It's been a week since the last sleepover and when I saw Sophia in the uni recently, she invited me to the campus party and here I am, despite my protests, being dragged by Sophia insisting that I needed the "fun" and the "normal socializing".
The music was too loud, the kind that made the floor thrum beneath my feet. The crowded living room, the flashing lights, and the strangers pressing too close to each other only reminded me why I preferred the cosiness and quietness of my house.
While being invited by her, Sophia then disappeared into the crowd, laughing with the friends she claimed she hadn't seen in ages.
I lingered around near the edges, clutching a cup of soda pretending like it was a shield protecting me.
My eyes then scanned the place for the nearest exit, planning on how to sneak out without offending anyone.
That's when it happened.
A guy I didn't recognize stumbled towards me, clearly a little too drunk. His grin was sloppy and his words slurred when he said, "Hey, you're too pretty to be standing here alone. Why don't you dance with me?"
I then shook my head politely and answered, "No, thank you."
He suddenly leaned closer to me, the smell of alcohol was thick on his breath. "Come on, just one song."
His hand brushed my arm, I feel my back stiffened and my legs inching back.
Before I could retreat any further, another presence filled the space between us. Solid, cold and unyielding.
"Tristan? What is he doing here?" I asked quietly.
I saw his hand slid between us, pushing the guy's arm away from me with a controlled force. His voice was low, firm, and absolute. "You heard she said no."
The guy suddenly sober, blinked up at him, then at me, then back at Tristan. Something in Tristan's eyes made him pale, muttering an apology before stumbling off to the exit.
The air seemed to buzz in the silence that followed.
I turned to Tristan with my pulse still racing from the scene.
"You didn't have to do that. I know how to take care of myself," I said, trying for defiance.
His jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on me.
I felt my heart skipped a beat from his piercing gaze, a confusing mix of irritation and gratitude surging through me.
"Once again, you're not my brother, Tristan. You don't get to act like one."
Something flickered across his face. Pain, anger, and something I couldn't name. He then stepped closer, so close that I could feel the heat radiating from him despite the cool night air drifting through the open windows.
"No," he said quietly, his voice threaded with something dangerous. "I'm definitely not your brother, Ellie."
The music roared back into my ears, but it was drowned out by the pounding of my heart.
I couldn't decide if his words were a warning or a confession.