The Kissing Challenge Read online

  THE KISSING CHALLENGE

  By

  Cookie O’Gorman

  The Kissing Challenge

  Text copyright © 2020 Airianna Tauanuu writing as Cookie O’Gorman

  All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  To anyone who loves kissing videos

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  Thank you so much for reading!!!

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER 1

  "Have you seen the latest challenge?"

  Gemma was playing on her phone as she asked the question, but I looked over at her. She sounded way too pleased about something. It immediately made me suspicious.

  "No," I said, "I didn't check my social media yet today."

  "Well, you better take a look." She finally lifted her head and gave me a wink. "It's a good one. I think you'll find it…interesting."

  Okay, it was official. My curiosity was peaked.

  Logging on, I couldn't help but notice I had ten new followers. Sweet. It wasn't like I was social media-obsessed like some people. But if there were viewers out there who appreciated my fun videos and makeup tutorials? Who was I to deny them?

  Actually, the main reason I'd even started the account was to 1) showcase my makeup skills and 2) hold myself accountable. I had a dream. And if I was going to one day do makeup for the stars, this was as good a time to start as any.

  I mean, I loved being the main makeup artist for our school plays and my best friend's band. It was fun, and besides, again, it was great practice. But gigs like that wouldn't pay the bills when I got older.

  And I so wanted to be able to make a living doing something I loved.

  With a sigh, I shook myself out of it.

  Scrolling through the comments on my latest video, I saw one that jumped right out at me.

  I challenge you to kiss your best friend.

  There was even a hashtag attached. I clicked it, and up came all of these videos, which I, of course, immediately began watching. Once I started, it was like I couldn't stop. They were more addictive than chocolate, more entertaining than puppy videos. This was like every romance lover's dream.

  Speaking of which, I reached over and grabbed a Hershey's kiss and popped it into my mouth.

  It was one of my weaknesses.

  As well as, apparently watching complete strangers, girls mostly—but some guys, too—kiss their best friends. The reactions were always a mixed bag, too. Sometimes the kiss-ee looked shocked. Other times, they pushed the kisser away or turned their head before the girl's or guy's lips could meet theirs. Those were funny, I thought, but also a little sad.

  What if the captions were true, and the girl really had been in love with this guy forever—and that was how he reacted?

  How heartbreaking.

  Still, other videos showed the kiss-ee and kisser totally going for it and starting a massive make-out session. But most of those were followed by a caption that said something like "JK he's my boyfriend." That earned an eyeroll from me.

  And yet…I couldn't stop watching.

  It wasn't until Gemma started laughing that I made myself look away.

  She had the biggest smile on her face, looking like the cat that caught the canary.

  "Well?" she said.

  "Well what?" I answered, putting down my phone, and going back to painting my nails. "It's a cool challenge, I guess. Though I bet half of those videos are fake."

  "Anne! Seriously? That's all you have to say?"

  I shrugged.

  "Did you not see the comment?" she asked, holding out her phone. "You've been challenged."

  "So?" I gave my pinky nail one last coat, and then moved to my other hand. The pink had looked more pastel and less neon in the bottle. I might have to do these all over. "It's not like I accept every single one that comes my way."

  Gemma's jaw dropped. "Um yes, you do."

  She was right. Most of the time I did. I mean, it's not like the challenges were that difficult anyway. Some involved dance or makeup, of course. I'd even done the occasional lip sync video. But this was so not up my alley.

  I kept concentrating on my nails. "Well, I don't think I need to do this one."

  "Is this because of Captain?"

  The mention of my BFF's name made my heart flutter.

  "Because you know he would let you do it in a heartbeat," she said and waggled her eyebrows. "Who knows? He might even enjoy it."

  "As if." I forced a laugh. "Captain only sees me as a friend."

  Gemma nodded. "Yeah, Anne, that's the whole point of this challenge. To kiss your best friend. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless you make it one."

  How could kissing Captain not be a big deal, though?

  There was no way I could do that challenge.

  No way.

  "It might even help you get over that gigantic crush you've had on him since second grade."

  "Gemma," I hissed. My hand slipped, and I got pink all over my rug. "Darn it. I thought we agreed not to speak of that aloud. Ever."

  She went back to scrolling on her phone. "It's not like you're in love with him or anything. Right?"

  My pulse started to pound. To lie or not to lie? That was the question.

  "I-I…can't believe you just said that," I finished lamely.

  Her eyes snapped to my face. "OMG, you are! Anne, wow, I only thought that maybe you were. That's what my gut was saying. But I was never sure."

  Curse Gemma and her good instincts.

  "Well," I said, "at least now, you understand why I can't do that challenge."

  She was shaking her head before I even finished.

  "No, no, no," Gemma said and grabbed my hands. "Don't you see? That's why you totally have to do it."

  "But I'm afraid Captain won't feel the same—or worse, that he'll hate me for it."

