Royce has already called and Cillian dropped by to bring me some food and hang out for a bit. Once he left, I knew I had the house to myself for the rest of the night, so I invited Ali over.
I sent him the text thirty minutes ago, and he only lives a block away, so I don’t know what’s taking him so long.
When the knock finally arrives, I snatch open the door, not thinking at all about playing it cool. Now he knows I was waiting nearby. Great.
“Sorry. My mom needed me to help re-organize the pantry.” He rolls his eyes as he steps in. “I swear she just comes up with the most random stuff for me to do when I ask her for something.”
I chuckle and close the door. “It’s fine.”
“So, Elijah’s gone, huh?” he questions, sticking his hands in his back pockets.
“Yep. He didn’t go far, but Jenn wanted a night alone. Pretty sure she hates me, but whatever.”
“No offense, but Jenn’s a bitch. I don’t know why Elijah puts up with her shit.”
I shrug and walk to the den. “Who knows? Want a drink? Elijah has all kinds of shit in here.”
“Sure. I got a joint from Leo, too.”
Neither of us acknowledge that it seems like we’re trying to recreate that night. Maybe having a little drink and a smoke will loosen us up enough to talk about it. Or do more.
“As long as we smoke that shit outside.”
“Yeah, of course. It’s fucking cold out there, though.”
Neither one of us knows anything about hard liquor, and I’m not even gonna pretend I can drink that shit straight like Elijah does. So I pour some vodka in a glass and top it off with orange juice.
“Screwdriver?” he asks with a chuckle.
“Dude. I don’t know.”
“I’m just fuckin’ with ya.”
After he takes his glass, I pour one for myself, then we go to the living room and put on the TV.
I sit on the couch and Ali takes the loveseat.
“Oh man, so when I went to Leo’s, guess who I saw there?”
“Who?”
“Lexie!” he exclaims, his eyes growing wide. “Before you texted me, I talked to her and asked if she wanted to go to Kyle’s party. She said she had family visiting for the Christmas holiday and needed to stay home.”
“Oop. Busted,” I say with a laugh.
“I can’t believe she’s hooking up with Leo. Leo!”
I shake my head with a smile on my face. “You like who you like. I never thought Miss Preppy Pants would go for a pothead like Leo, though.”
He laughs. “I guess you never know.”
“Nope.” I take a drink. “So, you got a crush on Lex, or what?” I ask, hoping my voice sounds playful and not jealous.
Ali whips his head in my direction. “What? No! I love Lexie, but we’re just friends.”
“You don’t want to go to Kyle’s party?”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s really a party, but he invited me over and said a few people were gonna be there.”
“Oh. You didn’t have to change your plans.”
He gives me a look. “Like I can say no to you.”
My pulse speeds up as I continue to look at him. Color fills his cheeks before he turns away and gulps down half his drink.
“Um. You want more?” I ask.
He finishes what’s left in the glass. “No, it’s okay. I’m gonna use the bathroom real quick.”
“Okay, I’m gonna go to my room and grab my lighter, then we can go out back and smoke.”
As Ali heads to the bathroom, I rush up the stairs and start looking for the lighter. I was sure I hid it in my sock drawer, but Elijah’s taken a couple of them, hoping that’ll keep me from smoking, so maybe he found my latest one.
I rifle through the rest of the drawers, but don’t find it.
“Fuckin’ Elijah.”
“What’s up?” Ali asks, appearing at my door.
“I think Elijah swiped my lighter. I can’t find it.”
Ali comes in and helps look through my drawers again. His arm rubs against mine, causing me to freeze momentarily before I continue to push my boxers around. I’m no longer worried about finding the lighter. My concentration is on the proximity of me and my best friend.
“Yeah, I think he got it, man,” Ali says.
I sigh, facing Ali and linking my fingers together on top of my head. “That sucks.”
Ali’s eyes move from my lips to my biceps. His mouth quirks up on one side. “We can drink some more.”
“Yeah,” I breathe, dropping my arms. “Or. . .” I leave the word hanging between us as I decide to throw caution to the wind. “We could talk about what happened between us.”
He sucks in a deep breath. “Oh.” After a few seconds, he says, “I mean, we were high, right?”
I take a step closer. “I’ve been high with a few people and never kissed them before.”
Ali swallows. “Yeah.”
“I don’t regret it.”
He shakes his head slightly. “Me either.”
I place my hand on his hip, pulling a gasp from his throat. “I wanna do it again.”
“Me too,” he whispers, licking his lips.
With my left hand already on his hip, I put my right hand on the side of his face, gently cradling his cheek as I tilt his head up and press my lips against his.
Just like before, his lips are soft and warm against mine. Ali opens his mouth and teasingly touches my lip with his tongue. I groan and grasp his face with both hands as I allow my tongue to explore his wet mouth.
He tastes like orange juice and vodka, and I’ve never loved the combination more.
“Fuck, Ali,” I whisper, only pulling away long enough to mutter those two small words.
He wraps his arms around me, leaving no space between us as he molds his body against mine.
The kiss lasts a long time, but when we finally separate, I only want to attach myself to him again.
Ali touches his bottom lip as he looks
