limerence | COMPLETED

08

BY THE TIME THEY GET TO THE PARTY, IT'S ALREADY IN FULL SWING. Plastic cups are carelessly strewn around the long front lawn and the music booms so loudly that you can hear it halfway down the street. Inside, however, everything is even louder.

Pretty much everyone in their year is here, just like Mercy said they would be. Usually such a crowd would put Layla off but for once she kind of finds it appealing. She can be more anonymous in a packed like this, especially with people getting so drunk that they likely won't even be able to tell who is who in an hour or so.

Mercy drags the girls into the main room where everyone is dancing as soon as they orientate themselves. A familiar pop song is blasting away on the speakers, one that everyone seems to know, and Mercy starts waving her arms wildly in the air to the beat. It doesn't take long for Layla and Savannah to follow their friend's lead.

"This turned out really good!" Mercy yells over the music.

"I didn't think it would be this busy!" Savannah yells back.

When the next song comes on, there's a loud chorus of cheers and everyone starts singing along as even more people force their way through into the room. The girls laugh at the reaction but join in with the crowd's off-tune singing. Layla gives into the music, swaying her hips side-to-side and allowing herself to forget about everything else for a little while.

A couple of guys dance over to them an hour in. They offer charming, friendly smiles and Mercy is happy to oblige the blonde in joining him for a dance. It takes Savannah a bit of encouragement from the brunette before she also takes his hand to dance. Layla happily leaves them to it, gesturing to the kitchen so they know where she is.

It's a struggle to get through the crowd but luckily Finn notices her on his own way to the kitchen, and he reaches a hand through the hordes of moving limbs to drag her through. She yells out a thanks, huffing as she's yanked through another group of drunk girls.

"It's crazy here!" he exclaims, joining her in the kitchen.

Varying glass and plastic bottles of alcohol and soda are scattered across the marble island and there's some water available too, although the bottles remain untouched and are instead shoved to the very back of the counter out of the way.

Layla pours herself a non-alcoholic drink and gestures questioningly at a bottle of beer for Finn. He waves a hand dismissively. "Driving!"

"Oh, right!"

"Where's Sav and Mercy?"

"Over there," Layla tells him, pointing at the girls.

When Finn finally spots the two girls and sees Savannah dancing with the brunette, his jaw tightens. Layla has to press her lips together to hide her smile. It's painfully obvious that it isn't just Savannah who is blind to her feelings.

"Kai, hey! There you are!" Finn suddenly welcomes, turning to the kitchen doorway.

Layla follows his gaze and, for a second, she mistakes the smiling boy entering the room for him. Her heart skips, but then she realises with a start that it's not him, but Kai. Fucking God.

"Hey," Kai greets.

"Where were you? You don't really drink, you said, right?" Finn asks, handing him an unopened bottle of water.

"Just in the other room. The guys were playing beer pong and they asked me to referee it," Kai explains, gratefully accepting the water. "I'm surprised so many people came," he adds, widening his eyes in emphasis.

Finn winks. "We may be a small town but that doesn't mean we don't know how to party."

"Clearly." Kai grins amusedly before his gaze falls on Layla. "Hey," he says and she offers a tense smile in greeting, still flustered by her own mistake a mere few seconds ago.