  "One," she said, "that boy could never hate you. He lets you practice putting makeup on him for goodness sake. And yeah, yeah, I know he's a wanna-be-rockstar. But Anne, you have to know that's not normal."

  I sniffed. "Captain is very open-minded and said he wants to help me achieve my dreams. Plus, the guy looks amazing in charcoal eyeliner. It really brings out the gray of his eyes."

  "Two," she went on as if I hadn't spoken, "what if he loves you, too?"

  "He does love me." I shrugged, avoiding her eyes as I tried my best to wipe up the spilled pink polish. It was going to stain, though. I could already tell. "I know he does. Just…not in that way."

  Gemma just shook her head. "And three, again, it might help you get over him."

  I didn't think that was possible. Captain wasn't just any guy. He was the love of my life. I'd tried so many times to stop loving him, tried to like different guys, but no one could ever compare. He was my penguin.

  "It's only a kiss, Anne."

  No such thing, I thought.

  There was no such thing as only a kiss. Or just a kiss. At least not to me. And there was no way I coul
d make Gemma understand. She was a wonderful girl BF. Gemma supported me like I supported her. We told each other things like real sisters would. Besides Captain, I didn't think I was closer to anyone in my life.

  But the way she viewed relationships was so different.

  Gemma had dated. She'd kissed a ton of guys. She didn't want to wait around for life to happen to her. She made things happen. This would actually be the perfect challenge for her. I said as much, but she waved me off.

  "No one left that comment on my channel," she said.

  "But you and Knight," I said and smiled. "Now, that would be a kiss I'd want to see."

  She leaned her head side to side as if considering.

  "Yeah, it would," she said. "But again, no one challenged me. They sent that message to you, my friend."

  I narrowed my gaze on her innocent baby blues. "Gemma. Did you make a fake account just so you could leave that comment?"

  "What, moi?" Her hand went to her chest. "I would never."

  "Yes, you would," I said.

  "Okay, I totally would." We both giggled at that. "I wish it had been me. I'm kind of mad at myself that it wasn't."

  I squinted my eyes even harder, watching for any hint of a lie, but Gemma held her hands up.

  "Well, whoever"—I checked the username again and nearly laughed—"LonelyHeart1 is, I think they picked the wrong girl."

  Gemma sat in front of me and grabbed my hands again, stopping me from wiping the same spot. The stain wasn't coming up. But at least it gave the beige rug a bit of color.

  "Listen Anne, maybe this is fate. You just have to let it ride and not be scared."

  My fingers tightened around hers, but I didn't say anything.

  "At least promise to think about it," she said. "You've never not met a challenge. I'd hate to see you start now—especially when it's something I know you want to do."

  She had a good point.

  But fear was a very real thing, and it was alive and well inside my chest.

  Even long after Gemma had gone, I was still sitting in my room, thinking about it. The sun had set hours ago. My lights were off, but I couldn't stop watching the kissing videos and looking at the comment.

  Kiss your best friend.

  Could it really be that simple? I'd thought about it before this, of course—only like a million times. Kissing Captain was my #1 recurring dream. That was what I'd always thought it would be. A dream. But now, with this challenge, I had the perfect excuse. Could I do it? What would his reaction be? That was something even my imagination couldn't come up with.

  But I wondered.

  Also, maybe, just maybe, Gemma was right. If this could help me get over Captain and eliminate any bumps in the road of our friendship down the line, shouldn't I just get it over with? Satiate my curiosity?

  Questions swirled through my mind as I went to sleep that night.

  No answers were forthcoming.

  But I couldn't deny that I definitely wanted to know. What would it be like to kiss my best friend? If I let this opportunity pass me by, there might not be another.

  Oh goodness, was I seriously considering this?

  CHAPTER 2

  Confession: Sometimes I wished my best friend wasn't so good looking.

  It would make my life so much easier.

  Like right now.

  Captain had just gotten through with practice—band practice, of course, not any kind of organized team sport. He was firmly against those. Said football was for guys who liked to roll around on the ground with other guys. He liked basketball well enough, but thought baseball and soccer were boring. Sports just weren't his thing. Though, I guess, his band was kind of like one. He and the other members of Hero Complex certainly sweat enough. Who knew playing the guitar could make you so hot?

  In more than one sense of the word, my mind added as he made his way over to me.

  Sure, his forearms were glistening with perspiration. His guitar was slung across his back like it was an extension of his body. And yeah, his gray eyes, dark hair and tall frame, made him kind of hard to miss. But it was that secret smile, the one he saved just for me, that made him too beautiful for words. Captain gave me that smile now as he stopped in front of me.

  "Anne," he said. "How's it going?"

  I swallowed. "Going okay, Cap. You guys sounded really great today."

  "Oh yeah? Did you like that last solo? It was inspired by you."

  Oh my heart.

  "Yeah, right," I said, thinking it was a joke.

