I Spun the Bottle

I Spun the Bottle: Chapter Nine

Song for this chapter: "One and Only" by Adele

The absent feeling of the smooth car movements beneath me aroused me from my light sleep. I had fallen asleep on the way back from the rise home, due to the lack of conversation between David and me. He hadn’t said a word since we got on the freeway, and I didn’t blame him. I was exhausted, worn-out, and a little passed the stage of cranky. I figured the reason why he wasn’t talking to me was because I told him that I didn’t want to go to the hospital, but he was definitely taking rejection way too seriously.

I glanced outside the window, trying to recognize the familiarity of my own neighborhood, but for some reason I couldn’t. Then I realized why. I wasn’t in my neighborhood. I was in a completely different place. Instead of seeing large, two-story houses, occupying the sides of the streets, I was greeted by multiple apartment complexes. They all ranged from different sizes, to different colors, and to different models. I had no inkling of where we were, but I knew David had an answer.

Shifting upright a little, without moving my right foot, I turned to David. “Where are we?” I demanded.

“Home,” was his short, simple reply to my question.

“Home?” I echoed, puzzled.”This isn’t my house. This isn’t even my neighborhood.”

“I never said this was your home.” He paused, shooting a smirk at me. “It’s mine.”

“What? Why are we at your house? I told you to take me to my house.”I sighed, slamming the back of my head against the headrest in annoyance.

“You never said that I had to take you to your house. You just said take me home, and I did what you so rudely demanded. I took you home, just to mine.” He responded slyly.

“You are such a word-twisting, annoying, arrogant, egotistical jerk!” I yelled, stomping my feet against the floor of his car, immediately regretting it just as I did it. My right ankle screamed in protest of my actions, causing a coursing pain to shoot through my body. “Ow! Ow, shoot. Stupid foot. Stupid car. Stupid, stupid jerk!”

I could feel my mood blacken with each second that ticked by. After shooting a glare at David, I folded my arms over my chest, in a very childishly manner, and huffed. I kept my steady gaze outside of the car, focusing on a particular tree that stood about ten feet away from me.

“Wow,” David chuckled, a deep throaty sound. “I never knew that you were really cranky when you just wake up, but I find it kind of cute in a way.”

His words did nothing but make me angrier. Even if he did, sort of, compliment me it didn’t affect me in the same warm feeling way it did when Jace or Cam did it.

“Do not call me cute. I am not in the mood for stupid silly games. I want to go home—my own house— and I want to go now! Can you start your stupid car and drive me there?” I hissed, giving David the ugliest glare I could possibly muster up.

It was quiet for a moment, both of us silently daring the other to break eye contact first. After what seemed like five minutes, I looked away first, a long, irritated noise leaving my mouth. I made my eyes drift toward the floor of the car, and stared aimlessly at my super swollen ankle.

“Fine, I’ll take you home.” He said, breaking the tension in the car with an invisible hammer. “Under one condition,” he added, when he saw the hopeful look fill my eyes.

I leaned my head back on the headrest in defeat. “Fine, what is it?” I muttered, looking at him from my peripheral vision.

“It’s nothing big really. I just want one simple thing.”

“Then what is it?” I repeated, not liking the smug look in his eyes.

“A kiss.”

Almost instantly, the lump that was in my throat during the time of the game formed once again. My mouth felt dry, and my fingers twitched at the sound of his request. He wants me to kiss him?

“Wha—why?” I stuttered, my eyes widening as I watched his usual smirk find its way easily onto his lips.

“Why? Because we never got to finish our turn that’s all,” he smiled. For a second I could recognize the smile he used. It was the kind that I had been receiving all day by Taylor. They were definitely a match made in hell.

“You have a girlfriend David.” I replied, trying to keep the nervousness from closing my throat all together. Thankfully, my voice came out a lot stronger than I felt.

He shrugged, “what Taylor doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Besides, you were going to have to kiss me if the Po-po didn’t show up anyway.”

“Yeah, bu-but that’s different! That was part of the game! Why were you playing in the first place when your own girlfriend was knocked out cold, huh? Aren’t you supposed to be watching her or something, and not messing around with other girls?” I glowered at him, shifting the blame from me to him.

I was not going to be the one at fault here. I did nothing wrong.

“I dunno.”

Those two words were the same answer I had received when I asked if Taylor was his priority. Suspicions were beginning to stir within me. Now that I think about it, he never did seem too attached to Taylor. They didn’t carpool to the party together like most teen couples would do. They were hardly seen at school together, and I never even saw them kiss, make-out, or whatever the heck teenage couples do today in the hallways. Was there something I was missing?

“So are you going to kiss me?” David wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, taking in my silence as if I was surrendering.

“No!” I exclaimed, shaking my head side to side vehemently.

“Why not? Were you going to kiss me at the party or not?” David inquired his voice suddenly a little too serious for this type of topic.

