So, we left our girls (and boy) in the middle of a sleepover, just a second later "someone" knocked at the door. In regular Resident Evil universes, nothing good happens when B.O.W.s are involved, would this alternate one be any different?

Chapter 18 – Freaky Friday (2 of 3)

Part 5 – Spin the bottle

Chris threw both door and arms open to gladly welcome whoever had rung the bell, let it be his best friend or a random pony express, impatiently desirous to not being the only male anymore.

A beam that had been missing for a while on his face reached top width as he saw that the whole pack had shown up! Chris was almost moved.

My brothers in arms!

And they couldn't escape his arms, actually, for Chris grinded them all in his heft embraces. As soon as Carlos, Piers, Leon and Kevin got rid of the Redfield's eager welcoming hugs and pats, they appeared in the living room waving at the girls. Carlos, with much of his shock, soon found himself having to face a squeaking and running Sheva who threw herself on him and kissed him as if he had just returned from a decade long war.

"Hello everyone!" Kevin and Leon said, bypassing the sultry couple.

"Ladies." Piers politely winked. "Oh, The Princess Diaries! Man, I love that movie!" and he simply rushed in front of the tv and welcomed himself on a pillow crossing his legs.

"Yes, Becky, I've seen him!" Jill grunted under her breath for the repeated nudges the girl gave her as she had suddenly become unable to speak at Leon's sight.

The poor Rebecca wasn't really expecting for such a twist. Until that moment, that evening was to her a top-secret investigation disguised as a party, but as soon as her eyes fell on the "illegally gorgeous" frame of Kennedy, her focus and willpower got blown away.

But Rebecca wasn't the only one to perceive that the plans for the night were kinda screwed. As the guys suggestively swayed in the air the two whole big bottles of tequila they had brought along with some limes in a plastic bag, it was clear for everyone that the sleepover was going to take a whole different direction than expected.

"Ok, girls. The boys are in the house and ready to light up this partaaaayyy!" Carlos announced, once freed from his octopus of a girlfriend.

They adjusted blankets and pillows to make room for the newly arrived and collected all the empty food boxes to put them on the low white counter below the wall hanging tv, clearing the coffee table.

"Why are you girls having sushi and Spanish food?" Kevin sneered, helping to put away some trays.

"It's a long story." Jill chuckled.

"Let's just say we're having a… Jap-nish dinner." Rebecca joked, as fond as she was of portmanteaux.

"Japnish, uh?" Carlos mumbled, massaging his chin.

"Carlos, don't." Piers warned, aware that a mumbling Carlos could only mean... lame joke coming.

"Yeah, Japnish sounds good." Carlos continued, smirking in slyness. "But do you know what other ethnical mash-up is even better?"

"Don't you dare say it!" Piers shrieked, grasping the nearest pillow to throw at him.

"Spapanese!" Carlos shouted and laughed hard at everyone's facepalm. Many other pillows were thrown to punish that horrid joke but uselessly as he kept laughing convinced that his was a real knee-slapper.

"Claire, would you help me taking these to the trashcan please?" Chris asked trying to ignore the stupidity that pastured unperturbed in his living room. "We have to take also some shot glasses and cut the limes."

"Sure thing!" she said and followed him to the kitchen.

"So, Chris, our sleepover is turning into a drinking party?" Claire asked once they were alone by the kitchen island.

He didn't reply but took her by her wrist and tugged her through the walk-in pantry door, closing it carefully. Before she could even ask why, he clashed his lips on hers, sucking in her gasp of surprise.

"Chris... honey..." She muttered, struggling to free her mouth from his sudden impetus of lust. But all her efforts were useless as he kept grinding her body with his ravenous hands and overhanging her with his massive stature. "Chris… the guys… are just in the other room... and this is not the bathroom!"

"I know, Claire." He huffed, calming his fire and glancing at the see-through jalousie door and its several crooks – the kitchen was still desert, thankfully. "I just wanted to kiss you a bit... I couldn't hold back anymore."

