Page 11 of The First Time
She blushes as she pulls her hand back to her side. "Awful, right?"
"Fucking horrible."
She stumbles over her words. "Yeah, so, don't ever let me catch you putting hoisin sauce in your pho."
"Or you'll punish me?"
"Are you into that?"
"No."
"Oh. Then I will. If you were into it, it wouldn't be a punishment." She smiles. "I um... if someone... nevermind. I guess I'd have to try it to say."
God, she's so fucking cute it hurts.
We take our soup to the couch and take turns mocking the next rerun— Friends. It's a popular show, or it was, but I can't say I ever got it. Sex and the City either. Both shows, the whole premise is that this group of people will be there for each other for anything, support each other through anything.
I trust the guys in the band.
They trust me more than I deserve after everything that happened last year.
They are my family.
But it's not at a TV kind of level.
Even after everything they've done for me.
I don't think I'll ever trust anyone on that TV best friends kind of level.
Still, it's fun mocking TV shows and commercials with Piper. I get so caught up in it, I don't notice the time until the picture in picture pops up to show us the ball's about to drop.
"I was just kidding about you kissing me." She sets her empty mug on the coffee table and presses her palms to her thighs. "I wouldn't even want to kiss you if you'd been kissing that trashy groupie. Not that I'm judging but—"
"You're judging."
"Maybe."
"I didn't kiss her."
"Oh, so you just told her to get on her knees and that was that?"
"Pretty much."
"Oh." Her cheeks and chest turn red. "Well, it's just... if you want. It is a tradition, to kiss someone at the stroke of midnight. It's good luck." Her eyes go to the TV. "We only have a minute left."
I'm tempted to spend the entire minute seeing how nervous I can get her.
But I'm not that evil. "It's good luck."
She nods.
"It's just a peck between friends."
"Yeah. Right. We're friends." She forces a smile. "You swear you didn't kiss her?"
I chuckle. "You don't want some groupie's sloppy seconds?"
She nods.
