I Think I Like You

Chapter 17: No Funny Business

After we finish dinner, Weiss and I head back to our room.

As soon as I hear the familiar click of the door opening, I trudge around Weiss and flop face-first onto my bed.

"Ugh, I'm so tired." I whine. "Walking around all day really does take a lot out of you."

Weiss comes in after me and takes her cap off, setting it on a dresser that our television is on top of. She immediately follows by pulling out her hairband that holds up her ponytail, letting the silky strands flow freely down her back.

"If you had gotten more sleep last night maybe you wouldn't be so tired." She says, setting her purse down near her backpack.

"I already told you - I stayed up late 'cause I was too excited to sleep." I mumble into my bed sheets.

"Well, maybe you should learn better self-control skills then."

"Mmm?" I murmur, pulling my head lazily off the comforter.

Feeling a sly grin make its way across my face, I gradually slide myself off the bed and towards Weiss.

She's turned away from me now, rummaging through her bag that sits on her bed. She only turns around when I walk up behind her and wrap my arms snugly around her stomach, idly rubbing my forehead against her back.

I've been making a conscious effort not to think about having Weiss all to myself tonight. I'm not planning on doing anything beyond maybe kissing her - but every time I start thinking about it - I can't help but let my mind wander a bit.

Being so close to her, like I am now, is just enough to squelch my overwhelming desire to push her up against a wall and kiss her senseless.

"Ruby…? What are you doing?"

I don't immediately respond, instead taking a moment to burry my face deeper into her back and wrap my arms tighter around her.

"…Nothing."

Weiss doesn't say anything more, she just gradually continues pulling some toiletries out of her backpack and setting them in a pile on her bed.

After a minute of me refusing to move an inch, I feel her place a hand on my arms still tethered around her torso. She rubs her palm back and forth slightly, kind of like she's petting me.

"I'm going to go take a shower. How about you pick out a movie or something to watch while you're waiting?" She says.

I pull my head off her back and move it to her shoulder, loosening my grip around her waist in the process.

"Really?"

I see a pink-tinted Weiss turn to me over her shoulder, attempting to glare at me, but ultimately to embarrassed from our position to do it, which makes me grin at her.

"On the bus you said you had some suggestions. The hotel offers a wide variety of movies, so just pick one in my absence."

"Don't those normally cost money?" I ask, my face scrunching up as I speak.

"I'll pay. Just pick whatever you like."

My face lights up and I squeeze Weiss against me, causing her to let out a wheeze.

"Thanks, Weiss!"

She manages to shrug her way out of my grip and I let out a whine when she does. Although I'm disappointed, I think it's a good thing she didn't let me hold her for any longer than I had. I'm worried about what I might try to do.

After pulling away, Weiss grabs her toiletry bag and heads to the bathroom towards the front of our room, shutting the door behind her.

I sit back down on my bed and start flipping through channels to see what movies the hotel has. After a minute of searching through various channels, I hear the shower sputtering on through the wall next to me

As much as I try – and god am I trying – I just can't seem to give my full focus to my movie finding task.

The sound of the shower running is enough to make my face heat up. Each time there's a slight change in the noise or a little splash here and there, I feel myself turn towards the wall and imagine what might be happening on the other side of it.

I feel awful for thinking such things and violently shake my head, trying to refocus as much of my attention as I can on picking out a movie.

Eventually, I find Indiana Jones 3. Since it was one of my favorite movies as a kid, I think it will be a good pick to watch with Weiss. I'm not sure what genre she likes anyways.

Half an hour passes; I change into my pajamas and start looking through the pictures I'd taken today on my phone. Most of them are of Weiss and the various places and booths we visited. Only in a few is she actually looking at the camera – but I do find a really good one where she has a genuine smile on her face as she presumably listens to one of the instructors talking.

I look up from my phone, only to realize I don't hear water running anymore. I assume Weiss is drying her hair or brushing her teeth, remembering something she told me about how she takes a while to get ready for bed.

Oh, god. I'm gonna get to see Weiss in her pajamas.

I feel my face burn even more just from thinking about it.

Not a second later, I hear the door opening from the bathroom and Weiss comes out wearing a light blue night gown. Her bangs are slightly messy, and a little damp, but the rest of her hair seems silky and straight, like it normally does.

Oh my god. She's so cute I could die.

I look down and also notice she still has her bracelet on her wrist. Knowing that she must have made a conscious effort to put it back on after her shower makes my face light up.

"Why are you already in your nightwear?" She questions, eyeing me up and down.

