First Time Ever

First Friendships

Chapter-9

First Friendships

Still half dazed I walked back to my room. Hearing him say that I looked beautiful triggered something in me, my stomach was full of butterflies, my nerves were a mess, hell I was a mess. I wanted him to keep saying that over and over so my mind kept replaying those words, his eyes, the very moment.

Leaning on the door and talking a deep breath to calm myself I turned the knob only to find that the door was locked.

“Damn you Lita!” cursing I stood there trying to figure out what to do next, “where am I supposed to go now?”

Our kitchen and living area was riling with people, even the lawn was out of question so apparently I had nowhere to go, “Great!”

That left with one option though and I would rather not take it, not after everything that went down tonight. Keith had been good with me tonight, no doubt but I didn’t trust him enough to ask him to let me stay in his room. Who knows when he would turn back to a psycho plus things would just be awkward right now.

“What now?”

Well now I get my ass to the kitchen and fetch a bottle of water and see if I can find any place in the entire house to sleep.

So I went to the kitchen, with much difficulty, mind you and found it empty. Thank god! Finally a place which was vacant.

Next I made my way to the refrigerator and opened it only to find it filled with bottles of alcohol and no water!

“I so hate this place sometimes,” shutting the refrigerator I sat down, careful with what the dress might expose.

“You’ll get used to it,” Peter came in from the other end.

“I hope that happens soon,” those freaking heels were killing me, it was a miracle I had managed to get through the party without breaking my nose. I had little experience with high heels.

“Hmm,” opening the refrigerator, he snuck his head inside and after some shifting and shuffling, emerged with a bottle of water.

“How’d you find it?” wonder stuck my voice, “I couldn’t find any, thought it was full of beer bottles only.”

He gave me a crooked smile, “I’ve been living with these nuts long enough to know they’ll fill the entire house with booze if they get their way. So I make sure to stack a few bottles inside whenever a party is up.”

Wow he was smart. Kind of.

“Want some?” he waved he bottle at me.

“Why else would I even mention it?”

He threw the bottle at me, I caught it with ease, perks of watching cricket all your life.

“So why are you sitting on the kitchen floor?” he asked leaning over the refrigerator door.

“Wasn’t stealing anything if that’s what you are worried about,” gulping down water I answered, still not forgetting our first meeting.

“That,” he scratched the back of his head, “I am sorry about that. I was frustrated and I took it out on you.”

My eyes bulged out. He was apologizing to me? I shifted back a little knowing that I haven’t jabbed him but one can never be too careful.

“You okay?” he kneeled down in front of me.

“Yes,” I handed the bottle back to him.

“Why are you here?” he asked taking sips.

“Because my room is currently unavailable and so is every other part of this house. I didn’t know where else to go.”

It was idiotic, why was I even telling him all this. I didn’t even know him that well.

“Good thing I took a single room,” now that he wasn’t being hostile to me, there was something friendly about him, almost relaxing.

“Yup, lucky you.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Well I was planning on sitting outside my door but guess this ain’t bad either.”

“Ooh,” his British accent made it come out funny and I had to bite back a laugh, “good luck to your behind.”

A blush was on its way.

“You’re a jerk,” I looked away.

“Sorry,” he said getting up, “Come on.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see,” he waved at me to get up.

“This better be worth it I come back to find my place taken, I’ll gut you.”

“Now now, you’re a dangerous lass,’ he commented making his way through the crowd.

“You have no idea,” I followed after him.

We made it halfway through the stairs when my feet started protesting, “I hate heels!” jerking those miserable things off my feet, I turned to continue climbing when something came crashing down the stairs and would’ve knocked me off them had it not been for peter pulling me out of the way.

“What was that?” I breathed.

“Drunk couple playing ton and jerry,” he snorted looking at the two people who were still running around, “crazy people.”

“You bet,” I looked back at him and found both of us in a rather intimate position.

I had my back pinned to the wall by his body, his hands on either side of my head, our noses almost touching.

“Umm…,” I was caught in the moment, this was all so new to me, I mean how often did something like this happen back home? I’ve barely ever touched a man.

My body knew nothing about these things and it reacted in strange ways, it seem to like situations like this.

My mind on the other hand didn’t and neither did his.

“So…sorry,” he jerked away.

“Umm.. no,” was my heart going crazy? “it was not….i mean you saved my butt. Thank you.”

“U…. you’re welcome.”

“Shall we?” this was getting awkward.

“Yes,” and we continued up the stairs. We reached the roof to find it empty and lit with those bulbs one uses on Christmas, there were light bulbs dangling on the plants in the pots, the railing, the walls everything has been decorated.

“Wow Lita left no stone unturned,” the lights were hanging all around making the roof look like a romantic location out of a movie scene.

“She sure didn’t,” Peter commented from beside me.

“It’s beautiful,” it sure as hell was, I could sit up here the entire night and still not get bored.

“That’s why I brought you here,” he went to sit on one of the benches resting near the lit glass boundary.

