a car he’s driving. I’ve never known her to be this irresponsible.
Joe’s hand is still on my knee and after a few minutes he begins to move his fingertips in little circles, massaging the inside of my knee cap. It feels nice, and somehow as intimate as anything Dannii and Dean are getting up to next to us. I still really, really want him to kiss me again. His hand moves further up my thigh, moving in circles, squeezing the fleshy bits on the inside of my leg through my leggings. My leg feels hot under his touch, and my mouth has gone dry. When his hand stops its travelling and settles near the top of my thigh I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, just as Joe leans over and brushes my lips with his.
‘You taste of popcorn,’ he whispers, flicking the tip of his tongue across my lower lip.
‘You taste of beer,’ I whisper back, and go to do the same to his lip but he puts his mouth over mine fully and before I know it we’re kissing properly, his other hand sliding around my back and pulling me into him so that the arm of the chairs separating us pushes into my tummy. It should be uncomfortable, but I really don’t care. He moves the hand on my leg up into my hair, burying it in my curls as he pulls back to nibble on my lower lip. He pulls away smiling, leaving me feeling dazed.
‘You’re a great kisser, Ash.’
‘Thanks.’ I don’t know what else to say to that, it’s not as if I’ve had much practice. I didn’t think about what I was doing either, it just felt natural, as if there’s no reason for me to be doing anything else in the world apart fromkissing Joe.
He takes my hand again and sits back, and I lean in closer to him, feeling happy.
‘I don’t know what’s going on now,’ he says, motioning at the screen. Dannii, who must have taken a break from snogging the face off Dean, hears him and laughs.
‘I wouldn’t ask, Ash, she’s not interested in anything that happens unless it was at least five hundred years ago are you babe? Total history geek.’
Although she says the last bit with affection, I feel stung at her comment, but before I can say anything Joe jumps to my defence.
‘Don’t blame her. It’s why I like cars so much, they’re easier to deal with than real people.’ He squeezes my hand again and I smile at him gratefully. I suppose he’s right too, it is a way of escaping. Funny how he’s made it sound like our very different interests are actually something we have in common. I give Dannii a smug look but unfazed she takes another swig of vodka and turns back to Dean.
The two of them get louder as the film goes on, with Dannii letting out mock-offended squeals and Dean laughing loudly. I see his hands disappearing into her bra and Dannii making a loud show of slapping them away without actually removing them. In the row in front of us an older guy turns round and shushes us angrily. Dean leans forward like he’s about to say something, then sees Joe glaring at him and sits back, mumbling. They’re quiet for a while, then start up again just as the film’s gearing up to its climax. Annoyed tutting comes from the row behind us and Dannii sticks her two fingers up without removing her face from Dean’s neck. I bury my head in Joe’s shoulder in embarrassment.
‘I’m sorry,’ I groan. He kisses the top of my head.
‘It’s not your fault, but I thought this would happenwhen you said they were coming.’
‘It was Dannii’s idea.’
‘Really?’ He gives me a sideways glance. ‘She said it was yours. I thought you were worried about being on your own with me.’
He sounds almost hurt and I glare at Dannii over his shoulder, not that she notices. I’ll get no sense out of her now, she must have had at least half of that bottle of vodka.
‘I wanted to be on my own with you,’ I say quietly, then wince at how it sounds. Still, he looks pleased.
I’m glad when the end credits roll and we can get out of there. People walking past from
Joe’s hand is still on my knee and after a few minutes he begins to move his fingertips in little circles, massaging the inside of my knee cap. It feels nice, and somehow as intimate as anything Dannii and Dean are getting up to next to us. I still really, really want him to kiss me again. His hand moves further up my thigh, moving in circles, squeezing the fleshy bits on the inside of my leg through my leggings. My leg feels hot under his touch, and my mouth has gone dry. When his hand stops its travelling and settles near the top of my thigh I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, just as Joe leans over and brushes my lips with his.
‘You taste of popcorn,’ he whispers, flicking the tip of his tongue across my lower lip.
‘You taste of beer,’ I whisper back, and go to do the same to his lip but he puts his mouth over mine fully and before I know it we’re kissing properly, his other hand sliding around my back and pulling me into him so that the arm of the chairs separating us pushes into my tummy. It should be uncomfortable, but I really don’t care. He moves the hand on my leg up into my hair, burying it in my curls as he pulls back to nibble on my lower lip. He pulls away smiling, leaving me feeling dazed.
‘You’re a great kisser, Ash.’
‘Thanks.’ I don’t know what else to say to that, it’s not as if I’ve had much practice. I didn’t think about what I was doing either, it just felt natural, as if there’s no reason for me to be doing anything else in the world apart fromkissing Joe.
He takes my hand again and sits back, and I lean in closer to him, feeling happy.
‘I don’t know what’s going on now,’ he says, motioning at the screen. Dannii, who must have taken a break from snogging the face off Dean, hears him and laughs.
‘I wouldn’t ask, Ash, she’s not interested in anything that happens unless it was at least five hundred years ago are you babe? Total history geek.’
Although she says the last bit with affection, I feel stung at her comment, but before I can say anything Joe jumps to my defence.
‘Don’t blame her. It’s why I like cars so much, they’re easier to deal with than real people.’ He squeezes my hand again and I smile at him gratefully. I suppose he’s right too, it is a way of escaping. Funny how he’s made it sound like our very different interests are actually something we have in common. I give Dannii a smug look but unfazed she takes another swig of vodka and turns back to Dean.
The two of them get louder as the film goes on, with Dannii letting out mock-offended squeals and Dean laughing loudly. I see his hands disappearing into her bra and Dannii making a loud show of slapping them away without actually removing them. In the row in front of us an older guy turns round and shushes us angrily. Dean leans forward like he’s about to say something, then sees Joe glaring at him and sits back, mumbling. They’re quiet for a while, then start up again just as the film’s gearing up to its climax. Annoyed tutting comes from the row behind us and Dannii sticks her two fingers up without removing her face from Dean’s neck. I bury my head in Joe’s shoulder in embarrassment.
‘I’m sorry,’ I groan. He kisses the top of my head.
‘It’s not your fault, but I thought this would happenwhen you said they were coming.’
‘It was Dannii’s idea.’
‘Really?’ He gives me a sideways glance. ‘She said it was yours. I thought you were worried about being on your own with me.’
He sounds almost hurt and I glare at Dannii over his shoulder, not that she notices. I’ll get no sense out of her now, she must have had at least half of that bottle of vodka.
‘I wanted to be on my own with you,’ I say quietly, then wince at how it sounds. Still, he looks pleased.
I’m glad when the end credits roll and we can get out of there. People walking past from
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