You Had Me at "I Hate You"
12
"Okay!" I shouted. "Who am I going to kiss at midnight?!"
Jesse and Linc both shot their hands up in the air.
We were all crammed on to our small couch, waiting for the final New Year's countdown on T.V.
I laughed.
"Not fair, Linc! You've got a girlfriend!" Jesse slurred, slightly tipsy. He really couldn't hold his drink well.
"Who? Naomi? She doesn't count!"
"But, technically, she is your girlfriend, right?" I asked.
"Right..."
"Then quit whining!"
"No! That's not fair!" he protested.
"Yeah, it might not be fair... but I'm in charge, because I'm the only girl here," I pointed out.
"Good point," Linc agreed.
"And unless you two wanted to kiss each other..." I teased.
"No!" Jesse called. "We're good, thanks."
Lincoln brought out a quarter.
"Okay, heads means that Ikiss her, and tails means that you kiss her," he informed Jesse.
"Great. Because every girl's dream is to be treated like a piece of meat..." I said sarcastically.
Linc flipped the coin in the air, and caught it. He flipped it over onto his palm, and peeked at it.
"It's... uh... heads. I win!"
"Cheater!" Jesse yelled. "Liar!"
"Let me see the coin!" I added.
"No!" Linc protested. "You'll just have to take my word for it!"
I forcefully ripped his hand away from the quarter and saw that it had, in fact, landed on tails.
"You win, Jesse!" I cried, and Linc plopped down on the couch, pouting.
"Okay," he grinned. "But... A friendly kiss, deal?"
"Deal," I agreed.
"Three! Two!" the television shouted. I could see the giant glittering ball poised to drop...
"ONE!"
Jesse smiled as I reached over, and slung one of my arms around his neck. He took my cheek in one hand and guided my face towards his. He placed his other hand on the small of my back, and I placed mine on his shoulder.
There was a slight moment of hesitation between us before the space between our lips was closed. We both opened our mouths slightly, but it wasn't very passionate. We were keeping it friendly, remember?
He slid his hand up into my hair, and, just to tease me, he swiftly ran his tongue along my teeth. So, to tease him back, when we pulled apart a few seconds later, I softly bit his bottom lip.
He squeaked, stood up straight, and touched the lip that I'd bitten, his eyes wide.
"Two can play at the teasing game, Mister," I scolded.
"What was that?" Linc shouted. "Did you bite his lip? I saw you bite his lip!"
I giggled.
"Was there tongue?" he demanded again. "I thought I saw tongue! You said friendly kiss! Tongue is not friendly!"
"Calm down Lincoln," Jesse rolled his eyes. "I was only teasing her."
"Teasing is not friendly!"
I laughed at him.
"Oh... You know what this means... Don't you?" Linc asked in a creepy voice.
"Dude, you're so stupid!" Jesse told him.
"What? What is he going to do?" I squeaked, backing up slightly.
"Edward Tickle-hands," Jesse sighed.
"Edward whatty-what?"
"You know, like Edward Scissor-hands?" Jesse rolled his eyes. "He does it to all the girls."
Linc waggled his fingers in the air.
"I still don't know what you mean- EEEEEEK!" I ended up shrieking as Lincoln came up behind me and began tickling me in the stomach.
"Cut it out! I'm ticklish! Stop!"
"Edward Tickle-hands stops for no one!" he said, laughing maniacally.
I bent over to hide my stomach, but that just made him move on to the back of my neck.
"No! I'm even more ticklish there!"
Jesse cracked up.
After about a minute of "Edward Tickle-hands" I was hurting from laughing to much. Suddenly, Linc stopped, and scooped me up, bridal style.
"I want a New Year's kiss, too!" he pouted.
"Oh, you do, do you?" I asked playfully.
Linc nodded, grinning.
He set me back down and pursed his lips, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Well," I said. "You'll have to ask Jesse."
"What?" Linc cried, and Jesse laughed.
"He won the coin toss! I'm his for the night!"
Linc groaned. "Jesse... Please?"
"Hmmm..." he scratched his chin, and pretended to think. "What have you done for me recently?"
"I... I... Uh..." Linc tried to think of something nice he'd done for Jesse, and failed. "Just... Please?"
"Hmmmm..."
"Pleeeease?"
Jesse grinned, winked at me, and then threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, alright! One kiss!"
