Temptations (#Wattys2017)

Eleven

Feeling more than a little out of breath from dancing so much, Saskia waved a hand at Lucy as she took a time out, collapsing onto a modern black-leather sofa situated in the grand living room.

Lucy pulled a face at her, then turned her attention to the others, who were still dancing nearby. She edged closer to Jack, trailing her hands up his arm as she gradually stole him away from Caleb, who just rolled his eyes and strolled over to where Saskia was now dramatically fanning herself.

"One more dance?" He asked as he joined her by the sofa, holding his hand out for her to grab onto. She loosed a breath, pretending to consider his offer. He didn't draw his hand away as he smirked at her.

"Oh, if we must," she sighed with faux annoyance, before taking another sip of her drink to hide her smile.

Caleb held his other hand over his heart and feigned being hurt. "You're so mean, do you know that?"

"Someone has to keep that ego of yours grounded," she said, raising her brows pointedly.

Caleb huffed a laugh as Saskia downed some more of her drink, before setting it onto a glass-topped sidetable. Taking his outstretched hand, she allowed him to lift her off of the sofa, before they pushed through the throng of people to where Lucy and Jack were now dancing together.

Through the crowd, Saskia spotted a head of shiny auburn hair turn towards her, and sure enough—Jessica's pretty face came into view. She was laughing loudly at something the guy glued to her hip was saying, but her expression twisted into annoyance as she spied Caleb holding Saskia's hand. Amusement twinkled in Saskia's eyes as she winked at Jessica, who narrowed hers in return before pushing the poor guy away and stalking off into the mass of partygoers.

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A while later, as Saskia was sashaying her hips to the music, she held up a finger to invite Caleb closer. He happily obliged, his warm body now pressed against hers. Ignoring the tingle it sent shooting up her spine, Saskia leaned up and gently slid her hands onto his hips as she angled her head towards his ear, almost as if she were going to reveal a secret only meant for him. Instead, she whispered, "I really need to pee."

Caleb laughed, trailing a hand lightly down her back as he crooned, "Do you have to go now?"

She smiled sheepishly, nodding as she relucantly detached herself from his hold. "I'll be five mins," she promised, noticing with a start that the room was already a little blurry as she whirled to latch onto Lucy's arm.

"Come find the bathroom with me?" She pleaded. Lucy faced her, swaying slightly due to her ridiculous heels. They were even bigger than Saskia would normally dare to wear.

"Sure, I didn't want to go on my own either," she grinned, only a little drunkenly.

The two girls pushed their way through the crowd of sweaty people, who were occupied with grinding against each other and dancing, Saskia staggering a bit on the way. Glancing sidelong at Lucy, she wondered briefly how she appeared to be walking perfectly fine, yet Saskia herself was having to focus on walking straight. They had consumed the same amount of drink so far, and she was certainly no lightweight...

The glass walls provided no light due to the sky outside darkening entirely, as they aimed to locate the bathrooms. Eventually they found it due to the queue of girls waiting impatiently outside, which they joined the back of, and Saskia leaned against the cold wall. Lucy nudged Saskia's arm before saying, "I think Caleb likes you, you know."

The words sent a rush of warmth through her body, and she tried to keep the grin from her face. Instead she schooled it into one of vague amusement. The two of them had shared a few moments, but there was something that made her hold back from allowing herself to like him. Apart from her complete inability to express feelings, that was.

"Do you think there's something going on with him?" She asked. Lucy's eyes widened, and she frowned as she thought about it.

"What do you mean?" Lucy questioned, dodging out of the way of a group of drunk girls who were blindly shoving past.

"I'm not sure... he seems different whenever Evan is around," Saskia pondered aloud, throwing an arm out to prevent Lucy from falling into her.

"Have you tried asking him about it?" Lucy asked, as she leant against the wall and blew the loose strands of hair out of her face.

"Once, he shut me down though..." Saskia recalled, scrunching her nose at the memory.

"If you want a guy to talk, there are other methods..." Lucy teased with a laugh, wiggling her brows suggestively.

Saskia choked on the drink she had been idly sipping, as she burst out into a laugh. "I suppose so. I'm just overthinking things..." she admitted, watching as a couple nearby started yelling at each other, the girl throwing her entire drink over the guy's head. Another girl stepped up to slap him in the face, the sound audible even over the sound of the music.

"Maybe you should stop looking for reasons not to like him, and let yourself have some fun," Lucy smirked, bumping her shoulder into hers, following Saskia's gaze as she observed the guy storm off into the crowd, leaving a sticky trail of drink in his wake.

"I think you might be right," Saskia smiled, now lightly prancing from one foot to the other as the urge to pee grew more incessant. Thankfully, they were now at the front of the queue and the bathroom door opened, bathing the glass hallway in warm light. Jessica stepped over the threshold, and paused to sneer at the girls. She clearly found something entertaining, because her expression changed to amusement, almost as if she was trying not to laugh.

"Enjoy the party, Saskia," was all she said, smiling sweetly before sauntering off.

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