I look down at my black tank top and sweatpants, forgetting I had put on my pajamas while she was showering.

"Oh, I changed while you were in the shower. I'm gonna take one tomorrow morning."

She nods her understanding and walks over to her bed, so she can put her hairbrush back in her bag.

I lean over in my bed and face my phone towards Weiss, giving her a view of the picture of her I'd been looking at.

"Can I set this as my screensaver?"

Weiss looks up and leans over her bed, so she can see the image better, squinting at the screen as she does. She instantly gives me an incredulous look and shakes her head.

"No."

I gape at her in disbelief, my hand that's holding the phone dropping a bit.

"Aww, why not? You look so cute in it." I pout.

"Uh-huh. And what would you tell someone if they saw that on your phone?" Weiss sighs, not even waiting to hear my response. "Did you find a movie to watch?"

My mood brightens again, her previous comment slipping my mind entirely as I turn around to find the remote.

Weiss mostly complains about how she has no idea what's going on the whole movie. I try and explain the premise of Indiana Jones to her, but it's difficult for me since I'm only halfway paying attention to what's on screen anyways.

I'm much more intrigued by Weiss, who's laying on her stomach next to me at the end of my bed. I've been making attempts to scooch myself closer to her, but each time she almost immediately shoves me back with her hand.

She focused at the screen where Jones is talking to one of the doctors.

"Why did you pick this movie?" She questions for probably the tenth time. "It's grainy and the dialogue is terrible."

"What!?" I look over at her, mouth gaping, thinking my ears must be deceiving me. "This used to be my favorite movie! Don't you think the doctor lady is hot?"

Weiss shoots me a glare and smacks my arm with the back of her hand. Instead of telling me off, however, she turns back to the screen with a sigh, propping her head up with her hands.

"I guess I can't help it if you just have horrible taste in movies."

We continue watching until the credits start rolling across the screen. I yawn and look over at Weiss, who's eying the screen with a discontent expression.

"That's it? They just drop the holy grail and ride off into the sunset? What happened to his resentment towards his father and his wish for immortality?"

I yawn again, rolling onto my back and resting my head on the comfy hotel sheets.

"I never particularly liked the ending… I guess you sometimes have to just forgive and forget." I say, shrugging into the bed.

"That's ludicrous. The lead actress even picked up the treasure after the knight told her not to. I think she got what was coming to her."

"Geez, harsh much?" I mutter, looking over at her.

Weiss sees my expression and looks indignantly back at the screen.

"Well, she did!"

"I thought you didn't like the movie? Why so interested now?"

Weiss huffs and pulls herself off my bed, making it bounce up a bit with her absence. I miss the familiar weight next to me and lazily move to sit myself up, turning off the TV when I find the remote lying next to me.

"Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean I don't want to discuss it with you. You said it used to be your favorite…" Weiss mumbles, making me blink at her surprising honesty. "But I'm far too tired to have a discussion right now. Maybe tomorrow?"

I nod as Weiss moves to her bed and lifts the covers, so she can situate herself underneath them. She reaches over to the lamp between our beds and grabs the knob that turns the light off.

"Are you ready for me to turn it off?" She questions, noticing I'm still sitting at the end of my bed.

"Oh, right. Yeah, go ahead."

I crawl to the front of my bed and pull the covers back, so I can slip myself underneath them as well. Weiss looks at me from her bed for a second, hand frozen on the knob that turns the lamp off.

"G-Goodnight, Ruby."

I pull my arm out of the covers to give her a thumbs up.

"Night, Weiss."

She gives me a shaky nod before turning the knob that flickers the lights off.

Darkness falls over the room - along with a loud silence. Resting myself back against my bed, I stare at the ceiling, trying to focus on the slight hum of the air conditioner.

I rest a hand over my chest, feeling a heavy heartbeat that outweighs my fatigue to an almost immeasurable extent.

It's weird to think that just by being in a room with my girlfriend, not even touching or talking, I'm having thoughts that are inappropriate enough to make my face turn redder with each image that passes through my head.

Maybe she won't mind if I ask to sleep with her. Maybe just holding her will be enough to put these thoughts at bay.

Nervously flickering my gaze back and forth between her bed and the ceiling, all of which looks the same in the darkness of the room, I debate silently whether I should call out to her.

After a few minutes of shifting back and forth I decide I might as well try – even if I feel flustered enough to want to hide under a rock.

"Weiss?" I question, much quieter than I would've hoped, into the darkness of our room.

I shift my head to the direction of her bed. A few seconds pass and I don't hear a response, making me think she might already be asleep or that she didn't hear me.