"What did you jerk off for then?" she lasciviously joked, grazing his lips with her amused smirk.

"Dunno. I already want you again." He whispered, under gleaming eyes.

"Guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow baby..." she purred.

Gathered in a wide circle and all scattered over pillows, sofas, armchair and a pouffe, they had settled to play a drinking game. The rules were pretty simple: an empty bottle would spin in the middle, the chosen one would decide whether tell the truth about a question made by the spinner or drink one shot, and then spin the bottle for the next chosen one, and so on.

In the turn of less than one hour, they were all pretty tipsy. Even the boys.

This time it wasn't just beer or wine, like at Carlos' birthday party, but it was tequila and it had a high alcohol content, making even the highly tolerant Chris pretty squiffy.

They all guffawed at the silly revelations that game was making them admit and getting even more drunk when they didn't want to answer.

"Ok, guys..." Kevin stated at some point, rising from his pillow "now it's time to upgrade this game! The new rules are: you spin the bottle and decide whether to kiss the chosen one or to drink instead."

"Drink or Kiss, Kevin." Piers huffed out. "It's called just drink or kiss. It's that short and simple."

"Drink or Kiss, everybody!" Kevin shouted and clapped his hands in excitement.

"But this way I may risk kissing your ass face!" Carlos shouted laughing hard and nudging at him.

"That means you will just get even more wasted, chico." Kevin bluntly shrugged.

They were all too tipsy to advance any objection. So the game began.

The first to spin the bottle was Kevin himself and he grimaced in disappointment when the bottle stopped at Sheva. Carlos's girl. De facto out of the games for every boy.

"Guess I'll have to drink..." he sighed, headshaking.

Once he had downed his shot, Sheva spun the bottle and laughed embarrassed when it stopped pointing at Jill.

The two laughing girls exchanged embarrassed looks before Carlos intervened, raising his hands to the sky like a gospel singer. "Sheva, darling... do what you have to. Don't you worry 'bout me, babe."

He was too eager to see his girlfriend kissing another girl that he almost picked his phone to record it for... future usage. "Wouldn't you get drunk this early in the night, would ya?" he coaxed.

Sheva shrugged and, leaning onto the two adjacent sofas armrests, she stretched her neck to kiss Jill. When their lips met, the whole room simply went nuts. Carlos was clapping like a proud daddy at his son's first school recital and even stood up almost moved. The two girls, on their sides, blurted out in a loud laughter even before breaking the kiss.

When the whoops and hollers finally quieted, it was Jill's turn to spin. As the bottle was decelerating its spinning, it was getting quite obvious who the chosen one was going to be.

And the common expectation wasn't failed. In fact, the empty bottle stopped pointing straight at Chris.

Like in a spaghetti western movie, a sudden swirl of looks started.

Chris eyed Claire who winked at him then beckoned to Jill who was rather staring at the carpet, Sheva silently awed at jaw-dropped Ashely who glared at everyone at loss for words while Rebecca glanced at Leon who looked stupidly innocent as always.

In that common meaningful staring, Claire kept nodding at her brother silently and widely. Chris licked his lips in confusion.

He had drunk a bit too much, but he knew he was too sober to start hallucinating! He couldn't be wrong! The more carefully he looked the more obvious it was: Claire was begging him to kiss her friend for real! And to do it i-in f-front o-of her?!

What the hell, Claire?

That situation was taking an absurd detour. The stupid game had barely just started and he was already done with it! He cursed himself for having let it even happen.

Drink or kiss?! Seriously, Chris? What were you thinking?

Unfortunately, it wasn't his choice as the spinner was Jill herself.

"Pour me a drink, please." Jill ordered to Kevin – the bottle holder – reaching out to grab her glass.

"NO!" a tipsy Claire screamed, raising her palms to stop any attempt in filling her friend's glass. "You won't drink! You will kiss this time!" she bleated and her accusing forefinger repeatedly prodded at Jill's collarbone, like a pickaxe. "You already drank too much in this game, Jill!"

"Claire, it's her choice!" Ashley squealed in protest.

