I can feel those dark eyes on me, but I won’t dare give him the satisfaction of staring back. Not this time.
“Spin the bottle it is,” Jackie announces.
“I’m game,” the guy I don’t know says.
“I’ve got a bottle.” Liam tosses her his empty soda bottle.
“Who all is playing?” Jackie questions as she moves down to the floor.
“We’ll play,” Hayley speaks up.
Woodrow nudges me. “Liri. You in?”
“You know she won’t play,” Jackie states, rolling her eyes.
“I just find it juvenile,” I tell them.
“Says the girl who was wearing unicorn pants today,” Killian says and takes his place in the circle that is forming. How did he know what I was wearing? I didn’t see him all day, but apparently, he saw me.
“Whatever.” I scoot down to the floor and hope this isn’t as stupid as it feels. Woodrow is to my left. Jackie is seated between him and the guy I don’t know. Some other chick sits between him and Ben. Next is the girl with Killian and the jerk himself followed by Hayley, Liam, and me. Killian is almost directly across from me.
“Who goes first?” Woodrow asks.
“Let Liri go,” Jackie says, and I want to pull her hair or poke her eyes out, but I smile and accept the bottle when Woodrow hands it to me.
I go up on my calves, place the bottle in the center of the circle and spin. The bottle goes around and around finally stopping on Ben. He meets me halfway and presses his lips to mine. I count to three in my head, and when I feel his tongue poke at my lips I pull away and drop back to my spot. It wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. Ben spins the plastic soda bottle next, and it lands on the blonde chick. I think her name is Misty. Misty spins and it lands on Woodrow.
When Woodrow spins, he gets this guy named Porter it is kind of funny. He jokes, “Fuck, man, you tried to slip me your tongue.” Porter gets Jackie and Jackie lands on Liam.
“I promise to not make him fall in love with me,” she teases Hayley.
Hayley says, “If you can handle him you can keep him,” with a cheeky grin.
“Nobody kisses as good as you do, baby,” he tells his girlfriend then pecks Jackie on the lips like he is kissing his grandma. Liam spins and it lands on Hayley sweetly enough and after they have a mini make out session, she gets Killian.
Killian wipes his mouth after and compares it to having to kiss his sister. He takes the bottle and gives it a whirl. The bottle seems to spin forever before it finally lands between me and Woodrow.
“Spin again,” Misty tells him, pushing her boobs out.
“It’s closest to Liri,” Jackie says with a mischievous grin. I know her intention is to somehow embarrass me.
“This is fucking lame,” Killian huffs and shoves up off the floor. I don’t know what I feel deeper. Relief that we don’t have to kiss in front of his friends or rejection because he doesn’t want to kiss me.
“Don’t be a sourpuss,” Jackie teases him. “You have to play.”
Killian scowls at her then approaches me. “Stand up,” he commands as I stare up at him.
My body moves at its own accord, and I am toe to toe with him. My jaw clenches and he swallows hard. His hand caresses my cheek, tilting my head up toward him. Killian bends his head running his nose along my jaw, and I can’t breathe. His earthy scent washes over me. The chatter around us and rest of the party sounds fade into the distance. Right now it feels as though we are the only two people in the world. My lips part hoping to refill my lungs with the air they desperately need.
“Liri?” Someone says my name and Killian and I both look to the right seeking the owner of the deep voice. “Liri Hart?” The guy repeats coming closer.
Recognition dawns on me. “Hunter, wow. I barely know you. Look at you.” I step away from Killian and hug Hunter’s neck. “It’s been what two years?”
“Something like that.” He squeezes me tight.
“What are you doing here?” I disentangle from his hug.
“I go to school here.”