MESSED UP - completed!

7- The Hot Stranger

"Jon," Isla introduces him in my ear. Jon is hot. Or does he attract me because I am drunk? "Don't flirt," Isla warns.

"Why not?" I ask her, and she gets distracted by someone else. My nod acknowledges Jon. "Nice to meet you," I shout because the music is loud.

He nods. "Nice to meet you," he responds. He is one of Isla's friends. We laugh and talk. People start to get away, trying to get a refill or food. Jon and I stand here with empty cups.

"So," he says as he smiles. "What do you wanna do now?"

I shake my empty cup in front of him. "Get a refill?"

He shakes his head. "I mean, what you want—?"

I point at my ears. "I can't hear you," I shout.

He moves closer to me and talks into my ear. "I mean, what do you wanna do in your life?"

I look at his smooth neck close to my face. The dark tone of his skin is so beautiful.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you wanna build a school? Or like travel the world?"

I laugh. "What? No. I'm not retired. I just got a new home and a promotion. The promotion was eight months ago, but I didn't get to celebrate it then."

"What is the next thing you want the most in your life?"

I stare into his brown eyes. My pause lasts longer than it should have. What do I want next? I have the job that I dreamed of. I have the house and the car that I like. What next?

"A family," I say with a lower but firmer tone and surprise myself. He stands there without reacting. Maybe he didn't hear what I said.

"You wanna get married?" He asks finally.

"No! I don't know. Maybe just a kid."

He raises both his eyebrows as a sign of surprise. "Really?"

I swallow hard. "Man, I didn't even know that until you asked."

He laughs. "Then you gotta get to it tonight." He moves his hips forward and backward teasingly.

"If that's how babies are made, I'll pass."

"I could show you how babies are really made."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you friends with storks?"

"They don't play any role. Men do the work."

"You must be busy."

"I would be busy making you one if I had no girlfriend."

"Oh." He has a girlfriend, yet he has been flirting with me for the past hour. That is why Isla warned me not to flirt. "Where's your girlfriend?" I ask like an idiot.

"She's somewhere out there." His smile fades away slowly. Something is wrong with him and his girlfriend.

I wave my cup in front of him as a sign of the need for some drink. "See ya," I mouth, and he nods.

The music's volume turns up, and people start dancing. My cup is full of alcohol now. The number of refills is more than I can count.

Smith does not show up, and it feels somehow worse than a slap on my face. It cannot get any clearer that he despises me. Despite the efforts I make, Smith will never trust me. He doesn't respect me or take anything about me seriously. You might mistake my need for approval for daddy issues. However, it would not be a mistake, and you would be right. I wanted him to see me as a successful, fun woman so I could believe I was one.

Honestly, it's for the best that he didn't show up. Look at me. Couldn't be more of a mess at this moment. Music makes my hips move slowly. I stand in the middle of my house with a drink and dance alone. Every move makes me hotter and sweatier.

Nothing seems to matter with lots of drinks, a good vibe of the music, and two boobs to accompany me. I dance till my legs feel numb. I am not shy because it's dark, and I am too drunk to care.

Someone wraps his arm around my waist as I sway. I don't care who he is. I dance with him as my back is pressed to his body. We move together. He slowly twirls me around and holds me close to his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck without remembering the drink I have in my hand. It spills on his shirt, and he laughs instead of getting mad. I glance up for a second and look him in the eye. It's pretty dark, but I can see him a little. He's holding me like I'm so precious. His eyes are so furiously familiar. Oh no.

"You?" I say in a low tone because I know even screaming would not help with this loud music. I should have known. His body is as I remember after eight months. He is the stranger I met at Smith's party. The one who saw me naked when I was in the tub. The width of his shoulder and torso are more unbelievable now that I'm touching them.

He smiles. "Me," he confirms, and I read his lips.

He moves his mouth closer to my ear. I wait for him to say something, but he merely breathes. It's tickly and also hot. He plants a kiss on my jawline close to my ear. Then he pulls me closer and puts a hand on my lower back and the other on my hair. He pulls my head back and puts little pecks on my neck. Before I can moan, he catches my lips and drinks my breathless words. After a few seconds, I pull away from his grip and get away from him. Everything is happening so fast. I push through people, and someone grabs my wrist.

"You okay?" a voice of a man asks.

"Leave me alone."

I pull my hand away and finally find my room. I enter and close the door. The music decreases a lot with the closed door.

I hold my boobs and stand in the middle of my room, feeling adrenaline pumping into my body.

"Calm down, girls," I whisper to my boobs. "Calm the fuck down."