I'm Your Wreck

28- Don't Say Things Like That

In true Ollie fashion, he was throwing a welcome back party on the Saturday before classes started up again. By the time Quinn dropped me off that night, music was blaring through the house and I could see people dancing through the windows of the living room.

"Looks like you're late to the party," my sister commented. "Good luck with Banks, I hope everything works out, Lee."

"Thanks," I sighed as I got out of the car and pulled my heavy and overflowing suitcase out of the trunk of her car.

After three weeks without seeing him and two weeks of sitting with the realization that I was in love with him, I was on edge. Dying to see Banks again. We talked every single day through texts, calls, and FaceTime but I needed him. His smell, his hugs, his kisses.

The wild party going on inside would make that difficult, but I needed it, almost more than I needed air. I hadn't told him about the 'in love' thing because I didn't have the courage and because I would want to do it in person, if I ever did get the courage.

Everybody cheered drunkenly at me when I crossed the threshold of the front door, carrying my suitcase with me. I gave everybody a little wave as I dropped the suitcase and tossed my winter coat on top of it.

Where was Banks?

Sam and Beth were standing in the living room with Walker, Chris, and Aaron among other people, most of whom I was hardly acquaintances with but were drunk enough to welcome me into my own house.

Jordan, Ollie, Kenji, and Morgan were playing beer pong in the dining room with so many people watching the game that I could hardly see through the mass.

And then there he was.

His dark curls stuck out in the crowd, leaning against the wall behind Kenji and Jordan where he had been watching the game, but was now watching me. He gave me a little finger wave, quirking his lips up in a gentle smile.

Just as beautiful and warm as he was when we said goodbye three weeks ago.

I hurried toward him, pushing as politely through the crowd as I could until I got to him and then suddenly, the rest of the room faded away. The music, the beer pong, the dense crowd of drunk people. None of it existed anymore. It was just me and Banks.

I grabbed his hips, pausing to give him a chance to tell me to stop and when he didn't, I pressed him harder into the wall and kissed him with everything inside of me. He responded with the same enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me close.

It was like breathing a first gulp of air after being underwater for far too long. I kissed him hard, like I was pulling my life supply of oxygen from his lungs. Like there wasn't an air of gasps and shocked chatter behind my back from everybody watching the graphic scene unfold.

"I fucking missed you," I sighed against his mouth.

He pulled me in for another heart stopping kiss, but stopped when Ollie brought us back to real life by asking, "Can you get a room or something?"

Everybody was looking at us, some more shocked than others. Kenji's eyes were so wide they were about to pop out of his head. Banks was looking at me with a similar emotion, his eyes wide and shiny and dazed. I couldn't tell in this light, if that was a good or bad thing.

I didn't want to deal with any of their questions or comments, so I turned back to him and asked, "Can we?"

"Obviously," he stuttered out, letting me take his hand and guide him across the room. The crowd split for us like the Red Sea and then I was pulling him up the stairs to my room. I usually preferred his bedroom because it was so much bigger, but mine was farther away from the party with an extra floor between us.