Reservoir

Those damn boots.

She hated them. She thought they were hideous. When they had shown up at her house after he’d returned from tour she couldn’t hide her disgust. It was the way he wore them, tucking his dark skinny jeans into them. It was the color; they couldn’t just be dark shade like the other guys wore, instead picking the most unappealing shade of brown known to man. And the worst part was how much he loved them.

Tania though that telling him would make him quit wearing them. One afternoon she mentioned it before they left for his parents’ monthly party, but he only chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Then she tried again before he left for the U.K. But the words were lost in their constant goodbyes. It wasn’t until he got back did she finally convey it so he understood it. Yet, he didn’t care.

Those boots sparked fights between them. She’d remind him whenever she saw them on his feet and he’d only scoffed, taking her words personally. It wasn’t about hurting his feelings or putting him down, she thought they made him look bad. If anything, Tania just wanted everyone to see him the way she did and his choice of footwear wasn’t helping to convey that message.

“John.” She groaned, pushing him away when he tried to kiss her. “You have to wear those?”

A grin grew on him as he ducked down again, pecking her cheek. “You’d prefer nothing then?” He breathed against her ear, hands slipping around her waist.

She had barely stepped in the door of her friend’s house before John was attached to her, his drunken slurring filling her ear. He guided her to the kitchen and offered to make her one of his “special concoctions” which she declined, grabbing a beer from cooler instead. The whiskey was think in his breath when he leaned forward to attempt to seduce her.

Usually, she found it funny. When he was drunk he was easy to tease and taunt, making it a game for her. But tonight however, it wasn’t like that. As John stepped back, pushing her spine into the countertop, he stepped on her toes, capturing both their attention. Her eyes adverted down and she scowled in disgust as he redistributed his weight. Those damn boots. They were such a turn-off.

Tania pushed him from her again, letting out a frustrated cry when he tried to kiss her. “John.”

“C’mon baby.” He mumbled, lips tracing over the concave of her neck, pressing a drunken kiss into her clavicle. “I missed you today.”

“No.” She repeated, pressing her palms to his shoulders. “I refuse to look at you in those hideous things.”

John’s eyebrows tightened and he gave her a heavy stare. “What things?”

His eyes followed her finger as she pointed down to his feet. “Boots, John.”

He stood quietly for a moment, downing whatever drink he had made for himself. Tania waited for him to speak, sipping at the bottle in her hand, as she tried to distract herself from how much she loved his touch to win the battle tonight.

“My boots?” He asked, watching his feet and then flicking her a smile as she nodded. “Why?”

“They’re ugly.”

John blinked once, smirking. “My boots are ugly?” He stepped closer again, cupping her jaw and trying to kiss her. She twisted away quickly and he ended up kissing her ear, sending him into a fit of light giggles.

“Yes John!” She yelled, frustration heavy in her tone. “I fucking hate those boots. I tell you this all the time and you never listen.”

“Tania, baby—“

“No.” She stepped away from the in the kitchen where they stood, advancing towards the mass of people on the other side of the house. “No me until those fucking boots are gone.”

It amazed her that he didn’t follow, instead staying in the kitchen. Tania was disappointed in him for not understanding or reacting. Usually, they fought over it until they were both too exhausted to speak another word and would collapse in their bed instead. As she worked her way around Emily’s house, saying hello to all her friends, she couldn’t help but dwell on it all.

When she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, she jumped, twisting away as quickly as possible. “What the fuck?” Tania gasped, unaware of who it was.

Her eyes connected with his the moment she’d made it completely around. He still had that goofy. Drunk grin across his face and she was sure he’d come back for round two of fighting. He lifted the extra beer in his hand, offering her the beverage to her surprise. “Thought you could use another.”

“John, I said—“

“Look.” He pointed down, her eyes following his gesture. The boots had been replaced with a pair of white vans, dark pants resting above the tops. “I changed.”

A smile slid across her face. “Where’d you—“

“Kennedy let me borrow ‘em.” He mumbled, stepping closer.

Tania giggled when he cupped her jaw again, pressing a hard kiss to her lips. Slowly, he continued to push against her and her feet moved too, until her shoulders hit the wall. She felt a smile cover him as he stopped, instead lower his head into her neck, sucking gently at the skin.

“W-what’d you-you do with the boots, baby?” She breathed as her hands wrapped around his neck and climbing into his hair.

He only shrugged, pushing their torsos together and stopping her words completely.