Chapter 5

It all happened in less than five minutes but it felt like an eternity to Mara who stood aside, doing nothing. She wanted to, but she knew better than to step between two boys fighting and she was so shocked that it took her a solid minute before realizing what was going on before her very eyes. She started screaming at them, demanding that they fucking stop, but it was hopeless, neither of them listened. Everyone in the entire house must hear her yells but Chris and the other boy were too caught up in their display of strength.

When the Penetrators finally intervened, they grabbed the rude guy who overstepped his boundaries with Mara and held him back. William wasn't there, he was nowhere to be found – he must have gone home with Noora. It was a blessing, because Chris would have been incapable of explaining his behaviour to him. Protecting Mara from a handy rude fucker did not justify causing such a scene. Chris was about to dive in and resume beating the guy even though he could no longer return the punches, when Mara stepped in, placing herself right between Chris and his adversary.

"Chris!" She shouted, raising her hands. "Chris, stop! Stop!"

The panic in her eyes made him realised what he was doing and he stopped dead in his tracks, lowering his fist and settling down.

"Come with me," Mara urged him, tugging on his sleeve. "Let's get out of here."

She led them both through the many rooms of the house until they found one which was empty. It was the bathroom. At least one of the bathrooms, it was hard to tell, but this one was still clean and fairly far away from the party. She locked the door once they were inside and turned to Chris, looking ready to slap some sense in his thick head.

"What the hell were young thinking Chris?!" She began to shout, not feeling sorry for his sore face one bit. "That was awful! Awful!"

"He was all over you!" Chris shouted back, leaning over the sink and turning on the mirror lights. "That bastard was- he was groping your ass, and-"

"Yes I know he was, Chris! I was handling it, what bad could have happened to me in the middle of a room packed with people?!" Mara barked back, hitting Chris' chest to push him back.

"You're telling me I should've let him go on? Garb your ass, touch you like that?!"

"Like what, Chris? He was drunk and I was pushing him back!" She was so terribly mad that her cheeks were bright red and her eyes shooting lightnings. "I. Was. Handling. It," she gritted through her teeth. It was still rather hostile but she was settling down.

"I know you can handle boys, Mara, but I couldn't handle it. It was too much to see him touch you like- touch you like-" Chris explained more calmly, apparently having trouble finding his words.

"Like what?" Mara asked again, short of breath because of the rush of adrenaline she received from this dreadful fight and all the yelling.

That, for once, was a question Chris felt like he could answer. Only a few hours ago, he wouldn't have be able to, but now that she told him that all that staging was aimed at making him jealous, he could say it. He was jealous. He had never been great at sharing his toys – and heaven forbids he ever considers Mara like a toy, but she was his own nonetheless.

"Like I want to," he eventually muttered, rather sheepishly. Like a little boy who admitted having a crush on his school mistress.

Mara didn't try to hide her smile. The corners of her mouth twitched upward and she broke into a wide grin which betrayed how eager she had been to hear these words.

"Do you have the slightest idea how unbearable it was to see you flirt with every boy in the school these last weeks? It fucking killed me, Mara! Why did you try to make me jealous if you already knew how I felt?!"

"I don't know how you feel Chris," Mara replied in a soft voice. "I can tell you desire me, but that's not a feeling exclusively directed at me, right?"

She had seen Chris' little stunts at every party they both went to. He couldn't deny it, he couldn't pretend to be an angel, actually he wouldn't even consider himself a good person.

"Besides, you're worrying about William, and if I wanted you to act on your feelings – now that I know you have feelings for me – I needed to corner you. Sorry about that," Mara apologized, cringing at bit at how heartless it sounded when said out loud.

"By the way, you're lucky William wasn't there anymore, or he would've kicked you ass for causing a scene," she pointed out.

"Or maybe he would have helped me kick his ass for behaving like a douche with his beloved sister," Chris suggested, earning a nod and a 'eh maybe' from Mara.

"That's not the point," she said, pushing that thought aside with a little wave of the hand. "It was a bad idea to start this fight. And I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"I don't care about getting hurt," Chris said, his voice a bit harsh but still laced with fondness.

He walked forward until Mara's back hit the bathroom wall and she stopped breathing when she felt his body press up against her chest. This was the closest she had ever been to him, it was what she craved and now it was happening. His breath was warm against her cheek and Chris smirked down at Mara who had trouble keeping it together. What sane girl would keep her shit together when a guy as devastatingly handsome as Chris smirked at her? The answer is none. And it was backed by the endless list of girls on Chris' tally.

"I care about every guy in Oslo knowing they shouldn't approach you or they'll have to deal with me," Chris said with a voice made raspy by desire.

