Fading Boundaries Again

Chapter Twenty Four

I can't keep the disdain off my face, my hand going around Liv's as I take the beer away. She had taken two sips in the last minute, and I was scared that she would regret this later. It's not my job to look after her, but after being the reason she was at this party, I did feel partly responsible. "I hate this game."

"Only because he hates having to share a little about his life," Zeke says with a roll of his eyes. "And to think that we made this version of the game since he didn't want to drink too much. He has a restriction."

My friends knew about the reasons for my hesitancy in binge drinking. They knew the kind of shit I had been accustomed to, so they started to do things in moderate amounts so I'm not bothered. I appreciated it a lot, but now I was used to it. I have seen the healthy way in which young adults drink, and I wasn't deterred by it. But back then, the thought of drinking that much in such a small time frame was off-putting.

Liv grins, pulling the beer out of my hand as she asks, "So what's a girl gotta do to get an invitation?"

"Get your boy to play," Zeke says with a laugh. "He hasn't in a long time."

Liv turns to me, taking a sip of the beer as she makes eye contact with me. I'm already watching her with a quizzical look when she looks up at me through her lashes, her lips pressed in a pout. "Please, Jacey?"

I blink at her, "Yeah, of course, but—" I look up at my friend, giving them a nod as I say, "Yeah, I'm in." Liv starts to jump on her heels at the excitement, but I only place my hand on her stomach, pulling her toward me. Putting up a finger, I say, "Give me a minute to talk to my girlfriend, though?"

They all nod, very maturely whispering to each other that we were going to be talking— if Liv was in trouble. I ignore them, pulling Liv by the waist as I pull us to an emptier spot. The kitchen is mostly empty, so I pull her to the back, unable to keep the troubled expression off my face.

"Ooh, why are we all alone?" Liv starts with a smirk, her hand coming to my chest flirtatiously. "Are we going to be getting some making out before we meet with your friends?"

I give her an eyebrow raise, taken aback by it as I ask, "Well, do we usually make out, honey?"

"N"o, but"—she starts, but then she looks down at the beer in my hand. She takes another sip, a grin on her face as she says, "But we can start." She was clearly starting to feel the drink, the torturous words of course said at the wrong time.

"Yeah, not right now," I say, choosing my words very wisely. That makes her eyes sparkle, which is the last thing I need from her. It made it harder to speak to her. I take my beer back from her and lean down to whisper, "How come you are drinking, Livvie?"

"Because I can," she says simply.

I raise an eyebrow, looking her straight in the eye as I start. "'No, I know," I say, trying not to come off controlling. "But you— you aren't going to regret this? I don't want you to drink if you think you cannot handle it."

"I can handle light drinking," she starts but then looks at the beer in my hand. Swallowing, she says, "But you can keep an eye on me. I don't know—I'm not used to casual drinking yet."

"See, I've gotten to be a pro at it," I tell her, smiling easily now that there wasn't tension between us. "I'll definitely help you. How many drinks does it take you to get drunk?"

"Uh," she scratches at her neck. "I don't know. I usually gravitate towards a drink that's mixed with tequila or vodka, so I don't know."

"A light beer should probably take around two, to be safe," I say, nodding along. I hold the drink up over my head as I say, "So we will be sharing this one, okay? Nothing more than that from you."

Liv sighs, smiling as she says, "Okay."

I tap her waist. "Okay, are you ready to go, Livvie?"

She reaches for her purse, telling me to wait as she pulls out makeup. While she touches up her makeup again, I look around to make sure that no one is violating a house party rule. I didn't know much about them, but I did know the rules that the guys agreed on together. When I'm doing my rounds, I catch sight of Zander, who was watching Emily dance with another guy with his hands crossed. So he wasn't having too much fun at this party either. I wondered when they would figure it out.

"Ready?" Liv asks, smoothly placing a hand around my arm. I look down at her freshly applied lipstick with a smile and say, "Come on." I lead Liv through the party, my hand in hers. She tightens our hold when we get deeper into the crowd, but I'm happy to be there for her. When we get to the beer pong table, the guys are already playing.

"Couldn't wait for us, huh?" I ask, chuckling as I take a place next to an empty spot. I take Lib with me; one of our other friends from football had joined us. But all Graham does is complain, stressed about something bigger than fear ping, that's for sure. He is groaning as he swallows a bite of mayonnaise, disdain all over his features.

"Let me go," I tell him, nudging him away with my shoulder. He steps back, smiling at Liv as he says, "I'm usually not this gross, I swear."

I pick up a spare ball but turn around to give Graham a glare. "Man, she is mine."

Graham holds his hands up. "I swear, a guy can never say hi to a girl without being accused of wanting her."

I laugh, glancing at Liv to make sure she was comfortable before I say, "Yeah, well, you are a little tipsy. Sue me for making sure no one hits on my girl."

Liv laughs, close to me now. She encircles a hand on my arm as she says, "That's enough with the possessiveness, baby; why don't you make a point?"

I turn around and give her a grin. "Yeah, I'll do that. Hey, let's make a wager: if I make it, the other team, of course, has to do a dare, but if I don't make it, you'll have to do a dare."

Her eyes widen in offense, and she slaps me on the arm. "Hey! Why are you betting on me?"

"Because I've got game," I tell her with a grin, offering her a wink. She has a look of amusement all over her face, and I set off to hit the ball in the other team's cups. "You know," Liv whispers in my ear as I strategize. "It'll be very embarrassing if you—"

The ping pong ball makes a loud noise as it bounces off the glass table and rolls to the ground. My friends all start to burst out laughing, and with my cheeks flaming, I look at Liv. She only sighs as she holds her hand out to the cup of dares, glaring at me as she says, "So that's the last time I ever trust you."

I shrug, squeezing her hand as I say, "Oh, I'm sorry, baby." She shakes her head, picking a paper out. "Oh, you are going to be sorry or...lucky?"

I raise an eyebrow, and she slaps a hand on her forehead as she looks at the group of four who were watching her in astonishment. "Really?" she asks them, and I step forward, trying to read the paper. She rolls her eyes as she shows me it, reading it off, "I have to choose someone to show my hidden photo album."

"This is why I hate this game," I mutter as she pulls out her phone. Then, without warning, she holds it up in front of my face. "Shit!," I curse, my eyes widening while my neck heats up at the picture. I turn away from the friend group, my eyes widening at every photo of Liv shirtless in the bathroom mirror. I wasn't oblivious to my attractiveness to her, but seeing her bare was something else entirely.

Thoughts I shouldn't be having at all flash through my mind, especially when I slow on a picture of her right after the shower. The picture was too good, so much so that I can only gawk at it.

Liv raises an eyebrow. "You okay, baby?"

Leave it to me to see Liv shirtless in a picture before real life.

This was absolutely a bad idea.