Part 8 (1/2)

”Some of us need vetoes!” Anna shouts and I see her glance at Kaz. ”No way am I prepared to snog your ugly mug, Dongle.”

”And I'm not kissing any guys,” Travis adds, getting a well-deserved eye roll from the rest of us. ”What? I'm not gay.”

”Shut up, Travis,” Stu says, blowing out a stream of smoke. ”Or I'll kiss that disgust right off your pretty little face.”

There's a lot of laughter and a couple of good-natured threats thrown back and forth before Anna brings the conversation back round to the vetoes.

”Anyone not prepared to pucker up drinks a shot of tequila instead,” Anna says.

Kaz shakes her head too violently, which only attracts unwanted attention.

KAZ.

”Who is it you're so keen to avoid kissing, Kaz? It can't possibly be the boy next to you,” Stu says, loud enough that everyone turns to stare at me as I'm consumed by flames of embarra.s.sment. I can't even bear to look at Tom.

”It's you she doesn't want to kiss, a.s.shat.” These are the first words Ruby's said to him since she arrived.

”And what about you, Ruby?” Stu says in a low voice that everyone can hear.

Ruby shrugs. ”Nothing I haven't done before.”

Dongle and Parvati exchange a glance. There's none of the surprise that Anna displayed they knew the score before they suggested the game. For a moment I feel like bas.h.i.+ng their heads together.

If Owen or Lee were here, that's exactly what would happen.

RUBY.

It's Stella who's sitting pressed up a little too close to the other side of Stu who spins the bottle first.

Goz.

Their kiss isn't anything too racy, and when it's Goz's turn, it lands on Parvati, who groans, but still goes for a snog over a shot. When she spins the bottle, it lands on Tequila Girl No. 2 and the pair of them shrug and go for it to cheers from the boys.

”Grow up.” Parvati rolls her eyes at Dongle.

I lose interest in all the to-ing and fro-ing, concentrating instead on knocking back the beer in my hand and then going for a tequila rather than reaching across to the cool box behind Stu.

My attention snaps back to the game when the bottle knocks against my foot. It was Dongle's spin and the neck end is pointing at Stu. His groan is cut short as Dongle dives on him and they roll around on the floor with Dongle making kissing noises that we can all hear because his face is about a foot away from Stu's.

Stu's laughing when he's released and the sight of him squeezes at my insides.

I require more tequila.

KAZ.

Ruby looks thunderous as she tips her head back to drain her cup before pouring another slug of tequila into it. I try and tot up how much she must have drunk today.

”s.h.i.+t.” Both Anna and Tom have gone very still on either side of me.

”What?”

Neither of them say a word and I follow their gaze to the bottle that's sitting on the rug in front of Stu. Pointing at Ruby.

RUBY.

”What you waiting for?” Stu smiles across the circle at me. ”Nothing we haven't done before, right?”

My words in his mouth, mocking me.

b.o.l.l.o.c.ks. If I hadn't talked it up I could have just taken the shot.

No going back now.

Not that I want to. Every muscle in my body is clenched tight with excitement at the thought of kissing him. I can remember the way it feels ... the way it tastes...

No way in h.e.l.l will I admit to it though.

I shrug. ”Whatever.”

It only takes seconds for him to crawl the distance from one side of the circle to the other, his eyes on mine, but time seems to slow, the same way that the noise fades and the people around cease to matter.