Author’s note: Happy Friday eve! Lol, was given a prompt by a friend, and ran with it!
Prompt: “I shouldn’t be in love with you”
Word count: 774
“There’s always next game, Izz,” Colt laughed as Izzy adjusted herself for the hundredth time to take a shot at the solid 8 ball. She set him with a glare before her eyes fell back to the difficult task at hand. She wasn’t a terrible pool player, but she wasn’t the best either, and it seemed that tonight had been the worst night to make a bet. The last thing she wanted to do was wash the dishes, hence the reason she’d challenged Colt to a game. It was another thing to add to the list of bad decisions she’d made since meeting the MPC. She caught Colt making a ‘get on with it’ motion, and smirked up at him. Sure, they may have been poor decisions, but she couldn’t deny the results.
Izzy lined up the cue stick, closed one eye, and held her breath before bending over to strike her target. The sharp clank of the balls as they smacked together and spun towards the pocket would have been cause for a victory dance…if they hadn’t rolled into Colt’s pocket. The cue ball hoovered for the shortest of moments before it tipped over, and confirmed Izzy’s defeat. Colt nodded in the direction of the sink, his eyes sliding over to Izzy next. “How about, best two out of three?” Izzy tried, setting up a new game. Colt laughed, and Izzy felt a strange sense of accomplishment. Smirks were easy; true, unabashed laughter was much harder to come by where Colt was concerned. Not counting the times he laughed at her, of course. A thrill went down her spine and she tried to focus back on getting out of the chore. “I almost feel sorry for you,” Colt shook his head, stepping away from the game as Izzy frowned.
“How do you know I didn’t feel sorry for you and let you win?” she countered, slowly making her way to the daunting pile of dirty dishes that awaited her. The sour stench made her shudder, and she refused to admit she was hoping he’d be a gentleman and help her out. “Who knew Izzy Parker was such a sore loser?” Colt tsked. Izzy turned the faucet on and ran some water over her hands. A mischievous smile lit up her face, and she ran to him, flicking her fingers to shower him with cold water. “Hey!” Colt tried dodged, but Izzy tackled him instead, hopping up on his back in one fluid motion the moment he faced away from her. Caught by surprise, his legs buckled under her weight and they both fell down in a heap.
Izzy cracked up into his shoulder, unsure what had possessed her to behave this way. “I… shouldn’t be… in love with you,” Izzy gasped between words, unable to take full breaths before she toppled over laughing again, clutching her fast aching side. Colt looked over at her in bewildered amusement and something very close to awe. When she’d finally calmed down, hand pressed to her forehead, she caught Colt looking at her strangely. She copied his expression, tilting her head in exaggeration.
“What?”
“So you’re in love with me?”
Izzy scoffed, watching as Colt stood and offered his hand to help her up. “Maybe. Don’t let it go to your head,” she waved it off, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Her crippling honesty would be the death of her. She hadn’t even registered the words, what between landing on the ground like a sack of potatoes and her extreme fit of laughter that followed.
Pulling her upwards, Izzy didn’t move her hand away from Colt’s grasp. Colt’s fingers loosened, but he didn’t let go either. He watched as Izzy, face flushed from before, anticipated him, her eyes falling shut as he leaned into her touch. He tucked a loose curl behind her ear, capturing her lips in a kiss. She tasted of the vanilla chapstick she wore, and Colt knew he’d forever associate the smell of vanilla with Izzy. He pulled back far too soon, returning her shy grin with a lazy smile of his own.
“Those dishes aren’t gonna wash themselves,” Colt snickered, and Izzy’s jaw dropped, a far departure from the genuine care in her bright eyes. She shot him the nastiest glare, slapping his shoulder in retaliation before stalking off. “Like I said, apparently. I shouldn’t be in love with you,” Izzy muttered, returning to the sink. “But you are,” Colt shrugged, sticking his hands in his pocket as he left her to the task. There was no way he’d admit it just yet, but maybe he was in love with her too.