11Smoking is Hazardous to Health
Summary: The one thing she hated was the one thing that gave her the courage to do the unthinkable.
Sucking on the cancer stick in my hand, I looked at my best friend for eleven years and smiled when I saw the look on her face. I dragged the smoke out slowly out of my pursed lips and licked them. My lips.
"They're called cancer sticks for a reason, Robbie." Faith Velasquez commented with a roll of her eyes, looking away.
I took another deep suck on my cigarette and blew it into her face. Her arms flailed haphazardly around her face, coughing up something bad. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, you jackass? Passive smokers die faster than the smoker himself, fucker."
"Tsk, tsk. Faith Velasquez…mind your language." I chuckled slowly as I put my hands around her arms. She shoved me and went stumbling off the stone bench we were on. Faith was a strong girl; she trains with a professional judo master six days a week, I rest my case.
I laughed loudly before resetting myself beside her on the bench. "Those things will kill you, Rob." Her tone was a bit soft this time and I knew she was serious. It wasn't that I didn't know about the consequences but come on, we're gonna die anyway sooner or later, right?
"What is your problem with it? You're not allergic to it so what…" before I could continue, Faith cut in with a deep frown on her slightly freckled face. A face I often dream about at night only to have her running away from me. Which is ironic since I did mention I dreamt of her face. Inner monologue over and out.
"I just gave you what…the MAIN reason why I have a problem with it and you're still asking that retarded question?"
"We're all gonna die anyway—"
"Yeah, well excuse me for wanting to let my friend for eleven fucking years to live longer so that I can—you know what? Forget it. I'm leaving." She grabbed her books and shoved them into her patchwork bag as she stood up to leave. There was a catch in her voice I couldn't help but overhear and I didn't want her to leave before explaining about that.
"So that you can what, V?" I grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away.
"Let me go, Robbie." Faith struggled against my hold, but despite her judo training, I was still stronger than her.
"Not until you tell me what you wanted to say."
"Why do you want to know so much, huh? You haven't really given me much attention these days, Robbie." There was that catch in her voice again.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned, loosening my grip just a little.
I sensed Faith weakening her strong front as she faced me. Her dark green eyes seemed to have lost the sparkle and she suddenly looked really tired.
"You want to know what I was going to say?" her voice was surprisingly as hard as ever, despite her appearance. Without waiting for my nod, she barrelled on. "So that I can do this." She swooped down and placed her lips on mine. Surprise didn't cover what I was feeling as the cigarette fell from my fingers. I clumsily stood up and pushed Faith away from me.
"Hey…" an almost shy expression clouded Faith's perpetual frown. Her lips were slightly parted, lilting at the edges.
My hand made its way to her neck as I pulled her towards me, our lips crushing against each other.
Holy mother of…I'm kissing my best friend. Faith Velasquez whom I have seen naked on several occasions and laughed at as I threw her into mud puddles. Faith Velasquez who gave me a frog for my eighth birthday after she found out that I had a slight phobia of amphibians. Faith who had incredible lips and hands buried in my hair, pulling me even closer, leaving no gaps between us. Holy mother…
How can a kiss be gentle and demanding at the same time?
This time, she was the one who pulled away. I put my forehead against her cool ones and noted that both of us were breathless. "I want to be able to do that without the taste of nicotine in my mouth." She said between intakes of breath.
"That can be arranged." I said before giving her a gentle kiss.
Cold turkey or not, smoking is in my past now.