Chapter 5
Recap:
Ari's face was priceless.
His eyes widened in shock and he tried to move his head backwards but it was too late and I had my fingers caught in his smooth sandy blond hair, tangling in the popcorn.
"So maybe you just can't read me as well as you think you can huh ?" I said between my uncontrollable laughter, my hands still caught in his now popcorn filled hair.
Ari broke into a mischievous dimpled smile, an irresistibly playful glint forming in his aqua blue eyes;
" Oh Ella Bear, Game On"
And he reached behind me and tipped the whole contents of the sticky toffee popcorn on top of my head.
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I closed my eyes and gasped as I felt the sticky contents roll over me in little clumps and stick to my clothing and hair.
I re- opened my eyes, running my hands slowly through my hair, catching my fingers on popcorn. Ari was standing in front of me practically doubled over with laughter, his laugh was infectious and I felt myself start to join in with him.
He didn't know what was going to hit him...
Oh the Game was so on.
He's going down.
"Ari you just declared war" I said slowly.
Urghhhhhh! He was still laughing uncontrollably and his bright blue eyes crinkled in the corner when he smiled.
" Bring it Ella Bear" Ari said as his laughter subsided, his face switching to its trademark smile that I'd seen on all those posters the girls lined up for.
The one they all went wobbly kneed and gooey eyed over.
Only now he had a familiar mischievous glint in his eye, just begging me to challenge him.
Ok, so maybe I could kind of see what the fuss was about
Ari's always had a great smile, I have a life time of childhood pictures to prove how it's evolved - but right now was War - and even his perfect Hollywood smile couldn't distract me from my plans.....
I scanned the kitchen for my next plan of attack and then I saw its gleaming metal door - The fridge!
"Don't I always?" I replied as I jumped off the island and skidded to the fridge, pulling open the door and found the left over spaghetti Bolognese from last night's meal.
Cold Spaghetti - yum - wait!
God Isabel dont even think about eating the spaghetti!
I ripped open the clear plastic tuber ware lid and spun back to facing Ari who had moved to the other side of the kitchen island.
On instinct, I immediately threw a handful of spaghetti at him, hitting his t-shirt right splat in the middle of the chest. Ari stood looking down at his top in mock horror before his bright blue eyes returned to mine.
I felt myself smile triumphantly as I watched the wet spaghetti slide down Ari's white t-shirt, leaving a red greasy Bolognese trail.
Then, just as I was about to shout, "score!" I felt a heavy substance splat on my stomach.
What was that?
I looked down at my t-shirt to find a big glob of Mayonnaise Square in the middle of my top.
Oh now it's on!
My hand delved into the spaghetti tub and then all of a sudden we were both caught in a whirlwind of food, ducking and chasing each other round the island trying to avoid flying mayonnaise globs and Spaghetti Bolognese.
After over ten minutes of chasing each other round the island we were both covered in spaghetti and Mayonnaise.
My hair and face was smeared in Mayonnaise and spaghetti where Ari had picked me up and rubbed it into my hair. White splotches covered my jeans and greasy red smears of spaghetti Bolognese fingerprints were all over my clothes. Somehow Mayonnaise and spaghetti had even gotten in my Bra!
Ari hadn't looked much better last time I saw him, with spaghetti sauce and mayonnaise smeared over his face. His hair had spaghetti all over it and his clothes were covered in red spaghetti Bolognese stains and mayonnaise covered handprints where I'd tried to grab his shirt when I chased him. Not to mention the sticky toffee popcorn we both had interweaved in our hair.
Now we were both on hiding behind opposite sides of the island.
Trapped in stalemate, a battle of wills.
Both of us had nearly run out of food ammunition and we were waiting for the first person to make a break for the fridge, which was on the left side of the kitchen, between the both of us.
The first person to get to the fridge would be pelted by the others food.
" Have you finally decided to surrender yet Ella Bear?" Ari asked teasingly from the other side of the island.
" Never! I think you should be thinking about surrendering to me, After all I've got whole load of Spaghetti Bolognese here with your name on it! But don't worry, I promise I wont throw all of it in your face when you admit defeat " I replied, looking down at the few strands of spaghetti stuck to my empty tuber ware bowl.
Just keep Bluffing Isobel!
" Really a whole tub? I don't think so Ella Bear - I'm covered in your so- called extra supplies" He said laughing.
I could almost picture him crouched on the opposite of the island, leaning against it as he picked spaghetti out of his hair.
" Well if that's so than I could say SNAP! I'm willing to bet you haven't got any mayonnaise left either...." I said tauntingly to him as I ran fingers through my wet, mayonnaise-slicked hair.
Ewww - there was so much I could have shampooed my hair with mayonnaise!
I didn't even want to imagine what I must look like.
Or how long it was going to take to get out...
Ari, however I wanted a picture of!
"Well you just practically told me you don't have any left so I guess now it's a race to the fridge" He replied, I could practically hear the smile on his face as he said " so how about it? 1-2-3 -Ready!- Get!- Set!"
Ari never finished his call, as we were both up and facing each other across the Island with small silent smirks on our faces.
The Island was covered in spaghetti and Mayonnaise splodges but I didn't have time to look anywhere else.
Then, as if silently signalling I saw Ari's tomato paste smeared right eyebrow raise, re- igniting the challenge.....
And all of a sudden we were both laughing, diving towards the open fridge, crashing into each other as we desperately tried to grab whatever we could......
I had my eye on the Apple Juice!
But I couldn't get to it as Ari's big muscled back was blocking me from getting to it.... all I could reach was a jar of mustard and cheese!