Linc glided over to me, smiling suavely. He leaned down and, sounding slightly hurt, he whispered softly in my ear, "Why did you have to bite his lip, Dollface? Huh? I thought that was our thing."
I laughed slightly. "No, this is our thing..."
I turned his face in my hands, pushed back his hair, and kissed him heavily... right on the tender spot that was below his ear... the beginning of his jawbone.
He shivered.
"I like our thing," he said, grinning.
"Okay, guys!" Jesse called, a little weirded out by our sudden display of affection. "That's it! It's over... right?"
I looked directly at Linc. "I don't know, Jesse. New Year's is a big event. I think it requires a big kiss..."
I don't know why I'd said it. I guess I get caught up in the moment too easily.
Lincoln responded so fast, I hardly saw his move. He dipped me down, and looked directly into my eyes. I was reminded of Christmas... A few nights ago.
His lips met mine gently, and he sucked in his breath, kissing me tenderly. I ran my hands through his newly cut hair, and smiled under his lips.
Then, it was over. Linc pulled me out of the dip, and chuckled.
"Wooooo!" Jesse catcalled teasingly.
And, for some reason, I wasn't done. Linc was grinning embarrassedly at Jesse as he continued to whoop and whistle at us.
I reached out, and, grabbing him by the collar of his beaten leather jacket, pulled him towards me again. He stumbled a bit, and his lips crashed into mine.
For a few seconds, he didn't kiss me back, too surprised at my sudden change of heart to do anything.
That phase was done away with very fast. He responded by grabbing my face, and letting out a slow, "Mmmm!"
I broke away and kissed him on that spot below his ear again. Our spot.
He sucked in his breath, eagerly took my chin, and began kissing me again.
Our tongues explored each other's mouths, and Linc slid his hands down to the small of my back.
"Guys?" Jesse called to us. "Guys?"
We ignored him.
"GUYS!" Jesse roared.
We broke away abruptly.
Linc immediately stepped away from me, a mixture of sheepish happiness and embarrassment on his face.
"What the hell was that?" Jesse exclaimed, dropping his jaw.
"It was... Um... Linc's New Year's present?" I tried feebly.
Jesse didn't buy it. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes flitting from me, to Linc, and back again.
"Best present ever!" Linc whispered to Jesse.
Jesse and Linc both shot their hands up in the air.
We were all crammed on to our small couch, waiting for the final New Year's countdown on T.V.
I laughed.
"Not fair, Linc! You've got a girlfriend!" Jesse slurred, slightly tipsy. He really couldn't hold his drink well.
"Who? Naomi? She doesn't count!"
"But, technically, she is your girlfriend, right?" I asked.
"Right..."
"Then quit whining!"
"No! That's not fair!" he protested.
"Yeah, it might not be fair... but I'm in charge, because I'm the only girl here," I pointed out.
"Good point," Linc agreed.
"And unless you two wanted to kiss each other..." I teased.
"No!" Jesse called. "We're good, thanks."
Lincoln brought out a quarter.
"Okay, heads means that Ikiss her, and tails means that you kiss her," he informed Jesse.
"Great. Because every girl's dream is to be treated like a piece of meat..." I said sarcastically.
Linc flipped the coin in the air, and caught it. He flipped it over onto his palm, and peeked at it.
"It's... uh... heads. I win!"
"Cheater!" Jesse yelled. "Liar!"
"Let me see the coin!" I added.
"No!" Linc protested. "You'll just have to take my word for it!"
I forcefully ripped his hand away from the quarter and saw that it had, in fact, landed on tails.
"You win, Jesse!" I cried, and Linc plopped down on the couch, pouting.
"Okay," he grinned. "But... A friendly kiss, deal?"
"Deal," I agreed.
"Three! Two!" the television shouted. I could see the giant glittering ball poised to drop...
"ONE!"
Jesse smiled as I reached over, and slung one of my arms around his neck. He took my cheek in one hand and guided my face towards his. He placed his other hand on the small of my back, and I placed mine on his shoulder.
There was a slight moment of hesitation between us before the space between our lips was closed. We both opened our mouths slightly, but it wasn't very passionate. We were keeping it friendly, remember?
He slid his hand up into my hair, and, just to tease me, he swiftly ran his tongue along my teeth. So, to tease him back, when we pulled apart a few seconds later, I softly bit his bottom lip.
He squeaked, stood up straight, and touched the lip that I'd bitten, his eyes wide.
