A/N: Okay...so it's been awhile…I had no inspiration, but a quick beach trip took care of that. So now, I shall do my best to type the Truth or Dare chappy…oooo…exciting, ne?
Disclaimer: I do not own Microsoft Word. No DUH. But I do own this story. It's mine, all mines.
Disclaimer II: I do not own ColdStone, Borders, or Reiko-chan.
--ChocolateCoveredCherries--
We sat down at the tables outside, contemplating what to do next. After some awkward silences and secret conversations through texting, Rei "came up" with an idea.
"Hey, why don't we play truth or dare?" Oh yes, that was all her idea. –cough-not-cough-.
"Hmm…why not?" I replied nonchalantly. Gotta love texting.
"Eh…Kei's right, we don't have anything better to do, ne?" Ari also replied as careless as possible while Rei's eyes glimmered with mischief.
"Okay then, Ari, Truth or Dare?" She asked.
"Heh…I'll just stay safe and go with truth." He answered, gazing to the sides shiftily.
"Right then…I can work with that." Rei shot back.
I was afraid, very, very afraid.
"So…Ariiiiii-chan…Were you watching the movie?" she asked, smirking noticeably.
"Weeellll…" he started carefully. "Technically, I was."
"Liar!!! You can't lie during truth or dare!" Rei shouted obnoxiously.
"I didn't," he said calmly. "You see, my eyes were on the screen, and there was a signal going from my eyes to my brain that played the whole movie." He grinned triumphantly.
"Loophole!!!" I shouted, pumping a fist in the air. To this, I received a very mean glare indeed.
"…" Aw, poor Rei couldn't find word to express her joy at hanging out with such wonderful friends! How kawaii…
"Indeed…" Ari said with a sexy smirk. "So Kei…truth or dare?" he asked.
Oh shit. Rei grinned at my sudden pale complexion as I panicked. He couldn't find out that I had fallen for him. Hell no. So I did the only thing I could think of…
"Dare," I stated proudly.
"Heh…I can work with that…" Ari quoted Rei obnoxiously. "I dare you…to tell me what you would rate me on date-ability on a one to ten scale." He smirked sexily.
I giggled cutely, mockingly. "Okay Ari-chaaaaan…I would rate you…an eight."
He and Rei looked at me in shock. "Wait….are you serious?" he asked, brows knit in confusion as Rei regarded me with open curiosity.
"Why wouldn't I be Ariiiiii-chan?" I started innocently. "After all, you never said if ten was the best…or the worst." The last few words turned mischievous along with my grin. Rei burst out laughing at us, entertained by our antics…this girl seems to be easily amused….
"Wait…so an eight is a really bad number, because you set the scale so that a ten is the worst, and not best so I am like, practically non-dateable. Am I right?" He calculated carefully and double checked his answer with me.
It was my turn to be amused as I laughed quietly.
"I'm right, aren't I?" he questioned. "Or wait…are you laughing because I'm wrong, and you honestly totally would date me?"
"Hey…I already answered my truth," I started. "So right now, I could choose to either tell the truth, lie, or not answer at all…I choose to not answer." I retaliated with ease.
Rei could hardly breathe through the laughter now, as she knew the truth. Ari looked extremely ticked off as he sputtered, unable to form coherent words.
"So Rei, truth or dare?" I asked, brushing off Ari's idiotic gibberish.
"Truth," she said, finally having regained composure.
"Okay, which one of those employees do you think is the cutest?" I asked, nodding my head in the direction of ColdStone.
She smirked and answered smoothly. "The brunette, with the semi-longish hair, and green eyes."
"Ah…" I paused to think for a moment on how to phrase my next words. "That's different, for you."
"I know…but he seems…complex. And I think I may know him from somewhere." Rei pondered. She did. He was our TA in seventh-period. I figured I'd wait until school on Monday to tell her. Heh…
"So Ari, truth or dare?" she asked with an expectant glimmer in her eyes. She wanted to get the full truth from him this time, and we all knew it.
"Dare," he spoke, surprising the two of us. "I don't trust Rei and truth."
"Alright then…" Rei mused for a moment determined to make dare just as bad. "I dare you…to tie this cherry stem in a knot with your tongue to prove that you are as good of a kisser as you say you are!" She pulled a small paper bag from her purse with the leftover cherry stems rolled up inside of it.
Mental Note: Never listen to Rei when she offers to do something without reason. I reminded myself, remembering when she had said 'Go along and I'll clean this mess up for you' with a sickeningly sweet smile, referring to the cherry stems, half ripped paper bag, and chocolate crumbs littered across the table.
Ari looked back and forth between Rei and me suspiciously.
"Kei…" he started.
"Don't even..." I warned, shooting him a look. "That was all her."
"Come on, it's a dare." She said, grinning widely.
He cautiously took the cherry stem from her and slipped it into his mouth.
"Kei, close your eyes," He commanded. "…And open your mouth slightly."
"..."
—stare—
"Please?" he asked with a childish pout. Rei was watching him with perceptive eyes.
"Why? I asked in total confusion.
"Just…just because. Pretty please?" he asked, blinking wide, blue-green innocent eyes at me.
