Elijah
I knew Harper and Amelia had broken up, but when I forced Harper out of the house, that little fact had slipped my mind. I only wanted someone to stick by my side during the party because I didn't want it to be awkward. Brian had Jade, so he couldn't be my scapegoat. Harper, on the other hand, could be. It was selfish, but she agreed nonetheless.
Once everyone had arrived, people started drinking. That was something I tried to go easy on. Though it was just wine, I still didn't want to relive that last party, or that hangover the morning after. Harper was already tipsy at this point, but I didn't mind her giggling and bumping into me every five seconds. Taking care of her was a way to avoid looking at Oliver.
We were playing a game that I had never played before, mostly because I always thought these games were dumb and embarrassing. This one was called never have I ever, and it was enlightening. I learned so much about these people, and it was things I really didn't even want to know. Nigel had tried so many drugs in his life, and some guy named Chad had been with over thirty girls. Amelia couldn't ride a bike. Jade had her nipples pierced, which was something I also had to drink to. I took small sips each time, and most of these bizarre things, I had never done, so I wasn't even buzzed by the end of the game.
"We should play something else," Nigel complained, tossing his empty beer bottle into the middle of the circle. Suddenly, he wore a mischievous grin. "How about spin the bottle?"
There were a couple mumbles and agreements until finally, Jade sat up on her knees, swaying a little as she regained her balance. "I'll go first!" She grinned and reached for the bottle, giving it a good spin. She sat back and watched it go around until it started to slow. For a second, I was afraid it would land on me, but it went just a little further to Brian, who was next to me. Jade's face turned bright red when she realized who it was on. "Oh!" she squeaked as Brian scooted closer and grabbed her by the hips. Everyone cheered when they kissed, but after awhile it got old, and someone yelled at them to get a room. Brian pulled away with a grin, but Jade was still red in the face.
"I guess it's my turn," Amelia sighed, reaching forward to spin the bottle. Everyone watched, but no one more than Harper, who was clinging to the sleeve of my shirt like her life depended on it. The bottle spun and spun, seemingly forever, until it slowed to a halt. It was pointing right at Harper. Amelia looked like she was holding her breath, waiting for Harper to say something. Of course, Harper wasn't going to.
"Bro, somebody kiss the girl," Nigel complained, impatient.
"Alright," Harper mumbled, swallowing hard as she stood up. Amelia stood too, meeting her in the middle of the circle. For a minute, they just stood there, watching each other. Eventually, Amelia tucked the hair behind Harper's ear and rested her hands on Harper's neck, pulling her closer until they were kissing. It wasn't a long kiss, but everyone would be blind to not see the passion behind it. When they pulled away, they each took their seats and they avoided looking at each other, their faces red.
Someone whistled, and I saw Oliver shoot the guy a glare, which shut him up fast. The next person to spin was Nigel, who was more than excited to get his turn. He spun the bottle and watched in anticipation as it went around. In a horrible revelation, I realized it had landed on me.
"Looks like I get a little taste of Elijah," Nigel teased, standing up to move closer to me. I had no choice, considering I agreed to play the game. I stood to meet him and I avoided Oliver's eyes at all costs. I did not want to see the hurt on his face when I kissed Nigel. Even though it meant nothing, I knew he got jealous easily. "I bet you've always wondered what it'd be like to kiss me, huh?"
I laughed, rolling my eyes at him. "Not really, but I'm about to find out anyways," I answered, letting him grab the front of my shirt to jerk me forward, against his chest. He was drunk, so it was not the best kiss I had ever experienced. He basically slobbered all over my face and shoved his tongue in my mouth in the most unappealing way. He tasted like beer, which brought back some gross memories. I tried pulling away, but he pulled me back in, shoving his tongue in my mouth again, his hands sliding around until he grabbed my ass, which was the point where I really had to stop him. "Dude, enough," I said, trying to push him away. When he grabbed my shirt again, I saw Oliver get up from his spot on the floor. That's when I knew things were about to get messy.
"Hey, he said enough!" Oliver yelled, reaching to grab Nigel's shoulder to pull him away. That wasn't what happened. What did happen, was Nigel flailed around and blindly threw a punch that landed square against Oliver's nose. Immediately, he started gushing blood. My immediate response was to rush over to Oliver. He was bleeding everywhere and people were surrounding him, pushing Nigel out of the way.
"I got this," I said, shoving my way through everyone else. I grabbed Oliver by the sleeve of his sweater and dragged him away, into the kitchen. He slouched into one of the chairs, tilting his head back to keep blood from getting everywhere. Quickly, I found a towel and held it against his nose. "Don't tilt your head up, it's not good for a nosebleed," I told him, forcing him to tilt his head back down.
"I'm sorry I got involved, but he-"
"Oliver," I cut him off, kneeling down to look at him. He grabbed my hand with the one that wasn't holding the towel to his face. "You weren't trying to fight, you were just trying to get him away from me. I'm not mad." He tried to smile, but it was hidden by the towel. "I'm sorry you got hit."
He shrugged, still holding on to my hand. "It got him away from you. That's what matters." He pulled the towel away for a second to see if it was still bleeding, which it was, so I pushed it back against his face with a frown. "How long is it going to bleed?"
I had had my fair share of nosebleeds, some just because, and some from getting bullied at my old school. I knew how to handle them. Oliver probably didn't. "A few more minutes," I told him, running a hand through his hair. "I can handle myself from now on. I don't need you getting a broken nose every time you get jealous."
"I wasn't jealous of Nigel," he grumbled, wincing at the pain in his nose. He jumped when I wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, but then started to relax. "I'm sorry I've been so awful," he whispered, closing his eyes.
