It's all Maddie's fault

“Please, please, pretty please!” Maddie has her face right up in mine, her big puppy dog eyes wide and sparkling. I roll my eyes with my whole body. 

“Alright! But you owe me!” She jumps up and down, clapping her hands. 

“Yay!” Then she stops and grabs ahold my hands. “It’ll be fun. Promise. Super promise.” I shake my head, but keep the sarcastic comment to myself. I even let her make me over. Or. It’s not a true makeover. I really don’t look much different. Maybe the lips are a little more red and wet looking and maybe I wouldn’t have chosen these sky high heels. But I’m still me. No one will do a double take as I make an entrance. No one will notice me entering. Not if I can help it. 

Maddie is all bubbly about something, but I’m not listening. The music is too loud to hear anything anyway. We nod and wave our way through the house. Everyone seems to be here tonight. Add the same amount of unknowns and it’s too crowded to move or breathe or dance or function even. 

“I have to go find my cousin.” Maddie shouts in my ear. I grab her before she takes off. 

“Who? Why?” 

“My cousin, the one whose house were at!” She adds the headshake. The one telling me she knows I haven’t paid any attention to what she’s been saying most of the evening. I shrug my shoulders and let her scamper off. 

“Just find her quick.” Sighing I lean against the wall and pull my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans. I could have been anywhere else. I could have been down on the beach, feet in the surf and no one around. Pinterest will keep me company until Maddie finds her cousin. Then I’ll give her two hours before demanding we leave. 

Someone leans up against the wall next to me. I can feel their eyes on me. Their amusement radiates off them. I don’t acknowledge them. I pin hairstyles and makeup and outfits I like, but that I’m not brave enough to try. 

“This party not amusing enough for you?” Their breath caresses my cheek and sends goosebumps down my right side. They smell like ocean scented cologne and sundried linens. I stop scrolling, sigh and turn to meet their eyes. Light blue eyes, crinkled with amusement shine down at me. This close I can see a smattering of summer freckles, and the light brown hair flopping down into his eyes doesn’t seem to bother him at all. My sneered words dissolve on my tongue. Instead I stutter a milder version of them. 

“I didn’t mean… want… I hadn’t planned on being here.” 

He leans back, his eyes never leaving mine. I want mine to roam his body, but I can’t be seen checking him out. He crosses his arms in front of his chest and I get the feeling he wants me to elaborate on my statement. Definitely not admiring the lean muscles of his arms I tighten the grip on my phone and don’t say a word. He wants a staring contest? He’ll get a staring contest. The amused smile on his face has faded into a crooked smirk, making the crinkles around his eyes disappear and I’m sorry they did. He raises his eyebrows at me and I sort of snap. I have to take a step closer to be sure he hears me. 

“It’s all Maddie’s fault. She dragged me here. And dumped me to go find her cousin.” I gesture vaguely in the direction she took off. His smirk deepens. “She’s always dragging me to lame parties where she knows everyone and I maybe know like 20%. Not that she cares. Maddie just laughs at me and tells me to be pleasant and then I’ll know everyone too.” My eyes leave his to cast a disgusted glance at the people closest to us. 

“She’s right though.” I snap my gaze back to him, seeing he’s leaned down towards me. And I can’t help myself from looking at his mouth, the smirk in place, his lips forming the words. “Being pleasant helps when you want to make new friends.” I snort and roll my eyes. He full on grins at me, the crinkles back and my stomach does this little flip. 

“Yeah. Well. There’s not anyone here I’d like to get to know. Or make friends with.” I flip my hair over my shoulder. “If they choose to come here tonight instead of doing whatever else, they’re not worthy. This is a stupid party anyway.” His eyes are glittering with amusement and his mouth is back doing that crooked little smirk. 

Suddenly it feels like we’re standing too close and I take half a step back. In the corner of my eye I spot curly purple hair making its way towards us and I turn to give Maddie the stink-eye. Her face is flushed from shoving her way through the people dancing, but the gigawatt smile she shines in our direction has my annoyed face relaxing. She might be over the top bubbly and sunshine happy, but she’s my best friend and I love her. True to form she launches herself on the boy next to me, squeezing the very life out of him and then she turns to me and latches onto my arm. Half shouting she leans into my face. 

