Candid Kisses✔

9| drink up

"Noah. Stop stealing my fries."  Noah did allow me to buy him lunch from the food court. We ordered the exact same thing too. Yet here he is stealing food off my plate when he hasn't even touched his. "Eat your own fries."

"I like yours better. Mine isn't salty enough." He complained like a baby. 

"Okay fine," I said switching out my fries for his. "There. Now keep your hands away from my food." 

He grinned at the fries like a child grins at a birthday cake and immediately starts stuffing his face. 

"Am I the only one who thinks beer is disgusting?" Lydia questioned.

"It's not disgusting to me. It all depends on the type of beer you're drinking really." Naomi commented. "You like gin and tonic though so I've concluded that you have a weird taste in alcohol."

 I was confused. I get distracted for a minute to tell Noah to stop eating my food and now they're talking about beers and gin. "What are we talking about?"

"I just said I don't get why girls love fruit-flavored alcohol so much and they started going on about what tastes good or bad," Caleb spoke. 

"How about we get drinks tonight? At Torch." Lydia proposed  

The idea was fun but Lydia was forgetting a crucial piece of information."Doesn't Gavin work at Torch? You can't go near that creep again." I said, reminding her of the creep she dated last year.

"He doesn't work there on weekends Liv." she informed me. 

"I think Liv is right though. I don't wanna take that chance. We filed a restraining order against the guy for a reason." Naomi defended me.

"I don't know who this guy is or what is a Torch. But I know a bar." Noah announced, finishing off his food before reaching for my fries, again. "That is if we're invited." I glared daggers into the side of his head as he took a bite out of my fries. 

"Yeah. You guys can come along. If you both agree to try 'fruit-flavored alcohol." Naomi grinned at both guys who nodded in agreement.

Noah reached for another fry but before his grabby little fingers can touch them I used my hand to swat his away. "If you touch my food again McCoy and I will cut every last one of your fingers off and feed them to you on a skewer." I threatened him in a sickly sweet voice.

He gulped and quickly retreated his hand. 

"So. Caleb will text you the location." Noah informed us.

We finished eating and made our way to the entrance of the mall after making a stop to get the dress Lydia liked from Aurora's. 

"See you tonight, angel," Noah said as he retreated to his car and I got into mine. 

"Should I wear ankle strap heels or boots?" I asked, walking into Naomi's bathroom where she was helping Lydia straighten her hair. 

"Damn Liv. Who are you dressing to impress? Naomi said, taking in my appearance. 

"Too much? I've spent the last hour trying to find something to wear."

"No babe. You look great. Ankle strap heels." she said turning off the flat iron and moving to start doing her own hair. 

Walking into my room, I threw the boots aside and slipped on the heels. I threw on a few accessories, grabbed my purse, and sat in the living room. 

For the first time in forever, I was the first to be ready. I took the time to browse through my social media while I wait. I completely neglect all my accounts sometimes. Not intentionally of course. I'm just on too many platforms and it time consuming to keep up with them all so I keep up with none. Maybe it's, just the lazy in me.

I got a few follow requests on Instagram. Most were from the colleagues of my parents. I skipped past those. 

The girls finally walked out of their rooms just as I accepted a follow request from Noah's sister.

"Okay. Shall we go?" I asked rising from my seat. 

"Nope," Lydia said walking over to the kitchen. 

I looked to Naomi for answers but she seemed just as confused, "What do you mean 'nope'?"

Lydia opened a cupboard and pulled out three shot glasses and a bottle. She poured the content into the glasses. "Drink up."

"I'm the designated driver. I can't drink that." I am always the designated driver. She knows I would never drink even an ounce of alcohol if I'm driving.

"Not tonight you're not. Noah's picking us up." She grinned at this. I feel like this was apart of an elaborate plan to get me to drink tonight. 

"No. I'm fine with driving. We'll take my c----" I began talking but was cut off

"You're not driving tonight. Noah's is like a minute away. It's already too late. So just take the shot." Naomi said, taking a shot glass in her hand. 

I glared at the both of them for what felt like hours but was really a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh and taking a glass for myself. "I swear to you both that if I wake up tomorrow with a hangover I'm inverting your rib cages." 

"Noah's here. Drink the damn thing." Naomi ordered. We all threw our heads back and swallowed the disgusting liquid. "Good. Now let's go."

We walked out of the flat and made our way to Noah's car. It wasn't the same one I saw at the bonfire. This was a seven-seater Cadillac Escalade. How many cars does this guy own?

We got in and his sister was seated in the passenger seat. I was about to say hi but Lydia beat me to it. 

"Hey, Maddi. Nice to see you again. Did you ever come up with a prank to for Reece?"

"No, the little shithead has been dodging me all week." She said sounding annoyed. 

Naomi and I laughed remembering their exchange at Bitz. 

"Hey Naomi, Hey Olivia." Maddison greeted us with a hearty smile. This girl is so nice. How is she related to this fries stealer?

"Hey, Maddi." We greeted back. 

"Did I miss something?" Noah spoke for the first time. "When did you all meet?"

"A few days ago. Now shut up and drive. We're already late because your dumbass took 15 minutes to decide what car you wanted to drive." Maddison cursed at him. He rolled his eyes before starting his car and speeding away.