I shook my head, pressing my forehead to his. "Oli, you haven't been awful. You've been anything but that." It was true, he had been kind of a dick at times, but only because he liked me so much. He was jealous of Brian because I hadn't told him the story of why Brian and I were so close. He was jealous that Nigel kissed me. I knew it was all because he cared about me. "I know you've been jealous of Brian because we've gotten close. Do you want to know how that started? I think it might make you feel better."
Oliver shrugged, but I could tell he wanted to know. He had been dying to know ever since he saw us talking at school. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business," he mumbled. Still, he was lying. He wanted to know.
"It was that day you came over to work on our project," I started, scooting closer. I was sitting on the floor, looking up at him. He finally met my eyes, waiting for me to continue. "After you left, when I was walking back to my apartment, I saw Brian in the hallway. He takes care of one of the residents there on some nights, and well, I had no choice but to tell him I lived there. I couldn't exactly lie when I was clearly walking into my home. I was afraid he was judge me, but it turns out, he was having some problems at home and I'm a good listener. He sleeps over a lot because he doesn't like to hear his parents fight. We mostly talk about our complicated relationships. You, Jade, all that."
Oliver chuckled a little, then winced at the pain. "You talk about me?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course I talk about you, Oli. Who else would I talk about? Nigel? He's not even a good kisser."
"But I am?" he countered with a smirk as he pulled the towel away from his face. The bleeding had stopped, so I got up to get another towel, this one wet.
"The jury's still out on that one," I teased, hoping to avoid the topic as much as possible. I brought the towel back over and began wiping the blood away from his face. He let me do it without argument, which surprised me. But being this close to him was giving me very impure thoughts and I was beginning to think I might change my mind. I said no to him about a relationship. . . but what if we weren't boyfriends? Maybe I was crazy.
"Thanks for this," Oliver said as I finished cleaning him up. I tossed the wet towel and his bloody one on the counter. When I turned back to face him again, he was standing, and only a few feet away. "I don't deserve all that you do for me."
I smiled a little, because I couldn't help it. He was so sweet sometimes. Right when I needed him not to be. "It was kind of my fault you got punched, so don't worry about it," I answered with a light chuckle. Oliver stepped closer and I found myself backing into the counter, afraid of what I might do if he were too close. "Do you think we should get back? Or maybe not, because Nigel might be in there. Um... what if we-"
"Why is your face so red?" Oli asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not hot in here, is it?"
I swallowed hard, reaching for my shirt collar as the heat spread up my neck and into my face. "Oh, I think it is," I choked out, trying not to embarrass myself as he stepped into my personal space. He wasn't going to try anything. I knew he respected my decision to not be with him. I guess I just didn't respect my own decision. "Oliver. . . what if we were just friends," I said slowly, reaching out to smooth my hands over his chest before grabbing the fabric of his sweater to drag him closer. "But we were friends who sometimes kiss?" I didn't let him answer before capturing his lips in a kiss I had been wanting since the dance. He made a noise of surprise before melting into the kiss, his arms circling around my waist to pull me closer. I let my hands travel up his chest and into his hair before threading my fingers there. This kiss was definitely better than any kind of spin the bottle kiss. This was hot and private, most importantly.
Oliver pulled away abruptly, breathing heavy as he looked into my eyes, searching for something. "Elijah, are you sure?" he asked, trailing his thumb across my bottom lip as he bit his own. He watched me closely, waiting. "I only want this if you do too."
I nodded, leaning into his touch. There was nothing I wanted more than to be with him. I knew it was a long way to where I wanted us to be, but I couldn't deny it any longer. I wanted to be with Oliver, even if I couldn't have him fully. "I want this, Oli."
He smiled and it was so beautiful, the joy in his eyes as he pulled me somehow even closer, our noses touching. "I've been waiting three weeks to hear that," he laughed, connecting our lips again. Every time was so breath taking. I thought I might be used to it by now, but I never was. The way his tongue explored my mouth and the way he sucked on my bottom lip made my knees week. If I weren't in his arms, I would have been on the floor. When he pulled away, I wanted to yank him back for more, before realizing he wasn't done yet. His lips traveled across my jawline and down my neck, where he gently sucked at the skin on my collarbone. His kisses were soft, lingering, and sweet. At the same time, I was extremely turned on.
I jumped back to the real world when Oliver took a step away, clearing his throat. At first, I was confused, until I saw someone standing in the doorway. Brian stepped into the kitchen, his face red with embarrassment. "Sorry, guys. . . I was just looking for some ice."
"Right," Oliver mumbled, turning to open the freezer. "I forgot to set that out earlier." He grabbed the bowl of ice cubes and placed it in Brian's hands. "And by the way, man, I'm really sorry about earlier. I got carried away."
Brian smiled awkwardly, patting Oliver on the shoulder. "Yeah, it's alright dude. We're still cool," he answered. He glanced at me and gave me a thumbs up, which just made me roll my eyes. Of course, he was going to act like that. "Anyways, you two have fun. There's only a few of us left out here anyway, but we're entertaining ourselves." He started to walk away, but backtracked and gave me a serious look. "Stay safe."
"Brian!" I yelled, flipping him off as he cackled and walked back into the other room. I freaking hated him sometimes, even if he was one of my best friends. Oliver turned to look at me, an eyebrow raised. I just shrugged. I didn't control what came out of Brian's mouth. "We probably shouldn't make out in the kitchen," I said with a bit of smirk.
Oliver laughed, pulling me closer to kiss my cheek. "You think so?" he teased, and I only nodded, wanting him to kiss me some more. He acted like he was going to, but pulled away at the last second. When he noticed my pout, he grinned and took my hand in his. "Maybe we should go somewhere with a lock on the door?"
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from freaking out and instead nodded. "I think that's a great idea," I agreed, letting him drag me up to his room. He shut the door behind us and when I heard the lock click, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.