"You don't mean it," Mara replied. Her mischievous smile almost made Chris lose his bearings. "Just so you know, I will give in – that's what I wanted after all – but I know you won't tell anyone."

It pained him to admit it, but she was right. He hated it, but it was how things were and he couldn't change them just because he liked the girl. Liking the girl was never enough in real life, this shit only worked in rom-coms, and even there it wasn't a walk in the park.

"Why would you want this then? What's in it for you?" Chris asked in confusion.

Mara was proud and loud, she was no side hoe that Chris could come to when he felt like it and never showed to the outside world. He wanted to date Mara. He wanted to sit next to her – sometimes – at school, and vent about the guys and the burden of the reputation of lady killer he has to uphold. He wanted to do exactly what they were already doing but tenfold. It wasn't that fucking hard to understand, he really liked her.

And when he asked that dumb question, she shot him a sad but sweet smile, and Chris thought he might have touched a nerve.

"For me? Well, you, obviously. I want you, Chris," she answered. "And I know you'll argue that William won't let us be, and that you don't want to risk your friendship."

"You've thought of everything ahead?" He asked in half puzzlement half admiration. "If you already knew I was going to say no, why bother tricking me into admitting I like you?"

"You say no to publicly dating me," Mara said, highlighting the issue. "Plus the whole 'bros before hoes'-" she air-quoted this, "-prevents you from betraying William. Don't think I don't know about his rule about 'no dating Mara'!"

"I won't make you my secret, Mara," Chris protested as soon as he realised where this was going.

He should have guessed sooner. That was what she was up to. She planned to date her brother's best friend behind his back. But it was hardly feasible, the three of them where always hanging out together, William was bound to notice.

"Of course not!" Mara scoffed at how ridiculous the idea was. "I never understood why the concept of dating someone secretly was so male-centric. The guy's just dating secretly, but the girl's a side hoe – not as opposed to main hoe but rather a hoe you're only doing on the side, you know?"

"Stop using that word, geez!" Chris made a face out of distaste for it.

"What I'm saying is that I know you won't treat me like this Chris. That's what I like so much about you – among other things. But let's turn it around. You will be my dirty little secret. And since I put you in this situation, I take full responsibi-"

Chris couldn't listen to her talk about this with her down-to-business voice any longer. There was no way known to man to make Mara do something she didn't want to – like shut up for example – so he did the first thing that came to mind: he kissed her. Actually, this had been on his mind for a very long time now, and he couldn't believe he had let himself be dragged into this conversation without first stealing a kiss or two. Chris was an experiences thief, he could tiptoe inside a girl's heart, steal what he wanted and leave before she knew he was there. Mara though, gave him everything he needed – wanted – willingly.

She caved in and her body crashed against Chris' like a wave against the chore, inevitably and in such a manner that she fit perfectly against him. Mara melted in the embrace and returned the ardour he put in the kiss, twice as much actually. An overwhelming feeling of victorious washed over them both, and for once, there was no loser. Nothing about this kiss was chaste, it was an eager, long awaited, needy, open-mouthed kiss, and neither of them felt apologetic for the way they haphazardly tugged at each other clothes like two virgins who struggled and fumbled to rid each other of the useless material between them.

"You talk way too much," Chris laughed between two kisses.

Somehow, they ended up in the bathtub, Chris being the one on top, his hands trailing up Mara's legs and thighs. He had to bite down on his lip to repress a groan, he had waited so damn long to touch her here, and here, and here. When his fingers reached her underwear, he hooked them under the waistband and hurriedly slid them down her legs, throwing them aside. Mara's gaze didn't waver and was locked on his as he began to lean down, teasingly slowly. And for the first time, Chris gave head to a girl. And it was Mara, which made it perfect. Iben had always been shy about it, and the others didn't even count.

Neither of them had the slightest idea of how late it was, if people could hear them, if someone tried to find them, or to enter the bathroom since they locked themselves inside. Chris watched Mara unravel before his eyes and when she regained her breath, he helped her get up and out of the tub.

"If that's how you make me stop talking, please be my guest and do it again," Mara laughed, receiving a stunning smile in return. "And don't tell me that this was just a one time thing and you can't risk losing William over me, or I'll smash your pretty face against the sink."

The threat seemed unnecessarily dramatic, but if Chris really did eat her out as a sort of outlet for the piled up desire he had for her, Mara was going to carry it out.

"I wouldn't think of it," Chris snickered and put his hands on her waist, pulling her toward him. "I'm your side hoe," he stated in the most casual way.

Then Mara kissed him again, to seal the deal and also because she fucking wanted to.