Gone

As the hours drew on, the party dwindled, and soon, there were only a few drunk people left. Manny was still missing, but I couldn’t bring myself to worry about her. She was probably having way more fun than I could ever bring myself to have, and I was happy for her.

Liam and I talked somewhat civilly as the teenagers started to stumble home, staying far away from the topic of soccer, which was touchy for both of us. It felt nice, actually getting along with him, and I tried to make a mental note to make more of an effort to be friendly with him on a regular basis.

“HEY, GUYS!” an unfamiliar guy exclaimed as he burst out of the house. “Oh, hey, Frankie and British dude! We’re playing Spin the Bottle inside. You guys should totally play because you’re both hot!”

Liam laughed, while I flushed a light shade of pink. “Um, I don’t know,” I replied. “Why don’t you start without us?”

“Alright…” he trailed off, widening his eyes. “But it won’t be as much fun without pretty people. Just warning you.”

And with that, he disappeared back inside, leaving the door open behind him, almost like an invitation for mosquitoes.

Liam got to his feet and brushed off the seat of his jeans, probably to make sure no little rocks were stuck to it. “Are you seriously not going to play?”

“Are we in junior high?” I laughed. “I don’t think I’ve played Spin the Bottle since I was twelve.”

“Then you’ll be more experienced now.” He leaned over and extended a hand to help me up, which I took. His grip was firm, and I could feel the strength in his arm as he yanked me to my feet. I felt much more sober by that point, and I was happy to feel that I didn’t have the slightest hint of a headache.

“How do you know how experienced I am?” I grinned at him teasingly. “But really, I’m just not a fan of the game. It seems kind of dumb to me, and it always has.”

“What, are you scared of a little Spin the Bottle?” His smirk was cocky and adorable, all at the same time. “Afraid you’ll have to kiss me?”

And just for a second, the image flashed through my mind. Of his lips on mine, what it would feel like for his hands to press against my lower back, making our bodies almost meld into one, how it would feel to slide my tongue against his. My stomach started to get a little fluttery, but I blamed it all on the remnants of alcohol still flowing through my system.

“I’m not afraid of Spin the Bottle,” I responded, cocking my eyebrow. “And if I wanted to kiss you, I’d do it anywhere, anytime.”

And although I’d thought he was completely sober, the second he said, “Then prove it, Frankie,” I changed my mind. Just like with soccer, he wanted me to show him just how much I meant what I said.

But unlike when he challenged me on the field, this time, I could feel my defenses fall. It was only one kiss, after all. One second of me pressing my lips against his full, inviting mouth, one second of running my fingers through his soft hair. What would it hurt?

So I took a step toward him, pretending I didn’t hear his breath catch in his throat, and went on my tip-toes, looping one hand behind his head to pull him toward me. Although the lean-in probably only lasted a second, it felt like so much longer, with all my senses acutely aware of everything he did. Of how his hand twitched, like he wanted to wrap his hands around me but couldn’t muster up the guts to do it, how his breath fanned across my face, smelling like beer and fear, how his tongue flicked out to moisten his lips before our mouths met.

“Frankie!”

Manny’s voice tore through my concentration, my head instinctively snapping back as I stumbled toward the railing behind me, tripping over my own feet. A second after I heard her voice, she was at the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her.

Liam looked flustered, blinking far too quickly to be normal, like he was trying to force himself out of a trance.

But Manny barely seemed to notice that Liam was standing there as she grabbed my arm and started to hurry down the steps. “C’mon, we have to get out of here. Did you see that Troy was here?”

Assuming that Troy was the name of the psycho from earlier, I nodded shortly. “Um, yeah, he was looking for you.”

“And he just saw me as Ben and I were coming down the stairs.” Her hand tightened around my forearm, her nails digging into my skin ever-so-slightly, and it took all the self-control I had to keep from squeaking in pain. “By the way, Ben is a fantastic kisser. I have no idea why I didn’t even look at him before tonight.”

She finally released her death-grip on my arm so I could climb into her mother’s minivan before running around the front of the car to take her place in the driver’s seat. “It looks like you got over Liam’s rejection pretty easily,” I joked, laughing a little.

“Oh, it didn’t matter,” she replied as she pulled away from the curb a little too quickly for my taste. “He was really nice about it, as I figured, and he told me that he was into someone else, so I just let him be. It wasn’t exactly difficult to find someone willing to hook up for the night.”

He was into someone else. I started to get a sinking feeling that he’d been talking about me, but then again, maybe he was just the kind of guy who liked a girl who he viewed as a bit of a challenge, and since I didn’t hide my distaste for him, he was probably just drawn to that. “I bet not. But who’s Ben?”

“I don’t know his last name,” she replied. “But he’s cute, and he’s great in bed. What more can I ask for?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat before chuckling. “Nothing, I guess.”

There was a short silence as the car sped down a dark, quiet side street on our way back to Manny’s house, where I’d be spending the night. My eyelids were starting to get heavy, and I just wished more than anything that the short ride could be even shorter.

“So what were you and Liam talking about?” Manny questioned conversationally. It was clear that she was still wired, probably on an after-sex high, and it seemed entirely possible that I’d have to talk to her all night instead of getting the sleep I so desired.

So she had noticed that Liam was standing there. “Um, soccer,” I answered, trying not to sound guilty at all.

“You were standing pretty close for talking about soccer.”

“I was showing him how to head-butt the ball properly.” The second the sentence left my mouth, I winced at how dumb my excuse sounded.

“By practicing on his face?” She snorted loudly with laughter, the sound ringing through the small space and making my face turn bright red. “It looked like you were going to kiss.”

“Nope. No kissing for Liam.” I got another flash of his mouth in my vision, how his lips were slightly parted in anticipation of meeting mine, and I swallowed back my emotions. God, I needed to sleep off the alcohol.

“If you say so.” Her voice gave away that she didn’t believe a word I said, but I was in no mood to argue with her. “He looked pretty ready for it, like he wanted to jump you right there.”

“Whatever.” I leaned my head against the window next to me and let my eyes flutter shut for a second. Somehow, I’d managed to get out of the car and walk into Manny’s room to collapse under her covers, but I was too much in a state of sleep to remember.

And in the morning, I pretended that I hadn’t dreamt about Liam.