Oh Boy ★ Ryden

Chapter 4: I've Found Something New (Just By Looking At You)

2 and a half months ago

I'm not that drunk. I'm just tired, I think. Spence and I just drove 11 hours straight from Vegas to San Francisco so we're tired. And now we are in someone's house. I can't really remember how we got here that clearly to be completely honest; I think there was some small music thing and then some girls and yeah Spence is probably off with one of them but I can't remember much right now. The lights are dimmed and tinted purple, everything is really smoky. The room is just so pretty and wavy and cool. So I'm really not that drunk, I'm just tired and also a tiny bit high.

All these people are so great. They're like a different breed of young people from the ones back in Vegas. They're more fun and happy. It probably has something to do with the fact that all the kids in Vegas are trapped in a fucking desert surrounded by the highest levels of profitable depravity in the U.S. and kids in California are hanging off the edge of the country with the world to look forward to. They're freer.

I'm up against a wall in the corner of the room right now, pleasantly not entirely sober, listening to the music feeling the heavy bass vibrate my bones. The room is packed with girls barely dressed and guys drunk off their asses. I'm not talking to anybody at the moment but I was talking to some very nice girls earlier but then they were taken away by their other friends which is fine. I don't really know anybody here but I feel so comfortable.

I scan the room to see what's going on and my eyes land on this guy. He's sitting on a couch talking to a girl who's on the lap of another guy. He's farther away on the opposite side of the room but I can still tell that he's very attractive.

Okay, I have to be careful with how I go about this. I've never had the chance to do anything with a guy even though I've wanted to so I don't want to fuck up my one chance to finally do something. I have no clue if he even likes guys. He's talking to a girl-- a really hot girl who's got a lot of skin showing-- but he doesn't look at all interested in anything that she's flaunting. He's obviously an extremely good looking person himself-- even better looking than the girl in my opinion-- but the guy whose lap the girl is perched on is not at all worried about the two of them being in each others' presence. If the mystery boy was straight he would be a threat to any mediocre guy with a prize on their lap. I need more though because I really don't feel like getting socked in the face for assuming wrong and having to explain why to Spencer in the morning. I focus back on the three on the couch. The girl has gotten in very close and is whispering something into his ear, trying to be inconspicuous. She nods over in my direction and he looks over at me. My insides tighten up. "Shit," I curse under my breath and nonchalantly avert my eyes, carding my free hand that is not holding a cup of non-descript alcohol through my hair. Not long after, though my curiosity gets the best of me and I look back over at him. He's still looking at me but this time I don't look away and I give a small smile which he returns somewhat coyly.

I feel a soft hand land on my shoulder and turn around to see the half-dressed girl with the mediocre guy. I hadn't even noticed that they had left his side on the couch. She gives me a big dopey grin and leans in close so I can hear her over the loud music, "You should go talk to him now that we're not in the way," she nudges her date who awkwardly nods at me. "He thinks you're really hot," she giggles excitedly and gives me a thumbs up as the two of them disappear into the moving crowd.

Well, that might be a good tell.

I weave my way over to this boy who is now sitting alone on the giant couch. He's not currently paying attention to me as he's playing with a small piece of thread from his sleeve. The closer I get the faster my pulse picks up. This is fine, I can do this. I've talked up many girls, boys can't be much work. Before I make myself known I take a fast look around me at the rest of the people to make sure that Spencer isn't in the same room. I saw him go upstairs with one of the girls from the concert thing so I'm hoping he's still up there with her.