I Can’t Say No, If you Ask Me - B.N. (book series for 10 year olds .TXT) 📗

didn’t tell me Reedley was coming” she said, giving him a sweet smile while in reality she hated the idea of me being here. Finn shrugs as he pushes me towards a couch. I bite my lip as I end up sitting next to Eli.
Before I have time to feel uncomfortable and awkward, we hear cars pull up and multiple car doors slam. Soon the living room is packed and I begin to feel a little claustrophobic. I leave the couch to head for the kitchen but someone stops me by grabbing my waist. I turn, slightly annoyed. “You’re not leaving me yet, are you?” Finn asks near my ear. I blush and try to ignore the warmth that is coursing through my veins. I shake my head. “Just going to get a drink” I answer, having to lean in for him to hear me because the pulsing music is so loud.He eyes my face, looking as if he’s just noticing something. My hand automatically goes to my face, feeling for anything foreign. “What?” I ask when I find nothing unusual. His golden eyes seem to brighten and he simply laughs, it’s a soft laugh and it’s gone before I even get a chance to decipher it. He shakes his head at me. “Go get your drink” he orders, playfully pushing me towards the kitchen. I head for the kitchen, hoping it was less crowded than the living room and hallways. Of coarse it wasn’t, it was almost as bad as the hallway that was leading to the bathroom. People where everywhere. Sitting on the kitchen’s island, on the counters, on the floor, I even saw a girl trying to crawl in the refrigerator. She must have come here already drunk because there was no way she could get drunk that fast…is there? As I thought of that I looked around, trying to see if everybody else was drunk out of their minds also. And to my surprise, there were very little sober looking people here. I frowned, feeling like an outcast.
Chapter three
I looked around the kitchen, in search of a drink without alcohol in it. So far I wasn’t having much luck. I sighed, temporally giving up, and leaned against the counter. Next to me was a random couple making out. I tried to ignore them even though it was grossing me out. I watched as Eli entered the kitchen, his soft blue eyes in search of something. He smiles as his eyes land on me. I smile back shyly as he walks towards me.
“Having fun?” he asked, trying to make small talk.
I shake my head. “Not really, parties aren’t my thing” I admit.
He seemed to be thinking about what I said because he didn’t say anything for a while.
“Finn…he invited you?” he asked slowly, as if trying to piece something together.
“Yeah, why?” I ask, wanting to know why he was asking.
He runs his hand through his golden blonde hair, shaking his head at the same time. “Just wanting to know why you’re here if you hate parties” he said. His soft blue eyes locked with mine and I looked away uncomfortably.
I don’t answer because I don’t really know what I’m doing here. I feel my face slowly flush.
“Just as I thought” he said shaking his head at me.
I scrunch up my face, confused and curious. “What are you talking about?” I asked, well, demanded.
He looked down at me, his soft blue eyes glowing with secrecy. He gave me a mischievous smile.
“I want to dance, come on” he said, taking my hand and leading me to the living room where everyone was dancing. Obviously he wasn’t going to tell me.
I tried to pull away, I couldn’t dance. I was horrible at it, and I really didn’t feel like embarrassing myself in front of everyone today. Just as we made it to the center of the crowded dancing teenagers, a soft slow song came on. I sighed with relieve. I may not be able to dance but I could to slow songs, it was basically just rocking back in forth.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and I placed my hands behind his neck, lacing my fingers together. It was awkward, being this close to him, but not uncomfortable. We swayed back in forth, turning in slow circles. He kept glancing down at me every couple of seconds. Finally I looked up at him.
“What were you talking about earlier?” I asked.
He opened his mouth to answer but his eyes focused on something behind me. His eyes narrowed and his hold on my waist got a little too tight, as if he was restraining me. I turned my head; my eyes searched the crowd for what Eli was looking at with disbelief.
Finally my eyes rested upon Tamara kissing, quite passionately, some dark haired boy. It took me a minute to figure out it was Finn. My mouth fell open and rejection washed through me. It was so strong it brought tears to my eyes. I turned my head in disgust, looking up at Eli, who was eyeing my face curiously. His soft blue eyes were comforting which only made me feel even more humiliated. I pulled away and scrambled through the crowd, pushing and shoving the drunken dancers.
“Reedley, wait!” Eli called from somewhere behind me.
I didn’t listen, I just kept going. Planning on going straight to my car, but my legs some how led me to the empty hallway upstairs. I let out a shaky breath. Why was I crying over something so dumb? I was so embarrassed, there was no way I could face Eli anymore. He knows now. Would he tell Finn? I prayed he didn’t. This was bad enough. I tried to wipe away my tears but I had a feeling I just smudged my makeup. I walked down the hall in search for the bathroom. It’s been so long since I’ve been here I couldn’t even remember.
