Parties are by far the most overrated part of college. I mean honestly, does anyone enjoy spending hours surrounded by drunk guys who can’t keep their grabby hands to themselves?

Do people really like watching half-naked college students dance around on wobbly tabletops? I don’t, that’s for sure. Not anymore, anyway.

But unfortunately for me, when it comes to events like Matt’s birthday party, I don’t have a choice but to go. He is my best friend’s boyfriend, after all.

“You’re not coming back here tonight, right? I have some special things planned that I would rather you didn’t interrupt this time,” Morgan says from the bathroom as she finishes getting ready.

“Trust me, the last thing I want is to come home to whatever the hell you have planned,” I shudder, pulling myself onto the bathroom countertop and grabbing my phone to read Oakley’s text.

He is outside, waiting for us. And since he doesn’t like to drink, he volunteered to be the designated driver tonight. “They’re here. Ready?”

She smears more lip gloss on and rubs her lips together. “Woah, wait a minute. When did you get an ass?”

I spin around to see a shocked Morgan staring wide-eyed at my backside. “It’s probably the pants.”

Turning my body in the mirror, I look at the more notable than usual bump in my skinny black jeans. Unlike Morgan, I kept it simple tonight: a pair of high waisted black skinny jeans and a black crop top to go underneath my red leather jacket.

“Well, you look good. Maybe you’ll finally get some action tonight?” she teases before shoving me out of the bathroom. My phone vibrates in the back pocket of my jeans.

“Please tell me you’re on your way down,” Oakley pleads, panic evident in his voice when I answer the call. “Matt is drunk off his ass already and driving me insane.”

Morgan sashays out of her bedroom with her jacket and strappy heels on.

“We’re leaving now. Stay strong, babe.” I hang up and slide my shoes on. Morgan meets me by the door and we head downstairs.

“Have fun tonight, Ava. Please? You’re going to a party with your friends and stud of a boyfriend. Just forget about all the other shit for one night,” Morgan says gently. She puts her arm around my shoulders as we walk down the sidewalk to Oakley’s truck.

I know what she’s talking about. Ever since Rebecca showed up at our house last week, I haven’t been able to shake it from my mind. I called my mom as soon as Rebecca vanished. Through my shaky sobs, I managed to explain what happened. To say she was pissed would be a vast understatement. But there isn’t anything we can do right now except to wait and see if she makes another appearance.

I can’t pretend like I don’t want her to show up because I do. I have so many questions that I need the answers to. And she’s the only one who can answer them for me. I also can’t pretend her still using doesn’t hurt me. It’s been so long and she’s still an addict.

I don’t know what she was high on that day, but she sure wasn’t

clean.

“You’re right. I’ll try and have fun.”

She turns her head and raises an eyebrow at me.

“I promise.” I slap on a smile and she thankfully leaves it alone.

When we reach the truck, Matt opens the passenger door. He topples out of his seat and falls face-first onto the wet grass.

“You dumbass.” Morgan rushes to help him and tries to help him up, to no avail. “A little help here, Oakley,” she snaps, letting out a huff. She takes off her heels, the bottoms now coated in rich dirt, and scoffs.

Oakley chuckles and grabs Matt’s hand, yanking him on his feet and helps him into the backseat. Morgan climbs into the backseat, swearing.

Oakley turns to me, and his jaw slacks. His eyes trace over every inch of my body slowly. The intense stare makes the hair on my arms stand straight up and a heat to build between my legs.

“You are so beautiful, Ava. Not to mention sexy as hell,” he groans, taking a step towards me. He pulls me against his hard chest and kisses me passionately. I melt into his touch and shivers trail down my spine. All too soon, he pulls away and drops his hands from my neck.

“We should stop before we give Morgan and Matt quite the show,” he insists quietly. I can only nod my head in my dazed state as he laughs airily. He moves away and opens the passenger door for me. I hop up and put my seatbelt on.

“Happy birthday, Matt,” I say, leaning around my seat to send him a

smile.

“Thanks, Octavia. Hope you’re ready to get crazy!” he roars, making

the three of us laugh at the dopey grin he’s wearing. Matt is a crazy person when he’s drunk.

Oakley takes my hands in his and rests them on my thigh. I can’t seem to keep my eyes away from him the entire drive to the party. His beard has turned scruffy and his hair has grown a little since Thanksgiving, making it the perfect length to wrap my fingers in. The jeans he’s wearing are not hiding his noticeably large bulge either.

“Y’all need to get it on already. Your sexual tension is making me very uncomfortable,” Morgan puts in from the backseat, disrupting my filthy train of thought. I whip my head around and glare at her. I can’t seem to find any words, so I sit there opening and closing my mouth like an idiot as I try to think of a witty response.

