It's past 12 in India so Imma sing now. Stop complaining, PC ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR PAIGEEE (tugalicious)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!

Have an awesome sweet 16 my amazing, sweet, cute, awesome, hot—

Okay, you get my point. HAVE A FANTABULOUS YEAR AHEAD! *Kisses*

It's amazing to think that we've been friends for so long. (4 years! I've never had a real life friend that long. So the award goes to you tugalicious!!!! I seriously hope that this lasts and that I wish you in all your birthdays till the end of time. <3

P.S. DEDICATED TO tugalicious!!!! :P

~

Chapter 15 - "I'm Here Because I Want To Get Rid Of My First Kiss,"

(IMPORTANT NOTE: I'VE PUT THE MEANINGS OF SHAKESPEAREAN STUFF IN BRACKETS BECAUSE THOSE LINES ARE REALLY COOL. PLEASE READ THEM!)

"Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting. Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting. I will withdraw: but this intrusion shall now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall." Tybalt—Ronan Mitchell finished in a parting manner, and the two of them—him and Logan something who was playing Capulet—turned to look at Mrs. G once the lights dimmed.

There was an expectant silence as everyone twisted around to look at Mrs. G as well, who stood up with a solemn expression on her face and took off her glasses with a sigh.

Then she cracked a tiny smile.

"Well done, everyone. We'll start with Page 5 of Scene 5 on Monday."

Tatum grinned as well, unrolling her script to turn to the next page and glance at it. She knew she should've already learnt her lines for more scenes by now, but she'd been a little occupied by conflicting thoughts the previous few days and had forgotten about reading lines completely.

When her eyes met the first few lines on the paper, her jaw fell open in shock.

Because the next scene was when Romeo and Juliet first met and kissed.

Damn it. She couldn't believe that it had slipped her mind. She'd been under the impression that she'd have to worry about all that when Romeo snuck into Juliet's room after they got married. Their first kiss hadn't been something she'd thought about.

"You ready to go?" Angier asked from beside her, and Tatum didn't bother to turn and check if he was talking to her. There was a 99% chance that he was talking to Francesca, so she didn't see the point in doing so.

"Yeah, babe." She heard Francesca's voice answering, and yep, there it was, she'd been right.

Sometimes, no matter how petty the thought was, she wished she were wrong.

"Um, Fran, I—uh, I was asking Tatum," Angier mumbled hesitantly, and that finally pulled Tatum out of her confusion.

"Oh, you're not coming by, tonight?"

"Um, no. It's just that—um, I have to go home sometime, right? My mom doesn't mind, but still. I can't even use the excuse that we're a newly-Mated couple, anymore." Angier shrugged as he glanced at his Mate nervously, and Tatum wondered why he was acting so unsure and uncomfortable around her. It wasn't like she was some stranger he was dating randomly and wondering if they fit.

They already knew that they were a perfect fit, for Goddess' sakes.

"Angier," Tatum intercepted before Francesca could reply, making the duo turn their gazes to her, "I—I have to do something real quick. It'll probably take fifteen minutes tops. So if you're going home tonight, wait by the car, 'kay?"

Tatum turned around to leave, but Angier grabbed her elbow to stop her, "Why can't I come with you? It'll be boring waiting in the empty parking lot."

"It's a girl thing," Tatum raised her eyebrows and that made Angier drop his grip quickly with a nod, "Alright, alright. I'll wait."

"I'll wait till she's done," Francesca suggested with a smile, and Angier bit his lip quickly as if he was about to say no, but shrugged with a polite smile, "Cool, now it won't be so boring."

Tatum ignored the strange vibe the couple was giving off, not in the mood to think about that or analyze their situation right then. She had more important things to worry about.

~

"Open the door!" Tatum called hurriedly, banging on the wood in a frenzy.

"Just a minute!" She heard Micajah yell from behind the wall and then there was a muffled curse, followed by a series of thumping noises as if someone was jumping on the ground.

He probably hurt his foot trying to disentangle himself from the sheets.

It wasn't hard to guess what the horny Alpha couple was up to, considering that this was Seneca's room and her Mate was in there with the door locked.

"Yes, what's the matter?" Seneca questioned by way of greeting as she opened the door and leaned against the door frame, running her hands through her mass of ruby curls to try and straighten them. Her clothes were pretty rumpled and combined with the dark flush on her cheeks, she was the picture of someone who'd been côckblocked.

Tatum couldn't find it in herself to feel sorry about that right now.

"Never mind the hair. It's obvious what you were up to. I'm here because I want to get rid of my first kiss," Tatum let out in a rush of words, her fingers tightening automatically on the script she was still clutching in her hands.

"Um, what?" Micajah mumbled as he joined the two of them near the door, trying to clean his glasses with the end of his tank top, "Seriously, what?"

"Just look at this!" Tatum shoved the script at a completely discombobulated Seneca's chest, turning to face away from them in frustration as she held her forehead and ran a hand through her end-of-the-day messy hair exasperatedly, "It's going to happen on Monday in front of everyone and I can't let that happen!"

