; Tee

☼☼☼

[newendy]

[teemillr]

damienj:

“What are we best known for?” She was right though, if only he had known she was coming over he would’ve tried to have a little something prepared, but this hadn’t been on his plans, he hadn’t expected for this to happen, not that he was complaining. Even if things had gotten a little weird back at the party, he still had big hopes for the night. “I’ll make it up to you.” He promised, and he wasn’t talking just about snacks, he was well aware Tee hadn’t exactly liked the scene with his female friend earlier.

Damien wasn’t sure why he cared so much about what she thought, but as they walked in, he looked around as if seeing his own place for the first time, praying Tee wouldn’t find it to be too messy. The lights had been off when they arrived, which assured him the place was empty, everyone was probably still back at the party and wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, or so he hoped. Even if the guys were used to Tee being around by now, he still very much preferred for them to have the place for themselves.

As she looked up at him, he found himself having to fight back a smile; he was incredibly attracted to her, hence he didn’t do anything to stop her when she reached out to pull him closer. The moment his lips met with hers, his mind wandered somewhere else, not caring about anything else other than this moment. He responded to the kiss instantly as his arm tightened about her waist, pulling her deeper into his body. More than anything, he wanted to keep kissing her, but before he could deepen the kiss or do anything else, Tee pulled away. He was tempted to crash his lips against hers once again, keeping her from finishing her words, but she was speaking with such determination, with that challenging tone in her voice, that he was forced to listen. “Do I even have more than one choice? I didn’t notice. You put everyone else to shame.”

“Rowdiness? Debauchery? That one guy that showed up wasted to all his finals and projectile vomited? You pick one.” Her tone was deadpan, although she had luckily been exempt from witnessing the last one. The tales would outlast them for years, at the very least. She made sure to look decidedly unimpressed by his words, and truly unbothered by the fact that they were all alone in his frat. Because that wasn’t weird, even if most of the times they hung out there were other sounds around them, rather than the stillness only occasionally broken by their own voices.

It wasn’t that her body was betraying her, but it happened to be acting in the very way she’d trained it to when she was experiencing something as groundbreaking as Damien’s kissing. The boy could surely talk pretty, but he had a darned good reason behind his cockiness. For a few seconds or so, she didn’t really care that he had been about to ditch her for some random -- all that mattered was his arm crushing her in place against him, holding her where she fit best. Her gaze went from his eyes, back towards his lips, and she went through the excruciating effort of bodily stepping away, turning her back on him.

“Good.” Was all she said, at first, her hand finding some rest on the nearby banister. Her thoughts were quickly becoming more jumbled up the longer she stayed in his presence, for some reason she’d yet to explore fully. “...Are you going to get us something to drink, then?” she asked, one eyebrow arching up, at the same time she started climbing the stairs. Where to, she wasn’t too sure, but it made some sense that whatever they were going to keep on doing happened outside of the common areas. Besides, Damien did have a pretty sweet set-up, being the President and all. Maybe putting on some music would clear the ambient somewhat?

[teemillr]

damienj:

“Cake?” Damien repeated right after she was done talking. Of course she would say something like that. He couldn’t even act surprised. If the roles had been reversed and she had been the one offering to make a deal, he probably would have found a way to make his suggestion at least a bit alluring, but he couldn’t allow his mind to go in that direction, not yet anyway. “Hot cakes is the closest to cake I can offer, take it or leave it.” He said, but he wasn’t certain if there was anything in their frat house other than beers and probably left over pizza.

He couldn’t help but laugh at her groupies related statement. “I have groupies? I had no idea. You’ll have to get used to my ‘groupies’ as you call them, because I want to meet them all.” He joked, trying to lift the tension that came with the subject he had brought up. He decided against debating the topic any further, knowing full well it could turn against him, and admitting jealousy wasn’t part of his plans tonight or ever for that matter.

 “Don’t you worry, Miller. I’m all yours for the night.” He said once the house came into view and he walked over to the door, unlocking it. Knowing she wanted his attention made him feel important, he was worried the house wouldn’t be empty, but so far it seemed they had the place to themselves. “If you want to cozy up to the prez, you have my undivided attention.” He added, and took a step back so she could walk in first.  

“I’ll be pretty shocked if you can find anything even remotely close to that in your frat. Full offense intended -- your food is not what you’re best known for.” It was a good thing they had their agreement -- she’d been known to upset lesser men than Damien could be when he put his mind to it. And, although the slight was directed towards the fraternity he was in the books responsible for... she’d never seen him minding such a thing too much.

