Keys to his heart

VIII

I held the tiny ball of orange fluff in my cupped hands, my lip trembling at how cute it was. The kitten's huge eyes looked up at me with wonder, its miniscule paws pressing against the heel of my palms like tiny needles. It sneezed, making me cry out, overwhelmed by how adorable it was being.

"You really like cats, don't you?" Oskar chuckled. I nodded, holding the kitten close to my chest.

"They're so cute!" I cried, gently stroking its head with my thumb. It closed its eyes and began purring.

"Maybe you're a cat, then," He cooed, scooting closer to me.

"I'm convinced my spirit animal is a cat."

He chuckled, staring at the kitten that had decided to nap in my hands once again. I lightly kissed its feathery stomach, having to restrain myself from kissing it aggressively and repeatedly. I stood up and crossed the room, carefully transferring it to the top of the cat tower that Oskar had in his room.

I turned around to return to the edge of Oskar's bed, but I hit my head off of his chest. I stumbled back slightly, craning my neck to look up at him. I frowned as I rubbed my nose, a slight aching filling the tip of it.

"How did you get over here so quietly?" I asked. He smiled, making jazz hands.

"Magic."

"I don't believe you."

"Well you should. I'm related to Houdini, so I'm basically a wizard."

"I don't think that's how that works."

He shrugged. "No one has proved otherwise, so guess I'm right."

Before I could refute his very weak argument as to why he was supernatural, he crashed his lips into mine. His hands grasped my waist, gripping it firmly. My hands slid up his chest to his hair, my fingers weaving through his soft golden strands. His lips were soft and fluent, tasting vaguely of strawberries. The smell of musky lavender filled my nose; a smell I had come to enjoy and seek.

He gently walked me backwards, pressing my back against the cool wall. He pinned my body against it with his own, the warmth of his body seeping into mine. His hands slowly slid under my shirt, his fingers causing goosebumps to pop up along my skin as they made contact. I smiled against his lips.

"Shirt stays on, Oskar," I murmured.

"Okay," he said, pouting. I chuckled, staring into his dark blue eyes.

Instead of moving his hands, he began trailing kisses along my jaw, slowly working his way down. I gasped at the light feeling, melting against the wall. His lips tickled the underside of my jaw, my eyes fluttering closed.

He reached the crook of my neck, his lips searching for the sweet spot. He kissed around my neck, each kiss making me have to bite my lip harder and harder to stop myself from making a noise. He finally hit a spot where I couldn't stop myself, a small moan escaping my lips. I instantly felt my face heat up, practically on fire as I felt him smile against my neck.

"You like that?" He mused. I refused to answer, my lips sealed. Clearly wanting an answer, he pressed his lips to the spot again, gently sucking on it. Another moan passed my lips.

"Jerk," I muttered weakly.

"I'm a nice jerk though."

"Debateable."

He pouted at me, frowning. I chuckled, pecking him on the lips. In an instant, his frown turned into a grin, and he brought his lips to mine. The taste of strawberries hit my mouth again, and I found myself grabbing fistfuls of his hair as he passionately kissed me, lips moving in sync with mine.

"You know, it would be nice if you guys left a scrunchie on the door to warn me."

Oskar tore his lips from mine, both of our heads whipping towards the door. Tasha stood just inside the door, hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. Heat crawled up my face as I let go of Oskar, clearing my throat. He narrowed his eyes at her, taking a step back to give me space but not taking his hands off my hips.

"Why are you in my room at all?" He questioned. She rolled her eyes.

"Because I heard someone moaning and was concerned that the lord was being forsaken."

Oskar snorted. "As if you were religious."

"I'm not, I was just looking out for those in this house who are."

"I'm pretty sure mom wouldn't care as long as everything was happening safely."

"I'm more worried about dad accidentally seeing something and being mortified."

"The way dad acts I wouldn't be surprised if he was unfazed."

I cleared my throat, bringing the twins attention to me. "Um, we were just kissing, I promise."

Tasha smirked and looked back at Oskar. "Looks like you got a cautious one. Good job, I'm proud of you."

"Better than anyone you would drag in."

She scoffed. "Scott was much better than all the girls you dragged in."

"Yeah, well I dragged a boy in now. Beat that," Oskar challenged.

"Watch me, I'll drag in a woman."

"Do it, Dad will be happy that you like women since I'm with this one."

Since I'm with this one.

I melted at the sentence. He said he was with me. Did it mean we were dating? Were we more than just kissers? It'd only been about three days since we'd started kissing, but we'd been talking for a while before that. Maybe it was normal to move this fast? Whether or not it was, I was content with it.

"Dad's probably happier with the fact that you're with a guy, especially someone like him," she gestured at me, making me frown.

"Like me?" I asked.

"Yeah. An introverted, musical person."

"Our mom is the extroverted, outdoorsy one," Oskar explained. "Our dad is the one who likes to stay indoors. He's a writer, and if it weren't for our mom, I don't think he'd know what sunlight is."

"He'd be as pale as a vampire," Tasha glanced at her watch. "Speaking of vampires, Landon is going to be eliminating someone, and I'm willing to bet it's the goth woman. He seems much more like a party person."

"Could we watch The Bachelor with you?" I asked. Both Oskar and Tasha looked at me with equal expressions of surprise.

"I mean, yeah, if you want to," She said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I'll go get the TV started."

She hurried from the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Once she was out of earshot, Oskar turned to me with a look of confusion.

"You want to watch The Bachelor?" He asked slowly. I smiled, shrugging.

"I mean, I haven't watched it before, so I'd like to see what it's about," I said. "Besides, it seems like a good way to get your sister to like me."

He grinned. "That's fair. The girls I've brought over in the past never liked it, so she never really warmed up to them before I decided they weren't a good fit."

I laughed, then a question occurred to me. "How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Three. There were two others that were close, but they ended before anything happened."

"How long was your longest relationship?"

"Four months."

I tilted my head curiously. "Why did they not last longer than that?"

He shrugged. "My feelings never grew past a certain point, so I ended it before I accidentally led them on."

I chuckled nervously. "Hopefully that doesn't happen with me."

He smiled reassuringly, kissing the bridge of my nose. "You're already doing much better than them."