The Bad Boy's Sleepover

Chapter 19

Lola frowned at Julian in confusion, wondering how he knew about Tyler and her almost kissing. 

"How?" She uttered in bewilderment.

"Let's just say I'm a pro at sneaking around Natalie's house undetected," Julian murmured, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight. 

"Well you didn't miss much. We didn't kiss," She answered, feeling oddly uncomfortable that he had been watching her and yet somehow thrilled at the same time. 

"I know, I took care of it," He took a large gulp of his drink, his gaze unrelenting. 

Lola wondered what he meant by that but then it suddenly hit her. The horn, the too close for comfort car horn going off at the precise moment when Tyler was about to kiss her. 

"You did that?" She asked in disbelief while Hanna, Nalini and Damien remained silent during their heated exchange. 

"I did you a favor, Lola. He was drunk and clearly taking advantage of you. You were supposed to befriend the dude not stick your tongue down his throat the first time you met," Julian replied and it made Lola's blood boil. 

She stood up angrily and stared down at him. 

"So what if I wanted to be taken advantage of, huh? So what if he was drunk? It's just a kiss. So you guys can kiss and fuck whoever you want but we can't?" She ranted and her friend's looked up at her in shock. 

Lola was so mad, she couldn't think straight. Who was he to decide who she could kiss and when?

She walked away from the group without thinking, putting as much space as she could between Julian and her. She honestly felt like kicking him where the sun doesn't shine.

She leaned against a tree and gathered her emotions once she was alone. Her feelings were utterly conflicted. 

In truth, she realized tonight that she was in fact not ready to kiss Tyler, her longtime crush which made no sense because she'd been in love with him for the longest time. Julian's words had made her see red only because there was some truth in them as well. 

Deep down, she knew she didn't just want to be one of girls Tyler scored at a party, something for him to brag about and then forget. She wanted to be the girl who held his hand in school and went on ice cream dates after. 

But there was also something else pulling Lola back. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She heard the scrunching of grass under someone's heavy footsteps and this time she didn't jump in fright when Julian approached her. 

He leaned against the tree next to her and she turned to look at him. 

"I suppose that was a dick move for me just now and I owe you an apology," He said solemnly.

"I will only accept your apology if you promise never to interfere in my love life again," Lola said in a stern voice. "You had no right to make my decisions for me."

"Lola, I wanted him to take you seriously. You don't know how we guys think at parties like this. Everyone is trying to get in a girls pants and most of them brag about it after," Julian turned to her, his gaze serious. "I didn't want that to happen to you." 

"It was just a kiss. I don't know why you're overreacting," She complained. 

Julian leaned in, closer than necessary and she gulped when she took in his lips, the sharp outline of his jaw and the dark hair that fell haphazardly across his forehead. Why the hell did he have to look so good under the moonlight?

His face was so close, one more step and their lips would touch. Lola stared up at him in alarm but for some reason she didn't step away.

She didn't want to.

"It always starts with a kiss, Lola." 

She could smell the aftershave on his skin and another scent that she had grown to realize belonged to him alone. She wasn't going to lie, it was nice. 

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest suddenly. "But as you said I have no right to interfere in your love life and I'm sorry. It won't happen again." 

"Thanks but I suppose you have a point. Something felt off and we could have kissed again during our seven minutes in heaven but I stopped it," Lola admitted and Julian turned to her abruptly. 

"You were in a closet alone with him for seven minutes?" His voice raised a notch and he stood up straight. When he noticed Lola observing him he quickly leaned back and shrugged his shoulders casually. "Oh, so you didn't do anything?" 

"He kissed me on the cheek," Lola smiled at the memory. "You're wrong about him. His a nice guy."

Julian only scoffed in response. "Yeah, aren't they all." 

"You sound like such a sour puss," Lola teased. "There's no need to be jealous, you'll get some action soon."

Julian laughed at her words. "I would hardly call a peck on the cheek action."

She punched his shoulder and he laughed softly. They leaned against their respective trees and fell into a comfortable silence. Lola could hear a cricket chirping somewhere in the distance, coupled with the chatter that belonged to her friends. 

"You want to head back?" She asked Julian and he shook his head. 

"Nope, I like it better here," He murmured and Lola bit her lip, wondering what he meant by that.

"You want to leave?" He asked her, his voice wavering slightly. 

"No," Lola replied honestly. Her heart was thumping in her chest but it was not the same as when she was with Tyler. Liking Tyler was habitual, safe but this was different, foreign, frightening. It felt like she was on uncharted territory, diving head first into something she didn't fully understand. 

Her eyes met Julian's dark ones and Lola felt like she was drowning. She quickly looked away, breaking the moment. 

Silence engulfed them once again until Julian spoke after a few minutes. 

"You deserve the best, Lola. Tyler's a lucky guy," He said and she looked up at him, trying to read his face. Why did he suddenly say that? Why was he making her feel things she'd never felt before?

They stayed together in comfortable silence for a few minutes before deciding to head back.

She followed him to their circle of friends, her mind in overdrive, conjuring up all the possible reasons he could have said those words but all she drew was a blank. They sat down next to each other and Lola felt a trail of fire traverse her skin when their knees touched.

She shifted slightly but at the same time there was a part of her that didn't want to move away. 

"You want another drink?" Julian asked her almost tenderly and she took the bottle from his hand. 

Their fingers brushed against each other and Lola gulped. She'd never felt more confused in her life.