by C L Walker
We walked back out and surveyed the area, I figured that he was looking for Ashley and unfortunately, I was looking for Micah.
“I’m going to look for Ashley, are you coming with?” he asked when he couldn’t spot her.
I looked down at the bonfire and shook my head. “I’m going to see who is hanging out down there, but I’ll send her up if I see her.”
He gave me an encouraging smile and was on his way.
I took the stone path through the garden down to the fire pit that sat off to the left of the path. There were no lanterns once I stepped off and made my way down another small hill, so the area was lit only by the fire and the stars.
A sensual instrumental started blasting from the speakers as my feet hit the sand, and at the same moment as I glanced beyond the fire, my eyes met Micah’s.
The flames appeared to lick at his body from where I stood on the other side of the fire and I was struck by how devious he looked in the light.
How fitting, demon boy.
The fire warmed my skin, and as I watched it dance in his eyes, I began to feel a different kind of heat.
I was mesmerized, I couldn’t even look away after his eyes left mine in favor of paying attention to the girl who was dancing in front of him.
She was wearing a pink dress, white cardigan and even though she looked like Micah’s opposite, she was the kind of girl I imagined him with. A girl that looked like she came from money and a good family.
I realized I had been staring for long enough to be entirely obvious when a small smirk shown on his face as his gaze found mine again. As he watched me, he brushed aside her hair before he bent to whisper in her ear which bothered me for some reason.
I felt like I was trapped in place, I couldn’t look away from him as he began to walk slowly towards me. A feeling flickered inside of me with every step that he took, a feeling that only he gave me, that I was tired of not embracing.
I held my breath as he stopped just shy of touching me and looked down into my face with liquored eyes.
I had never consumed alcohol in my life, but I was sure that what I was feeling was as intoxicating as the most potent of liquor. I felt his presence as if it were a liquid fire that burned its way down to my belly and warmed me from the inside out.
Knowing what he was changed nothing, my confusing feelings for him weren’t so easily spooked, and since he saved me, they were even worse.
“I thought you didn’t come to parties,” he said in a low tone.
I smelt whiskey on his breath, normally alcohol smelt repulsive to me but not on him, on him it smelt nothing short of tempting.
With the way he was looking at me as the wind skimmed my heated flesh, and the fire burned brightly beside us setting the mood impeccably, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might taste like on his lips.
His lips.
I wanted to kiss Micah.
But I hated him…right? And yet I felt overwhelmed by the sudden urge to pull him closer and feed from his lips, nonetheless.
The idea was pure madness.
“Sky.” I glanced back up to his eyes as I realized that I had been staring at his mouth. “Do you see something you like?”
Hell yes.
Despite the truth I shook my head immediately. “No, of course not. There is nothing to like about you.” Except everything from his gorgeous hair, chiseled face, lush features, thick thighs… and his seductively low voice that called to me.
Normally I found guys attractive who were lucky enough to have one or two of those attributes, but he had them all and more.
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you because I know what you want.” He leaned in closer. “You’re just scared.”
I tsked. “Of what?”
“Me. Everything,” he drawled, and I tried my best to will away my goosebumps when his breath hit my face.
“I told you that I’m not scared.”
Truthfully, I was terrified of so many things, being alone in the world was the biggest of those fears and not knowing what it felt like to be loved. People scared me but at the same time I was desperate for someone to see me, to love me and to care for me. Why was that so hard for me to admit even to myself half the time?
“Bullshit you’re scared, and you know it. You come to a party and you don’t even drink. Why? Because you’re scared to let loose, you’re so afraid of being like her that you don’t know how to live.”
And just like that he added fuel to the fire and the only thing that kept me from bursting was the people nearby who likely couldn’t hear us but could see us. I wasn’t about to cause a scene with him when people had already begun to question our relationship.
“You don’t know that I didn’t drink.” Except that clearly, he does. “And how do you know what I’m afraid of?”
His smile grew wider before he leaned down to my ear, and whispered so softly against my flesh, “Because you can’t hide from me.”
My skin tingled where his lips had been after he pulled away and before I could say a word he walked away with a knowing smile on his face.
He wasn’t allowed to see right through me as it was the opposite of what I wanted, and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong.
I knew myself.
I trusted myself.
I am not my mother!
I could live and have fun and party with my peers.
I stomped back up to where everyone was crowded around the pool, found Sai, and asked him what he recommended for a drink because I was about to prove that I was in control.
“What? Why?” he asked.
“Because I’m not holding myself back anymore.”
He glanced behind me and his eyes rounded. “You talked to Micah down there, didn’t you?”
I refused to look behind me and see Micah who had obviously come into Sai’s sights. “Maybe I did.”
“And he’s pushed you to drink?”
“He didn’t tell me to drink but he called me out on my reasons for being too scared to.”
