“I’d like to think of myself as ahandsomesugar hoggin’observer, Cleo. You can call me whatever you want, Princess, but make sure you add ‘handsome’ to the front of it” He smirks cockily as I roll my eyes.
“Princess?”
“You look like one, and from what I saw earlier, you dress like one too.” He shrugs as if that’s the most obvious thing in the world.
I don’t even notice that the party is slowly dying down as he and I continue talking for what feels like five minutes. When I check the time my heart drops realizing it’s been over an hour.
“What is it?” He asks standing over me, his voice is soft and somewhat concerned as the masculine scents of cedarwood and vanilla crowd my senses. My brain fogs as I inhale deeply.
“Huh?” My voice is breathy as I look up at him, my bark-colored eyes clashing with his ocean colored ones.
My belly heats, sending spirals through my whole body as I crane my neck to get a better look at him. His stare is so imploring as if he’s searching my entire soul, picking me apart.
“You’re eyes are so—”
“Come on, Wilder! It’s drunk Jenga time! Bring her too.”
four
Blake
I fucking hate drunkJenga—and Alec Tu.
Tu Tu, not as much as Jenga, but he’s a close second. Alec had looked Cleo up and down like a lion on the hunt for a gazelle, after completely dogging our moment. Cleo was finally getting comfortable around me before Tu Tu interrupted and invited the majority of our friend group, plus some random girls, to the living room for the game. I almost forgot that Alec was “strictly dickly” for a moment until he brought up how much he loved her outfit and the two of them began discussing fashion.
I sigh as I plop down on the couch between Lucki Cole, a senior left winger, and Theo Carter, our only junior D-man. Lucki gives me a curt nod, his pink curls dangling in his face as I nod back, noting his new septum ring. He and I went to the same high school and somehow ended up on the same collegiate team, it still shocks the both of us to this date. I’d been more than sure Lucki would go to the NHL straight after high school after all the prospects he’d received when he was a senior, but he declined them all to pursue graphic design here at Summerfield. He’s a chill dude with only two settings, playing the fuck out of some hockey and beating ass in video games.
Theo chuckles from beside me at something the girl on his right had said and I’m not surprised to see him entertaining someone tonight. Theo almost always gets attention whenever we go out because he looks like that one actor from the 90s, with his short black curls, deep brown skin, and perfectly trimmed goatee. He stops talking as Alec calls for our attention over the EDM music playing over the speakers. Most likely from Jace. The dude is a sucker for a good beat drop.
“The rules are the same as regular Jenga, ladies and gents. Only, you have to do the dare written on the side of your piece. The lucky loser that drops the pieces must take the mystery shot. If you’re allergic to cherries—Eric—please sit out.”
My eyes wander across the table and immediately fall on Cleo. She’s sitting squished between Jace and Georgia, obviously uncomfortable as she slowly sips from the second pink cup I’d given her earlier.
I chuckle as she grimaces. The first drink I'd concocted for her was out of pure fun, I honestly can’t even tell you what I put in it but I know it had to be disgusting based on her reaction. The second one, however, is my go-to, something that always took the edge off.
Good ole’ Cuba libre.
“Let me see these…Ew.Why does this one say ‘kiss Jace for ten seconds’?” One of the cheerleaders, Destiny, asks with a frown looking up at the cheeky bastard.
“It’s a small experiment that I’m doing. Want to test it out?” Jace asks, winking as Georgia pretends to gag beside him.
“Maybe if you were Alec, but hell no.” Destiny chuckles, jokingly winking at a smug Alec. Jace frowns immediately as the guys around us groan.
“Fucking hell, Des.” One of our goalies, Romeo, groans as he digs into his pocket.
“Damn it, Destiny.”
“Fuck…”
The men all curse around the group as they each pull twenties from their pockets, piling them in front of Alec. Destiny frowns as she watches them and Jace sighs.
Looks like someonelost a bet.
We go over the ground rules of Jenga and within the first five minutes, Georgia has kissed Darius and “married” Cleo after drawing the kiss, marry, kill block. In-Su, our sophomore left-winger, has stripped down to his boxers, and Alec has kissed one of my LEGOfigurines.
The game is getting funnier and heated by the second as we drink more enjoying our time with each other.
“Take a body shot off the person to your left.”