"Oh," They chorused as they read Act 1, Scene 5, page 5, where Romeo and Juliet flirt shamelessly and kiss twice.

Twice, yep. The universe must hate her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Two rooms down, Ezra opened his door and looked at the three people standing there in confusion, probably wondering what was so important that Tatum had to come in person and disturb them.

Well, this was definitely important enough.

"HA!" Micajah exclaimed as soon as he spotted him, "Ezra can get rid of it for you. Come on, brother. Just kiss the woman and get it over with. After all, you love stealing first kisses," He smirked, making his brother roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Ew," Tatum interrupted before they could discuss the prospect any further, "Listen, guys. He's Mated and even if he isn't, I wouldn't kiss a friend."

"Uh-huh," Ezra raised his eyebrows suggestively, making kissy faces, "She wouldn't kiss a friend. Except for her best friend,"

Tatum went dark red at that, "That—That's different!"

"Yeah, definitely. Has the potential to cause a boatload of pain," Ezra shrugged with a playful grin, and Tatum shook her head, sighing, "Look, guys. I know, okay? I just—I don't want my first kiss to be a spectacle, and I don't want to mess it up onstage and be called out by Mrs. G, because then she'll just make me do it again and again." She sighed again, turning to Ezra challengingly, "And you're one to talk. Because even if I'm ready to kiss you—which I never will be, I doubt you can do that to your Mate and say that it doesn't matter."

Ezra blushed a little at that as he grinned, "True that."

"So yeah, I'm going now 'cause Angier's waiting. But I'll call you the moment I reach home," She jabbed a finger at Seneca threateningly, indirectly warning her to not go back to frickle-frackling with her Mate, "You better have found a solution for my problem."

With that, she turned around and walked away, leaving them staring at the stranger she'd become with wide eyes.

What can I say? I'm proud of my own self, too.

~

Angier was frustrated. He'd kept on hoping that Tatum would try and bring the subject up, or at least look concerned or worried about it, but it looked like she didn't give two shits about it.

As she should be.

But unfortunately, worry kept eating at his insides and on the ride home, when Tatum switched on the stereo and started singing some pop song from where she'd left it off the last time, he thought he might burst.

"Yeah, so tell me girl if every time we to-o-uch, you get this kind of ru-u-sh, baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,"

"Tatum . . ."

She ignored him and continued obliviously as if she hadn't heard him, "If you don't wanna . . . take it slow, and you just wanna . . . take me home, baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,"

He had no idea since when she started liking boy bands this much.

"And let me kiss you," She hummed along with the guitar music as she bounced on her seat and Angier's stomach dropped at the lyric, "let me kiss you, let me—"

Angier reached forward and hit the 'off' button with extra force than necessary, because that song? It was hitting a bit too close to home.

"What? I was enjoying it!"

"And I'm trying to talk to you!"

There was an awkward silence, and then Angier cleared his throat, "Listen, Tate . . . about Monday . . ."

"Hm?' Tatum carried on being unconcerned as her eyes remained fixed on the road, and Angier wondered if maybe she had kissed someone already and had just not told him about it.

Although, he liked to think that after such an important first-time had happened in her life, Angier was important enough to her that she would've definitely told him about it, and that he would've seen the signs on her face and known that something had happened. Enough to prod the hell out of her and know the truth.

"We, um, you know that we'd have to kiss, right?" His heart did a strange lurch at that thought, and it was all he could do to shove it away.

Tatum was silent. Her posture was stoic and she looked to be absolutely indifferent. Angier was almost about to fall for the facade when suddenly, he noticed the tiny tightening of her grip on the steering wheel.

So, not as collected as she pretended to be then.

Good to know.

"Yes." Was the curt reply he got.

"And . . . you're okay with it?" Angier prodded further, hoping to get a reaction out of her.

No such luck, "Why would I not be?"

"Um," He didn't know whether or not he would offend her by mentioning it, but then decided to hell with it, "Won't it be your first kiss?"

There was a hitch in her breath as her chest rose, and Angier knew that he'd been right. She hadn't hidden anything from him. The realization brought a sense of satisfaction that settled down the nervous flutter in his chest.

"Don't worry," Tatum paused, poking her tongue on the inside of her cheek as she considered her words, "I'll remedy that situation before Monday rolls around."

Say what, now?

"What?" Angier almost growled the question out with the sudden rage consuming him, and he had to stop a second to breathe and control the violence surging from inside, "What—what do you mean? Remedy how?"

"That's not been decided yet," Tatum's phone pinged at that moment, and she looked down quickly to read it and fixed her gaze back on the road—yes, that would be a gross mistake if she were human, but since she obviously wasn't, it took her less than a second to read it and she rolled her eyes at whatever she'd just seen, "Looks like I'm going pub crawling tonight as the first attempt."

First freaking attempt? What was she, going to write a freaking exam?

So many inappropriate thoughts and suggestions—really serious ones—ran through Angier's mind at that moment that he had to force himself to stay silent and say the only one that sounded reasonable, out loud, "Whatever happened to Louis? Surely, he's a better option than some random stranger?"

