(Jules) CALL THE WATTPAD POLICE BECAUSE I PICKED A MALE LEAD WHO ACTUALLY LOOKS HUMAN AND NOT GODLY.

SIXTEEN: when you get daring.

It had gotten darker and after we were all partially naked -well, all except Brandon, Will, and Paul because of the fact that they didn't wimp out which wasn't all that surprising. Paul was an open book, Brandon just didn't give a fuck, and Will was smart enough to find loopholes in every single thing. Landon had passed out somewhere between the body shots and telling their neighbor about his urinary track infection (thank god he was lying).

And it was then that Brandon had spun the bottle, Rilee in his lap as she watched the colors. She was getting drunker by the minute and had waddled her way into making out with Will which had Brandon sporting a semi and grabbing her waist tight.

"Uh dare..." I found myself muttering when the bottle had landed on me. I was getting tired and from the way Paul rested his head in my lap, he was about to doze off.

I saw a glint in Brandon's eye, "Ten minutes in the closet with Paul."

Ben's eyes widened incredulously at that before I'd even gotten a chance to react, "Come on man, he just came out of the closet and you wanna shove him back in?"

Let's just say he had one or two or twelve beers.

Will rolled her eyes at that, smacking her brother upside the head,"Isn't it supposed to be seven minutes?"

"It is but I said ten..." Brandon has shrugged nonchalantly, my body visibly tensing, "now go. Vamos, get it get it get it."

My eyes went wider than they were before, mouth opening to decline the dare when Benji had cut me off... Again, "God? When will it be my turn for love?"

"Ben!"

"What? You got a boy and a hot chick tonight, Lan drank his ass off," Benji groaned, pointing behind him to the brunette boy laid out on the couch in nothing but socks and a blanket draped across him, "Cas and Jade are most likely doing the horizontal tango in his car," I grimaced at that, Caspar and Jade were long gone, her convincing him to let her explain and they went somewhere to talk...

I didn't want to think about the possibility of my sister having sex, even the thought made me shiver. "J-Man is living his Love, Actually moment." Oh my G— "I would like to be held."

"Lanny? Hug him."

: : :

"So do you wanna just wait this out?" Paul had asked, a soft smile but something in my pinning-over-Calum-never-kissed-a-boy in closet thing felt very uncomfortable for me.

So I kissed him.

"You're cute." It was paired with a smile, he pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and I'd never been so close to someone before.

He was kind.

He was really put together and I found that attractive. He opened his home to me. He offered to kiss me.

He... liked me.

I took a moment to appreciate his flushed face and unruly hair before unbuttoning his top, watching the fabric slide past toned arms and a tattoo.

The ink reached up to his shoulder.

Paul sighed in pleasure, head lolling back and he let out a small moan when I'd sucked his soft skin, hand tucked into my hair.

He was soft to the touch, his skin was.

He grabbed my belt loops, firmly though, theatrically and tugging me closer. Our hips knocked together and Paul caught my lips in his again.

He kissed me once more, "I kinda wanna just do this for hours."

"What?"

"Kiss you." He smiled. "By candlelight, preferably with a soft playlist." He was tucking a hand around my waist, the other restes on the back of my neck. And he was brushing a finger over my bottom lip. He was kissing me again.

And this one was so soft it took my breath away.

"Let me take you out."

We didn't agree to this. Something about

"Paul." Please stop being so romantic. "What could you possibly see in me?"

"Have you seen yourself?"

"I'm literally homeless."

"You left a bad situation, sometimes we have to. I've been unhoused too." He shrugged. "The lighthouse saved me. Countless times."

That frown felt too heavy and I was pulling back. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"How long have you and Brandon been..." a thing.

"We've been friends for six years." He smiled again. "What about Ben?"

"I-uh- I met all of them a few days after I met you actually."

"You guys seem like family."

"They do." And it was silent so I tried to fill the space. "Ben and Will obviously but I think Ben and Andy's moms are close and Caspar is Will's best friend since... elementary?"

He nodded and it was awkward again. I wasn't sure why I was asking about Brandon but he didn't take the bait either way and here I looked so insecure.

