17 | kissing friends

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

CHAPTER 17

Bloody hell.

Cora was standing in front of my door wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt that looked as if it was closer to my size than hers.

At least I was assuming she had shorts on - it was hard to tell since the t-shirt was so long it was practically dragging on the floor.

I swallowed, looking for something else to focus on.

My resolve was unsurprisingly weak and I found my eyes on her clothing once more. This time though, I looked closely enough to notice what was on her t-shirt.

White lines formed the high frequency waves that were on the album cover of 'AM' by Arctic Monkeys and I grinned.

"You listen to Arctic Monkeys?" I asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Yeah." She answered, avoiding my eyes and tugging her lips within her teeth. "They're one of my favourite artists."

She seemed shy, a stark contrast from how she was with me a couple of days ago.

My mind flashed to that memory for what was probably the millionth time, refusing to let me get over it.

I was in her art studio walking away from the window and towards her, noting how she had turned away from me under the pretence of still painting.

My mouth was inches away from her shoulders as I called her bluff and she turned to face me, hazel eyes widening as the tension between us became impossible to ignore.

Her soft body fit perfectly against mine as we were pulled together, the shaky breaths she released urging me on.

My thumb trailed over her reddened lips and I had been painfully close to tasting them.

To finding out whether she was as sweet as my nickname for her.

Christ. It was probably for the best that we hadn't actually kissed - I don't know if I'd have been able to stop.

"Um... Gabe?" She said, a slight question in her voice.

I began to panic then, worrying that she had read my mind, until I realised that she was referring to the fact that I'd been staring at her the whole time.

I grimaced, breaking myself out of the trance I had been under.

"Come in." I said, stepping aside and running my hands through my hair.

She sat down with her legs dangling in front of her, declining my offer of something to eat or drink.

Her fingers drummed against the leather of my couch and I could tell that she was in her head too much, letting her doubts and worries speak a little louder than they should.

For that reason I decided that I had to initiate the conversation or it would never happen. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Um..." She trailed off, teeth biting her lip as she thought about it.

I waited patiently and resisted the urge to rush her, something that I was growing used to when it came to Cora.

"We almost kissed." She blurted out.

My brows furrowed at the fact that she was just telling me what I already knew, before she started to speak again. "It shouldn't have happened."

I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt a little, but at least she was opening up.

"I don't want to push you away anymore though." She said, eyes darting away from me shyly. "I was worried that's what I'd done. I realised how upset I'd be if you didn't come back."

A grin spread over my face without warning, my teeth and dimples on full display.

I knew I probably looked like an idiot, giving the Cheshire cat a run for its money, but I didn't care.

What was now my new favourite set of words had just come out of the only person I wanted to hear them from.

I could tell she was still waiting for me to respond to what I knew had taken a lot for her to admit, her cheeks painted a pretty shade of pink.

"I don't think I could walk away from you even if I wanted to." I said honestly. "I only left because you seemed like you needed some space."

Relief clouded her features and she didn't try to hide it. I loved how open she was being with me.

"Is that all you wanted to say, gorgeous?" I asked, my smile fading as her facial expression morphed into something more serious.

"Actually, no." Cora answered, meeting my eyes.

I tensed in anticipation. "What is it?"

"We need to stay as friends." She said, watching closely for my reaction. "Nothing more."

"I'm good with that." I lied.

I knew that the thing between us was more than friendship and I was betting that she did too, but to be completely honest, I would take friend Cora over no Cora in a heartbeat.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" I said with a cheeky grin. "Much more effective than running away or pushing me out the door."

She hit my shoulder, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Just to check, what exactly will our friendship involve?" I smirked. "Cause I know plenty of friends that kiss each other."

She fought a smile. "No you don't."

I faked it, nodding earnestly. "I do."

Her voice shook with laughter. "Well we're not going to be those kind of friends."

"No kissing." She said, eyes glaring until I nodded in agreement. "And no staring at my ass."

I subtly slipped two fingers behind my back and crossed them before I agreed to that one. I couldn't promise what I knew I wouldn't stick to.

"Is that all?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

A blush fell over her cheeks. "Yeah."

"My turn." I said, eyes gleaming with mischief as I thought of something.

Pulling out my phone, I typed 'friend' in the search bar and found a sketchy definition on Urban Dictionary.

It began: "A friend is someone who is by your side ALL the way."

There was a whole lot more after that sentence, but I didn't bother to look since it already served the purpose I had in mind.

"I just read up on what a friend was in case I'm a little rusty." I said, fighting a smile. "I think I understand quite well now."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as I held the screen up to her, making sure she could only see the first sentence.

"Come here." I said, patting the spot next to me.

Confusion contorted her features as she tried to figure out what I was doing.

My dimples popped out as I explained. "You need to be by my side all the way."

"The dictionary's words, not mine." I shrugged.

She smiled in spite of herself, clearly beginning to understand how determined I was when I wanted something.

Her head shook as she moved along the couch, stopping right before the side of her body met mine.

I knew the space she left between us was to keep some control over the situation, having been out of her element for most of it so far.

"You rethinking the whole friendship thing yet?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

"No." She answered a little too quickly.

Not buying it.

She wanted us to be together just as much as I did, she just wasn't willing to admit it yet.

- - - -

Kernels of popcorn burst as they rotated in the microwave, filling the room with the soft popping sounds.

I had convinced Cora to stay a little longer to watch a movie, because "that's the kind of thing friends do together."

I might have been milking it a little but I didn't care since it seemed to be working.

"Have you picked one yet?" I shouted from the kitchen, taking the popcorn out of the microwave and pouring it into a bowl.

"Yeah." She replied, laughter filtering into her voice.

"You gonna make me ask you which one?" I said as I walked back into the living room and sat on the couch.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she answered, turning her head to face the television. "Just wait and see."

And so I did, watching how the opening credits filled the screen before fading to black, then how a green circle did the same, using purple letters to spell out 'Clueless.'

Cora practically squealed next to me as some blonde girl appeared on the screen, watching the whole movie intently for the almost two hours that it lasted.

My eyes were on her far more often than they were on the TV, noting how she cutely recited some of the lines before they were even spoken and clasped her hands together as soon as it ended.

The popcorn had disappeared from the bowl ridiculously fast and I'd had to go refill it twice. I'd have to keep in mind that she had a thing for sugary foods.

Candyfloss turned to me with a big smile on her face. "What did you think?"

I had been paying enough attention to understand some of it, so I had to ask. "Didn't she end up with her brother?"

She shook her head as if I was hopeless. "No! He's her stepbrother. Her ex-stepbrother."

I nodded slowly, struggling to understand how that wasn't still a bit strange.

"I should probably get going now." She said, before shyly looking up at me through dark lashes. "Thank you for this."

"Anytime, gorgeous." I replied, walking her to the door.

As I shut it, I reflected on everything that had happened in the space of a few hours.

Friends with Cora. How hard could it be?

The raucous laughter that came from Danny and Jake when I repeated that same thought out loud told me that the answer wasn't as simple as I wanted it to be.

"Dude you like her. There's no way you'll be able to pretend that you don't." Jake said.

My jaw clenched. I didn't enjoy people telling me what I was capable of.

"Watch me." I grumbled, making my mind up then and there that I'd be the best flipping friend Cora's ever had.

Enjoy the next few cute chapters before the drama starts hehe