Fall Passion || r.b. (DISCONTINUED)

8. Homecoming Party

Students come and go from the party as if it were a normal university day. Some go hand in hand with their partner like Alice and her boyfriend Dean who had stayed with us to meet us at the door and then, enter together. Others, on the other hand, go alone and several of them looking for a partner tonight, but this is not my case, although everything can change if Reece comes. My heart starts pounding at the thought that I might see him today. I let all the air out of my body and open the door to the gym.

We enter the sound of "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I, I start shaking my head letting myself be carried by the rhythm of the song. We go directly to the bar to order a drink since at this time they are free (or so they told me). While Alice and Bailee order a beer, I order tinto de verano with a lemon wedge. I smile at the waiter and lean on the bar as I look at the party atmosphere taking a sip of my delicious drink.

"Is Blake coming any time soon?" I ask Bailee in the ear and she just shrugs.

"I don't know, he doesn't answer." She simply comments and I smile sideways and keep drinking.

If there's something I've learnt in the festivities of my town is my ability of drinking 5 glasses of tinto without getting drunk and tonight, I don't have any intention of going crazy. People jump with his hands in the air while others just stay in their seats looking at them and laughing. If I'm honest this party looks exactly as I thought it would, alcoholic drinks which are too expensive to buy, so people don't get drunk, a lot of appetizers which are going to run out soon and neon lights.

I look up from my drink and find myself face to face with my classmates. Nate is wearing a tight Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt and snug white pants, perhaps a bit too snug. Lizzy is linking her arm with Mary Jane, another girl from our class who gets along well with everyone.

Then my gaze falls on Thomas. Under the neon lights, his hair appears almost brown, and the shadows cast on his face make his gaze seem more intimidating. He runs a hand through his hair, and I notice the first few buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing a glimpse of his chest. Is that a tattoo? I quickly look away from Thomas as Nate leaps over to hug me, causing me to stumble back in surprise.

"Ey guys! Giselle, are you drunk already?" Nate teases as he pulls away. I swat at his hands playfully.

"No, not yet. Anyway, guys, she's Bailee and well, you already know Alice!" I introduce them to each other and I hug the girls. "Girls, you look astonishing!" I admire them and Mary Jane looks at the ground blushing.

"We came here to impress and dance, so you'd better finish that drink soon!" Lizzy advises, making me laugh as I turn to greet Thomas, who is just putting his phone back into his jeans.

Unsure of what to do, I wave at him awkwardly. He rolls his eyes and then wraps his arms around me. I suffer a small heart attack at his action but everything vanishes when I smell his cologne. Why does the men's cologne smell so good? I don't have time to enjoy it again when he pulls away from me  just enough so that we can see each other.

"Ready to dance?" I smirk at him and he shakes his head laughing slightly and I curse how loud the music is because I would have been able to hear his laugh the first time. It is so difficult to make him laugh.

"I need several fifths of beer to start dancing. Getting drunk may be the only way to get me to make a fool of myself like that." and that's a no. Okay. Let's reject me with kindness.

Lizzy grabs my arm and drags me onto the dance floor once I finish my drink.  I try to make my way through the crowd but it is very difficult, so I just hope Lizzy quickly finds a spot for us to dance. I apologize for my friend to all those people whom she has pushed down the road but I stop doing it once there had been more than three people. We start dancing next to each other to the rhythm of X de X. I laugh at Jane's enthusiastic arm movements while Lizzy twerks. I'm having such a good time that I don't notice Bailee is missing.