed to be spending time together. But the truth was, they were just good friends.

Fifteen minutes later, Charlie joined the group just as it seemed to be getting dark, and they finally decided on Charlie, Eve, Lucy and Lauren going in Alexs car with Charlie driving, and Alex, Bradley, Liam, Ryan and Peter going in Bradleys car. The girls climbed in the car arkwardly, as none of them liked Alex's posh car which his dad had brought him. Most of them were used to the jeep which Bradley owned, or the banged up car Liam owned, not an expensive first class car.

"So Alex, how long is it gonna be before you bang Charlie?" Peter asked, earning a laugh from the other boys. Alex's grip tighted on the steering wheel as Bradley turned to the guys in the back, trying to warn them off inflamming Alexs temper he was so famous for.

"Why does everyone think there's something going off between me and Charlie?" He asked, his teeth clenching as he tried to force the words out.

"Oh, come on dude. You're always spending time together, whenever you're around each other you're always smiling, and you don't ever let anybody drive your car - except Charlie."

"She's one of my best friends, and she doesn't question me about my sleeping habits, like you guys often do."

"She's a girl! She's not going to ask you that, especially when she likes you herself. Come on man, bag that chick already!" Ryan chimed in, earning a glare in the rearview mirror from Alex. The other guys laughed and leaned forwards, eager to hear what Alexs reply would be and to see if he was about to blow.

"For fucks sake, Charlie is one of my bestest friends. She is not, I repeat not, a cheap fuck." Alex said, taking his eyes off the road to turn to the guys. The car began to swerve, earning nasty comments from the other drivers. "So can we just drop this conversation please?"

X X X

They waited patiently for thier food as they sat in the restaurant, making polite conversation with each other as they were crammed round a small table. The restaurant was crammed, and there were no big tables left, so they were forced to push two small tables together, but that still didn't prove big enough for the group. Alex and Charlie were sat close together; too close for Alex's liking as he was still uncomfortable from the conversation in the car. Peter sat opposite him, giving him knowing glances and rude gestures.

"Horny bastard." Alex whispered under his breath, earning a confused glance from Charlie. "Nothing." Was his reply when she asked him what was wrong. She turned back to her conversation with Eve, and Alex couldn't keep his eyes away from her. Even though she had been all sweaty and muddy from playing football, she looked amazing at the moment. Her brown hair was let loose from the plaits it was in earlier, and her hair was in its natural curly state from the shower she had before. Her muddy blue football uniform was discarded, and in its place was a white boob tube and grey knee-length shorts. Overall, nobody would ever have guessed that she was the best footballer of her age.

"Alex, are you okay?" Charlie asked, gently placing a hand on his thigh. It was a friendly gesture, but was enough to make a blush creep over alexs cheek, spreading back to his dark hairline.

"I'm fine. Just tired, that's all. You know, with the baby." He was referring to his mothers new child, baby Adrian. His parents had divorced when he turned 16, and not long afterwards his mother was remarried and expecting a child. He never liked the fact that his mother had replaced his father so quickly, which caused a great divide within his house.

"Oh, how is Adrian?" Charlie asked, knowing how much Alex adored his little sister, even if he never got on with his family.

"She's okay. Teething and keeping everyone up, but other than that..."His voice drifted off as thier food finally arrived, and silence filled the table as everyone began to eat.

"Excuse me, Ladies room calls." Charlie excused herself from the table and headed towards the back of the restaurant, ignoring the hideous Christmas decorations that were placed everywhere every year. The toilets were empty as she looked in the mirrors, touching up her make-up and jumping as the door banged shut behind Eve. "Hey. Sorry, you made me jump." She said as she corrected her eyeliner, wiping the line off her cheek from where Eve had made her jump.

"Why did we have to come for chinese? Urgh, it makes me feel sick." Eve said, pushing her way into one of the toilet cubicles and locking the door behind her. Charlie stifled a laugh; it was typical of Eve to feel sick at a group outing. It was the same every time; at the fair which was held every year, at the house parties Bradley held so often, even the times when Eve got so drunk she couldn't go home and had to stay at Charlie's.

"Eve, you okay sweetie?" Charlie asked, knowing how bad her friend got. She didn't know why it happened, but Eve was bad on a regular basis. She waited for 10 minutes, until Eve finally came out of the toilet cubile, saliva dripping down the side of her mouth. "Eve, why do you get like this? I mean, you barely eat anything, but you're throwing up all the time. Oh my god, are you pregnant?" It was meant as a joke, and both of them couldn't help laughing. "Come on, I'll take you home." They walked back out to the table, Eves arm draped over Charlies shoulder, her long red hair tickling her arm. People from other tables looked at them in confusion, but ignoring the glances, they made thier way to the table.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Alex asked, putting his fork down on his now empty plate and wiping his mouth with the bright red napkins they always seemed to get.

"No, Eve's not well again. So I'm going to take her home, can I borrow your car?" She asked, reaching her free arm out and gesturing for Alex's car keys.

"It's okay, I'm done here, so I can take you both home." The other guys gave each other knowing glances, which Alex tried to ignore. He dropped some bills on the table for thier share of the food and they headed out towards his car, each of them shivering as they crossed from the warmth of the restaurant to the cold of the night. Charlie gently helped Eve into the back of the car, who dropped off almost immediately on the comfort of the leather seats. Charlie and Alex giggled as they climbed in the front seats, trying not to wake Eve up. "So, should I take you both to Eves?"

"No, her mum will probably think she's been drinking so it's best if we go back to mine." The car ride back was full of uncomfortable silence, neither of them thinking to turn on the radio. Charlie fiddled with her earrings; a sign when she was always nervous and fidgety. She didn't know why she felt nervous around Alex, it had been growing on her for a few weeks and it seemed to be getting worse.

"Well, here we are." Alex said, shifting in his seat as he waited for Charlie and an unconsious Eve to get out the car. Charlie was still fiddling with her lobes, and he decided on getting out the car. He walked over to her side of the car and opened the door, watching her quickly unbluckle her belt and climb out the car. He stood with his arm on the door, blocking Charlie from getting out fully. She stood, stuck between the metal of the car and the heat radiating off Alex's body. Her body was stiff as she waited for Alex to move, and when she playfully pushed him out the way he gently lent down and kissed her on the lips. She was shocked at his sudden forwardness, but responded lightly. He broke away from the kiss, a blush creeping across both of thier cheeks. It was a light, goodnight kiss, but it left both of them shocked.

"I'll...I'll see you tomorrow? At Bradleys party? His parents are away, so he always has a party." Alex was embarrassed; Charlie could tell because he raised his arm and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow." With that, Alex helped Charlie with getting Eve out the car and gently set her down on the couch inside Charlies house. She covered Eve with a blanket and kissed her gently on the forehead, tucking her friend into a good nights sleep. Alex was standing out on the porch, waiting for Charlie to come back to the door. When she finally did, he could see her face, illuminated by the street lights outside.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He began to descend down the porch steps, but not before Charlie lightly touched his cheek, causing him to turn around. She kissed him lightly on the lips, making him close his eyes and pull her closer. He deepened the kiss, but she reluctantly broke away.

"Goodnight." With that, she turned back into her house.

Authors Note: Thanks for reading my story. Thought I'd get a little fluff going in this chapter, if you like, review please (: