I got home and washed the bed sheets. Then, I pulled out a bunch of bowls, filling them to the brim with an assortment of chips and sweets. It would be a few more minutes until they arrive. So, I headed up to my room and put on my favorite pajamas. A baggy shirt with a quote from Albus Dumbledore and a pair of black shorts. Just as I finished putting my hair up into a bun, the doorbell rang.
"Hey Bear," I stop to pet my dog before opening the door.
"Hello again. Your room is gonna be upstairs. First door on the left. Chloe is also going to be sleeping in that room," I tell Hailey as she walks inside.
"Thanks. Is anyone else here?" She looks at all the canvases in my living room.
"Not yet. They should be here soon. For now, you can hang with Bear and me."
She pets him and then heads to her room. He happily follows her, smelling her fruity perfume. A moment later I hear her shriek. She found it.
I run upstairs to her. "Surprise!"
"No! What do you mean surprise?! There's a spider on my bed!" Hailey holds Bear as she stands behind me.
"It's fake. I bought it at some store. I remembered how scared you were of them. Sorry, but you're reaction was priceless," I laugh.
"Haha, very funny. But do that again, and you're dead," she glares at me.
"Okay, okay. I heard a car pull up, I'm gonna go see who that is. Make yourself at home," I tell her, grabbing the spider and chucking it in the trash as I walk downstairs.
A knock echoed throughout the living room. One, two, one, one. Hence, Bear runs down to bark.
"Oh, hey guys. Chloe, you sleep with Hailey. First door on the left. Collin, you sleep with Simon. Second door on the left. And this little guy is Bear."
Chloe and the guys come in. Each of them greet Bear in their own way before going up to their rooms. I close the door and sit on the couch, waiting for the others to come downstairs. A scary movie is already set on the TV.
"You have a nice house," Collin shouts from above.
"Thanks."
"Where's the bathroom?" He yells.
"It should be next to your room! And what's taking the girls so long?!"
"They're changing! Double thanks!"
Bear whines, waiting for me to feed him a potato chip. He nudges my leg with his nose when I ignore him.
"Fine. Don't bark at me when you get fat." I give him one in is mouth and he runs off with it.
"You talk to your dog?"
I look up and see Simon grinning at me. His eyes are crinkled slightly. Ah, he still likes Harry Potter. His pants say Ravenclaw on the side and his shirt has the Hogwarts crest on it.
"Yup. It makes me feel less lonely," I admit.
"Nice. Do you mind if I sit next to you?" He asks.
"Sure."
I gesture to the corner of the couch that's next to me. Simon sits down and calls Bear up to his lap.
"What breed is he?"
"Half Dachshund, half Chihuahua," I say.
"Cool. My dog is a Husky," he tells me.
My mouth forms this weird half smile as he continues petting Bear. The silence isn't present for long because Collin, Chloe, and Hailey come barreling down the stairs.
"Who wants to play Never Have I Ever? If you have, you take a shot of Vodka," Collin holds up a clear bottle, chuckling.
"We're in." Simon looks at me, probably shocked that I volunteered him.
Everyone sits on the couch, eating food and taking the occasional swig from the bottle. Chloe is out by 10: 30 pm. Her legs and arms are sprawled on the sofa. Collin's eyes are half lidded from the alcohol. Hailey and I keep giggling at stupid things. As for Simon, he's barely buzzed.
"Never have I ever... kissed a stranger," I half mumble.
"Done and done," Hailey says, taking the bottle from Collin's hand.
We all drink from it. Though, the rest ends up getting chugged by Simon. After the game ends, Hailey stumbles up to her bed and Collin helps Chloe up. Simon and I remain downstairs.
"Do you... wanna watch the movie?" I hiccup.
"Yeah."
I switch the lights off and click play. Half way through, he reaches for the bowl of candy, only to realize there is none left.
"Aw, man. Someone ate all the M&Ms," he huffs.
"That would be me. Sorry," I giggle.
He laughs with me. Our laughter ends as I get the sudden urge to kiss him. As I lean forward, I can tell he's contemplating whether it's a good idea to do it or not. I stop a few centimeters away from his mouth, waiting to see if it's okay. I'm about to back away, but he kisses me. This rush courses through me. I sit on his lap, entangling my fingers in his hair. His squeeze my hips. My heart begins to pound and my legs feel numb.
Having no clue what I'm doing, I stand up, grab his hand and lead him to my room. We tiptoe past Collin's room since the door is open. When we reach my door, I close it, turning the lock. Simon picks me up and sets me on the bed. He continues kissing me, his hands traveling up my shirt. We continue this for who knows how long. By the end of it, we're passed out under my sheets.
"Um, Keira? I knocked, but you didn't answer. Do you know where Simon went?" Collin asks at the entrance of my room.
"Ugh. Simon?" I repeat, my head pounding. I look around and see sunlight surrounding the room.
"What? I'm trying to sleep. Wake me up in an hour," a voice says from under the sheets.
"No way..." Collin whispers before fully walking in and tearing the blankets off.
"What?" Still not comprehending what's happening, I look to my right and see Simon covering his face with his arm.
Wait. How did he get in my room? When did he manage to get under my covers? Oh, crap.
"Collin, it's not what it looks like. I don't know how he got here."
"Keira, I'm going to make us breakfast. We'll discuss this when we're all awake," he tells me, shaking his head in disbelief.
Once the door is closed, I stare at Simon, who's gone back to sleep. My instinct is to poke his face. Maybe it'll wake him up.
"Simon?"
"... Simon?"
"Simon!"
He jolts up, surveying my bedroom. When his eyes fully adjust, he looks at me. Quickly, his hands pat his chest and legs. My guess, he wanted to make sure he was dressed.
"Shoot. What happened last night?" He asks, a fearful look in his eyes.
"Um..."
I try to recall last nights events. Nothing comes to mind. It's only when Simon looks away that I remember what occurred. A faint lipstick mark taunts me from his neck.
"Hey dork?"
"Yeah?" His attention's back on me.
"We sorta... made out last night. Like, a lot. It happened during the movie, then we kept at it in my room..." I bit my lip, anxiously waiting to see what he'll say.
"Really? Oh man. That's... wow." He doesn't seem all that shocked.
"Uh, it is. Considering that we both are in a relationship, we're screwed. Let's set some rules. Don't bring it up, ever. Never do this again. And... act normal." I wait, his response taking an eternity.
He slightly frowns. "Okay. Let's go eat. I'm really hungry."
As he turns the doorknob, I grab his hand. He stops and gives me a puzzled look. I stand on my tippy toes and use the pad of my thumb to smudge away the hint of lipstick on him.
"You almost compromised us."
He purses his lips and opens the door. At the table, the others are chatting. That is, until they see us. Hailey smirks while Collin and Chloe raise an eyebrow. Simon sits down, placing a pancake on his plate, but I simply grab a cup of coffee. The questions to come have taken away my hunger.
"How did you two sleep?" Hailey asks.
"What did you guys do exactly?" Chloe adds.
"We-" Simon begins.
"We fell asleep in my room. When the scary movie ended, I was too scared to sleep by myself. Simon offered to stay with me until I fell asleep. Turns out, he ended up falling asleep too," I finish for him, taking a sip of my coffee.
"Sure he did. I think you guys hooked up," Collin chimes in.
"Almost. Luck wasn't on my side," Simon casually puts out there.
I choke on my coffee. "What time is it, Hailey?"
"Shit! Twenty minutes before we have to be at work," she says in a panic.
"Everyone, go get dressed!" I yell as we run upstairs.