Louis and Sadie win the competition... and she gets recognized

As Louis’ tongue explores the inside of my mouth, I hear the photographer’s flashes go off once, twice, three times. I try to keep the turmoil off my face as obviously us kissing kept us away from Todd, but it also looked good and that was now likely our ‘couples’ photo. When Louis finally comes up for air, I take a beat to get my mind back together then start to tell him that it was just for the competition and not anything romantic. But before two words are out of my mouth the photographer steps up to us and brusquely pushes us away from his backdrop, “Hey, you don’t have to get a room, but ya can’t keep makin’ out here!”

Louis smirks, puts his arm around my shoulders, and guides us away. Everything keeps happening so fast. It’s more crowded than earlier and there’s barely room to get around people. Reaching behind me, I pull Louis’ hand from my shoulder and link our fingers together. Thankfully he understands I want to talk and turns toward me. But at that very moment, I see Todd again. He’s not looking directly at us, but he’s close. At this distance, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll recognize me. I turn away from him and end up pressed against Louis.

Louis’ hands come up to my shoulders then rub down my back, ending when they can grip my waist. I see the look in his eyes as he waits. He’s seeing if I turn away or back up, if I avoid him coming in for another kiss. And of course, he’d think I want to make out with him as we’re pressed against each other, my hands are up on his chest, and unless I back away he’s right within kissing distance. It would be the most casual thing in the world if I just turned away from him. Turn and move toward the bar or the door or a table or anywhere besides standing in the middle of this crowded room in each other’s arms. I consider doing just that, turning and seeing if Todd has moved closer when I hear his voice right behind me. He’s not talking to me, but he is still right there talking to one of the other costumed competitors, “…oh sure, I think that there are enough college kids here that…”

Hearing Todd so close makes me not want to turn at all, which gives Louis all the answer he needs. His arms pull me a little more into him as he leans forward and kisses me again. I let out a little protesting groan, but it’s lost in the din of the crowd. At the same time, I can’t deny the pleasure this is generating. Being held like this, being gently kissed, it adds up and I can feel my nipples hardening in my bra and my penis stiffening in my cage.

Louis continues to kiss me. After the initial pull of my body into his, he relaxes his grip and I feel that I could easily step out of his hands and away from the kiss. But to go where? We’re right next to Todd. He might not see me. Or he could see me and not recognize it’s me. Or he could recognize me and do nothing about it. Or he could recognize me and start up an innocent conversation. All decent outcomes that would be better than being kissed by Louis and sending the signal to him that this is exactly what I want to be happening. But then again, Todd could simply demand that I drop Louis and participate in the competition with him. He could start making out with me and manhandle me as much as he does in class. And unless I wanted him to get me royally in trouble, I couldn’t stop him from doing any of that while I’m **** to absolutely shit all over Louis’ and my friendship.

I’m not sure which I hate more. Leading Louis on or simply being kissed like a girl by him, but both are still better than risking my college career and Louis’ friendship by Todd finding out. The longer I stay compliant with Louis though, the more I have to get with it. I know I can’t simply be a limp fish and let him kiss me. At this point it would be awkward and raise just as many questions as Todd would. So, while I feel Louis’ hands slip down to cup my rear, I raise my hands up to the back of his neck and do the only thing I can. I lean into the kiss.

While I make out with Louis, I realize that there’s something magical, something so entirely feminine in this. I initially think it’s the height difference but being short, I’ve dated plenty of women that were as tall if not taller than me. I consider if it’s the size difference, but I’ve dated a few female athletes that had broader shoulders than me. Louis is clean shaven so it’s not like I’m being overwhelmed by his stubble or facial hair. And then it hits me. I’m being kissed. Yes, I’m participating in it and kissing back, but this isn’t an equal two-way street. Louis is kissing me. I’m being kissed. He’s holding me and keeping me safe, and he is distinctly kissing me. Before, I was kissing the girls I was with, but now I’m being kissed. And more than my breasts being pressed into Louis’ chest, and more than his bulge being pressed into my belly, him kissing me is the most feminizing thing about this situation.

When Louis finally pulls away from our kiss, I keep my eyes closed for just a moment and try to regroup. It’s difficult as physically I wasn’t doing anything to stop the pleasurable experience and physically, I was responding to it in kind. My heart rate is up, I have a ringing in my ears, and I feel flushed all over. When I do open my eyes, I see that Louis is looking at me with more than just physical attraction. He’s always looked at me as attractive. No, this is exactly what I was afraid of, what he more or less warned me of. He’s falling for me. He’s falling in love with me.

At that moment the DJ fades out the music and calls all the couples to his table and all the individual competitors to the bar. The games are going to begin. I want to say something to Louis, but for the life of me, I can’t think of a single thing that I could say in a crowded bar that would explain what’s going on. At least not that would keep me from deeply hurting him.

The next two hours go by in a haze. Between wanting to avoid Todd, wanting to stay close to Louis, not wanting to stay too close to Louis, and trying to blend in like any other costumed going Halloween partier, I felt like I was slowly losing my mind. We first played Pumpkin Pong. Basically, beer pong but with little trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets instead of red solo cups. Whenever someone got a ping pong ball in one of the buckets, it was removed and the other team had to do one of those harsh feeling candy corn shots. Louis and I were surprisingly good, but I still didn’t get out of that game without doing three more shots.

Next up we played Halloween themed trivia. Correct answers kept you in the game, incorrect answers eliminated you unless you took a shot. As they were only eliminating three couples in this game, no one wanted to be eliminated so there were plenty of shots to go around, including another two for Louis and me. Following that, we had to play a Halloween version of the Newlywed Game with the same shots rule as the trivia. I thought we were doomed and would be eliminated as I couldn’t take many more shots, but either Louis and I were more in sync than either of us thought or everyone else just didn’t know each other. We didn’t have to take a single drink. Finally, the last game was a couple’s dance off that was judged by some of the earlier eliminated couples. Each couple had a slow and a fast dance.

By this time, Louis’ competitive side was out fully and on display. He wanted to win, and he wanted to win bad. While we didn’t look bad dancing together, neither Louis and I were good or synchronized at dancing to fast songs. We had one of the lowest scores and were practically assured of being eliminated. But the slow dance saved us. Or cursed us, if we’re going by my estimation. When we got out to the dance floor Louis pulled me close and asked quietly “Do you wanna win?”

I wanted to leave. If we lost we were eliminated from the competition and there’s no way anybody would question us walking out. The crowd had thinned, we’d had our drinks, we’d had our fun. And most of all, Todd was still here so I just wanted to be as far away from here as possible without making a scene. But one look up into Louis’ eyes told me everything I needed to know. HE wanted to win. And all I could do with that information was grin and nod. When the music started, we took the same handholds as we had before, mine behind his neck, his on my lower back. But there was no chasteness to this dance. Louis pulled me close, and we danced body to body. My eyes never left his, but I never had to look down as I could feel his hips moving and knew exactly where I needed to move in order to stay in sync. With grips and pulls and pushes to my hand, I knew when we were turning or spinning, and we danced and danced and danced. And when the song started to fade, Louis drew my other hand up behind his neck before bringing his hand down to my waist and we kissed. The music probably faded out, but it was covered up by the deafening sound of the applause. And it went on for as long as our lips were locked which was no short amount of time.

When Louis finally broke the kiss, I was so stunned and overpowered by the moment that all I could do was keep looking at him and whisper “wow”

Our first-place finish in the slow dance more than outweighed our bad score on the fast dance and we remained in the competition. It was now down to four couples. Louis and me, a couple dressed up like top gun pilots, a Babie and Ken that looked shockingly like Margot Robbie and Ryan Gossling, and the devil and angel from earlier in the evening. I thought we were off the hook when they said we’d be judged by a pose. The crowd would see us pose and cheer, and they’d measure the noise level with a decibel meter.

But when faux Margo and Ryan got up on the stage first, I felt goosebumps rise up all over my body. They stood up there while their photo was projected on a screen above them and they had to mimic the pose from the photo. Their photo pose was Barbie hanging off of Ken’s shoulder, both of them cheesing it up for the audience. As they took their pose, looking admittedly quite adorable, the crowd cheered loudly. All the while though, I couldn’t stop wondering what photo of ours they were going to use.

Both the top gun pilots and the devil and angle couples had photo poses shoulder to shoulder without any thought into it and neither earned much cheering. Hangman and Rooster just barely beat out Lucifer and Angel, putting them in third place because no matter which they chose, our Poképose or our kiss, first and second place would be between Barbie and Ken and Nurse Joy and Brock.

Louis and I sauntered up on stage for our turn and I let out a calming breath. I didn’t have to look up to see what photo they chose, because as soon as they displayed it, the crowd started to ohh and ahh. Louis looked, smiled, and turned to me shrugging. I’d forgotten about this last bit of our costume but as Louis pulled out the paper hearts and covered his eyes, I realized it put everything on me as he was now blind. As I grip our hands together, I flip and flop between what I should do. I could move up to my tip toes like before and just barely give him a peck. Certainly, Louis would understand, and we’d still probably win. But that’s not what I did. Maybe it was the **** flowing through my system, maybe it was the relief that this was all but over now, maybe it was just my defenses being worn down and me falling into the pleasurable company of my date… but instead of keeping it chaste and family friendly, I gripped Louis’ hands tight, moved up onto my toes and kissed him. I kissed him as passionately as he kissed me after our slow dance. And again, it was magical, and we were engulfed in the audience’s cheers.

Our prizes for winning first place was $100 in cash, a coupon for 50% off on our next date to the bar, and a gift certificate to Improved Buy. And most critically, I won the most confusion I’d ever had in my life. Before tonight I was clear on how I felt about Louis. I wanted him to be a friend, a buddy, a streaming colleague, and nothing more. I wanted to spare him from getting hurt from falling for me as those feelings couldn’t ever be reflected. But as we walk out of the bar, Louis’ arm wrapped around my waist, I can’t say that anymore. I was certainly tipsy, but I wasn’t drunk so I couldn’t blame my confusion on that. I honestly was feeling something toward Louis, and it scared the living hell out of me.

I simultaneously felt like I was walking on cloud nine and falling into the gutter when we stepped out into the cool night air. I snuggle closer to Louis simply for warmth but nearly jump out of my heeled crocs when I hear Todd right next to me say “Hey congrats Joy and Brock! You guys were great!”

Louis turns us toward Todd, and I see him holding the second-place trophy he’d won in the individual competition in one hand with his arm around a girl dressed as a pretty bad statue of liberty. Of course, Louis has never met Todd before so he’s genuinely affable when he extends his hand saying “Thanks! I see that you did pretty good as well, congrats!”

For a moment I wonder if maybe this was all for naught as Todd makes no note of me whatsoever. He seems to be honestly treating us like a couple of people he just met at a party. I wonder for a moment if he’s going to ask us to hang out when he drops the charade in a way that lets me know it was the opposite. He not only knew it was me, he knew from the beginning of the night. “Hey, I won’t keep you guys as I’m sure you want to get some privacy and have some fun, but I just wanted to remind Sadie that there’s no lab this week. I tried to catch you when you walked in, but I never caught up with you. Anyway, no lab tomorrow so stay out as long as you’d like but that means twice the work next week.”

As Todd moves off and Louis guides me toward his car, I’m sure that he saw the over the top wink as just a friendly hint toward what Todd assumed we’d be doing later that night. For me though, I saw it as a reminder that I was under Todd’s thumb. And the ‘twice the work’ was likely meaning ‘twice the attention and touching from Todd’.