LOCKDOWN

Chapter 21

Mornings were confusing.

I never knew how to act around Peyton — did I act like the kiss we shared never happened, or did I act on my attraction and growing feelings towards her? Each morning I found myself lying awake in bed, staring blankly at the curling, waiting to hear her get up and walk down the stairs. I would wait about half an hour before getting up myself, putting on an outfit that I deemed presentable (and possibly showing off my body more now that I knew she found me attractive) and walked downstairs.

I always waited for her to say good morning first, which she did the moment I appeared downstairs. I would gage her body language and act accordingly, not wanting to make any sort of move if she wasn't willing to. So far, she hadn't made a move more than putting her arm around the back of my chair whilst sitting on the lounge watching TV. This made me question her motives surrounding the kiss — was it just a spur of the moment decision that she now regretted?

We had lost track of the days of the week, relying on our phones to tell us the date. It was a Friday night and the sun was setting. We had gotten a good package from the army a few days prior which had included frozen pizzas. We were cooking them in the oven, waiting hungrily for them to be done.

"It's Friday, we should drink!" Peyton suddenly spike into the silence.

Her announcement had taken me by surprise. Drinking on a Friday night was not something I had ever done. In fact, drinking in general was not something I had ever done.

"D — drink? As in...alcohol?" I questioned.

"What else? You know...to celebrate a successful medication drop off mission!" she smirked, standing up from her spot on the couch and walking over to my mums liquor cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. "What do you want?"

I didn't want to advertise the fact that I had never had alcohol before, so I just said, "I'll just have what you're having!"

She returned moments later with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. I had seen my mum drink it occasionally, but not often. Peyton poured a small amount into a glass and handed it to me, then pouring herself the same amount. She took a small sip and I mimicked her, attempting but failing to hide my blanch as the liquid burnt my throat as I swallowed. Luckily she hadn't seen me, instead swirling the honey coloured liquid in the crystal glass.

"Ah," she sighed. "It's been a minute since I've had a drink!"

I hummed in response, still not wanting to give away the fact that this was my first time drinking alcohol. It's not that I had never had the chance, I just had no desire to. The thought of losing control of my thoughts and abilities had given me anxiety in the past, but not today. I felt safe with Peyton.

It didn't take long for the effects of the alcohol to consume me. Soon after I had finished the first glass, a comfortable warmth had spread through my body. My head felt lighter and giddier, and my coordination was faltering slightly.

"Truth or Dare, McMann?" Peyton suddenly spoke, her famous smirk plastered on her face. Normally I would've declined the invitation to play such a game, but the alcohol was progressively lowering my inhibitions and so I nodded in agreement.

"If you don't answer the truth or do the dare, you have to take a swig. Deal?" she said, and I nodded again. "So what'll it be? Truth or dare?"

"Um...truth!" I blurted out, quite a bit louder than I had intended to.

"Have you ever had sex?" Her question was fired at me instantly without a second thought, as if she knew that's what she had wanted to ask all along. 

"No," I replied just as quickly. Peyton's eyes grew wide and she raised her eyebrows, a look of shock and disbelief on her face.

"Not even fooled around with a guy?"