Thankfully Oakley saves the day yet again. “Matt, buddy? Are you doing okay back there?”

“You know you have lots of garbage back here—oh! A donut!” he shouts with glee.

Morgan lets out a loud shriek as he tries to shove the mouldy thing in her mouth. The loud noise makes the truck swerve to the left, veering us slightly off the road as Oakley gets taken by surprise.

His hand is ripped out of mine while he jerks us back. He mumbles a string of curse words, panting. I gently unpeel his right hand from the steering wheel as I take it in mine, pulling him back to reality. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. And for the next ten minutes, we desperately try to ignore the noises coming from the backseat.

Matt grins when we get to the party. He pulls the seatbelt off and hops out of the truck. “I thought we would never make it. My audience is

waiting!”

Morgan squeezes my shoulder and rolls her eyes. “I’ll see you guys in there. Have fun.” She hops out in search of the birthday boy.

Oakley gazes at me with a half-smile playing on his lips. “You ready?”

“Are you okay?” My tone is gentle but my words are beyond serious. “Because it’s perfectly okay if you’re not. I’m the last person who is going to judge you.”

“Yeah,” he nods. “It just freaked me out for a second.” “I know.” I smile at him and rub the back of his neck.

He rolls his eyes but allows the corner of his mouth to tilt. “Shall we? I’m sure Matt is in desperate need of our company.”

I’m not sure where the sudden boost of confidence comes from but before I know it, I unbuckle my seat belt and lean over the center console. “I think he’ll survive without us.”

His eyes widen when I bite my lip and he lets out a soft moan. Not being able to wait any longer, I press my lips to his.

He responds instantly, moving his mouth against mine while pulling me onto his lap. He pushes the console out of the way and nips my lip. I feel the hardness building in his jeans as I start grinding down on him, trying desperately to get rid of the ache between my legs. I let out a squeak when he lays me down on my back, my head resting by the passenger door as he crawls on top of me.

Our lips reconnect as he pushes against me. His mouth latches onto my neck as he sucks the skin under my jaw before claiming my mouth once again. He uses one hand to hold himself up while the other trails down my body, greedily touching as much of my skin as possible. He grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls away from me so he can look in my eyes, silently asking for permission. I nod my head quickly, and he lifts the material up and over my head.

His eyes darken as he looks at my chest, memorizing every inch of my now exposed skin. The moan that escapes his lips makes me buck my hips against his crotch to create some much-needed friction.

“Patience, baby,” he growls, bringing a shiver over my exposed skin. He leans over me and puts his mouth on mine, his hand pushing my bra up. Without breaking the kiss, he brings his large hand to the warm skin.

My moan cuts through the tense silence, causing him to grind his crotch harder against mine.

“You’re killing me,” he manages to choke out. He presses his forehead against mine and takes laboured breaths, matching my own.

“Let’s ditch the party then. They won’t notice,” I insist from underneath him. The last thing I want to do right now is stop.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Take me back to your place,” I say, stern and quick, before I have a chance to overthink and back out. I want this. I want him.

We pull up outside of his apartment fifteen minutes later. To say we are both still hot as hell would be an understatement.

As soon as the truck is turned off, Oakley rushes over to my side. He pulls open the door quickly and picks me up with strong arms. I wrap my legs around his waist as he slams the door shut and pushes me up against the cold metal. He kisses my neck and a loud moan escapes in my mouth.

“Inside. Now,” I growl. Oakley gently sets me down and leads us over to his apartment.

He unlocks the door and shoves it open. I follow close behind him as he flips on the light and turns back around to face me.

Our eyes meet and I feel my throat close up, making it hard to breathe. An intense emotion I can’t describe washes over me.

His eyes soften as he watches me, making my heart speed up. I slowly start walking towards him, my eyes not leaving his. He takes a step towards me, closing the gap between us and cups my face in his hands, stroking my warm, thumping skin with his thumb.

“I love you,” he says softly, his eyes unwavering and steady.

Love. That’s what it is. The feeling that’s swallowing me whole. The feeling I get every time I’m with—or even think about Oakley. It’s always there, lurking. That’s it, the way only Oakley can make me feel.

“I love you,” I say clearly, and confidently.

His eyes widen in surprise before he slowly beams at me. I can feel myself grinning back at him. His eyes gleam under the fluorescent lights, and he wraps his arms tightly around me. He kisses me and I smile against his lips, overwhelmed.

“Say it again,” he grins, pulling away ever so slightly to see the words slip past my lips.

“I love you, Oakley Hutton,” I chuckle, stepping forward and resting my head on his chest.

“And I love you, Octavia Layton. More than you know.”