Rhythm of my Heart: A Mericcup Anthology

Amber Bottles & Streetlights

It'll be fun, they said, it's just a harmless game of spin the bottle.

And it had been, when the bottle had decreed that she should kiss Jack, then Astrid, Elsa and Cass, and even Snotlout.

It had been something of a relief too.

Her heart had felt like it was going to fall right out of her chest every time that amber bottle rounded the circle and passed him.

How many turns had she had? She felt like she'd kissed or been kissed by half the people in the room by now. Was everyone so desperate for a little action that they were going to spend the rest of their night doing this? How long had they been playing this game?

Leaning forward, she took the amber bottle in her hand and flicked her wrist. The hollow ringing of the glass against the hardwood floors seemed to echo in the room, as she settled back onto her knees. Round and round and round it went, past him once, twice, three times, her heart seeming to skip a beat each time it did.

Part of her hoped that it might land on him, but the rest of her was terrified what would happen if it did.

Wondering was easy. She could play out any number of scenarios in her mind, and nothing would change. If he loved her, if he didn't, if they got married, if she broke his heart, if he broke hers.

Wondering was safer than knowing.

"Mer?"

Had her heart stopped beating when the bottle had stopped spinning? It certainly felt like it had.

"Mer, are you feeling alright?"

"Er, yeah, 'm fine." Her mouth said, even though she most certainly did not feelfine. And why was her face suddenly so hot?

Somewhere in the background, she heard another voice. "If you're not gonna kiss him, you've gotta take a shot."

"Eugene, hush." That had to be Rapunzel.

"Hey, just re-stating the rules."

Where was Merida DunBroch, the sarcastic star of the rugby team? The cheeky young woman who had singlehandedly revived the university's archery team? The fearless horsewoman who had yet to be caught sneaking Angus out of the stables for a midnight joyride? The take-no-shit lass with the collection of swords and daggers illegally stashed under the bed in her dorm room?

Propping herself onto all fours, she crawled forward into the circle, and he did the same from the other side.

Her heart was pounding in her ears so loudly that she couldn't even hear the thump of the bass from the sound system anymore. He seemed almost unsure as he settled himself back on his knees – could he see the panic thrumming through every atom of her being?

She took a deep breath to steady herself, but it caught in her throat.

"We don't have to, if you don't want-mmf."

She felt the sound of his words die on his lips as hers pressed against them. Her heart was pounding so hard that part of her would have been afraid that it might shatter every one of her ribs if her mind hadn't immediately shut down the moment Hiccup had started kissing her back.

She felt his calloused thumb brush against her cheek as he moved to cup her head with his hands. His lips were soft and warm and tasted of the cider he'd been drinking – sweet and just a little bit tart. His free hand found the small of her back and her knee bumped his as he pulled her closer, closing the distance between them.

Hearts beating in tandem, by the time they finally broke apart, she'd seen through all of space and time, the world had stopped spinning and they were both out of breath. His nose bumped against hers as they rested their foreheads together, and for a moment they were silent, just trying to catch their breaths.