“Right, so are you ready to explain in full detail what’s going on between you guys yet?”
I looked at him like he was an idiot as I said, “I told you I hate him.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “You mentioned that many, many times.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t roll your eyes and make light of my confession.” I poked him in the shoulder. “I want a drink.”
“You’re all sorts of twisted about this guy.” He poked me back. “But okay, I’ll go with you to get a drink.”
We walked into the pool house and he started to grab bottles but then he sat them back down as he kept muttering, “Not this.”
I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to find any of them suitable for me.
“They are all pretty strong, I don’t know what would be easiest for you to get down.”
“Whiskey.” Someone offered from behind us.
Jesse and Devin both stepped inside, and Devin moved to stand beside me as he said, “It gets straight to the point and as long as you don’t go overboard, you’ll get drunk quickly and wake up feeling pretty decent tomorrow.”
“Whiskey?” I asked quietly, and I thought about the smell of Micah’s breath.
Jesse confirmed that it was the way to go, so when Sai looked to me in question, I nodded my head and that was all the encouragement he needed as he started mixing me a drink.
Thirty seconds later I had a Jack and Coke in my hand, and I told myself over and over that I wasn’t my mother and that I could control myself before I started chugging down the contents. I did it within five seconds and when I finished and took a deep breath I looked between Jesse, Devin, and Sai, and they all had their mouths wide open.
“What?” I grabbed the whiskey bottle and filled up a shot glass myself because while I had needed the recommendation as to what I should drink I was no stranger to pouring them.
Jesse laughed loudly and clapped his hands together. “
Girl, you’re a tank, color me impressed.”
Sai on the other hand looked concerned so I smiled brightly to reassure him that I was fine, I was just living a little.
I threw back the shot and scrunched up my face as the liquid burned its way down my throat.
I felt reckless, and it was delicious.
“Ahhhh.” I did a little dance as my stomach began to feel warm. “That’s so strong.”
“Get it, Bodin,” Devin said.
His encouragement reminded me of what Micah had said, that Devin wanted to get me drunk so he could get laid. I had to admit that Devin was interested in me, so I was worried that Micah might have been right.
Please don’t even try it.
Sai tried to take the glass from my hand, but I pulled it back, so he said, “Come on you’re going to get drunk if you have another. Settle for a good buzz.”
I shook my head stubbornly. “No, I want to be a little drunk. I’ll quit after this one.”
Satisfied with my answer he nodded his head and walked out of the pool house and Jesse followed behind him.
I was bouncing on my feet as I held onto the shot glass full of whiskey that I was working my way up to drinking when Micah came in. His eyes took in Devin beside me the same way they always did before they found mine.
His eyebrows shot up when he saw what I was holding and that was my cue, so I took the shot as I stared into his eyes before I slammed the glass down on the table.
I walked towards the door with Devin trailing closely behind me and when I passed Micah, I heard him say my name in warning, but I ignored him.
He was the one that pushed me there, so he had no right to be concerned with what I was doing.
Eighteen
Skylar
A little less than an hour later as I was making the rounds with Devin, chatting with people and being altogether more outgoing than I had ever been in my entire life, it all hit me. And by ‘it’ I mean the alcohol.
I stumbled but remained upright because Devin grabbed onto me and prevented my face from meeting the ground.
“Woah, you good?” he asked.
Once I was steady, I pointed to the crack in the stone. “Yep, I tripped on this guy.”
He nodded his head and followed me to a big tree that was about halfway between Jesse’s house and the lake.
I leaned against it and watched as people danced around the fire and ran across the yard laughing.
I felt good, nothing could bring me down in that moment because I couldn’t remember all the reasons I had not to be happy.
Devin situated himself next to me and I could feel him watching me, so I looked directly at him with inquisitive brows.
“I’m glad you came,” he said finally as he reached up to brush my hair out of my face.
I pushed myself off the tree with a laugh, I tried not to make either of us feel any more awkward than was unavoidable.
I had thought since he had been nothing but friendly for the last hour that he would remain that way but clearly, I was wrong.
“I am too. I’ve missed out on so much.” I didn’t mean the drinking part, just the people part.
“Bodin, I want to tell you something.”
I held my hands up and shook my head. “Please don’t, I like someone else.” The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying because it was too easy to be direct when one had liquid courage surging through their veins. “I’m sorry.”
He lowered his head with a small smile. “So, the rumors are true, and I guess that means I was too late.”
“Rumors?”
“About you and Micah.” His full lips pulled tightly against his face as he tried to smile.
I ran my hands through my hair and stumbled again. “I’ve been asked about him by a few people, but I didn’t know there were full blown rumors going around.”
“Yep.”
“Stupid Micah,” I mumbled.
As if he had been lingering in the shadows waiting for his cue, he walked towards us down the lawn and stopped in front of me. “You summoned, princess.”
