Ave Maria

Twelve

Chapter 12

"Let's play 'Never Have I Ever'" Jenny suddenly flounced, the girls dispersing their huddle from around the pair and grabbing a drink from the table in approval.

Maria leaned over and grabbed one too. She caught Thor's confused eye and handed him her drink, reaching for another for herself. "It's a game." she explained directly into his ear. "Someone says 'never have I ever...' something and whoever has done that something has to have a drink. Got it?"

Thor barely had time to nod before Jane kicked off the game across the booth. "Me first!" she declared, excitedly. "Never have I ever..." her eyes fixed on Maria wickedly, "Managed to tease a hottie like Thor out of his shirt."

The girls burst into squeals of laughter, and Maria chuckled against Thor's defined chest at the directed attack. Even Thor smirked, the silent rumble of his laughter reverberating through the small woman held to him.

Maria threw the drink down her throat fearlessly.

The game went on, Jenny taking over. The challenges posed were interesting; been arrested, lied about their sexual orientation to avoid a date, played strip poker, had a brush with death (Thor drank to that one, much to everyone's intrigue). All the while Thor watched, Maria, waiting to learn more about her. Her drink stayed firmly in her hand though, until it was finally her turn to lead.

Thor straightened up, interested.

He wasn't the only one: "Make it a good one Maria!" Jane called cackling.

"Yeah, something really embarrassing!" Abby egged on.

"Embarrassing..." Maria rolled her eyes thoughtfully. "Never have I ever..." her teeth clamped down on her lip shyly (surprising for how bold she'd been earlier, Thor thought) and her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes casting downwards. Finally, she gulped and finished her confession. "Had a boyfriend before."

The reaction was astonishing. Instead of drinking their drinks, the girls leaned in, their mouths agape, letting out a solid "WHAT?" at the admission.

Then the questions flowed thick and fast.

"What, never?"

"Not once?"

"Have you been on a date before?"

"Have you kissed a guy before?"

Thor was suddenly unsure if he wanted to hear the answers, especially with Maria so protectively in his arms. No, he affirmed with an inward growl, he did not want to hear about her liaisons with other men. But there was no escape from it.

Maria ducked her head embarrassedly. "Not properly." she finally admitted. "Jason was never very liberal about me bringing boys home."

"Hold on." Jane leaned in eagerly. "Let me get this straight. You're twenty years old and you've never kissed a guy before?"

Maria's cheeks burned, and she seemed to sober up before Thor's eyes, returning to her usual mannerisms: her legs crossed consciously, her eyes dipping and her hands folding defensively over her middle. "Can you just drink your vodka already!" she half snapped. "Get over it."

Jane, however, wasn't letting this one drop.

"Oh no, honey. Even Thor could drink to that one!"

Thor gulped as Jane drew the attention his away, and averted his eyes from Maria when he couldn't deny her.

"I vote we switch to truth or dare!" Jane suddenly declared, a bright spark in her eye that made Thor uneasy. He could feel Maria stiffen too.

"Isn't that the same as 'Never Have I Ever'!" Maria snapped irritably, downing a drink from the table and burying her face in Thor's shoulder.