Caelyx #2
Glancing over at Aspen, I noted the somewhat bored expression in his hazel eyes. He wasn’t too excited about the idea of a party either.
“No,” Arie answered back, ignoring the deadpan lack of enthusiasm. “But there will be kegs, and music, and other human beings that we don’t see on a daily basis.”
At the mention of beer, I found my eyes drawn back to Aspen. He hadn’t reacted, but I knew the promise of alcohol was not particularly appealing to him. I didn’t know the reason behind it, but I’d discovered that fact about him the hard way.
The year before, when I’d still been wallowing in self pity, grieving my exile from my cushy, privileged life, I’d started developing the unfortunate habit of drowning my sorrows in bottles of expensive vodka or rum.
Aspen had come over one day to drop something off for Ren, who’d been holed up in Maddox’s room like he tended to be, and he’d happened to catch me at a really low point.
He’d never exactly been my biggest fan but the way he’d looked at me that day, like I was the lowest form of being on the planet, was something I hadn’t quite been able to forget.
I’d tried talking to him, but he’d ignored me and rushed out before I’d had a chance to try and understand his reaction.
I couldn’t stand the idea of suffering under his repulsed gaze again, so I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since.
“The GSA club is throwing it, it’s only $10 to get in, and the proceeds are going to the club so yes, we have to go,” Arie continued. “There’s going to be a DJ and everything, and basically everyone in the club is going. They’re doing, like, a rave theme. It’s going to be super fun.”
Aspen shifted, pursing his lips. “I probably have work.”
“It starts after the café closes, so neither you nor Caelyx can use that as an excuse,” Arie retorted quickly, like he’d expected that answer. “And anyway, Aspen, you specifically absolutely have to go.”
“Why do I specifically have to go?” He questioned.
“Because Preston specifically told me to invite you,” Arie answered, then glanced back at Che, like he was asking for backup. “Right, Che?”
“He did ask about you,” Che confirmed softly.
I sat up straighter, my spine going stiff against the back of the couch.
“Preston who?” Aspen wondered, and I had to bite down on my tongue to avoid giving an answer that would make it obvious how unhappy I was with the direction the conversation had taken.
I knew exactly who Preston was. He was a senior, and the over-achieving do-gooder who ran the Gender and Sexuality Alliance club.
He’d organized charity events benefiting queer causes, too.
Probably exactly the kind of reliable, responsible, organized guy that Aspen would be into.
“Preston runs the GSA club,” Arie said quickly. I knew Arie was all about that club, being the out and proud little devil he was. “And he’s totally hot. And, like I said, he totally asked me about you.”
“He asked you about me, or he told you to invite me?” Aspen asked, raising his pierced eyebrow.
“Both,” Arie promised. “He asked me about you, and then he said I should invite you.”
“He said we should invite our friends,” Che chimed in. “But then he did mention you specifically, and asked us to invite you,” he said, corroborating Arie’s story. Great.
I waited a beat, hoping Aspen would scoff and blow it off, but my hopes for that weren’t too high. Despite his edgy, emo boy looks, he wasn’t introverted or anti-social. There was no real reason why he’d turn down a party invite, Preston’s interest in him aside.
“Fine,” he said, shrugging a shoulder. “I’ll go.”
“I’ll go, too,” I piped up quickly. No way in hell was I letting some try-hard know-it-all hit on Aspen without me there. Arie tilted his head, giving me a sly look colored with mock surprise. He knew why I’d agreed so quickly. Probably everyone did. I didn’t care.
Maddox sighed, and I heard him murmuring to Ren. They conversed back and forth quietly until finally Ren spoke up.
“We’ll go,” he said. “I haven’t been to a party since last year, so it might be fun,” he tacked on.
Once we’d all agreed to attend the party Arie had insisted on, the topic of conversation shifted to current events and mutual friends and we all relaxed for a while, just talking.
When it started getting late and everyone agreed it was time to start dispersing, Arie and Che stood up along with Aspen.
The three of them, along with Ren, lived in the dorms on campus.
