The Role Switch | ✓

12. a little mushy - I

PIPER DONNED the white shrug jacket over her red camisole, grinning at the image of herself in the mirror. Her usual mess of curly hair was straight, courtesy of her hair straightener, and the hot red coat of lipstick looked stunning over her dark features.

Not to mention, it was Stephen's favorite color.

Putting on the flowered ankle boots, Piper grabbed the gold chain from the dresser and hurried out of the bedroom in the pursuit to find Stephen.

In the celebrations of their first ten days at the high school, Stephen's friend, Nick had thrown a party. To say she was excited was putting it mildly. Sadly, it had taken her nearly two hours to convince Stephen to come to the party.

With the keys in her hand, she checked if the lights were off, then locked the door to her house. Her mom would be home late, and as usual, a small sense of worry filled her. After her father's death five years back, her mom had drowned herself in work, now that everything was on her shoulders. Piper's throat clogged up at the memory of the day.

The tears had been endless that day. At the ripe age of twelve, Piper couldn't grasp or understand anything, except that her Papa was no more. Stephen, the same age as her had been at the funeral, where they had both placed their faces in each other's neck and cried amidst people, tears wetting their skin and soft breaths mingled with hiccups.

At present, Piper looked at the sky, thinking back to a day year later after the death. When she had asked Stephen why he had been crying, he had answered in his soft voice, that Piper crying did something to him. Also, how the sudden death of her father had filled him with worries that his father would die too.

A sharp jab at her black jeans snapped her out her daze. She saw Kian, Stephen's brother grinning at her. Like a ritual, she pinched his ear, earning a childish scowl on his face.

"Hey Kiani, where's Stephen?"

He scrunched up his nose in anger at the nickname but answered. "Sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head and grasped her hand in his small one, leading her to their house. He didn't stop until they were in front Stephen's room.

"You go and see yourself." After saying this in a rather admonishing way, he ran off leaving Piper in a huff.

Kids these days, Piper thought.

Without a knock, she opened the door to his room, her expression one of shock when she stared at Stephen lying face-down on the bed, only in a towel wrapped around his waist, one hand dangling from the edge, another one over his head, and his hair wet.

Not giving a thought, she went and sat on his back, and at the same time shouted in his ear. "Stephen!"

Before he could throw her off-balance, she placed her hands on his warm and bare shoulders. "What the hell, Stephen? We have to go to the party!"

Stephen blinked, his eyes unfocused as he tried to move. "Why are you sitting on me?"

"Oh," she fluttered her eyelashes innocently and looked Stephen in his eyes. "I thought you liked me on top."

"When I can see your face, that's when I like you on top," he answered dryly, and turned over, catching Piper by her waist in a stronghold.

"You straightened your hair," he said, running his hand through her hair.

"Well, I can't figure out if that's a compliment or not."

He grinned cheekily, his hair an adorable mess from the sleep. "I am used to your curly hair so, it always looks different when I see you with straight hair."

"I still don't know if that's a positive or a negative but I will take it as a compliment."

He laughed, his voice husky and nuzzled his nose with hers. "Compliment, sweetheart. Always a compliment when it comes to you."

Piper thumped his shoulder hard before walking towards his closet. Opening it, she said. "If you think that mushy talking, or watching you sleep will change my decision of going to the party along with you, you are wrong."

"I wasn't trying to dodge the party," he muttered. Running a hand through his hair, he said. "My hair is wet from the shower. I thought I would lie in bed for five minutes, only five minutes," he emphasized his point, then added. "But, I fell asleep."

"Fine, now put some fancy clothes, and then take me to the party on a motorcycle."

Stephen stopped midway clothing and stared at her. "In case, you have forgotten, I am still amidst your stupid dare according to which you are not my girlfriend?" He finished the sentence as if doubting himself.

"I will make something up," she shushed him with a wave of her hand. "Don't you know Stephen, I always think of something when it comes to us."

***

The party is going to be a great one hahahah :-P