Before December

Chapter 10

We arrived at an incredible-looking house surrounded by cars, with groups of people scattered across the front lawn and the bass already vibrating through the windows before we even reached the door. The second we stepped inside, I felt more comfortable than I had all evening. This I understood. A crowded house, music thumping through the walls, people shouting over one another and somebody already losing badly at beer pong in the dining room. It was exactly the kind of teenage party I knew back home, which was oddly reassuring considering almost everything else about England still felt unfamiliar. James caught hold of my wrist and pulled me towards the kitchen while Theo disappeared into a crowd of people he apparently knew. Fine by me. After the argument earlier, I had no interest in spending the night anywhere near him.

“Drink?” James asked.

“Definitely.”

He poured one for me before grabbing a bottle of water for himself.

I noticed a group of girls near the counter whispering and giggling while looking towards the doorway. I followed their gaze and found Theo talking to a few boys across the room. Apparently being unbearable didn’t stop half the female population from staring at him. My stomach gave an irritating little twist, which I immediately blamed on hunger.

“Hey, you made it. Who’s this?”

A dark-haired boy approached James with an easy grin.

“Sean, this is Lydia. She’s staying with us for a while.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Lydia.” Sean took my hand and pressed an exaggerated kiss to the back of it.

I laughed. “Do you do that with everyone?”

“Only Americans." He smiled. "What part?”

“LA.”

“Very nice.” He raised his drink. “LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!”

Everyone nearby cheered as James handed me my drink, which I swallowed far too quickly.

James raised an eyebrow. “Slow down.”

“You’re not my mom, James.”

The words left my mouth before my brain caught up.

Mom.

My smile disappeared. For a second, I could see her so clearly that it hurt. Mom rolling her eyes whenever I came home late. Mom asking too many questions about school. My sister Layla stealing food from my plate while Dad pretended not to notice. I tightened my hand around the cup and headed outside before anyone could see my face change. The night air helped slightly. I stared up at the sky, wondering whether Mom had ever imagined I would end up here, halfway across the world surrounded by strangers.

“Hey.” James had followed me. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Even I didn’t believe that one, but before he could push, a girl with long braids approached us.

“Grace!” James shouted, grinning as he pulled her into a hug. “You came.”

“Well, I couldn’t let my bestie have all the fun.”

James gestured towards me. “This is Lydia. Lydia, Grace. My most bestest friend.”

“Most bestest?” Grace repeated.

“I stand by it.”

Grace laughed. “So, the famous Henderson household. How are you finding it?”

I thought about Theo calling me an invader, blaring music through my wall and generally making it his personal mission to irritate me.

“It’s had its ups and downs.”

“I bet.”

James wandered off not long afterwards, leaving Grace and me sitting near the pool. Talking to her was ridiculously easy. Within twenty minutes, we had discovered that we liked the same music, were both obsessed with iced coffee and hated horror movies despite pretending otherwise.

Sean and James eventually returned with more drinks and pulled chairs up beside us, James still carrying a bottle of water for himself. The next couple of hours passed easily, mostly with Sean telling stories James insisted were exaggerated while Grace corrected both of them. By the time somebody produced an empty bottle and announced truth or dare, I had almost forgotten about Theo.

“Fine,” I said when Sean insisted I had to play.

Theo appeared at that moment and dropped into the empty chair beside me.

Grace looked between us. “You playing, Theo?”

He shrugged. “Apparently.”

Sean pointed towards me. “New girl starts.”

“You do know how this works in America, right?” he asked. “Or is truth or dare illegal in LA?”

“Yes, smartass. We have games.”

I spun the bottle and it landed on Grace. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

I smiled and glanced around the garden. A dark-haired guy was standing near the fence with a beer in one hand, talking to a couple of boys.

“Steal that guy’s beer.”

Grace followed my gaze.

Her grin widened. “Seriously?”

“Too easy?”

“Not even slightly.”

She got up, wandered across the garden and somehow managed to distract the boy beside him long enough to swipe the bottle without the owner noticing. By the time she returned, Sean was clapping. “Beautiful work.”

