We walked toward Chloe's car, with France following behind us. Chloe walked beside him, practically glowing with excitement about the guy she liked.
Honestly… it was obvious that France liked her.
Or maybe she just refused to see it because she liked someone else.
Mika and I knew the truth, but we never said anything. We felt bad for France.
"What about your car?" Chloe asked.
"It's fine," France replied casually. "I'll have someone pick it up later."
He glanced at the winding road behind us.
"Besides, the road here is zigzag. I'd rather drive you girls."
Mika suddenly grinned. "Wow, Chloe. You're lucky to have someone like France."
Both of them immediately looked awkward.
"Y-you're driving, right?" Chloe said shyly, handing him the keys.
France took them and opened the car door for her first.
Then for Mika and me.
Such a gentleman.
About ten minutes later, we arrived.
And the house…
Looked more like a mansion.
I stared at the huge three-story house while loud music blasted from inside.
"I don't know… it's my first real night-out party," I admitted. "I'm nervous, but… I'm also kind of excited."
We got out of the car and walked toward the house.
"Damn, man! You made it!"
A guy greeted him at the door, taking a puff from his vape before stepping aside so we could enter.
The moment we stepped inside—
"Whoa…"
The place was packed.
People were everywhere. A small dance floor near the pool was crowded with girls and guys moving to the loud music. The bass thumped through the whole house.
Sexy girls.
Hot guys.
The whole atmosphere was wild.
"Uh… girls," France said, glancing around.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to talk to my friends."
He gestured toward the crowd.
"I'll have someone bring you drinks. I promise I won't take long."
"Sure," Chloe said casually. "I don't mind."
But I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.
I didn't really like being surrounded by drunk strangers.
"Sam! Are you okay?" Chloe shouted over the music.
"I'm fine!" I shouted back.
"Oh! I should go find Ryan," she said suddenly. "I want to congratulate him."
She looked at us.
"Do you want to come with me?"
"Where?" Mika asked.
"I think I'll just stay here," I said quickly. "You two go ahead. I'll wait."
"Are you sure?" Mika asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright," Chloe said. "We'll be right back."
"I'm going to grab something to drink," I added, standing up from the couch.
"I'll see you guys later."
The bar was insane.
Shelves full of bottles lined the wall like a mini liquor store. People were mixing drinks like they actually knew what they were doing.
Since I'd never tried alcohol before, I decided to start simple.
Beer.
I took a sip.
My face twisted immediately.
"Ugh… that's bitter."
So this was beer?
"Okay… not for me."
I set the cup down and looked around the bar.
Then I remembered something Mika once said.
Tequila is good.
People in movies always drank it like it was nothing.
So I poured a small shot.
Without thinking twice, I drank it.
It burned down my throat instantly.
"AUGH!"
I coughed hard.
"How is this supposed to taste good?!"
"Mika, you liar…"
I walked back to where we had been sitting earlier.
"Hey, guys," I said as I dropped down beside Chloe.
She giggled strangely and suddenly wrapped her arms around me.
"Hey, Sammy!"
"Where were you?" Mika asked. "We were looking for you."
"I was at the bar," I said. Then I looked at Mika.
"And Mika…"
"You tricked me."
"Wait—what happened?"
I leaned closer and whispered in her ear.
"I drank that freaking tequila."
"It's not good."
Mika burst out laughing.
"Oh my God, Sam!"
She clutched her stomach.
"Really?" I groaned. "My throat still burns, and now I feel dizzy.
Eventually, she calmed down.
"Sorry, Sam. Love you."
"Hey!" Chloe interrupted. "What are you two talking about?"
I looked at France.
"France, what is Chloe drinking?"
"Margarita," he replied. "I told her not to drink too much, but—"
"Hey!" Chloe snapped. "Since when you decide for me?"
"I'm just looking out for you," he said.
"You're acting like my dad."
"I just care about you."
I laughed. "I think she's drunk."
"Obviously," Mika said.
"So, you're sober?" she asked France.
He nodded. "Yeah. I don't plan on getting wasted tonight."
He looked at Chloe in a way I couldn't quite understand.
Something in his eyes made me feel strange.
"You know what, Sam," Mika said suddenly. "Let's drink!"
"Wooo!"
She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the bar.
"Wait! What about Chloe?"
"She's fine. She's with France."
I glanced back.
France was supporting Chloe while she laughed.
Maybe Mika was right.
"The bar was even more crowded now.
I hated being surrounded by sweaty bodies. The heat, the noise, the smell of alcohol—it was overwhelming.
But somehow…
A few minutes later, I had already finished two cups of vodka.
My head started spinning.
Yep. I was definitely drunk.