I bit my lip, thinking silently to myself. Was I going to really kiss David? I knew what my answer was. It was yes. I was going to kiss him because it was part of the game. It was the game I voluntarily signed up for, and I was going to follow through with it.

With yet another sigh, I turned to David, looking at him straight in the face. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Surprise lit up through David’s eyes, as he watched my determined expression, but it was gone just as fast as it had shown. Pushing my long locks of chocolate brown hair back behind my ear, I nodded slowly, giving him permission to…kiss me.

With a lazy smirk still playing on his lips, David placed his right hand under my chin, running his fingertips softly against my jaw line. His long, thin fingers tickled the skin on my chin, causing a jar of butterflies to lift open in my stomach, letting them flutter away endlessly. I didn’t know the feelings I was experiencing at this point. It was like I had a hot, steamy cloud over my eyes, cloaking my vision. It felt as if my five senses were dulled, but at the same time intensified.

My heart hammered in my chest, and I could feel the blood pumping through my fingers. I was sure David could hear the irregular pounding of my heart.

I could feel and smell his alcohol tinged breath on me, as our lips drew closer together. I stared into his dark, hazel eyes, noticing a stray strand of hair near the corner of his left eye. I could feel the strange, tingling sensation where his hand was still touching the features of my face.

Finally, I closed my eyes, and began to erase what little distance was left between our lips.

Just when I thought I was going to get this over with and finish this stupid silly game, a revolting feeling poked in my stomach, wiping out the feeling of butterflies instantaneously. I pulled back for the second time tonight, but this time it was of my own choice. The feeling in my stomach permeated throughout me; erasing the trail of any feeling I had just mere seconds ago.

I blinked.

Then I gazed back up at David, just in time to see whatever emotion he was thinking vanish through his handsome features. I couldn’t explain the feeling I felt. Was it guilt? But for what? Was it because David was taken? Was it because his girlfriend was none other than Taylor Sparks, the girl that’s holding a picture of me half-nude in the palm of her hand? Yeah, I thought that was a perfect explanation for the retched feeling. But even then I felt like there was something else. I didn’t know what, but my answer seemed incomplete.

“I knew you’d chicken out.” David mumbled, so low his voice was almost inaudible. “I guess you’re sleeping here tonight.” He added in a much louder voice.

I closed my eyes and nodded. There was no other way I could possibly get out of this now.

“Fine, whatever,” I mumbled, crankiness rolling in over me again just as the last of the feeling washed away.

On that note, David opened his door, while twirling his car keys around his finger, and exited the car. When he stood up, I could feel the car get lighter from the loss of his weight. I opened the door, a cool breeze brushing across my face, and started getting out before I realized I was in some kind of a predicament. I couldn’t walk with a sprained ankle! I could hardly sit with a sprained ankle, there was just no possible way I could walk with it.

My cheeks tinted a light pink shade as I stared at the back of David. He was already heading towards one of the apartments complexes without even checking on me. “Uh, David?” I whispered in a quiet tone.

When he didn’t respond, I figured he probably didn’t hear me. “David? A little help here?”I asked, increasing the volume of my voice a few notches.

He still didn’t stop.

“David! I need help! Can you please help me?” I raised my voice to where I was almost yelling at him.

Finally, his body stopped and turned, a cheeky grin looked like it ate his lips. By the look on his face, he probably already heard me. He just wanted me to practically beg for help.

“Yes Lyn? Did you call me?” David asked in a sarcastically, polite tone.

I rolled my eyes, but decided against the remark that was building up inside me. “Yes David, I did call you. Can you help me? I can’t exactly walk.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please?”

He made a buzzing noise with his throat. “Wrong.”

I glared at him, and guessed in a sullen voice. “Thanks?”

With the same buzzing noise, David repeated. “Wrong.”

“Then what the heck is it?” I scowled at him, tempted to throw something, anything at him.

“Say David you’re the hottest, sexiest man alive and I wish I could kiss you all day and night.” He said in a mocking girly voice.

I grinded my teeth together, muttering a few words through my clenched teeth. “You said magic word not magic sentence.”

“Oh, well same difference.” He grinned boyishly at me.

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t let a single word leave my lips. I was going to win this with whatever dignity I had left, even if there was hardly anything left.

“Are you going to say it?”

“No,” I answered, simple and quick.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well I’m going inside. You can stay out here and have fun in the cold.” He teased, straightening his back before he started walking toward the apartment buildings.

I watched helplessly as his body got smaller and smaller. The words threatened to leave my throat, but I kept my lips zipped, not letting them escape without a fight.

“Wait!” I yelled, the voice coming out of my mouth surprised me. My own body was betraying me, just because I was being deserted.