Claire rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, noisily sighing at the predictable complaint.

"If Jill said she wants to drink then she'll have her shot!" Ashley insisted.

"Shut up, Ash! It's not your turn!" Rebecca animatedly intervened, too excited for the incredible chance happening.

"I chose to drink." Jill said, a bit ashamed of that embarrassing situation her friends were causing.

Chris observed the trio's quarrel in silence and, as fast as the buzz allowed him, he began to figure out the reason behind Claire's detestable request: the rising blush on Jill's cheeks and her fleeting gaze, the unmatched fierceness in which Ashley attempted to "defend" Jill's "freedom as a woman", the expectant glimmer in Rebecca's green eyes and the unremovable malice in his sister's grin, it all suggested there was some kinda unresolved shit going on. And he knew pretty well what it was all about.

Claire wanted that kiss to happen so much so she finally could get Ashley to pay for all her usual shady provocations at Jill and her well known crush on her brother.

He didn't feel like frowning and angering out on her lack of jealousy – especially not in front of everybody – but he couldn't help considering it inappropriate. If she thought it was alright to kiss others, then was she going to carelessly do it with someone else in front of him? She better knew he wouldn't take it easy at all! The mere thought of such an occurrence made his teeth grit in jealousy.

Chris would've never even dreamed of kissing any other girl, not even for a game, let alone right in front of her! But she… what was she doing?! She incited him to kiss Jill and to do it without hesitation! He couldn't deny himself it hurt.

Christ! He loved her to death, he'd have even kicked everyone out of their house only to have the tiniest peck from her in intimacy and, even if he'd guessed the reasons behind her unwelcome behaviour – and secretly shared the same wish to give a lesson to that little bitch of Graham –, he couldn't stand to be treated like that.

A kisser at her service!

The siblings' looks met again and his must've been pretty forlorn as he saw Claire's eyes tinge with a shade of doubt and hesitation. She had realized she'd pushed it too much. She silently apologized with a concerned quirk of her eyebrows and stretched a faint smile at him.

Yes, she had definitely understood. And this relented his chagrin a little as, accordingly, maybe – maybe – there was a tiny, microscopic chance that deep inside Claire wasn't that much "alright" with him kissing Jill, but she was doing it just for her friend's happiness... and for unforgiving revenge. Still, he'd have appreciated a little more consideration.

Anyway, something must've made him make up his mind, otherwise he'd have never said what he said then and he'd have respected the girl's choice instead.

"Jill, you can spare a drink this time, you already drank a lot." Chris said, adjusting himself upon the pillows, and stared intensely at the girl. "It's just a game."

"What about I just want to drink instead?" Jill snapped, staring back, determined to get out of that shitty situation as soon as possible.

"What if I want you to kiss instead?" He reposted, obtaining more than one to whistle in awe and disbelief to such cocky answer.

He didn't give a shit if it sounded racy. He didn't even care the effect it had on Jill, nor Ashley nor any fucking other in that room but Claire.

He wanted his sister to know he was disposed to make out with every girl in that house to assert that he could be just as careless as her! He wanted to provoke her jealousy – if she ever had the tiniest shred of it. After all, he reckoned his drunk sister wouldn't have given second thoughts about clashing her lips on anyone the fucking bottle elected, thus why should he worry that much?

Without breaking his stare, he stood up from the ground and walked towards the gorgeous Valentine, squishing pillows and crackling discarded chips in his path. And that was the sign his sister was waiting for. Claire grinned for ear to ear, her brother would never disappoint her!

Chris knelt on the sofa, sitting a knee between Jill's legs and leaned down. He took her face in his hands, rising it enough to meet his own gaze and got closer, curving his toned back slowly but purposefully. He side-glanced at his sister, who was sitting on Jill's same sofa. She still seemed pretty desirous to observe what was going to happen. Her luscious grin, though dumbed by the booze, gave him the umpteenth confirmation of her determination – unluckily for him though, as he wished there was a ginger head in his hands instead.

Why should I care when she doesn't?

