Lips

Liam's friends watched as he strolled across the field with Ben. They were surprised by the way his face lit up upon seeing him.

"I can't believe Liam chose Ben over us," Darla remarked, popping a berry into her mouth.

"Of all people, it had to be Ben," Natty said, her tone dripping with disdain.

"What's wrong with Ben?" Chloe interjected, arms crossed. It was one thing for Natty to insult her, but involving Ben was crossing a line.

"You and Ben are practically the same," Natty retorted.

Casper chuckled. "That makes no sense at all."

"When are you going to stop this ridiculousness, Natty? It's been a whole year," Eric chimed in.

"Seriously, we get it; you had a crush on Eric first, but Chloe's with him now. Just let it go. And don't start hating on Ben just because he has Liam's attention," Darla said, sounding unimpressed.

"Are you all teaming up on me now?" Natty shot back, her expression darkening.

"Maybe we're just fed up with your drama. Like Eric mentioned, it's been a year," Casper added.

"You don't even know Ben well enough to defend him like this," Mel chimed in. Although she wasn't particularly invested in the situation, she often followed Natty's lead and wanted to remain in her good graces.

"If Liam can act this way with him, that's enough reason for me," Casper asserted.

Natty rolled her eyes. "What Liam wants is just a good fuck; he doesn't care about Ben the way you think he does."

"Do you actually believe that?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natty attempted to voice her thoughts but ultimately closed her mouth again. Deep down, she knew they were right, yet she faltered to admit it. Doing so would mean acknowledging her defeat—officially accepting that Eric was with Chloe and now his best friend was with Ben.

Bia let out a heavy sigh. "Just let it go, Natty. I'm certain there are other-"

Natty shot up from her seat. "Screw all of you." With that, she stormed out, prompting Mel to follow.

"That was so rude. She didn't even let me finish my sentence," Bia remarked, her brow furrowed.

"Anyway, now that she's out of the picture, I can tell you what Liam did," Bia said to Darla and Casper. "Liam offered Julie, his seatmate, $200 a month to switch seats with Ben." Bia squealed with excitement.

"Are you serious?" Darla replied, her eyes widening.

"Is that true?" Casper asked Chloe and Eric, who both nodded in confirmation.

"Wow, he really has it bad for him," Darla noted.

"Unfortunately, that clueless Liam believes he's just being friendly," Bia pointed out.

"When did he become so oblivious?" Casper questioned.

"Come on, guys, Liam isn't dumb... he's just a bit deluded. Eric said, eliciting laughter from the group.

"Who's deluded?" Liam's voice came from behind them, causing them to jump in surprise.

"When did you arrive?" Chloe asked, turning around.

"Just now. Why do you all seem so suspicious?" Liam inquired.

"Are you finally ready to introduce your boyfriend to us?" Casper teased, glancing at Ben, who stood beside Liam.

"He's not my boyfriend," Liam replied. He missed the look of disappointment on Ben's face, but everyone else noticed.

"Only you think that," Darla muttered under her breath, stifling a cough.

Liam squinted at her. "I need to let you all know he's coming to the party."

"That's great! Did you fill him in on the rules?" Casper inquired.

"Yep."

"And the location?"

"Yeah."

"What about the time?"

"Sure."

"And your feelings?"

"What?"

"Let's head back now; it's getting late," Darla suggested as she rose to her feet. "See you later, Ben," Bia added, giving a small wave as they departed, leaving the two behind.

"They're not too bad," Ben remarked, noting the shift in energy since their first meeting.

"Most of the time. "Hold on; I'll get something," Liam said as he rushed away. few minutes later, he returned holding a piece of paper. "Here's my part of the deal."

Ben accepted it and examined the artwork. It was a stunning drawing of him, capturing everything from his hair to his neck.

"Liam... this is gorgeous."

"Really? You like it?"

"I think it's pretty clear that I do," Ben replied with a light chuckle. "But how did you manage to create it so quickly? Didn't we just agree on the deal yesterday?"

"Well, about that—I actually started sketching you before we struck the deal. Remember that hair drawing you saw? Yep, that was you," Liam explained.

Ben decided he would frame the drawing and hang it on his wall.

«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«

Ben's hands were clammy with nerves. The party had kicked off 15 minutes ago, yet he was still at home. He had dressed an hour earlier but felt anxious at the thought of being around so many people celebrating.

Not to forget the surprise he had in store for Liam. He had reached out to his dad, pleading for assistance to purchase a Louis Vuitton necklace. His father was curious about the urgent need and the brand choice. Ben learned from Eric that Louis Vuitton was Liam's top favorite.

He persisted with his dad to arrange for a direct delivery. After some back and forth, his father agreed to send it over.

Then the doorbell rang. Ben was puzzled about who could be visiting since he rarely had guests. When he opened the door, he was greeted by Liam's cheerful face.

"Hey! I was getting worried. Are you still planning to come?" Liam asked, having waited at the party entrance for Ben. He wanted to stick by Ben's side all night.

"Y-yeah, sorry for the worry. I was just feeling a bit anxious. Give me a sec," Ben replied, heading back inside to grab the gift. He tucked it away in his jacket pocket, locked the door, and together they set off for the party.

"No need to be anxious, Ben! I'll be right there with you," Liam reassured him, earning a smile from Ben.

Upon arriving at the party, they found it already buzzing with energy. The music was at a decent volume, and students were dancing; Ben noticed kids from various grades he hadn't realized would be there.

Liam guided him to the second floor, where the rest of their group had gathered, along with a few other students. They settled down in a circle.

"Liam and Ben have finally arrived! Let's get started," Casper exclaimed, making room for them to join in.

"I'll break down the game for Ben since he's just joined us," Casper said as he handed out numbers. "It's called Drink or Dare. Inside that box are various challenges written on slips of paper. Each of us has a number assigned to us. When it's your turn, you draw a slip and perform whatever action is on it that corresponds to another number. You can either complete the challenge or take a drink instead." There were 25 players in total.

Ben nodded, a smile spreading across his face. That was quite fun. He glanced at the numbers: Liam was 15, while Chloe and Eric held the numbers 5 and 18, respectively. Ben's own number was 8.

And so, the game kicked off. A girl picked a slip of paper and read it aloud. "Give a mouth-to-mouth drink to number 4." She burst into giggles as she stood up and did the dare with a guy.

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Next, the guy drew a paper. "Piggyback number 15 and sprint around three times." Liam was number 15. The guy rolled his eyes. "There's no way I'm carrying that tall guy!" The crowd booed, and he was rewarded with a shot, which he downed in one go.

Liam then picked a slip. "Suck number 5's neck for ten seconds." That was Chloe's number. "I'm passing this to Eric; you owe me one, man," he declared, and despite the booing, the others accepted the decision.

Eric obliged, leaning in to suck on Chloe's neck as the crowd cheered with approval. Chloe then picked a new paper. "Peck number 8." That was Ben's number. With a mischievous grin, she handed the paper to Liam. "Now Eric doesn't owe you anything."

Liam took the slip, and the crowd cheered in anticipation, eager to see what he would do next. He read it aloud again: "Peck number 8."

Ben felt a wave of nerves wash over him. Liam seemed undeterred by the challenge; he was really going to lean in for a peck.

Liam moved closer to Ben, gently turning his face toward him, and then, to everyone's surprise, he pecked Ben right on the lips.

A hush fell over the crowd as they took in the moment, with only the background music breaking the silence. The dare had indeed called for Liam to peck Ben, but it hadn't specified where. Everyone had anticipated a peck on the cheek, but Liam had taken a bold step.

Liam pecked Ben on the lips.