Love, Take One

Scene 16

It took between two to three minutes for someone to walk from the main door to the apartment door once they'd been buzzed in, and how one used that short amount of time could determine whether one's date's jaw dropped for good reasons or bad. Bo spent the time checking her teeth, fluffing her hair and making sure for the tenth time that there was absolutely no wardrobe malfunction going on with her outfit. She wore dark jeans on the bottom to keep it casual but a sheer blouse on top because it was still a date.

Tyler hadn't said where they were going, but it was a second date and that usually meant somewhere a little more low-key, somewhere they could get to know each other better and maybe each other's lips.

He made it to the door in far less than two minutes and Bo kicked herself for not accounting for his athleticism. When she opened the door he looked her up and down and beamed. "It's ridiculous how beautiful you are."

Bo smiled and looked down, uncomfortable with compliments.

He sensed that. "I mean...hello, Bo."

"Hello, Tyler." Bo was prepared to throw his compliment back at him when he smiled at her that way. He was charming. There was something very Will Smith in his Fresh Prince days about him, perhaps without the 90's wardrobe, or perhaps with it but with added hipster irony.

"You ready to go?"

She nodded. "Ready. Where are we going?"

"My boy, Jake, is having a party tonight if you're down?"

"Party?" As a rule, Bo tried to steer clear of parties. She'd successfully navigated through college without too many people knowing who she was, or who her parents were, and she'd achieved that by keeping a low profile. Parties invited attention.

"I know, it's not really date-ish but it's his birthday and he's one of my best friends." Tyler chewed his bottom lip and puppyfied his eyes. "I've gotta at least make an appearance. Maybe we can just show our faces then go hang out just the two of us."

Bo shook her head. "Actually, a party sounds really good."

At least, the free drink did.

Jake's house was also Tyler's house, a shared two-storey just off campus. The music could be heard as they drove onto the street and as they approached Bo felt uneasy. The scene was something akin to Superbad, the party spilling onto the lawn and the stench of bad decisions in the air. Tyler held her hand as they navigated through the crowd to the kitchen and she was glad of it. It was clear he was massively popular, jock popular, and that popularity granted her a little protection.

It wasn't until she had a drink in her hand that she was even addressed personally. "I think you're in my philosophy class," a waif of a girl asked. She swayed a little and used Tyler's bicep to steady herself.

"No, not me."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"How weird is that?" She giggled into Tyler's side before pointing at Bo. "I know your face from somewhere, though."

Tyler put his arm around Bo's shoulder and steered her away. "Anyway," he exaggerated, "Let's go find the birthday boy."

They found him two drinks later, dominating a game of beer pong. He roared when he saw Tyler and bounded over for a man hug. He was surfer-blond and blue-eyed, with the same attention that followed Tyler's every move. It was clear these two ran college. At least the partying side.

"Yo, let me introduce you both," Tyler said, slapping his friend's back and reaching a hand out for Bo. "Bo, this is my boy, Jake. We've been best friend's since junior year and I haven't managed to shake him yet." They laughed, they ribbed. "Jake, this is my girlfriend...whoa...my friend, my uh...this is Bo."