East of Eve, Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Thanks for waiting for this one! I worked for a long time on this chapter, and I finally got it done. I really hope you guys like it! I've attached a pdf at the end of the post with the full 17-chapter story as it stands now. Next update coming at the end of this month! <3

Chapter 17

Eve hadn’t expected another slow song to come on so soon, so she was a bit caught off-guard when three or four tall, chiseled guys were suddenly surrounding her on the dance floor, clearly intent on asking her to dance.  The first one, a dashing, confident blond who was obviously an athlete, had proposed to her in no uncertain terms:

“Come on, one dance with me?” he had asked, point-blank.  “Let you take a turn with someone your own size, huh?”

“Well…I…I think I’ve got you beat!” Eve smiled, faltering a little before standing up to her full 6’7 and putting her hands on her hips.  

“Yeah, in those heels, maybe,” chuckled the blond, “But I meant compared to that midget you were dancing with before.”

“You mean…my boyfriend?” Eve laughed, even as she felt the color rising up in her cheeks.  The nerve of some dudes!

“Oh, that was your boyfriend?” grinned the blond, raising an eyebrow.  “Well, gimme a chance, and we’ll see how things end up.”  

He was handsome, there was no denying that.  But Eve knew his type: hot jock, maybe even one of those honors students, never been told “no” in his life.  She felt herself smirking slightly down at him.  For once, she felt like handling this kind of blatant male confidence would be easy.  

“No, that’s okay,” she chuckled, putting up her hands and shaking her head.  “I’ll pass.”  In a sudden burst of inspiration, she drew a line from the top of her head straight over the guy’s head.  “If you’re not my boyfriend, you’ve gotta be this tall to ride…sorry man, you just don’t measure up.”

She was only able to enjoy his blank, blinking look of befuddlement before another guy had stepped up to her.  This guy was slightly shorter than the first, maybe 6’4, but even more muscled.  He had a shaved head, and his dark brown skin contrasted strikingly with his pale blue eyes.  In every sense, this guy was remarkably attractive.  Eve couldn’t help but think that he looked like a wrestler…a wrestler who could have put Jason in a chokehold in two seconds.  And behind him, two more tall, hot, muscular guys were staring up at her, eager for a try.  It suddenly struck her how new this experience was, being the object of attention for these kinds of guys.  Eve had never even considered that people who looked like this would ever be interested in her.  She felt a twinge of annoyance, knowing that all the attention was probably because of how she towered over everyone in her heels, and because of the curves she was sporting as a result of her recent weight gain.  But at the same time…she had to admit that it felt a little exciting to be hit on by guys like this.

“How about me, gorgeous?” intoned the 6’4 guy in a confident drawl, standing up as tall as he could as he reached out his hands toward her waist.  “I’ll show you how to dance.”

“Noooo, no, that’s okay,” laughed Eve, pivoting out of the way of his hand.

“Aw come on, what don’t you like about me, babe?” the guy chuckled, looking himself up and down, “My looks?!”

“No you look great,” replied Eve honestly, and then, not able to think of anything else, she went with her earlier scheme and added, “Just…a bit too short for me, I’m afraid.”

“Haha oh come on,” laughed the guy, putting his hands on his hips, “You were dancing with that little guy just a couple minutes ago!”

“Yeah…my boyfriend,” Eve smiled, mocking his stance by putting her hands on her hips as well.  Even though she was enjoying the banter, she was already starting to get a little tired of the audacity.  

“No way that pipsqueak was your boyfriend,” the guy stated flat-out, shaking his head.

“Well he was…is,” Eve replied, red color now flushing into her face as she saw the guy raise his eyebrow and grin.  She could feel herself getting angry now, not only because he had made her jumble her words a bit, but also because he was just so smug, so presumptive.  She wasn’t at all used to dealing with this kind of boldness, and she didn’t like it…she didn’t like it at all.  The guy wasn’t going away.  And Eve felt others behind her, all around her, converging.  She had a moment of panic, feeling surrounded, and cast her eyes over towards the wall where Jason had been before.  Was he still there, moping against the wall?  She assumed that, after their strange little tiff, he wasn’t interested in dancing, and was apparently content to let her be surrounded by all these would-be suitors.  

