“No, Iwantedto piss them off.” Fresh tears well up again. “That’s not kind at—”
“Bambi! Stop.” Eris’s grip on my jaw tightens, drawing my gaze to zis brown eyes, narrowed in annoyance. The inside of my cheek cuts into my teeth under the pressure of zis thumb. “Fine, you are selfish and spiteful and rude, but you love your friends. And those muppets frankly need someone like you to have their back. So don’t get all bent out of fucking shape because things went the way you wanted.” Eris steps closer, body pressing against mine. Zis husky voice resonates through my chest. “You need to tell yourself you’re a petty bitch? Fine, you are. But you’re petty for the right reasons, and more importantly, for this weekend, you’remybitch. And I won’t let you spiral because small people can’t handle you.”
The pathetic, trembling whimper that leaves my lips is the most embarrassing thing that’s happened yet on this trip—possibly in my entire life. But the thrill when Eris’s eyes dip down to my mouth makes the humiliation worth it. My lips are pursed, pinched by the grip of zis fingers as Eris draws my face intoxicatingly close to zis.
“Oh Bambi,” Eris breathes, a smile stretching slowly across zis face. “Did you like that?”
My grip on zis shoulders tightening, I scramble to pull Eris closer, to close the gap between us, to kiss zim like I think we both want to. But zis hold remains strong.
With a tsk, Eris crowds me against the brick wall, one knee fitting between mine. “Say it, Bambi. I used my words, you can use yours.”
My breath grows shallow; too deep, and it would push Eris away when I need zim closer. I swallow hard. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I liked it,” I scoff. “Are you happy now?”
“Not quite yet,” ze teases. “Did you like when I called you mine? Or when I called you a bitch?”
My thighs clench around Eris’s. The quiet “both” that leaves my lips is raspy.
“So all this time, you just kept taking all my rude ass bullshit because youlikedit?” At my reluctant nod, Eris grins, dark and full of promise. “And you kept that delightful information all to yourself?”
Unsure what to say, I wait, looking at Eris expectantly. Lovely as that smile is, that is not what zis mouth should be doing. Ze should be pressing me against this wall and stealing my soul through my lips. But Eris makes no move to end my impatient agony, keeping that tight grip on my jaw that I don’t want to resist.
“There you are— Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”
God, Matt has the worst timing.
Eris presses a too-brief kiss to the corner of my lips, breathing quietly in my ear, “You were wasted on him,” before pulling away to greet Matt. Considering I’m a trembling puddle slumped against the wall, it’s unfair how casually ze waves Matt off. “No worries! We were just talking about heading back to the hotel early.”
“Everything okay?” Matt asks, rubbing the back of his neck. For once, he’s staying an awkward distance away, though the setting sun casts his shadow long enough to fall upon our feet. “Allie said… You left without saying goodbye.”
The rush of irritating, confusing feelings floods through me again. Eris raises zis eyebrow at me, somehow sensing I’m back on the verge of spiraling. The scar, a stark interruption of zis thick brows, silently scolds me and reminds me I’m here for the right reasons, even if Allie doesn’t understand them.
I put on a smile for Matt. “Yeah, sorry, my knee was acting up. Sorry.”
“Your knee?” Matt instantly goes into mother-hen mode. It’s annoying as always. “Do you want me to find some ibuprofen? Have you been doing your exercises?”
I huff. “Matt, I’m fine, it’s just stiff from driving. You want me to be in dancing shape for tomorrow, right?”
Matt relaxes, his boyish grin back. “Yes! Good! Okay! I’ll let you two get back to…” he snaps, making awkward finger guns, “what it was you were doing. And I’ll see you tomorrow! For the wedding! Save me a dance, yeah?”
I nod.
“You, too, Eris! Hope you can dance in those heels!” Matt backs away, finger guns still blazing as he disappears around the corner to the bar.
“Are we sure he’s straight?” Eris asks quietly. “He uses a lot of finger guns.”
I chuckle. “I mean, he didn’t exactly have an identity crisis when I told him I was non-binary. He’s just Matt.”
“So,” Eris turns to me, and my heart thumps in anticipation. Zis lipgloss is sticky on my cheek, and I want it everywhere. “Where should we eat?”
“What?” That’s not making out against the wall.
Zis grin is smug. “We were gonna have dinner here. And now we’re not. So, townie, where do we eat?”
“I thought…”
