“Sure thing… just let me get out my sexy camouflage dress,” I called after her shaking my head.
Choosing my outfit for the evening was more difficult than I had anticipated. I knew I was overthinking the whole thing, but this was a big deal…well, at least to me it was. I didn’t want to look like I tried too hard, or like I was too fixed up, I just wanted to blend in... Okay, maybe I wanted to do a little more than blend in. Evie said the party was going to be casual, to wear something cute and flirty but comfortable. Cute and flirty but comfortable, huh? Yoga pants were my idea of comfortable, but I guessed that wasn’t what she had in mind. After trying on everything I had bought earlier in the day, I finally opted for a denim mini skirt, layered chocolate brown and light pink tank tops that snugly hugged my C-cup breasts, and my distressed brown cowboy boots. Unless I was wearing sneakers for a physical activity, my shoe selection consisted of flip flops and one pair of boots. I owned at least twenty different pairs of flip flops in every possible color which I usually wore during the day and with jeans and shorts. My boots were my “dress-up” shoe, usually paired with skirts and dresses. I quickly touched up my hair and makeup, and then stared back at my big brown eyes in the mirror. It was show time.
The drive to Evie’s cousin Jess’ house was quick, only fifteen minutes from our apartment. Unlike Evie and I, Jess attended the University of St. Thomas, another college in the Houston area. I had met Jess many times before. She had spent a week each summer at Evie’s for as long as I could remember, and her and her parents were frequent guests there for holidays as well. I had always liked Jess, she could be a little loud and obnoxious at times, but for the most part I thought she was hilarious. She used to tell us stories about the mischievous things her and her friends would do without getting caught. Both Evie and I had always looked up to her a bit being two years older than us. She knew about my parents’ issues and had always told me if I ran away, I could stay with her and her family in Houston. Of course I never did, but it was so sweet of her to even offer.
The plan for the night was to leave Evie’s car at Jess’ house, an off-campus rental where she lived with two other roommates. All five of us were going to walk to the party together which supposedly was just a block or two away from their house. Afterwards, Evie and I were going to crash in Jess’ room for the night so that we wouldn’t have to drive late and no one would have to pass on the festivities to be the designated driver. I also felt better about going as a large group so I would have several people to stay close to in case I freaked out or something.
We pulled into the driveway of a cute one-story red brick home. You could tell that it was an older home, but it had been well maintained and there was definite curb appeal. Before we even made it out of the car, Jess had flung open the front door and was bouncing down the front steps to greet us in a hug.
“Evie! Scarlett! I’m so excited y’all are here!” she squealed. “Did you have any problems finding the place? How do you like Houston? Did y’all get settled in?” she continued without taking a breath. She then turned to face me and said, “Wow! You look… different… incredible actually.”
“Thank you. It’s so good to see you again, Jess.” She squeezed the breath out of me with her embrace. I had forgotten just how over-bearing she could be.
Thankfully getting the attention off of me, Evie answered her questions, “No, we didn’t have any problems finding the place. So far we are loving Houston. And we are somewhat settled in. We still need to go to the grocery store and get Scarlett some more clothes, but we will get that taken care of on Monday before classes start.”
Jess then turned towards the front door and ushered us inside. “Come in, come in. Welcome to our humble home.”
The interior of the home was like walking into an Ikea showroom. It was modern and inviting. The perfect combination of earth tones and bright funky colors were used which made the space fun as well as sophisticated. A thin girl with short blonde hair was sitting on the couch drinking a beer and watching tv when we walked in.
“Evie, Scarlett, this is one of my roommates, Meg Scott. Meg and I have been roommates since our freshman year,” Jess introduced us. She then turned to Meg and said, “I’ll bet you’ll never guess which one is my cousin,” alluding to the fact Jess and Evie looked so much alike. They could easily pass for sisters with their super straight black hair that they both wore shoulder length, with heavy bangs, and their shared olive complexion.
“It’s nice to meet both of you,” Meg smiled warmly at us without getting up, as we continued further into the living room.
