We walk deeper in, trying to find somewhere to get a drink. I’m going to stick to punch today, and Wren was going to stay sober anyway. I need to stay alert in case something happens. I can’t have us slipping up on our first public date.
I take my hand out of hers and slip it around her waist, pulling her into me as we go into the kitchen. There are a few people in here but not enough for it to be crowded. Enough that we need to act like we’re together.
“Are you okay?” I whisper-shout into her ear. She looks up at me and nods, still looking a little skittish. I pull her further into me, kissing her on the forehead as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. She blinks up at me.Shit. Should I not have done that? Is it too soon?
My anxieties are relieved when she presses a kiss into my shoulder at the same time that someone taps on my other shoulder. I turn around to a cherry faced Harry. He’s soaked head to toe, most likely just coming out of the pool.
“Hey, Miles,” he says before registering Wren next to me. “You’re Wren, right?”
“Yep,” she says, popping the ‘p’ in the way that makes me shift in my jeans. She blinks up at me as if to silently tell me to say something.
“This is Harry,” I introduce, gesturing towards him and Wren. “He talks a lot of shit so don’t believe everything he says.”
“I don’t talk shit. It’s just what you don’t want to here, Davis,” he retorts, laughing. “If you ever want to know any stories about him, just let me know.”
“I will take you up on that,” Wren smirks. “I’ve learnt a few things about him myself.”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” Harry asks, throwing me a look. I don’t bother to interject as I watch Wren take the lead. I’m glad she’s making an effort to talk to my friends after putting up such a fight about wanting to come here.
“He’s got an awful singing voice,” she says proudly, her gaze drifting from Harry to me and then back to him. I can’t hide the grin that’s spreading across my face. If taking jabs at me is what makes her comfortable, I'll let her call me every name under the sun.
“Does he? I didn’t know that,” Harry replies, clearly amused. “You’ve got to sing the national anthem at the next game, Davis.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I laugh.
“Oh, but it should,” Wren beams. “Have you seen how terrible his music taste is? It’s like dating a—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I say, cutting her off with a laugh. Harry’s eyes are wide with curiosity, dying to hear what she has to say. “We’re going to go see what’s over there.”
“I didn’t even get to the best part,” she whines before turning back to him. “The other day—”
I put my hand over her mouth on instinct and it almost covers her entire face as I slowly walk her backwards out of the kitchen. I turn back to Harry, and he shrugs happily before walking off. Her eyes widen with alarm before softening and staring into me as we continue sidestepping until we’re in a corridor.
I can feel her breathing quicken beneath my hand as her green-brown eyes gently pinch together as she looks down at my hand on her mouth. I break my hand away when the realisation sets in on me and I shove it into my pocket. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to search my face for something.
"What was that?" she asks after a while.
I tilt my head. "What was what?"
"You. Just then. Doingthatthing with your hand."
"What is that ting?"
"You know what it is, Miles."
"I don't. Why don't you explain it to me?" She shakes her head, trying not to smile. I lean into her and whisper, "You're a little brat."
She snorts. "Oh please. What are you gonna do? Punish me?"
"You would love that, wouldn't you?"
She ignores me, rolling her eyes. Instead of making a comment like I'm expecting she says, "I'm having fun. With you, I mean."
I'm about to agree with her but my voice trails off as I see Greyson, so obviously drunk, waltzing towards us.
I'm dying to know what Wren meant but she shakes off whatever she was going to say.
"Miles," he slurs. “Is this your girlfriend?”