"…Yes?"

I blink a few times – not expecting to hear her voice so clearly.

"C-could I - I mean, would it be alright with you if I, uhm, if I..."

I hear some shuffling and a moment later the lamp on the nightstand that separates our beds is turned on.

Weiss is leaned over in her bed, having just turned on the lamp, and is staring at me with a wary expression. I feel myself shrink with her gaze, which seems to be a bit conflicted.

After a moment, she sighs and points an incriminating finger at me.

"Fine. But no funny business."

I vigorously nod my head and slip myself out of my covers as Weiss turns the light back out. I make my way through the dark room and over to her bed, hearing her shuffling over to the other side to give me room.

Gulping nervously, I pull back the sheets and slide myself in beside Weiss, turning on my side away from her, and towards the nightstand as I lay down. The bed creaks with my newly added weight and the room seems a lot quieter now that I'm this close to Weiss.

Despite wanting to turn around and look at her - I can't do anything. It feels like my body is frozen. My eyes are wide open, and I can't get them to close.

Staring into the dark, I listen to Weiss's steady breathing to try and calm myself down. I keep glancing over my shoulder – but the rooms too dark for me to see anything other than Weiss's dim outline. I shift myself into a more comfortable position, which happens to be facing her.

After a moment, I realize I can make out an odd shine through the blackness. I squint my eyes and notice that there are two of them – two orbs staring back into mine.

As soon as the orbs realize they've been caught, they widen right before squeezing themselves shut.

Weiss is watching me too.

I shift myself, so that I'm closer to her, and reach up a hand to brush some hair out of her still shut eyes.

"Weiss... What would you do if I kissed you right now?"

My voice is barely a whisper.

Through the darkness, I watch her small form twitch. The only thing I can make out is the dull reflection of her blue eyes as they open and move to stare into mine.

She waits a moment – both of us just watching each other – and then she lifts her hand from under the covers to lay it over my hand that cups her face.

"I would kiss you back."

She draws me towards her with her eyes, which beckoned me like a beacon that showed through the darkness of our room, or a siren that called me out of the depths of an ocean.

I can barely hear the sheets being shuffled as I move my head forward, my heartbeat invading my ears, and all my other senses overflowing with thoughts of Weiss and how perfect this moment is. How perfect she is.

Her steady breathing has turned heavy, and I smell a hint of her mint toothpaste that I'd borrowed from her earlier.

As I near, I watch as Weiss's eyes slowly close, mine following in suit soon after.

I nudge my nose against hers, our mouths falling gently together in a kiss I've been anticipating since our trip began.

And just like that - the self-control I've been exerting since I saw Weiss this morning shatters in an instant - like water crashing through a dam after the floodgates are opened.

My hand instinctively moves from Weiss's cheek to slide into her hair, pulling us closer together. I love her hair. I love the way it feels in her usual ponytail, but now that it's running freely down her back and onto the bed, it gives me even more opportunity to run my fingers through it in a soothing, almost therapeutic, motion.

We tilt our heads against each other to our own clumsy - and sometimes laughably inexperienced - rhythm. Each time I reposition myself to kiss her deeper, our noses bump awkwardly, and Weiss even pulls back a few times out of surprise.

I find myself giggling whenever this happens - much to the embarrassment of Weiss. But, the moments pass quickly, and I always hastily return a clutching hand into her hair, serving as the instigator for our mouths to meet again.

I revel in her touch, squirming my legs underneath the sheets to try and rid a warmth building inside me. The problem with this is that I keep brushing against Weiss's own fidgeting legs - only serving to add to my arousal.

This doesn't feel like any of the kisses we've shared before. The fleeting pecks and closed mouth kisses - no - it's much different. This is a full on, open mouthed, almost sexual kiss. And I absolutely love it.

I love the way her body fits against mine, her smaller frame and modest chest pushed up against me, it makes me feel lightheaded. The way our lips fit together like puzzle pieces, the way she relents to me as I play with her hair and hold her tighter and tighter as our lips crash against each other over and over again - it's absolutely mind numbing.

I let my instincts take control as my brain slowly churns to mush - who am I to pay attention to the syntax of the situation when the girl I'm infatuated with is kissing me senseless.

I momentarily break our contact to roll myself over, so that I'm on top of her. I take a moment to watch her squirm beneath me. Even though the room is almost pitch black, her outline and hands coming up to wrap themselves around my neck is enough to tell me she's okay with more.

