Tetra Pact

Chapter 19

Eden stared at her open wardrobe, completely at a loss about what to wear. She'd asked Asbjørn - much to his surprise - if he could bring her to a college party or a club, per Clyde's suggestion, except she didn't want to bother Olivia with having to drag a party noob around late at night. Plus, Eden couldn't drink, and she believed the safest option was to go with Asbjørn, who was more experienced and did not drink as well.

She yanked a sleeveless dress off its hanger, studying its plain black design. It should work. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but not sloppy either. She quickly put it on and added a chain for effect. Asbjørn had already driven over and stood with the door open to let her climb into the chair, but not before he gave her a light kiss. "Someone in my faculty's having a house party today, are you fine with that? Or would you rather we go to a club?" he asked.

The options weighed in her head. "... What's the difference?" she said sheepishly.

He scratched the back of his head. "I guess the main difference would be the demographics? The house party will mostly consist of people in university, whereas the club involves people of all ages."

"The house party, then," Eden answered without missing a beat.

"Alright."

As Asbjørn parked the car outside the house, Eden began to regret her request. She didn't like being around people at all, and especially not people who were total strangers to her. But she forced herself to step out of the car, holding her breath. She had to step out of her comfort zone, if she wanted to find out her purpose in life.

She tugged the bottom of the dress down nervously, and took Asbjørn's hand as he led up to the front of the house. Before they were in anyone's line of sight, he turned around and faced her. "Shite. I just realised the people here know me."

She looked at him expectantly.

"No one knows we're dating," he said.

"Right." Eden understood.

"Do you want them to know?" he asked, genuinely.

Her eyes shifted. She knew Asbjørn was already well-known in his college, and she didn't want to ruin his seemingly perfect reputation when he'd been attending it for only a month. Furthermore, she wasn't sure if she was ready to let their relationship go public yet. She hadn't even informed Kay of the current situation of her love life. "Um..."

"It's okay if you don't want to. I'm fine with either." He let go of her hand. "Just stay close to me."

She nodded. "Thanks."

He sneaked in another quick kiss. "Let's go."

Eden hadn't sufficiently prepared herself for the chaos she was witnessing. The house, which was no bigger than her own, was an absolute mess. Half-empty cups were strewn all over the floor and furniture, with unknown sorts of alcoholic beverages leaking out of them. There were people playing games in every room, and Eden failed to avoid knocking into every passing person as she desperately tried to follow Asbjørn's lead around the house.

She was swept away too soon. Someone had pulled her into the kitchen, where there were a bunch of teenagers surrounding the table and chatting heartily. It was the first room she'd seen where the people weren't playing any games - just drinking and socialising. A boy with a cheeky and slightly drunk grin thrust a cup into her hand.

"Drink up!"

Eden stared at the brown liquid in the cup and recognised it as beer. Although she had to stay off drinks so that her HIV treatment wouldn't go to waste, she was well-versed in the types of liquor that existed, thanks to her father's extensive collection of them.