The Art Of Seduction ✓

|42| January

Happy New Year in advance!

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"Kissing away the Devils,

Kissing away the Pain."

Tahereh Mafi, Ignite Me.

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NEW YEAR PASSES quickly, almost in a blink of an eye. We spent it at Archer and Allison's home. Archer and Allison look enviably happy, with their friends surrounding them. I envied them. Allison lay curled up beside Archer, smiling stupidly while Archer played with her hair.

There are red cups all around the room, the smell of weed fragrant the air. Beside me, our shoulders brushing as we sat squished on a sofa was Joey. He stayed by my side the whole night through several games that were enough to get most of Allison's and Joey's friends drunk, that of which included the two of us. 

And as the countdown began to the New Year, I couldn't help but notice how everyone started pairing off, a girl stood a little closer to a girl, another guy went closer to a girl who flushed when he did, and couples were holding each other, shouting the numbers till the new year.

Five!

Joey seemed to notice and he glanced at me, eyes heading down to my lips. 

Four!

I knew he liked me, it was obvious. It was in the little things he did, like appearing at my home, asking me if I would follow him to the gym or watching me when he thought I didn't notice. He didn't have to say it, even though, well he did during his christmas party, or hinted it. But mostly, Joey showed it. Maybe I shouldn't have come when he invited me. I'd hurt one person and I didn't want to hurt another. 

Three!

I couldn't do it. Kaden and I had ended, our friendship torn to shreds because of my mistake, I was toxic. I wasn't ready for this.

Two!

"Amber," Joey whispered.

One!

I looked at him and our lips met in a brief kiss and I felt the heat, the pleasant warm ring, a faint echo of what it felt like kissing him after our first dance class. When he pulled away, I realised I missed it, I missed the feeling of a kiss. I wasn't really sober, I was a little tipsy but sober enough to know what I was doing was wrong.

I kissed him. 

Fuck, it felt good.

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JOEY LEFT FOR France on 3rd January,  giving us ample amount of space so I wouldn't do something stupid. But we messaged each other so often, I wondered if I was being fair to him.

Because Joey was nothing short of addictive, he distracted me from everything that seemed to bubble in my life. He ignored my relationship with Kaden so blatantly, I almost began to believe him. That there was nothing there, nothing left to tie me to him. But sometimes, in the dark, I see Kaden in his hair and although both boys looked nothing alike, I found myself wishing it was Kaden. 

Which was unfair.

Because Joey was truly remarkable in his own way. He didn't deserve to be compared to Kaden. Kaden who lied to the school. Kaden who kissed another girl. Kaden who I loved. Madly. Deeply. So much that it hurt me everytime I saw him.