My eyebrows raise at her questions. On my stomach, I feel George's fingers begin to draw patterns on my top. Despite their being a barrier between our skin, the area beneath warms. To my surprise, Lewis and Elliot begin to laugh. My head snaps in their direction, wondering what on earth is funny right now. Wasn't that severely insulting? The intention behind her words? I watch George's closest friends laugh, a feeling of anger building, until I clock their eyes. Ooh. They're not laughing with her, they're laughing at her. In an instant, my lips quirk upwards. It's mean, I know, but maybe I don't always have to be kind.
"What's funny?" Kate's voice cuts through the room.
I expect George to respond first. I mean, she had asked him a question. However, that's not the voice I hear, "He's got his hands, mind, and attention wrapped around Luna and you're... still trying."
Lewis nudges Elliot after he says that, "That is funny."
Kate's eyes return to where George and I stand. The attention makes me want to step away from George and our current position but I fight against it. This is exactly where I want to be.
"So what? His hands have been wrapped around other girls and that never meant anything. Luna isn't different, she isn't special, so why shouldn't I shoot my shot?"
George sounds bored when he replies, "You can shoot as many shots as you want, my answer is never going to change."
Her arms fold over her chest as she leans against the doorframe, "That seems a little dramatic."
I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me softly. Looking up, I see Lewis motioning towards the boat race. Perhaps it was best I left them to this conversation. I didn't need to be involved. Giving George a pat on his hands, I step out of his embrace and walk over to the alcohol.
"Okay, you know the rules: First one to finish gets to choose what kind of shot the loser does."
Soon, I'm in the middle of the race. A little liquid spills over on to my chin as I attempt to zone out of the conversation happening behind us. By the time I reach the final cup, I can see Lewis has already started. Okay, he definitely wasn't going easy on me. I watch, still focusing on finishing my cup, as he places his empty one on the table and smiles at me. When I finally finish, the boys are stood in front of me with a large shot and large grins. Again, I focus on doing the shot and ignore the instinct to turn and see what's going on. I can hear his voice, steady and hard, but not exactly what he's saying.
"You can drink, sweetheart."
"Don't call her that."
I turn to see George is still in the same position, Kate is also still at the door, but he's momentarily glaring at Elliot who mumbles an apology. When George and I catch each other's eyes, I offer him a small smile to help with his tense body language.
"Oh, for fuck sake," I hear Kate, "So, what? You're in fucking love now? You've fucked anything and anyone for years and now Little Miss Loner is holding you back?"
I cannot stop the way my eyes widen and mouth falls open a little at her comment. While George replies, I properly take in what she's just said.
"Get fucked, Kate. I don't know you, I don't owe you anything, and I don't have to explain any of my decisions to you."
She takes a step forward, "If you let me walk out of this room, I'll never give you another chance. When you realise how boring she is, how childish those little skirts are, you're going to want this and I won't be so welcoming."
"Boring?" The question leaves my lips as soon as she stops talking. Seriously, who was this girl?
For a moment, Kate looks taken back that I've actually got involved. She also looks bothered that I'm the one she has to deal with now and not George. I realise she just likes to talk to him, she feels like she's spending real time with him.
"Yes, Luna, boring."
I feel a hand on my shoulder, offering support or something similar to that, while I reply, "What's boring is this conversation. You. This. Him. It's not happening right now. He's not interested, you're too interested, and it has absolutely nothing to do with me. So why don't you go and enjoy the party with the friends you came with? I'm sure they're looking for you and your opinion on everything they do."
At just the right time, people begin squeezing past her to get into the kitchen. Seeing the room filling up, Kate shakes her head and walks away peacefully. I feel rather accomplished after my little speech and, judging by the look on his face, so is George. He tilts his head, motioning for me to join him, as the new people begin talking to his boys.
"C'mere."
It's mumbled loud enough for me to hear it, and perhaps only me, and the tone of his voice has me moving instantly. As soon as I get close enough, hands grip my arms to pull me closer quicker. The speed in which he pulls me means that I have no time to take into consideration how close our faces are about to get. I can hear his breath, I can see the little touch of green in his eyes, I can smell the vanilla. Most importantly, I can feel the heat coming from his body. Specifically, his lips which are close, too close, and slightly parted. I find myself tilting my head upwards so that we are directly looking at each other. While I'm now focused on those lips, I can feel his hands trailing down my arms, squeeze my hands and rest on my hips. My lips quirk up slightly at the look in his eyes, one that's filled with determination and vulnerability at the same time, and George squeezes my hips in return. But he doesn't smile. No, he's too focused.