"Jules?" It was open ended, lost in thought almost.

"I shouldn't have asked you about this arrangement... when I wanted to ask you out."

"I know we're both in... places right now."

"Paul."

"I like you." He bit his lip. "I know what we agreed on, but I would like to take you to dinner sometime."

The bell chimed, an overused alarm knocking Paul's closet confidence and he was dropping my hand. It swung back to my side, my heart beating a million miles an hour.

"Think about it?" He nodded, stepping out and I followed.

The party had died in the time we'd been gone. Instead of sitting back beside me, Paul went to pick up a few beer cans scattered across the floor.

"I think this game has come to an end," Brandon had declared, eyes zeroed in on Paul. They had a connection, I wasn't crazy for thinking that.

"Ben, can I sleep at yours tonight?" I'd asked the boy sitting beside me, tossing back a cup of whatever. Brandon had stood up, Rilee in his arms before he disappeared into the living quarters and everything was dying down as Paul cleaned up, Will and Pete having a small conversation of their own... Well, Pete was trying to talk, stuttering out small fragments of sentences as Will played in his hair, looking at his lips as he spoke.

Ben shrugged, "Are you gonna help me drop Will at a friends?"

I nodded, eyes still focused on Paul who'd seemed to rigid to be normal and very preoccupied with cleaning. He resembled a house wife, and I found myself causally daydreaming about Paul and I married and him cleaning up after our kids.

Snap out of it, Jules.

Benji's voice thankfully pulled me out of my girly crush-induced thoughts, "Yeah, sure, Ma won't care. But why though?"

"Got kicked out."

He nodded, Hell, everyone knew about that, "I thought you were staying here?"

"I thought a lot of things. I think we just need a day to cool down."

: : :

I was bringing my bag to Benji's car, Will already in I and scrolling through we music, plugging in the aux cord in preparation. I'd been in the middle of shutting the trunk when Paul caught me outside.

"I'm sorry about... You know." Don't be, I was being an ass, "I just-I don't think that this was a good idea. We have chemistry. I don't want to just have sex with you and be done with it, especially your first time..." Paul frowned to himself as if getting to know me was impossible. "I want to get to know you and I like you and I know you're not ready for that..."

"Don't tell me what I'm ready for." Although, you are absolutely correct.

"I-" I'm into you, "don't apologize... I'll call you, okay?"

"You can stay," he offered and fuck, I wanted to. The idea of possibly sleeping next to Paul sounded way better than sleeping on Benji's floor - he'd warned me about his night gas.

But I had to suffer in the sink-bombed room that night and as long as I had to until I could figure out what I felt for Paul and push myself to pursue it. Paul didn't deserve me stringing him along if I didn't like him like that, "We both need to think about things."

And he hugged me, teenage girl butterflies pooling in my stomach as his arms wound around me. I found myself returning his hug, leaning my head on his shoulder due to us being close in height. And his whisper awoke little Jules, my eyes wide as he kissed my cheek, "you know, if you were ready for something serious, I'd make it worth your while."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiled, resting his forehead on mine. "Show you all the ways you keep me up at night."

"You sure it won't be the other way around?" I teased, trying desperately not to let how hard I was show through my pants.

"Oh, please, you're a powerbottom at best."

"Aye, no sex on my car!" I heard Benji's yell as he started the car, me and Paul jumping a little.

I sent Paul a smile, biting my lip as he laughed, waving.

I'd be lying if I said my eyes weren't glued to his ass the entire time he walked up the steps to his apartment building.

"Dude, you like him," Ben had teased as he pulled out of the parking space he'd inhabited and I didn't have the will to deny that accusation.

I know.

And that was terrifying.

A/N:

When you barely update this story and you have absolutely no explanation except...

I'm entering Psychopath in The Wattys so all my energy is going into making that story the best. I'm sorry if these updates aren't that frequent but I'm trying to move up the Teen Fiction ladder and it's working...

#16 IN TEENFICTION SUCK ON THAT.

Updated: Mon, August 3.