Spin The Bottle

46 | Master of Kisses

"They're still asleep."

Steph bites her lips and fidgets with her fingers as Chris watches her. The tension in the air is only making her even more uncomfortable.

After a few seconds, she decides, It's now or never.

"Christopher?"

"Yes?"

Steph says the first thing that comes to her head.
"Did you mean what you said the other day?"

A few beats pass and Steph begins to dread that he won't answer so she holds her breath.

"Yes," Chris says softly which makes Steph to look at him. "I meant every word."

Steph releases the breath she was holding but she can't come up with anything to say to his answer.

"Did you think I didn't mean it?" Chris questions.

Steph nods.

"I never joke with something like that, Hazel."

Steph smiles at the nickname. She hasn't heard him say it for a while now.

Now that she knows he wasn't kidding, does it change anything? Chris wonders.

"I... I don't know what to say," Steph mumbles.

"You didn't also know what to say on Monday," Chris mutters to himself but she hears.

"You didn't exactly give me time to digest the information; let alone say something. You just walked away," Steph points out.

Chris stays silent.

"Look Chris....." Steph trails off because she doesn't exactly know what she wants to say.

Should she tell him exactly how she's feeling?

"I know what you're going to say --"

"No, you don't."

"I know you don't feel the same way. I wouldn't expect you to --"

Steph cuts him off. "Chris. Christopher... Can you just stop talking and listen to me?"

Chris sighs but nods in agreement. He leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees and rests his head on his palms.

Steph stands and walks over to the couch he's seated. She sits by his left side, leaving no space between them.
Chris raises his head to look at her and she smiles. She takes his left hand in her right one and interlaces their fingers.

He tries to ignore the feeling of her hand in his. It feels so good. Their interlaced hands rest on Steph's thigh and she uses her left hand to brush the back of his palm soothingly.

"I won't lie to you and say I feel exactly the same way. I won't do that. But I want you to know that you're important to me. You're very important to me. I didn't realise that until you blatantly started to avoid me. And to be honest, I don't know how I'm feeling right now. Yes, I like or used to like Luke and I was obviously excited about our date. But yesterday on our date, all I wanted to do was leave. I just kept thinking about what you told me," she pauses, absentmindedly still stroking the back of Chris' palm with her gaze on the coffee table.

"I don't know if I still feel the same way I initially felt about Luke. I feel like my feelings for him have changed and I honestly don't know if I have any romantic feelings for you."

"Just give me a chance, Hazel." Chris pleads.

Steph takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as he takes her other hand and changes his position so that his facing her. Steph opens her eyes and crosses her right leg on the couch so that she's completely facing him.