You were at another party.
Stupid, you thought. Two parties two days in a row.
While your attendance thrilled Sasha, it wasn't like you. None of this was. Which was why, draped in a fake toga and olive branches, you sat on the balcony of a random frat house counting to one hundred.
A deep exhale escaped your lips as you stared at the sky, eyeing the silver stars that peppered the darkness.
Each tiny, twinkling ball glowed magnificently, every one just as beautiful as the last.
Who did you think you were, attending themed parties and drinking jungle juice? Why were you still thinking about rude men who didn't have the slightest interest in you? You pondered these things as you reached the number one hundred and seventy four.
The past two days had been a whirlwind, and as you reached two hundred you promised yourself that you were going to start living only the way you wanted.
You smiled gently and relished the cool breeze on your face. You were going home and tearing this "toga" off immediately.
Warmth enveloped you as you squeezed your way through a thick crowd of people in the hallway. The walls smelled damp and sticky and you longed for your incense.
You knew if Sasha was settled anywhere it was probably the kitchen, so you pushed your way there to say a quick goodbye.
"Sasha," you yelled over the electronic music, "I think I'm gonna head out!"
Sure enough, she was sat up against the counter, brandishing a bag of cheese puffs and talking to a guy with a shaved head dressed as Zeus.
"Weally?" she asked with her mouth half-full.
You nodded as you came closer, pulling her in for a hug goodbye.
"You have fun," you said to her and her friend, "not too much fun, yada-yada, I love you."
Sasha yelled a jovial goodbye as you waved, the music muffling as you slammed the front door shut. You gulped slightly when you mapped how far the building was from Sina Hall.
About a twenty minute walk in the dark, you realized, alone. In a toga. And sandals.
You gripped your pepper spray keychain.
The thought of your tea motivated you as you stepped off the front stairs, weaving around an overtly affectionate couple.
"Hey."
If you jogged, the time would probably go down by at least five minutes. Then again, you'd be jogging in a toga.
"Are you deaf?"
You stopped in your tracks.
You twisted your head back, your heart dropping to the pit of your stomach. Not a way in hell this is real, you thought.
He was dressed in the same uniform and everything, only this time dawning glasses and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The lower arm tattoos you'd noticed previously were visible now, and you could make out a few others just above them. Your throat suddenly felt dry, so you swallowed. He looked fucking good.
"Shit," you whispered.
He eyed you up and down as he approached, taking gentle steps down the stairs to reach you.
"What're you doing?" he asked, his face unreadable as per usual.
"Leaving," you replied quickly, "good seeing you."
You turned to walk away but felt his fingers touch your wrist.
"Alone?" he questioned. You stared back at him, the feeling of his fingertips lingering. You mentally scolded yourself for thinking about it too long.
"It's not a bad walk. Only like, ten minutes," you lied.
He put his hands in his pockets.
"Where to?" he asked.
Shit.
"Sina?" you said, adjusting the strap of your fake toga. Even exposing collarbone around Levi felt foreign.
He clicked his tongue. "I'm walking you home."
You swayed a little in place. You weren't your most sober and his words seemed to intensify this effect.
"I have pepper-"
"Come on," he interrupted, walking ahead.
You cursed under your breath and followed suit. A long walk was inconvenient generally. Walking with a hot, irritating man isn't going to make this any easier, you thought.
The first minutes were spent in silence besides the sound of crickets serenading the both of you.
"What made-"
"Why are-"
You both spoke simultaneously, stopping mid sentence to allow the other to continue. More silence ensued.
"Are you following me?" you asked, breaking the silence.
Levi turned to you, a ludicrous expression on his face. "I have friends. They drag me to parties to keep them safe. I also study sometimes. Those crimes?"
"Is one friend the cowgirl I saw the other day? She's a character."
"No," he replied.
You nodded, assuming that she was either a classmate or a former hook-up. It wasn't your place to pry, so you turned your attention to your terrible sandals. They were going in the garbage as soon as you got home.
"Why were you at another party?" he asked, "I thought you had been overwhelmed the night before."
Your heart sped up because the reason was complicated. It would be hard to explain feeling impulsive and deciding to let Sasha talk you into another night out because you were hoping to see a guy that made you want to kick his ass.
"I got dragged there," is what you went with.
He nodded, breaking his eye contact with you.
Your heart thumped in your chest as you walked beside him. It was comparable to your steps' sound on the sidewalk: repetitive, loud, incessant.
Just two days ago you had barely recognized this guy, now he was walking you to your dorm, alone, at one in the morning. You eyed his tattoos again, taking notice of a pair of wings on his left forearm.
"Nice sandals," he said.
You laughed to yourself. This bastard was teasing you.
"Means a lot coming from a guy in waiter cosplay," you said, attempting to keep your voice as monotoned as he had.
"I'm a busy guy. And I never saw a point in dressing up," he replied instantly.
"Really?" you asked.
He responded by lighting up a cigarette.
"I thought, maybe, you just loved wearing the uniform for some reason," you suggested, "Some kind of role-play."
His glasses shined as he exhaled and turned to face you again.
"Oh, I'm crazy about it," he stated, traces of smoke leaving his mouth, "I love nothing more than rolling these sleeves up and making women wish they could know their waiter's name."
You groaned out loud and covered your ears, silently relishing that this was the first joke he made that didn't insult you in some capacity.
You soon arrived at Sina Hall, the both of you stopping in front of the large glass doors.
He motioned to the phone in your hand, your phone charm dangling as you raised it up.
"Can I see that real quick?"
Confused, you unlocked it and handed him the phone. He quickly typed something in and handed it back to you, the contact screen illuminating your face.
"In case you were ever thinking of walking home alone again," he stated, turning and walking the other way. You stood dumbfounded as you stared at the back of his neck.
You needed some sleep, because clearly you weren't thinking straight.