The Party
Shot Two
As soon as I was alone, I ripped my clothes off. The cool breeze in the room instantly soothed my skin. I walked over to the wardrobe and had a look inside. Would his sister really be okay with a total stranger wearing her clothes? I didn’t really have much choice, there was no way I could put my jeans and t-shirt back on and I sure as hell wasn’t going to go back out there naked. I giggled a little at the thought. What would Cole’s face look like if I did that?
Stop it Ari. He is a creep and a sleaze. I opened the cupboard doors. Oh no.
He never told me his sister was a whore. There was miniskirt after miniskirt, with thongs to match each one, and I wouldn’t even call it a top beside them. There was less material than on a bra. I pulled open the drawers frantically trying to find something presentable. I couldn’t go back into my old clothes, even the thought of them was making me feel itchy. But there was no way I was going to go out looking like a cheap whore.
Eventually I found something. It was a pink dress with a satin trim. Maybe something a slutty barbie would wear, but luckily because I was so short and flat it wasn’t too revealing on me and I thought I could just about get away with it. Pink really isn’t my colour, I don’t do girly clothes at the best of times but hot pink was far too ditzy for me. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get my pants on. I tried, I really did but it felt like knives were pressing into my skin rather than the soft cotton. It’s uncomfortable enough just wearing my bra but I was not going to show my nipples off to everyone through this thin fabric.
I left the room pretty sheepishly, knowing that Emma had never seen me to wear something like this. I had never worn something like this. But she was deep into a conversation with Muscles and it looked like I was the last thing on her mind.
It might have been the beer and the shots talking, but I finally felt able to mingle a little. I walked up to the guy with the floppy hair since he seemed to be pretty much as alone as I was in this whole place. Plus it didn’t hurt that he was cute. He was leaning against the side wall drinking his beer and watching the party.
“Cool party isn’t it? Different.” Lame. You can’t think of anything better than that?
“Yeah it’s quieter than last year though. They have more flats in this building this year.”
“That can be good though. Makes it more intimate.” I smiled and leaned against the wall beside him. Was I… flirting? God Ari, three drinks and your already chatting up the guys. You have a problem.
Right on cue, Cole came by with two beers.
We chinked the bottles against each other. “Alex”.
“Ariel”. He was so close I could smell his aftershave. It was like a walk through the woods. I could feel that warmth again below my stomach. I tried to ignore it.
When Cole set out the second set of shots I felt really nervous. I did have to get up early tomorrow and I had already had more beers than I meant to tonight. But Alex took my arm and led me over. It was such a shock to feel him that I almost melted. These shots were purple, and looked like they would glow in the dark if the lights turned down. They weren’t quite flourescent, but there was certainly something mystical about them.
“Right, this set of shots will have two victims. Choose wisely.” He looked at me with that wolf grin, his teeth glinting while his eyes bore through me. Alex picked up two shots and tried to hand one to me. I was about to refuse, but his hand brushed against mine as he handed me the shot and a spark ran through me, starting at my hand but running straight down. My heart raced and my head felt fuzzy. He clinked his glass against mine and we downed the shots. Sweet and fruity. Blackcurrant juice. Alex smiled.
“Safe again.” I looked over to Emma and saw a familiar flush on her cheeks, the way she always got if she had a shot any stronger than fruit juice.
“I see you there girly,” Cole pointed to her. “I was the second victim this time. High five for booze brothers!” Emma gave him an enthusiastic high five, and didn’t seem at all affected by his touch. Cole must have been right, it was silly to blame one little shot on how I was feeling.
I leaned back against the wall and decided to relax a bit. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and my dress wasn’t that bad. It was a little shorter than I would have liked but it was nice to dress like a girl for a change. I loosened up and chatted with Alex. He seemed a pretty cool guy, he was a philosophy student, and it was really interesting to have some deep, meaningful debates with someone at a flat party. Even though I was pretty sure at this point that the shots were harmless fun, I kept glancing over at Emma just to make sure she was okay. Her and Muscles were in the corner now, they were looking at each other with an intensity that felt pornographic, as if it was nsfw just to watch their stare. Emma’s legs were spread slightly, but her eyes never left his, it was as if they were already having sex in their minds. Emma broke first and started walking at a quick pace to Cole’s sister’s bedroom, Muscles just behind.
Oh no, I couldn’t let her do something like this, something she would regret. I made a quick apology to Alex while he was in the middle of his monologue about why Whitman is overrated, and I stopped Emma just before she reached the room. “What are you doing? This is a bit far even for you.” Emma looked indignant until she met my gaze, and her eyes dropped.
“You’re right, that’s disgusting of me. There’s no rush.” Her cheeks blushed once more, this time from shame. “Sorry Jess,” she turned to the guy behind her, but as her eyes met him, her face changed once more to pure lust. She kissed him as he pushed her through the door into the bedroom. I tried to shout through to Emma but I heard the bolt as the door locked, and Emma shouted back through groans “Just, uhh, leave me—ahh!—be, Ari, I won’t be loooonnng.”
I stepped away from the door. I guess Emma has to make her own mistakes. I went to the fridge to grab a beer, and was about to sit on the chair where Emma had been, but stopped when I saw the wet patch where she had been sitting. I told myself she must have spilt her drink, and I chose to sit on the couch instead. I texted Tracy, Stephanie and Rebecca. This is such a weird party. You guys having fun? I just wanted to check that they were okay.
I nearly rolled my eyes when Cole sat down next to me. There is being a good host, and there is being an overly attentive creep. “Your friend looked happy.” I grunted in response.
“It’s okay to worry about her,” he said, as his hand brushed my thigh sending jolts through my body. “But everyone in this flat is sound. I’ve vetted them all myself.”
I found it hard to concentrate on his words when all I could feel was his hand on my thigh. But I did feel calmer. “What about us? I don’t know you and neither does Emma? How can you say we’re sound?”
He shrugged, still stroking my thigh. I felt my insides pulsing and had to clench tight. “I might not have met you in person, but I know everyone here. My invites were not random,” His thumb grazed the top of my inner thigh. No, Ari, he is a creep. Don’t forget. But my legs were already spreading slightly, as if they had a mind of their own.