I can抰 seem to catch my breath. Nerves and excitement have lodged a lump in my throat. I feel different tonight being here with Jordan梤eally being here with him.
Two girls approach us梐 pretty brunette and a blonde with the longest legs I抳e ever seen. The brunette makes a beeline for Jordan, not even seeing me beside him.
揥here have you been??She launches herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and plastering her curvy body covered by a sparkly gold dress flush against him.
He chuckles and lets the hand holding his beer, curve in to give her a small hug back. 揌ey, Cybil.?
She pulls back and swats him on the chest, then rests her fingers there. 揝eriously, Thatch. Where have you been??
My cheeks are on fire when Jordan glances at me. 揑抳e been around.?
He leans into me. 揅ybil, meet Daisy.?
She finally looks at me, and I can tell the second it hits her that I抦 here with him.
揙h,?she says. 揌i.?
揌i.?The word comes out so quietly I抦 not sure she even hears it.
She turns her attention back to Jordan. 揑抦 going to do a lap but come find me later. I miss you.?
As quick as they came, Cybil and her friend turn and go.
Jordan抯 teammate left in the middle of the Cybil tornado, leaving me and Jordan alone.
揝orry about that,?he says. 揝he抯 a friend. Civil major, too.?
He抯 slept with her. I know this, but I抳e already made a big deal of leaving the past in the past, so I just smile and say, 揝he seems nice.?
He chuckles and takes a long drink of his beer, then cocks his head to the side as if he抯 trying to decide what now. 揧ou want to play cards??
揙kay.?
He nods and leads me to the table where he pulls out a chair for me and then takes the one next to me. It抯 a different card game tonight, with more rules that Jordan teaches me. I抦 not as interested in playing as I was the last time. I want to kiss him again, maybe make out in the corner like the couple still going at it by the front door. I can抰 decide if it抯 some exceptionally good kissing that lasts that long or exceptionally bad, because every time Jordan kisses me for more than three seconds, I want to tear off my clothes.
At the end of the second game, I lean closer to him. 揥here抯 the bathroom??
揊irst door on the left.?He tips his head toward the hallway.
揝ave my seat??
He lets his hand drift down to my leg and along my bare skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake. 揇efinitely.?
揃e right back.?
The hallway is crammed with more couples stealing kisses and small circles of girls whispering quietly. Cybil and her friend are among them, but neither looks up as I weave through them to the bathroom.
I text Violet while I抦 locked inside. I抦 at a hockey party. Me!
I send it with a selfie of me posing in front of the bathroom mirror making a funny face.
She responds immediately. You look amazing. Have fun! See you soon.
Clutching my phone to my chest, I breathe in her words. I miss her. I wish she was here with me. Not that I ever could have convinced her to come. I finish in the bathroom and open the door.
My smile falls when bits of conversation float my way.
揑 have no idea who she is?and 揧ou don抰 think they抮e actually together, do you??
揇efinitely not.?It抯 Cybil抯 voice that cuts through the others. 揝he抯 so棓
Her friend elbows her before Cybil can finish her sentence. They both look at me. I muster a smile and hurry down the hallway.
Jordan抯 sitting in the same spot. He has one leg propped in my chair, saving my seat, and it gives me the most ridiculous rush. Who cares what they think? Maybe we don抰 make sense to them. I thought the same thing at first, but they don抰 feel what I do when he抯 around. Besides, some of the most interesting things defy logic, sometimes even physics. I figure Jordan and I are among them.
He smiles when he sees me and shifts his leg back to the floor. I take the seat because it抯 mine, and I kiss him for anyone that cares to see, but mostly I just kiss him for me.
I pull back breathless and find him smirking at me.
揑s that for saving your seat? Because I hate to admit it now, but it was also serving as a pretty bomb footrest.?
揓ust wanted to kiss you,?I say.
He drops his mouth to mine. 揑f I kissed you every time I wanted to, I抎 walk around permanently attached to your lips.?
It hadn抰 occurred to me that he was holding back for my benefit.
揟hat doesn抰 sound so bad.?I run my fingers along his cheek. He抯 shaved recently, but the skin is rough where the hair threatens to reappear. 揑抎 have to learn to skate, though.?
揑 could teach you.?His legs shut around mine, and he pulls me closer. Now that I抳e made the first move I seem to have broken some invisible barrier in his restraint.
揟hatch, are you and your girl in this game??one of the guys at the table asks him.
He looks at me for an answer.
揗aybe we sit this one out??
He stands and hauls me up and onto his shoulder.
揓ordan!?I squeal. 揑抦 wearing a dress.?
He places a hand over my ass and holds the material down as he walks. Giddy laughter bubbles in my chest as I hang over his shoulder.
When he sets me back on the ground, we抮e outside on the deck.
揑 forgot our drinks,?he says, and I swear he looks like he抯 going to pick me up again.
揥hat if we skip the drinks and go back to your place??
揑 thought parties like this were part of the charm of hanging with me.?
揌ow do I put this nicely,?I tease, placing my hands in front of me like a steeple. 揧ou抮e more charming naked.?
He barks a laugh into the night air.
揊air enough, but first I wanna make out with my girl where everyone can be really, stupidly jealous of me.?
My back presses into the railing, and he steps between my legs. My heart is pounding in my chest as his mouth drops to mine.
Our kiss is interrupted by someone calling Jordan抯 name.
He growls playfully as he pulls away.
揥hat??he barks.
Brad McCallum laughs as he approaches us. 揧ou two want to play flip cup??
揘ah,?Jordan says as I say, 揧es.?
揧ou know I won抰 be naked, right??he whispers in my ear.
I laugh. 揑t抯 finally a game I抦 not bad at.?
Which is true. Flip cup might be the great universal equalizer. Jordan and I line up with Brad and Dallas against four others I抳e met but can抰 remember their names. A rush of adrenaline hits me when it抯 my turn. I chug like I抳e never chugged before and flip over the cup on the first try. Jordan抯 grinning so hard at me, it slows his start, and the other team wins.
We play two more times before it breaks up, and everyone wanders off from the table. It抯 getting late, but neither of us mentions leaving again. I see Cybil as we抮e taking seats outside. She抯 making out with a cute guy that I assume is on the hockey team. When I check to see Jordan抯 reaction, he barely seems to notice. I guess it抯 then that I realize he might have hooked up with her, but it wasn抰 like us. I don抰 care much about what Cybil thinks of me after that.
We stay until the party has died down and the music is off. Jordan and I walk the few blocks to his dorm, talking and laughing. It all feels so easy and fun.
Liam抯 not here. I didn抰 see him at the party either, but Jordan doesn抰 seem concerned, so I don抰 bring it up.
He flips on the light in his room.
揇o you want a drink or something? I still have some Fireball.?
I shake my head, remove my coat, then my boots and socks.
He sits back on his desk, watching me. Reaching behind me, I pull the zipper of my dress down and then let it fall over my shoulders and pool at my waist.