Rolling her eyes, and feeling more lenient than usual, she made the wise decision not to call him out on the ultimate straight male fantasy - it was part of what she liked him for, afterwards. Tee allowed herself walking in through the door first - just as he wanted - and cast a quick look around them. Everything seemed to be calm and quiet, also a strange feeling around the fraternity. Ignoring a sudden feeling of uneasiness, she turned so she could walk backwards and still look up at him. It was almost as if she knew the place better than her own front foyer, these days.

“How benevolent of you. Sparing some time for little old me.” And, because she hadn’t quite forgotten he hadn’t actually done that until she’d literally demanded it, her smile turned icy a moment before her hand closed over the nape of his neck, bringing him down for a searing kiss. And there it was, again, that moment of reckless abandon that seemed to come over her whenever she kissed Damien -- a recent development, much like kissing him had turned out to be. Dispelling those thoughts away as soon as she was able to, and pulling back from the kiss with only the slightest of bites to his lower lip, she let herself fall back on her own heels, staring up at him with a sort of quiet fury. “But I’m no one’s second choice. Got that?” she defied him, heat blazing in her eyes.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“I’m absolutely sure you’re exaggerating. There’s no way I’ve beaten those football players you speak so highly about.” He answered. For just one second, he was afraid he was annoying her, but soon after, his mind went back to the kiss they had shared earlier, making him decide against his initial thought.

“If you insist that just a few diet cokes aren’t enough, then we could make another deal. I’m open to suggestions.” He suggested and a small smile curved his lips. She was right, the walk wasn’t short, but it wasn’t too far away either, they would probably be there in 5 minutes top.

When she reached out to hold his arm, he accepted the gesture gladly, pulling her a little bit closer in response. If it weren’t for his mind being a little too excited about the possible outcome of this night, he wouldn’t have minded having to walk an extra mile. “Oh, so it isn’t just about you being jealous? You do want to touch me even when there are no other girls out there to get me? “ He inquired, turning his face to look at her, but not slowing the pace.

“What’s weirding you out? That we’re king and queen?” He replied, thinking her signals weren’t exactly clear either.

Originally posted by theunusualcaseofv

Unfortunately, every so often, she was forced to concede a point or two to the taller male. While the football players she’d been around lately hadn’t had a chance to bother her in the least, she had been younger and stupider once upon a time. Tee made a small disgruntled face, her thoughts suddenly clouded over by the past.

“Cake, then,” she let out, after what were probably a few seconds too many without speaking. “I’m the kind of person that likes having my cake and eating it, too.” Sticking the tip of her tongue out, mind still distracted, she let her fingers squeeze slightly on Damien’s firm arm. Only looking back up at him, eyebrows arched in slight defiance, at his bringing up the ‘j’ word.

Were they actually going to touch that? As if Damien hadn’t always been far too willing to discredit her conquests, or whatever one might call them. “I thought seniority gave me a higher status over your groupies,” was all she grumbled on, her eyes showing no hint of amusement. “Maybe I’m just not trusting you won’t go off again with any of them when you’ve already promised me your attention tonight.” Whatever that might be. A whole lifetime of sharing hadn’t really made her all the more welcoming to it.

“Is that what you’d call us? Always considered myself more of a Marilyn Monroe here. Girl from the slums, cozying up to the prez.”

[teemillr]

damienj:

Damien stopped walking and payed attention to what she had to say. Once she had dared him, he looked at her, fighting a smile or was it a smirk? “Owe you?” He titled his head, positioning himself closer to her, but not close enough for their lips to touch. “I don’t recall making any deals with you.” He whispered, his mouth was still dangerously close to hers and his eyes were looking at hers. He slowly took a step back; this was a risky game he was playing, considering he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right here, right now. Keeping this up for much longer would prove to be an impossible task, that he knew, but perhaps seeing her reaction could be interesting.

 “Now, about the diet cokes, I do owe you those.” He said casually as he began walking once again. If it had been up to him, he would probably be walking a whole lot faster, he wanted to get to his place as soon as he possibly could, especially if that meant the possibility of locking lips with her once again. He wasn’t sure about what to expect, or if he should even be expecting anything at all, but the way Tee had acted back at the party and the way he had almost kissed her a few moments ago, gave him hope. This night seemed to be going in the right direction.

“And kickboxing?” He asked, suddenly remembering what she had said. “That’s hot.”

“You’re probably the biggest pain my ass has ever felt.” Tee shook her head, aware that her cheeks had flushed somewhat, and shot him another look. “I do hope those Diet Cokes come in some sort of silver goblet. Or gold tray. Because, you know, otherwise - they’re not really worth the walk.” It was a bit of a way towards his frat house, of course. On the opposite side of campus her own room happened to be - at least from where they were currently coming from.