I have to squelch my desire to run my hands lower and rub my hands up and down her legs. There's no doubt in my mind that I would enjoy it immensely, but I know my own limits as well. Doing something like that would only arouse me more, and I don't think I'm quite ready to explore that territory yet.

I lean down and switch from holding myself up with my hands to my elbows. I realize I can feel Weiss's bracelet on her wrist dig into my neck as she pulls me down, but I don't give it a second thought as I reconnect my mouth with hers.

My hair acts like a curtain between us and everything else. When I kiss her, it feels like the world just falls away. It's slow, soft, and comforting in ways that words will never be.

The only thing that matters, the only thing that exists in my mind, is Weiss. She's my oxygen – and I'm dying to breathe.

She whines and one of her hands move to caress my ear, her thumb brushing across my check as our breaths mingle. I gasp and try to bite back the noise, shoving my lips harder against hers to cover it up.

I want to pull away before I lose myself completely, but I can't seem too.

"Weiss…" I whisper against her lips.

I say it slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. I smile against her, my heart fluttering as I feel Weiss run a thumb across my cheek.

"Ruby."

Never before has my name ever felt so wonderful to hear.

I'm about to deepen our kiss again, but Weiss makes a low whine and gently pushes me back a bit. My eyes slowly open and I feel myself gradually come back to reality.

The first thing I see is Weiss lying underneath me, breathing hard, face flushed, and a hand still on my shoulder. I feel myself turn red in an instant and sheepishly look away from her, embarrassed about getting so carried away.

"Weiss, what's wrong?" I ask, nervously glancing back at her.

"I n-needed... some... air..." Comes her breathy voice.

"Ah, sorry..."

"Don't... be..."

I roll myself back off her, taking a moment to resituate myself back on my side of the bed.

I feel Weiss's hand move under the covers – searching for mine. I happily grab it, lacing my fingers with hers before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead and another to the back of our intertwined hands.

I'll never let you go.

The next morning, Weiss and I wake up early, ensuring we have plenty of time to finish looking at the booths and exhibits. However, today is much more relaxed than yesterday, since we've already seen everything we wanted to.

We go by the Meteorology exhibit again, but the guy that was running it yesterday is gone. We go down a few booths to see if maybe he just changed his station and we still can't find him, making me turn to Weiss in defeat.

"Damn, he's already gone. I wanted to thank him again for our bracelets." I say, frowning.

Weiss shrugs, looking around at another booth.

"We already thanked him once - I think that's plenty. We should check out the gift shop while we're on the first floor."

I pout and move to grab Weiss's hand. When she feels the contact, she immediately pulls away, scowling at me.

"Not right now, Ruby."

"Ehh? But you weren't complaining about it yesterday, not even when we were making ou- Aghh!?"

Weiss stomps on my foot with her sneaker, making me let out a surprised yelp.

"Don't say that out loud you dunce. There's a lot less people here today, which means our chances of getting caught by someone at our school is higher."

With that said, I know there isn't any changing her mind. I just grumble to myself as I follow her to the gift shop.

My mood quickly turns around as I find two matching shirts with the festival logo on them. One of them is red and the other is blue.

I pretty much beg Weiss to get them, and only when I shoot her my puppy dog eyes does she begrudgingly agree. I make us go to the nearest bathroom to change into the shirts. As Weiss comes out, she looks embarrassed enough to be wearing the brightly pigmented T-shirt, let alone to be matching with me, but she says she'll keep it on if it makes me happy.

After that, we go by the food court to get some lunch before we have to pack and line up for our bus.

We find a Starbucks and Weiss says she'd like some coffee instead of a meal. We get in line and when it's our turn, Weiss orders something that I have no idea how to pronounce. She glances over at me and I give her a helpless look, making her roll her eyes.

She orders some hot chocolate for me and I ask if I could also have a yogurt. When we get to the cash register to pay, Weiss pulls out her card, but I quickly shove a twenty at the cashier, grinning proudly at Weiss, who's looks at me with an annoyed expression.

We sit down and chat for a while, trying to kill the time we have left before we have to go. We talk a lot about the movie we watched the other night – mostly just Weiss complaining and me trying to explain what actually happened to her.

Once we finish our drinks, we walk around for a while and look at a few different stalls outside. I see a popsicle stand and immediately tug on Weiss's sleeve to get her attention.

"Weiss, let's get some popsicles!"

She looks over at me, giving me a distasteful look.

"I think you've had your sugar count for today with that hot chocolate alone."

"What? There's was barely any sugar in that!" I counter.

"Are you serious? It already came with loads of it, yet I watched you put about five more packets in."

