corinna's little sister » david dobrik

twelve » ticklish

"This should be against some kind of rule or something," I grumbled in David's bed. He had completely forgone the pillow this time instead of pretending to separate us until I fell asleep. This time he unapologetically put his arms around me, pulling me up against his chest and wrapping his arms around me. He laughed against my neck, making goosebumps form up my arms and legs. "Is this allowed?"

"What? Cuddling?"

"Cuddling with you," the words unintentionally left my lips a little too harshly. It was hard to just be decent to David. I had spent most of my life being mean to him.

"Is there a rule book for enemies to friends?" he asked and I shrugged, biting my nails to make myself appear occupied.

"Is that what you'd call us? Friends?" I raised my eyebrows teasingly, feeling better when my joke was received with a laugh.

"One pining friend and one oblivious friend," he joked.

"I can't be oblivious if you told me two hours ago, genius."

"You didn't say it back," he mentioned, and the question but not question lingered in the air.

Just two hours earlier we had been sitting on his couch, just after he'd finished his speech. I was confused, to say the least. Obviously, I'd always had a tiny crush on David that grew tremendously on Halloween night, so hearing that there might be a chance did make my heart swell with pride.

That didn't mean I loved him back, although I did seem to have an issue crushing on boys who teased me a little too much. In second grade, Timmy Topoleski pushed me on the playground and told me I looked like a frog. A week later, we were married using peach rings behind the willow tree at the back of the playground. David was a little different, to say the least. He had tortured me for years and made me feel so exposed, stupid and empty. He could build up something just to tear it down. Though he was acting cute and sweet and teasing me now, I knew it could so easily turn icy and heartwrenching. I knew because it had happened before. I had to keep my guard up.

I told him that. I said, "David, it means a lot to me that you explained and apologized, and I want you to know that even when I hated you, I still didn't hate you. That's probably what I hated most about you. You weaseled your way into my head and made me like you no matter how many times you screwed me over. You made me see the good in you."

"Well, do you see it now?" he asked so innocently I could've been talking to a five year old. He had a habit of that too, acting like a child and meaning everything he said. It was too cute and too distracting.

"I don't know anymore. I genuinely don't know."

It was silent while David thought of a response. He finally settled on, "Let's go to bed."

So we did. I ended up in bed and I didn't say it back that night. I didn't have to. I think we both knew, even when I denied it. My words could've said anything I wanted them to, but my face? Like David said, it was so obvious I didn't know why I didn't see it earlier.

He leaned away from me for just a second, flipped the lamp off, and then reached his arm back to pull me in even closer than before. I hadn't willingly cuddled with anyone in ages, and it was... nice. Different, but nice.

I woke up the next morning before David and checked his phone (because I didn't have mine and I was crazy) to see what was going on. He had a password, but knowing him, it was 5555. He was the laziest person I knew.

He had three texts from Corinna, which caught my eye first.

Corinna Kopf: david u asshole give me my sister back im gonna fucking call the cops
Corinna Kopf: u have a LOT of explaining to do if u think im ever going to trust u again
Corinna Kopf: and if matilda is reading this dont listen to a word he says he doesnt deserve it. come back

I responded: Hey bitch its matilda please tell me u didnt shoot and kill toddy

The next texts were from Todd.

Toddy Smith: hey man she locked me out. im ubering home but dont be surprised if she shows up at your front door looking for tilda

I responded, pretending to be David: She didnt so fuck you loser

At least I thought I was funny. David stirred next to me while I giggled and immediately hushed, stilling myself in order to keep him sleeping. He rubbed his cheek against the bed and finally settled back down, giving me room to read the next messages. They were from Jason and about filming later, so I didn't even want to read them.

David snatched his phone from my hands a few moments later, barely even stirring. I squealed, scooting my body away from him with a laugh, to no avail. He rolled on top of me, grabbing both of my wrists and pinning them next to my head all while I tried to kick him off of me. He was giggling and I was screaming and it was oddly comfortable.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" I whined, twisting my body in an attempt to free myself. My laughter only grew when one of his hands travelled down my waist and began tickling my sides, having me trashing and begging for help.

His hands stayed planted on my waist, zipping the zipper of my dress up and down over and over again. He told me he'd wait until I was comfortable.

"You can—" my mouth didn't want to finish the sentence, but he understood. He unzipped the green dress for the final time, slowly slipping the straps off one shoulder at a time and letting the dress pool around my waist. I stood slightly, using my hands to maneuver the dress over my hips and onto the floor. I immediately wrapped my arms around my stomach, maybe at the chill of the room or maybe at the calculating of his eyes.

"Pretty princess," it was a smile I would never forget. I nodded, letting my hands take their former place around his neck as we fell back into our pattern of kisses. He turned our bodies enough to lay me back on the bed and climbed on top. "Don't worry. I'm going to take good care of you."

"Okay," I quietly responded, half smiling as his face began traveling the length of my neck, leaving a trail of kisses as it passes. His hand ghosted over my ribcage and I jerked away with a squeal, watching as his devious eyes lit up.

"Oh, you're ticklish?"

"Matilda?" it was David, pulling me out of my vivid flashback. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Fine," I replied, more coldly than our previous night's conversation. "I think it'd be best if you'd take me back to Corinna's now."

"Why?" he asked, unmoving. His legs straddling me kept me down and one of his hands still had one of my wrists locked into place. "I thought—"

"You probably shouldn't think," it was a harsh sentence, and David pulled away like my words had burned him. "I'd like to go home."

"Okay, Tilda. Let's go home."

hi guys! as i was growing up, i had an issue with my knees where my kneecaps would dislocate at random. in april, i got surgery on my right knee to correct that and in june, i got surgery on the left. i was just now beginning to walk on both as normal knees and thought i was finally out of the woods. last week i went to my first day of school and broke my leg at school! so friday i had a surgery and stayed in the hospital until tuesday and thats why this chapter has taken forever. im feeling super discouraged and depressed right now bc we are back to square one for three more months so im not sure how fast im going to be finishing this book, bear with me if u really enjoy it. i will try not to disappoint. thank u guys.