My fingers run through my soft, damp hair as my green eyes lift from underneath my heavy eyelids, glazing over the people around me. Warm bodies surround me, buzzing about with youthful energy. The bridge of a fast paced song plays, and I feel the notes vibrate through my bones.
My hips sway to the beat of the song and my body reciprocates every note that is played through the speakers. Soon I find my feet lifting off the ground and a soft grin grows on my face. Liquid spills from the red cup in my hand and I replant my feet to the ground.
Dancing uninhibited is one of the great small pleasures in life and simply put, I feel completely free. Slightly intoxicated, my mind is on nothing but the music. The beat rings throughout my body to my core, and I am engulfed in the song.
The last chords of the song are played and the music fades out. My body is alive with energy as I impatiently wait for the next song to play. I hear the first notes of the new song and as the melody hits my ears my chest tightens and my lungs become paralyzed.
I stand, unmoving, in the middle of a swarm of people dancing. A distant memory floods into my head as the first words of the song begin to play.
One year and six months ago I met Luke. It was mid August and summer was slowly starting to come to an end, but the nights were still warm and my cheeks were still blushed red from the sun.
Ana and I were walking to Alec’s, who was throwing a party while his parents were on vacation. Ana was her usual gorgeous self, wearing cutoff jean shorts that showed off her flawless long legs and a black tank top. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her as we skipped toward Alec’s house.
I, on the other hand, was feeling far from flawless. My usual loose, chestnut colored curls had become a tangle of frizz, and I had given up altogether on trying to make them look good.
“Thea, you look fine! You know, you can really pull off the wild, exotic look,” Ana joked as she flashed a dazzling white smile before gazing up at Alec’s house.
“Damn right I can,” I responded, shaking my head so my untamed curls flew in front of my face.
Tugging at the bottom of my cranberry dress, I pressed my lipstick stained lips together and stepped foot inside the house.
Thirty minutes later I found myself terribly lost in a crowd of strangers. I was familiar with Alec’s house, I had known him since we were in kindergarten together, but I couldn’t spot a familiar face for the life of me. Not one to initiate conversation with strangers, I roamed around Alec’s house before giving up and heading back to the kitchen for another beer.
As I was walking down the long corridor toward the kitchen, I heard music emerge from behind Alec’s bedroom door. Assuming it was Alec playing with his guitar, I sighed in relief and swung the door open but to my surprise, Alec was nowhere in sight. Instead, my eyes were met with a pair of unfamiliar hazel ones.
“Oh I’m sorry, I thought you were Alec,” I mumbled as my eyes started to study the figure behind the guitar.
The boy wore black skinny jeans rolled up just past his ankles, a loose fitting shirt that revealed his toned chest, and a red flannel. He had piercing hazel eyes and a mop of curly brown hair piled on the top of his head.
“Not a problem at all,” He replied, a smile growing on the side of his mouth.
“You know, Alec will kill you if he finds you even touching his guitar,” I said, leaning against the door frame.
“I think I’ll take my chances,” he responded as he strummed a chord on the instrument and smirked at me.
“Suit yourself,” I replied, slowly turning away toward the exit.
