Party Time!

Tuli

The week flew by faster than I expected. After my encounter with Jayce, he was nowhere to be seen. I had no idea if he was still mad or not. And honestly, I didn’t even know what he was mad about!

I decided not to dwell on it. It was Friday, after all. Megan and I were getting ready for the party. My cousin Nicolette was joining us, too. We planned to take a cab.

The doorbell rang while I was applying my makeup. “Hold on,” I yelled, rushing to the front door.

Nicolette was standing there when I opened it. She looked stunning in a strapless coral dress with a brown bow tied around the waist. Her hair cascaded past her shoulders.

Her eyes were a similar shape to mine, but hers were a striking sapphire blue. She was a bit shorter than me, but her heels made up for the difference.

She was wearing minimal makeup, just a touch of lip gloss.

“You’re wearing contacts!” I exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.

“Just for tonight,” she mumbled, returning the hug with a smile.

A squeal echoed from behind me as Megan rushed over and enveloped us both in a bear hug. “You both look so hot!”

“You too,” I replied, admiring her black skater dress and matching ankle boots.

Nicolette nodded in agreement, a shy smile on her face. Megan grabbed her hand and led her towards the couch. “Let’s wait here while Tuli finishes her makeup,” she suggested.

Nicolette followed her into the living room while I returned to my room to finish my makeup. My outfit was more understated compared to Megan’s and Nicolette’s.

I had chosen a simple navy blue dress that ended just above my knees, paired with black heels. I had styled my hair in loose ringlets that fell past my shoulders.

I was almost done with my smokey eye makeup and was applying a dark red lipstick.

When I walked into the living room, Megan and Nicolette were chatting and sipping on wine coolers. “You guys are starting early, and we haven’t even left for the party yet,” I sighed.

“It’s just one drink,” Megan protested. “And it’s a wine cooler.”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“We’re taking a cab anyway, right?” Nicolette chimed in.

I grumbled, “Yeah, that’s true.”

A honk from outside interrupted us. “Speak of the devil. The cab’s here.”

Megan and Nicolette quickly finished their drinks. We left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind us.

The drive was short, thankfully. We arrived at the party, giggling and excited. Armand opened the door to greet us. “Hey, you made it!” He pulled me into a bear hug.

“Armand!”

“I can’t help it! I’m excited to see you!”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help giggling. Megan snickered, and Nicolette tried to stifle her giggles behind her hand. “Armand, meet my roommate Megan, and my cousin Nicolette,” I introduced them.

Megan waved and gave Armand a quick once-over. Despite Armand’s good looks, Megan only had eyes for my brother.

That didn’t stop her from appreciating a good-looking guy, as long as Daniel wasn’t around.

Nicolette blushed a deep red. She seemed more taken with Armand than I was. Armand seemed equally interested. He greeted them both, but his gaze lingered on Nicolette.

After a moment, he regained his composure. “Come on in, ladies,” he said, grinning.

He led us inside. The place was a mess. Plastic cups were scattered everywhere, and the smell of alcohol and weed filled the air.

The living room was packed with people. Some were making out on the couch, others were dancing or chatting.

We made our way through the crowd to the kitchen, where we were handed cups of beer. We then headed out to the backyard, which was less crowded but still chaotic.

There was an in-ground pool in the middle of the yard.

I was surprised it was open, considering it was almost September. People were splashing around and playing games. But we were all in dresses.

~Oh well~, I thought.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around me. I jumped, startled. I turned to see who had decided to scare me. “Damn it, Daniel!” I snapped, pushing the laughing brute away.

“It’s not my fault you’re so jumpy,” he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Megan walked over to him. He pulled her in for a kiss. She kissed him back, pulling him closer. Then, out of nowhere, she smacked him on the head. “Ouch,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

Megan came over to hug me. “Sorry, Danny,” she cooed, “but I have to protect my sis!”

We laughed as he continued to rub his head. “You’re so mean to me, babe.”

Megan giggled and returned to his arms. “You two are so cheesy,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Sorry, Tuli. We’re going to go mingle,” Megan apologized.

With that, they left. “Ditched again,” I muttered, setting off to find Nicolette.

I couldn’t find Nicolette anywhere. Armand was also missing, which made me a bit worried. I liked Armand, but I wasn’t sure if I trusted him yet. We’d only known each other for a week.

I went back inside. Nicolette was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, laughing and chatting with Armand. He wasn’t even touching her. I felt guilty for doubting him.

~He’s treating her exactly how a gentleman should treat a woman.~

I walked over to them. “Hey,” Nicolette greeted me with a chirpy smile.

“Hey,” I responded.

Armand didn’t say anything. ~Strange~. “You doing alright?” I asked.

Nicolette’s face lit up. “Armand was just sharing stories about his time in Italy. He’s quite the comedian.”

“Oh, that’s neat,” I said, returning her smile.

Armand turned a shade of pink. ~Interesting~. “I’m going to grab another drink,” I announced.

“Sure thing,” Nicolette chirped.

I headed off to refill my beer.

“Hey,” a voice called out as I was pouring my drink. A guy with a buzz cut was standing nearby, grinning.

“Hey, yourself.” I smiled back.

“Fancy a dance?”

I pondered for a moment. I wasn’t tied down to anyone. And even though I still craved the touch of a certain professor, I knew that was a pipe dream.

I wasn’t planning on sleeping with this guy. But what the hell. I could use some fun.

