Whatever It Takes

Playing It Cool

I laughed as Dovey snuck back into her room with two sandwiches and two sodas from the fridge. She shushed me but was smiling when she closed the door. She shuffled over to me, kissing me quickly as she got back into bed. I pulled her into my arms, helping her reposition herself comfortably in my arms. I kissed her temple as she started opening the sodas, smiling as she handed one to me. She shifted around, setting herself between my legs, and her back against my chest. She leaned the back of her head on my shoulder.

"You aren't allergic to peanut butter, are you?" she asked as she held up half of a sandwich. I kissed her cheek and took the sandwich from her.

"If I was, you would have figured out a way to poison me years ago, Birdie," I teased before taking a bite.

She giggled and took the other half of the sandwich to take a bite. I finished my half quickly, realizing how hungry I was. Before I could ask, she handed me half of the other sandwich. I kissed her temple again.

"Need to refuel after all of the fun we've been having," I flirted, squeezing her side gently. She blushed and rolled her eyes, leaning farther back into me.

"W-whatever," she stammered, unable to think of anything else. I smiled, biting into the sandwich again. She set her head on my shoulder again, making my heart pound. "This has been nice."

I smiled wider and kissed her sweetly. She sighed happily and finished her half of the first sandwich. She held up the other half.

"Do you want this, too?" she offered. My eyes widened and I smiled shyly.

"You sure?" I asked. She smiled and kissed my jaw.

"Your stomach has been growling for hours, I know you're hungry," she quipped. I felt my face flush, and she kissed me softly. "It's okay. We needed to eat."

I smiled and took another bite, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her tight to me. She rested the back of her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes as I kissed her temple. I held her close as I finished my sandwich, the two of us wrapped up in a comfortable silence. I felt so much better – I had been starving for hours, but I didn't want to stop anything going on between me and Dovey. I kissed her cheek softly as I set my other arm around her.

"So...what do we do t-tomorrow?" I asked nervously. She kept her eyes closed but pressed further into me.

"What do you mean?" she replied before kissing my neck. I smiled as my face flushed.

"Well...around everyone else. Do we act like we normally do before all this?" I continued. She let out a thoughtful sound and opened her eyes, looking at me.

"I'm not sure. What do you want to do?" she asked back.

I wanted to drape myself over her like a coat. I wanted to kiss her every time someone came up to us, just to show off. I wanted to walk into every room and announce that Dovey Henderson might like me now.

But I needed to play it cool with her.

I tucked a curl behind her ear and kept my hand on the side of her face, kissing her softly. I smiled when I felt her melt into me. She nuzzled further into me, and I felt a wave of courage.

"I'm following your lead here, Bird – I'm not about to do anything to mess this up," I replied quietly. She smiled a goofy smile and turned red. I kissed her forehead, and she reached out to play with my hair. She thought for a beat and looked back up at me.

"We can play it cool – like, maybe we don't announce to the world what's going on, but we can hold hands and kiss, only if you are extra nice to me," she offered, smirking at me. I felt my heart pick up, and I nodded at her, trying not to seem too excited.