Not even doing it for spite helped him. But he wouldn't withdraw. Chances were Claire would've gotten either aroused or jealous by the show of her b-… her b-… of him kissing Jill. He hoped for the second but prepared for the first.

It's just a kiss... just a kiss. Claire's fine with it. I'm as well.

That's the lie he told himself to sedate the regret rising in his chest. Unawares, his inward hesitation was only making the show last long enough to be actually effective on Ashley, the official addressee of that show. If he was dubious on the inside, outside he looked fucking hot!

He turned to Jill again.

Notwithstanding all her efforts to keep a neutral face, her parted lips were shaking in both anticipation and jitters. Kissing Chris was ridiculous! And in front of all those people! And Claire! Someone must've put something in her drinks and it was only a mirage! Her gorgeous grey eyes were stuck on him, glimmering bright and shy between his thumbs.

In his hands Jill was something.

A Vermeer's girl who needed no big pearl earrings to catch a boy's attention. And now that he was just a mere inch far from kissing her, Chris wasn't feeling that cocky anymore. Bitter feelings took a hold of his bowels.

Redfield, who do you think you're faking out? You're no Nivans. A kiss means a lot to you!

He thumbed her cheekbone to buy some time, unintentionally giving her the time to try to relax and enjoy the kiss to come as well. He could feel her heartbeats madden under his touch.

Out of the blue, he felt an idiot.

What was he doing? Using a girl to assert his hurt pride over his lover? What had she to do with all the jealousy related issues between him and Claire? What had Jill done to deserve such a poor treatment?

Out of the blue, he cared. Tequila had taken a hold of his brain but not of his heart who still beat youthful and loyal.

Make it be special. For Jill. She deserves it that way.

He slightly bent his head aside and finally pressed his lips on hers to kiss her, raking his fingers through the short hair on her neck.

Jill could feel her skin burn, both for the alcohol and the excitement. Her heart melted and shattered in her ribcage, she couldn't help but closing her eyes and start kissing him back. The rest of the room had faded away from her sight in that moment. There were only her and Chris. She felt him so close and warm, with a touch so soft it almost fused with her skin. Her world had the scent and the taste of the hottest lips she'd ever kissed.

She was on the verge of coming off. She couldn't believe Chris Redfield was kissing her, she couldn't believe those were the same lips she had secretly longed for so much time. If Heaven had a taste it'd be Chris's tequila breath for sure, if it had a consistency then it was his tongue's virile muscularity.

Chris had the consideration to put as much passion as he could into that long, incredibly long kiss. Scruples be damned though, he couldn't curb his frustration. The more he felt uncomfortable for his behaviour the more the kiss would deepen and overheat the air around them.

He eventually parted the kiss and, still holding her he whispered, humid breath chilling her hot lips "you ok?"

"Y-yeah..." she muttered.

Chris answered the wide beam that Jill couldn't get to curb with a forced smile. He pulled her head into his muscled chest and caressed her nape, tousling a bit her short brown hair. Guilt was stabbing his heart. Jill seemed so happy and thrilled for a kiss that… had meant nothing to him. He had felt nothing but a sense of… disquietude. Again his old friend had returned to torture him.

Chris took a deep breath, filling his lungs as most as he could and as most secretly as he could, then turned to Claire and forced a wink in complicity at her grinning face. She was rubbing her hands in victory.

Chris was disappointed. Mostly by himself.

He had hoped to provoke Claire's jealousy somehow and he had failed. He then had hoped to at least enjoy a kiss with such a gorgeous girl like Jill and he had failed as well. The only ones he hadn't failed were Claire, Jill and their expectations, but only because the first had gotten what she wanted and the second ignored he'd used her.

He mentally sneered at his misery as never ever he had imagined he'd someday rather wished to kiss Piers instead of any other girl who wasn't his sister!

