Unintended Consequences

Chapter 45

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    "Baby, let's just get out of here." Archer's low husky voice tickled my ear as he leaned down. He rubbed the tension in my shoulders as I rested my back against his chest. Teela had latched her claws into our group and followed us everywhere. The other boys had funnelled away eventually, but I was ecstatic to see that Cole stuck around and had engaged in a deep conversation with Madeline. Watching the two of them stare intently while the other spoke was almost heart-warming enough to distract me from Teela.

    Almost.

    "No, we are not going anywhere," I said firmly. I was not about to be run out of a party filled with my friends because of a girl that technically wasn't even doing anything wrong. Sure, her passive aggressive fake-kindness was rubbing me like sandpaper. Not to mention, she was very focused on being buddy-buddy with Archer. Overall though, she just seemed drunk and silly. I tried not to take it too personally.

    Archer grabbed my waist and spun me in his arms. My neck heated up when his hands ventured low on my spine, resting at the curve of my bum. He dropped his face down and hovered his lips a breath away from mine. His deep eyes pulled me into a trance as the party around us slowly slipped away. He rocked his hips slowly in time with the music and I melted against him, suddenly desperate to be alone.

    "Don't worry, this is how they usually act," Madeline assured someone while she tugged on my sleeve and cleared her throat. I pulled back from Archer and whacked him on the shoulder when he mumbled profanities under his breath.

    "We're going to go out on the back porch and play games, you two in?" Madeline gave me those 'best friend eyes' that clearly communicated she needed my support. I readily agreed and hooked my finger through Archer's belt loop to tug him along.

    My ears rang in the cool night air as it was much quieter out here. Madeline and Cole both grabbed chairs that had been pushed into a loose circle. Tyler, James, Teela, Quinn, and Holly filled the others with a few people I didn't know. Archer fell into the last one available and pulled me onto his lap, taking a moment to smooth my skirt down and cover my exposed thigh with his hand.

    "Okay, let's play Never Have I Ever!" Teela wagged her eyebrows at everyone and pulled a bottle of tequila out from behind her. "If you haven't done something you take a shot!"

    I immediately wanted to escape and sighed in relief when Holly spoke up. "Chill out Tee, we all have drinks already we can take."

    Teela rolled her eyes but didn't challenge Holly. "Whatever you say, Cap," she said with a sugary smile.

    James leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I thought you were supposed to drink if you have done something?"

    "That's how we normally play, but I figured Charlotte wouldn't be happy if Archer got wasted." Teela shot me a wink as though she were doing me a favour. Archer stiffened underneath of me so I rubbed his thigh to let him know it was fine.

    "Alright, I'll go first!" Tyler raised his drink enthusiastically. "I've never... Uhm. Okay, actually I need a minute someone else go."

    "I've never left the US!" Holly supplied an easy one. A couple of other people casually took sips of their drinks.

    The game started out easy while most people thought of clean things that they'd never done.

    "Never have I ever skydived."

    "Never have I ever been in a fistfight."

    "Never have I ever failed a class."

    By the second round, Tyler made it dirty when he proudly stated that he'd never gotten an STD. Everyone raised their glasses in a communal cheer as we all took large gulps. From that point on people got more comfortable throwing out sexual things they'd never done. Of course, since the rules had been swapped, I ended up taking a lot of drinks. They were only the tiniest baby sips—but I still felt it.