White puffs of air escaped Gemma's lips as she made her way up the stone pathway towards a set of large wooden doors. The cool winter airbrushed her cheeks, and she tried to wrap her thin jacket tighter around her as she sniffled.
"Great, not only am I late, now I'm getting a cold." Gemma sighed, tossing her head back dramatically to see the moon hang high.
As much as Gemma wanted to complain about her on-coming cold, she had to admit, the sky was absolutely breathtaking on bitter nights like these. With not a cloud in sight, one could make out the billions of stars and galaxies that resided in the blackness, and she smiled, letting her eyes sweep about.
"What are you smiling at?" asked a familiar girl's voice, and Gemma snapped her eyes to the large wooden doors that were now ajar. In the doorway stood a slender leggy girl with her arms folded, a half-smile making up her face as she looked at her best friend, who was standing in the cold like an idiot.
"Oh Kimie, come here look!" Gemma squealed, running towards her. Grabbing Kimie's arm, she dragged her into the cold and pointed skyward.
"Isn't it beautiful, babe?" Gemma asked, tangling kimie's fingers in hers, "You can almost see the heavens tonight!"
Kimie's eyes shined against the tiny twinkling lights, and she couldn't help but tease her companion for her unexpected tardiness. "So beautiful that they made you two hours late to my party, huh?"
Feigning innocence, Gemma pouted her lips, "Late? I thought you said ten o'clock?"
"Uh huh," muttered Kimie while rolling her beautiful brown orbs. Pulling at their intertwined hands, she led Gemma inside, "come on everybodies waiting to sing happy birthday ya know."
Gemma shivered as her body welcomed the warmth the house provided, and she hung her coat by the door before letting her friend pull her further into the home.
Glancing around, Gemma raised a brow and shouted over the music playing a little too loudly at Kimie. "Who are all these people?"
When the girl leading her through the swarm of bodies didn't seem to hear her, Gemma rolled her eyes and decided to wait until they got where Kimie was taking them to ask again.
Kimie paused to grab two pink cups from a table in the kitchen with her free hand. Knowing her friend didn't drink, Kimie signaled to a boy standing close by to fill one of the cups with soda and the other with alcohol from a keg.
While waiting for Kimie to finish, Gemma took another glance around the house at the impressive party surrounding them.
The place was filled with bodies from wall to wall, some she knew and some she didn't.
Kimie was quite outgoing and extravagant. So it didn't come as a complete surprise to Gemma that so many people were here, but she did wonder where they all came from.
She and Kimie had been best friends since pre-school, and Gemma had a feeling not even Kimie knew all these random people that were crammed into her house. The smile on Kimie's face let her know that she didn't really care either, and Gemma giggled.
How fitting, she thought, for Kimie to have a blowout party to celebrate her coming of age and invite anyone she had a class with. Hell, some probably just passed her at the right time. Getting handed an invite in the halls or on the streets.
The smile on Gemma's lips widened, and she shook her head when something warm grazed her fingers. She would have thought nothing of it had it not been for the tingling sensation that ran through her body, making her glance down at her free hand.
To Gemma's surprise, a hand twice the size of hers dangled dangerously close to her fingers. Her eyes wandered from the person's hand up their forearm to see the start of a snake tattoo, and she instinctively curled up her fingers.
Gulping softly, she fixed her eyes back to Kimie, not daring to find out who the massive hand belonged to, and pretended as if nothing had happened at all. Trying to be discreet so as not to alert whoever it was, she slowly brought her fist between her and Kimie's bodies, out of reach from the stranger.
The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity as Gemma waited for the boy to finish flirting with her friend and hand back the damn cup. And when Kimie finally moved, Gemma almost tripped her from walking too fast, trying to escape the uncomfortable position she had created within herself.
Whoever it was touched her hand by accident, and with the dry seasonal air, along with the hoard of people, they must have shocked each other with static. She told herself to calm her overloaded nerves as she was internally freaking out of embarrassment from touching someone unintentionally.