But the next moment, everything changed, because Eve saw a colossal, tall shadow moving straight towards her…with a shaggy head and beard…Ben.  Her mouth opened slightly; she was aware that the 6’4 guy was saying something to her, or arguing with another guy, but her brain wasn’t registering what they were saying.  Ben wasn’t moving his legs quickly, but he was so big that his massive strides made it seem like he was gliding across the room, onto the dance floor.  He emerged from the shadow into the bright lights, and Eve saw, to her relief, that all the eager guys around her seemed to move back uncertainly, as if in fear of this incoming giant.  Eve saw the details of his crumpled suit, which was oversized but still somehow too small in the thighs, upper arms, and shoulders, and…her heart skipped a beat – he even had a big pink carnation pinned to the left breast of his suit.  She made eye contact with him, raising her eyes slightly upward, with her mouth still slightly open, as he strode directly up to her, spreading his huge hands as he cracked a grin.  In that moment, she felt so happy to see him, and blinked, her mouth blossoming into a wide smile.

“Can I have this dance, little lady?” he asked, his deep voice tinged with humor, as he bent his body into a slight bow so that his eyes were even with hers.  For a moment, Eve couldn’t answer.  Ben’s huge size, his dark eyes glinting at her from under those black, bushy brows, his short hair barely tidied up from its usual unkemptness, the immensity of his hand on his chest in that faux-formal bow, the funny way that his suit fit him, how his loafers looked shiny and out-of-place, and the hint of a smile from beneath that big black beard…all of it combined to give Eve such a powerful instant impression of HIM, that she was left momentarily speechless.  In that instant, it seemed to her the craziest thing in the world that she hadn’t been thinking of him before, leaning back there in the shadows against the wall.

Ben blinked and wavered for a moment, straightening back up, abandoning all semblance of his previous light humor as his face became serious and respectful.  

“I’m sorry Eve,” he said genuinely, “I didn’t mean to spring that on you – no worries, I’ll leave you alone.”

He turned to walk away, and Eve suddenly felt a very different kind of panic than she had been feeling before: the panic of an imminent missed opportunity.  

“No!” she exclaimed, louder than she meant to, and, stepping forward, she actually surprised herself by reaching out and grabbing his left forearm.  She felt the sizable bulk of the muscle, even underneath his suit sleeves, and she had an abrupt vision of a huge, muscled forearm, tanned and hairy like the rest of him, with an intimidating-looking black tattoo.  Recoiling slightly, letting go of his arm out of embarrassment rather than repulsion, she quickly recovered and again surprised herself by taking his hand in hers…his huge, warm hand.

“Heh…I mean…no, sorry, Ben!” Eve laughed, backing onto the dance floor and pulling him in tow.  “I kinda froze up there for a second – of course you can have this dance!”

“All right,” he smiled, obviously amused that she was “leading” him, “I thought I might’a overstepped there for a second.”

“Oh my god, not at all,” Eve responded with energy, glancing around, almost smugly, at the host of big, tall athlete-types who were slouching away dejectedly in Ben’s wake.  ‘None of them are “man” enough to challenge him,’ Eve chuckled to herself, ‘Even though they probably think they’re soooo much hotter.’

“I had sorta gotten myself into a pickle there,” she added out loud, looking slightly up into his eyes.  

“Nothing you did,” Ben replied, shrugging, “Except just looking the way you do, heh.”

He paused, and once again, Eve caught that same hint of a look on his face, the look of someone who was trying hard not to go too far.  But didn’t he understand!?  He couldn’t go too far…at least, not like…well…she knew how she felt.  And rather than parse her way through her own muddled (yet somehow crystal-clear) thoughts, Eve decided to just put her instincts into action.  Reaching up around Ben, she laced her arms around his neck, feeling delightfully feminine as she did so.  A light of surprise flashed briefly across Ben’s face, and Eve found herself biting her lower lip to keep from smiling too hard.  She got the sense that he didn’t get surprised like that very often, and she felt strangely…mischievous…and girly…to make him feel like that now.  

“Come on!” she laughed up at him.  “Put your hands around my waist!”

