Challenge Accepted

Chapter 12

Yasssss! This chapter is the relationship drama you all wanted. The core of the romance genre, with kiss--I just gave too much away ;) Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to comment and vote, it would mean so much!

Oh god, oh god, oh god, I panicked. I hadn't slept a wink yet and the clock handle had just passed the three. The events that unfolded earlier that day had left me in some paranoid shock.

I wasn't feeling betrayal, as I though I would when Marek's charms inevitably won me over. A sinking feeling in my stomach, somewhere close to disgust, but more vulnerable, made me feel so confused. It was like I was emptier than usual, but craved Marek.

I had tried several times to dial Marek, until realising he had football practice today and my problem concerned him.

What I had studied again was the chart I had drawn of Marek's weaknesses and strengths, and how to use them to my advantage. I laughed coldly, ripping the paper into shreds as I realised how cruel it was. Also, almost everything I had written down was wrong, or incorrect, or not exactly true.

If I feel for a different Marek than I signed the deal with, would it still count? At this point, I wasn't even sure anymore.

Unconsciously, I had started to convince myself to let Marek tell everyone about my past. When I realised, I sent myself to the nurse and asked for an aspirin, truly believing it had to do with a headache. Only the pain wasn't physical, it ached somewhere deeper. My soul? Maybe. The icon of a heart humans associate with love? More likely.

Either way scared the crap out of me.

I admitted that if I agreed to let myself like Marek, I would become a stammering, bumbling mess. So, it did not matter what I felt, I would not agree with it, and therefore, it was not true.

I groaned. This had really gotten a lot more complicated that it should've. The challenge had already dragged on for a couple of months, way longer that anyone had planned. The gossip had died down though, people still hated me for dating Marek but there was more recent news to be spread.

The constant stream of hate I got for snagging the most edible bachelor in high school kept coming, but I learned to ignore it.

Without any external factors, I truly considered the question of: 'Could I date Marek?' Surprisingly, I found the idea didn't repulse me completely. It seemed rather appealing.

Feeling that deep ache begin again, I headed to the kitchen for another aspirin.

That night, little sleeping happened. Until four in the morning, I lay wide awake and after that I slept uneasily.

That day, Rory kept bugging me and Marek stayed his old, cheeky self.

During chemistry, I poked him for attention. Subtly, he slid his sheet so I could copy off the answers. I leaned on him possessively as the teacher pronounce every one of his answers correctly. Nobody was going to lay a finger on my little football captain/biology nerd. He was a precious gem.

"Hey," I poked him again during History. "Care to come on a date after school." I signalled towards the clock, which read twenty minutes before the final bell. "The ice-cream store two blocks from here is finally revealing its Christmas flavours and I wanted to celebrate. You in?"

He nodded and both of us stared eagerly at the clock, hoping for it to move faster. When the final bell did ring, I grabbed my stuff and went down to the lockers, with Marek following.

He leaned on the lockers to my right as I sorted my books back into my locker, extremely aware of his eyes burning into me.

I shut my locker dramatically and grabbed his hand instinctively, dragging him to the entrance. We made it to the ice cream store and I smiled like a little girl in a candy story, the ice cream store was my weakness. Even after so many years, I could not resist it.

I let Marek order, not telling him what I wanted. I wanted to have him guess, I wanted a surprise. I settled for a table in front of the glass window and absently stared outside until a large object appeared in my field of vision.

Marek had just slid an extra-large, sharing size ice cream container containing all the new Christmas flavours. I smiled so widely, ear-to-ear, and got up to hug him.

"And they always say that chocolate is the way to a girl's heart," he muttered. "It seems they were wrong, it's ice cream." I laughed at the comment, partially because it was true.

We easily spent an hour there, happy in each other's company. Ever since the night on the terrace, it seemed we worked better together than a recently oiled machine.

I saw his eyes flicker to the view from the window, but before I could ask, he placed his lips on mine. Starting out tensely, but turning more passionate. His tongue licked my bottom lips and I gave it entrance. I had to bite back a small moan that begged to escape my throat.

But as quickly as it started, it was over.

And when I turned to look outside the window, Rory and his friends were howling loudly, whistling suggestively. I frowned, so it was all for show then. Well, Marek, let me show you show.

I placed my right leg over his hips, straddling him, and kissed him again. This time, hard and firm but still full of passion.

I could've sworn that the next time he kissed me, Rory and his friends were already gone, but maybe I was just seeing this.

Was it what you expected? 

For me, it honestly wasn't. I wasn't sure whether or not to add a kiss until the end, but this opportunity was just so tempting. I'm really happy with this chapter! I hope you are too! Comment and vote, it would mean so much.