Ren didn’t always spend the night at our house with Maddox, but on the weekends he would usually cozy up here, so it was just the three of them leaving.
“I think I left my house key in your cup holder,” I announced to Aspen, standing up to follow him out. “I need to grab it before you leave.”
“Why’d you do that?” He wondered, giving me an odd look.
I’d done it so that I would have an excuse to be alone with him one more time before he drove back to his dorm. I’d forgotten Arie and Che would be hanging around too.
“I just took them out of my pocket and forgot,” I lied, walking out of the front door behind him and following him to his car.
He slipped into the driver’s seat and grabbed them, holding them out for me.
I nudged my way between his open door and the body of the car, so he couldn’t close it and drive away quite yet.
Resting my forearm on the top part of his sedan, I stared down at him as I pocketed my keys.
It was too dark to make out the details of his eyes, but the colors were basically burned into my brain, even though he never let me look into them for too long without turning away.
They were bright and mossy, with a burst of brown around the pupil, melting into the green like honey.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” he answered. I knew I had a window of approximately one second before he’d tell me to move so he could leave, so I quickly rushed into my next sentence.
“You know, I heard that Preston guy, like, drowns puppies on the weekends.”
He looked shocked for a split second, before his expression relaxed. The corner of his mouth perked up briefly as he willed himself not to laugh, but he snorted a bit as he shook his head.
“Where’d you hear that?” He asked, sarcasm dripping from his words. I loved making him smile, even when it was just a tiny one he couldn’t quite keep from showing up on his face. I loved making him laugh even more, but thus far that had proved itself to be a pretty difficult feat.
“Everyone knows,” I said seriously. “It’s basically common knowledge. I also heard he pours the milk into his bowl before he pours the cereal in.”
“You seem to know a lot about him,” Aspen observed, one of his dark eyebrows quirked up like he was appraising me. “Maybe you should worry about yourself.”
“Yeah, well, when someone exhibits that many terrible, horrible traits, it’s kind of hard to forget.” I said, giving a dramatic shiver.
“He doesn’t sound so bad,” Aspen reasoned, but I could tell by the amused look on his face he was only saying it to bust my balls about the whole thing. He knew I was bothered.
“Don’t come crying to me if you go out with him and he chews with his mouth open or leaves you at the altar or something.”
He snorted again, before inhaling deeply. “I really can’t stand you.”
“Fine line,” I reiterated, blinking my lashes at him, hoping I looked approachable and cute and completely non-threatening. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”
He stared up at me for a few long moments, looking thoughtful, before giving a tiny nod.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Encouraged by his reaction, I leaned into the car a little more, shrinking the gap of space between us, but before I could say anything else, Arie sighed from the passenger seat.
“Are you guys going to make out or what?” He complained. “God, it’s like watching feral cats circle each other before they pounce.”
Huffing out an annoyed breath, Aspen turned toward him. “Do you want to walk home, princess?”
“I would probably get there faster,” he retorted. “Do you two need some alone time or what?” I couldn’t decide whether I was grateful to him for even suggesting it, or if I wanted to lean the rest of the way into the car and strangle him for interrupting us.
Aspen rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
He glanced back over to me, before reaching out toward my torso.
The palm of his hand flattened against my abs, the warmth of his skin searing through my shirt.
It was brief, just light pressure against my muscles as he gently but firmly nudged me a few steps back.
“Night, Cupcake,” I managed to get the words out just before his car door smacked closed.
He lifted a hand, giving me a careless wave through the glass before backing out of the driveway and onto the street.
I watched the red hue of his tail lights fade off before heading back inside and straight to my bedroom.
Ren and Maddox had already retreated into his room, and the last thing I wanted was to hear them moaning each other’s name through the door.
I was starting to feel like a monk, I’d been celibate for so long.
I needed it bad, but… There was only one person I wanted it from. And he was not yet willing to provide.
Rubbing my hand over my stomach, where it was still warm and tingly from Aspen’s touch, I tugged off my jeans and flopped onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling until I fell asleep.