Lucius
1092 คำ
The music was loud and it smelled funny in the house.
Lillian was thankful that she was wearing jeans but the shirt she was wearing showed a strip of her waist and she kept trying to tug it down. “Don’t pull on it,” Tara said, slapping at her hands. “Here.” She thrust a red solo cup into Lillian’s hands and the girl stared down at the mystery liquid nervously. “It’s just beer,” Tara supplied. When Lillian just kept staring she said, “You drink it. Like this.” She took a pointed swig of her own drink, raising her eyebrows sarcastically.
Lillian pursed her lips, glancing about the room at all of the mingling people moving around them. “I’ve never—“
“I’m going to nickname you Innocent,” Tara said, flicking Lillian’s cup. “Just try.” Scrunching her nose, Lillian took a small swig. It was terrible. She swallowed and frowned at Tara who laughed at the face she made. “You’re so cute, Innocent.”
Biting her lip, Lillian muttered, “I don’t think I should—“
“Wes!” Tara shouted over the music, waving her arm over her head.
A tall brunette came barreling through the crowd, throwing his arms around Tara’s small frame, picking her up off of the floor. Lillian had to step backwards as he spun her, both of them laughing. When he set her down he gave her a big kiss and she pushed at his chest playfully, cheeks tinted pink as Tara’s eyes moved back to Lillian. “Lilian, meet Wes.”
“Your boyfriend,” Lillian assumed.
Tara and Wes exchanged a look before laughing. “Oh no,” Tara said, waving her hand as if that was a ridiculous idea.
“We’re just friends,” Wes said, offering his hand to Lillian. She took it, expression one of confusion as her eyes bounced between the two of them. They’d kissed each other. What kind of friends kiss on the lips like that?
“This is Lillian’s first party,” Tara announced over the music, all smiles. “She’s a good girl.”
“Oh yeah?” Wes said, looking Lillian over with a bit too much interest. She found herself blushing under his gaze, willing herself not to tug at her shirt again since Tara hated it so much. “You definitely look like a good girl.” His voice seemed deeper and she bit her lip, taking another swig of her beer as an excuse not to talk back to him.
“Hey!” The voice was familiar and, turning, Lillian found Seth bounding toward her, a wide grin on his face. He pulled her into a hug so suddenly she nearly spilled her drink. Her cheeks heated as he held her out, his face still too close to hers. “You made it!”
“You know Lillian?” Tara asked, punching Seth on the shoulder.
Thankfully that took Seth’s attention away from Lillian and he straightened, allowing a more appropriate amount of space between them. “Oh, hey. Yeah, I helped her find the dorms earlier today.”
“Oh, that’s ironic! She’s my neighbor,” Tara supplied, grinning widely.
Lillian noticed how Wes rolled his eyes and wondered if he was jealous. He certainly looked jealous. But when Wes’ eyes seemed to move to Lillian’s, he grinned and she ducked her head realizing that she might have been staring. Why was she so awkward?
The three started chatting amongst themselves and Lillian kept biting her lip, eyes wandering around the room curiously. The music was going and there were some people dancing, some chugging alcohol, and some on the couch playing video games. She’d never been to a party before and she found herself thinking that she didn’t think she’d like to go to another one.
She’d been thinking about what a terrible idea it was to go off campus with somebody she hardly knew, especially since she had no idea how to get back to campus, when her eyes met dark ones from across the room. She froze.
He had a cup in his hand and was leaning back against the wall, dressed in all black, his black hair curly, jaw line sharp. No, she thought, eyes widening as she recognized him. Black eyes. Full lips. An easy smile slid across his lips and he was . . . wow, he was beautiful. Just as beautiful as he was in her nightmares. Swallowing, her eyes flickered to the door, mulling over the idea of running away. When her eyes snapped back to find him again, she jumped when she realized he was right there, standing just before her.
She took an automatic step back, shocked at how suddenly he’d closed the space between them. “You don’t belong here,” he said, his deep voice rolling over her like a frightening wave.
Lillian’s mouth parted but before she could find any words, Seth said, “That’s not nice, Luke! Don’t be a total ass.”
Luke? Lillian’s eyes widened as she stared up at the man. “Lucius,” the man said in his deep timber, dark eyes moving to Seth. “It’s Lucius.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Seth muttered dismissively.
“Lucius! This is Lillian!” Tara shouted, clutching Lillian in a half hug.
Lillian licked her lips nervously, looking at the familiar face, unable to stop herself from comparing him to the man with the fire crown. It had to be him, right? How could that be? It must be a coincidence, she decided, forcing a small smile. “Hi,” she said quietly, offering her hand.
Lucius smiled, pushing his hands into his pockets as he leaned forward, dipping into her personal space. “Lillian,” he said, ignoring her outstretched hand. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
She shivered at his voice, too struck by the sound of her name rolling off of his tongue for her to react immediately to the jibe. Taking her hand back, she tucked her hair behind her ear nervously, her eyes dropping to her toes as Tara shoved Lucius, calling him an asshole for picking on the newest member of their group. It’s not him, Lillian thought, eyes flickering back up to him, noticing how his eyes were still glued to her, expression one of disapproval. She didn’t know what she’d done to make him look at her that way but she didn’t like it. Even when he joined the discussion with the others, she could feel his eyes on her and, when she tried to take another fake swig of her beer just to blend in better, he pulled the cup from her hand and set it down on the counter nearby. Tara shot Lillian a funny look which just made her feel even more ashamed and out of place. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her, that’s how embarrassed she was.
Lucius was right, she thought, her bottom lip quivering. She didn’t belong.
- ผู้เขียน