Kimie side peeked at Gemma, who was now walking next to her, and cocked a brow at her friend's bright red cheeks.
A rigid sigh left Gemma's lips when they reached the back door, entering the enclosed patio. Apparently, the party-goers hadn't realized that this was actually another room. But instead of sturdy wood and sheetrock, it was made of thick glass and a fireplace to keep it cozy.
Releasing her hand from Gemma's, Kimie wiped her palm against the sofa's arm before plopping her body down onto the soft cushion. She studied her friend carefully as she sipped the bitter liquid from the pink cup, asking, "You okay, Babe?"
"Huh?" came Gemma's detached response. Her head turned in Kimies direction, but her eyes never left her fingers.
With another sip, Kimie set down her drink to snap her fingers a few inches from Gemma's face, "Earth to Gemma! Hello?" making Gemma blink frantically at her.
"What's up?" Asked Gemma breathlessly, making Kimie question what the hell had happened to her.
"Are you high?" Kimie questioned, taking the pink cup from Gemma's hand and sniffing it, "I swear to all that's holy if someone slipped you somethin—"
"No… no, I'm not. Ugh, no one slipped me anything. I just. I… I touched someone or rather they touched me." Gemma gushed.
Kimie's beautiful brown eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched around the innocent cup spilling its contents onto the white carpet. Then Gemma replayed her words in her mind.
"Oh god, Kimie! Not like that!"
"You sure? Because I'm not afraid to hunt down a mother fu—"
"Jesus Christ! Yes, I'm positive!" Gemma exclaimed while pulling on her overprotective friend's arm, "Sit the hell back down, now."
Reluctantly Kimie picked up her cup, slamming the alcohol before plopping back down on the sofa. "What do you mean someone touched you?"
Pinching the space between her brows, Gemma began to explain what had occurred while Kimie was flirting with the keg boy. Just as Gemma was finishing up, a group of people exited the house, and she clamped her mouth shut.
Gemma caught Kimie covering her face with her hands through the bodies passing between them. When she moved her hand, Gemma scoffed at the tears in the corners of Kimies eyes from laughing so hard at her expense.
Someone sat down on the small sofa next to Gemma as she sent a death glare, mouthing, 'You're a dick' to her best friend. Only for Kimie to pick up her cup and take a sip, muttering, "you need some," back at her.
She should have known Kimie would find it incredibly amusing that she got embarrassed just by touching someone else, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't something Gemma regularly did, and when she did touch someone, a sensation like that never happened. A heavy sigh escaped her, knowing If these people hadn't shown up, Kimie most definitely would have told her to lay off the romance novels.
'Who needs what?" inquired a tall, bulky guy as he took a seat next to Kimie.
Gemma had never seen the guy before, and the way Kimie was smirking at him, Gemma guessed he must be some new boy toy from one of her classes.
Opening her mouth, Gemma went to answer him when the person sitting next to her spoke, causing her words to catch in her throat.
"Needs a new drink by the looks of that cup."
Gemma whipped her head in the opposite direction to find the most stunning guy she had ever seen just inches from her face. No, this wasn't a guy. Calling this beautiful specimen in front of her by that would be an insult. Although he looked no older than her or Kimie, he was a man by all means.
His cologne wafted into her nose, and her breathing hitched. When she tried to form words to speak, she was left opening and closing her mouth like a fish in shock.
It was like her body reacted to his voice on its own. Almost as if it was the most alluring sound Gemma had ever heard, and for some reason, it was strangely familiar to her ears. Maybe she really did need to lay off the romance novels for a change because she didn't mean to look at him so fast.
As she innocently gazed into his refreshing blue orbs. He glanced briefly to the lower part of her face before returning her hold and asking, "do you always stare this close at people you don't know?"
A snicker came from behind her, and Gemma could feel the blood creep from her neck, filling her checks. Suddenly wanting to gain some distance between them, Gemma backed away from him, shifting her weight to the arm of the sofa till she was practically laying across it.
