Always

Chapter 59

"Come on, Lydia, let's go!" I shouted, grinning wildly down the table to where she chugged her drink. I giggled as I watched her slam it on the table and balance it on the edge before flipping it with her fingers, unsuccessful at landing it on its rim.

We were in the middle of an intense game of flip cup, boys versus girls, and the stakes were high. Playing best of seven, we were tied at three games each. The losers, it had been decided, would have to wait hand and foot on the winners for the rest of the night, doing whatever they asked with no complaints.

Haley, Lydia, and I were paired with two girls I didn't really know but seemed nice enough. We were playing against Harry, Jack, Will, a guy named Pete, and another guy named Ryan. Or maybe Bryan, I couldn't remember. Seeing as we were on the seventh game of flip cup, I had definitely taken in my fair share of alcohol, and was finding it difficult to remember these new peoples' names.

I grinned across the table at Harry, who stood directly across from me. He felt my gaze and turned to beam at me, eyes bright despite his increasingly drunken state. My lips pulled farther back, unable to contain my ecstatic mood. Now that Colt was gone, the party was had changed from an anxious, nerve-wracking affair into a deliciously chaotic and entertaining time.

My friends were openly welcoming Harry, especially after throwing himself into Colt in order to save Will's face from a surely painful blow. Jack and Will had exchanged the most guy-like hugs I'd ever seen with him, to which he somewhat awkwardly responded before collecting himself and replying appropriately. After that, they all joked together, drank together, had fun together, and it warmed my heart to see their budding friendships.

Harry's eyes flicked down to my mouth, which was gently biting my lip, as he stared at me from across the table. I swear, I could almost feel his teeth sinking into my lip as he did so. My breath caught in my throat when his eyes reconnected with mine, and I forgot all about the game. It was like his gaze was burning into me, connecting me to him even though he was across the table.

I jumped when an arm smacked into my shoulder, jolting me into an alert state.

"Joey, go!" Haley shouted, urging me with her hands. I quickly glanced down at the table to see a row of overturned cups, successfully flipped into the proper position accompanied by four sets of eyes focused on me, waiting for me to take my turn.

"Sorry!" I yelled, grimacing at them quickly before grabbing my cup and downing its contents. I swallowed the bitter liquid inside before setting it on the edge of the table, leaving enough overhang to flip it. A quick glance up at Harry showed me he had just raised his cup to his lips and was drinking quickly, catching up to me almost instantly. He smirked as he set it down, shooting me a wink before focusing on the cup to flip it.

Did he just wink at me?

My mind, which was already buzzing from the alcohol, seemed to vibrate in my skull when he did that. The girls' repetition of my name was the only thing that saved me from getting completely lost in Harry. I could hear the guys groaning across the table as Harry missed his mark once, twice, three times. I had to be quick; Harry had shown a surprising aptitude for this game, which shocked everybody seeing as he had never so much as touched a red plastic cup before.

I tried to focus my blurring gaze on the red cup, knowing I only had one shot. Holding it in place, I flicked my fingers up against the bottom, tipping it up in the air before it came back down on the table, wobbling on the edge of the rim before settling down on the table, exactly how I had hoped it would. The girls let out a shriek of victory, throwing their arms in the air seconds before Harry managed to land his cup as well.

It didn't matter; we had won. I high-fived all the girls as we cheered, proud of our victory. After congratulating my teammates, I turned to grin at Harry, shooting him a smug look across the table before walking to join him on the other side. He pretended to pout as I approached him, crossing his arms over his chest. Damn, he looked hot.