“Ash will be out in a bit. We are forever waiting on Ash,” Jess said shaking her head playfully. “Please make yourselves at home. That’s my room over there,” she continued while pointing to a door off the living room. “You can throw your overnight bags and purses on my bed or in my closet. Meg and Ash’s rooms are down the hall. There’s a bathroom en suite in my room and another down the hall to the right.”
Evie and I put our things on Jess’ bed and then went back out to the living area and sat on the couch opposite from Meg.
“Can I grab y’all a beer while we wait?” Jess asked as she walked across the room to where I assumed the kitchen was.
“I’m good,” I answered. My stomach was tightened into a hard knot from nerves and anxiety and I was sure if I tried to eat or drink anything, I would puke.
“Scarlett maybe a drink before we go would help calm your nerves a bit,” Evie offered in a somewhat whisper. I gave her a warning look to tell her not to push me on this.
“What are you nervous about Scarlett?” Meg asked n0sily.
“Scarlett has never been to a party before,” Evie answered for me. I glared at her, lips pursed in disapproval, and she pretended like she didn’t notice
Meg looked at me confused, “You mean a college party? It’s really no big deal, not much different than high school parties to be honest. Where we are going tonight is going to be extremely laid back. No crazy people running around like idiots or anything.”
Jess yelled from the kitchen as if I was unable to respond myself, “No Meg, she has never been to a party… period. Her parents were crazy strict and didn’t allow her to have a social life, she’s never been to a party, never been on a date… nothing.”
Meg scrunched her pixie face up and looked at me, “Sorry, that totally sucks.”
Before I could confirm the extreme level of suckiness, a male voice called out, “What’s this I hear about never having been on a date or to a party?”
Confused, I whipped my head around only to see a gorgeous guy emerge from the hallway. My mouth fell open as the breath escaped my lungs. He stood what I guessed to be close to six feet tall with a lean but muscular build. His long dirty blonde hair looked as if he had just run his fingers through it and the sexy five o’clock shadow on his face made me want to feel the scruffiness under my hand. He was dressed in a blue guayabera shirt paired with khaki cargo shorts and brown flip flops. He looked as if he had stepped directly out of a Hurley magazine ad with his deeply tanned skin and surfer-boy threads. However, nothing could have prepared me for the reaction my body had when I looked into his eyes. It was like looking into the waters of the Caribbean Sea, with a sparkle that bounced back and forth between the blue and green. I was captivated. My heart was beating so hard that I was afraid he could see the pulse in my neck from across the room. I remember thinking if he was a vampire, I was sure to be dead in a matter of moments, and surprisingly, I was okay with that as long as he was the one to do it. I really needed to lay off the paranormal stuff.
“It’s about time Ash, my God! Come meet my cousin Evie and her roommate, Scarlett. Hurry up!” Jess shouted again from the kitchen.
Startled, I quickly broke the stare and turned around to face Evie on the couch who cocked one eyebrow up at me and had a questioning look on her face. Before I had a chance to analyze what had just happened, Jess came around the corner with a couple of beers and guided Ash towards the couch where we sat.
“We were talking about Scarlett here, and the fact that she’s lived an extremely sheltered life. Her parents were a tiny bit obsessive and controlling, so they sent her to an all-girl private school since kindergarten and never allowed her to go to out - no parties and especially no dates. So tonight will be her very first party - ever,” Jess explained to him as they stood in front of us and she handed both Evie and I a beer. Once again she spoke as if I wasn’t capable or if I wasn’t there at all. I wanted nothing more than to sink into the cushions on the couch and escape the embarrassment of the conversation.
Ash didn’t respond to Jess, but instead held his hand out to Evie. When she shook his hand he said, “Evie, I presume? I’m Ashton Walker or Ash, if you prefer. It is so nice to finally meet you.” Then I saw him smile. Oh. My. God. The deep dimples that appeared on both sides of his face turned my insides to mush. I always knew I had a weakness for dimples, I mean, didn’t every female? There was just something about them that screamed youth and playfulness and innocent mischief, and when placed on a handsome face accompanied by hard, masculine features, they were undeniably sexy and downright irresistible.