Some People Just Have A Death Wish

I put my hand on Hunter’s chest, not wanting him to lose his temper. It’s a party. That guy probably had too many beers and I really don’t want this night to be ruined by some asshat, who can’t keep his mouth shut.

“Not worth it,” I murmur to him, before turning towards the guy, putting my best poker face on. “I already have a drink. And I have a name,” I inform him, trying not to feel intimidated. But the dude is at least six feet tall. Maybe even a little taller than Hunter.

He smirks like I’ve just made his day. He completely ignores my boyfriend’s outburst and leans a little closer in a provocative way. “What’s that name, beautiful?” he wonders, making me flinch with a mixture of fear and disgust. What a creep. Okay, I’ve changed my mind, Hunter can totally shout at him now.

“None of your damn business, get lost!” my boyfriend grits through his teeth as he pulls me behind him and puffs his chest out. Now that he does that, I can see the guy is actually shorter than him. Maybe his ego was flying so high that I thought he was tall.

He laughs into Hunter’s face, seeming like he’s amused by this whole interaction. I realize people are starting to stare, and I really don’t like that. I tug at my boyfriend’s sleeve, wanting us to get out of the kitchen before anyone kicks us out of the party.

“Chill, Batman, or whatever you’re supposed to be,” the guy keeps provoking him, making me stiffen. Oh, crap. This one really has a wish to visit the ER tonight. Or maybe the morgue. Stop it, intrusive thoughts! I won’t let that happen! But let’s be real, Hunter wouldn’t even feel me tugging at his sleeve, if I tried to stop him from beating the s**t out of this guy.

“And you shut up, clown. You’re a complete joke, everyone can see that,” Hunter informs him, surprising me by how calm he manages to stay. Okay, maybe I’m giving him too little credit. He does know how to control his temper.

“Wow, someone feels threatened,” the guy has the guts to say, making a few boys ‘ooh’ nearby. I glare at them. But Hunter doesn’t remove his gaze from the guy’s face. Not even for a second. Oookay, this is getting slightly dangerous now.

I pull his hand, trying to make him follow me back to the foyer. “Hunter, let’s go, please,” I mumble behind him, but he doesn’t acknowledge me. Or maybe he’s too busy, holding himself back to hear what I’m saying.

“Not even closely. You don’t reach my pinky toe,” he says proudly, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Uh-oh. Where the hell are Stavros and Benji when you need them?! Not sure how they’d manage to hold him back, but at least they could try!

The guy laughs in his face again, seeming really amused as he glances over his shoulder to look at me. And the way his eyes glisten in a predatory way, makes shivers run down my spine. I really don’t want to stay in the same room as him any longer.

“You keep telling yourself that,” the guy then says, going as far as winking at Hunter before he turns towards the counter and gets himself another drink. As he starts grabbing a second cup, I don’t wait any longer.

“Let’s go,” I speak up a little more loudly, tugging at Hunter’s arm again. This time, I manage to get his attention and he finally grants my wish. He turns around to walk away from the scene, and I follow him with my arm looped through his, when the guy calls after us.

Or better said, after me. “Hey, where are you going sexy flamenco dancer?” I hear his voice cut through the air, making me cringe. I can feel Hunter’s whole body stiffen at the sound, but I don’t let him react. I dig my fingernails into his flesh, making him let out a surprised ‘ouch’, while I turn my head and deal with that i***t.

“I’m señora De la Vega and he’s El Zorro, you jerk!” I bark back at him, then force Hunter to leave the kitchen along my side. I stop hurting his arm only as we’re already mixed into the crowd, giving him no option of going after the guy.

“Perrie, baby, this is really not a pleasant feeling. Can you please let go of me, so I can go back and smack that stupid face of his against the kitchen cabinets?” he tells me making me shake my head.

“Not letting go of you until you promise this is exactly what you won’t do,” I still protest, despite knowing that guy is probably long gone from the kitchen. I know he seemed like he’s not afraid of anyone, but come on, only someone with no sense of self-preservation would wait for someone they pissed off to come back and beat the crap out of them.

Hunter doesn’t seem very pleased, but finally he nods and I let go of him. “No one talks to you like that. Especially not in my presence. It’s disrespectful,” he grunts under his breath, while I sigh and lead his arms around me.

“He doesn’t matter, okay? Who cares about that guy, he’s a nobody for us. Just … Focus on me,” I instruct him, starting to sway my hips under his touch. He stares at me for a few long moments, clearly conflicted between trying to protect me and wanting to have fun with me tonight.

Finally, he gives in and nods. It starts slowly, but eventually, he’s already swaying to the rhythm of the beat with me, letting me enjoy the present moment. “Those kind of guys are the exact reason why I didn’t join a fraternity in the first place,” he murmurs into my ear after a few minutes of dancing.

I lift my gaze, surprised that he’s opening up about this. I never really asked him why exactly he didn’t join a fraternity. I didn’t feel like I have to, because I thought he told me the full reason last year, when he went to a party.

“It’s okay. Not being in a fraternity doesn’t define you. There’s no unwritten rule that you should be in one. I’m not tempted to join a sorority either. It’s just a preference, really. You’re not missing out on anything, especially not with the kind of members we just met,” I inform him.

He smiles at me after a few seconds. “You know, you always know what to say to me to make me feel better,” he remarks, earning himself a bright smile in response.

“Likewise,” I murmur back, before letting myself dance on my toes for a moment, so I can close the distance between us and plant a soft, longing kiss on his lips.

As I pull away, I notice the neediness in his gaze. Oh. I really don’t want to do this here. It seems like it’s time to go, though. “Mm, don’t look at me like that,” I mumble, feeling weak in my knees. He smirks, but pretends to be clueless.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he pretends to be clueless, making me smirk. I nod to myself, trailing a line down his chest. It makes his green eyes glisten in a familiar way. I bite my lower lip.

“Okay, looks like it’s time to leave. Give me five minutes, I need to pee. Then we’re getting out of here,” I assure him. He chuckles and nods in response, while I slip away from him to go find a restroom that’s empty and preferably not stained with puke or any other bodily fluids that I’d rather not see right now.

I go upstairs after asking a few sober enough girls where I can find a restroom. They point to the upper floor, so this is where I head. I find myself passing lots of kissing couples, not even surprised as I see Jessie and Benji are amongst them. Good for them.

They don’t even notice me passing by, so I smile to myself and keep looking for the right door. When I open one, I hear moaning sounds coming out of the room, and I close the door quickly, realizing this isn’t it.

I head further down the hallway, realizing that the light bulb must have died out because the last lamp on the wall isn’t giving away any light. I grab another doorknob, finally managing to find the right place.

Ah, great. I feel around the wall to turn on the light inside, then head into the bathroom. There’s no key inside the lock, but I don’t mind that right now. Those couples are all too busy at the moment to come down here and there was no one else at the hallway.

I do my business, then quickly wash my hands, so I can get back to Hunter. When I’m drying my hands off, the door suddenly bursts open, then closes in the same, hasty way. Before I know it, someone has their body pressed against my back, trapping me between the sink and them.

As I see a familiar face in the mirror, I freeze in panic. It’s the guy from the kitchen.