TABOO

Seventeen.

"Secret Love" - Hunter Hayes.

I snap away from Harry, standing up and trying to distance myself from him in the tiny shoe box that is the photo booth. Cruz stares at us, open mouthed and wide eyed before turning and heading away with long strides.

"Screw him," Harry says, standing up. He tilts his head down in order to not hit the ceiling and ducks through the curtain into the night.

I follow suit, but as soon as I'm out on our lawn, I bolt in the direction that Cruz went. Harry grabs me by the shoulder and twists me to face him. I let out an exasperated breath and cross my arms over my chest.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"To find Cruz. He saw us almost kiss, and I need to explain to him what's going on."

"What exactly is going on?"

"I don't know, but I'll come up with something." I push his hand off of me, and start toward the corner of the house.

He follows me. "Another lie?"

"Well, I can't tell him the truth, can I? I can't just tell him that I was about to kiss you. He thinks you're my actual flesh and blood brother." I snap all in one breath as I keep walking.

Mom catches me before I make it any farther, causing me jump. "There you are. You haven't opened your gifts yet. Come on." She motions for me to follow her. Great.

Harry follows me over to the table with all the gifts where my friends and family are gathered at the surrounding tables waiting for me. The whole area is lit by pink lanterns that hang around the perimeter of the massive canopy. He joins them, eyes still glued to me, making me jittery.

I open the gifts, one by one, thanking each person for them and plastering a fake smile on my face. There are some nice ones, gold jewelry, cashmere scarfs, and sun dresses, even a new pair of Alexander McQueen pumps from Dad. I swallow down rocks when I open the gift from Cruz. It's a silver necklace with a "C" charm on it, and farther into the bag sets a beautiful, dark oak jewelry box. Why did he have to be so nice to me when I don't deserve it?

Harry's gift is the last one left on the table, and I'm almost afraid to open it. Picking up the heavy bag, I can still feel Harry's eyes burning into me from his seat. I pull out the pink tissue paper cautiously, revealing a black Gucci purse with a gold shoulder strap and fringe. It's beautiful, but definitely shouldn't be as heavy as it is. I move to unzip it, glancing at Harry first, but he shakes his head no. Clearly, there's something inside that he doesn't want me to reveal in front of everyone.

"Thanks, Harry, I love this." I say to him, holding it up for everyone to see.

People start to disperse, some of them hugging me before they go back to where they were previously occupied. Once it's only Mom, Harry, and Aunt Pam who's still at the surrounding tables, I excuse myself with my arms full of gifts. Harry volunteers to help me, grabbing the remaining bags and boxes from the table and trailing me into the house.

It's dark inside when we enter, and I turn on the stairway light so I don't trip on the way up to my bedroom. Once there, I drop all the gifts into my floor, and Harry does the same. He keeps the Gucci bag from him in his arms, handing it over to me.

"Unzip it."

I pull the golden zipper, revealing a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka inside the purse. My eyes bounce up to Harry's, and I'm not sure whether to say thank you or question him. By how my night is going so far, I decide on neither of the two. I leave Harry standing in my candle lit room and dash down to the kitchen with the vodka in hand. I grab the orange juice from the fridge and a wine glass.

"No 'thank you Harry, you're the best'?"

"I'm getting wasted." I say. "It is my 21st, after all." I've never actually been drunk before, only sipped on wine, only felt a buzz.

I fill my glass to the brim with equal parts vodka and orange juice, taking a big gulp as soon as it's mixed properly. I pick up my phone, dialing Cruz's number, but Harry snatches it away from me before I can push call.

"What the hell? Harry, get out of here."

"You can't get wasted alone on your 21st, and you sure as hell don't need that Cruz around."

"I need to talk to him. I need to explain away what he saw."

"Now isn't the time." Harry says. He grabs a glass of his own, fills it with ice, and pours straight vodka over it. He takes a long swig before walking to stand behind me at the kitchen island.

A half an hour later, I'm in the dining room on my second glass, and the room spins when I stand up. I'm sitting on Harry's lap, and he's nipping at the skin on my neck. In the back of my mind I know that I shouldn't be doing this, and that its dangerous territory. Someone could walk inside, or I could get too carried away, and things would be back to how they were during our Key West vacation. That's not what I want.

Or is it?

"Let's go upstairs." Harry whispers close to my ear. "Your room, or mine. . . Or the shower."

I'm tempted. He kisses on my neck as his fingers dig into the flesh near my hip bones. I won't give him access to my mouth because he would be able to talk me into anything with just one kiss. I ponder on the feeling of his mouth moving against mine and sigh.

"I don't know."

"You and I both know that you want me, and I want you. Can't we stop depriving ourselves already?" He guides my face around to his, going in for a kiss, and I don't stop him this time.

The moment his lips touch mine, my argument is a lost cause. I've missed this so much that I can't stop myself from twisting on his lap and straddling him right here. It's like I'm a dying plant that's finally getting sunlight and water. He tastes like sweet fruit and vodka when my tongue pushes into his mouth, delicious and intoxicating, and exactly what I've been craving.

"Upstairs, yeah?"

"Mmm, yes please,"

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