Ben had quickly recovered from his surprise, and was smiling now.  Arching an eyebrow, he reached down and slid both of his huge hands around Eve’s waist, lacing them together right above her butt.  Eve felt her heart immediately start beating faster; the weight of Ben’s arms…and his hands…it really was something else.  But nothing about him was clumsy…nothing.  The touch of his hands was courteous, and yet, something about the way he had just wrapped them around her waist, stepping into her embrace, accepting her forward invitation…it was just so easy and confident.  Eve couldn’t help but flash back in her mind to a few minutes before, when she had felt Jason’s little hands around her waist, timidly touching her, not quite knowing what to do.  Ben knew what to do.  

“Oh look at that,” Ben remarked mildly, glancing around them as they began to slowly tilt back and forth in the “slow dance” rhythm, “All those dudes just vanished.  What happened?”

“You scared them,” Eve giggled, glancing back over her shoulder.  Once again, she was struck by how oddly smug she felt.  It wasn’t like her to feel like this, surely.  But one second she had been on the ropes with that one guy, not really knowing what to do…and then the next, Ben had just calmly swooped in and saved her.  And right now, she was finding it difficult not to enjoy herself.  She just felt so…safe with him.

“You didn’t even need to say anything,” Eve quickly added.  “One look at you and they just…haha…they scattered.”

“Yeah, I can have that effect on people,” Ben sighed, shaking his head, feigning wistfulness for a moment before regaining his smile.  “But you didn’t run away!”

“Of course not!” Eve exclaimed incredulously.  “Why would I?”

Ben shrugged, not answering, before casually looking around the room as the two of them continued to dance.  Eve got the sense that he was trying to be extra-polite, and cognizant of the fact that Jason was watching…oh right…Jason…and Eve was unhappy to discover that, as soon as her boyfriend came up in her mind, she felt her heart sinking a little.  He had really made a little ass out of himself, hadn’t he?  Eve hadn’t noticed that kind of streak in him before, just, like…casually, cavalierly putting people down.  And his friends, at that!  And now her heart was sinking even more as she realized that he was probably watching them from the shadows, getting sour, getting jealous…the whole shebang.  She certainly was not looking forward to later, when he’d probably start complaining, asking why she had slow-danced with Ben.  But she didn’t need to explain herself!  She could dance with whoever she wanted to!  And, if it really came to it, Ben was the one who had come in to rescue her from that muscled douchebag.  She felt herself squirming unpleasantly inside, realizing that Jason probably hadn’t stepped in because he was too intimidated.  

“Well anyway, thanks for rescuing me,” chuckled Eve, resolving to quit ruminating on all this stuff and just enjoy her few minutes here with Ben.

“Don’t mention it,” Ben replied, shaking his head kindly.  “But I should say that Jason asked me to, you know.”

“He…what?” Eve asked, unable to hide her surprise.  Ben laughed softly, and Eve felt the reverberations of his laughter through his body.  

“Heheh…it’s kind of funny,” Ben began, “Not that I’m laughing at Jason’s expense or anything…it was just kind of a funny situation.  So we were standing there against the wall, and apparently he really, really has to pee, hehe…and then another slow song comes on and of course you get surrounded, looking like…this.” 

His eyes traveled down her figure once, in a short, sweet, and totally harmless communication that he thought she looked good.  Eve felt herself blushing.  She was deeply flattered by Ben’s compliment, almost feeling a little silly for how much it affected her.  But she was also annoyed at Jason for…whatever it was that he had done, “setting her up” with Ben.  Why on earth would he have wanted to do that, knowing how she…

But Eve had to stop herself right there – of course Jason had no idea how she felt about Ben.  Nobody did.  In fact, if she was being honest, even SHE didn’t really know how she felt about Ben…except that he was very nice, very relaxed, almost…uncannily mature…and very attractive.  

“And then, the next thing I know,” Ben continued, “Jason’s begging me to go dance with you.”

“But…why?” asked Eve, confused.

“Oh well I had mentioned that we had met and had a couple nice conversations,” Ben replied, “So…heh, Jason thought he could use me to help stave off all the thirsty dudes while he went to the bathroom.”

Eve was stunned.  She had been totally wrong – Ben hadn’t taken it upon himself to ask her to dance.  It had been Jason’s “plan” all along.  And she was surprised when her first emotion was disappointment…that Ben hadn’t asked her to dance on his own accord.  But quickly following up this initial emotion was irritation…and even anger, at Jason.  Because Eve understood it all now.  In his desperation to have her not dance with someone else, Jason had asked Ben to “fill in,” and the reason why he had asked him was because he had no idea how she felt about Ben.  He thought Ben was awkward, plodding, and unattractive, and wouldn’t for a second have dreamed that she would have thought otherwise.  She couldn’t hide her anger now, and her face twisted up in a sour expression.

