Begin Again - A.I

thirty two.

"That's two, Michael! Next one and you're in the closet with Hannah."

"This game is fucking bullshit," Michael mutters. "I feel seven years old."

"This game is fucking brilliant!" Luke cheers, leaning forward to give the bottle another spin. He erupts into a massive cheer when it lands on Chelsea. "Come to papa, honey."

Chelsea gives a heavy eye roll before leaning forward to kiss Luke. Why was I here? I couldn't tell you. But I was directly across from Ashton and him and I had 'kissed' once. But it was on the fucking hand, and he barely even touched me. Like a grandpa kiss. Ashton grandpa'd me. 

"Ugh!" Chelsea shrieks, pulling away from Luke's mouth immediately. "You jerk! I was going for the cheek!"

Luke just grins.

"Why are we playing this game?" Calum asks the question on everyone's minds.

Nobody knew. I didn't even know how we ended up here, sitting in a circle with Ashton's group and Chelsea's. And with me somehow stuck in the middle. It started off with us all just innocently talking, then somehow we were playing spin the bottle "but the sexier version where you have to make out in the janitor's closet if you land on the same person three times."

I wasn't keen. I didn't want to make out with anyone in the janitor's closet. But it was kind of impossible to opt out of the game. I was thankful the spin the bottle kisses didn't have to be on the lips, as I'm sure everyone else was. Everyone was just sticking to the cheeks and hands, apart from Luke. He was jumping in tongue first. I hoped I wouldn't land on him.

Ashton was being suspiciously quiet throughout the whole game. He had landed on me once, Chelsea twice, and weird eyebrows chick once. And he'd given a measly peck on the hand to each of us. Not that I wanted to kiss him, well, in front of everyone anyway; but I kinda thought I'd have gotten some form of special treatment. My stomach churned at the thought of him landing on Chelsea again, and the both of them ending up in the janitor's closet.

"Ella."

I snap out of my thought train to see everyone looking at me.

"It's your turn."

I take a deep breath and lean forward to spin the plastic Coke bottle. My eyes follow it around as it spins and spins and spins and then stops. I feel my chest tighten as I realise it's landed on Ashton. Great. Another grandpa kiss.

His movements are slow, and I guess it's then that I realise that they always are. As if every single one is planned out in advance and done for a reason. He leans forward ever so slowly and I instinctively hold out my hand, but he grabs it only to put it back down. Then, inching closer, he leans in to gently press a kiss to my forehead.

I feel as if I'm literally on fire, like my skin is melting right there and then. I don't know what to do. I feel glued to the spot. I watch as he slowly moves back, his eyes not once grabbing hold of mine.

And then the chaos starts again, the chatter, the noise. It all comes buzzing back all at once. For a while there, for a split second or two, it was just him and I. As if we were in our own private bubble. 

Damnit. I had such a crush on him.

Calum's turn is next and he lands on Michael. 

"Oh, no way."

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"Fuck off," Michael growls. "Calum's lips are going nowhere near my body."

"Woah, kinky," Luke adds.