Page 52 of Moonstruck at Midnight
You could hear the music getting louder as we approached the gathering. “Michael! Happy birthday, man,” Thomas said, hugging him with a few pats on the back. “This is my girlfriend, Billie.”
“Hi, Billie, so nice to finally meet you. This is Dana, my girlfriend,” Michael said with his pearly-white million-dollar smile that contrasted beautifully with his dark brown skin. He was tall and athletic like Thomas. They rowed crew together.
Dana was short and had curly blonde hair. They made a cute couple. “So nice to meet you,” I replied to both of them. Thomas kept close to me, with his hand on my waist.
“Tommy!” yelled someone behind us. “You’ve had me waiting.” I turned around and saw a guy with flawless buttered-toast brown hair, eyes to match, wearing designer clothes and shoes. I’ve never heard anyone call himTommybefore. I felt like the nickname didn’t suit Thomas.
“Billie, this is Nicholas. Nicholas, this is my girlfriend, Billie,” Thomas said, tightening his grip on my waist.
“Tommy, she’shot,” he said, scanning me and taking a sip of what looked like whiskey. “I didn’t know you were into gingers now. I guess it’s always good to mix it up, right?”
Asshole! Hot? Mix it up? I was surprised that Thomas didn’t have anything to say to that, considering how volatile he could be. But I could sense his uneasiness, and Nicholas made me extremely uncomfortable too.
“Tommy and I have some quick catching up to do. Why don’t you get drinks for the ladies, Michael?” Thomas mouthed the word “sorry”to me as Nicholas placed his arm around his shoulders and took him away. I guess parties were not my forte.
Thomas had never mentioned Nicholas before. I wondered how close they were.
“Would you like something to drink?” Michael offered as a distraction. I nodded with wide eyes, making Dana laugh. I guess she completely understood my need to take the edge off.
“Nicholas doesn’t have a filter. He always speaks his mind, and we usually just ignore him.” It was kind of her to try to reassure me. “More people are arriving, Michael. Why don’t you go greet them? I’ll help Billie with her drink.”
Dana was drinking red wine, so I just asked for the same. No more shots for me this time. Maybe ever.
Thomas came back after a few minutes. He wasn’t gone for too long. I felt relieved since I didn’t know anybody, and although Dana seemed friendly, I didn’t want her to feel the need to babysit me.
Thomas grabbed an old-fashioned glass and poured some whiskey in it. He downed it, poured himself another, and took my hand. “Everything okay?” I asked. It seemed to me like he was on a mission to get drunk.
“Of course!” he beamed. “Let’s have some fun.”
Thomas introduced me to most of his friends. They all seemed nice—unlike Nicholas. I hoped I didn’t have to talk to him again for the rest of the night.
Dana and I sat on a couch and got to know each other a bit more while Thomas talked to some of his friends. She told me how she also went to Princeton and met Michael there. They’ve been dating for over a year now. She was also a sophomore like Thomas and Michael.
I was drinking my second glass of wine, and Thomas had refilled his whiskey more than a few times already. I saw Caleb walking around in the distance and looking our way, ignoring a couple of girls who tried to approach him.
Thomas pulled me up from my seat and introduced me to another friend of his who had just arrived at the party.
“This is Billie.” He clutched my face and kissed me. I carefully pulled away from him with a bit of a scrunched-up face. That was the weirdest introduction ever. His lips tasted like alcohol.
He placed his hand on my waist andaccidentallydriftedtoo low for my liking. I didn’t mind him doing that, just not at a party in front of all of his friends.
Thomas pulled me to the bar. He wanted to refill his drink, but I didn’t think it was a good idea. “Thomas, you’re drunk already. Take it easy, okay?”
He kissed my hair and smiled at me. “I’m good.” I couldn’t smile back. I was worried.
My phone buzzed. A text from Caleb. I read it while Thomas refilled his drink for the millionth time.
Caleb:He’s drinking too much. I can see you’re uncomfortable. Do you want to SOS it?
Me:No. It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.
Caleb:Red, come on. Look at him. He’s gonna fall asleep standing up any second now.
Me:He’s not THAT drunk. Don’t worry. I’ll ask him if we can leave in a few minutes.
Caleb:I’m not comfortable with his behavior around you while he’s drunk.
I couldn’t have agreed more with Caleb. But I wasn’t going to unleash him on Thomas. I was worried enough as it was, and I didn’t need him all over me about it either.