“Yeah, sorry Eve,” Ben smiled gently, “Didn’t mean to play a part in the conspiracy.  But to be fair, he did seem pretty desperate, and I would have felt like an asshole if I hadn’t…you know, helped him out.”

“No it’s…it’s not you,” Eve replied, shaking her head before looking up into his eyes again.  “You’re…you’re fine, Ben.  If I look miffed it’s…ugh, don’t worry about it.  It’s just my boyfriend.”

“Well, again, to be fair,” Ben mused calmly, evidently enjoying the conversation, “His plan worked, didn’t it?  I mean, you’re not getting hounded by that little hotshot anymore, right?”

“Little!?” exclaimed Eve, grinning.  “What?  That guy was huge!”

“Didn’t seem that big to me,” Ben shrugged with a twinkle in his eye, “And anyway, you’re a few inches taller than him in those heels…speaking of which…I gotta say, great choice.  I always love to see taller women rocking heels.”

“Aw thaaaanks,” Eve beamed.  She felt her negative emotions blown away like smoke in the wind.  Why did she have to focus on the irritating stuff?  It was so much better just enjoying this interaction.  “I’ve gotta give my friend Lauren the credit – she gave them to me a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh really?” inquired Ben curiously.  “Just out of the blue?”

“Yeah!” nodded Eve, smiling.  “She’s…she’s just like that.  Sometimes she just gives me stuff.”

“Sounds like a great friend to have,” Ben remarked.  But just then, Eve had started giggling to herself.

“What?” asked Ben, cracking a grin himself to see the usually-composed Eve in a fit of giggles, “What’s so funny?”

“I was actually just remembering,” Eve explained, shaking slightly from her laughter, “That she had told me she had a present for me over the phone, and then I expected it to be a sex toy.”

“Ohhhh so she’s like that, huh?” Ben chuckled.  “If I had known her a few months ago I could’ve hooked her up.”

“What…what do you mean?” asked Eve, very interested.

“Well I actually worked in a sex shop over the summer,” laughed Ben.

“You…wow…!” was all Eve could say.  Ben just got more and more fascinating – beneath that easy, calm, carefree exterior, Eve felt like she could only begin to imagine what secrets he was hiding.  She found herself wondering about what he and Rose, his ex-girlfriend, had been like together…what they had done together, why they had split up…and then her mind was almost tumbling in on itself as she imagined what Ben’s gay experiences must have been like, and what it had been like working in a sex shop, and on and on and on.  She wanted to ask him so many questions about so many different things that she ended up not being able to say anything at all.  All she could do was look up at him, smiling, as her eyes searched over his face, trying to understand him.  

“Yeah it was…it was an interesting experience, to say the least,” Ben grinned, having met her eyes for a few seconds before looking tactfully away.  Eve understood that he was making an effort not to get too intimate with her, and she appreciated that.  But she wanted that connection.  

“Maybe, uh…maybe I can tell you some stories about it sometime,” Ben continued, “If you’d be interested.”

“Oh god, yes,” Eve nodded emphatically, “I’d love to hear about it all.  That and…and everything else.  I uh, heh, I feel like we got cut off at lunch earlier today, right when everything was getting interesting!”

“Riiight, right,” Ben nodded appreciatively.  He paused for a moment, looking out across the dance floor, and then glanced back down at Eve, arching his eyebrow as he studied her face.  “You know, Eve,” he said slowly, a slight smile detectable under his bushy beard, “I’m actually kind of a private guy…”

Eve blinked and stopped her “slow-dance” movement as an ice-cold shot of fear went through her.  Oh no…had she gone too far?  Had she been pushing him too hard about his personal life?

“Oh Ben…I’m…I’m so sorry!” she began, but then, she suddenly felt warm, firm pressure on her lower back.  It was Ben’s hands, tightening ever so slightly around her waist, as he gently shook her with the slightest of movements.  But it was enough to reassure her…well, that and the bright, genial expression on his face, which told her that she was in the clear.

