1.1 - no chance, Clifford

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“And your hands, they shake with goodbyes

And I'll take you back if you'd have me

So here I am, I’m trying.

So here I am, are you ready?

Come on let me hold you, touch you, feel you

Kiss you, taste you, all night

Always”

Michael had decided that, rather than teaching me a bunch of chords I was likely to forget, he would teach me a song. Always was pretty easy to play acoustically and I was happy singing along in front of him.

“Any time you want, babe.” He smirked at me. It took me a second to realise what he was on about but when I did my mouth hung in a little O and I slapped his arm.

“No chance, Clifford.” I continued to play the guitar as he watched my fingers, his smirk having turned into a smile.

“Look, about last night –” Michael was cut off by a screech and River flying into the room.

“SAVE ME FROM THE DEVIL, PRINCESS” River had dived behind me, peeking out from over my shoulder. Bewildered, I turned to the door he ran through to see Ash stroll into the room.

“Oh River,” He sang his name out, shaking what looked like a whipped cream bottle. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Ash was staring right at me. He knew. I grabbed River’s hand and dragged him out of the room in a flash, knowing I was now involved in whatever was going on between the two.

“Oh princess, you’re saving me! I will repay you!” I giggled as he tried to bow whilst running through the apartment. We had burst into Calum’s room and straight away dropped and rolled under his bed. Laughing and panting, I tried to calm down and be silent.

“What the actual fuck?” Calum’s head popped out, upside down, in front of us and he looked just as bewildered as I did at first.

“I may have pulled the fake cake prank on Ash” River looked genuinely scared as we heard Ash and Michael opening doors and calling our names.

All Calum was doing was laughing. “God I wish I could have seen his reaction!” I wish I could too but right now, I really didn’t want a face-full of whipped cream.

“Calum I will buy all you drinks tonight if you can get them out of your room without seeing us!” He contemplated for a minute. Ash sounded like he was right outside and I was panicking. The door flew open just after Calum had pulled his head up.

“Cal, where’s Natalie and River?” Michael’s feet came into view and if it wasn’t for River’s hand that grabbed my mouth, I would have gasped.

“I don’t know Michael. Maybe they’re getting a little close on your bed.” I was so going to slap Calum for saying that, I didn’t want to get close to River!

“Shut up, Calum.” Michael practically growled as he stormed out of Calum’s room, slamming the door.

Both River and I waited for a minute or two, just to make sure we were safe. All I could think about was how close we were and how my skin didn’t tingle whenever I brushed my bare arm against his like it did when I was in such close proximity with Michael.

After we felt it was safe to roll out, I made sure to tell Calum not to say anything he knew would anger Michael. He was obviously the type of person that wanted to keep what was his, his. Even if it was just a friend with benefits. If I, for whatever reason, ended up with River, me and Michael couldn’t continue what we had. That must have been why he was jealous.

“Now time to repay you, princess.” I had walked out of Calum’s room deep in thought and was shocked about how close River was to me again. I stepped back and laughed awkwardly.

“Get me some food, that’s the way to my heart!” It was River’s turn to laugh as he approached me, trapping me against a wall when I couldn’t take any more steps.

“Thank you, princess.” Before I knew what was going on, River’s lipped pressed against mine. I kissed back, out of habit. It didn’t occur to me what I had done until River had lent his forehead against mine, his minty breath on my face. I crinkled my nose and pushed away from him, walking straight out of the house.

Why the hell would River kiss me? We barely knew each other and had hardly talked. I laughed bitterly when I realised what a hypocrite I was. Michael and me had had sex the first night we met each other.

Lost in my thoughts yet again, I had failed to hear the door open when me and River were in the hallway then close as I walked away.

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