Claire smiled at Jill's face, barely visible in that huge bulk of muscles that enveloped her head, who coyly smiled back. Claire then looked down her nose at Ashley, who was gritting her teeth in anger on the armchair. All her bitchy manners towards Jill had been avenged with a mere kiss. At least, from that moment on, every haughty sideswipe from Ashley would be easily overcome by reminding her of that simple beautiful kiss on the lips she and only she just got.

As soon as Chris's guilt relented a little, he let go of the brunette's head he held so tight yet so softly. With Jill's taste still on his lips, he sat back onto his pillow. The tamed lion had once again behaved obediently. No whips needed.

It was time for Chris to spin the bottle now. He spun it, laughing hard at his friends' complaints for having put too much force in it. The bottle took its time to stop. And it stopped in a very critical position.

It was pointing at Claire.

Chris wasn't drunk enough to just shrug, seize the day and jump on her to kiss her in front of their friends like he had done to Jill. He knew he couldn't but he wanted it so bad that he just stood there, sitting cross-legged on his pillow, staring at the bottle, trying to find the strength to resist the keen temptation. He shifted his look at Claire and stared with hot damn desire burning in his eyes. She was staring back at him, squinting a little for her drunkenness.

"You really pondering that, man?" Carlos asked quirking his brows.

Chris slyly smirked at his friend. "Why? Wouldn't you?"

Carlos was too drunk to think about a good answer. If he said yes he was sure Chris would have punched him in the face for having thought about kissing his sister, if he said no... he would have punched him the same for not considering his sister desirable and smoochable. Not to mention Sheva's reaction!

"Uh... err... well... Claire's not my sister... so... Uu-uuuh..." Carlos stuttered, the collar of his shirt suddenly becoming too tight and suffocating.

Chris burst out laughing at the palpable embarrassment of his friend and reached out towards the coffee table to pour himself some tequila but the sight of his sister staggering to her feet from the opposite sofa to snatch the liquor bottle away from the tabletop, curdled his blood. Except for his heart bumping in his ears, there wasn't the slightest noise in the suddenly quiet living room. Everyone waited with bated breath to figure out what precisely the girl had in mind.

Chris saw her approach and place her hands upon his shoulder as she leaned down. His face would've soon turned cyanotic if he kept holding his breath like that, but he was too frightened to even realize he had kept his arm tilted all along.

If she kissed him, he'd have had to turn her down, turn his face away from her, risking she… oh, God what could've ever been her reaction? How could he predict what would cross a drunken Claire's mind? What if she made a scene? Or worse… what if she bleated out the truth? He could already picture himself stuttering nonsensical lies to justify such a move. He gulped a gasp back thinking her reaction wasn't the only one to fear. Would he have even been strong enough to actually turn her down? Or would he just tumble down under her lips like he always did since their very first kiss?

Claire bowed down until she was just a whisper away from his head. She held it, caressing his ears and thumbing his cheekbones, softly tilting his face upwards.

"C-Claire…" he muttered under his narrow breath and gasped in both surprise and relief as he felt his sister's lips press moist and full on his forehead.

The tense hype dissipated and only Carlos felt compelled to moan his disappointment out for the failed incestuous kiss.

Chris finally relaxed his muscles and even chuckled his relief out. Unconcerned by all the bad jokes that stirred in the crowded room, Claire knelt – more likely collapsed on her knees – between his legs, never letting go of his head and, taking advantage of the chaos of flying cushions Carlos's prattle caused, she brushed his mouth with hers. Unnoticed, quick, light peck but the bliss it elicited in his chest lingered over his raptured face and shut eyes. Slightly panting to catch the air she'd stolen from his lungs, Chris made his sister turn and sit between his thighs, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. She rested her nape on his shoulder and he could've died of love.

"Thank you." He whispered, barely audible in the noisy racket that had blasted in the room.

"You're welcome, baby." She chuckled. "But I fear my kiss doesn't count. You gotta drink!" Claire laughed along with him and lastly, sighed in his ear. "I hope this makes up for the Jill thing. I'm sorry for that."

Chris tightened his hold around her as long as the sense of relief did the same within him. "Nevermind. It meant nothing."