“Nooo, no don’t worry,” he smiled reassuringly down at her, “I was just going to say that I’m a pretty private person, but somehow when we’re talking I just feel…I don’t know…super-relaxed.”

“I feel the same way!” replied Eve, an immense wave of relief and gladness passing over her.

“So I think that’s why I’ve been able to talk about all that stuff,” Ben continued.  “It’s not like I go around talking about it all the time to everyone, but with you, heh…it just seems natural.”

“Well that’s…that’s great!” Eve laughed, now visibly blushing.  Goodness, was she really getting all hot and bothered because of a simple compliment!?  “I…uh…that’s what I want to hear.  I really like talking with you and would love to do it more often.”

“Same,” Ben replied, nodding pleasantly.  “I don’t know…what time do you usually eat at the dining hall?”

“Okay so, let’s see…” Eve began, tightening her hands around his neck as she stepped a little closer to him, loving how easy all this was.  “Monday, Wednesday, Friday…I’ve got back-to-back classes that go from 10 to 2, so I kinda just eat a snack in between…”

“Oh damn!” Ben remarked, “That’s a hefty chunk of class – and three times a week!”

“And all that’s after Abstract Algebra early in the morning,” Eve giggled.  

“Wow…abstract algebra…” Ben mused, his eyebrows going up.  “I didn’t even know that existed.  I thought there was only one kind of algebra: the one I barely passed in high school.”

“Psssh…come on,” Eve chuckled, but then got a little more serious.  “I mean…I’m sure it wasn’t that hard for you!”

“No, it was!” laughed Ben, his deep mirth seeming to course through Eve’s body, “I mean, I guess part of the problem was that I only went to class like half the time, but –”

“What!?” exclaimed Eve, “You didn’t go to class??”

“Heheh…not much,” chuckled Ben, once again seeming to enjoy Eve’s reactions, “At least, not much the first two years.  Junior year I kinda had a…I don’t know…”

Eve blinked up at him, smiling, waiting patiently as he searched for his words.  It was so interesting to her how Ben talked – even now, when he wasn’t quite sure how to put something, his tone and demeanor were slow and deliberate…calm…and just seemed to radiate this quiet confidence.  She was deeply fascinated by him.  

“Let’s just say I had a series of wake-up calls,” he finished, winking down at her, “That set me on some semblance of a stable path.”

“You certainly seem stable to me,” Eve observed.

“Well yeah, I definitely feel that way now,” Ben agreed.  “But the first two years of high school…” – and here he intoned in a low whistle – “Whheeeewww…I was kind of a hellraiser.”

As had become the norm with Eve when she was around this man, her mind was almost falling over itself, wondering about the possibilities.  Hellraiser!?  What did he mean by that?  Did he get into trouble with, like…the law?  Had he been arrested before??  How tall had he been as a high school freshman?  What were those “wake-up calls” that he had experienced?  There were so many questions that, once again, Eve was reduced to silence.  She was finally able to manage something, albeit in a distant, almost dreamy kind of tone:

“I’ve gotta hear about all this…” before adding, in a clearer voice as she looked up into his eyes, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re absolutely fascinating?”

“No!” he laughed, his whole body shaking with amusement, “They haven’t!”

“Well…you are,” Eve said, almost defiantly.  She had no idea if it was true or not, but she suddenly felt the realization that Ben hadn’t had a lot of support in his life, and that maybe his easygoing self-esteem had been hard-won, rather than endowed to him by his family…like hers had been.  She felt pity for him, but that was easily overshadowed by another, far more powerful and simple emotion.  She tightened her hands around his neck again, and stepped a bit closer once more, so that their bodies were almost touching.  

“I like you, Ben,” she declared simply, looking him straight in the eye.  She wasn’t smiling, or giggling, or being girlish now.  She was just stating a fact that she wanted him to hear: the easiest and most natural thing she had said in months.  Ben met her gaze, not blinking, and his eyes seemed to search hers for a moment before his big, bushy eyebrows went up, and his beard creased upward in another one of his big grins.

“I like you too!” he replied, the cheery warmth and amusement in his voice notwithstanding the sincerity of his response.  She felt his hands squeeze her sides slightly, before respectfully relenting.  He knew just how to touch her…without it being awkward or weird.  Eve sighed, smiling up at him before looking out at the array of couples on the dance floor.  They all seemed far, far below her and Ben…because they were.  The tallest people were at least a few inches shorter than her, and most people were a good foot or so beneath her.  It was just her and Ben, way up above everyone together…and it was nice.  

