Alisha gave Maggie a look that said, 'see what I mean?' before turning her eyes back to Big.
Maggie looked back and forth between the two, growing uncomfortable from the tension in the air. "I'll just…" she trailed off. She then grabbed a bag of chips from the counter and fled.
Judas. "What do you want?" He stepped silently into the kitchen, stalking towards her like a lion after his prey. She pressed her body back, closer against the counter, trying to increase the space between them as his tall form towered over her and slowly leaned in. His hazel eyes pierced into hers and he was close enough that she could see flecks of gold in them. The intoxicating scent of his cologne invaded her senses and her breath hitched (she was also pretty sure that she'd just audibly gulped). Big planted his hands on the counter, caging her. Smiling dangerously, he angled his head, so his lips hovered over hers, and reached behind her. He leaned back slightly and held up a bottle of beer in front of her face. She blinked slowly, the mist clearing from her mind as his actions registered in her brain.
"I'm thirsty," he said lecherously. His lips twitched when the breath she'd been holding blew out in a whoosh around them. He wanted to double over with laughter when murder flashed in those fiery brown eyes of hers. He settled for a smug grin.
"Would you kindly back the hell out of my personal space?" she said through clenched teeth, unnerved by his proximity.
"Sorry, Larrington," he muttered and stepped back only a few inches to irritate her. He popped the top off his beer and took a long, slow pull from the bottle. "Ahhh! That hits the spot. Want one?"
Alisha fixed him with pointed look. "Why are you here, Big?"
He took another slow drink from the bottle, looking down at her looking up in frustration at him. "Because you amuse me," he finally answered.
"Why don't you patronize me a little more? I'm not some little play thing here for your entertainment, you egotistical ass!"
He heard a lot of big words in there that sounded mostly like blah blah blah but he did catch 'play thing.' "But wouldn't it be more fun if you were?"
"Ugh, you are revolting!" Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides, itching to slap him across his disgusting, chauvinistic mouth.
Big leered at her. "And yet a minute ago you were hoping I was going to kiss you."
"I most certainly was not," she cried, utterly offended. She'd definitely thought he was going to kiss her, but hadn't been hoping for it. Not at all. Big difference.
"You might want to call the leg factory for something to stand on because I don't believe you."
Seething, she shoved him back with as much force as she could muster, staggering his large frame back a few feet. His laughter mocked her the entire way back into the living room. She sat down on the couch with a huff and glared at Russell who was grinning happily at her over the coffee table.
"Hey, Lisha," Beau greeted tentatively.
Alisha hadn't even realized that Beau and Cristina had arrived. She softened when she looked at them and got up to give them each a hug. "Hi guys—so good to see you," she beamed, exchanging pleasantries with the couple.
Big emerged from the kitchen with a few beers in his hands and handed one to James and another to Beau before sitting down in the seat that Alisha had just vacated. He wiggled around a bit before he got comfortable. Then he leaned backwards, stretching his hand behind his neck.
Russell's smile widened. "Okay, now that we're all here, we'll get this show on the road. Oh, and we all have picked partners already, so Alisha, darling, you can partner up with Big." Her head snapped up and her eyes bore into his. He'd been the recipient of many a dirty look from both of his best friends over the years (whatever, he was delightfully devilish, and they couldn't handle it sometimes), but the look he was currently on the receiving end of was so scary and so apocalyptic that it even made him blanch (only on the inside of course).
"I already told you that I wanted to be Alisha's partner, Russell," Maggie quickly chimed in. The grateful smile from Alisha told her she was back in good graces.
"Yes," Russell drolly began, "but you seem to have forgotten Game Night-a-go-go 2006." He turned dramatically to the new members in the group to explain. "You see, three years ago we—"
"Russell!", Maggie spat. "No one cares."
He sniffed, his nose high in the air and smoothed his bangs. "My point," he smoothly began, "before I was so rudely interrupted, is that you and Alisha are banned from being partners because you cheat."
Alisha and Maggie shared an amused look and burst out laughing because it was true. "Fine," Maggie relented. Hey, she tried. At least her current roommate wasn't mad at her anymore.
"Grab a seat! We're starting," he ordered to Alisha.
With a menacing smile and a hand gripping his shoulder like a vice, she leaned over Russell so only he could hear her. "One day, Hummel. One day, when you least expect it, I will be there, and I will pay you back for this. It will hit you so hard and so fast and so unexpectedly that you will wish on all that is good and Beyoncé that you never messed with me in this impertinent manner. Capice?" She stood up and patted (lightly slapped?) the side of his face a few times, pleased when she saw the flash of fear in his wide eyes.
Turning, she found six pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly, like she was about to unleash the hounds of hell
