It's Complicated: A Zombie Romance Novel

Gideon shows up at the Party

"No such luck in here," I said to myself. The hallway I'd moved into was just as packed as the room I'd left. Typical of this party, I guess. People on top of people. Might as well be eating each other alive.

I stood there, not really knowing what to do. I'd already tried the other hall. It might have been a bottle neck for the bathroom I was really hoping to still find. When the flashing and strobing lights illuminated bits of the humanity gathered here in the hall, it was enough to scare anyone into peeing their pants.

I went all the way down, pushing past people as I went. One really nasty looking girl with her face torn off growled at me as I passed, but I had to pee. What was her problem anyway? It wasn't like I was cutting in line. I tried looking for a door, no such luck. Just the ever-flowing music and party lights coming off the ballroom and whatever was going on further down.

I reached the end of the hallway. There was a really scary looking large black man, the kind you see in movies watching the red rope at a club. Behind, of all things, a red rope. This party had everything, didn't it? Except a bathroom. Why didn't this party have a place to pee? I was really going to lose it soon. Regardless of the people impatiently waiting behind me, if I was to judge by the growls and rude gestures I'd received as I traveled down the hall.

The guy looked normal enough. More like an employee than a drunk partier. So I took a chance and leaned over the rope to ask him a question. I had to stand on my tip toes to lean in and reach he ear.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked.

He shook his head. Did he not hear me over the music, or was he not familiar with the word 'bathroom?' I went with the latter, hoping that was the case.

"Bathroom," I shouted into his ear, "the Loo, the John, toilet, wash-closet," I added for good measure. I might be drunk and my words might be coming out slurred, but what I had to say could not in this instance go unnoticed. Not unless I wanted to pee on myself. The thought was starting to get tempting. My jeans were still wet, so besides the smell people wouldn't really notice. Would they? What was I even thinking?! No one wants to go around covered in pee. That's just gross. This place was really starting to get to me.

At the mention of the word wash-closet the red rope guy lifted said red rope and said, "One flight down, second door on your left."

"Thanks," I yelled back. He'd already turned away so I was positive that he didn't hear me, but at least I was going in the right direction.

It was too good to be true. The red rope guy's directions brought me out onto a patio behind the house. No porta potties, but at least there weren't any people that I could see and there were trees. Trees to provide cover. That's all I really needed at this point, a little bit of coverage. I squatted down and dropped my pants. I used the tree for balance. Sweet relief.

"Hi Mae," said a male voice. I jumped ten feet in the air. How could whoever it was even see me behind the trees? The moon was shining out here, full and beautiful, illuminating the garden. But who besides Lee Ann even knew me well enough to call me by name?

I looked up from trying to pull my pants up and saw the one person I was least expecting to see: Gideon. The thing about unrequited love is that it's unrequited! That's the whole point. So having your absolute crush come up to you at the party that you promised yourself you would not go to was beyond embarrassing. Especially if your pants were literally down! Then it hit me, he was out here to do, or having done the same thing I'd just done. Red creeped into my already drunk, flushed face. Who knew peeing could be such a dangerous sport?

"I thought that was you," he said. His voice was like butter, melting in the air around me. It made this overgrown garden almost irresistible. Moonlight, my crush, his words mingling in the trees; I wanted to eat up every word.