She quickened her pace, then, arms crossed in front of her stomach as she looked at nothing else besides her feet. “It was pretty much all I had time for, after cheerleading stopped being an option. So, let’s not forget I could literally kick your ass if I wanted to. Or anyone else’s. I’m great at the high kicks.” Her lips curved up into a smile, then, and she reached out with both hands to hold on to Damien’s arm. “So - it’s okay to touch you as long as no one else can see?” she inquired, eyebrows arching up, her head nudging towards the house they’d just left behind.

“You’re pretty much the king of mixed signals. And it’s weirding me out just a little.”

[teemillr]

damienj:

He noticed he should’ve said something about the ‘not so friendly term’ right after it had been blurted out, but it was too late for that now, hopefully he would be able to find a way to make it up to her, besides, he had bigger things to deal with at the moment. “Look, Allison” He interrupted, before she could reply with yet another unappreciated insult.

“It’s Maddison” She corrected, loud enough to make sure that everyone somewhat close had heard. At least by now she was directing her annoyance towards him instead of Tee, which he considered good news. He definitely wouldn’t have known how to react if a fight got out of hand.

Despite wanting desperately to please Tee, a part of him still refused to completely ruin his chances with this other girl, but he wasn’t thrilled about Tee thinking he was an asshole either. “Well…Here is the thing Maddison, it took you a while to get here, and sadly I have important plans for tomorrow morning, so I can’t stay right now, but I’ll make it up to you some other time” He explained, praying she wouldn’t see right through his lie. 

Whether she had believed him or not, he directed his attention back towards Tee and he moved closer to her. “There’s always something left at mine” He whispered only for her to hear. Diet coke was probably the least likely drink to find at a frat house, but he could figure out how to deal with that inconvenient later. “I do owe you a drink…Shall we?”

She was only halfway satisfied to have recovered Damien’s attention, her gaze flickering up at him as he said whatever he needed to be said to do his thing. Playing the fool, well, she’d both been there and done that before. It mattered, some, how important she judged her relationship with Damien to be, but she wasn’t all gung ho on getting into catfights in his defense. He didn’t need that, much as a warm-blooded straight male might appreciate them.

“Whatever.” Tee sniffled, again, and gave a small shrug before glancing back at the other girl. She had won, hadn’t she? “This has gotta be worth at least two Diet Cokes. Though I’m not sure my bladder could hold so much.” And she pouted, not the least bit affected by Damien leaning closer or whispering her way, instead fighting back the urge to hit him. It wouldn’t give off the right vibe to Maddison watching, after all.

Suddenly, only a few feet away from their previous showdown, she stopped on her tracks and tugged at one end of his shirt. “You owe me something else,” she pointed out, the slightly disgruntled look still on her face. “It’s not every day I let someone call me a bitch without doing something about it. At least, not since I picked up kickboxing.” A pause to let that sink in before she continued, “...so, you know. Kiss me. Dare you.”

[teemillr]

damienj:

What was he supposed to do now? He had absolutely no idea and he needed to think quickly. Introduce them? That sure sounded like the worst idea he had had all day, although, they were just friends, weren’t day? There was nothing wrong with introducing a friend to another…friend? That seemed like his only choice, but before he could put his terrible plan into action, Tee pulled him towards him and before he could realize what was happening, his lips were already responding to hers, and even if he had wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to pull away. For a few seconds there was no problem to be solved, everything seemed and felt perfectly fine, but it could only last for so long. After it was over he looked into her eyes. He was speechless and it took him a few seconds to fully recover and become aware of the situation at hand. He could only hope his face wouldn’t betray him by showing his true emotions.

 He just wished the other girl would just get pissed off and leave, that sure seemed like the easiest escape, but sadly the girl didn’t show any signs of being about to leave without an explanation. The girl wasn’t happy, there was no denying that, but Damien was not the wiser and he still had zero ideas about how to proceed. If he needed to ditch one of them, it was definitely not a hard choice to make.

 “Who’s this bitch?” The girl protested, demanding a response. “A…friend?” He muttered, not quite sure about his choice of words. The girl gave Tee a dirty look, not satisfied by the response. Damien downed his whole drink, hoping he could get some insight into how on earth he was supposed to handle this situation. “How can they be out of diet coke already?” He asked as if it were important.  

There was a lot to be appreciated when it came to Damien’s surprised face, most of all that it wasn’t something she caught a glimpse of so often. Or, ever. Had she done the wrong thing in cutting in? He’d implied she was his plan for the rest of the evening so, if he’d had any prior ones, he obviously hadn’t thought highly enough of them. And, in any case, she was unaware of anyone else vying for his time.

