reattachment - matt sturniolo

chapter five

"does this look alright?"

"for the thousandth time, i fathomably could not give less of a shit. you look fine in whatever, for christ's sake. just throw on something and go."

"scarlett, sometimes i wonder how you actually managed to apply for shared housing," i muttered, deciding on my last outfit and giving myself a cursory scan in the mirror. said redhead flashed me a shark-toothed grin and tilted her head.

"desperation."

i snorted and stepped back, giving one final look (and ignoring scarlett's eye roll in the background) and conceding that since i had met aaron in my morning class attire (which was...comfortable, to say the least), anything would be an upgrade at this point.

"you would care more if it were iris showing off for you," i pointed out, relishing the way her cheeks flushed...well, scarlet, before she huffed and stomped out of the bathroom, slamming the door to emphasize her feelings on that matter. i giggled and did some finishing touches.

i twirled into the kitchen, garnering a indulging smile from iris and a scowl from scarlett.

"don't wait up for me!" i exclaimed, heading out the door. i felt a small rush of excitement course through me. since starting college, i had never been one for the party scene, and even though this wouldn't be huge, it was still a huge leap for me.

and of course, there was aaron. i closed the door behind me with a giddy smile at my face.

and caught a glimpse of my new neighbor closing the door behind him. i wondered if i would ever have what i was sure would be the immense pleasure of meeting them.

i rode the elevator down and fiddled with the hem of my shirt nervously. since inviting me to the party, aaron had given me a brief overview of his friends. they all sounded like your typical colleg-age guys: reckless, booze-hoarding womanizers without a care in the world. but aaron had promised me that they were "good people," and i was inclined to believe him.

i made my way to the site of the party without any trouble and knocked on the door, shuffling my feet in anticipation.

"(y/n)! you came!" i looked up to see aaron beaming down at me, and i couldn't help the grin i gave in return. he led me inside and introduced me to his friends: jackson, tyler, xavier, and isiah, better known as zay. they had all brought their friends, who brought theirs, and so on and so forth. a couple of them had girlfriends who gave me timid waves and unexpectedly warm smiles. we chattered for a good ten minutes, and i was surprised to find that we had a lot in common and that i had been subconsciously making a mountain of a mole hill the entire afternoon. a voice called zay from the kitchen, which the group took as a cue to split off and mingle. i got quick side hugs from the girls and miscellaneous pats from the guys before being left with aaron.

"not too bad, huh?" aaron asked in a low voice. i rolled my eyes but nodded all the same. this was a group i could get used to.

the party wasn't awful, but it still definitely wasn't my home away from home. i practically stayed glued to aaron's side the entire time, but he didn't seem to mind, always finding a way to place his hand at the small of my back as we traveled from room to room, friend to friend, connection to connection. i felt a static buzz where his hand met my skin.

but after so much social interaction, paired with pounding bass and the ceaseless chattering of everyone there, i told aaron to go ahead and that i would be grabbing a quick drink.

i leaned against the wall, a bottle of water clutched in my hand, a light sheen of sweat covering my body from the heat radiating from the cluster of bodies that writhed around me. i closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe deeply. this was a new space for me, and just being there was an accomplishment. i was entering a new phase of my life, and i had to learn to let things-