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A culmination of sweaty bodies that reeked of alcohol danced on the floor of the Washington’s living room. Chris didn’t know nearly anyone at this party; instead, he found himself tucked securely into the corner of the house, far enough away from Josh’s speaker, so he didn’t go deaf, but close enough to the food bench to snack on the goodies all night.
Checking his phone religiously, he sighed when he saw his text was still unread. Ashley hadn’t responded, which could mean anything, but he assumed the worst. Noticing his best friend’s antisocial behaviour, Josh strutted towards the blonde with a smug grin. “Cochise! What are you doing hiding in your little hidey hole? Let’s get this party started!” he announced, shoving Chris forward. “Sammy’s setting up beer pong. You and me against her and Hannah?”
“Man, I’m not sure—” Chris began.
Josh groaned, interrupting him, and grabbed Chris’s biceps, shaking him. “Come on, we both know you’ve got a deadly shot. Who else would make a better partner than the professional?”
Rolling his eyes playfully, Chris couldn’t stop the smirk from creeping onto his face. “Just because I can shoot in games—”
“One round?” Josh asked, doing his best attempt at puppy dog eyes.
“Fine, dude. But Sam’s a killer at ping-pong, and Hannah’s a tennis champion. Sooooo, when we get flogged, it’s your fault,” Chris replied, crossing his arms over his chest and pretending to be indignant.
“Then let’s go beat their asses and prove them wrong!”
By the time the boys had arrived, the girls had already set the table, with Sam teasingly showing off the orange ball in her hand. “So, Josh. How will you feel when two girls beat you in your favourite game?” she teased, eliciting giggles from Hannah beside her.
Josh shrugged before smirking and crossing his arms over his chest. “Come on, Sammy. You’re talking to the professional—” a splosh and the girl’s laughter quickly cut him off. Looking down at the floating orange ball in the cup, Josh sighed, “Bottom’s up,” he announced, chugging the disgusting liquid down his throat. He gagged once finished, crumpling the red solo cup in his hands and chucking it away.
“Guess it’s our turn,” Chris announced, dramatically cracking his knuckles.
With meticulous aim, Chris landed the ball directly into Hannah’s cup, forcing the brunette to sigh dramatically but eagerly down the drink. “You know, you don’t have to drink it, Hannah,” Josh joked, although concern was evident in his eyes—he was still an older brother. Sam rolled her eyes and prepared her ball, aiming for a cup and got it in. “That’s not fair. Hannah—”
“Oh, just drink up, Joshy-boy,” she teased.
“Uh, uh. Just cause you don’t follow the rules doesn’t mean I won’t. Cochise, it’s your turn,” Josh turned to Chris, only to find the blonde completely lost in thought. “Chris. The drink,” he said, waving his hands. “Earth to Chris?”
It wasn’t often that he got drunk and partied with his close friends, so when Josh announced his parents were out of town and they were throwing a party, he was more than eager to come. However, he had hoped Ashley would be just as eager—yet she was nowhere in sight. He knew that no matter how hard he gazed at the door, it wouldn’t magically make her appear.
Downing the drink, Chris tried to shake his disappointment. Watching Josh abysmally miss the cup made everyone laugh, which distracted Chris for long enough that, eventually, after only one cup remained for each team, he’d forgotten all about Ashley.
The air was thick with tension. Sam burned holes into Josh’s head with her foul glare, waiting for his anticipated throw. Just as Josh was about to let go, a pair of hands grabbed Chris’s shoulders, making him jump and bump the brunette, causing him to miss completely.
Turning around, Chris came face to face with Ashley, and his face lit up. “Hey, Ash! You made it,” he exclaimed, forgetting how scared he’d just been. A huge grin replaced the tense expression he was sporting, as all thoughts of the beer pong game disappeared—something much more important was taking up his attention.
Ashley covered her mouth to prevent her giggles from escaping. “Sorry, did I ruin your game?” she asked, nodding towards the table. Sam’s ball landed perfectly in their last cup, causing her to jump excitedly and hug Hannah, who was too wasted to understand what happened.
“Didn’t ruin mine!” Sam cheered, placing an ‘L’ on her forehead and poking her tongue out.
“I demand a rematch! I would’ve gotten it in if Chris hadn’t bumped me,” Josh complained.
“Yeah, riiiiight. . . Uh-huh,” Sam teased.
