Plus One

chapter 3: I kissed a boy and I didn't like it

Kitty Wilde fell to the floor with a bump, but she was laughing too hard to notice. She smacked her knees and buried her face in the carpet as tears streamed down her cheeks. 

Finn rolled his eyes and glared at her, thoroughly unamused. “When you're quite ready.”

“This was a stupid idea,” Puck complained from his seat on the couch.

“No, we have to do this,” Finn argued. He tapped Kitty's leg with his foot. “Kitty, come on. Get it together.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Kitty gasped. She got herself under control and sat up, though she kept giggling. “Alright, where do you want to start?”

“I don't know... we just need to act convincingly as a couple.”

Kitty sniggered, but she covered it up with a cough and nodded. “OK, first you should sit beside Puck on the couch. Couples sit together.”

Finn stood up from his seat on the armchair and moved across to the couch and took a seat. He left about a foot of space between himself and Puck.

“Sit beside him,” Kitty scolded, motioning with her hands for the two of them to move closer. “Is that how you would sit beside your girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Puck said. He wasn't a fan of public displays of affection.

Reluctantly, Finn scooched closer. And with a little more prodding from Kitty, he moved closer again so that their knees were touching. 

“Now, hold hands,” Kitty instructed.

“I don't hold hands,” Puck said, shoving his hands into his armpits. 

“Just do it,” Kitty said.

Finn grabbed Puck's hand in his own and held it firmly.

“No, no, no,” Kitty said. She pulled their hands apart and took Finn's in her own, intertwining their fingers. “Like so.”

Grudgingly, Puck allowed Finn to take his hand again and this time, he curled his fingers around Finn's. “Now what?”

“Stay like that for a while so you get used to it,” Kitty said. She took a seat and smiled. “Now, tell me how you two crazy kids got together.”

“Um... uh...” Finn sputtered. “Well... we've known each other all our lives and ... uh...”

“This is stupid,” Puck protested.

“No, if you want to be convincing then you have to have a good story,” Kitty said. “Now, try again... You've known each other all your lives, continue.”

“Right,” Finn rubbed his face and tried to think. “We've been friends since we were kids... I guess, we connected because we both felt like outsiders in our small town. And over time our friendship developed into something more...”

Kitty nodded like a teacher who's student had just done good. “That's good, believable. Who made the first move?”

“Finn,” Puck said at once.

Finn sighed, but nodded and continued with his story. “Uh, yeah. It was me. I came out first, but it took Puck longer. We didn't get together until college was almost over.”

Puck turned to Finn sharply and narrowed his eyes. “That's a very convincing story that you've just created on the spot.”

“I've been giving it some thought lately,” Finn told him. “Because of the article, not because I want to lick your popsicle.”

Kitty laughed again. “That's a good story, Finn. Well done. 

"Puck... you're going to need a lot of work. Try to be less... youish. Think sophisticated, urbane. Less redneck, more turtleneck.”