Claire was feeling dopey and embarrassed at the same time. Damn! That was a situation even worse than Chris's! She had spun the damn bottle and the glassy bitch was pointing mean and unequivocally at Leon.

She had to drink.

She had to for Chris but most importantly for Rebecca. Kissing Leon right in front of her… after what she'd told her in the school's hallway… that was out of question! Chris might have gulped it down – if she'd ever make it to get rid of his blocking grip to stand up and go kissing Leon – but Rebecca would've suffered too much. Moreover, who assured her that Leon's reaction wouldn't betray some sort of interest and inner feelings? Her little white lie about his crush being over would've been unmasked!

The total lack of apparent reaction from Chris, somehow suggested her he was only controlling his irritation. He just kept hugging her from behind but she sensed he was growing nervous. Claire wondered whether Chris would've even let her stand up if she opted for kissing their blond friend.

To make things even worse, she had drunk more than she usually allowed herself and she felt too close to the limit to down another shot without much ponderation. Thankfully, Kevin unawares bought her some time.

"So, we're all gathered here in loving memory of our beloved friend, Leon Shithead Kennedy…" Kevin started, faking a rueful compunction and gesturing like a preacher on a funeral, despite all the amused laughs that rose around him. "…a friend, a brother, a terrible driver who found his death… on a tragic, fatal I dare say, Drink or Kiss..."

Leon looked down, chuckling and shaking his head, and took a sip. Among the young crowd, he was the only one that drank no matter it was his turn or not. Even that occasional drunkard of Piers stuck to the game's rules more than him.

Kevin's funny speech slowly faded into an indistinct buzzing, far and muffled, as Leon preferred to focus on his inner train of thoughts.

Hadn't Chris been there, he'd have already kissed Claire by himself. Bottle or not. This time she couldn't upset. It was a game. It was ok. Wasn't it?

Leon dared a side glance at Chris who was sitting across him by the other side of the circle and had flames shot in his eyes.

And. He. Was. Staring. At. Him.

Chris's gaze was so grave and forbidding that for the long moment Leon got to hold it, he didn't recognize his friend in it. It was tinged with the austere confidence of who implicitly warned you to lie low as it was his house and he would kick your ass up to the street. Whilst Claire laughed along the others at the funny gag Ryman had put up, Chris was the only one not laughing, not looking at the fake preacher and lame comedian, not having a good time. He just stared at Leon while nuzzling the curve of Claire's neck with his stubbled chin.

Possession. Ire. Menace.

Leon averted his eyes and pretended to listen to the stupid speech.

That stupid kiss on the veranda was still hunting him after all that time. Chris would've never really forgiven him that move, notwithstanding all the friendly words he had spelled at the firing range. He had been so sympathetic back there, but there already was in his dark eyes that sparkle of jealousy that now had blasted into an infernal mania of possession. "Don't you try even thinking of making a move on my sister ever again". Those had, more or less, been his words and now they ringed in Leon's mind like bullets shot into metal pipes. Back then it had sounded just the usual Chris and his famous brotherly jealousy, but now… now it had a whole creepier sound.

How come he had become so possessive of her? His sister was untouchable even in a game. The same fucking game he had recommended Jill not to care much about only a few minutes before! Why shouldn't it be "just a game" even when it came to Claire?!

Leon took another long sip.

He hadn't been recognizing his friend a bit too often lately. He had seen that same dark sparkle of possession darken his gaze many times when, sitting at the school cafeteria for lunch, Leon had caught him checking his sister in the distance. What was he so scared of? That a random dude would kidnap her or rape her in front of anyone? Or that she could meet someone? Maybe the love of her life had already been "friendly warned" not to approach her. Leon scoffed inwardly. He didn't know why his friend was such a douchebag of a brother and surely he was too drunk to figure it out on that night, but he was damn sure Chris wouldn't let him or anyone else get close to Claire. And he wouldn't even realize how he would end up hurting her that way.

"...May you rest in peace, Leon. Go teach angels how to straighten and bleach hair locks." Kevin concluded.

