Intertwined Destinies

CHAPTER SEVEN

ABIGAIL

When his lips rest on mine, I feel that every coherent thought leaves my head, and any sign of alarm that I might feel at his proximity dissipates in an instant, his lips begin to move in tune with mine and he slides his hand by my waist, pulling me closer to him while I put my hands on his chest, I can taste beer and other sweeter liquor on his breath.

And the moment our mouths part to get some air, I feel like my heart is racing and my legs are shaking, he looks at me with a half smile, and when more people come out on the terrace I start to suddenly feel uncomfortable here, something he seems to notice, as he whispers to me:

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?"

And although I know perfectly well that that does not imply something exactly innocent, but quite the opposite, I find myself nodding and following him when he begins to walk into the house again, maybe it is the alcohol that makes me make decisions so hastily and without stopping to think about the consequences, but the emotion that I feel for what may happen next surpasses any doubt that I might have inside me, and it is that I have known from the first moment I saw him entering the boardroom for the council meeting that I feel attracted to him.

I have been trying to deny this for weeks now, but it has been impossible, as I spend most of my days searching for him among the multitude of unfamiliar faces that circulate around the university campus, getting excited every time I see him, even if it is from afar, or disappointed when I don't come across him even once a day, and it would be stupid to deny that I was waiting for this precise moment from that very first time.

"I already got a condom, do you want to continue what we started earlier?" I hear someone say and he stops suddenly, so I hit his back and bounce, falling to the ground and landing on my butt, but the music is so loud that no one hears the thud, and only a couple of people close to me move to the side so as not to step on me.

But I am frozen on the ground, so shocked at my own stupidity that I am unable to move, but not because I feel clumsy for having fallen on my butt, but of having agreed to go with him to a more private place, only to realize that he probably was taking me to the same place he went with the girl who is currently showing him a little silver package with a mischievous smile on her face.

I don’t even know how I could sneak out in the midst of the tumult of people who are moving to the rhythm of the last trending song, and I manage to reach the front door while I hold back the tears that threaten to fall on my cheeks, I take my phone from the little bag that I have it hanging from my shoulder, and I call my cousin Edward to come and pick me up, he answers on the second ring and tells me that he is close to here and that he will be here in five minutes, but I know that I cannot stay in this place to wait while he gets here, so I start walking down the sidewalk, to wait for him a few meters from the frat house.

A couple of minutes later, I hear someone calling my name out loud, but I don't dare turn to see who that voice belongs to, however, when I feel footsteps approaching me, I feel the imperative need to verify who is the person who comes this way, and I exhale with relief to see that it is not Ezra but Alec, accompanied by his friend, the birthday boy, so I walk towards them to meet in the middle of the street, and when we are close enough, he asks me:

"What are you doing standing there alone? It is dangerous,"

"Oh, I was waiting for my cousin to come pick me up," I reply.

"Are you going to go now?" he asks, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Yes, I am sorry, I think I have had more alcohol than necessary, and I feel a little bad, so I better go," I reply.

"Are you sure it's from the alcohol?" Alec's friend, Matt, asks me with a funny look.

"Yes, why do you ask?" I answer, a little defensively.

"Oh, I just saw you come out with the Moore boy from the terrace, and I thought you were going to one of the rooms upstairs, but a couple of minutes later you were walking out the door and he was going upstairs with Chloe, so I assumed something must have pissed you off,” Matt tells me, feigning concern, but I can see from his face that the situation seems very entertaining to him, and I try to ignore the twinge I felt in my chest when I heard him say that after all, Ezra did go with that girl to put the condom she got to good use.

"Look how observant you get with other people's relationships after Lilly broke up with yours," Alec replies scathingly, and Matt looks at him in surprise.

"That was a low blow, buddy," he replies with a shake of his head, and then leaves.

"Ignore what he is saying, he is hurt that his girlfriend broke up with him just the day before his birthday, and now he wants to take it out on everyone," Alec explains.

"Don't worry, I wasn't bothered by what he said," I lie, but before he can answer me, Ed's car pulls up next to us, so I quickly say goodbye to him and get in the car.

"From the look on your face, I assume it didn't go as well as you hoped," is the first thing Ed says to me as I fasten my seatbelt.

"Oh no, I had a good time, but I think it was too much for tonight and I just want to get home," I reply, and he laughs as he offers me a mint gum.

"You will need this to disguise the smell of alcohol that you bring," he tells me, and I take it immediately.

As we get to the house, I step into the back seat and cover myself with Ed's jacket again, but right after entering the property, the car suddenly stops and I hear Ed cursing, so I raise my head a bit and my heart stops when I see a police car parked outside, and my parents talking to a detective in an altered way, until my mother's worried eyes land on me and her face contorts with anger.

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