The After-Party Crasher

The crowd burst into a flurry of applause as the final chord resonated through the living room. "Thank you, everyone," the musician said, a shy smile on his face, "and thank you for coming to this party. I'm glad you all liked that song, and I think it's important that we acknowledge the inspiration behind it, as well as our reason for being here: my beautiful Eve."

        More applause filled the air as the girl beside Claire Danvers hid her face in Claire's shoulder. "Oh my god why did he say that!" Eve Rosser's voice was muffled by Claire's shoulder, and she felt tears begin to soak through her shirt. She hugged her best friend tightly and smiled up at the musician, Eve's fiancé Michael Glass.

        Claire had known Eve and Michael for years, and she couldn't have been happier about their engagement. As she watched them dance to a recorded version of one of Michael's own songs – a slow one dedicated to Eve, like most of his songs were – she saw the love they had for each other in their eyes and wished that one day, someone would look at her the way Michael looked at Eve.

        The rest of the party was loud. With the amount of alcohol being passed around, it reminded Claire of those high school parties she had never been invited to. She was always the youngest in her grade having skipped two years due to her 'freaky brain', so people thought she was too 'uncool' to attend. Surveying the people around her, she concluded that she really hadn't missed out on much.

        "Some party," a voice said beside her. She jumped and saw a pair of shoulders – oh, how she hated being short! The guy next to her towered over her by a full head, and had brown hair cut in uneven layers that didn't quite manage to look punk. He held a can of beer in his hand, and smelled faintly of it. Claire couldn't think of a response to his comment, so she simply nodded and hurried off.

        The party ended just after midnight. By then, Eve had retreated to her room with Michael at her heels, and Claire sleepily decided to clean the mess in the morning. The sun was bright overhead when she finally got out of bed, and the house was quiet. After taking a quick shower, she went down the stairs to the kitchen to make herself coffee and found a note from Eve: Gone to see off Michael at the airport and we didn't want to wake you! He says he loves you, by the way, but clearly not as much as me… I'll be back at 3 hopefully. xx Eve

        Claire couldn't stop the smile spreading over her face. Michael's music career was just taking off, and today he was flying off to Dallas to record a demo. She tucked the note in her pocket, drained her coffee cup, and wandered back into the living room. It wasn't as trashed as she expected it to be, but she'd still have a lot to do. Sighing, she went over to the downstairs bathroom to grab the cleaning supplies.

        It was hard to contain her gasp of surprise when she found the same guy who had talked to her the night before asleep in the bathtub. When he heard Claire, he moaned and sat up. "What time is it?"

        "10:30," Claire replied, still astonished. "What are you doing here?"

        "Well, I crashed your party with a friend last night – it was pretty cool, by the way – and I guess I passed out here."

        Claire was in a panic. What was she supposed to do with a (most likely) hungover guy in her bathtub? In the state he was in, she didn't know if he could even get out the bathroom door on his own. She rushed over as he tried to get out of the tub. "Let me help you."

        "Thanks," he grunted as he hoisted himself out. With his arm slung around her shoulder, Claire could tell he was trying to carry most of his own weight, but she still felt like she was being dragged along instead of dragging the guy along. "What did you say your name was again?"

        "I never did." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "I'm Claire."

        "Shane Collins, at your service…well, it looks more like you're at mine."

        Claire laughed. "It's totally fine. Are you sure you can make it out of here okay?"

        "Yeah." By now, Shane was looking a little less hungover, although it did seem like he was trying his hardest to ignore a pounding headache. They had reached the couch when Shane stumbled and said, "Nope. Not okay. Can I rest here for a while?" Without waiting for a response, he flopped onto the soft cushions and started massaging his temples.

        "I'll get some advil," Claire said quickly, rushing back to the bathroom. As she was searching, she noticed the blush spreading over her cheeks in the mirror. You've just met this guy! she angrily scolded herself. Besides, he's in no condition to be properly talking to you right now.

        When she returned, Shane hadn't moved at all. "Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are?" he asked as he accepted the water and the pills Claire offered him.

        Okay, he was definitely hungover. Claire wasn't pretty; she knew that. She wasn't like Eve, with her loud, in-your-face Gothic beauty. She was just plain, ordinary Claire. Shane saw the doubt in her expression and persisted, "You really are, I mean it. I'm not hungover." He winced as another headache surged through him. "Okay, maybe a little."

        "You should probably get more rest," she said, not looking at him. "I have to clean this place up anyways."

        That was how she spent the rest of her morning and the beginning of her afternoon, cleaning up after the party and periodically making sure Shane would be okay. When she took a break for lunch, Shane joined her for chili and she found that he was remarkably easy to get along with, unlike a lot of the other guys she had interacted with in the past except for Michael.

        It was 2:30 when Claire gently told him, "I think you should go. My roommate will be back soon and I don't know what she'd say about you being here."

        Shane heaved himself off the couch. He looked better than he had when Claire had first found him. "Thanks for taking care of me," he said as Claire walked him to the door. She smiled sheepishly and held it open for him. Sunlight shone through the doorway and onto Shane, making him look like he was glowing. Perhaps it was impulse or the clinging remnants of his hangover – Claire couldn't really tell – that made him step up to her and kiss her lightly. It was a sweet kiss, and she got up on her tiptoes, yearning for more.

        He pulled away after what felt like way too short of a time and smiled at her. "So…do you wanna meet up again sometime?"

        Claire couldn't say "yes" fast enough.