Read Online The Dating Game by Natalie Standiford - Free Book Online

mouth. He didn’t respond, so she darted her tongue into his mouth.
    She vaguely sensed a tangle of limbs across the room and thought,
Good for Lina
.
    Holly and Jake were off in their own world. Walker stroked Lina’s hair while she struggled to think of something to say. If only she liked boy sports! That seemed an endless source of foolproof boy talk. She vowed to watch more baseball this year.
    “You have nice hair,” Walker said. “It’s so shiny.”
    “Thanks,” Lina said.
    “Do you put something special in it? To make it so smooth, I mean?”
    “Baby oil,” Lina replied.
    “Me, too,” Walker said. “Only it doesn’t seem to work for me.”
    This had to be a low point in the history of date conversation.
    They both found their eyes trailing over toward Holly and Jake grappling on the couch. From where they were sitting it looked pretty intense.
    Walker’s hand moved from Lina’s hair to the sleeve of her blouse. Lina stiffened. Just because Holly and Jake were going at it, she and Walker had to, too? She hardly knew the guy!
    Walker suddenly pulled her body against his and pressed her head to his chest. “Your hair smells so good.” What was it with this guy and hair? He rubbed the back of her blouse. Lina had the feeling he was groping for a way under it.
    Lina pressed him away with both hands. “Walker—”
    He immediately let her go. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said.
    “No, it’s okay,” Lina said, feeling badly now. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “It’s just, well, I’d like to get to know you better before we get into the whole makeout scene.”
    “I get you,” Walker said. “No problem.” He glanced across the room at Jake and Holly again. They were in their own world.
    “Do you think they’d mind if I turned on the TV?” Walker whispered to Lina.
    “I don’t think they’ll even notice,” Lina said.
    Jake was kissing Holly more feverishly now, getting into it. Holly began to lose herself in it, a kind of makeout amnesia. He slipped his hand under her sweater, touching the bare skin on her back. She pressed herself against him, excited.
    And then he froze. His lips went slack, his hand dropped out of her sweater, and he pulled away.
    What did she do wrong?
    “Jake?” she whispered. “You okay?”
    “Sure,” he said, disentangling himself from her. “Everything’s cool. I just thought I’d get another beer. You want one?”
    Holly watched in disbelief as he stood and went to the bar fridge. He glanced back at her, repeating his question with his eyes. Another beer?
    “No thanks,” she said. “I’ve still got some.” She picked up her bottle, warm now, and took a tepid sip. The TV was on. Lina and Walker were sitting on the loveseat, not touching, watching a Japanese cartoon.
    Jake returned with his beer. He sat on the other side of her, at the end of the couch, one whole leather cushion away.
    What just happened?
Holly wondered. He’d pulled away when she pressed herself against him. Did she come on too strong?
    Jake turned his head and smiled at her, then turned back to the cartoon. That was it. Holly didn’t feel like sticking around.
    “Hey, Lina, I guess we should get going soon,” she said.
    Lina practically leaped to her feet. “Yeah, my parents are waiting up.”
    “Oh, you have to go?” Walker seemed disappointed.
    “Yeah, you know, eleven o’clock curfew,” Holly said. She had no such thing—her parents were pretty lax—but Jake didn’t need to know that.
    The boys stood up and walked them to the front door. “See you again soon, Lina,” Walker said.
    “‘Bye,” Lina said.
    “I’ll walk you to your car,” Jake said.
    Lina and Holly walked to Holly’s Beetle, trailed by Jake. Lina got into the passenger seat. Holly leaned against the driver-side door. Jake kissed her lightly and said, “It was great to meet you. I’ll call you soon.”
    “Great,” Holly said. She opened the door and got in. “Thanks for dinner!