Arriving at the party.

The walk to the house party was about as uneventful as you would expect. The girls overestimated how far they could walk in heels and struggled; even the — up to this point — feisty Ari relied on Erik to get them there. Able to figure out which house exactly by the other youths approaching and sitting outside, chatting, drinking, making out, whatever it may be.

At the front door, a tall muscular man with a ripped denim jacket takes the $10 bills from Erik’s hand, barely sparing him a look before turning to look at Vi. His gaze drags across her cleavage, slowly chewing his gum as he hands out a frayed wristband. Erik glances at Vi, who meets his eyes, blushing, but a small smirk passes by her lips; she leans back on her feet slightly, giving her chest a small jiggle, much to the appreciation of the bouncer, who waves them in. Erik can feel him turn around, staring at the asses of both girls.

The heat of the dimly lit room hit him immediately; the living room was pushed haphazardly aside, its makeshift dance floor used to its full extent. Bodies pressed together tightly, hands moving and feet gliding as the men do their best to entice women to dance with them. The hallway forms a bottleneck, where a kitchen bench has been turned into a makeshift bar.

Vi’s fingers find his, both eager and nervous about what’s to come.

“Let’s get a drink?!” She shouts over the pounding music.

He nods, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Ari catches his eye and winks, pushing her tongue into the side of her mouth, “I’ll see you two losers out there.” She says over the music, before slinking away to join the dancing crowd, the provocative sway of her hips catching the eye of many.

Erik pours a pair of drinks, having edged their way towards the bench. He hands one of the red plastic cups to Vi, who takes it eagerly, wasting almost no time in tipping her head back and downing almost the entire drink.

She swallows hard and breathes out shakily.

Erik places a hand on her shoulder, “You okay?”

She nods, turning to face him, smiling at him, “Positive. Just… Some liquid courage.”

A small pang of caution pushes its way through the haze of excitement and anticipation. “You know, we can take it slow.” he smiles, leaning in to her earrings. “We only talked about it today; we don’t have to go crazy with it just yet!”

A wicked grin finds her face as Erik leans back to take in her reaction; she reaches down and plays with the cleavage of her dress. “No, no. I want this. I’m so down to give this a real college try.” Her voice is as sultry as it can be over the music, “Just let me know how loose my leash is.”

It sends a jolt straight down Erik’s spine, Ari’s nugget of truth becoming much clearer. Was this the truth in the sea of lies? The real in the web of fantasies?

“S-Sure, babe. Let’s test the waters maybe…” The metaphorical ground beneath him shifted at a much faster pace than he expected when he introduced the idea to her.

“Like what?” She asks, finishing off her drink.

“Flirting? Dancing… You know… I don’t know how I’ll feel about it after all.”

She nods, a flash of disappointment in her eyes, a flash that arouses and frightens him. “Sounds good to me, babe.” She says, cracking her knuckles.

She touches his face and places a kiss on his lips, and moans against him, “Give me a few minutes to find a contender… Then find me. Love you.”

She playfully, gently slaps his cheek before winking and turning around, pushing her way into the crowd the same way Ari did.

Erik leans back against the kitchen wall, his heart thumping at an insane pace, the bass rocking his very bones as he waits.

He hastily finishes his drink, desperate to find something to do with his hands.

Has he made a mistake here? Has he opened a can of worms that can’t be closed again? How long has it been since she walked away? How many men has she played with already?

He checks his phone; five minutes seems like enough.

“Long enough.” He confirms out loud, pushing off the wall.

But he doesn’t get far, for a tap on his shoulder makes him turn to see the source of the distraction.