“Thank you,” I thought of sitting at the other bench but that would make things uncomfortable.

“You’re welcome,” his accent was quite unique, I liked the way his lips would form an O which they did often, I guess that was a habit and the richness with which he delivered his words.

There was nothing I could do but smile.

“I come up here when the noise becomes unbearable.”

“Oh so you don’t like parties?”

“Well I am not Keith, my mate is repulsed by them. I like partying once in a while, not a big fan though.”

So Keith hated parties? No wonder I rarely saw him with his party shoes on. I nodded.

“You two seem to have that in common.”

“I guess,” my feet were killing me, I was on the verge of collapsing so throwing the ‘it would get awkward’ thing out of the roof, I decided to sit down.

“So?” he started.

“So?” I mimicked sitting on the bench beside him, “Since when have you been here? In the States, I mean?”

“Have been here for twelve years, studies, more studies and now work. This place is a second home to me,” there was something almost ingenuous about him when he talked about that.

“Yeah, me too I think,” my stay here till now hasn’t been all stars and rainbows but still this country has given me quite a few things in a short time, it was indeed becoming a second home to me.

He threw me a radiant smile, his grey eyes almost lighting up. I couldn’t help but smile in return.

“I think I should be going now,” searching through his jeans pocket, he took out his phone and a key.

“Where are you going?” was he uncomfortable with me sitting there?

“Oh business arrangements,” he replied getting up.

I was starting to like his company, “You so out a lot.”

“Well duty calls,” he smiled a little and I realized he looked quite good with a smile, “here,” he offered me the key.

“Huh?”

“My room’s,” taking my palm he placed them in it, “you can use my room if you want, I’ll be gone anyways.”

Okay this was WEIRD!

“But you barely know me. I can’t take them, you can’t just give them to me,” I protested.

“Well consider this an apology for calling you a thief.”

“But…but,” he was already on the stairs.

“Don’t worry.”

“Hey Peter,” I called just as he was about to disappear round the corner.

“Yea?”

“You’re not so bad, you know.”

“Neither are you India, neither are you,” with that he was gone.

I kept sitting there for two hours waiting for the music to die down, it never did.

Okay enough! Making up my mind I came back down. The party was still alive but now there were less people and more booze.

Taking a left I walked towards Peter’s room and stood outside his door debating whether to go in or not.

Sure enough I needed a place to crash but as I’ve said we barely knew each other, I just couldn’t take his room. All of it was happening too fast for me to keep up. It felt so wrong. With a shake of my head I headed back to the kitchen. Thankfully it was still empty.

Cleaning up some space by the counter I sat down, my back supported by the counter. Music continued to boom, people continued to chat but amidst it all, I finally managed to get some sleep.

Funny but when did the kitchen floor get so soft and warm? It even smelled familiar, it almost felt like I was in bed.

“Bed?” I jerked up and sure enough I was in my bed.

“I could swore I went to sleep on the kitchen floor,” confused I looked around and saw that I was still wearing Lita’s dress which meant somebody brought me here while I was snorting like a horse.

Maybe when Bran and Lita were finally done he came out to go to his room, on the way finding me sprawled in the kitchen and brought me here?

“Hey you’re awake,” Lita came out from the bathroom with a towel around her.

“Yup, am I late for my lectures?” looking around for the clock, I found it on the floor, in pieces.

“What did…..,” I was pissed! That was the only alarm clock I owned.

“Sorry about that, I’ll get you a new one and you are not late……yet.”

“Yet?”

“You have half an hour,” she replied sheepishly.

“Half an hour!” I was out of bed and in the bathroom in a blur.

“You look exhausted,” Brandon commented frying some eggs.

“I am exhausted,” I was half asleep on the kitchen counter, it had been a long day and since I’ve been late to class I’ve been held back two extra hours.

“Your professors suck!” Lita joined in from the living area.

“Nah, they’re nice,’ really I should go to my bedroom, I needed some sleep.

“Yeah if that’s called being nice.”

“Guys I think I’ll go have a nap.”

When I woke up about three hours later Lita was busy getting ready while Brandon was yelling for her to hurry up.

“You guys going somewhere?” yawning I rubbed my eyes, I felt refreshed.

“To the club,” she looked at me, “Hey why don’t you join us?”

“Me?” I considered that and almost instantly said no, “I’ll only get in your way.”

“Come on India, Peter and Rose aren’t here and Keith is going with us. You’ll be all alone,” she was applying eye shadow.

“I am used to used to that,” I replied rolling back into bed.

“India don’t be a chicken, come on up and get ready,” she ordered. She had been doing that a lot since we started preparing for Bran’s party.

“Go away Lita!’ throwing the covers over my head, I turned away.

“On your feet now India!”

“No.”

“Have you ever been to a club”

“Never.’

“Then you’re coming.”

We bickered for about twenty minutes and forty five minutes later we were standing in the line outside the club, waiting for our turn to come.

“Lets hope you enjoy your first clubbing,” Brandon commented from behind me.

“Yeah lets hope.”