xxxi. something old

A few minutes turn into half an hour and that into two. That’s when I realize the most important thing, something I already should’ve had in mind, college kids never go to parties early. And that’s what Reese and I were when we came.

It’s not until it’s almost ten that it really gets crowded. So much that I feel sweat building at the back of my neck and at my temples. I’m usually not the type to instantly get overwhelmed by this, but usually I’m facing these kinds of events with my girls. Tonight, as the space gets stuffy and rowdy, I find myself wanting to leave.

No doubt, it may seem a bit abrupt seeing as I’ve been having a pretty decent time. I still don’t know anyone’s names but I’d found myself giggling as I follow along with their constant bickering despite the ever-climbing sounds in the room. Now, it had all gotten to the point of overstimulation. My skin feels tighter on my body and my ears ring to where I can hardly make out the words to whatever song’s playing over the high-pitch octave in my head.

I feel Reese lean into me before he says in my ear, “What’s wrong?”

That’s when I feel myself practically vibrating. My leg in particular is jerking so fast that I hardly feel the motion until I stop at his inquiry, leaving the aftershock zapping through my limbs.

Reese’s fingers trace slow, lazy circles on my upper bicep from where his arm is thrown over the back of the couch behind me. The action is intimate, soothing, and enough for the tension in my body to loosen some. My hands ease their death grip on the empty water bottle between them.

“Kira,” he says softly, so soft I wonder how I even hear it over the music. The worried crease between his brows makes me want to lie and say I’m fine so he’ll stop looking like that.

The sharp peak of a guitar screeches through the room, dragging itself down the side of my brain. I feel it in every corner of my body and it refelcts on my face. My eye twitches as I grimace.

A second later, Reese pulls his arm from around me and leans forward on the couch to shout something to the rest of the group as he stands.

He searches absentmindedly for my hand; his fingers landing on my forearm before running down to my wrist and taking my right hand in his. Our fingers intertwine. I can’t think of anything but that for a second—until he pulls me up with him. I send a wave to the group and a few of them respond with words I can’t make out. All I can do is smile.

I can hardly pay attention to where he’s leading me because the room is dark and there are bodies everywhere. So I plaster myself to his side and grip his hand like my life depends on it.

Soon enough I realize he’s leading me upstairs. I’m so eager to leave the room that I don’t even care, as long as I can get a minute away from the chaos.

We’re on the last few stairs at the top when he leans down to me again. “Do you need the bathroom?”

Right then, I do and nod. I’ve had to go for the past fifteen minutes and didn’t have to courage to ask at the time.

Reese leads us down the very short hallway at the top of the stairs. We pass an open door that leads to a room with dim lighting, then stop at another that’s ajar. At the end of the hall, there’s a closed door and I’m pretty sure there’s moaning coming from behind it. I don’t try to listen to closely.

Reese pushes the bathroom door open. “I’ll go after,” he says.

Nodding, I watch him lean against the wall as I go in and close the door behind me. I switch the light on and squint against its brightness. For a minute or so I stand there, breathing and basking in the muffled silence. The room might as well be soundproof with how well it cancels out what’s happening downstairs. However, it's not so successful with what’s going on in the next room.

Cringing, I grimace at a spot on the shower curtain, which is hiding the wall I’m supposed to be glaring at. As the moans get wilder, I rush to the toilet to do my business so I can be out of there faster.

Reese is exactly where I left him, but two girls are standing next to him and I assume waiting for me to get out.

When I say this is a narrow hallway I mean I almost have to press myself against the wall not to brush against all three of them as I pass.

“Wait here, okay?” Reese tells me as he disappears into the bathroom.

I whip my phone out almost immediately after because it’s kind of awkward standing here in this space with two older girls who’ve I’ve never seen before. The thought alone reminds me that if Reese is to leave this house, I’ll know no one here. There may be a few familiar faces but that’s it.

I see that I have a few messages from Kellan and Kory, and another batch from Von and Jodene. I respond to all of them, letting them know I’m fine even though some of them aren’t so kind and are demanding to know where I am.

“Hey,” one of the girls calls, distracting me from sending my fourth ‘I’m alive’ message, “are you Reese’s new girlfriend?”

For some reason, the word ‘new’ makes me hesitate in answering. I don’t even get a chance to look at them long enough before Reese exits the bathroom and is at my side again in a second.

One of his cool hands settles on my side gently as he coaxes me forward. “Let’s stay in here for a little bit.” He points to the open door of the room we passed before and we’re in it with the door closing behind us in no time.

It’s dark except for a lava lamp plugged in on a two-tier shelf in the corner of the room. I’m not quite sure what this is. It looks like a bedroom but at the same time it doesn’t.
There’s a couch against the length of the wall across from us, but it’s wide enough to be a bed, with several pillows strewn across it. Against the wall next to me is a short but broad shelf that seemed to house records, CDs, and books. And there’s a Roku TV on a short stand on the other side of the room and directly across from the bed slash couch. Two large bean bag chairs are sitting on the round carpet in the middle of the floor.

“Is this someone’s bedroom?” I ask before I can even think.

