I Don't Do Relationships

Can I Please Kiss You?

Scott and I helped Chris get everything arranged for the gathering. Slowly people began trickling in. His family came, of course, but so did some of his friends. He hadn't had a chance to be home long enough to see anybody in a while and apparently he did things like this when everybody's schedules lined up together.

There really weren't too many people at one time because Chris hadn't set a time for it to begin or end. It was a 'come when you want' kind of thing. I sat with his mom for a little while who was sitting with his sisters. The kids didn't come because they had practice for their sports teams they were on. Tara, Chris' best friend, arrived and she came to sit with us while her husband stayed with the boys having beers. Talking to her, I got to hear more stories about the guys and they made Chris seem even more like an average person than a celebrity.

It was fun watching Scott and Chris with their friends because they became even louder and funnier plus their accent was so much thicker. The beers they kept consuming made it even better. Eventually Scott grabbed Tara and I and called me as his partner for cornhole. That meant Tara was paired with Chris. I was fine with that though because it meant I got to stand on the end that Chris was on. This was definitely turning into one major flirt fest and oddly, I was enjoying every minute, no matter how much attention it was bringing.

We had both consumed alcohol so it made us both a little more free. There were hugs, he put his arm around me and would talk while the other side took their turn. It was just regular talk about random things or asking each other about our favorite things like colors, food and that kind of thing. I could tell by the way Scott looked at me while he talked that he was filling Tara in on all his assumptions about Chris and I. She was nodding along and listening but talking a little too. Chris and I were both drinking water by this point and the party was dwindling down too.

After everyone left we started picking up a little bit. There wasn't really that much to do. Everyone had pitched in as they left with whatever they had for trash. We had just finished putting the last of the remaining patio chairs in the shed that had been pulled out for tonight. As we walked by the pool, Chris spoke up. "We never had a chance to get in the pool."

"Yeah, it's ok."

"Well, you brought your bathing suit and have it on and all. I'd hate for that to be a waste." The next thing I knew, Chris picked me up and jumped into the pool. As we came up from under the water, I started splashing him while we both laughed. My bigger bracelet had come undone and fallen off and he must have seen it fly by. Chris dove under the water and came back up with it, apologizing.

"It's fine, why are you apologizing? I just have to tie it back on." I splashed him a little more causing him to grab my wrists so he could splash me instead. He glanced down and his eyes lit up as he put more focus on my wrist that was more exposed without my bracelet now. Holding my wrist in place, he stopped all movement, eyes locked on mine. Turning my wrist toward me so I knew what he was talking about, he spoke. He didn't need to show me though, I knew from his expression what he had seen.

"What's this? You said you were a fan of the movies, but you said nothing about having the symbol as a tattoo. How long have you had this?"

"A while, actually."

"Really?"

"I was younger and now I know what people mean who are older than me when they say, 'just remember it's permanent and you have it for life'."

"So you regret having a Captain America shield tattoo?" He actually looked a little hurt.

"No, I don't regret any of my tattoos. This one I got with Calvin. We kind of have matching ones."