“Ugh.” I turned to Devin. “I’m sorry, could we finish this conversation when I can think straight.”
He nodded his head but when he looked to Micah his smile dropped and his eyes narrowed. Micah didn’t seem to mind because he threw him a smug smile in return before he turned to me.
“How do you do that?” I asked, and I walked past Micah knowing that he would follow. “Not give a shit about anything?”
“I just do, its who I am,” he said. “I fear no man.”
Of course, he didn’t.
I stumbled in the grass and when I fell to my knees, I decided that staying there was a good idea, I have no idea why, but I suppose it was because drunken minds and all that.
I turned over and lied down on my back. “This walking business is difficult.”
“Close your legs,” he said.
I forgot I was wearing a skirt, but no one was down the hill from us since Devin had sped past us already before I fell, and the fire was to the left of us. It wasn’t as if anyone could see so I left them open just because he told me to do the opposite. I didn’t even care that if he took a few steps back he could see my underwear.
“Sky.”
I ignored him and spread my arms out and looked up at the sky just in time to see a shooting star above his head. “A shooting star,” I whispered. “Lovely.”
“You know they aren’t actually stars, right?”
“Huh?”
“They are meteors burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.” He looked up at the sky. “They are still cool to see though.”
“I’m over here having a great time and of course you saw fit to ruin it by telling me all my wishes mean nothing.”
“You know damn well stars don’t grant wishes, so I didn’t ruin anything, you’re just being a brat.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” I laughed and he smiled.
“Besides, your wishes still matter, and all your dreams will come true by another means,” he said, his tone serious.
Considering the current state of my dreams I sure hope not.
“Don’t try and save it now, you killed the romance of falling stars.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked. “Romance?”
My eyes snapped to his as I wondered if he understood my meaning. “The romance that is in everyday things such as fanciful notions, hopes and dreams? Yes, one hundred percent.”
He cleared his throat and nodded his head.
He watched me for a few minutes without saying a word and I was grateful he chose that moment of all the ones we had shared to shut up and just be.
Despite what he had said, the sky still looked like something out of a dream to me especially when it served as a backdrop for him. I imagined him in his natural state with blackened eyes as the wind kicked up his hair all around his face and swirled glittering smoke with it.
“Lovely,” I whispered again, but that time I wasn’t talking about the sky.
He gave me a curious look, so I closed my eyes to let him know that if he asked me about it, I wasn’t going to entertain the question.
A minute later I heard voices coming closer and before I had time to close my legs and push down my skirt, I was grabbed by the waist and hoisted up against his body.
“If you won’t close your legs then I will close them for you.” He let me slide down the front of his body.
“I can’t get over how strong you are.”
He laughed.
“I would have sat more properly before they passed you know,” I said, once I remembered why he had grabbed me in the first place. “And I don’t understand why you are so concerned about people seeing my undergarments.”
He stepped back from me but said nothing.
“Wow, you are so unfair,” I said. “You always walk away whenever it’s your turn to be exposed. But you’re relentless when it’s about me.” I brushed my ass off and turned
around to go back up to the pool area.
“There is a time and a place for everything,” he said firmly behind me. “Now is not the night for this conversation.”
“Oh, please. Don’t hand me anymore of your bullshit.” I clenched my fists and stomped across the grass for the second time that night. “Let me know when you are ready to show me something real.”
He snorted at my outburst. “You act as if you didn’t just find out something about me that no one outside of my family knows.”
“That doesn’t count, that has to do with what you are physically, and it has nothing to do with who you are on the inside.”
He grabbed my wrist, pulled me back into his chest, and wrapped an arm around my waist.
“What are you doing?” I asked, shocked at how wonderful it felt to be pinned so firmly against him.
“You want to see something real? Because I’ll give you something real right now.” His eyes searched mine as his fingers curled into the flesh on my back.
I swallowed hard and when he looked down at my lips, I got the hiccups.
He pushed me back softly and looked away with a sigh. “You’re drunk, none of this means anything to you right now.”
I didn’t know if the hiccups saved me or ruined the moment. I was sure he was about to kiss me, and I was equal parts curious about what his lips would feel like against mine and terrified that I might like it too much.
“It wouldn’t mean anything either way,” I said, and I ignored the look he gave me that said otherwise.
I left while I had the chance instead of waiting for him to respond, and I went on a search for water so I could try to get rid of my hiccups and hydrate.
Once I finished my water, I got coaxed into playing beer pong with Jesse.
Thankfully, I won and only had to have one glass of beer because if I drank anymore, I would be the kind of drunk that wasn’t fun.
After that was over, the commencement of seven minutes in heaven was announced, of which I had forgotten all about. Seeing as how I was a little drunk it didn’t sound as scary to me anymore.