The bark of my command instantly stopped David. He was now more than twenty feet away from me, but his cocky grin was still apparent even from the increased distance. He tapped his foot against the pavement, waiting for me to copy his “magic sentence”.

“David,” I started, forcing a somewhat of a smile on my twitching lips, “you’re the hottest, sexiest man alive…and I wish I could…kiss you all day and night.” I mumbled the ending part of the sentence.

“What was the last part? I couldn’t hear you.” He teased, inching towards me.

“You heard me.” I muttered, turning my flustered face away from him.

“No, all I heard was mumbling jumbo.”

I sighed, my face heating up even more. “I said, I wish I could kiss you all day and night.”

“Wow! Lyn! You’re just too sweet, but I mean I am pretty sexy.” He placed his hands over his heart, mockingly, like the compliment meant the world to him.

“Now help me up.” I ordered.

“No, I think I’m just going to go to bed.” He said, turning on his heel.

“David!” I growled, smacking the armrest on the door with my fist.

“Kidding,” he turned back around, smiling infuriatingly at me.

Not ten seconds after, David was in front of me. Sourly, I stretched my arms out to him grabbing onto his extended hand. Once I got onto my feet, well more like foot, I hopped a couple of steps so that David could close the door behind me.

Once the door was closed, I continued to hobble to the sidewalk, of course, with the help of David. I winced every time my right foot moved from the jumping. The pain felt like an electric shock shooting through my ankle.

“Ow,” I muttered when my ankle shifted again, a grimace passing through my features.

“What’s wrong?”

I paused and looked up at David, giving him a flat look. “Oh, nothing, it’s just that my foot is as puffy as a bag of pudding, and it hurts like heck.”

“A bag of pudding?” He echoed, cocking an eyebrow at my strange simile.

“Yes, a bag of pudding. I can’t think properly right now okay? Leave my weird figure of speech alone.” I snapped.

“Yes Ma’am,” he winked, as he used his free hand to mock salute me.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him again, I continued to hop on the blacktop, getting closer to the pavement. One hop after the other, I was finally a single hop away from reaching the pavement. Just when I was about to do my last hop, I felt my body weight being lifted from the ground.

“H-hey!” I gasped, surprised.

I was now in David’s arms, being held bridal style. My cheeks flamed, as I realized David was carrying me.

“What are you doing? Put me down!” I exclaimed, trying to push myself out of his arms to no avail.

“You’re taking forever. This way we’ll get to the apartment before daybreak—stop moving! You’re gonna fall like that.” He scolded, securing his arms around me.

“Put me down!”

“Would you just stop moving? I’ll put you down when I get there okay?”

“No,” I pushed on his chest, as hard as I could. “Put me down now!”

“Holy cow Lyn! You’re so loud when you’re grumpy.” David rolled his eyes at me. “The faster you shut-up, the faster you can go to bed. Okay?”

Mumbling a few not so nice words— that shouldn’t be in my vocabulary— under my breath, I did as he asked or more like ordered. I didn’t say another word until we got to his apartment. My cheeks continued to burn, even as he headed up stairs that led to the entrance door of his building. I kept my gaze directed at everything else but him. Just like he said, the faster we got there the faster I could go to sleep.

Somehow he managed to get his keys out of his pocket, even with me in his arms. David shuffled through the few keys on the key chain, and inserted a skinny silver one into the lock. Turning the key clockwise, a soft click emitted from the keyhole. He then grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. After softly kicking the door open, David entered his home. For a moment the room was pitch black, but not even a second later, a bright light replaced the darkness.

Finally, David set me down on the carpeted floor. The carpet felt soft, on my calloused bare feet. I sighed in response of the plush carpet comforting my foot. Using his arm as support, I hobbled down the narrow hallway towards what looked like the living room.

I glanced around the room, noticing that there was hardly any furniture. The main piece of furniture was a dark leather couch and a large screen television, other than that, there was just about nothing in the living room. It looked like nobody lived here.

“Are you sure this is your house?” I asked skeptically, eyeing David.

“Yup, well, technically my parents, but same thing. Why?”

“This place looks deserted. Where are your parents anyway? This is a one bedroom apartment, right?”

“Wow, nosy much?” He teased, causing my cheeks to burn a little from embarrassment.

“S-sorry, I shouldn’t be asking.” I quickly apologized.

“I was just kidding, Lyn. This is my own apartment. My parents don’t live here. They pay for it, but other than that I’m just here alone, unless I bring a guest over for you know.” He winked.

I blushed, turning my face away from him. “I do not need to know that.”

“I’m just kidding.” He nudged me with his elbow, almost causing me to fall over, but he caught me before I could. “We should catch some Zs. You can sleep in my room if you want.”

“What? No!” I shook my head side to side.

I received a flat look from David. “Not like that. You know what? For a nerd, you sure do have a dirty mind.”

I felt my eyebrow involuntarily twitch at the word he used. Nerd.