I found one, decorated with seashells and it smelt of cinnamon. I cleaned my face and tried to take a few calming breaths. I jumped when someone knocked gently on the bathroom door. I smoothed my hair down, which I had flat ironed until it was pin needle straight. It took me forever but I loved it when my hair was straight.
“Just a second” I called, my voice breaking slightly. I hoped no one could tell that I was crying and that they wouldn’t notice my blotchy face. I opened the door and walked right into a hard muscled chest.
“Reedley, are you alright?” Eli asked, wrapping his arms around me.
I felt overwhelmed and embarrassed. Why couldn’t he just let me be humiliated by myself? To my surprise, I burst into tears. His arms tightened around me and he pulled me closer into him. I rested my head on his shoulder and let him comfort me. He walked us further into the bathroom and shut the door, letting me cling on to him as I ruined his shirt with my tears.
“I-I’m sorry” I apologized, sniffling and starting to pull away.
“You have nothing to be sorry for” he said, grabbing my waist and lifting me onto the bathroom counter.
I watched as he grabbed some tissue and handed it to me. I wiped away my tears then blew my nose. I was beyond embarrassment.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, curious.
He wiped away a tear that I missed before answering. “Can’t I just be nice?” he asked, softly.
I shook my head and he smiled.
“Maybe I like you” he said, waiting for a reaction.
“Or maybe you feel sorry for me” I suggested. Sure, it was a possibility that he might have liked me but after what happened today, I’m positive he just feels bad for me.
“Nah, I don’t really do the pity thing” he shrugged, nonchalantly.
I blushed and looked away. He liked me. The question is do I like him? He was smoking hot, caring, and sweet. But was he really what I needed? The answer? Absolutely. That’s when Finn popped up in my head and I faltered.
“I know you like him, and he’s my best friend but he’s no good for you” Eli stated, seemingly reading my thoughts.
I looked up at him, eyeing his features. They were almost similar to Finn’s. I took a deep breath.
“And you are?” I asked, knowing what this conversation would entail. We would talk about why he’s good for me, I would admit that I think he’s good for me and then that would be it. We would be walking the hallways hand in hand come Monday morning. Why did something not feel right about it, though? Wasn’t this, wasn’t he, what I needed to get over…Finn?
“I could be” he said gently, as if he said one wrong thing I would become overwhelmed.
I slid closer to the edge of the counter, closer to him. I looked up at him, giving him a knowing look. His soft blue eyes looked questioning. He tilted my chin back as he ducked down, his other hand resting lightly on my waist. As his lips brushed against mine, I shivered. I had never been kissed by someone before and it was very…overwhelming. I placed my hands behind his neck and laced them together. His lips moved against mine slowly, as if we had all the time in the world. Which I guess was true but I wanted him to be more…I don’t know, willful? I wrapped my legs around his waist tightly. In response, he held my waist tightly, pulling me closer to him. Soon we were both out of breath and my body was tingling all over. My heart was thumping loudly and I was clinging to him like my life depended on it. His tongue skimmed along my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I stiffened, my stomach knotting in panic. This was my first kiss! I barely knew what I was doing now, what was I going to do with his tongue in the mix? I felt him smile against my lips.
“Never been kissed, uh?” he asked his tone light and all knowing.
I blushed, wishing someone would just put me out of my misery. How many times can a person be embarrassed in one day? I started to pull away, wanting to run for the hills.
“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s cute. Plus, I like the idea of me being your first kiss” he said, softly.
I still tired to squirm away but his grip tightened on me. He leaned down again but he didn’t kiss my lips. Instead he brushed my hair from neck and placed a kiss there. My whole body went still. He did it again, this time his lips lingering and skimming along the length of my neck. My breathing was rigid and my nails were digging into his shoulders. That’s when the door opened and I went wide eyed.
“Get your fucking hands off of her!” Finn boomed, filling the small bathroom with his angry voice.
Eli pulled away from me, straightening up. “Finn, calm down” he said lowly.
“Don’t tell me what the hell to do! And take your fucking hands off of her!” Finn demanded, eyeing Eli’s arm around my waist.
I narrowed my eyes at him. What gave him the right to tell anyone what to do? Especially since, he was downstairs swapping saliva with Tamara. He didn’t own me and I owed him nothing. Eli removed his hand from my waist and stood in front of me protectively. I hopped off the counter and peeked around him.