“Hell yeah,” I replied enthusiastically, finishing my drink.

I placed my hand in his and he led me to the living room where couples were dancing close together.

Mr. Buzzcut pulled me against him, my back and butt pressed against his chest and groin. We moved in rhythm, my hips swaying and shaking under his hands.

I could feel his hard-on pressing against my ass through his jeans. I smirked. Maybe I was in for another one-night stand.

We danced on, breaking only for more drinks. After a while, I needed to use the restroom. I tapped Mr. Buzzcut on the shoulder. “Need to pee,” I slurred.

I stumbled upstairs, looking for a bathroom.

I found one, after shooing away a couple who were making out inside. I relieved myself and checked my reflection in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself.

Apart from looking incredibly sexy, I also looked pretty worn out. And I was still thinking about Jayce.

I had slept with an incredibly hot guy, who turned out to be a professor at my school, and who was also commitment-phobic.

Why the hell did I care?

I pulled out my phone and navigated to the college’s website. I didn’t have his number, but what the hell. I could call his office. I found his details on the page, with two phone numbers listed.

Which one to call?

I clicked on the second number. A prompt popped up on my phone. “Call this number?” it asked.

“Just like in ~Fifty Shades of Grey~,” I giggled, hitting yes.

I didn’t expect him to answer, but after the third ring, his sultry voice came on. “This is Jayce Mitchell.”

“Oh, I thought this was gonna go to voicemail,” I slurred.

“Tuli? Why are you calling so late? Are you okay?” His voice was laced with worry.

“Shhh…Why so many questions? Hey Jayce, isn’t this like ~Fifty Shades~? Wait, have you seen the movie?”

“Tuli, where are—”

He was about to ask another question, but I cut him off.

“Let me talk, jeez,” I grumbled. “Why did you ditch me two months ago? Don’t you like me, ~professor~?”

“Of course I do,” he muttered.

I shushed him. “I didn’t ask you to talk.”

I could hear him trying to suppress a laugh. “Now you’re laughing at me,” I grumbled. “This is why you’re not getting any of this.”

“Is that so?” He asked innocently.

“Yes.”

“Tuli, tell me where you are,” he pleaded, his tone serious.

“No,” I replied curtly.

“Tuli—”

“Bye.” I hung up.

I don’t know what came over me, but I decided to save his number in my phone.

I left the bathroom and ran into Mr. Buzzcut. “Hey again,” he murmured, smirking.

Dirty thoughts filled my mind, and I found myself pulling him towards me. I pressed my lips to his. He pushed me against the wall as his tongue invaded my mouth.

He lifted one of my legs and placed it over his hip as he ground his erection against me. It was a turn on, but suddenly I was thinking of Jayce.

A pang of guilt hit me, and I pushed the guy away, no longer wanting to be his one-night stand.

He persisted though, keeping me pinned against the wall as his mouth found my neck. “Get off me,” I growled, trying to shove him off me again.

He ignored me, reaching for the hem of my dress. I struggled to fight him off. “Stop,” I whimpered.

“Shut up,” he growled. “Don’t be a tease.”

I tried with all my might to get him off of me. Suddenly, he was yanked away from me, and his back slammed against the opposite wall. Armand stood there, looking livid. “What the fuck, man?” the guy growled, getting up.

Armand turned and punched the guy in the face. His head hit the wall, and he sat there, dazed.

Armand turned to me and pulled me by the arm. “Time for you to go home,” he stated angrily.

“What?” I asked, surprised. “Are you kicking me out?”

He sighed. “Yes. Sort of. Your friends went home and it's late.”

“They just left without me?” I sputtered.

“No. I told them to go home, and I would go find you. They insisted on staying, but I was worried the same thing would happen to them. Your brother Daniel insisted that they go home, and he sent me to look for you. He took them home.”

He dragged me downstairs. “Let’s call your brother, okay?”

“No, no,” I protested, “I don’t want him to see me like this.”

“I’m not sending you home alone. And I would take you home, but I’m already buzzed as it is.”

“I’ll just take a cab,” I insisted.

“I’ve told you, I can’t let you go home alone. Hand over your phone so I can find someone to pick you up,” he said, extending his hand.

I was about to protest, but he grabbed my phone before I could. In a flash, he was dialing a number. “Hello, is this Jayce?” he asked.

Damn! I’d forgotten I’d saved his number in my phone, and naturally, he was the last person I’d called. I tried to grab my phone back, but Armand held up his hand to stop me.

“Hey, sorry to disturb you,” Armand said, “I’m a friend of Tuli’s. She’s had a bit too much to drink and needs a ride home. I’d take her myself, but I’ve been drinking too, and I don’t want to risk it. Could you possibly come get her?”

I guessed Jayce agreed because Armand went on to give him our location.

I groaned. Shit, the guy didn’t even realize he was talking to one of our professors.

He ended the call and handed my phone back to me, then guided me outside. “We’ll wait out here,” he said firmly, “you could use some fresh air.”

Once we were settled outside, Armand turned to me. “What were you thinking, Tuli? Letting some random guy dance all over you? You could’ve been assaulted!”

“I was just trying to have a good time,” I shot back. “God, this is why I hate going to parties.”

“Just don’t go off by yourself where your friends can’t find you,” he said, his tone sharp.

“Why do you even care?” I snapped at him.

“Because I like you!” he fired back.