Even Theo laughed quietly while the guy near the fence looked around for his missing drink.

“Who is he?” I asked.

Grace passed the bottle to Sean. “Jake.”

I glanced back towards him. “Friend of yours?”

Theo gave a short laugh.

I looked at him. “I’m guessing not.”

“You guessed right.”

Grace spun next, but before the bottle had even stopped, someone across the garden called Theo’s name. He glanced over, got to his feet and disappeared through the crowd without saying anything.

The bottle slowed and landed on me. Great.

“Truth or dare, Lyd?”

“Dare.”

Grace smiled. “I dare you to go kiss some random guy in the garden.”

I stared at her. “That’s incredibly cliché.”

“You picked dare.”

“Fine.”

A chorus of laughter followed me as I wandered away from the group. The dare had sounded simple until I actually had to choose someone, and suddenly every guy in the garden looked like the worst possible option.

“What are you doing, Wild?”

I turned to find Theo a few feet away, drink in hand.

“Nothing.”

He glanced around. “You’ve been wandering around staring at people.”

“It’s a dare.”

“What dare?”

“I have to kiss someone.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Right.”

I looked around and spotted a guy near the fence with his back partly turned. “Maybe him.”

Theo followed my gaze and gave a short laugh.

“What?”

“Jake. Again.” His eyes flicked back to me. “You fancy him or something?”

I lifted my chin. “So what if I do?”

The amusement slipped from his face. "You don’t.”

“You seem very sure.”

“I am.”

“And why’s that?”

He took a drink. “Because he’s a dick.”

“That coming from you is saying something.”

Theo ignored that. “Pick someone else.”

I folded my arms. “Since when do you get a say?”

“I don’t.”

“Good.”

I glanced back towards Jake. “So what’s wrong with him?”

Theo took a drink. “Trust me, Wild. Bad choice.”

I frowned at him. “That’s not exactly an explanation.”

“It’s the one you’re getting.”

“Fine. Not him.” I sighed.

Theo’s mouth twitched slightly. “Good choice.”

“Didn’t ask for your approval.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I still have to kiss someone.”

He shrugged. “You’d be better off kissing me than that jerk.”

I laughed. “That’s not exactly much of an improvement.”

“I’m just trying to help you out.”

“How generous.”

“I know.”

I folded my arms. “And how exactly are you helping?”

“You need a volunteer? Fine. I’ll take one for the team.”

I stared at him. “Wow. How selfless of you.”

Theo’s mouth curved. “I know.”

“Funny. You don’t usually volunteer for anything involving me.”

“Don’t make it weird, Wild. You need someone, I’m standing here.”

“You make it sound like you’re doing charity work.”

“I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”

“Your ego is actually exhausting.”

“And still better than Jake.”

Unfortunately, he might have a point.

I glanced back towards the group, then at Theo again. His expression was completely casual, as though offering himself up for a kiss was no more significant than lending me a pen.

“Fine,” I muttered. “But only because this is easier than finding someone else.”

Theo’s mouth curved. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

I stepped closer and instantly regretted agreeing. It had sounded easy when I was standing three feet away from him. Up close was different. I leaned towards him, then stopped with only inches between us, my nerves getting the better of me at the last second.

Theo’s mouth curved. “You need written instructions?”

“Shut up.”

“Just checking.”

Before he could say anything else, I closed the remaining distance and kissed him. I had intended it to be quick. Just enough to complete the dare and wipe that smug expression off his face. It wasn’t. For one strange second, I forgot about the music, the party and everyone around us. Then my brain caught up with what I was doing and I pulled back. Theo watched me with that infuriating expression he wore whenever he thought he’d won an argument.

“Happy?” I asked.

“Dare completed.”

“Great.”

I stepped around him before he could say anything else. Behind me, I heard him laugh.

Asshole.

I returned to the group and dropped into my chair beside Grace, refusing to look back. It had been a dare. That was all. A stupid kiss with someone I could barely stand. So there was absolutely no reason for my heart to still be beating that fast.