Then suddenly—
A familiar song started playing.
"Love More" by Chris Brown.
"Ooooh!" I squealed under my breath.
The music pulled me in instantly. My shoulders started moving with the beat.
I wanted to dance.
But I quickly stopped myself.
No way… I'm not dancing in front of strangers.
Then suddenly—
Thud.
I bumped into someone.
A very solid body.
"Oof—!"
I looked up.
My eyes slowly traveled from his chest… to his face.
Wow.
He was incredibly handsome.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Sharp jaw.
And somehow…
He looked familiar.
Wait.
My eyes widened.
"Oh my God…"
It was the same guy I bumped into at the university.
"H-hey," he said with a small smirk. "You, okay?"
"Y-yeah…" I stammered, waving my hand awkwardly. "Sorry."
"No problem."
"Ah… it's you, right?"
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean—"
Suddenly my stomach twisted hard.
My face turned pale.
"Oh no…"
"I feel sick."
"Excuse me!"
I pushed past him and hurried away.
I rushed toward the restroom.
But when I reached the door, someone was already inside.
I stared at it in horror.
"Great…"
I looked for another restroom and ended up going upstairs.
Maybe the bedrooms had bathrooms.
In my hurry, I accidentally opened one of the doors.
And immediately slammed it shut.
"Oh my God."
What I saw inside made my nausea even worse.
People seriously didn't care if someone walked in on them.
"This generation is crazy," I muttered.
The house was huge.
I was starting to get lost.
My feet were killing me from my heels, so I took them off and held them in my hands.
I paused for a moment, trying to calm myself.
The dizziness slowly faded.
Then I noticed something.
A staircase.
Leading even higher.
I had no idea where it went.
I tried to ignore it.
But somehow…
I felt drawn to it.
Curious.
"Fine," I whispered to myself.
"Just a quick look."
When I reached the top, I noticed light coming from a large door.
Cool night air flowed through the opening.
I sighed in relief.
It felt amazing after the heat and noise downstairs.
I pushed the door open a little wider.
Then—
My eyes widened.
"Whoa…"
The moon filled the sky right in front of me.
It looked so close.
Almost like I could reach out and touch it.
"Is this real… or am I just drunk?" I whispered with a soft laugh.
I slowly stepped onto the terrace, completely forgetting why I had come upstairs in the first place.
Then suddenly—
"Hey. How did you get here—"
"AHH—!"
Before I could scream, a hand quickly covered my mouth.
"Shhh," a deep voice whispered close to my ear. "Quiet. They might hear you."
My heart jumped.
I turned to look at him—
And froze.
He was ridiculously handsome.
Tall—maybe around five-foot-eleven—with short black hair and sharp brown eyes.
His lips were soft pink, slightly curved like he was holding back a smile.
He wore a black jacket over an oversized sleeveless shirt that revealed part of his chest. Black skinny jeans completed the look.
For a moment, we just stared at each other under the moonlight.
And suddenly, I became very aware of how close we were.
Then he slowly removed his hand from my mouth.
"You scared me!" I said, stumbling slightly as I stepped back. "I thought you were a ghost."
He didn't react.
His expression stayed calm.
But under the moonlight, I could clearly see how handsome he was.
France was good-looking too…
But this guy was on a completely different level.
"I don't mean to be rude," he said with a faint smirk. "But you're probably one of those girls stalking me, right?"
My eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-what?!" I blurted out, staring at him like he had just lost his mind. "Stalking you?!"
"Excuse me!" I scoffed, placing a hand on my chest.
Why would I do that?!
"I don't even know you!"
He smirked, clearly amused by my reaction.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for something!" I said defensively, frowning at him. "I just… ended up here."
"Oh really?" he said lazily.
He slowly glanced around the terrace, as if checking whether my excuse made any sense.
"Look around," he said calmly. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I told you I didn't—"
"Why do you even care?!" I snapped, throwing my hands up in frustration.
"Alright, alright," He raised his hands slightly, letting out a quiet laugh. "Relax. I was just joking."
Then he suddenly stepped closer.
Since you've already passed my standards…"
"You can stay here with me."
Before I could react, he gently placed a finger against my lips.
My entire body froze.
He leaned closer.
"Want to sleep with me?" he whispered.
My eyes widened.
"E-excuse me?!" I gasped.
Was he drunk?
Or just unbelievably arrogant?
What a waste.
He was handsome… but maybe he was just a maniac.
My head started spinning even harder.
"Enough… I can't—"
The terrace suddenly tilted.
My vision blurred.
Then everything went dark.
The last thing I heard was his voice.
"Miss?!"
And then—
Everything faded.