Lost & Insecure

Twenty - Last First Kiss

After dinner, Dana, Katie, Grace, and Eddie went downstairs to watch a movie in the media room. Dana and Katie sat next to each other on one side of the L-Shaped couch while Eddie and Grace sat on the other side.

Dana laughed to herself halfway through the movie, noticing Eddie. Dana tapped Katie, who was lying down with her legs resting on Dana's lap. Katie looked up at Dana who pointed at Eddie. Katie looked over and chuckled slightly, seeing Grace asleep with her head on a pillow on Eddie's leg and Eddie's awkward face clearly not knowing how to react to Grace. Eddie looked like he was struggling to decide whether or not he should move.

Katie looked back up at Dana and whispered, "He likes her so much it hurts. It's so cute."

Dana chuckled quietly, "It actually is really adorable. I've never seen him like this before."

"Has he ever seen you like that?" Katie raised an eyebrow at Dana.

Dana awkwardly laughed and jokingly pushed Katie's face away. "Watch the movie, you nerd."

Dana couldn't help but steal a glance or two at Katie throughout the movie. Dana didn't want to care about Katie as much as she did, but she couldn't help it. As much as she liked to deny it, Dana loved the sound of Katie's laugh and the glimmer in Katie's eyes whenever she smiled. She could lie to herself all she wanted, but Dana couldn't resist Katie's smile or the way Katie's hand fit perfectly with hers.

Dana kept thinking about what Katie had told her a few days beforehand – that Dana gave Katie killer bees, not butterflies – and Dana couldn't help but hate the fact that she felt the same way towards Katie. Dana hated seeing Katie with Jesse. She could handle it, but it still hurt. Seeing the person you want to be with end up with someone else is one of the worst pains, and Dana had no idea but she was experiencing exactly what Zach had told Eddie about. They were all dominoes.

By the end of the movie, Eddie wasn't as obviously uncomfortable, Grace was still sleeping, and Katie and Dana were holding hands under a blanket. The movie was almost over when Grace's phone went off and woke her up. She answered it with a hazy voice. "What? Yes. No. Yes. I just am okay? Yeah, yeah." Grace hung up and apologized for the interruption.

Only a few seconds passed before Katie's phone began to buzz. She groaned and rolled her eyes before climbing off of the couch and taking the phone call in another room. Katie walked back into the room a few moments later, still on the phone. She walked over to Grace and mouthed a question that Eddie and Dana couldn't see and Grace hesitantly nodded in response. Katie gave a thumbs up to Grace before leaving the room again. After a couple minutes, she walked back into the room one more time and groaned in annoyance, and collapsed onto the couch.

"Was it Jesse?" Dana asked Katie. Katie groaned into the couch, signaling a yes. "What did he want?"

Katie sat up and pouted. "Me. Because he can't have Grace."

"I'm sorry, Katie." Grace frowned slightly. "I promise that I haven't even looked at Jesse since-"

"It's fine, Grace." Katie cut her off. "I'm not upset with you. I mean no shit he's attracted to you. Who wouldn't be? I'm upset that I'm my own boyfriend's third choice."

"Third?" Eddie, Dana, and Grace all asked in unison.

Katie nodded. "I guarantee you he's at a party right now, struck out with some random girl, struck out with Grace, and then decided to call me." Katie shook her head, "I mean honestly I'm over it. I don't feel anything towards him, and I'm tired of us pretending like we're okay." There was a silence before Eddie spoke up and redirected the conversation.

"Hey, he struck out with you too. And in bowling, three strikes is a turkey!" Eddie proudly pointed out.

"Ed," Dana's eyebrows furrowed, "how the hell does that have anything to do with what we're talking about?"