"You must be imagining things." I huff, but Weiss doesn't look fooled. "C'mon, please!? They're so cheap too. Two for a dollar!"

"I think you're forgetting who I am, Ruby."

It takes me a moment to remember that Weiss's family is loaded with cash.

I frown and kick my shoes back and forth on the sidewalk. Weiss gives me a disgruntled look before sighing and grabbing my sleeve, proceeding to drag me over to the popsicle stand.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you can't sit still on the ride back."

"Yay! Nice Weiss strikes again!"

Weiss stomps on my foot before walking over to the vendor. I overdramatically limp behind her, which she pointedly ignores as we get in line for our popsicles. When we reach the front, I order watermelon and Weiss gets cotton candy flavored.

We decide we'll go sit by the fountain, the big one I saw at the front of the Civic Center when we first got here.

It's just as huge as I remember it being, and I eagerly start climbing up one of the rocks that surrounds its border. I reach the top and offer my free hand down to Weiss, who's staring at me wide eyed.

"I don't think I can climb that, Ruby."

I take a bite off the top of my popsicle and lean my hand down further to her.

"It's only a few steps, Weiss. I'll help pull you up." Instead of taking my hand, I watch as she walks over to a much shallower portion of the fountain and carefully climbs up to me from there. "Ehh? That's was no fun!" I complain, pouting at her.

"I'd rather not risk slipping and breaking my neck. It's rather unsafe being up here."

"We're only a few feet off the ground though?" I question, almost laughing at her cautiousness.

She just rolls her eyes at me before smoothing out her shirt and sitting down next to me, tucking her legs back underneath her.

I take another bite of my popsicle, savoring the juicy flavor and the coldness of it as we bask in the sun.

Weiss was definitely right about there being less people here today. The hordes of people that were roaming this entire area yesterday, is now reduced to a few groups of students here and there, a lot of whom I recognize from our school.

I feel a buzz from my back pocket and pull out my phone to see my Uncle sent me a message asking when I'll be home. I message him back that we'll be leaving in a few hours, but instead of putting my phone back into my pocket, I tap on Weiss's shoulder to get her attention.

"Can I take a picture of us?"

Weiss takes another lick of her popsicle, scowling at it, like It's too sweet for her. It probably is.

"What is it with you and pictures, Ruby?"

"I like remembering what we did together! Please? It'll only take a second."

I'm already holding my phone out, hoping she'll look over at it but, instead, Weiss looks away from it, scanning the area around us. Her face turns slightly pink after spotting a few people milling about the front of the Civic Center.

"There's a lot of people out here…" She says nervously.

"Weeeiss." I whine out her name, hating how childish I sound, but not willing to give in so quickly. "No one cares about two teenagers taking pictures together, all you have to do is smile!"

I lean over, so we're both in the frame, and take a quick shot of us.

Bringing my phone down and opening my photos to look at it, I feel Weiss lean over my shoulder, so she can see as well.

My face brightens, seeing how good of a photo it is. In it, I'm leaning towards Weiss, with my free hand holding my popsicle and a goofy grin on my face. Weiss wears a small, yet genuine, smile as she looks almost confusedly at the camera.

"You look so pretty in this, Weiss! There's no way I can't set this as my screensaver."

"Delete it."

She tries touching the small trashcan icon on my screen.

"What? No way." I say, holding the phone away from her and opening the settings.

"I'm squinting, and the lightings all weird. I'll let you take another one."

"Nu-uh~ No take backs, Weiss."

I grin and jump my way down from the fountain, running away before Weiss can delete the picture.

"Ruby Rose, you get back here!"

A few hours – and a lot of chasing each other around – later, and we're back on the bus heading home.

It took a while for the teachers to round everyone up and get everything settled with the hotel, so we're leaving a bit later than expected.

Weiss and I are in our seats towards the back again, I'm looking through all the photos I've taken on my phone. She let me keep the one I took of us at the fountain, only after a half-hour of running around and me agreeing that I wouldn't set it as my screensaver, which I'm totally doing later anyways.

I notice Weiss is leaning under the seat in front of her, trying to pull out her laptop from her bag.

Putting a hand on her shoulder and tugging at her shirt, I patiently wait for her to look over at me.

"C'mon, Weiss. Let's enjoy the drive back. No work today."

Our trip ends with me leaning into the window and Weiss leaning into my shoulder as we drift off.

Hope you enjoyed! Corrections and comments always appreciated!

(I don't have anything witty to say this time, so I'll just go with the classic – Harold, they're lesbians.)