“I’m so sorry about… about your shirt,” I stammer. Mark’s lips curve upward as he sweeps my hair away from my temple.
“You think you’re the first girl to throw up on me?” he asks with a smirk. My face contorts as I consider it.
“Gross.”
The next thing I know, my face is planted on his chest and Mark’s arms are tightly enveloping my body. As he laughs, his hard pectorals seem to vibrate against my forehead. I can’t decide if it’s comforting or not. A bubble of laughter threatens to escape my lips again. I clamp my teeth against the growing smile and try to control myself. He kisses the top of my head and I back away, free from his hold but still breathless. My mouth is dry as I swallow and I blink at him, wondering what to do.
“Didn’t you erm…” I begin slowly. I’m stalling. My brain has nothing to add to the question.
“Right,” Mark says with a shake of the head. He seems to know what I’m going to say. Even though my mind is totally blank.
“What I don’t like about you.”
The words sting. Oh right. We’re supposed to be telling each other what we don’t like about each other. Worst game in human history. Especially now that all I want to do is make up for lost time and wrestle him to the couch.
“Are you done?” Mark asks. I nip my lip and widen my eyes. Did he read my mind? Is my attraction to him that obvious? He lifts a brow at me with a wry smile. “There’s nothing else you don’t like about me?” A flush of heat rises to my face again as I realize he’s not reading my mind, after all. If he could, he would drop the stupid game and take me in his burly arms. I’m so hot, I want to fan myself.
I shake my head at him, silent and taken aback. He grins. Delighted.
“Okay, take a seat. It’s my turn.”
Mark
Debbie is so cute. She obeys and perches on the edge of the couch, as if worried a bomb will go off if she relaxes. I rest my hand on her knee and she flinches.
“What I don’t like about you, number one,” I begin, enjoying every second of this. Debbie’s wide eyes are fixed on me and her face pales. She’s probably waiting for a tirade of insults to fly out of my mouth.
“You jump to conclusions.”
Her arched brows rise but she remains silent. I can’t decide if she’s letting me explain or in shock.
“You’ve been avoiding me. And now I think I know why.”
Debbie’s mouth hangs open to form the perfect O. Her eyes fly to the ceiling and she takes in a deep breath.
“I didn’t know if––”
“Right,” I finish for her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “You didn’t know, because you didn’t talk to me. I mean Debbie, this is the longest we’ve been in the same room since that night.”
Debbie presses her lips together in a pout as her gaze falls to our hands. She squeezes back and it sends a rush of warmth all the way up my arm.
“There’s another thing I don’t like,” I say softly. I tilt her head up to look at me with my knuckle and I graze her bottom lip with my thumb. “You gave me the wildest, most passionate kiss of my entire life. Then you left. And it’s been replaying in my mind every day, ever since.”
Debbie doesn’t speak, but I can almost see in her eyes that she’s wrestling with her thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt. My chest tightens, my stomach is doing flips. Maybe I’ll throw up and even the score. Who knows? At this point, I’m pretty sure anything can happen tonight. “I’m sorry I was a jerk. And I’m sorry I didn’t just ask you out. You make me nervous, and awkward… I just –”
Debbie doesn’t allow me finish. Instead, she stops me mid-sentence with her lips. I moan as the knots in my stomach finally release and every inch of my body tingles. Her hands reach the back of my head, then my neck, and she squeezes. I grab her tiny waist and lift her onto my lap. Her mouth fits perfectly with mine. It’s like we are two broken pieces, and together we’re whole. Our noses nuzzle as we pivot side to side. She moans and deepens our kiss to the point where I become light-headed. She is passion. The embodiment of love. I grab her back, shoulders, and neck, and I squeeze her thighs. I want to press my hands all over her body to check she’s real and this isn’t a dream.
Her lips leave my mouth, and I’m in agony. I don’t want to be apart from her ever again.
All of this was just a huge misunderstanding. Now we’ve cleared that up, there’s no reason not to kiss until we die.
“You drive me crazy,” she whispers in my ear before planting kisses along my jawline. I clutch her thighs and throw my head back with a grunt.
“The feeling is mutual,” I manage to say in a breathy voice. Debbie sits back, her face flushed, and a massive beam takes over her face. She looks pleased with herself. I wonder why we’ve stopped making out, but she appears to be thinking.
“There’s a bathroom down here. I’m going to take a quick shower,” Debbie says as she climbs off me and straightens her shirt.
“Great idea, I’ll join you,” I say with a grin. Debbie’s hand flies to her mouth as she laughs.
“No, you won’t.”
I frown. Am I misreading signals here? That kiss. That flaming hot make out session. How can it not lead to a steamy make out session in the shower?
“Not here. Everyone is right above us, and we should take things slow.”
I’m nodding along, but on the inside, I’m shaking my head.
“Sure. I understand.”
It’s a lie.