The six stood awkwardly before Josh nudged Chris in the side, gesturing for him to say something to Ashley. He turned to face the redhead again, lost for words. “I’m going to say hi to Matt—”
“Matt’s here? I’ll come say hi with you,” Chris stumbled, noticing the way Sam and Josh cringed for him. Ashley, however, didn’t acknowledge anyone’s reactions and just smiled. She waved goodbye to the others, who mimicked her, before heading off.
About to follow her, he felt a hand circle around his wrist. “You’re honestly embarrassing to watch, dude. ‘I’ll come say hi with you.’ Just grab her by the waist and kiss her—”
“Don’t listen to Josh. His advice sucks. Just tell her how you feel,” Sam interrupted, nodding hopefully. “She’ll probably feel the same way.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll think about it,” he mumbled, trying to get away from them and chase after Ashley.
Walking away, he looked back and saw Josh give him two thumbs up, and just smiled.
When he finally found Ashley, she had a red solo cup in her hands and was listening to Matt, who was animatedly telling a story about his brother. Jessica was also there, pretending to listen to him; however, her eyes shot up when she saw Chris. “There you are!” She pulled him in for a hug, and he could smell the alcohol reeking from her. “I thought I told you to wear the blue shirt,” she pouted, placing her hands on her sides.
“Josh said it made me look like a dweeb—”
“Look at him; he’s wearing a red flannel! In winter,” she snapped.
“Is there a problem with flannels?” Chris asked, tilting his head.
“Yes. They’re for farmers and gay people, and red is an Autumn colour—”
“Jess, you’re gay,” Ashley interrupted.
“Bi, actually, and you’d never catch me wearing flannels, ever,” she snarked, raising one eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’ll wear the blue next time,” he sighed.
A smile instantly appeared on the other blonde’s face. “Great.”
“Anyway, I’m glad you came, Ash,” Matt stated, turning to face the redhead.
“It was Chris who convinced me in the end. . . Although considering they own a mountain, they sure didn’t splurge on the booze,” she sighed, swirling the drink in her cup.
“You know what, Emily said the same thing—”
“Oh my God! Where is Em? Ugh, I miss her so much,” Jessica complained.
Matt raised his eyebrows. “You were just with her,” he replied, but it came out more like a question rather than a statement.
“I’m going to find her,” she stumbled, grabbing onto Chris for support, before heading off in some direction to look for her best friend.
“I’m gonna make sure she finds Emily safely,” Matt mumbled, before jogging up to her and resting her arm over his shoulders.
It’s awkwardly silent for a moment, as the two stand in the middle of the room—alone now—debating their next move. “He’s so nice,” Ashley sighed, plopping on the couch and shaking her head.
Eager to be alone with her at last, Chris quickly sat next to her, leaving a small gap between them, so she wouldn’t find him encroaching on her personal space. “Yeah, he is,” Chris smiled, hoping this conversation could lead somewhere else without pushing it too hard.
“No. I wish he weren’t. People take advantage of him because of it.” She bit her bottom lip before turning back to Chris. He tried to decode what it meant, but Ashley was an enigma he hadn’t had the joy of solving. “Hannah seemed a bit out of it,” Ashley pointed out, her eyebrows raising like they always did when she was being inquisitive—something Chris found adorable.
Chris shrugged, looking back at the table where Sam was ushering Hannah to sit down. He felt weird gossiping about his best friend’s younger sister, but he convinced himself it wasn’t a big deal. Ashley was Hannah’s friend, so it was probably out of concern. “She’s never been able to handle her liquor—”
“When have sixteen-year-olds ever been able to?” Ashley teased.
“I did,” Chris bragged, receiving an eyebrow raise from the redhead. “Yeah, I’ve always been quite the heavyweight—”
Ashley snorted, making him pause. “Yeah, until it catches up with you. You always pass out at parties,” she teased, watching him flush. There’s an awkward beat, as both of them try to think of what to say next. “Do you wanna go—”
“So, did you see that they’re—”
They both paused. “No, you go,” they replied in unison before laughing at themselves.
“Do you wanna go somewhere quieter?” Ashley asked with a soft smile on her face. “The music’s so loud, I can barely hear you.”
Chris eagerly nodded in response, leapt off the couch and extended his hand to her. She giggled, accepting it, before he lifted her. “Oh yeah, look at that. That’s called muscles,” he joked, before flexing his muscles.
