Is this seat taken?

Happy birthday, darling.

Thinking back, I barely remember what the next year was like. But a few moments stand out like glimmering points of light on an unlit street.

One of them is Tom's birthday.

We went out for dinner with some friends and somehow ended up at a club. The rest of that evening is a bit hazy, my senses dimmed by the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed. I remember dancing in a throng of bodies, pressed against Tom. I vaguely recall sitting in a dimly-lit corner and making out like a couple of teenagers.

We must have called a cab, because the next thing I remember is standing in the living room of my dorm, the alcohol flowing through my veins, and the thumping beat of the club still echoing in the rhythm of my heart. Tom stood in the doorway, leaning on it to keep his balance. "Well, goodnight love."

To this day, I still don't know what came over me next. Maybe it was the shots I'd done at the bar, maybe I was acting on some subconscious impulse, I don't know. My hands moved of their own accord and I reached up and grabbed his tie, pulling his lips down to meet mine. I felt his hands move to my hips, pulling me against him out of habit. "Stay," I whispered between kisses.

Tom picked me up, holding my legs around him, my hips pressed against his. I only vaguely registered the feeling of my sheets against my back, but I was far more interested in him. I fumbled with the buttons on Tom's shirt, his tie lay on the floor, forgotten completely. His hands moved to lift my blouse over my head and I paused. His hands stilled. "What's wrong?"

Oh god. Here it comes. "I've just- I mean I've never..." I stuttered, suddenly embarrassed. I had always known that I would have to tell him eventually but I guess I figured it would come up in conversation, not...here.

There was a moment of silence between us before he whispered, "Are you sure you want to?"

That's what he was worried about? I had expected him to be stunned. I was afraid my lack of experience would be a turn off but he was more worried about me.

There was no question in my mind. "More than anything."

He looked into my eyes in awe. "You are so beautiful."

I put my hands on his, urging him to keep going. My blouse was over my head in an instant and dropped off the side of the bed. His cool fingers found my bra clasp and sent chills racing across my skin.

It was heat and love and laughter. It was beauty and sensation and it was ours. Nothing compared to this, in this crappy dorm room, our brains buzzing with alcohol and lust. It felt like a dream, the feel of his hands on my bare skin, the closeness. It was pure ecstasy and I never wanted it to stop. I could have stayed there, his skin on mine, our lips pressed together.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We laid there together, at some ridiculous hour of the morning, intertwined. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was Tom's low voice in my ear. "Best. Birthday. Ever." His laughter reverberated against my back and I couldn't help but laugh too.

"Happy birthday Tom."