Eye contact game
1050 Words
TESSA
I didn’t look away from him.
Not for a second.
Our eyes stayed locked together like we were challenging each other all over again, the silent war we’d been fighting since school.
This was how we had always been.
The only difference now was that this challenge felt far more intimate. Because this time, we weren’t arguing for grades or trophies. We were in a reckless little game of eye contact.
Kyle leaned back lazily on the couch, his blue eyes dragging over my face. I started moving my body, coming back to dancing.
I danced, feeling the music, and his striking eyes on me. Our eye contact game was still on. Neither of us were ready to give up.
My hands slipped into my hair first, fingers threading through the loose strands as the music pulsed around us. Slowly, I let them move with the rhythm, swaying above me before trailing down the curve of my neck.
A slow breath escaped my lips as my fingertips glided lower… over my collarbone… down the center of my body… until they settled lightly against my waist.
And through it all, he watched me, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. But I badly wanted him to lose.
I let my movements turn slower, bolder with the music, my fingers sliding down the curve of my thighs before tracing their way back upward to my breasts. Every move was meant to make him look away. To make Kyle lose.
But he didn’t blink. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in those piercing blue eyes as he brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it calmly. The orange glow briefly illuminated the sharp line of his jaw while smoke curled lazily around him.
And all the while… he dared me to try harder.
The girl beside him ran her hands over his chest, leaning closer with a flirtatious smile, obviously asking for his attention. But Kyle didn’t even glance at her.
His eyes stayed locked on mine through the smoke and flashing club lights.
It felt less like he was watching me dance, and more like we were provoking each other without touching at all.
Suddenly, Maya stood next to me, dancing. “Oh! The Reapers are here.”
“Who's that girl with Kyle?” I was only curious.
“That's Lily. She runs a pool club downhill.”
My chest tightened painfully. *Lily? His girlfriend?*
He was ignoring her just to keep playing this twisted little game with me.
*Shameless Jerk!* My jaw clenched.
I stopped a waiter passing by and grabbed a glass of strong vodka from his tray without taking my eyes off Kyle.
The alcohol burned down my throat, hot and sharp, but it wasn’t enough to calm the storm building inside me. Kyle watched me through the haze, his expression dangerously calm.
*Let’s end this once and for all, Kyle Maxwell.*
I threw back another shot while holding his gaze. Then another. And another. I drank until my mind was no longer sane.
Feeling the heat of vodka in my veins, I danced like I was a free bird. The old, happy Tessa.
.
.
.
KYLE
She wanted to beat me so desperately she even used explicit ways. I watched her, every sensual move she pulled, to drive my gaze away. It's not like I was enjoying the game. I just couldn't look away.
The way her golden hair was bouncing against her stark shoulders, her short skirt kissing her thighs, her top exposing her belly button, and her hands moving over her body like a man's touch. She was a book I didn't want to close.
I never knew the nerdy girl with big glasses in the classroom had a bold side.
“Kyle, why are you staring at her?” Lily grabbed the fabric of my jacket. “Is she that café girl?”
She slid her fingers beneath my chin and turned my face toward her, forcing my attention away. The eye contact snapped instantly.
The game was over.
“Kyle, I'm talking to you,” Lily said, frustration burning in her voice, “Stop looking at her!”
“Lily,” I said flatly, “it’s none of your business.”
By the time I looked back at Tessa, she was smiling at me. The smile of win. Enjoying her victory, taking a step back, she almost tripped, completely wasted.
I rose to my feet, dropping the cigarette on the table, and signaled Zen to come with me. “Take Maya home. She's drunk too.”
He nodded.
Cutting through the crowd, I stopped right in front of her as flashing club lights spilled over us in shades of gold and crimson.
Tessa didn’t back away. Instead, she stepped closer until only inches remained between us. Slowly, her hands lifted and rested against my chest, fingers curling lightly over my jacket while her green eyes held mine captive.
The noise of the club faded into nothing.
“Kyle Maxwell,” she whispered softly as she rose onto her toes, bringing her mouth closer to mine without actually touching me.
My pulse tightened instantly.
A slow smile curved against her lips as her fingertips pressed slightly harder against my chest. “You lost the game.”
I stayed trapped in her eyes far longer than I should have.
Long enough to forget the music.
Long enough to forget everything except the feeling of her hands against my chest and the burning in her gaze.
Then Zen shoved my shoulder lightly from behind. I blinked once, dragging my eyes away from Tessa.
“We’re leaving.” Zen left with Maya, carrying half of her weight on his body.
“Fine. Let's go home.”
“No, I want to dance more.” She tilted her head.
“Glasses.” My fingers lifted her chin. “Don't force me, okay?”
“Force you?” She shoved my chest slightly and stepped back, spreading her arms like wings. “Take me home… If you can.”
“So you think just because I lost the game earlier, I'd lose again?”
She shrugged her shoulders, provoking me.
“You asked for it, glasses,” I said, swallowing the gap between us.
- Writer