"Tequila! Tequila!" Claire yelled, swaying her empty glass in the air. "I don't want anyone on my conscience!"

Claire sassily dedicated the shot to Leon with a look pregnant of understanding whom he replied to with a brief and compliant wave of his head.

Everyone in the room believed she had chosen to drink to spare him a potential hard time with a bombed Chris, just as her words hinted at, and they all laughed amused about it. Leon, instead, knew the real reason. A truth even more bitter and burning than the liquor he had just gulped down. Claire chose to drink because she didn't want to kiss him. It was that simple and short. The strain in which she downed that sixth or seventh shot confirmed it. She had enough of drinks but still it was better than kissing him. Leon joined the festive choir of hollers when the red-haired slammed the empty glass on the black coffee table, but inside his mood was even darker than the tabletop.

Maybe it was better so, he thought. He wasn't sure he wanted a kiss from her, after all. Not a fake, drunken, convenient kiss. Maybe a kiss given only to get her brother pissed in front of their friends! Certainly, such a kiss wouldn't have done any good to the already terrible memory he had of her lips – or at least of that micro-fraction of a second during which he had managed to brush her mouth before the fury. Terrible memory, yet indelible and full of longing.

He downed another sip. Fuck the game.

"LEON!" the irritating blondie in golden bangs reproached with her usual hair-raising high pitch squeal. "You have to spin before drinking!"

"Right, right." He apologised and did his job, mentally crossing his fingers for the bottle not to stop before any Redfield.

"WOOOOOOAH! YEEE-HAAAA!" Claire screamed, exulting and spinning a pillow over her and Chris's heads like a cowboy hat in a rodeo as soon as it was clear who the Wise Bottle had elected that time. It stopped at the short-haired girl. Shorter haired than Jill, longer than Moira… in other words, Rebecca.

As well as all the others, Leon looked at the girl who, apparently, hadn't wholly figured out what had occurred yet and who showed not even the slightest reaction. The oblivious Rebecca muzzily giggled without taking note that the bottle had stopped moving and – fearsome! – it pointed at her.

Rebecca… Leon only knew her by sight. He knew she was one of Claire's besties but that night was the first time they shared a party and… nothing more as they still hadn't shared a single word. She was really easy on the eyes but, at the same time, she must've been a pretty shy chick as more than once he had caught her staring at him during the games and, every time he did so, she'd just hide a bit more behind a huge violet cushion she had shield-like embraced and chew at the hem of it in nervousness. It had soon become his little amusement: he'd blank her by looking away for a while, just to abruptly stare at her without forewarning.

But fun, exactly like any good thing, isn't meant to last long, especially when booze would butt in, with its all peculiar effect to transform the shiest of kitten into a roaring tiger. Accordingly, as the games had gone on and Rebecca drank, she became more and more resilient to her crush's sky-like gaze. Insomuch that she even had begun returning his courteous smiles!

With much of Kennedy's rejoice, he saw the girl's expression shift at some point from peace of mind to wait-wait-what to oh-my-god-what-the-fuck. Hadn't she been already that heated up by tequila she'd have blushed, he was sure of it!

"Becca! It chose you! Wake up!" Moira shouted using her hands like a loudhailer. "We don't have all the night!"

Rebecca was staring with jaw-dropped and wide-eyed face to the bottle neck that, pleonastically, indicated her as the next chosen one. In so far as she tried to imagine and project invisible trajectories, it was without the slightest shred of doubt pointing at her! She wasn't mistaking! Sipping at his beloved liquor, Leon giggled delighted by the girl's eyebrows who suddenly jumped up in realisation whilst her mouth pursed as if to whistle in silence.

"Leon!" Claire's shrill shout blasted, tearing his amused observation. "The hell you doing?! You drink?!"

"Uh?" Leon blabbed, but it was too late when he realised that his involuntary act had been mistaken by anyone for a choice of drinking over kissing.

Abashed, he looked at Rebecca who – justly – looked back astonished and paralyzed, certain that she had just witnessed a scene that deserved a prime position in her top ten list on the worst ways to turn down a girl.

