Freaky

Summary: You and your best friend Josh are at the Washington Lodge with your friends when you get coerced into playing a game of 7 minutes in heaven.

Tags: kissing, confessions, fluff, no smut, drinking games

It started like a joke, just a drinking game—a circle of friends and just enough alcohol to lower everyone’s inhibitions. You were curled up on a couch pillow next to Josh, your best friend. He was leaning back, drink in hand, that familiar smirk plastered across his face. That one he wore when he was half-amused and half-bored. You'd seen it so many times you could picture it with your eyes closed.

Sam spun the bottle first. It landed on Mike. She groaned and gave a sarcastic bow before heading into the closet with him. People laughed, hooted, and joked, but you barely heard any of it. You were too aware of Josh's arm pressed lightly against yours.

You weren't supposed to fall in love with your best friend. But somewhere between late-night movie marathons, inside jokes that only made sense to the two of you, and the way he always knew when you needed him, even without you asking, you had. Of course, you never told him. Why ruin a good thing?

Another spin. More cheering. Matt made out with Emily and came out looking flustered, and the game rolled on. You pretended to sip your drink when it was your turn, hoping to get away with it, not to have to play.

“Hey, why don't you go? You haven’t spun yet?” Jess said, smiling micheviously at you.

“No, it’s okay, really,” you tried to protest.

“Oh come on, don’t be scared,” Josh teased. You rolled your eyes, crawling off the couch and taking the bottle. The bottle spun, and slowed as your eyes followed it worridly, then stopped. Fuck. The bottle stopped on Josh. Laughter erupted.

"Oooh!" Sam leaned forward like she’d been waiting for this. “Alright, alright, you two,” she teased.

“No way,” Mike cackled. “You two? This is gonna be good.” Josh blinked, turning toward you with raised eyebrows.

“Well,” Josh said, giving a crooked smile, “What are the odds?” You forced a laugh, heart hammering.

“Yeah,” you said with a half-hearted laugh and an awkward smile. He stood and offered you a hand, pulling you to your feet. His touch was warm. You weren’t sure if it was the fire or him that made your fingers tingle. As the closet door clicked shut, the noise of the party faded behind you. The space was small, just enough to stand in, lined with coats that smelled like pine.

It was almost completely dark, save for the faint light seeping through the crack beneath the door. You leaned back against the wall nervously, arms crossed over your chest to try to hide your nerves. Josh stood across from you, hands in his pockets, his silhouette barely visible.

“Well,” you said, trying to sound casual, “this is sufficiently awkward.” He chuckled.

“You think?” He asked far too casually, with that stupid smirk plastered on his face.

“Remember when we used to play truth or dare in sixth grade?” You asked.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “You always picked truth.”

“Because you picked the worst dares.” Josh grinned in the dark.

“And you told the worst lies.” You smiled at the memory. But silence settled again, heavier this time. “So,” he said after a moment, voice softer. “Real question.”

“Shoot,” you said as you looked up at him, still hiding behind your crossed arms.

“Why did you look like you were gonna pass out when it landed on me?” Your breath caught in your throat. You wished you could sink into the sea of coats in the closet and disappear from this moment.

“I didn’t,” you lied, too fast.

“You kinda did.” You looked down, avoiding his gaze, even though he had a hard time seeing you in the dark anyway.

“I dunno,” you said finally. “Just… wasn’t expecting it, I guess.” Josh stepped closer. You felt it before you saw it. There was a shift in the air, the sudden warmth of his body not far from yours.

“Let me ask a better question,” he said, quieter now. “Have you ever thought about it?” You swallowed. Your nails are digging into the sides of your arm, still crossed.

“Thought about what?”

“Us. Like… being more than this.” You went still. Every fiber of your being wanted to say yes, to scream it, to confess everything you’d ever buried beneath layers of laughter and loyalty. But you couldn’t.

“What if I have?” You whispered instead. Josh didn’t move. His voice came soft, careful.

“Then I’d say… you’re not the only one.” You lifted your eyes. Even in the dark, you could feel the weight of his gaze. “I didn’t want to mess this up,” he said.

“You’re my best friend. But there were nights I couldn’t sleep because I kept replaying the way you laughed at something dumb I said. Or how you looked in the morning after staying up with me. Or how it felt when you hugged me and I didn’t want to let go.” Your chest ached, and you stepped closer.

“Josh…” He reached out, his fingers brushing yours.

“We’ve wasted a lot of time pretending.” You looked up at him.

“So stop pretending.” And then, finally, he kissed you. It started softly. Gentle. A brush of lips that felt more like a question than a statement. But the answer came easily when your hands slid into his hair and pulled him closer. He groaned against your mouth, like he’d been holding this in forever. His hands found your waist, then your lower back, and pulled you to him.

“Seven minutes isn’t gonna be enough,” he whispered as he pulled away briefly. You smiled.

“Then don’t stop…” You breathed out against his lips before you dove back in for another kiss. This time it wasn’t gentle. It was filled with passion; it was desperate. All the years of yearning for this poured out into the kiss. Outside, someone knocked.

“Time’s up, lovebirds!” Jess yelled. Josh didn’t move. He kept kidding you, slower this time, savoring it. When he finally pulled away, his grin was wide and breathless.

“You realize we’re not going back out there like nothing happened, right?”

“I was hoping we wouldn’t,” you murmured. Josh laced his fingers through yours, then opened the door.