'What the hell is wrong with me tonight?' She cursed inwardly. While Kimie, on the other hand, was having a ball at the scene laid out in front of her.
Wanting to send another death glare at her friend, Gemma had to remind herself that Kimie was a lightweight and probably buzzing from the beer she slammed earlier. Now every little thing amused her!
Unfortunately for Gemma, the embarrassment of her actions became too much, so she excused herself. Making her way into the house, she silently prayed to find the bathroom in the hall upstairs empty.
To her relief, the party seemed to stay on the lower levels, and she could hide away in the back bathroom as planned. Her hand trembled as she turned the knob on the sink, first splashing her face with the cool water and then filling her hands to quench her thirst.
With the back of her hand, she touched her forehead. Maybe her cold was coming on faster than she had anticipated?
After drying her face, Gemma deliberated on whether to stay or just go home. She didn't want to upset Kimie, but if she genuinely was getting sick, she'd instead head home now than stay and not be able to drive later.
Kimie would understand. She always did. One of the things Gemma loved the most about her was how understanding she was. Unlike others, Kimie wasn't pushy, and Gemma was more than grateful for that about her.
Having made up her mind, Gemma swung the door open only to come face to face with the man who was sitting next to her. His disheveled appearance made Gemma nervous but curious at the same time.
"Are you okay?" Gemma asked politely as she didn't know why he looked this way when he seemed fine a few moments ago.
'Oh god! I got him sick!' Gemma's mind screamed, but when his eyes met hers, Gemma's mind fell silent, and she was pulled deeper into his two perfect pools. Finding it impossible to move them anywhere else, he held her frozen with just a stare.
"No," he said simply, taking a step towards her making Gemma step back to keep the distance, and a pain-filled her chest at her own motion.
For a fleeting second, hurt flashed in his eyes, but it was too quick for Gemma to notice.
Keeping her hold, the man took another step, closing the distance between them, and Gemma stepped back again only for her bottom to hit the sink, trapping her. His cologne filled her senses once more, and she found herself drowning in his intoxicating scent as he leaned his head closer to her.
Gemma felt like her heart would explode at how fast it was beating in her ribs from his closeness, but she couldn't force herself to tell him to step back. For the first time in her life, she actually found herself wanting a man she didn't know closer.
Her eyes moved back and forth between his as if she were searching for something, and he spoke softly, letting his breath fan across her skin, "your eyes have always been so telling, Gemma. Speaking what you want louder than your lips ever could."
Gemma blinked at his words, and her brows pulled together, "How do you know my name?"
Instead of answering her, the man glanced down at her lips, whispering, "Forgive me."
Gemma's mouth parted to question but found herself silenced as he crashed his lips down onto hers. At the same time, his hands gripped the sides of her hips. Sending a rush of electricity surging through her body as he lifted her onto the counter.
Her body acted on its own, grabbing and pulling him closer, and for a split second, Gemma didn't know if she was the one doing it. Her body burned where his hands landed, and she couldn't help but arch into his touch.
A satisfying sound left Gemma's lips, and she wanted more. She needed more.
Her entire being felt like it had been yearning for this man for thousands of years, and she wanted him closer, filling the void she didn't know existed. When Gemma wrapped her legs around his waist, closing the remaining distance between their bodies, a deep growl reverberated in his chest, and a new sensation ran through her.
He snaked a hand behind her head, using the other to support his weight with the wall. Delicately the man entangled his fingers in her hair, pulling it slightly. Gemma's neck arched back, allowing him more access to delve into her sweet cavern as another moan escaped her.
But when Gemma's hands moved down his body, he froze.
In her heated daze, Gemma didn't see how his eyes had turned pitch black along with his hands. Dark veins began to stretch up his arms, encasing the snake tattoo on his forearm, and he pulled back, cursing, "Damn it!"
Blinking away the dizziness, Gemma caught sight of his back as he swiftly exited the bathroom, leaving her panting on the counter and wondering what the hell just happened!