Thankfully nobody paid me any attention as I dodged through several hallways until I stumbled into a spacious kitchen. Snack bowls filled up the center aisle but they were empty aside from a handful of crumbs. Only a few guys were checking the fridge but nobody I knew. I didn't even know whose house it was. Chris had texted me the address and I had shown up. And what a waste of time it had been.
After rummaging through several cupboards I found an empty mug, filled it with water, and took a sip. Finally, I was feeling a bit better but it took two more cups for my stomach to calm down and my head to start clearing up.
My fingers twitched when I felt my neck crawling again. I pinched my arm, hard, until the pain overshadowed everything else. Scratching only made it worse.
It was definitely time to go home.
Heading to the front meant I would have to pass by Jessica and the others again, so I decided to leave through the back.
The hallways were filled with empty plastic cups, bags of chips, and other trash. The further I walked, the louder the bass boomed.
I finally found a back door leading into a huge garage that someone had turned into a disco floor. Trance music blasted from the speakers and flashing lights briefly illuminated the cluster of bodies that were jumping and dancing. Across the dance floor, an open garage door led toward the front of the house. A second door on my right led into the garden.
That was my exit.
I was about to start pushing my way through the crowd when I saw him. The guy who might have overheard Chris and me just now.
I had never seen him before, neither on campus nor at any of the other parties, but his demeanor stood out even among the crowd. Something in his stance communicated a clear don't-mess-with-me message and it seemed to work. People subconsciously moved around him. He stood close to the exit and I watched his mouth curve as he said something to the guy next to him.
What...if he had overheard our argument?
I shook my head. On second thought, maybe it was better to go out through the front.
I turned and headed the other way only to be stopped by a girl barrelling into me. She instantly lost her grip on the cup in her hand and the front of my top and jeans dripped with a red liquid that smelled of strawberries and alcohol. Great. Just great.
Before the girl even got the chance to mumble an apology a guy stumbled into my back and I was pushed forward, right into her, and the rest of her drink landed on my hair and clothes.
"Shit. Sorry," the guy said from behind me but the grin on his face indicated that he didn't care.
The girl giggled. "I'm so sorry." Another giggle. "Maybe you should clean this up."
No shit.
"It's fine," I said, gritting my teeth. There was no use in getting angry at drunk people. I stepped around them but the space was filled with dancing bodies. There were so many I didn't even see the exit anymore.
I bit my lip. The other door seemed like the better option. I turned back and lifted my head to find a set of eyes trained on me.
My feet froze in place. Had he recognized me? Had he heard what Chris and I talked about? But even if he'd had there was nothing I could do. Plus, this was the first time I'd ever seen him, maybe he was just visiting. Right?
I broke our eye contact and started moving in his direction. I kept my gaze fixed on the exit but my whole body was tingling in awareness. What was it with this guy?
Somewhere through my half-drunken haze, I heard my name being called. Or did I imagine it?
Still, I was nearly there. My hand reached for the handle when all of a sudden Cody materialized next to me.
"Hey, Tay." He flashed me a smile, his white teeth contrasting against his dark skin. He was more Chris' friend than mine but Cody was one of those people that got along with everyone.
"Hey," I mumbled trying to ignore the looming presence behind his back. Did they know each other?
"I see you're overdoing it a bit with the girly drink," Cody teased.
I rolled my eyes and focused back on him. "Very funny." I should probably be thankful her cup hadn't been full.
With a chuckle, he reached for the door and held it open.
The fresh air felt cool against my hot skin and I exhaled, feeling the tension leaving my body. "Thanks," I said, turning back.
A mistake.
Cody had stepped to the side and I came face to face with the new guy. He was wearing a loosely fit, long-sleeved shirt that somehow seemed to make his broad shoulders stand out even more. Those brown-green eyes of his studied me with an unreadable expression.
Goosebumps that had nothing to do with being cold spread over my skin. I blinked.
"Oh, you guys probably haven't met each other yet, right?" Cody asked.
