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FINISH YOUR TANORA AND SPIN THE BLOODY BOTTLE

Hugh

JULY 31, 1999

“H UGHIE !” R OBBIE M AC SHOUTED . “F INISH YOUR T ANORA AND SPIN THE BLOODY bottle, lad.”

Feeling uncomfortable, I chugged the last fizzy drop in my bottle, re-screwed the cap, and tossed the bottle in his direction.

No way in hell was I taking the first turn.

Dammit, I should have asked Liz to be my girlfriend when we were on holidays. If I had, then I wouldn’t be sitting in a circle with my friends, trying to mask a panic attack.

Because I was fucking panicking.

Every time one of the lads spun that damn bottle, I thought I might die. I wasn’t sure how I would react if it landed on her. Would I be able to sit still and watch someone else kiss her?

I doubted it.

Fourteen spins of the bottle around the circle, and I found myself with the bottle in hand, ready to take my first turn.

Please Jesus, don’t let it land on the touchy-feely redhead .

Please, God, save me from this mess .

I’ll do anything if you just make that bottle stop on…

“Lizzie!” the girls cheered, and my pulse skyrocketed when I saw that my spin had landed on her .

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus!

“There’s no way you haven’t kissed her before anyway,” Danny challenged, sounding peeved.

I didn’t answer him about whether Liz and I had kissed before because it wasn’t his business. To be fair, though, I would be pissed too if he got to kiss Liz while I had to kiss Bernadette Brady .

Ugh .

When I locked eyes on Liz, who was moving into the position in the middle of the circle, I could hear my pulse thundering in my ears.

Exhaling shakily, I joined her in the middle of the circle, while everyone around us cheered and wolf whistled.

“Two full minutes, Biggsie,” Lukey called out, laughing. “We’ll be timing ya.”

“With tongues,” another one chimed in.

Ignoring our friends, I focused my attention on the girl kneeling in front of me, trying to gauge her reaction.

Liz didn’t look nervous.

On the contrary, her eyes twinkled with what I thought was excitement. Offering me an encouraging nod, Liz placed her hands on my shoulders and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I croaked out, settling my hands on her waist.

“Do it!” they all chanted. “Do it, do it, do it!”

My brain went into overdrive, while my heart freewheeled into her pocket.

I had to do it.

It was now or never.

I had to kiss her.

I wanted to kiss her.

I would kiss her.

Still, I couldn’t stop the uncertainty growing inside at the prospect of being wrong.

You’re not wrong, asshole. Now stop overthinking and just do it!

With every nerve in my body shot to hell and my breathing uneven, I lowered my face to hers. I moved slowly. Achingly fucking slowly, but I couldn’t afford to mess this up.

When her eyelids fluttered shut and she tilted her chin up to meet mine in anticipation, something relaxed inside of me. Inhaling a steadying breath, I closed my eyes and the space between us.

The moment our lips touched, I felt that familiar blast of white-hot electricity surge through me. I knew Liz felt it too, because she tightened her arms around my neck and pulled me closer.

I had no fucking clue what I was doing and somehow managed to know exactly what to do. I was taking the lead in a game I’d only sampled once and didn’t know the rules of. I could only put it down to my enthusiasm trumping my inexperience.

The pressure, the consequences, and the never-ending feelings.

This girl and these lips would haunt me for a lifetime.