"Two can play at the teasing game, Mister," I scolded.
"What was that?" Linc shouted. "Did you bite his lip? I saw you bite his lip!"
I giggled.
"Was there tongue?" he demanded again. "I thought I saw tongue! You said friendly kiss! Tongue is not friendly!"
"Calm down Lincoln," Jesse rolled his eyes. "I was only teasing her."
"Teasing is not friendly!"
I laughed at him.
"Oh... You know what this means... Don't you?" Linc asked in a creepy voice.
"Dude, you're so stupid!" Jesse told him.
"What? What is he going to do?" I squeaked, backing up slightly.
"Edward Tickle-hands," Jesse sighed.
"Edward whatty-what?"
"You know, like Edward Scissor-hands?" Jesse rolled his eyes. "He does it to all the girls."
Linc waggled his fingers in the air.
"I still don't know what you mean- EEEEEEK!" I ended up shrieking as Lincoln came up behind me and began tickling me in the stomach.
"Cut it out! I'm ticklish! Stop!"
"Edward Tickle-hands stops for no one!" he said, laughing maniacally.
I bent over to hide my stomach, but that just made him move on to the back of my neck.
"No! I'm even more ticklish there!"
Jesse cracked up.
After about a minute of "Edward Tickle-hands" I was hurting from laughing to much. Suddenly, Linc stopped, and scooped me up, bridal style.
"I want a New Year's kiss, too!" he pouted.
"Oh, you do, do you?" I asked playfully.
Linc nodded, grinning.
He set me back down and pursed his lips, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Well," I said. "You'll have to ask Jesse."
"What?" Linc cried, and Jesse laughed.
"He won the coin toss! I'm his for the night!"
Linc groaned. "Jesse... Please?"
"Hmmm..." he scratched his chin, and pretended to think. "What have you done for me recently?"
"I... I... Uh..." Linc tried to think of something nice he'd done for Jesse, and failed. "Just... Please?"
"Hmmmm..."
"Pleeeease?"
Jesse grinned, winked at me, and then threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, alright! One kiss!"
Linc glided over to me, smiling suavely. He leaned down and, sounding slightly hurt, he whispered softly in my ear, "Why did you have to bite his lip, Dollface? Huh? I thought that was our thing."
I laughed slightly. "No, this is our thing..."
I turned his face in my hands, pushed back his hair, and kissed him heavily... right on the tender spot that was below his ear... the beginning of his jawbone.
He shivered.
"I like our thing," he said, grinning.
"Okay, guys!" Jesse called, a little weirded out by our sudden display of affection. "That's it! It's over... right?"
I looked directly at Linc. "I don't know, Jesse. New Year's is a big event. I think it requires a big kiss..."
I don't know why I'd said it. I guess I get caught up in the moment too easily.
Lincoln responded so fast, I hardly saw his move. He dipped me down, and looked directly into my eyes. I was reminded of Christmas... A few nights ago.
His lips met mine gently, and he sucked in his breath, kissing me tenderly. I ran my hands through his newly cut hair, and smiled under his lips.
Then, it was over. Linc pulled me out of the dip, and chuckled.
"Wooooo!" Jesse catcalled teasingly.
And, for some reason, I wasn't done. Linc was grinning embarrassedly at Jesse as he continued to whoop and whistle at us.
I reached out, and, grabbing him by the collar of his beaten leather jacket, pulled him towards me again. He stumbled a bit, and his lips crashed into mine.
For a few seconds, he didn't kiss me back, too surprised at my sudden change of heart to do anything.
That phase was done away with very fast. He responded by grabbing my face, and letting out a slow, "Mmmm!"
I broke away and kissed him on that spot below his ear again. Our spot.
He sucked in his breath, eagerly took my chin, and began kissing me again.
Our tongues explored each other's mouths, and Linc slid his hands down to the small of my back.
"Guys?" Jesse called to us. "Guys?"
We ignored him.
"GUYS!" Jesse roared.
We broke away abruptly.
Linc immediately stepped away from me, a mixture of sheepish happiness and embarrassment on his face.
"What the hell was that?" Jesse exclaimed, dropping his jaw.
"It was... Um... Linc's New Year's present?" I tried feebly.
Jesse didn't buy it. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes flitting from me, to Linc, and back again.
"Best present ever!" Linc whispered to Jesse.