Raven adjusted her necklace one last time. She spent an hour getting ready for this party. She wasn't even sure why. It was just a couple people from QA getting together over Ronnie's house for New Year's. Who are you kidding, Baxter? You know why you're getting dressed up. Raven smiled and twisted the ring on her finger. Chelsea. She'd never thought it was possible, but she was now more in love with the red haired beauty then she ever was. Chelsea's present had touched her in a very deep way. There hadn't been anything particularly special about her grandmother's ring. It'd had a sun on it with a tiger's eye stone in the middle. She was surprised Chelsea had been able to find one that was almost identical, but she had. It was in that moment Raven knew that she would never be able to get past her feelings. She was Chelsea's forever.
She arrived at Ronnie's at eleven o'clock. Everyone was pretty much already there, and she found her eyes immediately scanning the room for the only reason she was there. Chelsea sat over in the corner, wearing a strapless, black, tulle party dress, and a black flower in her long wavy hair. She was laughing at something Eddie said, and as if sensing she was being watched, she turned her head, and her eyes locked with Raven's. Their eyes stayed that way until Raven was standing in front of the brown-eyed girl.
"Hey Chels, you look great." Raven said eyeing Chelsea's body in her dress.
"Thanks Rae, so do you. I love your outfit." Chelsea replied returning the look.
It was like their eyes were magnetic and they didn't even notice Eddie until he cleared his throat.
"Nevermind, I'll just compliment myself." He grumbled.
Neither girl had a chance to respond because Ronnie entered the room. "Who's ready to get the party started?" She asked and everyone cheered in response. "How about we start things off with a little round of B.S. drinking game style?"
Everyone seemed to be game and moved around on the floor to a big circle. Chelsea turned out to be a lot better at the game than Raven had expected, but by the end of the game she'd had seven shots. Raven hadn't fair much better, she somehow managed to take nine shots, and she was feeling pretty nice. Eddie however had lost and had taken eleven shots by the time all was said and done.
"Ok, now that everyone's all liquored up how about a little game of truth or dare?" A guy named, Brandon suggested.
A few people groaned, but most people seemed interested. Eddie was sitting in the corner chatting with Ronnie's younger sister that was home from Stanford. And a few people were dancing or making out. So the only people left to play were, Ronnie, Jaime, Chelsea, Raven, and Brandon. Aside from Brandon, Raven knew everyone else pretty well.
"Okay, okay, I'll go first." Ronnie volunteered. "Baxter, truth or dare?"
How did I know she was going to ask me first? "Truth, I guess." She thought going for the safer choice.
"Have you ever wanted someone you couldn't have?" Ronnie asked looking from Raven to Chelsea.
OMG! She knows, Raven thought with a slight panic. She looked over at Chelsea, who seemed to be interested in hearing the answer. She took a deep breath and answered. "Yes, I have wanted someone I couldn't have." And I still do.
"Okay, Jaime, truth or dare?" Raven asked taking her turn.
"Truth." Jaime said immediately.
"What exactly happened between you and Professor Wolf?"
"Well, let's just say that A I got in Poly Sci was earned by more than just my studying habits, if you know what I mean, okay…" He said high fiving Brandon.
"Chelsea, truth or dare?" Jaime asked.
Chelsea hesitated for a moment. "Truth…"
"Who is the one person who's body you're hot for?"
Raven felt her voice catch in her throat as she waited for Chelsea's answer.
"I'd...I'm…I'd rather not say." She replied with a blush.
Jaime looked like he was going to press the issue, but Ronnie sent him a silent message, and he seemed to reconsider. "Okay you don't have to say the name. But are they in the room now?"
"Yes."
That simple answer from her lips sent Raven's mind spinning. She wondered who it could be, and she secretly hoped it wasn't Ronnie. Chelsea then dared Brandon to lick whip cream from Jaime's crotch. And Brandon dared Ronnie to kiss one of the random girls there at the party. Then it was Raven's turn again.
"Raven, truth or dare?" Ronnie said with a wicked grin.
"Dare." Raven said thinking she was going with the safer choice.
"There's five minutes until the new year. I dare you to kiss Chelsea Daniels when the ball drops."
Raven felt her mouth go dry, and thoughts refused to form in her brain. She thought about all the ways of getting out of the dare, but then a thought stopped her. She wanted to kiss Chelsea when the ball dropped. Now, she had an excuse, and besides, Ronnie was staring at her, her right eyebrow arched in a challenge. Raven wanted to slap that arrogant look off her smug face.
"Fine, I will."
After that, Raven found it hard to concentrate on the game. Plus, five minutes wasn't a long time to prepare for an event that would forever change your life. By the time twenty seconds had approached, Raven was a bundle of nerves. Chelsea took her hands and led her to the corner slightly away from everyone.
"You know Rae, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to." Chelsea said to her quietly, though Raven thought she heard disappointment in her voice.
"No, a dare is a dare." Raven protested.
"Well ok, but can we stay here? I don't want everyone gawking at us. At least not yet…" Chelsea added with a wink.
Raven wasn't sure how to respond to that gesture or what to think. She didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it because everyone was already counting down. "…9…8...7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted.
Raven took one last look into Chelsea's beautiful brown eyes. "Happy New Year, Chelsea," She murmured before lightly brushing her lips against the taller girl's. She was about to back away when she felt Chelsea's arms go around her neck, and add pressure to her lips. Raven had to hold herself in check to keep from crushing Chelsea's body against hers. She did let her hands fall to Chelsea's waist, pulling the girl closer to her as she deepened the kiss. Chelsea felt and tasted better than Raven could have ever imagined. It wasn't until their tongues were tentatively touching that Raven realized she'd let things get too far.
She pulled back, and she was sure she heard a whimper of disappointment come from Chelsea. She took in her angel's face as she tried to catch her breath. Chelsea's lips were swollen and pouty from having been kissed, and her breathing was shallow, but the one thing that bothered Raven was the slightly glassy look in Chelsea's eyes. The redhead was drunk, and Raven had almost taken advantage of her.
What Raven didn't know, was that Chelsea hadn't had a sip of alcohol that night.
