seven
Aaliyah's POV
I'm...
happy.
Warm.
Loose.
Floating slightly above my body like a well-hydrated ghost.
Okay fine - I'm drunk.
Zaria hands me another cup and I take it without thinking because it tastes like juice and joy.
The living room is somehow even louder than before.
Lights flashing.
Music shaking the floors.
People dancing like they're trying to summon something demonic.
Caleb is in the corner, hyping Zaria up like the loyal boyfriend he is.
She's doing some half-twerk, half-squat move that could summon Zeus.
Caleb looks like he's about to propose.
I love them.
I love everything.
"This is delicious," I say, sipping my cup.
Zaria glances over. "That's literally straight vodka."
"Oh."
That explains it.
A guy slides up to me. Blond. Sweaty. Smells like Monster energy and missed assignments.
"Hey," he says, way too close. "You're gorgeous."
"Thank you!" I say cheerfully. "I agree."
He laughs like I'm flirting.
I am not flirting.
I'm drunk.
"You wanna dance?" he asks, hand already reaching for my waist.
My body tenses.
Before I can answer - or wobble out of the way - another voice cuts in.
A low one.
A controlled one.
A dangerously quiet one.
The blond guy jumps like he got caught stealing.
I turn around.
Leo.
He's standing directly behind me, chest rising slowly, jaw set tight. Dark eyes locked on the dude like he's mentally writing his obituary.
My heart LEAPS.
His hoodie is off now, just a tight black shirt clinging to his shoulders and arms.
He looks like a problem.
"What's your issue, man?" Blond Guy asks.
Leo doesn't even answer him.
He looks at me.
At my flushed cheeks.
My glossy lips.
My very, very short skirt.
He swallows hard.
Then his eyes come back up to mine.
"You okay?" he asks softly.
The softness ruins my knees.
"I'm great!" I giggle. "Like sooo great."
His jaw clenches.
Once. Twice. A third time.
Blond Guy tries again. "She said she's fine. Chill."
Leo turns his head toward him so slowly that it chills the air.
"I wasn't talking to you."
His voice loses the softness.
It goes cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
Blond Guy backs up instantly. "Alright, alright-my bad."
He melts back into the crowd like he saw the light.
Leo exhales hard through his nose, then looks back at me.
"You shouldn't talk to guys like that when you're drunk," he mutters.
I pout. "He said I was gorgeous."
"You are," Leo says without thinking.
Both of us freeze.
My heart stops for a whole two seconds.
His eyes widen almost imperceptibly.
He looks away quickly. "I mean-everyone thinks so."
"Do you think so?" I ask.
WHY did I say that?
WHY did vodka give me courage?
Leo stares at me for a long, long moment.
His voice drops lower.
Rougher.
"Aaliyah... don't."
God.
I feel that in my toes.
I sway a little.
He steps closer instantly, big hand curling around my waist to steady me.
And oh.
OH.
His hand is warm.
Huge.
Steady.
Possessive.
I blink up at him. "Hi."
He inhales like he's trying to stay calm.
"You're drunk," he murmurs.
"I'm not that drunk."
"You are."
"Okay... maybe a little."
We stare at each other.
Too long.
Too intense.
Too everything.
Then someone bumps into me from behind and my cup spills a little.
Leo practically growls.
"Come on," he says, voice low.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere you can breathe."
He leads me outside with a hand on the small of my back - that gentle, firm pressure that sends my brain into static.
The backyard is quieter.
Cooler.
Soft yellow lights string overhead.
Couples talking.
Someone smoking near the fence.
Music muffled.
I sigh dramatically. "Wow. Air."
Leo huffs out a tiny laugh. "Yeah."
We stand there.
Silence.
Tension thick like honey.
He looks at me again, slower this time.
At my curls.
My lips.
My chest rising with each shaky breath.
My thighs.
My waist.
And his expression softens.
"You look..."
He swallows.
Looks away.
Tries again.
"You look really pretty tonight."
My face gets hot immediately. "Really?"
He meets my eyes - and for the first time tonight, he doesn't look away.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "Really."
My stomach flips so violently I grip the railing.
"You shouldn't be alone in there," he adds. "Guys were looking at you."
I giggle. "You were looking at me."
He goes still.
Very still.
"Aaliyah," he says softly. Warningly.
I take a small step closer, drunk courage bubbling again.
His breath catches.
He looks down at me like I'm dangerous.
Like I'm the fire and he's the gasoline.
His voice drops.
"Don't... tease me."
My heart trips.
I actually forget how to inhale.
I whisper, "I wasn't teasing."
His jaw flexes.
He looks at my mouth.
The moment stretches.
Too close.
Too warm.
Too charged.
I swear he's about to kiss me.
His hand lifts - slowly - like he's reaching for my face.
But then-
The back door bursts open.
"AALIYAH!!" Zaria shouts. "Shots!!!"
Leo closes his eyes like he's being punished by God.
I jump a little. "Coming!"
Zaria waves wildly. "Girl hurry the hell up!"
Leo steps back immediately, hand dropping.
The moment dies.
Barely.
But the tension?
Still crackling on the air.
I look up at him. "You coming inside?"
He hesitates.
Looks at me.
Really looks.
Then he murmurs:
"...Yeah."
But not because of the party.
Not because it's fun.
Because I'm in there.
And he can't not follow.