Temptation

-39-

            I knew that, in the future, I would only ever remember yesterday for the getaway in the movie theater parking lot, when our shapes molded together into one, a whole of body and breath that couldn't be complete without the other, but there had, indeed, been hours that stretched before it, as impossible as that was to believe.

I had completed dare 26 – Send someone you know a message that says 'I know what you did last summer' and succeeded in getting my old school friend to scramble and unconvincingly state that his hook-up with Jenna was really just a one night stand. "I would've just replied with the next song lyrics," Andy had said, and I'd pecked him on the lips and stated that we couldn't all be as smart as him.

Today's dare was much more of a challenge – "Respond to every text with a phone call for the day." After reading it, I immediately began praying that my phone would be unusually dead today, but a message popped up almost the second that I set the book down. 'Hi.' It was from Andy. Grudgingly, I dialed his number and watched as he picked up his phone.

"Andy," I groaned.

"Ryan," He replied. "Why did you call me?" He giggled, delighting in his own joke.

"I figured it was a stay in bed sort of day. Didn't feel like getting up to join you."

"We could've shouted. Or you could've just texted me back."

"Now, now, now. That's the millennial in you speaking. Is good, old fashioned speech dead? I can see it now: One day, we'll tell – Well, text – Our grandchildren that, back in our day, we had to use our VOCAL CHORDS to communicate with people."

"And what a dark, terrifying time that was." He pretended to shudder.

"You love the sound of my voice and you know it." Flirting was still a bit of a foreign art to me – Especially with somebody that I liked so much. Any time I had made an attempt with Sophie, she had shushed me, saying that it was better off if I didn't speak.

"Maybe." I could see Andy smiling, though, looking purely smitten with himself. I abruptly ended the call, dropping the phone on my bed and making my way over to him instead.

"If I don't look at my phone all day, does that mean I technically don't have to reply to my texts?" I asked, holding onto the edge of the upper bunk, lifting my legs up so I was swinging there.

"Stop that before you hurt yourself." He reached out to bat me down, but I dodged his blows.

"I'm not going to."

"Do you not remember what happened to Mikey?" His tone was playful, but with the slightest bit of concern backing it up.

"Mikey is stupid, and not a gymnast." I kicked my legs up and Andy grabbed them, taking me by surprise and pulling me towards him.

"I'm not taking any chances. And, in response to your other question – No, that would be cheating."

"Even if I'd rather spend the day with my boyfriend?" I teased. Even after all of my unsuccessful attempts, I still couldn't help but try wiggling my way out of the dares I didn't like. I could see him glow at the possessive term, but he stood his ground anyways.

"Rye, you know we've got work to do."

"Ah, yes. Work that surely can't be interrupted by replying to every text with a phone call, yes?"

"Do you really want me to convince the others to spam your phone?"

"I kinda hate you, you know that?"

"Yeah," He grinned, leaning over to give me a quick kiss. "It's sort of what I'm counting on." And even when he was being annoying as hell, I could still feel every inch of air between us like it was a block of cement. I could still picture just how gorgeous he looked last night, with the street lamps illuminating the tips of his hair and the adoration pooling in his eyes. I could see it again now, and, if I didn't know that Brooklyn was only a few feet away in the kitchen, my pants already would've been long gone.

It was just as I was considering the pros and cons of making an attempt anyways when my phone dinged and Andy smirked, saying "You should go get that," and the reality of the world came pressing in once again as I was forced to reluctantly retreat back to my bed and my phone, where I was greeted with a text from Brooklyn that read 'Andy told me to text you?'

But my mind wasn't on him as I sighed dramatically, to show Andy that he was such a nuisance, and pressed 'call' underneath Brooklyn's name. I hardly paid a scrap of attention to the conversation that followed – Instead, I was thinking about Andy. Thinking about how long this, us, could possibly last. I figured that it was only a matter of time before he left me like Sophie did, before he realized that the world was full of better and more beautiful people than me. It was a tough pill to swallow, rejection. And, as certain as I was that it would eventually approach, I was so desperate, so eager, to avoid it. To make the two of us, and what we shared, last as long as it possibly could.

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The ending of this chapter is kinda bleh but whatever, I fiNallY wrote a new one (a round of applause for my motivation for finally making an appearance.)

Thank you SO SO much for all of your comments for the Character Q&A! For those who haven't yet, check it out (last chapter.) I'm thinking of closing it about a week from now, and I'm honestly soo excited for it. Thank you for making this possible for me. :)

Also – This is just a thought, but I was thinking that it might be cool if I started dedicating chapters to readers? Particularly active people who I see a lot in the votes/comments. What would yous think of that?