Midnight Secrets

As I finally resumed walking, I decided to make it my personal mission to forget all about that fucking weird encounter. There was something off about him. It was so small, so imperceptible, that many might not notice it, but I did.

His smile was almost charming, like it just barely missed the mark. The gesture of returning my book, while on the surface, seemed nice and thoughtful, I found it strange when I thought about it. How had he noticed I’d left the book when he sat so far away?

Had he been the one watching me, only to look away when I glanced around?

I had gone back and forth on it during the rest of my walk back to the dorm until I finally cut off all thoughts of him once and for all. I wouldn’t waste another second on him, feeling like he’d win if I did.

As soon as I got back to my room, I announced we were going out and to get ready. While my roommates were shocked by my blunt statement, they were immediately on board with my plan and rushed to get ready.

With how we all planned on getting drunk tonight at the frat party we finally decided on, we’d be walking the five minutes. I made sure to choose an outfit with pockets so I could carry the pepper spray my dad gave me. He made me promise two years ago before I came to college that I would never go anywhere without it.

While I loved my dad, he went overboard when it came to protecting me. He had me taking several self-defense classes growing up and even had me take a basic weapons class when I was in high school. To anyone who didn’t know him, it would seem unusual, but for those who knew he was a bounty hunter, it wasn’t. The whole thing was more annoying than anything. It was like he was expecting me to randomly get attacked—which admittedly, did happen to women.

With the way he prepped me growing up, you’d think the zombie apocalypse would happen at any moment. I knew why he did it. Not only had he probably seen a lot of crazy shit from his work, but the death of my mother had affected him.

I’d only been five when someone broke into our house and murdered her. They never found the guy.

Thinking of my dad, I made a mental note to call him over the weekend since he liked it when I called at least once a week. It wasn’t an official rule, but I knew it gave him peace of mind. I was all he had left since his parents died when I was just a toddler.

When we arrived at the frat house, we paid our five dollars at the door and were given yellow wristbands, letting those serving the jungle juice at the makeshift bar know we paid. The juice came in red solo cups, filled halfway. It was almost too sweet for my taste, hiding the obscene amounts of alcohol and making it dangerous as hell.

I wanted to forget the weird shit I’d experienced these past few days, and these would no doubt help me let loose. But even so, I was still careful, knowing everyone here didn’t have the best intentions. I followed the practice every girl should know and follow. When I wasn’t drinking, my hand was covering the top, and if my cup ever left my sight, it was dead to me. I wouldn’t drink from it in case something had been slipped into it.

It didn’t take long for a pleasant buzz to fill my body, making my head feel light and all the tension left my body. Sel and I played a game of beer pong—even though I hated the taste of beer and the fucking smell—and we were terrible. Neither of us made a single fucking ball in a cup or anywhere near it, but we didn’t care. We played all the drinking games we could, laughing when we failed. The few times we won, we cheered and high-fived everyone around us.

All of my worries melted away and didn’t dare enter my mind. Even when I felt like someone was watching me, I didn’t give a single fuck. The alcohol surging through my body prevented me from caring.

After I drank the disgusting mixture from the red solo cup after I lost the game—it was a mixture of everyone else’s drinks: beer, wine, jungle juice, the works—I immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up. Addie followed me and held my hair as I clutched the sides of the toilet.

After throwing up, I couldn’t get rid of that awful taste in my mouth, and I no longer wanted to remain at this party. Unfortunately, Sel didn’t feel the same way, making it a pain in the ass for Addie to get her to the front door. All the while, she had an arm wrapped around my waist because the room was now spinning, and I was having a bitch of a time not stumbling into shit.

We had just walked out of the front door, the cool night air feeling amazing on my hot and sweaty skin, when I heard a familiar voice. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” The deep rumble of Cassius’ words had my body reacting and coming alive with desire.

My vision blurred for a few moments, and when it finally cleared up, I found him right in front of me, staring down at me, looking equal parts concerned and disapproving. I must’ve missed part of the conversation because all I heard him say was, “How could you let her get this wasted?”

Who the fuck did he think he was? I never expected him to be a judgmental bitch when it came to drinking. I must’ve said those words aloud because Cassius raised an eyebrow as someone behind him started laughing.

“I kept a close eye on her the entire time; there’s no reason to be a bitch, as Rhea so kindly put it,” Addie said, amusement coloring her tone. She’d had a drink or two tonight, but she refused to have any more, saying we all shouldn’t get blackout drunk at the same time.

“He needs to get laid, maybe then he’ll be less of a tight ass,” Sel said, giggling at her own words. Laughter spilled from my lips as I swayed and Addie’s grip on me tightened. “I volunteer, I’ve always wanted to try some we—”

Sel’s words were cut off by Addie reaching over and covering her mouth. “Alright, it’s time to get the two of you home before you say anything else you might regret,” Addie said, her voice seeming louder than necessary, but then again, my senses were all messed up.

“I’ll help,” Cassius offered, his face blurring once more. “You seem to have your hands full.”

“Oh my god.” I groaned as I dropped my head back. “You’re like an ex that just won’t leave me alone.”

Yep, I definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

There was a time when I would’ve loved to have his attention and to have him worried about me, but not anymore. His attitude was pissing me off, with the way he was telling me what to do and chastising me, acting like he had the right to do so.

I still couldn’t see his face, but I could hear one of his friends—at least, I assumed it was his friend—choking on a laugh. My vision finally cleared up when he cupped my face and tilted my head back so he could hold my gaze. His jaw was clenched so hard that a muscle ticked in his jaw, and all I wanted to do was reach up and run my fingers along his face.

“You’re wasted. You can barely stand up without Adalind; let me help you.”

His words were soft, but I wasn’t reassured. I jerked away from his touch, memories of waiting for him to call resurfacing. “I don’t need your help,” I said, my words marred by the slight slur to my speech.

Cassius didn’t move away like I was hoping, and at the same moment, Addie decided to turn traitor, releasing her hold on me and passing me over to Cassius. “No, I don’t want to go anywhere with you, you asshole,” I muttered, weakly shoving at his chest as he guided me down the front steps, and I dragged my feet.

“Stop being difficult,” Cassius grumbled after I tripped and would’ve fallen if it weren’t for his arm around my waist.

That fucking curb came out of nowhere.

I tried shoving away from him again, nearly falling over in the process. At the back of my mind, I knew I was being ridiculous, but it was like I couldn’t stop myself. It was like my drunk brain was on a mission to make tonight as embarrassing as possible.

“Stop trying to help me,” I argued back, and even drunk as I was, I knew I sounded like a dumbass.

“I’m done with this shit,” Cassius muttered as he let go of my waist.

For a few seconds, I thought he finally gave up trying to help me before he grabbed my hips and tossed me over his shoulder. I let out a small shriek as my head spun, and for a brief moment, I feared I might throw up down his back.

While he would deserve it for hauling me over his shoulder, it was another embarrassment I didn’t want to add to the evergrowing list.

“Put me down, you fucking asshole!” I yelled, beating at his back and kicking my legs.

His palm came down over my ass in a sharp smack that had me gasping and letting out an indignant squeak. “Did you just fucking spank me?” His chest rumbled with his laughter, mirroring the laugh from his friends.

“This is kidnapping,” I grumbled, giving up on trying to get out of his hold.

As Cassius carried me, all the fight and energy fled me, and I ended up resting my face against his back as my eyes grew heavy. If he responded to my comment, I didn’t hear it, not when sleep dragged me under.