Rude boy!

"Oh, no, no! I didn't mean to drink! I haven't chosen yet!" he made haste to clarify.

"Well, then do it now!" Moira urged.

"C'mon, Leon!" Claire said looking at him with a strange intensity. "I didn't save your life for nothing!"

The more or less implicit way in which Claire was beckoning at her friend – as if she wished to take the place of the bottle – reminded him the same kind of hints she'd done to her brother about Jill just a little before. If she was so eager to see others kiss each other… something's up!

He was aware he had zero reasons to, but he couldn't help feeling displeased by it (unawares, he was the second guy in a row who felt that way because of her).

Ok, Claire… if that's what you want!

A cocky smirk blossomed on the boy's face as he stood up. "Rebecca, would you mind me kissing you?" he asked in his most polite tone.

Would I? I mean, you kidding me, dude?! When Imma get a chance like this ever again?

Rebecca raised her gaze and everyone's expectations and, returning his same smirk, the agile she-tiger stood up – despite the bleary mind – and walked towards him, staggering a little but determined to seize the day. Surprising everyone but Claire, she grasped his head so softly that he couldn't even complete his next courtesy of the well-bred guy he was, instead, she made him bow as down as she could press such a passionate kiss on his lips that made everyone feel being the third (fourth, fifth and so on) wheel.

Who'd ever guessed such a thing? The girl was something!

As she broke the heady kiss and pulled back, Leon couldn't help but sigh a faint "wow" with the little breath she had left in his lungs.

Rebecca turned, sat back and gulped down a sip to recover from the audacious move, whilst the dazed boy stood frozen still right in the centre of the human circle, unsteady on his feet.

"C'mon, my friend!" Chris tittered prodding at Leon's calf, inviting him to take a seat beside him. He rested a sound pat on the boy's shoulder, whilst Claire slung herself in a festive hug on the sofa Rebecca was sitting on. "You weren't expecting it, were you?"

Leon nodded in astonishment. "Man…!"

The game went on, but Leon didn't drink not even a single drop, unlike Rebecca who, not to lose the exquisite feeling his mouth had left on hers, drank no matter the chosen one.

Chris, on the big pillow he was sitting on, giggled pretty satisfied. That game had turned out being less bad than he expected. Not only his sister had had the consideration of do not kiss one his friends in front of him, but fortune had been so magnanimous that even that little angel without aureole of Rebecca had finally got a chance to kiss the guy she was so lost for (just like Jill).

You go girl!

At least all those hours he had spent listening to her sighing and longing for Leon had eventually payed back!

While the rest of the room exploded in a brand-new wave of furore as they tried and strived to convince Carlos to kiss Piers, Chris bowed towards Leon's ear.

"You impressed her, Kennedy." He susurrated.

Leon side-glanced at him, just that fraction of a second enough to figure out whom that hulk of a boy was talking about. Not Claire, obviously. But he didn't mind. For some reason.

"Did I?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm saying." Chris nodded. "You should make a move on her."

"Isn't she a bit too drunk?" he grimaced.

"Maybe she is." Chris agreed, but he was sure that a sober Rebecca would be so grateful to her drunken self for accepting a date with Leon on her behalf. "But at least, a drunk her can tell you yes." He added, winking.

Leon looked back at the wonder-girl who, meanwhile, laughed overjoyed along with her dearest friends. For all the babel going on for the silly and reciprocal bantering and sassing of Carlos and Piers about homosexuality and the girls laughter, Leon couldn't make out what the two girls were saying, but from their expressions he guessed they were really happy, as if Claire was complimenting and Rebecca was daydreaming.

"Ask her out." Chris suggested.

"Not a bad idea." Leon mumbled. "Not bad at all."

I tried to do my best with this chapter. Not 100% satisfied with it but I respect deadlines (when it comes to things I like, obviously).

Anyway, see you in seven (this time really it will MOST LIKELY take me ten days) for the third and last part of Freaky Friday.