The heat radiating from his body moves closer, closer, until we're touching nearly everywhere. Everywhere but our lips. The disappointment that fills me when I realise this fact is almost embarrassing. It's embarrassing enough to make me flush. I see George's eyes flicker to my cheeks, their reddening state, before they return to my own eyes. Fuck, he mumbles. The determination in his eyes takes over any vulnerability and uncertainty making me anticipate what is to come.
When his lips touch mine, soft and warm, my hands grip his arms in an attempt to anchor myself. My mind jumbles, becoming a maze, as I focus on the feeling of his lips on mine. Without thinking, like second nature, my lips close under his. They're soft, which I'm stupidly shocked by since I am constantly mentally commenting on how soft they look, and they draw me in. They make me want to relax. George pulls away slightly, checking for something, but reconnects when he finds what he's looking for. It's a slow touch, one filled with exploration and wonder, until it's not. Until I find his bottom lip and enclose my own over it, tugging slightly. A soft groan leaves his throat at the action and I want to beam in pride. I made him do that. The hands that are on my hips grip tightly, like he's making sure I'm really there, keeping me close throughout it all. Soon, he's returning to favour: tugging on my bottom lip, running his tongue over it afterwards.
As soon as it begins, it ends. Hands clasp us both on the shoulder, shaking us away from each other, as cheers are heard. In a daze, I watch a grinning Elliot slap George on the back while his other friends heckle and cheer from the side. I can't even process what just happened but the sight of all these eyes on me has my cheeks flaming even more than they already were. The embarrassment runs through my whole body, causing goosebumps, and I turn back to George to avoid it. However, my thinking isn't exactly smart as I'm faced with a smirking, slightly flushed looking boy. A very smug looking boy with his very smug friend stood next to him. My mouth opens to scold them but shut when I realise whatever I say next isn't going to make a difference.
"If you get any more red," Elliot chuckles, "We'll have to get you some ice. Or a doctor."
My hands find their way to my cheeks, begging them to cool, as I attempt to remain calm, "Oh, piss off Elliot."
George chuckles at that. And, instantly, everything is fine. Nothing is awkward, it's not a big deal, and I don't need to freak out over this.
"Shots!" A random girl shouts pulling our attention away from each other. "Everyone in the kitchen, shots!"
Yes, I definitely needed a shot after that.
Hours later, George and I are home. We had picked up some chips on the way, both hungry in our drunken states, and rushed into bed to watch Netflix. It's definitely too late to be watching anything but we're both alert; we have both had an intense night. It was my turn to choose something to watch so I chose a random Housewives series (which George moaned and groaned about). Now, we are both laughing at the very unique women on the screen, hidden under the blankets while eating any chips we can find in the tray.
"Did you enjoy tonight, sweetheart?"
I nod while keeping my eyes on the screen, "I did. Now you know, I'm always right."
He scoffs, rolling to face me. The movement catches my eyes and makes my attention fly from the screen to the boy laying next to me who looks a little confused, "What does that mean?"
"It means," I huff, "I wanted to go to the party, you didn't, but I won and it was worth it."
George laughs at my statement. I wasn't trying to be funny but I am rather pleased to hear his laughter. It's a sound I've managed to hear a lot tonight and it's reassured me that he too has enjoyed his time.
His phone vibrates on the counter causing us both to turn to see who it is. Elliot.
"What does it say?" I lean over his shoulder to read.
Can you two stop fucking giggling like children. I'm trying to sleep down here.
Honestly, I'd forgotten he was even downstairs. We had shared a taxi and it made more sense that he came with us instead of travelling all around town to drop people off. Perhaps it's because he wants us to be quiet or perhaps it's because I can imagine him downstairs alone listening to us, but I laugh a little louder.
----------------------------
It finally happened! Although, does it change anything?
I think this is as far as Kate's character will go. I mean, as the story continues she may pop in and out but there'll be no further focus on her. I wanted her to be put in her place a little before we said goodbye, or see you later, to her.
I originally had a whole other storyline for these next few chapters but it didn't feel right so I'm adding bits that feel important.