"Um," Tatum kept her eyes stubbornly on the road, but Angier felt like now it was more out of awkwardness than anything, "I . . . It doesn't feel right. Besides," She swallowed, glancing at him quickly with an unreadable expression, "I can't go on my first ever date out of an obligation to get this over with. At least that has to be real. I think I owe myself that."

Oh, Tate . . .

"Your first date has to be special, Tate-bear," Angier mumbled, feeling a heavy tightness in his chest, "It being just real is not enough,"

"You're saying that 'cause you're my friend," Tatum shot him a fond smile, "Plenty of teenagers go on their first dates by middle-school. And I'm sure more than 90% of their dates sucked. So."

"One, they go out with horny teen boys who don't care about anything except sex. Two, they didn't endure even a thousandth of the pain you had to, granted they have other troubles in their lives, but still. And three, rarely—yeah okay, that's not important, now. What I mean is, you deserve that much."

Angier could see Tatum swallowing down emotion visibly, "Thank you," Her voice was thick with tears, and in a moment of impulse, Angier reached forward to intertwine his fingers through hers.

Tatum glanced at his hand in surprise and tried to pull away, but Angier tightened his grip, refusing to let go. She then seemed to hesitate a little bit before finally relaxing, letting their hands rest in the middle.

At that moment, Angier was struck by the alarming thought that this — the perfect fit of their hands like they were made just for the other person— this is what being with your Mate should feel like.

And for the last five minutes, till they reached his house, they stayed like that.

~

Tatum was almost done with her eyeliner when Angier breezed past her open door without even a cursory knock like he always did.

The action felt so foreign for a second, yet so familiar, like there wasn't a new person in their lives driving an invisible wedge between them. It was almost like old times when it was just the two of them and their strange friendship. She ignored the urge to ask why he was there all of a sudden after she'd come to a conclusion that he wouldn't ever be back in her room now that he had a Mate, and pretended like it was just a normal evening.

"Hitting The Escape first?" Angier questioned nonchalantly as he laid back on her bed, placing an arm behind his neck to prop his head up as he watched her finish on the eyeliner.

"Yeah,"

Tatum didn't ask how he knew, because it was obvious that he'd spoken to one of the three in the Mordecai trio who were the only ones accompanying her that night, "Done with the script already?"

"Yep, easy-peasy." It was clear to Tatum that he wanted to say something else, and was trying to bring it up. She didn't want to make this easier for him, so remained silent as she grabbed the tube of pale lipgloss and applied it as the finishing touch.

She checked her reflection in the full-sized mirror, running a hand across her sides as she took in the simple halter-neck LBD she was wearing. It was modest, yet sexy, and showed the right amount of skin—but more on the conservative side. Just the way she preferred. She wasn't daring enough to toe that line between slutty and sexy yet. "How do I look?"

"You're asking me? This Romeo who has profaned with his unworthiest hand?" Angier smirked as he pushed himself up and joined her in the mirror, standing behind her to meet her eyes in the mirror.

Ah, A reference to his first line in the next scene:

'If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.'

(Your hand is like a holy place that my hand is unworthy to visit. If you're offended by the touch of my hand, my two lips are standing here like blushing pilgrims, ready to make things better with a kiss.)

Her heart jumped slightly at the romance in the next few dialogues, but she ignored it.

He wanted to play the 'who knows the script better' game?

Fine, you're on, Angier.

"Good pilgrim," Tatum started with a smirk, turning back around to look into his eyes and fall into character, "You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this, For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." (You don't give your hand enough credit. By holding my hand you show polite devotion. After all, pilgrims touch the hands of statues of saints. Holding one palm against another is like a kiss.)

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" (Don't saints and pilgrims have lips too?) Angier asked innocently as if Romeo and Juliet weren't using saints and prayers as a metaphor to refer to kissing and flirting shamelessly.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer," (Yes, pilgrim—they have lips that they're supposed to pray with.) Tatum agreed, and the way her voice came out with a hint of coyness and perfectly flirty was astounding to her own ears.

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do." (Let lips touch in a kiss like hands do) Angier took ahold of her hands, and the intensity with which he was looking at her sent a shiver down her spine, "They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." (I'm praying for you to kiss me. Please grant my prayer so my faith doesn't turn to despair.)

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." (Saints don't move, even when they grant prayers.) Tatum whispered, her stomach curling in anticipation at the thought of what would happen on stage after his next dialogue on Monday.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." (Then don't move while I act out my prayer [while I kiss you] )

And then, he did something she never in a million years would've expected would happen in that moment.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

Tatum's heart spontaneously combusted at that.

~ * ~

Question: I know that you're either going, "YESSSS!" or 'NOOOOO!". Which one is it?

hating me or loving me?

Nah , I thoiught it wasn't bad.

Has everyone wished Paige-Chan on her sweet-sixteen yet? If not, please go spam her. You have my (and her) full permission. LOL. For reference, tugalicious is her account. :D :P

Hope you liked this chapter, guys! :)

IF YOU DID, PLEASE DO

VOTE, COMMENT, AND FAN! :)