The party (II)

VIOLET

“Never have I gotten my dick sucked or given a guy head, depends,” Ashley declared, raising her shot glass high. I stared at her in surprise, my mouth slightly agape.
I honestly don't need that image of my best friend

“Don’t be shocked, Vi,” she added with a mischievous grin, downing the shot in one go. I caught the deadly glare from Kyle as he followed suit, taking his shot with a grimace.

Oh well..

“That's a fucking blow” Jack muttered, following suit. Ryan mirrored his actions, downing his shot. Of course

My gaze shifted to Luke, who sat quietly, seemingly unbothered by the antics unfolding around him.

“Luke, cut me some slack,” Ashley chided, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You’re not drinking? Did you even hear the round?”

Luke shook his head, a slight smile.

“Then why didn’t you take the shot? No, no, no! Don’t tell me you haven’t gotten your dick sucked before! Oh my… you’re a prude, Luke,” Ashley exclaimed, clearly exasperated. Luke only let out a groan.

“You’re such an innocent little mouse. I like that” Ryan whispered to me and suddenly, something shifted inside me. My heart raced, pounding so hard in my chest that it felt like it might explode. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his words affected me, but it was impossible.

“It’s your turn, Jack,” Kyle prompted, breaking the moment.

Jack let out a small snort before lifting his shot glass. "Never have I fallen in love."

A ripple of reactions spread through the group. Ashley, Kyle, and Luke all raised their glasses and took the shot. My eyes widened, surprise flickering across my face as I watched Luke take his drink. Ashley’s eyes shot to him too, clearly just as stunned as I was.

"Oh my God, Luke, you’ve got to explain yourself in detail later”

Jack, Ryan, and I were the only exceptions this time. I wasn't surprised about mine,love wasn't something I'd ever felt. But for Ryan? I wasn't shocked either. He probably had his fair share of flings with plenty of girls, but never seemed to have fallen in love—at least, not with Evelyn. I guessed Jack had a similar reputation.

“Ugh, love,” Jack scoffed, shooting a glare at the trio. “Who needs that drama?”

The game went on and on, a blur of confessions and shots. I’d taken three so far, each one burning more than the last, but Ryan had started volunteering in my stead, much to everyone’s amusement.

After I took three shots,I began to feel the effects more than I had expected. The room spun slightly and I found myself leaning back against the chair.

Ryan's hand stopped me the moment I wanted to take another shot. "You can't handle more"

I shrugged. "I can handle it just fine" I slurred, raising my glass for another round.

Ryan took it and emptied it. "I'll take it in her place"

A few murmurs and disapproval came from others but they later agreed.

The party eventually began to dwindle. One by one, people trickled out and before I knew it,it was past 1:45am and the room was filled with a mix of leftover laughter and few sleepy murmurs

"Guess it's time to call it a night" Kyle announced, stretching his arms over his head. "I don't want to face the morning with a hangover"

"Yeah I'm done too" Jack agreed and he stood up.

We nodded our goodbyes and I noticed Ashley leaving with Kyle while Luke went in his car.

Poor thing

"You okay to walk?" Ryan asked, standing close to me. The scent of his cologne mingling with the lingering smell of alcohol.

I nodded though the world tilted slightly as I stood. My legs felt like jelly. "Yeah I'm good".

"Sure you are" before I could protest, his arm slipped around my waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My heart thudded in my chest. This was so unlike him, and yet, I couldn’t help but lean into his warmth, my body betraying my dizzy mind.

I stumbled slightly as we made our way out of the party, and Ryan tightened his grip, guiding me toward his car parked nearby.

“Whoa, steady there” Ryan said as I swayed against him, my feet barely cooperating.

I blinked up at him, my vision slightly hazy. “I’m totally fine. Like, a hundred percent,” I slurred. I gave him a confident nod, which probably looked less convincing than I intended.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, amused. “Sure, you are. You can barely walk straight.”

“I’m walking just fine!” I protested. “See? Walking…” I lifted one foot dramatically, trying to prove my point, but instead, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

Ryan caught me before I could face plant onto the sidewalk. “Alright, you’re done,” he said, guiding me to his car.

He opened the passenger door and helped me in. I plopped down in the seat, feeling the soft leather cushion beneath me as I leaned my head back.

“Don’t lecture me about being drunk because I’m not” I said, waving a hand in his direction, though it ended up being more of a lazy flop. “I’m just… extra happy! You know… life is… life is funny.”

“Alright. Let’s get you home before you end up doing something crazy.”

I leaned toward him, narrowing my eyes dramatically. “You know what’s crazy? Pancakes. Why do they call them pan-cakes? They don’t look like cakes. More like… flat bread… squishy bread.” I paused, trying to follow my own train of thought. “Squishy bread is fun though.”

Ryan let out a slight chuckle, glancing at me sideways as he started the car. “Wow, I didn’t know you were such a philosopher when you’re tipsy.”

“Philosopher? Pfft, I’m more than that. I’m… I’m a genius.” I nodded . “I could solve all the world’s problems, starting with how to make pancakes more like cakes. They’re just lying to us, Ryan.”

“Lying pancakes? That’s deep,” Ryan replied. “I’ll make sure to write that down. ‘The great pancake conspiracy.’”

“You better!” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “You’ll see. One day, I’ll open a pancake place and it’ll be revolutionary. You’ll be my first customer.”

“You really can't handle liquor ” Ryan said

“I can handle... so many things!” I slurred “Like... like... what was I saying?”

I leaned back in the seat, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. “You know what, Ryan?” I began, pointing a wobbly finger at him. “You’re... you’re sort of cold to me. One time you're nice to me,the other you're distant. I can't figure you out”

I closed my eyes for a second as the hum of the car lulled me “Oh yeah. Totally. You’re a mystery, Ryan Jenkins but I think you've got a great eyes though”

I snorted, covering my face with my hands. “Oh my God, did I really just say that?”

“Yeah. I know I do have a great eyes “

I groaned, sinking deeper into the seat. “Please forget I said that. Forever.”

“Please…”

But before I could continue my drunken ramble, the gentle hum of the car and the alcohol caught up to me, and my eyes grew heavy. The last thing I heard was Ryan chuckling softly as I drifted off into a blurry, warm haze.