On the Plus Side

“Wow, you look hot,” he blurted out.

I smiled and blushed.

We walked to his car. He opened the car door for me and closed it once I was seated. The inside of his car smelled like a brand new car. Hell, his car was brand new. I’m not sure what kind of car it was, but who cared? I found myself missing the old rusted Camaro and the smell of motor oil. Devin.

When we pulled up to my mom’s house I had a sudden burst of nerves. Not that I mind being the center of attention in a room full of friends, but even though my friends would be there, it was still mostly a room full of my mom’s ritzy acquaintances. Joy!

Matt grabbed my hand on the walk up the marble front steps to the front door. I wanted to pull my hand away from him, but I figured that would be rude. His hands were hard and cold.  Devin’s are firm, but warm, another difference between the two. I already know before I make it to the door that I’m going to be comparing all night.  I don’t know what it is, but something about Matt just doesn’t seem right.

Soon, it was an hour into the party. I’d survived this long without any long term damage, plus, I’d already had a few glasses of champagne down my throat so I was a little more relaxed. I even let Matt pull me into the middle of the enormous room, which was decorated in pink and black. There was some slow song playing and I let myself relax against Matt as he led me around.

I felt him pull me a little closer and for a minute I contemplated walking away. Instead, I relaxed my head against his shoulder. Bad idea!

“You smell good,” he whispered into my ear.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Vanilla and cherries, that’s what you smell like,” he said as he ran his mouth against my ear.

I watched my arm as the goose bumps formed. I couldn’t help it. I hated my reaction to him, but Devin had my body primed for sex and it’s all I could think about anymore.

Please, let this night be over with soon.

I closed my eyes for a minute and imagined it was Devin I was dancing with. I’m well aware of the fact that Matt is hot, but he’s not warm. I don’t mean physically warm, but warm inside. It doesn’t make any sense. I kept my eyes closed for just another few seconds and enjoyed the thoughts of Devin.

Finally, I brought my head back up and looked around the room. The green eyes that stared back at me caught me off guard. The man of my imaginings was standing across the room from me and everything about Devin was right. The relaxed fit jeans he was wearing, the black buttoned up shirt he was wearing, and the smile that he should’ve been wearing would’ve been perfect as well. The only problem was he wasn’t smiling at all. The problem was he looked completely pissed off.

Fourteen

The Party Crasher

I showed up late to the party. I figured better late than never. Also, it took me at least two hours to persuade myself to go through with it. With a hardened heart and a mission, I walked into the secret lair of the she-devil. There were so many people there that I had to slip and slide through the crowd just to make it to the main room.

I looked around at the richly dressed people and then down at my jeans. Oh well. I grabbed a glass of something from a man that was walking by with a tray and then slowly made my way through the room. It didn’t take long for me to spot Lilly from across the room. She looked so pretty and I had a sudden urge to be near her.  My hardened heart slowly softened at the sight of her. Lilly…my Lilly.

I smiled at the warm feeling that spread through me.

She was dancing with some guy and I didn’t want to approach her until she was alone. Suddenly, I realized just who that guy was and my smile quickly disappeared. I watched as Matt let his hands rest against her hips. He was leaning down and whispering something to her. I have no clue what he was saying, but Lilly seemed to be enjoying it.

She must have felt my gaze on her because she looked up and straight into my eyes. I wanted to go over and rip her out of his arms. I wanted to take him by the neck and choke the life out him, but more than anything I wanted to be the one she was dancing with. Seeing her there with his hands all over her literally knocked the breath out of me.

I impatiently waited until they were finished dancing and then made my way over to where they were standing. Matt turned around and smiled at me before I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to me.

“What the hell, Matt?” I hissed.

“Dev! What’s up, bro? I didn’t know you were gonna be here. It’s a nice party, huh?” he smirked, letting me know he was doing it on purpose.

I looked over at Lilly in question. She stared back and our eyes caught before she put her head down. I turned my attention back to Matt. I could feel my pulse in my temples and the heat on my face.