Her back stiffened as the other girl spoke up, the not-so-kind term used in her favor, and she shot a slightly betrayed look up at her friend before stepping to one side, eyeing his friend up and down. “You really know how to make friends, don’t you?” she inquired, her tone and facial expression mightily unimpressed by what she was seeing. It was a few more seconds before she realized she was still touching Damien, and she propped that very same hand against her hip while dismissing the other girl without another glance. “It’s a disgrace, and I’m not staying here any longer. They can’t expect me to drink water, now, can they?”

Tee paused briefly, her lips pursed in thought, then sniffled. Mind made up. “I’m gonna go back and you do owe me a drink, so - is there anything left at yours, or am I raiding my own stash again?” Head tilted back to better look at him, her expression now dubious. Did he even want her to give her an out, after all? Wouldn’t he rather stay with Ms. calls-other-girls-bitches? If it hadn’t been for her belonging to the sorority, she’d have had the other meet the receiving end of her fists. Alas, she was trying her hardest to behave.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“They can’t be that exaggerated since I haven’t heard those rumors, but then I never really pay them much attention, so, enlighten me” He answered, somewhat curious about what they were about. It seemed pretty impossible for her allure to fade out, especially not now when he was close to breaking the touching barriers. His mind went back to that night back in her place and he wished he could just push that memory away; it wouldn’t let him think straight.

Once he managed to settle his thoughts, his eyes traveled through the room, trying to spot the blonde, and much to Damien’s dismay, Tee seemed to be exchanging numbers with the dumb guys back there, but he didn’t allow himself to be bothered by it, he just rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the situation as he took yet another drag from his cigarette. As he smoked he kept hearing his phone beep, announcing new text messages. He cursed under his breath, sure of whom the sender was. Why had he thought it was a good idea to invite her? It had sounded like the perfect plan only a few hours ago, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He sure seemed nice and she was pretty hot, but surprisingly he wasn’t in the mood to deal with that right now.

Before he could hope for a cancelling response he saw her approaching him, slightly waving at him as she walked up to him. He put down is cigarette, giving her an acknowledging gesture and a smile. She did look nice; hence he didn’t find himself having to force the smile. “Hey, I’m glad you made it” He blurted out and just after he did, she pulled him into a maybe friendly hug, and as he hugged her back hesitantly, he noticed Tee, and she was about to walk towards him.

The weird thing wasn’t Damien being fawned over by other girls - tall, attractive, frat president - but the fact that they hadn’t really bothered her as much before. Then again, she didn’t exactly remember seeing anyone throwing their arms around him so freely. It was weird, was the thing. Her nose wrinkled as she stopped mid-step. Had she just ditched some incredibly decent companions for his sake? Had he had someone else waiting all along?

Then again, he hadn’t made it look that way. At all. If he had been busy...Tee shook her head, lips pursed, and finally started moving again. The pause was long enough for the whole hugging-fest to have ended, at least, and so it was only easy to make her way directly in front of Damien, grab his neck and pull him towards her, mouth crashing against his rougher than what was maybe necessary.

She pulled away after a few moments, arching her eyebrows up in a questioning manner as she looked into his eyes. “Sorry, got sidetracked. I can’t believe they’re all out of Diet Coke already - somebody needs to get their planning straight.” The hand that had been on his neck slowly trailed down, towards his chest, all the while as she completely ignored the girl  now standing behind her. Here was hoping the other didn’t react by attempting to pull out her hair or anything. Or that, if she did, Damien’s reflexes happened to be faster.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“So I’ve heard, but as far as I’m concerned my hair looks fine enough” He pointed out, running his fingers through his somewhat messy hair. “And so does yours.” He added with a shrug, daring to place one loose hair behind her ear, allowing his hand to stay a few seconds close to her face before pulling his hand back in one quick move. Why did he have to overthink everything when it came to her? Overthinking was not a usual trait on him. “Who knew you had such a strong game. Two guys at a time. They do look like they miss you already” He said, trying to mask a hint of…Jealousy? Was he jealous? He shook his head deciding against it.

The cheerleader comment had sound funny in his mind, right before he had blurt it out, but now, he realized it had been a stupid thing to say. “Of course you deserve to be treated nicely, if anyone ever dares to do otherwise I’ll see to it myself” He declared, hoping it sounded a bit more friendly. For a second he was sure she was going to decline to go outside with him, so when she finally said she would meet him there, the smile that formed in his face was probably brighter than he had intended for it to be. “Good luck with that , they are going to be disappointed” And with that he headed outside, but not before leaving his half empty cup at the table. He decided to try and have a good time without alcohol involved. Once outside, he lighted a cigarette, leaning against the wall as he waited for Tee to show up. He looked around as he took a hit from the cig, praying that the girl he was supposed to  meet at the party wouldn’t show up.