Ashley couldn’t help but wonder what Chris looked like under all those layers. Were her prayers answered? He certainly looked like the gods had sculpted him. She knew that he and Josh worked out together all the time—when he wasn’t too busy playing video games with her—but when his just-too-short t-shirt lifted ever so slightly, his toned torso was deliciously on display, which made her cheeks darken. “God, that’s something I’d expect from Mike, not you,” she teased, unable to contain her laughter.
“Mike’s biceps are pretty impressive. Got to give a man credit where it’s due,” Chris replied, quickly glancing around to check the brunette was nowhere in sight—the last thing he needed was to feed into Mike’s ego.
“That sounded really gay,” Ashley snorted, covering her mouth.
After he shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Chris put his finger in the air and mimicked the nerdiest voice he could muster. “You know, it’s 2015, Ash. We tolerate them now,” he joked.
“Doesn’t make that sentence any straighter,” she teased. “Come on, aren’t you here like all the time? Surely we can find somewhere to hang out. . . I’ve got a high score to beat.” Ashley looped her arms around his biceps, shamelessly feeling them under his shirt—not that Chris realised. He couldn’t quell the beast beating in his chest, eager to find a more intimate setting for the both of them.
Walking off in a completely random direction, Chris glanced over at Josh, who had both thumbs up and was nodding excitedly. His heart swelled with pride—he couldn’t let his cowardice and indecision ruin this. He was finally going to confess to Ashley—if it was the last thing he did.
Six levels of Angry Birds later, Chris hadn’t said a word about his feelings. How could he? She was practically on top of him while they lay on the bed of a guest bedroom. They took turns with each level, cheering the other on—unlike Chris, Ashley disregarded his body’s proximity. At least, that’s what he thought.
With a huff, Ashley threw his phone on the bed and turned to face him. “So we’re really just going to lie in bed at Josh’s party playing Angry Birds?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.
He reached for his phone. “Well, I have Flappy Bird on my—” his nose bumped Ashley, causing his breath to hitch. Her breath fanned across his face, and for the first time that night, he saw how she felt—and he felt similarly. Desperate, and pining in anticipation.
Smashing her lips against his, Ashley could no longer hold her feelings back anymore. She kissed him tenderly; due to her inexperience, she didn’t know any other way. He caressed her cheek and returned the kiss, enjoying her soft lips against his.
Pulling away, Ashley sighed softly. “See, was that so hard?” she teased.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this for,” he remarked, still awe-stricken. She smiled, pecking his lips twice, before sitting up to readjust. He copied her, ensuring they were both sitting opposite each other, with their legs criss-crossed.
“I don’t, actually. I was pretty sure the only way you’d ever confess to me was if Josh forced you to with, like, I don’t know, a gun to your head,” she replied. She’d meant for it to come out as a joke, but there was a lingering bitterness behind her words. She was asking him why he hadn’t confessed sooner—and the truth was even he didn’t know. It was the world’s worst-kept secret that she liked him, but there was always something holding him back. His dastardly indecision made everything overcomplicated.
Chris awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if his response should be earnest or a joke. “Yeah, he’s pretty into horror—he’d probably construct some Saw-inspired contraption to squeeze the truth out of us,” he joked.
Unimpressed, but glad he didn’t seem to take it to heart, Ashley sighed. “Should we rejoin the party—” suddenly taken over by a gust of boldness, Chris pinned her to the bed, and he hovered over her awkwardly—he’d attempted to seem seductive, however, his glasses slowly slipped off the bridge of his nose, letting his nerdiness shine through. “Okay, Clark Kent,” she giggled.
Beaming at the compliment—he assumed—Chris took her lips into his again, both hands sliding up her wrist so he could eventually hold hands with her. Interlocking their fingers to feel even closer to him, Ashley eagerly responded, smiling into the kiss.
The door suddenly opened, causing both of them to jump in fright. Josh’s head poked through the door, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face. “Hola, niños—”
“Josh, dude. Get out of here,” Chris groaned, letting his head fall in disappointment.
“Oh, were you—you two in the middle of something?” Josh wiggled his eyebrows teasingly, a smirk drawn across his face while he enjoyed the way his best friend blushed. However, his expression turned to shock when Ashley slammed the door in his face.
Ashley huffed, unable to contain her smile while Chris leaned back against the bed. “Very well done, m’lady,” he joked.
“You’re such a nerd,” she teased, climbing back into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. With a smile on her face, she failed to appear annoyed, “but you’re my nerd.” Pressing her lips against his, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close—refusing to let her go.