Playful banter

[Otto's POV]

A week later, school was about to start again, and the whole hospital incident had become nothing more than a bad memory. So to celebrate the last day of the Christmas holiday, Alex, Otto, Jasper and Jessy had agreed to meet each other at the mall.

Otto had accidentally arrived too early, but since it was a beautiful day outside, she didn't mind dilly-dallying for a while.

She was basking in the warmth of the sun, when she noticed a group of boys staring at her. At first, she'd simply closed her eyes again to enjoy the warm rays of the sun a little more, but the next time she opened her eyes, they were still stealing glances at her and it looked like they'd moved closer.

It freaked her out.

What did they want? Why were they staring like that? Would they try something unpleasant? These boys wouldn't assault her, would they? Not with this many people around, right? Damn it! She wished the others would arrive already.

But if she was being really honest with herself, she hoped Alex in particular would come and save her. Like he always did.

A warm feeling made her heart beat faster and she hoped she wasn't blushing or grinning like a fool. She couldn't help but love the secure feeling he gave her. She'd gotten rather attached to him. It was hard to imagine her life without him anymore.

Oh, dear God! The group of boys had inched closer again. The feeling of dread instantly chased away the warm feeling she'd felt seconds ago.

"Yo, Otto," someone said, making her jump as she hadn't noticed anyone nearing. She whirled around to face the newly arrived person.

"Oh, Alex! It's you. You scared me," she said as she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Did I now?" Alex asked surprised. "Looks like somebody's especially jumpy today? What's on your mind?"

"Ah... well uhm," she said as she leaned closer to him to whisper near his ear; "It's just that... Don't look straight away, but that group of guys over there has been sneaking glances at me for a while, and it could be my imagination, but I think they've been creeping closer."

Completely ignoring her warning, Alex did glance over immediately in the direction she had pointed and spotted the group of boys she'd been talking about. She watched as a beautiful lopsided grin crept onto his face.

"Don't worry, they won't bother you anymore," he said as he returned his focus back to her, still smiling gently. "They think I'm your boyfriend."

"B-boyfriend?!" she stuttered. Her heart had not been prepared for those words at all. "Why would you say that? Aren't you assuming too much? Mister pretty boy? Must be nice to be popular."

Alex laughed sourly and she instantly realised she'd crossed the line. Stupid! She knew he hated to be reminded of how popular he was at school. She usually only used it as a last resort. Why had she blurted it out now? She was mere seconds away from apologising when he spoke up first.

"Indeed, very popular. What were your words again? Something along the lines of 'extremely handsome'?"

She looked up in surprise and frowned when she saw his cheeky expression.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself," she grumbled as she avoided his eyes.

"Really?" he snorted. "Because, to me, it felt like that was your personal opinion."

He was standing really close, a playful glint in his eyes. Playful banter had become a part of their daily interaction, but that didn't mean she'd gotten used to it. He might claim to have no experience with girls or flirting, but he could be very enticing if he wanted to be.

And right now he was too hot to handle.

She took a step backwards, which he instantly recognised as a sign of discomfort.

Normally, Alex would stop the second he noticed her discomfort, but not this time. She'd challenged him after all, not the other way around.

"Tell me, Otto," he said as he took a slow step closer again. She immediately backed away again, but he simply followed her, maintaining their close proximity. "Do you think I'm handsome?"

He paused, obviously waiting for an answer, but she refused to answer, pursing her lips stubbornly. Of course he was handsome! He knew she thought so, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of saying so right now.

She backed away again. He followed.

"Would you like me to be your boyfriend?" he asked. She scoffed. As if she could get away with claiming the most popular boy of the entire school as her own? She wasn't tired of living!

She backed away again and gasped when her back hit a wall. She quickly glanced sideways for an escape route, but Alex quickly slammed his hands against the wall on either side of her, effectively preventing her from running away. She was pretty sure a small "eep"-sound had escaped her lips as it happened. How embarrassing!

Now, she wasn't just standing in the circle of his arms, but blushing fiercely too. He was standing so close that his jacket brushed against hers.

Yet, she wasn't afraid of him like she had been when Thomas had done a similar thing. Merely uncomfortable at the unfamiliar close proximity.

"Why aren't you answering?" he asked innocently, full-well aware of how close they were standing and how it made her feel. She wasn't sure of how to react.

"If you're not going to say anything," he said seriously, but couldn't hide the playful twinkle that was still dancing in his eyes. "I'm going to assume you want me to kiss you."

"You wouldn't dare," she said as a last resort. He looked at her blankly for a moment and frowned.

"I wouldn't dare, huh?" he echoed in dislike, the smile gone from his eyes. A dark look took its place. A dark, hungry look. It reminded her of a predator staring at its prey.

"That sounds an awful lot like a dare," he said, sounding resolute. He was standing so close now that their noses where touching and his breath was tickling her lips.

"Maybe it is?" she said resolute, holding his stare.

Oh, how she hoped he was bluffing. He stared back at her, a deep frown edged on his brow. She knew he was trying to read her, trying to find answers.

Too bad for him, she didn't know what she was thinking herself. He wouldn't find answers that way.

The tension sparking between them was stifling. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to? She wasn't sure, but she did decide that she wouldn't blame him however this turned out. A dare was a dare after all.

"Grah!" he yelled as he jumped away in defeat.

"You're crazy! How can you let a boy come that close to you?!" he said angrily as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to get rid of all the nervous energy and unintentionally mussed up his hair brilliantly. It made him look wild. "What if I had kissed you, huh? You'd be crying, and you'd blame me for kissing you, and you'd run away from me every time I'd come close... Again!"

Otto was secretly laughing behind her hand, which she could do unnoticed because Alex had turned away from her. It had created some much needed space between them.

"Oh! Hi Jessy," she heard Alex say and all laughing had instantly left her.

"Had she seen them?" Otto wondered as she followed Alex's gaze straight towards Jessy.

One look at Jessy's smug expression told her she had.

"Hey guys," she greeted while grinning. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a little surprised you actually bothered to ask. Haven't you already drawn your own conclusions?" Otto said as she glared at Jessy.

"Are you sure you want me to draw a conclusion? I clearly saw Alex trap you against a wall and kiss you," Jessy dared her to refute her statement with a smug grin on her face. "I thought I'd give you a chance to make an excuse."

Alex was shifting glances between the two of them, obviously curious to see which way this discussion would turn.

"You know this is actually none of your business, right?" Otto said with one brow raised. Her eyes were saying: no matchmaking.

"Oh, come on! This can't be counted as match-making! You did it all by yourself," Jessy laughed. "So tell me, do I have to congratulate you two on becoming an item?"

"Nope," Otto and Alex said at the same time, which made them grin brightly at each other.

"It was a dare, Jessy," Alex explained. "One I didn't finish, by the way."

"So you didn't kiss and you're not a couple?" she asked, her grin finally gone from her face.

"Nope. Just friends," Otto said.

"Damn it, girl! How long are you going to make me wait?" Jessy complained.

"You'll be waiting a while," Alex laughed. Otto laughed too, but it was strange really. Alex was saying the exact words she wanted him to say, keeping his promise loyally. But then why did she feel hollow? As if something was gnawing at her stomach?

Or maybe it wasn't her stomach... but at the very least, she wasn't ready to admit what the real cause might be.