I stepped back and dragged my gaze away. "Nope."
"Killian this is Taylor. Taylor, Killian," Cody said quickly.
Killian tilted his head. "Handerson's girlfriend, right?"
His question cut right through my hazy mind. Shit. So, he had heard us.
"Huh? You mean Christopher?" Cody asked his head swiveling back and forth between us.
I lifted my chin. "Just Taylor actually."
"...guess I misunderstood." Judging by his tone he didn't think he'd misunderstood. Not even a little. Great.
"Don't worry." Cody patted Killian on the shoulder. "They hang out a lot, it's easy to misunderstand. Right?"
"Right." Time to switch topics. "So...you and Cody are friends?" I managed a smile.
Killian didn't smile back. "Obviously."
Okay...
"Then...are you a freshman at PSU?"
He lifted his brow. "Not really."
"...so, you're just visiting?" I tried again.
Please say yes.
"No."
Of course. Just what I needed. He'd better be this tight-lipped about other people's business as well.
Cody cleared his throat. "He's my roommate. He just returned from studying abroad. Well, that, and traveling abroad. I think he left around the time you started. You guys basically just missed each other."
"Ah." I chuckled awkwardly. "Well, then..."
I was about to excuse myself when Killian suddenly asked, "You're a sophomore then?"
"Yeah."
"How old are you?"
I tried to keep my expression neutral. "I'm twenty-two."
"I see."
Some invisible string inside my head snapped. "Why, you got a problem with that?"
He cocked his head. "No. It seems like you do though?!"
A flush crept over my cheeks. "I don't!"
"Let me guess, economics?" he asked in a flat voice.
"What?"
"Your major."
I smirked. "No. It's physics." I'd studied economics before though. Not that he needed to know that.
His eyebrow twitching was the only reaction.
"What is your major then?" I shot back.
"Undecided."
My smile faltered. "Oh."
"That a problem?"
I straightened. "N-no."
"Sure," he drawled.
Argh. This guy!
"Don't mind him," Cody remarked. "He's always like this."
"You mean always this... irritating?"
Killian crossed his arms.
Cody gave me a bright smile. "I know why we get along."
A cool breeze touched my shirt and goosebumps broke over my skin. That was my cue. "Well, it was so nice to meet you, Cody's roommate, but I actually have to go. I want to wash up, so..."
"We were about to leave as well," Cody said. "We can give you a ride—"
"No need," I said a bit too quickly and cleared my throat again. "Uh—I mean, I already called an Uber so, yeah...I should get going. See you around." With a quick wave, I turned on my heel and walked away.
Shoot. I should definitely call that Uber now. I pulled out my phone and entered a request when Cody called after me, "Tay!"
I glanced over my shoulder.
He was standing in the same spot, Killian right beside him, hiding a grin. "You're going in the wrong direction."
"Wha—" I looked around. I had been walking back into the garden.
My face flamed. I spun around and marched towards the street, wishing more than ever that I would be sitting at my computer instead.
Once my Uber finally arrived, I slid into the backseat and grimaced. The semi-wet fabric stuck to my chest and the smell of artificial berries and alcohol wafted up my nose. I buried my face in my hands. I had one conversation with this guy. One. And I already wanted to pull my hair out. And to top it off I had also been a stinky, wet mess. Amazing.
Then again in hindsight, his questions hadn't been that weird. Not really. He didn't know what I had to go through to get here and finally study something I was actually interested in. My family sure didn't understand why I touched my inheritance to change my study program. They'd wanted me to finish the degree with clear job opportunities.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Maybe I wouldn't see Killian much. A girl could hope.
The driver put in my address when I looked up and paused. Christopher walked down the driveway, Jessica and another friend in tow. His hands were in his pockets and there was an easy smile on his face. They stopped at a car and Chris opened the door and helped Jess get inside before he hopped into the passenger seat and they drove off.
My hands curled on my lap. I had temporarily forgotten about the main problem. What the hell was I going to do?