After we each took a shot of tequila to “get the blood flowing” as Jess recommended, we grabbed a beer and the introductions began. Jess pulled Evie and I from one group of people to the next, I was overwhelmed by all of the new faces and names, knowing I would never remember any of them. I smiled, shook hands, I even got a few hugs from some guys that were obviously trying to press themselves against my breasts. I didn’t mind though, I enjoyed the attention and even contemplated a couple of them for my “nightly prey” as Evie had so eloquently put it. I tried to keep myself from looking for Ash’s whereabouts, but failed miserably. However, when the back door opened, and several people shuffled in from the back porch, I realized that when Ash was in the same room with me, I would never need to look for him, I could feel his presence. I turned around to see him flanked by two beautiful blondes. He guided the one in front of him into the kitchen with his hand at the small of her back, while the one behind him tagged along, her fingers threaded through his belt loops. The three of them walked over to the island and he grabbed three beers from the cooler. I didn’t want to stare at them, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t stop myself.
“I warned you, didn’t I?” Jess’ voice interrupted my trance but I continued to watch him. “That’s just Ash… he’s always been that way. I’m not sure he’ll ever find a girl that will make him settle down. I just don’t think he’s wired that way, ya know? It’s not in his blood.” Without waiting for a response, she bounced off to say hi to some other people, leaving me alone with my unanswered questions.
Almost as if he could sense me thinking about him from across the room, he looked up at me and our eyes locked. Again, I felt something pass between us. Maybe I wasn’t crazy… I wasn’t sure what it was, or if I was just imagining it on my end, but Ash definitely made my body feel things I wasn’t quite prepared for. Then he cocked his head to the side and gave me that panty-dropping, dimple-showing smile. I knew he was only interested in me for one thing, and I’d be damned if I was going to give it to him. I scowled and broke the stare. I then turned my attention to each of the two girls that still stood on either side of him. They were both looking up at him with admiration and adoration, as if he was some sort of sex god. I laughed at the pathetic sight they were and then looked back at Ash. As if he knew exactly what I thought about him and his entourage, he dropped the smile and then what I thought was a look of guilt washed across his face. I wasn’t sure what his deal was but I didn’t need to spend any more time thinking about Ash or his dubious expressions and intentions. I rolled my eyes and turned to go find Evie. As I walked towards the back door, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as Taylor Swift sang about knowing trouble when it walked in the room. The timing could not have been more appropriate. Unable to resist the temptation to sneak one last glance at him; I turned around and ran straight into a hard chest and stumbled backwards.
“Oh, excuse me, I’m so sorry,” I apologized as I tried to catch my balance. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
The guy I nearly ran over held me by both shoulders to steady me and I looked up into his face to see if he was someone I had been introduced to earlier in the night, but immediately knew I hadn’t. I would never forget a face like that. He was… wow.
“No worries, little lady. Are you okay?” he asked not letting go of my arms.
I nodded, embarrassed by my clumsiness. I wasn’t sure who this guy was, but he could definitely give Ash a run for his money in the appearance department. What was up with all of the drop-dead gorgeous guys around here? Were they producing them in some factory nearby? His blonde hair was styled in a messy, spiky kind of do. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown and his perfectly straight teeth were on display when he smiled. Dressed in a striped polo, khaki shorts, and tan deck shoes, he was the image you would find in the dictionary under “All-American male,” and he was the perfect preppy college boy to help me win tonight’s contest and forget all about Ash Walker.
“You’re new around here, I’ve never seen you before. Are you going to be a freshman at St. Thomas?” he asked in a deep voice with a hint of a Southern drawl .
“No… I mean yes… I mean…” I stammered, feeling my face flush as I continued to embarrass myself. Taking a deep breath, I tried again to answer his questions. “What I meant to say was yes I’m new around here, and yes I’m going to be a freshman, but not at St. Thomas. I’m a student at Rice. I’m just here with my roommate’s cousin, Jess.”
“Do you have a name or should I just call you ‘Jess’ cousin’s roommate’ for the rest of the night?” he teased.
“I’m Scarlett.” I smiled as I held my hand out towards him. I could feel Ash staring and a rush of confidence flooded through me, so I flirted back, “So do you have a name or should I just call you ‘guy who likes to flirt with all of the new girls’ for the rest of the night?”
“Touché, Miss Scarlett. You’re not only beautiful but witty,” he said while still holding onto my hand. “I’m Dylan and it truly is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to come with me outside for some fresh air?”
His smile made my knees weak and my heart rate increase; I wanted to learn more about this Dylan - like what it would be like to kiss that perfect mouth and how his hands felt on my body. Just as I was about to agree, I felt someone walk up behind me and place their hand on my shoulder.
“There you are Scarlett,” I heard Ash’s voice behind me. “I’m going to play here in a bit and I know you said you didn’t want to miss it, so don’t go far okay?”
Knowing exactly what he was trying to do, I didn’t even turn around to respond. “You appear to have your hands full tonight, so instead I think I’ll grab some fresh air with Dylan, Enjoy playing.” And with that, I grabbed Dylan’s hand and marched out the back door.
Once we found a secluded area on the porch to sit and talk, Dylan asked, “Do I even want to know what that was all about?”
“I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “I met Ash over at their house right before we came here tonight. I don’t know, he just rubs me the wrong way and I think it pisses him off that I’m not falling all over myself trying to hook up with him.” Okay, so that was partially true.
“You just met him tonight? And he’s acting like that?” he questioned.
“Yeah, just a couple of hours ago or so… why? Should I be worried about something?”
“No, nothing to be concerned with. It’s just not like Ash to get all territorial like that.” Dylan had a puzzled look on his face, almost if he didn’t believe me.
I shrugged my shoulders, brushing it off as if it was no big deal. “I would really rather not talk about him, and learn a little bit more about you.” He gave me that dazzling smile and all thins Ash were temporarily forgotten.
Dylan and I spent the next hour or so talking and flirting with one another. We found we had quite a bit in common, we enjoyed similar music, we both loved watching old Saturday Night Live reruns, and we wanted to travel to many of the same places. He was an English major and wanted to go into editing, which of course with my love of all things books, interested me greatly. We had a wonderful time, Dylan was funny and he made me feel relaxed and comfortable.
When we stood up to go back inside to refill our drinks, Dylan grabbed both of my hands in his and pulled me close to him. My chest was pressed against his and my entire body buzzed in anticipation. He released one hand and moved his finger under my chin, tilting my face up towards his. I looked into his desire-filled eyes and the butterflies in my stomach took flight. Leaning down oh-so-slowly, he lightly pressed his lips against mine, and then backed up as to gage my reaction, never taking his eyes off my mouth. I then moved my free hand around to the back of his neck and pulled his face back down to mine and kissed him with much more force. I felt his tongue tease against my bottom lip and I eagerly opened up to better taste him. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there kissing, exploring each other’s mouths.
“Ummm… I hate to interrupt, but I was going to see if you wanted to come inside for an acoustic session. Ash was going to play and I thought you might want to join us.” I turned to see Evie standing there with a grin spread from one ear to the other. “But if you’re busy, that’s cool.”
“No, it’s fine. We were just coming inside anyways. I need a glass of water,” I said as I turned and walked towards her. The look on her face was priceless, she was beaming at me like a proud mom.
“Have you met Dylan?” I asked, trying to not sound like an equally giddy school girl.
“Yes, I think Jess introduced us earlier, but honestly, I’ve met so many people tonight the names are all starting to run together,” she replied. “It’s good to meet you again, Dylan. I’m Evie.” He smiled at her and shook her hand, “You too, Evie, very nice to meet you.”