When Eli came back to the table, I’d been laughing so hard at Nate, there were beer droplets all over the table. He glanced at me, subduing my giggles. My eyes watered as I choked. Wait, what was I doing, laughing with Nate like this? I needed a reality check.
I immediately sobered, though my head was still woozy from the alcohol.
“I’m sorry,” Eli said, holding up his phone. “But my friend has some kind of emergency, and I’m going to have to go. Are you two okay here without me?”
My eyes widened. What? Eli was leaving? Before, when Eli was here, it was fine – just a meeting between a couple old friends. But if he left and it was just me and Nate…it might turn into something else.
“We’ll be fine,” Nate said, to my horror. He smirked at me, in a way that could’ve been so easily misinterpreted by my brother. “We can entertain ourselves, can’t we?”
“Uh…I…” Stupidly, I flushed red. Damn it.
“I’ll pay for your drinks,” Eli said, throwing down a couple of twenties on the table. “See you at home tomorrow, Ade.”
“Wait, you’re going to stay the night at your friend’s house?”
“Yeah,” Eli said, a sly look suddenly on his face. I blanched. Oh, God. I glared at both Nate and Eli. Guys were all carbon copies of each other. “Bye.”
“Bye,” I muttered, turning away. When Eli had gone, there was an uncomfortable silence. I took a long swig of my beer, as I thought. Eli was clearly not a virgin and had plenty of experience. It was obvious that all my other brothers were pretty much “studs” as well. In that way, I was the odd one out as well. I was the only one in the family that hasn’t even properly kissed.
“What are you thinking about?”
I looked up, to find Nate staring at me with intense brown eyes. I swallowed, suddenly nervous.
“Uh…Nothing much,” I blurted. “About, uh, kissing.”
His eyes widened. Crap. Did I really just say that? I blushed as a smirk slowly spread across his lips.
“What about kissing?” he said, his voice lilting. I glared at him, more embarrassed than anything else.
“About how I want to kiss your brother,” I snapped. It was a low blow, I admit, but it was the only semi-coherent comeback I could make with his face so close to mine.
Pain flashed through his eyes and I immediately felt guilty, even though I had absolutely no idea why. I bit my lip. A heavy silence settled in, and I didn’t know quite where to look. I settled for my bottle of half-empty beer. It slid out of focus, and I blinked, swaying slightly. I was hammered. I tried to concentrate, but the world suddenly fell forwards. Nate’s chest flew towards my face.
“Hey!” Nate said, stopping the world by grabbing onto my shoulders. “What are you doing?”
I muttered something, probably a protest, but my tongue felt all fuzzy and non-responsive. I gave up on protesting pretty fast and leaned into the only steady, non-moving thing I could see – Nate.
“Get up, Ade. Now. I’m serious.”
If I could’ve moved, I would’ve told him he really wasn’t scary. In fact, it was kind of the opposite. It was endearing, really. In my drunken state, I couldn’t help but like the feeling of his muscled body pressed up against mine, in a way I definitely would’ve if I were sober.
“You smell weird,” I mumbled, half-asleep, against his chest. He tried to push me away.
“What?” His sharp voice pierced through my dreams. Nate sounded so offended, I smiled.
“Not in a bad way,” I muttered. “You smell like…I don’t know. Home, maybe, or something close.”
His hands stopped trying to shove me away, as he fell silent. Nate’s silence only allowed me to fall deeper into my confusing dreams, with a swirling vortex of colors, a blurred sandpit, and as always, those bright green eyes.
***
“You look like crap.”
I grimaced at Keri. Blunt, as always.
We hadn’t talked much over the last couple of days. We’d basically avoided each other, after the whole Paintball incident. I guess, if she was talked to me now, then we had called a truce.
“Were you working? I mean, the two weeks are almost up.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, heavily. I’d managed to put in some extra hours this week, but it was nowhere near five hundred bucks. I’d taken the money Eli had left on the bar table, as the change was about fifty dollars (my brother overspends way too much), added with the money Keri said she could lend me, and the money we’d made from the jobs we’d done…only came up to three-hundred and fifty. There was no way I could make the rest by Friday. “What do you think I should do?”
“Ask your parents?”
“Hell, no. They might physically maul me this time.”
“Well, why don’t you ask Noah?” she suggested. “I mean, you know him now, right?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I closed it again.
“Well?” Keri prompted.
“Uh, sure,” I mumbled, in a voice completely unlike my own. “I actually have a date with him tonight. I can ask him…then.”
“You have a date with him tonight?” she said, her eyes widening. “Where?”
“Nowhere big. Bowling.”
***
I pulled my wrist back, concentrating my movements. Then, with on flick of the hand, I threw the ball forwards with all my strength. It hit the skittles, making them clatter backwards. I allowed myself a smirk, before turning around just as the system boomed, “Strike!”
Noah clapped, like I’d just done something amazing. I bowed, laughing.
“Well done!” he congratulated, patting me on the back. I walked back to him.
“It wasn’t anything big,” I said, modestly. “I played a lot as a kid.”
He passed me my smoothie and I sucked on it gratefully.
“Are you kidding? I’m so bad I can barely hit one skittle.”
I laughed. “You’re joking, right?”
Noah smiled a sweet little boy smile. “Watch me.”
He grabbed a ball, and walked towards the bowling alley with mock intense concentration. I smiled at his back. This was fun. Laughing and talking and eating, just like we were friends. But that’s all I felt. Friendship. Nothing else. I sighed a little. Wasn’t I meant to feel other stuff? Like, amorous feelings in my loins or whatever?
I watched him pull back his hand, and attempt to throw the bowling ball. The ball wouldn’t come off his fingers. I watched him shake at his hand, trying desperately to get the ball off. Nope. It was definitely stuck.
***
Author's Note: I am so tired :( I really need to get some sleep. But enough about me. What've you been up to?
P.S. VOMMENT!!!