“Nah,” Reese says as he makes his way over to the bed and tosses himself onto it, sprawling out with his arm behind his head and his feet hanging off the end toward me. He groans and continues, “Game room basically.”

“Oh,” I say blandly, not finding it in myself to move. We’re in a room. Alone.

“Don’t worry, people walk through here all the time,” he says, sitting up. It seems he noticed my anxiousness about the situation. “It’s not a closed space, see,” he points across the room to another closed door that I hadn’t even noticed. “And if you go around that corner, there’s another flight of stairs that goes up to the attic. There’s a bunch of people up there. I figured you’d,” he hesitates before continuing, “that you might want a break from downstairs.”

“Yeah.” Though the word comes out sounding unsure, I do. I finally move, walking into the room and looking around. My eyes fall on the lava lamp and I make a mental note to start dropping hints for someone to get me one for my birthday.

“You can crack the door open…” he trails off. I almost smile at his uncertainty. He’s a wicked flirt but I can tell his intentions are never to make me uncomfortable. That makes me want to be alone with him even more.

“You come here *a lot*,” I state playfully as I sink onto the mattress next to him.
I’m more cautious about it seeing as I’m not as acquainted with this place as he is. I fold a leg under me, half sitting, half lying on my side as I face him. I take one of the pillows from under me to hug against my chest.

Reese’s lips pull up into a smile that I almost miss in the dark room. He relaxes onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

“We can chill here for a little while, then we’ll leave,” he says. “That okay?”

“Yeah,” I mumble. That’s more than okay. It’s getting late anyway and I’m sure my friends and brothers will start a search party if I’m not home by one.

“You mentioned before that you’ve been to college parties,” Reese says, curiosity in his statement. He tilts his head to the side to look at me.

Something about it—him lying here, so at ease, and staring at me like this—makes my mind wander to dangerous places. Like what he’ll do if I lean in and kiss him, but I shake that thought away. That’s not happening again and he made it clear when he said just that at Lorenxo’s party a few days ago.

I avert my eyes from him. Not just from looking at his face, but the length of his body that looks so inviting and comfortable. I bet he’s warm and cozier than a fire-

“You’re not the only one who dated someone in college,” I say to distract myself from my spiraling thoughts.

Reese raises his eyebrows. “Oh, is that right?”

I dated two people who were in college at the time, but he doesn’t need to know that much detail. I won’t get into exes with him. I never cared to know much about the past relationships of the people I’m seeing. Not that Reese and I are even seeing each other… It’s not necessary, is all.

However, the way he licks his lips after his retort drags my mind away from our conversation and right back into the gutter. I stop breathing. Dragging my eyes away from his lips is like wading through the ocean, but meeting his eyes doesn’t help. His eyes are dark and not only in color. I want to play off the hunger I see as a trick of the darkness or my mind making things up.

The red and white light from the lamp makes his skin creamy and sinful. I want to nip at his jaw and run my tongue over his Adam’s Apple-

The door opens abruptly, cutting through the thickness in the inches of space between us. Reese doesn’t seem to care as the music invades the room but I do. I glance up, catching the outline of the person standing in the door.

I see her smiling as she cuts off the sounds again by closing the door and leaning against it.

“Reese,” she says in a voice too smooth and sultry to be normal. “Hi.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him turn his attention to her voice. I don’t miss his exasperated sigh, though.

“Haven’t seen you around here,” she adds, her smile stretching. The only thing I can focus on is how her dense hair frames her face with kinky curls and the fact that she wears her clothes like they’re tailored for her body.

She’s in a slightly oversized crop top with a deep v that shows off a lot of cleavage, what looks to be leather shorts, and boots that stop mid-thigh. She’s curvier than a back road and I find myself wondering just how long it took for her to get in those shorts. *She’s gorgeous.*

Who is she?

“Kira,” Reese says, dragging my attention from the woman across from us and back to him. “This is the ex.”

I stare at him until the words start to make sense. Until my expression turns from disbelief to a full-on glare. He dated *her*?

“Is that how you’re introducing me?” she retorts, leaning away from the door. Somehow I can hear the heels of her boots on the floor through the pounding bass downstairs. “I’m Anessa.”

My glare doesn’t leave the side of Reese’s face. His eyes are on the ceiling and I’m sure he feels the full wrath of my eyes.

“Well,” Anessa says after neither of us respond, “I guess I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.”

I listen to her steady stride as she leaves and wait until the sound of her on the stairs disappears before I even open my mouth to speak.

“I bet you’re loving this.” The words are more hostile than I expect them to be.

He looks at me again. My eyes narrow at the tired expression he’s wearing. He doesn’t say anything and is obviously waiting for me to elaborate.

Sighing, I look away. “It’s late, so I think I’m gonna go.”

“Okay.” He follows me as I sit up.

I hold my hand out to stop him. “I’m sure I can find my way home. Maybe you’d like to go upstairs.” My tongue goes limp and I blink in shock. *I did not say that out loud.*

But the look of disbelief on Reese face is proof of my slip up.

My face burns in embarrassment and less than a second later I’m rushing out of the room.