"Noah," Isabella stood and turned to look at the man, and it was Noah, bright sun on a cold winter night.
"Wow! I know your excitement isn't because of me. I pity my life," Noah said truthfully, sighing at his luck. How much he expected to see this enthusiasm in Isabella's eyes for himself, but it was all his dreams.
"No, obviously, you're here with our group. Why wouldn't I be excited?" Isabella quickly covered up her excitement with her own words. Her attempt to tell a terrible lie made her cheeks red and the laughter of the two best friends only made her blush further.
"Sweet. By the way, here's your book," Noah brought out her book under his shirt and handed it to her, for which she was forced to attend this bonfire.
"Thanks, Noah," smiled Isabella as she took the book. Books are the closest to her. She always felt in her alone time that if she needed something, that was a good romance book.
"You are welcome. Sit down now. I have something interesting for you girls," said Noah, reaching his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and bringing out an eye-catching flask.
"O.. La..la. What does it have?" Bethany clucked her tongue and said, looking at the alcohol flask.
"Something nice, I'm already feeling it," Danny said and took the flask from Noah's hand and sniffed it over the closed lid.
"Johnnie Walker!" I brought it on my trip to London," Noah whispered because his group might be nearby and if they heard it, there is no guarantee that this flask or the bottle in his house will remain full.
"Dang, man. Let's sip our Johnnie Walker," Danny commented and sipped first, then passed it to Bethany who was drooling, after that Noah tasted, he just sipped a little as he was solely brought this flask for the girls. They commented together, "Awesome."
While Isabella was looking at the tall fire. It was beautiful to look at. Isabella sometimes took an interest in something weird. Sometimes she wondered why her eyes were always attracted by something odd. Her eyes still looking at the fire while it was distracted by a figure who was wearing a mask and looking at them.
The figure was standing at quite a respectful distance, but the way he was looking at them was quite scary. Also, his eyes gave her an absurd feeling. Because of the distance, she can't see his eyes well. Their gazes were still looking at each other without a blink, though Isabella didn't know whether the man was blinking.
But she didn't blink for a second.
Just then, Bethany nudged Isabella's shoulder to give her the flask. Her gaze drifted a little towards Bethany but again turned to the distance. But the man was no longer there. She blinked to clear her eyes, in case her gaze was mistaken, but there was no one in the place.
"What are you looking at, Bella? Is there any chick that has caught your eyes?" Danny joked. Isabella glanced at the distance one more time, then she changed her gaze and focus on her group. Danny's joke dulled Noah's eyes for a few seconds, but they lit up when Isabella answered, "No, there is nothing like that. I just saw a masked figure beside that signboard."
As she finished, Bethany and Danny looked at that pointed place that Isabella just said, but Noah's bright eyes clouded in fiction. He stared at the place before standing up.
"I got a text from my friends they said to come to them. I will be here soon," Noah said and smiled only at Isabella before walking out, ruffling his hair, even forgetting to take his flask.
"Thank God he didn't mention taking his flask, or I don't think we will get more to drink," Danny said and high-five Bethany over Isabella's head, while Isabella intervened by saying, "That is wrong. Maybe, he has brought this to share with his friends too."
"Stop it, damn girl, you never supported your friends," said Bethany and drank enough then give it to Danny.
"Want," Danny offered as she was about to finish it.
"No, I'm fine," Isabella denied, not that she had never drunk, just that she was not in the mood to drink. Also, she told her father that they would have dinner with him.
"Don't drink too much because you asked my father to cook dinner for us," Isabella reminded two of them who can't control themselves after drinking.
"We know, and this flask emptied in two gulps. Damn it, Noah!" murmured Bethany. It was like a drop of water for a Bedouin.
"I am going to get a drink. Shall I bring two for you too?" she said again. Isabella categorically refused, but Danny gave her a thumbs up.
As Bethany left to get drinks, suddenly there was a man's voice calling Danny. Both Danny and Isabella turned their head, and it was Jackie, Danny's ex-boyfriend. What a big surprise for Danny.
"Danny, can we talk," Jackie said while Danny's lips turned into a sneer and she spat fire, "Is there anything more to say or do you want to fuck one more time before ending this relationship completely?"
"I need to call someone, so excuse me guys," Isabella politely said and left them alone to talk. Danny also didn't force her to stay because she knew Isabella would feel awkward. And she needed to use good slang to vent her anger.
Isabella speeded up her pace, looking around the happy tumult. Everyone was enjoying and drinking, and also many strange games they are playing. Isabella wasn't well aware but it looked interesting. Her eyes were concentrating on games as they were trying to decipher the rule when she bumped into a stud figure and was about to fall back when the figure hold Isabella's waist and prevented her from falling.
"Gorgeous," the man remarked. Isabella held onto that man's arm. It was a big muscular arm. And those green eyes are beautiful but not mesmerizing like Alexander's. Suddenly she felt she had compared this man to Alexander, but why?
"May I know your name?" the figure again asked, still holding Isabella, who had just come back on the earth after comparing the two hunks.
"Sorry, I didn't see you coming," Isabella politely apologized and stand straight though the man helped her because no one could straighten themselves from the half-bending position without help.
"Okay. I am Xavier," said the man, reaching out to shake his hand.
"I am Isabella" Isabella shook her hand and smiled and expressed her gratitude, appreciating this man's humility.
"Are you going to have a drink?" Xavier asked.
"No, actually I am looking for my friend, she's gone to get a drink," Isabella answered with a smile but the thing she didn't notice was that while she was speaking Xavier's eyes glowed as they looked behind her, suddenly a person came to them.
"Hey, brother. Join the game," said the person who came, and he was a senior at their college. Isabella was now thinking about Xavier's identity. She didn't know every senior in their college, but still, she knew many of them and had never seen Xavier before.
"Isabella, are you in?" Xavier asked Isabella rather than answering that boy.
"Sorry, I don't know how to play and I am also searching for my friend, so please you two have fun," Isabella fully rejected them, not a chance she would agree to this unknown game.
"O, come on. We are your seniors, Bella. You must agree to our request and the game is simple. All you have to do is sip the drink with each question if you did," the boy said and grabbed Isabella's arm but left instantly as Xavier glared.
"No, I am not comfortable with the game. Also, I need to go home, so I.. can't." Before Isabella could finish, a woman came to her whom she didn't know well except for her name, hold her hand, and led her to their group
"Guys, look who is here with us? Our beautiful Bella from the English department," the woman named Paoli just announced to the group. First, Isabella saw the obnoxious eyes of several of them, which didn't bother her because she wasn't thinking of staying there for a second.
On the other hand, she felt scorching eyes behind her and only two people were behind her Xavier and that senior whose name she didn't know. But the feeling she was having was mostly like prey, and she was desperately hoping for help that could take her far away from the situation. Her eyes looked around for Bethany when someone pushed a cup into her hand and she reluctantly sat down.
Next to her, she felt a tall figure sitting with a cup, and her nerve cells tensed more. She was about to make an excuse again when the game began.
The first one was a man who held up his glass and said, "Never have I ever had sex on a toilet seat."
"Fuck man, next time definitely do and share your experience with us," everyone screamed as the man said. A few of them drank, and others were laughing while cheering him on for doing what he said he didn't.
"Look, our Isabella did. She didn't drink, what's that mean!… Yikes, Bella," The woman loudly said making Isabella annoyed further.