She had half a reply ready - not that his hair didn’t look fine right now, but it was still the thing - but words died quickly on her lips as his hand just grew... closer. There was a lot of that going around lately. “Yeah,” she agreed, in the end, pretending like her cheeks were just flushed due to the heat inside the house. “I’m thinking it’s just some friendly competition between them. Or they’re bi-curious and rumors about my prowess have been greatly exaggerated.” Tee paused, trying again not to look too embarrassed, then arched one eyebrow as she looked back at Damien. “I would expect so, otherwise I’d be worried my allure was fading somehow.”

It wouldn’t probably be wise to hound upon the fact that she hadn’t had any decent dating going on - she wasn’t too sure what Damien’s real stance about it was and she was very against looking pathetically un-dateable in general - but she managed a small smile back his way before she set off to put her current plans on standby. The boys were, unsurprisingly, pretty good sports about it, only insisting that she kept their numbers and immediately starting a group convo. Somehow, her mind went back to her own suggestion of their ultimate plans but, after kissing both of them very lightly on the cheeks, she found herself a freer woman to seek out Damien again.

Why was it that that was all that seemed to make her content lately? Sure, Damien was excellent company, and whatever comment he made about others she could most likely than not co-sign, but... Tee took the long way out, finding the jacket she’d brought to guard against the cold and putting it on before actually facing the guy. Or before actually letting him see her, taking the few extra moments to study him without being put on the spot. Only after sighing, and giving in to whatever magnetic attraction it was that he had, did she actually start towards him. At about the same time, it just so happened, as another girl seemed to make the same decision.

[teemillr]

damienj:

He couldn’t be completely sure, but he noticed that the subject of drinking seemed to have an effect on her. He took another sip from his drink, making a mental note to try and figure it out later. He knew this conversation was turning out to be a little awkward, maybe even forced, he could tell because she kept looking back at those two losers at every chance she got. “Trying to quit, huh?” He should be trying to quit too, but he wasn’t interested in trying, and perhaps he smoked a lot more than what was considered normal. No one had ever tried to talk him out of it, not really, for all he knew no one even noticed or no one cared enough to say anything about it.  "You should know by now I’m trouble when it comes to that, I can’t help you with that particular point, but do share the rest of your bucket list, maybe I can help, unless…it has anything to do with ‘them’“ He said, faking a face of disgust. 

He had been taken aback by her demand. "Oh, okay, I didn’t think you were one of 'those’ girls, but now that I think about it, it was to be expected from a cheerleader” Damien said with a shrug, masking his surprise. He thought he knew her, but now it was clear there was much more than what meets the eye, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued. “Look, I could get you nice napkins, lovely music and champagne, but that takes time, tonight you’ll have to settle with cigars and cheap whisky, or diet coke, whatever.” As he waited for her reply hoping she would chose to stay with him rather than go back with the boys that still seemed to be waiting for her. He was still thinking about what she had said, why would she expect something like that from him? He couldn’t help but feel that what she was expecting from him him didn’t feel friendly, or did it?

“I heard smoking does horrible things to your hair. It’s one of the main reasons.” That, and not wanting to second-guess herself when one of her sisters reached out for her. What if they found the smell of smoke half as repulsive as she found that of alcohol to be? Snapping back to attention - was there something odd in his voice or was that just plain disgust? - Tee merely fussed with her own hair for a few seconds while trying to think of an appropriate response. “Like, do I want to take two frat guys back to my room? No, thanks. They just seemed nicer than my usual type.” Not that she had learned a lot about either of the guys that really made on or the other stand out. “One of them required Tom Daley. Although I kind of had to scratch his name out after he came out.”

Her cheeks flushed after her faux pas, eyebrows rising as he spoke. “What does being a cheerleader have to do with wanting an actual date sometime? I’m not saying that I’m looking to marry some guy, but that it’d be nice to be treated that way.” She fidgeted, still embarrassed by her outburst, “I didn’t... mean to imply that you- uh.” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip, then shook her head. “I’ll just hop on over and say goodbye. You could do the job of getting your lighter out and your pack. Afraid I’m not carrying tonight.” After saying that, she patted at her hips to show her lack of any pocket at all (which would have ruined the figure she was going for), green eyes flickering up as she acquiesced that the evening would end as so many others before it. “I’ll meet you out there, Damien. Okay?” She crossed the room without looking back at him, ready to make her apologies and maybe arrange for a second chance if either of them wanted one. After all, a girl should never kiss all her options goodbye so soon.

