Blackout

Ch 13 - Now, You Run Away

Talk about awkward. Lex was looking mighty proud of herself, but if I could have gotten my hands around her neck, I would have. It's not that I didn't want to kiss Calum. Quite the opposite, actually. I wanted this kiss to happen way more than I should. But what if he didn't? I didn't want to be that girl who only got kissed because it was part of a stupid game. I sure as hell didn't want him to feel like he had some obligation to fill to a girl he barely knew. And holy shit, when did I turn into such a teenage girl? I was way overthinking the situation. It was just a kiss, right?

Calum looked down at me with a small smile and snapped me out of my internal struggle. "I'm down if you are."

Oh, shit. I guess there was no turning back then. I took a deep breath to steady myself and reached for the nearby bottle before taking a large swig. If ever I needed a little liquid courage, it was at that moment. I gulped it down, took another breath, and stood, reaching for his hand. "Let's do this."

He stood up and followed behind me without a word, while the rest of the group catcalled and shouted words of encouragement behind us. Apparently, two consenting adults kissing under a playground slide was the best entertainment these idiots could ask for. Too bad they wouldn't get to see any of the action.

We reached the slide, and I stepped underneath, pulling Calum behind me. Once we were effectively shielded from the prying eyes of the group, he spoke up.

"We don't have to do this, you know. If you're not comfortable, we can just tell them we kissed, and they'll never know the difference."

"No, it's fine. Unless... unless you don't want to? In which case we can definitely fake it. That's totally fine. No big deal at all."

"No! No, I want to! It just kinda seemed like you didn't really want to. But yeah, if you want to..."

"Yeah, I want to..."

"Then cool. Yeah. Okay. Cool."

We both paused, realizing how completely ridiculous we sounded. Calum gave a nervous laugh, which was followed by a slightly awkward silence. After what seemed like forever, he found his resolve. "Get a grip, Hood," he mumbled to himself. Then he squared his shoulders, gently placed his hands on either side of my face, and leaned in.

Now, I've never been one for fairytales, and I don't believe in all that "love at first sight" bullshit. But I'd be completely lying if I said that simple kiss didn't give me butterflies. Just that one gentle touch of his lips to mine gave me a feeling that I had never experienced before in my 24 years of living. But just as quick as it had started, it was over. Calum pulled back slightly, leaving his hands on my face and searching my eyes for any sort of reaction. He must have seen what he was looking for because he quickly leaned back in and placed his lips back on mine, this time deepening the kiss. My hands flew to his head and tangled in his hair, his traveling to my lower back, pressing me tight against him. I couldn't get enough, and thankfully, neither could he. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth, causing me to let out a quiet moan. This only spurred him further, and he squeezed me even closer to him. I desperately needed to breathe, but if I were to die of suffocation, I think that would be ok, too.

Finally, finally, he pulled away. Both of us stood there for what felt like an eternity, foreheads pressed together, trying to catch our breath.

Calum was the first to speak. "Damn." It was so quiet, I wasn't even sure it was meant for me to hear. But I agreed wholeheartedly.

"Yeah," I whispered back. We collected ourselves for a few more moments before I spoke again. "Now, you run away."

"What?" he asked, obviously confused.

"My first kiss ran away afterward, remember? And then never spoke to me again."

I saw his face change as he realized just what I was saying. No matter what happened after tonight, Calum would eventually go away, too. He had to. He had shows to perform and fans to entertain, not to mention a family who lived in a different country on the other side of the world. I suddenly felt angry at myself for letting things go this far. I had only set myself up for disappointment and heartbreak.

"Tori..."

"No, it's fine. I didn't mean it like that. The dare was to recreate my first kiss, so I was just trying to make a joke about the running away part. Really, I didn't mean to..."

"Tori." His stern voice pulled me out of my miserable rambling. He placed his hands on my face again, leaning in until our lips were only inches apart. "I'm not running away."

"Oh... What?" I was suddenly finding it very hard to concentrate with him so close again. Everything about him was intoxicating. He was like a drug, and all I wanted was another hit.

"I'm not running away, Tori," he repeated, barely whispering now. "I'm not going anywhere."

I didn't have a chance to respond because he closed those last few inches and placed his lips on mine once more. I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding and melted into him. I knew better than to feel comforted by his words. No matter what he said, he would have to leave eventually. There was no escaping it. But for now? In this very moment? I chose to believe him.

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I gave myself major feels writing this one. Just sayin. Thanks for all your sweet comments. We really appreciate all the love! :) - T