Cole had never been to a college party before. He never got the appeal. Cole didn't drink, not because he was a goody-two-shoes, but because he didn't get what made people want to get drunk. He was comfortable in his right mind, with full control of his body. But without that liquid confidence, Cole also had no fucking idea how to dance. Or even relax, really. After his last encounter with Rue, he'd been on edge every day. He threw himself into his work and only ever came out of his room to see a movie or get dinner with his friends. So when his buddy Austin invited him to his frat party, he knew he'd have to push Cole to come. But eventually, Cole caved, and promised to at least swing by to say hi.
Rue had been a wreck for months. It had been nearly six months since she fucked things up with Cole, but she couldn't shake him. She'd tried to get him off her mind. Every weekend since, she'd make plans to go party with her friends, to fuck a frat guy and move on. But it wasn't working. She started taking shots before classes just to make it through the day, and getting high every other night just to keep her mind off of him. But this was the time, she told herself. She was actually going to do it. Rue's roommate went home for the weekend, and her next best friend went along. Rue realized it was find someone to entertain her, or spend the night alone.
Cole showed up a little while after the party was supposed to have started, figuring that was the best time to run in and dip out. He thought Austin would probably be sober enough to remember seeing his best friend, but too drunk to remember him ever leaving. Cole made his way through the frat house, bouncing between the scattered groups of his few friends. Eventually, he landed next to Austin, who was accompanied by his girlfriend and two of her friends. Cole seemed to have dropped by at the wrong moment though, because the girls were practically dragging Austin to the dance floor. Seeing his best pal Cole, he grabbed him, and dragged him along.
Rue got back to her room after class and immediately crashed. She slept through the start of the party, waking up in a frenzy to get ready. She knew she'd be late, but figured she'd just chug a few cans down to catch up when she got there. Walking in the door, Rue almost immediately saw Cole from across the house. He was talking with a few of his friends, who used to be their friends. Her face went red, and she felt her cheeks go flush. But not a second later, one of her sorority sisters came past, drunkenly screaming her name, and dragging her into the cluster of people.
On the dance floor, Cole was a mess. Everyone around him was jumping or swaying, twirling or spilling their drinks. He was so overwhelmed. Austin laughed at him, telling him to ease up for once. Cole tried to throw an insult back, but stumbled over his words. He only half-knew half of the songs they played, and had no idea how to dance, even less so in the middle of a crowd. But just as he finally decided to say goodbye to Austin and head home for the night, Cole heard the song. His mind was yanked backwards, back to that night. The last time things felt normal for him. The night he sat in the corner of Rue's room, watching all of their friends dance around the room in a drunken buzz. Cole just laughed, watching them all make a fool of themselves. But Rue changed the song to one she had knew Cole liked, and walked over and pulled him up from his chair. She leaned against him, looking up at him and singing the words. She grabbed his hands, and playfully swayed him side to side. He hated every second of it, but he loved how happy it made her. He gave in. He grabbed her by the hips and through her hands over his shoulders, swinging her around as the rest of their friends cried out laughing at Cole for finally easing up.
The next hour was a blur for Cole. He didn't remember how or why, but he started dancing. Never would he have thought he'd end up in a place like that, let alone dancing with strangers. But there he was, and he lost himself in the music. He didn't realize how far gone he had been until someone had pushed into him, forcing him to step to the side. Turning back from the guy who pushed him, Cole looked up into Rue's big, brown eyes.
Rue fell into the party scene quickly. She had always been a social butterfly, and the exaggerated sorority girl mannerisms were second nature to her. Her sisters walked her straight to the cooler and handed her a can, then immediately fell in with a group of guys. But as they all talked, Rue couldn't keep her mind on the conversation. She found herself scanning the room, and her eyes always fell on Cole. After a few drinks and a few rotations of groups, Rue realized she hadn't seen Cole in a while. He had never shown any interest in going to a party when they were together, so she was surprised to see him there in the first place. She decided he must have gone home, and went back to her sisters with a new drink in her hand. A little while later, she found herself on the dance floor, bellowing out words to a song she didn't know with all of her girlfriends. An hour passed like that, when she felt her the open back of her shirt brush against someone's skin. She turned to see Cole, dancing like a moron, turning around to face her.
After the initial shock of seeing each other, neither of them stopped dancing. They didn't want their friends to notice anything was any different. Cole turned back to the center of his group, and Rue did the same. But she couldn't keep her gaze off of him. Cole's mind was racing, and he was incredibly aware of how often now he was being pushed to the side and straight into Rue.
After the song ended, Austin perked up, recognizing one of Rue's sorority sisters. It was then that the two groups merged into a larger cluster of micro-conversations and smaller circles of dancing drunks. Eventually, Rue came face to face with Cole again.
They didn't know how long they lasted like that. Standing there, dancing in place, paralyzed with fear. But neither of them knew who was to blame when Rue ended up against Cole's chest, dancing together.
The wall crashed as Rue slammed Cole into it. She pressed her lips against his with force, grabbing him by his face and pulling him in to her. Cole's hands landed on her hips. He spun her around, shoving her back into the same wall, and leaning in to her kiss. Her hands slid down his slim body, and reached up his shirt, tracing against his skin with her nails.
Cole pulled away, still holding Rue against the wall.
"No. We did things your way before. I'm not doing that again."
**more to come, lmk if you wanna see part 2**
