"So I'm going to be used as dd but I can't come?"
Nate shook his head, rolling the sleeves of his turtleneck a bit higher before sliding his fingers along his hair, sleeking his strands backwards and fixing the one curl fall in front of his left eye. His fingers had been decorated with a few rings that he only wore for events, and his black dress pants had been ironed before he put them on.
Since Nate didn't respond, her eyes diverted to the blue ones that she noticed had been eyeing Nate a bit too long for it to only be considered a friendly glance. Eric had been drinking his third can of beer with a crooked grin pulling one corner of his lips while he studied each of Nate's movements in admiration, as if he was in a modelling shoot. Eventually, Eric's eyes instinctively met her gaze, and he chuckled when he realized she had seen him devour Nate with his eyes.
"Why do you want to come anyway?" Eric raised his eyebrows, leaning his back on the kitchen counter and sending a challenging look to Aunt Judy. "It's a bunch of high school kids."
"I'm not that old."
"If it was up to me, auntie," Nate faced her and winked, the times they had drank together crossing his mind as he added, "You'd definitely be coming with me."
"You'd bring her to a high school party?"
The confusion contorted his face as he reached for aunt Judy and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. It was as if that question itself had been odd. "She's my best friend and my drinking buddy," he laughed, to which she beamed, wrapping an arm around him. "Of course I'd bring her."
"Then why aren't you bringing her?"
Nate rolled his eyes. "Something about Tyler not wanting her there—"
"And he decided to choose a chick that he met a few weeks ago," she waved her hand aggressively, "over his own aunt."
"Tyler literally said she would set the place on fire if you showed up." Nate snorted as he shoved her amicably. "I would thoroughly enjoy a party without getting burned."
"And why does Tyler hate you?" Eric asked, turning to Aunt Judy who glanced away, clearing her throat. This was not a topic of conversation she wanted to dive into, which was why she forced a smile, glancing towards Nate who read her energy and instantly diverted the attention.
"Tyler gets annoyed over everything," he said carelessly, waving his hand in dismissal. "We're going to be late to the party though, so ready to go?" He reached for his liquor bottle at the edge of his counter and nodded his head towards Eric, who nodded back.
"Let me just..." Eric stared at his can for a second before tilting his head backwards and downing the rest of the drink, crushing the can and throwing it in their kitchen trash can.
When they reached the party, all three of them were surprised by the size of the home. Through the front windows, one could clearly see the spiralling staircases and the colourful lights blaring from inside. Eric, too eager to get his groove going, stormed away from the car before Aunt Judy could even utter a word. He was clearly already last his tipsy point, and Nate rolled his eyes, watching him rush towards the crowded entrance.
Before Nate could leave the car, he felt Aunt Judy's palm on his shoulder, stopping him. "Nate, I wanted to tell you this earlier but he was there." He furrowed his brows when he noticed the uneasiness in her eyes, biting her bottom lip before exhaling a long sigh. "There's something off about Eric," she admitted under her breath, shrugging her shoulders when Nate's furrow deepened.
"What do you mean?"
"I honestly don't know." She pulled her palm away from him and shrugged her shoulders. She stayed quiet for a moment, her hands reaching her steering wheel and that was when he realized her fingers trembled. "He gives me the chills."
"Are you sure it's nothing else, auntie?" She glanced towards Nate, the confusion contorting his features.
She shook her head. "I know it sounds weird but...I don't know, promise me you'll be careful with him, alright? I just have a bad feeling about him."
Nate leaned in, reaching around her shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. Although he didn't fully understand what she meant, she did appear a bit shaken up, which was why he wanted to comfort her and make her feel heard. He tightened his grip around her, hearing her breathing starting to slow before he agreed, "I'll be careful, I promise."
***
"Ready...set...go!"
He reached for the first shot glass, gulping it down as soon as he could, ignoring the burning sensation across his throat before he raced to the next one, and then the next one, until he finished at five and slammed his hand on the table. However, his slam had been too late, the gentle tap of Tyler against the table sooner than his and he grumbled a curse under his breath, knowing he would never hear the end of this.
"You lost again!" she shouted excitingly, raising her hands in victory. "You're way too slow!"
"This is the second time we do this Tyler, we're about to fall over in a matter of minutes." It was true, they had taken way too many shots and he was surprised he was still standing. Well, he was barely standing; his body kept swaying in different directions, needing to resist the urge to fell over and maintain his balance. Although, he did stumble against the wall and other people in his surroundings.
Tyler waved her hand dismissively. "You're just upset that you lost twice in a row."
"Let's do this again then!"
"No." They both heard his deep tone from behind them, Tyler snorting under her breath while Nate rolled his eyes, narrowing them when he turned and saw the black haired man advance towards them. "You both are drunk already."
"We're not Jules. Besides," she smiled as she reached for her bottle of liquor, "we're here to have some fun."
"Ty, take a break from drinking," he pleaded, slowly grabbing the bottle from her palm. "You've been going at it ever since we've gotten here."
"Fine," she hissed reluctantly, folding her arms over her chest and glancing towards the crowd in the living room. "Then I'm gonna go dance then."
"Good idea," Nate beamed, following her as they both walked like penguins, trying to keep their balance.
Jules watched them leave the kitchen; there was no way he was going to include himself in those horrendous dance moves of Tyler.
When they reached the living room, the music blaring and they could barely hear each other, Nate was surprised when Tyler reached for his palm and pulled him even deeper in the crowd. When they reached a spot she liked, she caressed her behind against his front side, letting her hips sway with his and throwing her hands in the air, the music drugging her body to elicit her nerves, her entire body moving in waves with the rhythm.
Nate placed a palm on her waist, tightening his grip as he cheered with be crowd, feeling the alcohol overwhelm all his senses and making him feel as if he was floating across the dance floor. He was having the time of his life, when he suddenly spotted someone in the corner of the room that he wished he hadn't.
Eric was against the wall while a girl had her finger on his chest, gliding it across his stomach before she pushed herself to her tippy-toes and planted her lips on his. Even though Nate was positive he had moved on from Eric, that sight made him nauseous but he couldn't pull his eyes away. Of course Eric's return was sudden, and maybe it was his drunken mind overreact, but it made him wonder if Eric had ever even liked him to begin with or if he simply had wanted to try being gay once in his life.
Tyler had instantly felt the sudden change in body language, feeling Nate's movements not as fluid as it was and his grip tighten around her waist. Which was why she turned to face him and gripped his jaw, pulling his face closer until her lips were beside his ear. "Something the matter?" She practically had to yell to be heard over the music.
Nate shrugged his shoulders, shifting his head so his lips could now be beside her ear. "Eric's making out with a chick."
Tyler furrowed her brows. "That bothers you?"
"Yeah, I don't know why."
A mischievous look slanted her eyes. "Let's find you a partner for the night then."