No fair!
Urghhhh , I pulled on the back of his t-shirt and then went straight for the kill , digging my fingers into his back like claws and jumping on his back piggyback style.
" HA! Now I've got you Ari" I said laughing as I reached over his shoulder grabbing the milk.
All of a sudden I felt myself being shifted easily and my legs were sliding round Ari's waist so I was directly in front of him.
"Really I wouldn't be so sure Ella Bear" was all Ari said as he pushed back onto the kitchen wall suddenly so I had to put my arms around his neck, one strong, firm hand held my waist, securing me as the space between us effortlessly closed.
My back was pressed against the wall.
Crap. I was trapped!
Ari's eyes still had the same mischievous glint in them as I instantaneously unscrewed the milk carton cap and poured the milk down his neck. As I watched it run down the front of his messy t-shirt, making it stick to all the hard planes of his six-pack I whispered, "I win".
Now I had to look away from the six pack .....
I dragged my eyes away from his chest to meet his silent intense gaze and the hot feel of his hand on my waist.
I leant back against the wall, triumphantly watching Ari's still smiling face .... Smug like he knew something I didn't.
"Oh Ella Bear, I don't think so" was all he said and out of nowhere his free arm raised and poured orange juice down my neck and onto my t-shirt.
"Ahhhhh!" I gasped as I felt the juice seep into my shirt, down my chest, into my bra, down the planes of my stomach and onto my jeans.
I looked down at my thin light purple top. It was drenched completely, rendering it essentially see through, the fabric sticking to every curve and I could see the soft lace of my white bra which was now tinged with orange juice.
Oh.
It took a moment to hit me;
If I could see that then so could Ari. cr*p
I slowly looked up to find Ari looking at my body, his crystal blue eyes seemed to burn everywhere he looked at me and his jaw was clearly clenched like before, making him look incredibly strong and masculine....
I felt my stomach muscles tighten as my eyes instinctively broke away from his gaze and dragged over his hard stomach muscles again.... the shadowed indents of his muscles...
Slowly I began to feel Ari leaning in to me, and I jerked my eyes up to meet his concentrated gaze. He had a smear of mayonnaise on his left cheekbone and tomato Bolognese across his forehead.
I felt like he was magnetised when my stomach as muscles tensed and my arms impulsively tightened around his neck as the gap between up closed further.
I was suddenly completely aware of how close we were, our cold soaked bodies covered in our thin almost transparent t-shirts, the speeding up of our breathing, our hips pressed onto each other's and the body heat I felt radiating into me as he continued to get closer.
His flat, hard muscled chest pressed mine and I could feel the cling of our shirts against one another, his firm grip on my waist tightening slightly....
Ari was leaning in further, his electric blue eyes seeming amazing against his tanned skin as he put his face to my ear.
His warm breath played across the side of my face and I bit my lip, knowing I could feel myself getting lost in his lemony scent as he enveloped me.
Then he whispered, " I think we'll call it a draw" and then he pulled back so our eyes were locked together.... Our eyes burning into each other.
I felt myself try to paste on a fake smile and think of a witty comeback, but my face just couldn't.
Then we both heard the turn of the lock in the front door.....
Had my parents not been in all this time?
"You guys I just got food for dinner... I hope Chickens ok Aaron? Hello?" My mums voice seemed to shatter whatever spell we were under and Ari immediately broke apart from me and pressed himself against the island counter. I stayed leaning back against the kitchen wall; I didn't think I could move. My legs felt like jelly....
Ari's face looked completely shocked, his eyes wide and he seemed to be staring anywhere but me.
We both stayed glued to the spot, unable to move as we heard my parents walking through the hallways towards us. I was vaguely aware of the spaghetti and mayonnaise mess covering nearly all of the kitchen cabinets and the Orange juice and milk we were standing on that drenched the floor.
" OH MY GOD! ISABEL? ARI? What is this?"
I turned to see my mum standing in the kitchen doorway holding shopping bags and looking at the room angrily.
My father was behind her trying to hold back his laughter.
" What have you done? Did I say it was OK to have a food fight in my kitchen Isabel?
Both of you get out the sponges and paper towels, your father and I will be I the other room until it's like we left it" My mum said in a quietly authoritarian voice and continued into the living room.
Once she left the door my dad popped his head trough the kitchen doorway and whistled " Gee, kiddos, you guys did one hell of a number in here" he said, looking at the spaghetti stuck to the cabinet doors " And I wouldn't stand there like your shell-shocked all day or you'll be stuck in her bad books ..... I'm guessing it's gonna take a while to get that- is that mayonnaise?- off the cabinets" He said chuckling and closing the door behind him.
We both stood there silently.
I needed to say something to break the silence.
Then again I also needed a top that wasn't see through.
"Well that was one hell of a food fight- even if it ended in a draw" was all I could say.
Ari seemed to shake himself out of the trance he was in and smiled, running a hand through his spaghetti and toffee popcorn infested hair " Yeah sure was - look at the state of the kitchen Ella Bear" He said slowly, wiping some spaghetti off his jeans.
"Look at the state of us. What would your adoring fans think if they saw you now?"
I asked, walking over to the kitchen towel and wiping my face.
Ari smirked at me and winked cockily from the island
" That spaghetti never looked so good"
I felt my stomach dip as I realised I might agree.......
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Hope you guys enjoy. Sorry if I missed any grammar /spelling mistakes.
And I'm sorry it took so long to upload again.
Next week I'll have more time and uploads will be longer and more frequent. I promise.