“Mona!” I turn at the entrance at the sound of her voice, and see Jen skipping towards me. I can’t help but smile: She’s trying to go as fast as she can, but her enormous heels make it hard for her. She’s wearing a black dress with a big frilly skirt and tight, lacy corset. She really dressed up for the occasion.

I’m keeping it casual with a satin shirt, high-waist jeans and simple heels. But being attached to Jen, I’m going to stand out anyway. Not that I wasn’t fully prepared for that.

I wait for her to catch up and we go inside. It’s a small club that the school’s student organizers have rented for the freshmen welcoming party. There’s a dancefloor and a DJ, and an area with sofa-booths where people have gathered in small groups. There’s drinking and talking, and I recognize some of them but there are a lot of new faces.

I notice a guy get up from his seat when he sees us and scuffles over to greet us. “Hey Mona, hey Jen. How great you guys could make it!” he smiles and glances at me with rosy cheeks.

“Hey Ron” I reply to him in a dry voice. I slept with this guy once when we were freshmen and it took me months to get rid of him again. This is why I don’t make a habit out of sleeping with naïve, innocent guys; they get so clingy. He seems aware that I’m not interested in him, but he still greets me at every party and tries to impress me. Jen hugs him, seemingly clueless about my discomfort that we’re still talking to him.

“Uhm, would you guys like to come join my table?” he asks bashfully.

“No, that’s all ri-“, I begin my refusal, but I’m interrupted by Jen’s eager voice: “Sure!”

Oh great, Jen. Just great. Why are you so clueless? I shake my head with a sigh, but she’s already pushing the poor guy along and I follow them to his table. The conversation at the table halts for a second when they notice us – especially Jen. Then they quickly look away and continue their chatter, like we were never there.

“Hey, guys! This is Mona and Jen, can they join us?”

“Uh, sure…” someone replies in an uncertain voice and everybody stares as we take our seats. I act like I don’t notice and deliberately take the seat closest to the edge with Jen next to me, between me and Ron.

Jen readily starts chatting with the guy, who seems a little overwhelmed by her lively approach. I can’t help but snicker. Didn’t see that one coming, now did you Ron?

I let my eyes wander the small gathering; Four girls sit in the corner, talking and giggling. I recognize a few of them as people I haven’t really talked to, but I know their types and they don’t really mesh well with someone like me. A big guy – looks like a jock – sits next to them, trying to catch their attention. Across from me sits a guy and a girl who seem to be getting friendly with each other, and next to them two guys sip beer awkwardly. They must be freshmen.

I need a drink. I get up and ask Jen if she wants anything, then make my way to the bar. “One beer and one club soda” I tell the bartender who starts readying the drinks. As I’m about to pay a guy comes up next to me.

“I’ll pay for the lady,” he says and nudges at the drinks in front of me. “And another beer.”

“Hey Tristan,” I say and turn to flash the guy a grateful smile. He’s tall, has a handsome face and a large sturdy build. I’ve slept with him a few times and he’s good in bed and doesn’t get clingy. Plus, he looks so cute when he whimpers and begs. The thought almost turns me on a little.

“Hey Mona” he says with a smirk, eyeing me up and down.

This is what I mean when I say I like proud guys. That gap between his confidence when he’s in public and his desperate obedience when we’re alone in bed, is just adorable.

He leans in momentarily to whisper something in my ear: “If you don’t find anyone else tonight, will you call for me?”

I smirk and run my finger along his neck and over his shirt.

“If I feel like it.” The pleading expression in his eyes is too cute for words. I grab my drinks and turn around to leave, too pleased with the way Tristan stares after me longingly. So I almost run my drinks straight into a someone’s chest.

I gasp as one of them spills on the floor, but luckily it doesn’t hit his shirt. “Oh shit, I’m sorry,” and frown at the broken shards of my beer bottle, then glance up at the guy I almost collided with. I can’t help letting my eyes widen momentarily, this guy is gorgeous. Nice strong jawline, very kissable mouth, a straight symmetrical nose and deep blue eyes framed by dark, bushy eyebrows. His hair is blond and falls in soft locks around his face.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t looking,” he briefly replies before gesturing to catch the bartender’s attention, “uh, sorry. We kind of spilled a drink here.” He turns back towards me, “uhm, need me to get you a new one?”

“Oh, no. It’s fine.” This situation is too awkward, and I’d rather just get back to my table. So I leave without another word, quickly as to not let any of the guys protest.

“Mona, there you are!” Jen exclaims happily when I get back to the table. She acts like I have been gone for hours. I take my seat.

“It took you a while there, did you meet one of your lovers on the way or something?” she asks me a little louder than I would have liked. I glance around me to see if anybody heard her and notice the two freshmen staring at us. I sigh and pass her the drink I’d gotten for her. Jeez. Jen, you really need to learn some tact. But they’ll hear the rumors sooner or later I suppose, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

“I did in fact” I tell her confidently. Why put on airs when you’ve already built up a reputation?

“Oh, who was it?” she asks, leaning in a little.

“Tristan. He wanted to meet up later.”

“Oh, Will you? Or do you have your eye on someone else?”

“Nah. I’m not really in the mood…”

“By the way, didn’t you get anything for yourself?” Jen asks, gesturing at her club soda.

“Oh, yeah… I had a little accident on the way here… I’ll get a new one in a bit..”

The conversation is really slow. People are mostly talking between themselves and Jen is having a merry conversation with Ron, so I feel a little out of place. I notice the growing number of beer bottles in front of me. I should really slow down. Or go home.

I’m checking my phone when I suddenly hear a voice next to me: “This seat taken?”

My head whips at the sound and I recognize the handsome I bumped into earlier, smiling at me while and holding two beer bottles. I suppress the frown forming on my face; I’m not really comfortable with him coming to make a move on me after I made a fool out of myself earlier…

But I shake my head and scoot over a little to make room.

“I’m Aaron” he says and offer me his hand for a polite greeting.

“Mona” I reply as I shake it.

“Do you want a beer?” He holds out a bottle and I eye him a little suspiciously. Did someone already spill the beans about me?

“Sure.”

“So, which department are you from?” he asks, his polite smile unwavering.

“IT” I answer and take a sip from the bottle. There’s a short silence until I realize that he probably expects me to return the question.

“How about you?” I ask politely.

“Architecture. I’m a freshman” Yeah, I figured. I would have noticed someone this handsome already otherwise. We make light conversation – polite, superficial. Not very interesting. Yet I still feel something stir. Maybe it’s the way he leans in when he speaks, the sensual movements of his lips or the magnetic pull of his ocean-blue eyes. I can’t seem to pull myself away from him.

“Do you want to dance?” he suddenly asks me.

“Sure.” I mean, I was bored anyway… So he takes my hand and we walk to the dancefloor.

There are lot more people in the club now than when we got here, and people seem drunk enough to be dancing. It’s a tight space. The bass vibrates through my body and the alcohol in my blood makes me feel light headed. He slowly put his hands on my hips, and I feel a shiver run through my body as he pulls me tight against him. Fingers trail my back and small electric currents leap from them and across all of my nerve endings. What is this? I turn around in an attempt to pull myself away from his gaze, only to find myself caught by his arms. Something hard rubs against my backside, rhythmically to the music. My is beating out of my chest and I jolt, shivers rippling through me as he starts kissing my neck.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I hear his low, raspy voice next to my ear.

I thought you’d never ask.