Never Winter Again

Chapter Thirteen - Girls Talk

21 February 2020

Score: Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Lydia

"So, how was it?" Gloria asks. Alex, Gloria, and I are back in our room, and all three of us are scooting on one of the beds. We came back from the bar half an hour ago. It was already closed, when we got there, being past midnight, but Marco sneaked us in and made us mixed drinks. He's actually a really sweet guy. After he and Gloria bid a very long goodbye, involving a lot of exchanged saliva, we finally made it back to The Cabin.

When we came back, Mark, Patrick, and Nate were nowhere to be seen. Alex got a text from Nate, saying that he was going to bed, so we assumed all three of them have.

So, we decided to do the same, but not before having some very much-needed girl time.

Boys can be so exhausting sometimes.

"It was...weird," is the only thing that I say. Gloria scrunches up her nose.

"Good weird, or bad weird?"

"Good weird," I say right away. "Very good weird." I want to say more, but it's kind of embarrassing how my skin still tingles with the memory of Mark's touch and I can still taste his mouth on the tip of my tongue, despite having had multiple mixed drinks after we kissed.

"Lit!" Gloria says, reaching up with her hand for a high-five over Alex's head. "Didn't know he had it in him."

"What do you mean?" I say.

"Well, you know, it's Mark. I honestly thought he wouldn't do it. He's not one to go around kissing girls, even on a dare."

I pull my brows in. She's actually right. Mark's not the type of guy that would just do anything unless he wanted to.

Warmth spreads over my face at this realization. What does this mean, then? That he wanted to kiss me?

"I guess it's just because it's you, then," Gloria shrugs her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" God, what am I, a parrot?

"Well, you're buddies, so, I guess, he's totally cool about it."

Oh. Way to go Gloria.

"I don't know about that," Alex says, shooting me a glance that I cannot decipher. "He looked flustered afterwards. And his face was all flushed."

"Yeah, of course," Gloria slaps her hand over her silk gown-clad thigh. "They made out like horny teenagers for five minutes straight, of course, he was flushed."

"Exactly. Why would he make out with Lyds for that long, if he's not into it? He could have gone away with a lot less, for a dare."

"Are you saying that Mark fancies me?" I gape at Alex.

"No way!" Gloria says, echoing my own thoughts. It hurt more, when she said it out loud, though.

"I have to agree with Gloria here," I tell Alex. "Don't you think that, if Mark fancies me, I would have known about it somehow?"

"I don't know, Lydia. All I'm saying is that he looked weird after that, and he and Patrick kept throwing awkward glances at each other."

So, she noticed, as well. I thought it was all in my head.

"Anyway," Gloria rolls her eyes. "If this doesn't work with Patrick, I honestly don't think anything would."

"What do you mean?" Alex asks this time. I silently thank her for it.

"Oh, come on! It was all for the show, of course!" Gloria lifts herself up to a sitting position. "The dare. Lydia's first kiss, in front of Patrick. I wanted to see if he'd get jealous."

"You what?" My eyebrows are threatening to leave the frame of my face.

"I thought it was clear as day," Gloria says, but we all know it's not true. She's so happy her intentions were not uncovered.

"When you admitted that you hadn't been kissed before, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. So, I dared Mark to kiss you. You got your first kiss, and we test whether Patrick will get jealous. Two birds with one stone. EZ." Gloria folds her arms over her chest.

"You," I point a finger at her, anger starting to boil inside me, "are impossible!"

"Yeah, she's right, Glo," Alex says, looking at Gloria slightly disappointed. "And why didn't you dare Patrick to kiss her? That would have been better, don't you think?"

"No-oh," Gloria drags the word out, making it a two-syllable "No". "A first kiss is too much pressure. He would have freaked out. So, have someone not interested do it instead, and have the main love interest witness it. Have you guys read romance novels at all?!" Gloria asks incredulously?

"That's just fucking stupid," I say, folding my arms over my chest and slumping on the bed, resting my back on the headboard.

Gloria and her games and scheming.

I suddenly feel my experience with Mark, my first kiss, tainted. I shouldn't feel like that, I know, because it was a stupid fucking dare, anyway, but knowing that it was all a part of some orchestrated plan Gloria had in mind is too disappointing. And, also, what did she mean, "someone not interested"? He seemed pretty interested to me.

"Relax, Lydia, it's no big deal. You got your first kiss, you say it was nice, just move on. If I'm right, you'll have a lot more to follow. And, with a person, who actually likes you as more than a friend."

I heave a long sigh.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I am," Gloria grins. "Now, to the more interesting part," Gloria wriggles her eyebrows mischievously. "Alex has a lot of stuff to fill us in from last night."

When I finally drift off asleep, the gray light of dawn is starting to creep into the room through a slit in the curtains. Alex really did have a lot of stuff she wanted to tell us about, despite having briefly talked to Gloria, while I was snoozing earlier in the day. Many, many oohs, aahs, and what-the-fucks later, Gloria is finally satisfied with the level of detail Alex is willing to reveal, and I feel...enlightened.

While I lay there, the Sandman pulling at my heavy eyelids, images of Mark's golden-brown eyes, and the sensation of his mouth on mine are the last things that I hold on to as I slip into Dreamland.

But they don't hesitate to haunt me in my sleep, and I don't mind one bit.