Page 73 of Bless My Body

Ozzy left us to go outside to talk to a few guys he seems to know. Even though he’s not with us, his

eyes never stray far from Stella. Rather than being annoyed by his watchful eye, it actually makes me

feel safe. I know he would never let anything happen to either of us.

We make our way through the house, saying hello to everyone I recognize. Stella is not a social

butterfly. I know it’s something she wanted to work on when she came to college, but she’s way more

comfortable surrounded by a few close friends.

We eventually end up in the backyard. Stella gravitates towards Ozzy, and I end up by the fire pit.

I was just introduced to a guy named Cruz, who has gorgeous dark eyes and a smile that would make

any girl’s heart flutter.

“How come I’ve never met you before, Cruz?” I ask, taking a sip of my third refill of cheap-ass

beer.

“I’m just visiting for the weekend. I’m thinking about transferring to Brunswick in the fall.” I nod.

That means he must be a few years younger than me. That’s ok. I don’t mind a younger man, especially

with lips like those.

“Are you from around here?”

“No, I grew up outside of Atlanta. I’ve been going to Georgia State the last few years, but

Brunswick has a really great Marine Biology program, which is what I’m looking to study.”

Someone else who has their life figured out.

I chug the rest of my warm beer to keep myself from spiraling into my feelings.

“You wanna go take a shot?” I ask. His eyes widen a little in surprise, but he hides it quickly.

“Yeah, absolutely.” He stands and takes my hand in his. I pause for a moment, looking at where

our hands are joined. This feels weird. The last man who touched me was Ezra. His hands are

stronger and leaner than Cruz’s.

Cruz looks over his shoulder at me, and I plaster a fake smile on my face, hoping he can’t tell. I’m

fine. Everything is fine.

I follow him into the kitchen. There aren’t any shot glasses out. These guys aren’t stupid enough to

have glass sitting around a bunch of drunk college students. Cruz gets us fresh Solo cups and fills

them up to the small line with tequila. He hands me my cup, and we cheers.

I sling back the golden liquid and feel it burn down my throat. My eyes squeeze shut for a second

before sucking on a slice of lime Cruz handed me.