[teemillr]

damienj:

He resisted the urge to give Max and Harry over there the dirtiest of looks. “No, I’m sure your taste in men is hardly as terrible as your drinking choice” He told her, not even bothering to look their way. He did not care who she chose to spend her time with, the word ‘jealous’ was not part of his vocabulary, or at least that was what he was trying to tell himself. Admitting jealousy came with admitting he cared more than he wanted to, it meant admitting defeat and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Damien took a long sip before replying. “I’m not stupid, I know when to stop.” He said, taking another sip from his drink, although his words didn’t seem to match his actions, considering he had almost down a drink prepared only about three minutes ago. This definitely wouldn’t be the first party in which he lost the memory completely. He hadn’t come here with the intentions of getting to that point, but now he wasn’t so sure anymore. “Now, why don’t you follow me outside, I don’t think you’re one to say no to free cigarettes and I happen to be in the mood to share. Making Brad and Larry over there miss you a bit won’t hurt.” Once the words were out, he regretted it instantly, after all, that night he was so desperate to forget had emerged from a similar situation.

Frowning slightly at whatever implication she could make from his comment - she wasn’t sure which one of her tastes he’d meant to offend - there was little else she could do besides keep her eyes on him, drink still held firmly in one of her hands. “I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t know your limits,” she mumbled out, doing little to hide the guilty look on her eyes. If anything, being too judgey on others who chose to drink was one of the things her brother disliked the most about her. Mainly when he was the one doing the drinking, but he did claim it made her into an even bigger buzzkill. Tee pouted, debating whether to get back to her sort-of dates for the evening or stick around and turn things even more awkward around Damien, or seeing their conversation through.

“You know, I’m always trying to quit those things,” she commented, eyebrows arching up defensively. “Like, it’s an item on my bucket list. And my New Years’ resolutions. Maybe it’ll happen someday.” At his misnaming of her companions, she sent another guilty look over her shoulder at the entirely too amiable men. She’d suffered through worse company in the past, even if she was only slightly humoring the two. One corner of her lip tilted up as she studied them, engaged in some slight banter with each other while occasionally glancing in her direction. “You know,” she began, her eyes still on the others for a few more moments, “sometimes a girl wants to be wined and dined a little. Made to feel like she’s special enough that you’d take her to a place with actual clothe napkins. It’s a nice change of pace and something that I don’t see you putting out there, so...” She’d meant for it toe a joke - she was 99% sure she had - but somehow her words could’ve been perceived as accusing. Like she was demanding something more out of their friendship.

[teemillr]

damienj:

His eyes followed her every move, not aware that she might have already noticed his presence. All the memories from the previous party were coming back at him, only harder this time. He fought to ignore them; he was getting good at it, which wasn’t surprising since he had been doing it all week. His first thought was to distract himself by getting a drink, it would keep him busy and hopefully soon enough shut his thoughts up. He took a cup and filled it up, adding a little bit more booze than usual, it seemed necessary. As he finished making his drink, he realized the foolishness behind deciding to pay the bar area a visit in that precise moment. He turned around and Tee was too close to be ignored.

“You’re still determined to stay away from the real fun, I see.” He said, as he saw her reach out to her typical diet coke. He looked at her as he spoke and while he waited for her to reply, he scanned the room one more time, both trying to find out who she was here with –not that he cared ̶  and if the girl he was supposed to meet was anywhere to be found. Having had no luck with either the former or the later, he diverted his attention back to her. He hated that there was a hint of awkwardness to this situation and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to handle it. Perhaps he had ruined the only somewhat potential genuine friendship he had had in a while.

“Yeah, well, you know. It’‘s one of those things.” Tee’s hand tightened around the can, her head tilting back so she could properly look up at Damien. It was at the exact moment he chose to look away, much to her relief, though some color heated up her cheeks the moment their gazes met. It wasn’t as if she was reliving the last time they’d properly interacted - not with her on his lap, or with him pressed up against her in her own kitchen counter - but a quick glance down at his hands had those thoughts hurrying away from her. Turned out, thinking about her deadbeat alcoholic of a biological father was about as effective as a bucketload of ice cold water. And it was probably the number one reason she’d managed to skirt away from pretenders. For the most part.

Her nose still crinkled slightly as she looked from the cup back up at him, she gave a one-shoulder shrug before cracking her drink open. “I guess I still don’t see the appeal in letting Max or Harry over there think they’ve got the upper hand.” She nodded her head in the direction of the two jocks she’d been spending time with, her gaze appreciative of the prettiness of their male forms, then turned her attention back towards her friend. “So you’re drinking to have funner memories, or to keep none of them at all, then?” she inquired, her tone slightly challenging.