I couldn't resist, and with a sigh I did as he said, hoping Rei would keep him in line, yet strangely knowing that she wouldn't.
It was all silent for a moment, and with my eyes closed, I had no clue as to what was going on until Rei spoke quietly. "I get it…" she said knowingly as I silently thanked my parents for my genetics.
Thanks to them, I had long eyelashes, and if I played it off just right, I could peek at what Ari was doing.
I had let my lip gloss-enhanced lips open gently, naturally and tilted my head forward slightly, the picture of tranquility.
I opened my eyes ever so slightly, using my long, dark eyelashes to disguise my peeking gaze.
He was staring at my lips! That's…interesting. His mouth worked furiously, twisting the cherry stem while his gaze calmly traced my lips, concentrating intently. Now I understood as well. He was using my lips to imagine kissing someone while trying to tie the cherry stem. Clever boy…but if he was…then that… That meant…that he was imagining kissing me!
Before the blush that had started to rise to my face was noticed, he shouted "Got it!" triumphantly and spit out the stem. I opened my eyes to look at it, and saw that it was only half knotted, in a twist, but not quite a knot.
"Nope," Rei said impishly. "But almost."
He looked away sulkily. "Whatever." He said glowering in frustration.
"You know what? It's not that easy. Rei, truth or dare?" He questioned with a challenging note to his voice.
"Heh…dare." She said, confident in her abilities to tie a cherry stem into a knot.
"I dare you to go and flirt with that guy in ColdStone, and you have to get his number." He said with vengeance.
Rei paled visibly at the thought as Ari sat back, with obvious victory in his smirk. I laughed in approval.
"B-but…" she started weakly.
"No buts! You chose dare!" Ari and I demanded in sync.
"Jinx!" we shouted, again at once.
We looked at one another in shock.
"Woah…" we breathed out in wonder.
"Aaah!" we screamed as Rei began to laugh.
"Stop copying me!" we both stated childishly.
"NO! You are copying me!" Again…in sync. Creepy…
"Dammit!" we shouted. At this point the color had flooded back into Rei's cheeks as she laughed openly at us.
"Not funny!" we said, turning back to her at once and then suddenly looking back at each other as we realized that we were still acting as mirrors.
We both sighed deeply in frustration.
"Great minds think alike!" Rei quipped annoyingly and we both shot her a glare. She squealed and shut her mouth quickly.
Ari hesitated for a moment before finally speaking cautiously.
"This…" he started.
"…is creepy" I finished for him.
"We should…" he trailed off, looking around for a distraction.
"…finish the game?" I suggested, completing his idea.
"…yeah…" he said softly.
Rei snorted at our blatant ignoration of her clever comment earlier.
"Shut up…" we both stated defensively at her, causing her to begin laughing again and us to search each other's eyes in shock.
"Oh no…" we stated simultaneously in dread.
"Not again!" Ari and I shouted, raising our eyes to the heavens in exasperation.
We both looked at each other in defeat, neither speaking in hopes of breaking the simultaneous speaking syndrome…
Suddenly, his eyes lit up in mischief, twisting his lips into an impish grin. Those perfect, full lips which any girl would love to k-- I think it'd be best if I cut that thought short…
He stepped closer to me, and I tilted my head up slightly to keep watchful eyes on his expression.
He extended his left hand, cupping the side of my face with feather light and tilting my head back further, angled perfectly for…a kiss. My breath hitched in my throat as I tried to speak, my eyes widened in confusion, and I tried in vain to focus my thoughts.
My gaze flew to Rei, shooting her a look of helplessness, and she just sat there, watching in wonder and munching on her apple as if she were watching some soap opera. Oh she was going to be a great help.
His hand on my cheek gently turned me back to him as he tapped me on the nose with his right finger, commanding that I look only at him. I was caught in his intense turquoise gaze, wearing the expression of that of a deer caught in headlights.
His right hand slipped down, from its light touch on my nose to my shoulder and trailing from my shoulder to my arm, arm to my hand, and finally resting lightly on my hip and pulling me even closer. I felt my heart-rate nearly double, and as adrenaline coursed through my veins I became acutely aware of the brush of his warm breath across my face and the sensual touch of his hand on my waist
Our lips neared each other's ever so slowly, and my eyes fluttered shut as our lips met hesitantly, just a gentle brush of skin on skin. It was just a short, simple brush of skin, yet so much more. I gasped asI looked up into his eyes and saw my expression of shock and awe reflected back at me.
He leaned in again, and crushed his lips against mine with a fiery passion as my eyes closed once again and I lost myself in the kiss, this time kissing back with just as much fervor. My heart soared and the rest of the world seemed to fade away, leaving the two of us with nothing but each other.
Unfortunately, humans do have to breathe; so we broke apart, and I rested my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat and the rise and fall of his breath. He wrapped both arms around my waist protectively, and we just held each other for a moment, a perfect fit.
"So kawaii!!!" Rei squealed in a fan-girlish way.
I turned to glare at her as Ari lightly stepped back, "Let's ditch her…" he said mischievously with one of the sexiest grins I had ever seen.
"Where to?" I asked with a glimmer in my eyes.
--ChocolateCoveredCherries--