“You found him!” I blink at her. Maddie is bouncing in place, beaming at us. “Aaron, this is my bestest friend Rose. And Rose, this is my cousin Aaron.” Where’s that stroke of lightning when you need it? Or the opening of the ground, swallowing you whole? I can’t stop my eyes from casting a quick glance at him. He’s leaning back against the wall again, and when our eyes meet his friendly smile quickly transforms into that smirk. His eyes are still kind of crinkly though, so he seems more amused than angry. 

“Yes, I’ve made her acquaintance.” His eyes leave me and he gives Maddie a toothy grin. “You were right about her. She’s an acquired taste and her name really suits her.” I don’t know who annoys me the most. I look between them and their agreeing smiles. 

“What the hell does that mean? And what the hell do you go around telling people about me?” Both of them crack up and I smack Maddie’s hand off my arm. I’m not going to stand here with them laughing at me. Maddie’s arm snakes around my waist and pulls me next to her. 

“Babe. I never say anything but the absolute truth and that’s always good things.” She sticks her tongue out at her cousin. “He’s just twisting my words and yanking your chain. It’s a talent of his.” Great. 

“Great.” I clench my teeth and smile at him. “Nice to meet you. Now excuse me while I go drown myself in the pool.” I forcibly remove myself from Maddie and take a step back. Aaron gets a mischievous gleam in his eyes and I find myself squinting at him. 

“Let me introduce you to my friends.” 

Faster than I thought humanly possible he grabs my hand and pulls us away from there. I splutter and try to escape, but he just laughs. Maddie grabs my other hand and prevents my escape further. Together they push and pull me through partygoers and around furniture and we end up in the kitchen. Around the kitchen island a mixed group are hanging out, laughing and drinking and heckling each other. Maddie lets go of my hand as Aaron pulls me slightly in front of him. He clears his throat dramatically, getting the attention of everyone. 

“Right. Some of you know my cousin Maddie.” She smiles her patent sunshine smile and a few of them nod, call out greetings and smile back. “And this is her best friend, Rose.” They do the nod, greetings and smiles thing again. I hope my face smiles back. Aaron turns to us. “So, you want a drink or you wanna get to the dancing?” 

“Dancing!” Maddie claps her hands excitedly and off we go. Almost everyone in the kitchen follows us out into the living room, making an escape impossible. 

We dance and dance and dance some more. Soon I forget about the absolute humiliation I suffered, well, as long as I’m not looking at Maddie’s cousin. Which isn’t too hard since he’s busting his moves next to me and I don’t have to look at him too much. Maddie does her thing, dancing with everyone and no one, having the time of her life. I can’t get too creative, my stilts for shoes hinder me from jumping about too much, but that’s okay. At least they’re comfortable and I don’t feel like a small child next to these super tall amazonian girls and lean sports type boys. And okay, I’m having fun too. No one’s being an asshole and they all make sure we feel included. So, maybe this party wasn’t the worst idea. 

The music shifts into something slow and all around us couples form, arms around necks and heads close together. Aaron appears in front of me, three strides later he’s right up in my personal space. There’s a question in that smirk of his, I can see it in the way his eyes are shining. And then he mouths the words to the song and I want to punch him. 

“Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey.” I stretch to my full length and lock eyes with him. I still have to tilt my head up a little and that irks me even more. 

“No way, never, no.” Oh, that wide smile of his is a killer. 

“How about a dance then?” I can’t stalk off, I’d look ridiculous. Scrunching my nose I nod. 

“Let’s get it over with.” His chuckles vibrate through my body as he slides his arms around my waist. When he whispers in my ear I try keeping the shudders and goosebumps to a minimum, but there’s only so much control I have over my body. 

“One dance, and then you can leave this stupid party.” Groaning I lean my forehead on his shoulder and try to ignore his scent and the way we fit together and how I would have maybe liked him if Maddie had introduced us somewhere else. I’m never letting her drag me to another party ever again.