He laughed, shaking his head and scrubbing a hand through his hair. “No. No girlfriend, I mean. Just hanging out. I think some of my friends are around somewhere.” He made a vague gesture across the room, but he kept his eyes on me.
It felt strange. There were dozens of people here, all of them older and prettier than me. But he wasn't looking at the other girls. His eyes stayed fixed on me.
It made me feel strangely warm.
“Can I get you another drink?” he asked, gesturing to my empty cup. “What're you having?”
I frowned at my cup, not too eager to have another beer. The taste hadn't grown on me at all. “Umm. Whatever you're having is good, I guess.”
“Here, I'll get us something,” he said.
Cameron took me by the arm, leading me away from the living room and into the relative quiet of the kitchen. There were half-empty bottles of liquor and soda scattered around the countertops, along with a few bags of chips and pretzels. A few people passed in and out, grabbing drinks before heading on their way, but no one was really hanging out in the kitchen, so it felt more private, and we could talk without raising our voices to be heard over the music.
“You like Jack and Coke?” Cameron asked, looking at a couple of bottles before picking one and pouring a bit into two new cups.
“Umm, sure,” I said. I had no experience with alcohol, but I didn't want him to know that. I was worried he'd think I was still just a foolish kid. I figured it couldn't taste any worse than the beer, though, and it was worth giving it a shot.
He mixed us up a couple of drinks. “Here you go,” he said, handing one to me. “Just take it slow. It can sneak up on you.”
I took a tentative sip. I was surprised at the sweet flavor. The soda mostly masked the taste of the alcohol, leaving only a slightly strange aftertaste. “It's good,” I said.
“Cheers.” He raised his cup to me.
I tapped my cup against his, then took another sip.
“So, you looking at colleges yet?” Cameron asked.
“I'm not sure what I'm doing yet,” I said. I took a sip of my drink. It was already starting to go to my head. “I'm thinking about art, but my dad keeps telling me to do something more practical. I might just go to community college first. Save some money.”
“Yeah, that's the way to do it,” he said. “Though...I wouldn't mind if you ended up coming here instead.”
My face turned red. I looked up at Cameron and caught him smiling at me. And I thought I saw him checking out my chest. I'd worn a low-cut dress, but I wasn't sure whether to be offended or flattered.
He met my eyes and his smile widened. I settled on feeling flattered.
We talked a bit more, about college, and friends, about nothing much in particular. But I liked talking to him, and I liked the way he kept looking at me. I also liked the floaty feeling I was getting from the liquor.
A little while later, some more people started lingering in the kitchen. It started to feel crowded.
“You want to go someplace more private?” Cameron asked.
He lightly touched my arm.
I felt a shiver pass through my body. I nodded. “Sure.”
He took my hand. He led me through the crowd, past the living room, and upstairs. I didn't notice the people we were walking past. All I could think about was the way his hand felt in mine. So warm. So strong.
Cameron peeked his head into a couple of rooms upstairs. I heard some moaning coming from one. In another, someone shouted at him to shut the door. We moved down the hall until finding an empty bedroom.
There were dirty clothes piled up on the floor, and textbooks scattered about on the dresser. A TV and some gaming systems sat on a table near one wall. The bed was covered in rumpled sheets. I briefly wondered whose room this was, but I was too buzzed to care.
Cameron set his drink down. He took mine from me and set it aside as well. Then he took my face in his hands and kissed me.
My entire body jolted with energy. I'd never been kissed before. Not unless you counted a quick peck from a boy in junior high. That had been nothing. This was a kiss. Cameron pulled me in, his hands sliding down my back until he was nearly touching my ass. His fingers traced through the thin fabric of my dress, tracing along the line of my panties.
I felt a tingling between my legs. I'd never been touched so sensually before, and we were just getting started.
Cameron broke the kiss for a moment, looking into my eyes. “Do you want me?” he asked.