FIRST KISS (High School Romance - FYI - In need of redrafting/rewrites)

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Your eye is twitching."

He covered his eyes with his hands. "I'm tired, Mel."

"You're also not telling me the truth."

There was a long pause, the only sound Bryce's heavy breathing.

"You're annoying. You know that?" he said, but his lips quivered with a smile. He gritted his teeth and clamped down on it, and I could see the muscles in his jaw flex.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

He turned his head, his dark eyes drawing me in as he stared at me. Then he rolled them up towards the ceiling, breaking eye contact as he said: "I saw you. In the study, with that guy you're dating."

I felt my heart literally judder in my chest, as though he had reached out and touched it, knocking it off its regular rhythm. I swallowed.

"It was you? At the door?"

His dark hair fell over his eyes and he tossed his head to move it out the way. Then he inclined his chin in a nod. "You like him?" he asked.

"I-"

"You looked as though you did. Do."

I wanted to tell him it was all a ploy; a complete fabrication to make him jealous. But he would hate me for the blatant manipulation. And then there was Jimbo to think about: had he really been playing a role? Was that all it was for him?

"Have you spoken to Luke?" I asked, changing the subject.

"No. I don't think he wants to hear from me."

"You should call him. He wrote me a letter, you know."

Bryce propped himself up, resting his head on his hand. "He did? Can I read it?"

"No you cannot read it!"

He fell back down on the pillow. "I feel awful," he groaned. "Alcohol is the devil. Someone should outlaw it."

"I think they tried that," I said.

He sighed. "Listen Mel, I'm really sorry about...everything. I'm sorry I called you self-centred. I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. I was just really trying to make stuff work, for me. You know?" He flopped his hands outside the covers, letting them lie there. "And it's so inappropriate that I'm even here right now. If I weren't feeling like complete shit, I would leave."

I didn't want him to leave; not one tiny bit.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I took you for granted." I paused to inspect the nails of my left hand. "What are you going to do about Taylor?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'll call her. Try and work it out. Apologise."

I bit my lip. Work it out?

"Really? But you said last night-"

"I was drunk last night. Please don't start quoting what I said."

"But Bryce-"

"Mel, this is so wrong; us being here right now."

I slammed my hands down on the covers. "Stop saying everything that happens is 'so wrong'. If it's 'so wrong', then why is it happening at all? You were the one that came here. Why? Why did you come?" I was starting to get annoyed now. He had run to my house, drunk, in the middle of the night. Couldn't he see what that meant?

"I don't know."

"Well you should think about it," I huffed and closed my eyes. After a few moments, he spoke: