Teach Me How to Dougie

By the time Holly got home, about five minutes after Dougie had left, I was still in a daze. I had moved from the doorway to the kitchen, leaning against the counter and drinking a glass of water. I barely heard her open the door, come into the apartment, and set her keys on the counter, only realizing she had come home after she waved her clapped her hands in an attempt to get my attention.

"Helloooo! Earth to Chloe!" She gave me a weird look as she grabbed a cup and poured herself a glass of water, as well. "What's going on? You seem super out of it."

I shrugged, bits and pieces of my time with Dougie crossing my mind. I barely suppressed a smile.

Holly took her water and walked over to the counter adjacent to me, maintaining a fair distance but mimicking my pose.

"You never responded to my text after reading it... Is everything okay?"

My mind flashed back to Holly's text, which led me to think about Dougie, which made me think about Dougie's lips on my-

"HEY! CHLOE! What are you not telling me?!" I wiped the smile off of my face because I was starting to feel bad. I placed my glass on the counter and lifted my hair into a ponytail, letting it back to my shoulders quickly. I always played with my hair when I was thinking about something or nervous. I didn't think anything of it, until I saw Holly nearly choke on the gulp of water in her mouth and raise her eyebrows.

"WHAT is that on your neck?! OH MY GOD?!"

My eyes widened and I ran to the closet, narrowly avoiding Holly's outstretched arm in its attempt to grab me. I lifted my hair off of my neck again, turning my head slightly to the side.

Right on the two spots that Dougie had been OH so attentive to, the side of my neck and on my collarbone, were two quickly developing hickeys. I'd never gotten one before, and the prospect that I would have some after being with Dougie hadn't even crossed my mind. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows and cover my mouth, laughing in amusement at both the situation and Holly's reaction.

"Huh, I guess that explains the tenderness on my neck." I kept staring at myself in the mirror, turning slightly to see my marks at a different angle.

"Ooh, my roommate got sommeeee! OMG why didn't you tell me you had a date?! You should have told me! Who was it wi-" Holly stopped speaking.

I turned around and stared at Holly, noticing that she was working something over in her mind. I could almost hear the sound of the gears in her brain clicking.

"No. You-" She laughed, amused and shocked. "It was Dougie, wasn't it?"

I smiled and grabbed her hands, jumping up and down excitedly, which she joined in with after a few moments.

"CHLOE AND DOUGIE SITTING IN A TREE. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Holly sang as she danced and jumped with me.

"Ugh, shut up!" I suddenly snapped back to reality. I walked over to the couch and sat down, Holly joining me.

"You need to tell me EVERYTHING. Was he a good kisser? How far did you go? DID YOU LOSE YOUR VIRGI-"

"Shut up, Holly!" I slapped her arm jokingly. "We didn't have sex, JEEZ."

I proceeded to launch into a detailed account of what had happened during my date with Dougie. Holly gasped and provided commentary at all the right moments. I blushed and smiled while recounting some of the details. By the time I was done, Holly was smiling like a crazy person and clapping her hands.

"You are my hero. My roommate, Chloe Reynolds. Hooking up with Dougie Fucking Hamilton."

I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, he's a really normal guy, actually." I sighed. "Besides, it was probably a one time thing. I was probably just in the right place at the right time. He can have any girl he wants, so why would he want me?"

I honestly wasn't trying to be so self-deprecating. I had an okay self-confidence. I mean, I knew I was not horrible-looking and I liked my appearance most of the time. But, I was definitely not the type of girl hockey players would usually go for. I mean, I had never even gotten the attention of a player at my school, let alone one in the NHL. Of course, I knew that these players were actual people and of course had feelings and personalities of their own, so making generalizations about them was stupid. But I couldn't deny the fact that I was nothing like the stick-thin, blonde-haired beauties often seen on the arms of guys like Dougie.

As much as I liked to think that I'd see Dougie again, I had this horrible feeling in my stomach that I wouldn't. He was busy going to games and practices and, ya know, being a PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYER. It was probably a one and done deal.

But then again, part of me thought maybe I would be seeing Dougie more than just once. I had seen that nervous, "normal" look on his face during a few of our interactions, that look that reminded me more of an anxious twenty-one year old than a successful professional athlete. I had seen someone whose face lit up as he talked about his favorite movies and TV shows while we made our Netflix selection. I had genuinely felt happy talking to him, and he seemed to be pretty happy, too.

And, of course, I couldn't deny the physical chemistry. I had never kissed someone like that. Dougie was so passionate and yet so respectful at the same time. He reacted to each movement I made, as I did to his, and never made me feel uncomfortable or rushed. He certainly knew what he was doing and managed to be incredibly sexy while still being sweet. He was so gentle as he kissed me goodbye and I could immediately picture him kissing me like that again and again.

Holly gripped my hand, looking me in the eyes. I could tell she knew I was feeling a little down about the situation.

"Hey, don't worry. If this was a one time thing, then you've got a cool story to tell your kids one day".

I couldn't help but laugh at that one.

"But if it wasn't just a one time thing, then you could really have something here. Maybe it'll develop into something great. Who knows? What happens happens, but you shouldn't stress yourself out trying to analyze everything."

I nodded, feeling a little bit better about myself and giving Holly a quick hug. I looked over her shoulder, right at the poster Dougie had noticed earlier, which made me laugh.

"Speaking of the devil, I think I may have surprised him with our decor."

Holly turned around and laughed, staring at the poster.

"Hey, if you don't manage to scare him off with your crazy love of hockey, you've been successful."

She had a point there, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, can't deny that."

Notes