“We’ll be there soon. Definitely not worth bringing coats. We’d probably just lose them.”
“Definitely.” I was trying to be less like myself, but I still wished that I had a jacket.
When we arrived at the frat house, the music was already blaring. It almost felt like the ground was shaking. Or maybe it just felt like that because I had already had three shots. We walked in the front door and looked around.
“Hey, birthday girl.” Tyler smiled at me and walked over to us. He was wearing all black with a mask that covered just around his eyes. And a sword was strapped to his belt.
“Tyler!” I threw my arms around him.
“Whoa. Did you pregame or something?” Tyler kept his hand on my waist when I let go of his neck.
“We had a few shots before coming here,” Melissa said. “Where’s Josh?”
“Setting up the keg in the basement.”
“I will see you two later. Remember that advice I gave you, Penny.” Melissa gave me a not so subtle wink and left to find Josh.
“Tyler.” I traced my finger along his sword. “Your sword is huge.” I giggled to myself.
“You are so drunk,” he laughed.
“No. No, I’m not. I’m just happy. It’s my birthday party!”
“Well I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Are you?” I looked into his blue eyes. It was easy to get lost in them.
“Look, Penny, I’m sorry about the other day. It’s none of my business whether you report Professor Hunter…”
“No, I am. I’m so sorry about everything. I’ve been such an idiot.”
“Yes, you have.” He was smiling at me.
“Tyler,” I said teasingly and shoved his shoulder. “What are you supposed to be anyway?”
Tyler let go of my waist and stepped back. “You don’t know?”
“Zorro?”
“What? No, I’m not Zorro. I can’t believe you don’t recognize me from your favorite movie.”
“Oh my God, you’re Westley?!”
“Technically the Dread Pirate Roberts, but yes.”
“You’re Westley! Tyler that’s so sweet. God, you’re like the sweetest guy ever. I can’t believe you dressed up for me.”
“Well it is your birthday party.”
I stepped toward him and leaned in close. “Is your mustache real?”
“Does it look fake?”
I rubbed my index finger along his upper lip.
“What’s the verdict?”
I kept my hand on his face. I gulped. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to get over Professor Hunter. “You’re my Westley.”
“As you wish.” Tyler grabbed my waist and pulled me against him.
For weeks I had felt empty. I didn’t want to feel empty anymore. I grabbed both sides of his face and kissed him. His kisses were familiar now. Soft and loving, yet enticing. I didn’t flinch when his hands drifted to my ass. I liked his hands on me. There had been so many almosts with him. Tonight wouldn’t be an almost. I was finally going to have him. I grabbed his collar and pulled him down so that I wouldn’t have to stand on my tiptoes. I wanted him to pick me up and take me to his room. I wanted all of him.
“Oh my God.” I released his collar. “I’m so sorry.” I took a step back but Tyler grabbed my wrist.
“Penny, what’s wrong?”
“Natalie. You’re still going out with Natalie. How do I keep forgetting about her? Geez, is she here?” I looked around the room. There weren’t any girls staring at us. Maybe she wasn’t here yet. I needed to get out of here.
Tyler sighed. “I’m not going out with her anymore.”
I took a step back toward him. “Why?”
“I stopped seeing her after you and I almost… after we… well, after you and I almost had sex.”
“Why?” I asked again.
Tyler took a deep breath. He let go of my wrist and leaned back against the wall behind him. He rubbed the side of his neck. He finally looked back at me. “Because I realized that I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
It felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. “Are you still thinking about me?”
“Always.” He said it without hesitation. He was so sure of what he wanted. I wanted to be sure for him.
“Penny! Tyler!” Melissa came up to us.
I reluctantly broke my eye contact with Tyler. He hadn’t said it, but it felt like he loved me. How could he love me? I had been so awful to him. But I liked him. I really liked him. It still felt like my heart was broken though. A part of it was still with Professor Hunter. Would I ever get that part back? Would being with Tyler help? Or would it just make everything worse?
Melissa shoved cups of beer into both of our hands. “Come on! Let’s dance!”
“But…” I tried to say. Melissa grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the basement. I looked back at Tyler.
He shook his head and started to follow us.
We made our way down the steps. The room was dark except for a strobe light. I drank a few sips of beer so that it wouldn’t spill while I was dancing. Melissa pulled me into the middle of the dance floor. I let my body move to the beat of the music. Before I knew it, two hands were at my waist. Tyler pulled my waist into him. I began to grind against him.
“I thought you didn’t like to dance like this?” he yelled over the music.
“That’s before I knew that I wanted you.”
Tyler pushed my hair to one side and kissed the back of my neck. I felt chills sweep down my spine. I did want him. I had never stopped thinking about him either.
“You never guessed what I am,” I said to him.
Tyler spun me around. “Sexy as hell.”
I laughed. “I meant my costume.”
“Hmmm… a plant?”
“Tyler! You really don’t know?”
Tyler laughed. “Of course I know. You’re the sexiest Poison Ivy I’ve ever seen.”
I finished the rest of my beer. I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the dance floor and toward the stairs.
“Where are we going?” Tyler asked.
“I still haven’t seen your room.” With every step I was more and more sure of what I was doing.
“And why do you want to see my room? That’s rather forward of you.”
He was teasing me about the first time I had ever come here. I smiled at him. “Actually I just want to talk to you.”
He looked slightly disappointed. “Okay.” He squeezed my hand and led me up the stairs, around the corner, and up the other set of stairs. This time there wasn’t a tie on his doorknob. He opened it, let me in, and locked it behind him.
I looked around his room. There were posters of half naked women on the walls and there were several bottles of vodka on his bureau. I picked one up. “What, do you bring girls up here and get them drunk?” I opened it up and took a sip.
“Just you apparently.” He sat down on the edge of his bed.
“I’m not drunk.” Maybe I was a little drunk. The way he was looking at me made me nervous. I took another sip and put the cap back on. “Oh my God, is this you?” I picked up a picture frame that was next to the bottles. It was a young boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair next to an older woman that looked a lot like him. It must be his mother. “You were so cute.”
Tyler stood up, took the frame out of my hands, and set it back down on the bureau. “What, you don’t think I’m cute anymore?” He pretended to look hurt.
“No,” I laughed. “You sir,” I poked him in the middle of the chest, “are a stud.”
Tyler’s Adam’s apple rose and then fell.
Does he want the same thing that I do?
“What did you want to talk about?” he said softly.
“So is this what you like?” I gestured to the posters on his walls.
“No. I like you. Actually, that reminds me. I have a present for you, Penny.”