[damienj]

The weekend had officially begun, and Damien had been invited to the usual Friday night frat party, except this time, he wasn’t the one organizing it and that was good for a change. People had been talking about how great the previous party had turned out, and more than a few noticed he bailed his own party rather early. He had just shrugged it off and gave them some lame excuse. Had they bought it? He had no clue. Nothing had happen, but still, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about that ‘nothing’ all week. It had been stupid. What was he thinking? He closed his eyes, willing the thoughts from that night to go away, but they didn’t. A sound announcing a new text on his phone distracted him, he composed a simple text to some girl he had been talking to, assuring her he would be arriving soon.

As soon as he hit sent, he left the house and only a few minutes after he walked into the party. He scanned the room, waving to some friends here and there, but instead of finding who he was looking for, his eyes stopped on Tee. He hadn’t been expecting to see her here, which was stupid. The possibilities of her being here weren’t exactly slim.

[teemillr]

It was easy enough, fooling herself into the belief that she knew what she wanted, and what she felt or thought was what she needed. Like frat parties, it was a bit of an acquired taste. The longer she spent involving herself in such activities, the better she got at almost having an enjoyable time. So, following one of her house-sister’s needling, she’d put on some small denim skirt that probably belonged to one of her younger, taller, real sisters, gotten something sparkly of a top on, and followed the rest of them out. And she was having fun, chatting up what was most definitely not a water polo player, nor a frat president. Not that those were her types or anything.

Her eyes caught Damien almost as soon as he walked in - hard not to, what with his height - and one thing she absolutely did not do was preen. Or touch her hair. She took a sip of her diet Coke, glancing back at what one of the guys around her was chatting on about, definitely not peeking at Damien over the corner of her eye. Not like they’d been avoiding each other or anything. Tee finished the last of her drink, neck tipping back, and let one hand touch her companion’s knee, effectively halting his speech. “Yeah, I’m gonna - refill,” she pointed out, only to receive a nod in reply. One thing most boys learned quickly - sometimes girls don’t trust drinks handed off to them. Not even soda cans. Besides, the fact that her new path put her slightly closer to her friend meant nothing, of course not.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“True, you stole too much of my attention, perhaps next time I should consider not inviting you” He said, making a pause and looking at her. “That or only inviting you. I’m not  sure which one sounds more appealing.” He shrugged, letting the subject go. His comment didn’t have the effect he had expected. There was no doubt in his mind that Tee was not like the other girls, and certainly she would not jump at the chance of pleasing him. “You’re not even going to try?” He asked, but did not bother to wait for her response. He just kissed her again, he refused to let this moment go to waste and they were still too close, not kissing her represented too much effort. While his lips were on hers, there was not much space left in his mind for concerns. He could overthink everything later, it was clear he was enjoying this a little too much, but he managed to convince himself that it just meant a little fun, although a part of him was certain that he was lying to himself.

There was insincere flattery and then there was the special kind of flattery that came from guys who really knew their deal. She was dismayed to find Damien obviously belonged to the second category. He was pretty darn good at working it. She had half a reply ready on her mind, but quickly shut it aside in favor of kissing him back, legs hitching up so that her knees were almost at his sides. Almost as if she actually wanted to grind against someone, for a change, even though that someone was her friend. Friend-ish person. Something closer to a friend than she would feel comfortable calling any other guy she talked to, at least. Tee let out a small gasp, hand closing over the fabric of his shirt, and shuddered against him. “I can’t think straight when you’re doing that,” she confessed, using that very hand to push him slightly away from her, catch her breath again. She flushed, then, gazing straight into his eyes. “I do kind of think I’d rather get off this counter now.” Somewhat impossible, given how he was blocking her direct exit, what with his whole body standing in front of her and whatnot.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“It depends; do you think I’m good at playing host? Because if you ask me, it didn’t seem like you were having a bad time at all. I must be an amazing host” He concluded. Damien had no idea if the party had been a success or a complete failure. He barely spent time inside it, since he had been a little too preoccupied with something else, although, he definitely wouldn’t dare to complain. He had had a good time himself and had all the intentions to make the night more memorable. Was he really being too touchy feely? There was a possibility, but before he could decide on it or even begin to form an answer, he felt Tee’s lips on his again, and soon, allowed himself to get lost in them. He placed his hands in her lower back and pulled her to him, getting himself as close to the counter as he could manage. Their lips worked well together, as if they had been together far longer than mere minutes.  “I dare you to be a better host than I was earlier” He said, once he felt the need to break the kiss to catch his breath, but he was still standing dangerously close to her. “It shouldn’t be too hard; you’re already off to a pretty good start” He said, looking into her eyes as he spoke.

