Page 30 of Open Water

“And Kornelia is the winner. Good job. Now, who is next?”

“You’ve never been kissed?” Rukshana screams. “Fuck, there is no hope for me then. Seriously dude? Not even a girl?”

“Nope.” I smile. “I’m gay, and I haven’t even kissed a girl.”

Fuck, this is ridiculous. What the hell was Lukas thinking?

“I’ll go next,” Matteo says and clears his throat. Sits up straight.

“I’ve never been to a rock concert.”

“Lame,” someone shouts. Matteo just laughs. Again. He’s always laughing and I love it.

“I intend to give Max here his first kiss.” Now everyone is screaming, and my face is about to explode with the amount I am blushing. Even Lukas is clapping. Fuck him.

“I would totally do that Harry dude.” Yeah, now the room is chaos. Everyone talking in each other’s faces. Whilst Matteo leans over and kisses my cheek.

“Sorry. But I promise to kiss you properly some other time. When we haven’t got an audience of crazies.”

“You’re crazy,” I whisper to him. His face too near to mine.

“No, that’s you. I’m totally sane.” He’s smiling again. Fuck, I love his smile.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck my life. This. Fuck.

“Hedda!” I shout. “You decide. Which of Matteo’s statements is the truth?”

I should be a teacher. I kind of rock at this.

“He wants you. I mean look at you, Matti. You’re desperate. Easy Max, Matteo wants to deflower your mouth in a passionate kiss…”

Yeah, now Hedda is being disgusting. Licking her lips at Matteo who is blowing air kisses back at her with gusto.

“Next?”

So Rukshana has a crush on a genderless person in Year 3. Great. And Kornelia once sucked someone off in the B block toilets and Hedda is terrified of pigeons and Tua wants to publish filthy gay romance for people to read and ‘Call Me by Your Name’ is Laura’s favourite film and then we have…

“Lukas?”

“Do I have to?”

I don’t have to reply to that since everyone is shouting for him to take his turn and the dude has gone bright red, squirming awkwardly on his chair.

“I have a cat.”

“LAAAAMMMEE.” Everyone moans.

“I lovedCall Me by Your Name.”

“Traitor!” Kornelia screams.

“My first kiss was with a straight bloke.”

“Ohhhhh!” Rukshana is about to fall off her chair. “He wasn’t so straight then.” She looks almost triumphant.

“No, he was,” Lukas tries, but everyone is now shouting at him.

“We will need to hear the rest of this story,” Matteo shouts from the edge of his chair. His hand resting on my knee.

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