  "I'm serious." He shrugged. "All of my best stuff is."

  And did I mention, he also wrote most of the lyrics, too? Captain's good looks were just an extension of his inner-beauty. When I really thought about it, taking away his external gorgeousness wouldn't do any good. He'd still have that amazing heart and mind. It was why we were best friends in the first place.

  "I feel like you just say these things to get on my good side."

  His smile grew, drawing my attention to his lips. "Is it working?"

  "Maybe," I said and forced myself to look away. What was I doing? Best friends did not ogle their friend's lips like that. Even when said friend had really wonderful ones. "It was a pretty sick solo."

  "I knew you'd like it," was his response.

  I probably could've sat there talking to him all day. But then I might've stared too long without realizing it, and Captain might catch on to the fact that I was head over heels for him. And then…he might start feeling uncomfortable around me thus killing our friendship. That would be the worst thing ever.

  "Cap, are you coming?" It was the lead singer of Hero Complex. Liam joined us a second later. "Knight was talking about this party he wants to hit up. We're about to head out."

  I looked up at Liam. Girls fell at his feet, and I could see the appeal. Like Captain, his handsome features were definitely ones that didn't need any cosmetic help. He was pretty enough as it was. And he knew it, too.

  Captain shook his head. "I've got other plans."

  "Oh hey, Anne," Liam said a second later. "You're so quiet and little. I almost didn't see you there."

  I shrugged. "That's okay."

  The lead singer gave me a once over. "What are you guys doing? Anything special?"

  "Not really," I lied.

  My best friend spoke up. "I agreed to let her use my face again."

  "Oh God," Liam groaned. "Not again. What are you planning to do to him this time?"

  Kiss him, I thought but didn't say. That was what I hoped to do anyhow. One kiss to cure my staring problem. One kiss to get him out of my system for good. One kiss to hold as a keepsake in my heart even as I knew it could be nothing more than that.

  "I have a lot of ideas," I hedged. "Mischievous faerie, steampunk chic, bloody vampire."

  "Vampire sounds cool," Captain said. "Remember when you turned me into a werewolf? That was awesome."

  "It was, and we'll definitely have to do vamp next time," I said. "But the one I really wanted to try was alien. Sci-Fi fantasy is big, and there are a lot of hot aliens running around. I haven't tried that before."

  Liam shook his head at Captain. "Man, I don't know why you let her do it. First, the guyliner. Now, this. Don't you think it's weird?"

  Captain gave a slight shrug. "No. Anne wants to be an artist. I'm her muse. What's weird about that?"

  Muse. Best friend. Unrequited love of my life.

  Same, same, I guess.

  Liam still wore his usual frown. "Well, have fun with that, I guess. I'll see you guys later."

  We waved goodbye, and after he and the others left, it was just Captain and me.

  "Hey," I said, giving him—and myself—one last out, "you can go with them. I don't mind. We could do this some other time."

  My best friend met my gaze. "No way. Thanks for the save. You know I hate parties."

  I forced a laugh and stood. "Yeah, I do."

  "And the makeup thing sounds fun."

  "Why do you sound so excited?"
I said.

  "I'm honestly curious," Captain said. "What exactly does a hot alien look like? I have no idea."

  My laugh turned real then, and I went to push his chest with my hand. I regretted the move almost instantly. My palm connected with solid muscle, and it was like a jolt of electricity went through me. I retracted my hand, shoving it into my pocket.

  "You ready?" he asked.

  Was I? If just the feel of his warm skin through his shirt was enough to shock me, what would the feel of his lips against mine do?

  There was only one way to find out.

  I nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

  We drove separately to my house, and once we went up to my room, Captain walked right in and plopped on my bed.

  Spreading his arms wide, he said, "Okay, so where do you want me?"

  Heat spread over my cheeks. Man, there must've really been something wrong with me. His words had sounded suggestive, but I knew he was just asking where I wanted to do his makeup. Shaking myself out of it, I gestured to my desk.

  "In the chair as always, silly," I said. "That's where we have the best light."

  "Whatever you say, Anne."

  Captain knew the deal. It wasn't like this was our first video. He stood and settled himself into the chair. I'd already set out all of my supplies. I really was going to do the alien makeup. It would be a great opportunity to try the look out on someone I knew it would look good on. Plus, this way I'd have more time to work up the courage to complete the challenge.

  "Is it okay if I film?" I asked.

  He gave me a look. "You know the answer to that."

  I did, but I just wanted to be sure. "Cap, I know we're best friends and all. But if you ever don't want to do something, you can always say no."

  Captain just crossed his arms.

  "I'll take that as a yes then?"

  "Just start already, Anne," he said. "Whether you make look like E.T. or a little green guy, I don't care. You have my permission to do whatever you want."

  I gulped as my gaze dipped to his lips.

  "Good to know," I breathed.

  I pressed record and leaned down so both Captain and I were in the frame.