Not a Valentine's date

Chapter 9

Stiles' conversation with Melissa was brief. In the meantime, Lydia hadn't moved an inch so when Stiles gets back to the living room, the redhead is exactly where he left her. Her fingers are tapping erratically on her lap and her gaze is fixed somewhere on the wall in front of her, focusing nowhere specific. She's lost in thought.

"I have to go," he says, startling her. "Melissa is making me dinner. She said that if I'm not home in 20 minutes, Scott will come and drag me. My dad will meet us there." He pauses. "Do you uh... Do you wanna come?"

Lydia is nervous. She doesn't look him in the eyes but takes the phone from him, electricity running through them both when their hands touch. "I think I'll stay. You should get going." Lydia gets up from the couch and, turning her back to him, she starts folding the blankets.

"I'm sure Melissa was already counting on you, come on."

"I'll just sit this one out." She flashes him a small smile, glancing at him briefly. "They'll want to talk to you. Scott, your dad and Melissa. Go on, you don't want to be late." She hopes she's not sounding too bitchy but she's really not sure of what she's supposed to do. Stiles will want to continue their conversation, and it will probably lead to either some very awkward glances or they'll end up saying things they might regret. Maybe both. "We can talk tomorrow," she offers.

"Lydia." He reaches for her wrist to get her attention. As soon as he touches her though, Lydia stops what she's doing and turns to him, looking down at her arm. Stiles follows her gaze. That damn thing, current or flow or whatever it is, is strong. The feeling increases when Stiles doesn't let go and gets closer to her. "Please come," he pleads, giving her puppy dog eyes and pouting slightly, getting even closer to her with every word. "I need you and I miss you. I miss us." Stiles doesn't even know why he's moving towards her or being so bold. This is Lydia, the girl who could tear his dreams apart with one word, one gesture, one look. Still, it feels to him like he's doing exactly what he should be doing, even if instinctively and absent-mindedly. By now, his hand already let go of her wrist and slid down to entwine his fingers with hers, while his other hand moved up to caress her cheek. He almost whispers to her lips. "Stay with me, please."

He had her right when he called her name the way he did, as enticing as it sounded to her. And now he's too close, so close that Lydia holds her breath. If she looks up at his eyes she knows she'll give in and kiss him, so instead she looks straight at his chest. She hadn't noticed that her free hand already rested there. When his thumb moves to brush her lower lip softly, she loses it. "Stiles, I don't know if we should." She's just trying to say the right thing. Even though he's technically been single for almost two months, it wasn't the easiest time of his life. In reality though, she's biting her lower lip and tugging at his shirt with both fists, now that he let go of her hand to place his own at her lower back, pulling her to him.

Brown meets green when he looks down at her intensely, their noses bumping clumsily as an endearing smile escapes his lips. "Why not?"

Her mind goes blank. There's not one single reason crossing her mind, especially when he's looking at her like that. If she didn't know better, she'd say her heart was about to break free from beating so fast. She can't help but smile back.

He shortens the already small distance between them but his lips barely touch hers because her phone starts ringing again, making them jump apart promptly. Stiles chuckles as she reaches for it, red all over his cheeks. "We need to get rid of your phone," he teases.

Lydia smirks. "Shut up." As she checks the device, Stiles gets closer again and rests his hands on her waist. "It's Kira," Lydia says, blushing when he nods for her to answer the call with a smug look on his face, leaning down and breathing along the skin of her neck, making her shiver. Even if distracted, she takes the call. "Hey, Kira." On the other side of the line, the kitsune starts babbling about all things Stiles and starts asking questions that Lydia can only hope he isn't listening to. "Can I call you back?" Lydia asks, trying to keep her voice steady because the boy is most certainly working her up. Placing her free hand on his cheek, Lydia makes Stiles face her again but he just pulls her closer. He laughs and Lydia covers his mouth so that Kira won't know he's right there. Too late, of course. "Yes, he's here," Lydia tells her friend as she rolls her eyes, attempting to hide a smile and failing.

He kisses Lydia's hand before she can't take it away. "Hi, Kira," he says loud enough for the other girl to hear.

Kira, assuming she might be interrupting something from the amusing tone of both their voices, decides she'd better catch Lydia alone for further inquiry. She ends up just asking the strawberry blonde if she's having dinner at Stiles' house too. Lydia pauses before answering, but what is there to think about really? "I'll see you there."