“I’m not denying I enjoyed being pretty much the sole focus of this host’s attention, but where does that leave all your other guests?” She gave a small shrug, not one to complain when she was being his center of attention, but not that eager to let the subject rest anyway. Adding on to the list of things she didn’t know, or would rather not to, was the fact that she enjoyed kissing Damien far more than she would have any of his frat buddies. Nor did she particularly mind when he touched her, her body seemingly bending to his will. Tee wrinkled her nose slightly when he broke the kiss, her interest lessening at the mention of a dare. She’d always been too contrary to play nice during those games. “Luckily, I’m no one’s house president nor first lady -- playing hostess is not one of my strengths. I wouldn’t know where to begin-- or where to go on from there,” she pointed out, tilting her head back so she stayed just out of his reach, too flustered by his stare.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“I’ll bring a floor fan, for fool effect. I advise you to wear cute underwear, you know just in case.” He started, looking at her and winking playfully. “And we better go to a cooler party next time, that costume would be too much for a lame ass party like that one” He said as they walked, looking back at the place where the party was taking place, which was now far behind them. “Although, I’m definitely going to miss that costume” He added at last. It wasn’t long before they reached the door’s step and he patiently waited for her to open the door, wondering if coming in was either a good idea or a terrible one. “Good to know, I’ll let my brothers know this sorority is an easy target for pranks” He joked right before deciding to come in. He looked around, examining the empty house as he followed Tee towards the kitchen. “Perhaps something a little bit stronger than water?” He asked, but soon forgot about it, he couldn’t care less about getting a drink. Damien walked closer to where she sat, with her siting on the counter and him standing, the height difference wasn’t as noticeable. He placed his hands on the counter so her legs would be in the middle and he looked up at her. “You look amazing” He blurted out.

“My underwear aside, you really don’t like playing host. Am I wrong?” She gave a small shrug, never one to care much about which party ended on which way, or how many walks of shame deemed one the best yet. Her tongue stuck out at him, her annoyance ceasing slightly as she mentally made a checklist to keep her door and windows firmly locked. But, it wasn’t until she glanced directly at him - kind of hard not to, what with his size and with the largely unimpressive kitchen - the way he crowded into her space. His words were even more unexpected than anything else that had happened that evening, by far. Tee tensed for a moment, her cheeks flushing, and chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe you don’t need anything stronger than water if you’re already so touchy-feely,” she poorly joked, setting her own glass down beside her. trying to dispel the new static around them. Everything felt too much in that moment, from the jacket still wrapped around her shoulders to the marble underneath her and, most importantly, the way he stood. Her gaze dropped to his lips, torn between remembering what they felt like and who he was. “Fuck it,” she mumbled out, leaning down to kiss him again, one hand going to cup the side of his face.

[teemillr]

damienj:

“I’m not risking it, what if whoever is walking you home is a football player?” He asked half joking, he wanted to make sure she got home save, whatever the reason. He hoped that didn’t mean he was starting to care a little more than he should. “I didn’t sign up to be the president, let alone a baby sitter” He answered. He wasn’t yet used to the fact that they had voted him president, besides, if he stayed longer he would probably end up getting too drunk to look after anyone other than himself. A smile, or perhaps more of a smirk began to form in his lips after hearing Tee’s invitation to hang out, but he fought to hide it. “We’ll see” He told her, as they began walking towards her house, but in his mind he knew that if he was welcome, he would definitely stay as long as he  possibly could.

Tee pouted slightly as she thought over his response, making sure to delay her own words just enough that he’d realize she was considering the threat of a football player volunteering. “That someone would have to be built as a football player but not actually having pulled on their current uniform and trying to pass it off as their costume. I wouldn’t condone their laziness.” She smiled at him, then, reaching out to squeeze one of his arms. “And here I was already planning on Marilyn Monroe for my next costume. Jumping out of a cake and everything.” The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, but the pathway was too lit up to actually look him in the eyes. Tee was too aware of the small hissing sound she let out as she tried the door, what with one or more than one of her sisters forgetting to lock up behind them in what was probably the best night for scaring others. “One day someone’s going to break in, and that’ll be the day they’ll remember,” she mumbled out, her annoyance evident as she led the way towards the kitchen, finding a couple of clean glasses and pouring herself some water. “Anything to drink?” she offered, then, belatedly, propping herself up to sit on the counter while she looked around for options.