They were wide and overflowing with fluffy pillows. The screen was obscenely large and there was a fancy-looking projector mounted on the far back wall.

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Beneath the projector there were shelves upon shelves of movies.

"Wait, how many bases did you guys skip?" I asked as soon as the door was closed.

Becca couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Well, let's say he knows what I taste like."

I started cracking up. "BECCA!"

"What?! You did it to Liam... in his office no less!"

"I know, I know. I'm just... wow. Has a guy done that to you before?"

She bit her lip. "No, but now I'm wondering why the hell I waited so long."

We started cracking up again and I couldn't stop with the giddy squeals.

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Eventually we tried to look through Liam's movie

collection,

but

it

wasn't

very

successful.

"I'm not sure how long we have until they get here, but the second we get home tomorrow, I have about one million questions for you," Becca whispered. We could hear the boys laughing down the hall and it sounded like they were heading our way.

"I'll try and help, but seriously I'm not much more experienced than you are," I shrugged.

Becca nodded. "We'll break out 50

shades. It should give us some answers."

“Yeah, like how to get flogged while wearing a ball gag,” I joked.

“True. Maybe we should stick to Judy Blume’s books.”

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I shoved her arm playfully just as the boys strolled in. Their arms were filled with drinks and snacks.

"Did you guys find something to watch?"

Penn asked.

Becca and I glanced from each other, down to our empty hands, then back to the shelf. "Ummm..." Becca mumbled.

I reached forward and grabbed the first movie I touched: Wedding Crashers.

"Oops… haven't we all seen this one?" I asked, holding it up. Everyone nodded, but Liam grabbed it out of my hand and went to pop it into the spaceship-quality projector system.

"That's good, we'll probably end up talking through it anyway," he shrugged. He had a point. With four people that were all hyped 582/890

up on sexual tension, we probably wouldn't be paying attention to the movie for very long.

All four of us could have fit comfortably on one couch, but Becca and Penn took the couch closest to the screen and Liam and I scooted onto the back one. The previews started to play as I adjusted on my seat and spread a blanket that felt like a cloud over my lap. Liam narrowed his eyes on me playfully and tugged the blanket onto him as well. It wasn't that big, probably because it was made of virgin baby sheep’s wool, so I had to scoot closer to him. Thank you, tiny blanket.

We had popcorn resting on our laps and candy spread out in front of us.

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"Hey, do you guys have anything good up there?" I asked, leaning forward to see their stash. Becca tossed me back a handful of Swedish Fish and one of them hit me in the eye.

"Hey! I only caught like three of those," I complained, popping one into my mouth.

"I caught the other one," Liam proclaimed proudly. A little red fin was sticking out of his mouth and I reached over to bite it off. He nibbled on my lower lip, and for that brief second I forgot where we were. When Becca cleared her throat, I pulled back and found her leaning over the couch, holding out the bag of candy.

"Should Penn and Kinsley switch? You guys can't have sex while the movie is on,"

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she joked. All at once Penn, Liam, and I shouted, “No!”

Becca laughed and shook her head before turning back around to cuddle next to Penn. When the movie started playing, we all made a good faith effort to actually watch it, but not even ten minutes in, Liam held out a bag of Peanut M&Ms in front of my face. I eyed him warily. Chances were if I reached for them, he'd gnaw my hand off.

"More

than

Peanut

M&Ms,"

he

whispered, and it took me a moment to realize what he meant. When it clicked, I bit down on my bottom lip to try and conceal the cheesy grin fighting to break free. I took the bag, leaned into the crook of his shoulder, and one at time, we ate the entire thing.

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Don't judge, it was a small bag.

Sometime during the movie I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up the lights were off and I had to pee like a race-horse. I was lying horizontally on the couch with a pillow tucked under my head that hadn't been there before. Liam was tucked behind me with his arm wrapped around my waist. I could hardly breathe, let alone move, with his grip wrapped securely around me. I gently peeled his arm off and then shuffled in the dark until I found the door.

When I came back from the bathroom, I peeked over the front couch to find Becca and Penn cuddled in the same position Liam and I had just been in, and I couldn't help but smile. I would have snapped a picture of them if I could have done it without waking 586/890

everyone up and looking like an intense creeper. They looked so perfect together and Becca was sleeping with this tiny smile on her face. It was pretty hilarious, but still adorable.

I tried my best not to wake Liam when I crawled back onto the couch, but I could feel my heart racing beneath my shirt. I lifted the blanket and slid down next to him so that my face was pressed against his chest. I took a deep breath and inhaled a whiff of his deodorant and body wash, letting my eyes flutter closed.

"Where'd you go?" he whispered, wrapping his arms around me. I hadn't realized he was awake.

"Went to look at your baby pictures and tax returns."

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"I thought you were ditching me."

"Not after you shared your candy with me." I smiled against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me tighter.

"I really like you... you should be my girlfriend."

My body stilled against his chest. Was he really asking me that or was he talking in his sleep? Maybe he'd never actually woken up and I was talking to his subconscious.

I played along as if he was actually asking me.

"It's late and asking me to be your girlfriend makes me feel like we're in high school."

He chuckled softly and bent to kiss the edge of my mouth. "Go steady with me. Be 588/890

my date to an event I have to make an appearance at next week."

"Yes."

"Was that a 'yes' to being my girlfriend or a ‘yes’ to being my date?" he whispered.

"To both. Now let me sleep, you fool, before I change my mind."

He laughed and I snuggled closer to him until I felt warm and cozy enough to drift back to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up the next morning to the smell and sounds of crackling bacon. I rolled off the couch, wrapped myself up in the soft blanket, and then peered over to find Becca still asleep with no sign of either Liam or Penn. They must have been the source of the bacon smell.

"Wake up, Sleepyhead," I said, yanking off her blanket. She groaned and started spouting out some very colorful names, one of which was something like: Wheat-Thinned Slut Monkey. I’m sorry, but what does that even mean?

"Is that any way to talk to your bestie?" I laughed as she tried to pull the blanket from around me.

"This is mine! Get your own!"

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"Kinsley! Becca! C'mon, breakfast is ready!" Penn called out. We sprang into action and raced to the kitchen, slipping and sliding in our blankets and socks. I almost wiped out when we rounded the corner to the kitchen and Becca couldn't stop laughing for five solid minutes.