“Aaaaaall right everyone,” came the sudden, loud sound of the DJ’s voice as the song came to an end, “Let’s hear it for the tallest couple in the history of our social!  See?  Everyone finds their someone!”

Both Eve and Ben quickly parted, embarrassed, though Eve’s arm was still hanging on Ben’s shoulder, and his right hand was still around her waist.  All around them, people broke out into applause, smiling up at the towering couple, and both of them, after sharing a humorous look, just stood there, looking around, enjoying the adulation.  Normally, Eve would have been deeply embarrassed to be called out like this for her height, with the attention of an entire packed hall directed at her.  But somehow, standing there with Ben, with all those people far down below, she didn’t mind.  She felt safe.  

“Hahaha ooooo, finally!” came a small voice from far down below.  Eve felt her mood change instantly.  Looking down, her hand sliding heavily off Ben’s shoulder, she saw Jason standing there, staring up at them, a big grin on his face.  

“Bathroom line took for-fucking-EVer!” he laughed, shaking his head, “But wow, Ben…my man…thanks for coming in as a sub for me, heheh!”

Eve recoiled slightly at Jason’s tone.  It seemed out of place, and, even though she usually didn’t mind bad language, his use of it just now annoyed her.  And then she felt her insides writhe uncomfortably as she saw Jason hold his fist up to Ben, clearly expecting him to fist-bump him…like he had just done his ‘bro duty.’  In that moment, for the second time that night, it hit Eve just how physically small her boyfriend was.  She had always seen him as big and muscular, and…well, he was…kinda.  But standing 11 inches below her now, and standing next to Ben...there didn’t seem to be anything big about him.  And his behavior certainly wasn’t helping. 

“Eheh…” chuckled Ben, reaching out, ignoring the offered fist bump, and giving Jason a friendly pat on the back (which shook Jason’s whole body), “Happy to fill in, Jason.”

“I hope that wasn’t too painful!” Jason laughed, turning to Eve and looking up at her.  

“...What?” she asked blankly.  There was no way he could be saying what she thought he was saying.

“I mean…slow dancing with Ben here!” Jason grinned, stepping aside and giving Ben a more energetic slap on the back (and Eve noticed that Ben’s body didn’t move an iota in response).  “It was just for a few minutes, Eve…just to chase those other guys away.”

Eve blinked down at her boyfriend, stunned.  He really meant it.  He really thought he was THAT far above Ben, in terms of attractiveness, in terms of…everything!  And he was just making an exhibition of himself, right there in front of Ben, in the most embarrassing, cringiest way possible.  Eve had been blushing with pleasure less than a minute before, but now the color in her cheeks was from anger.  In a flash, she decided that she didn’t need to take this kind of behavior.  She just had to…to get away.  Turning calmly to Ben, she met his eyes and gave him a big, warm smile.

“How about lunch in the dining hall on Tuesday?” she asked.  “Would that work for you?”

Ben, who had been handling Jason’s behavior with his characteristic easy grace, smiled back at her.  Eve registered that, with the two of them talking like this, it was almost like Jason didn’t exist.  He was just physically so far below them  

“Okay,” he nodded, “That sounds great Eve.  I’ll look forward to it.”

Eve gave him another affectionate smile, and she almost stepped forward to give him a big hug.  But she surmised, correctly, that this would have put Ben in an awkward situation, more awkward than he was already in, and so she just stared at him for a couple more seconds before tearing herself away with a quick “See you then!” and strode straight past Jason, her heels clacking against the dance floor.

“Hey!” Jason called after her, “Where’re you going?”

After a few strides, Eve whipped around, facing Jason down.  He had been following her and was taken aback by her sudden movement.  She was positively looming over him, and she did not look happy.  

“I’ve had all the fun I’m gonna have here tonight, Jason,” she declared, putting a big hand on her hip while she took out her phone.  “And now, I’m leaving.”

Jason blinked up at her, bewildered, before sputtering:

“B-But…I…I mean…all right, I guess…you seem kinda pissed all of a sudden…was it…oh man, it wasn’t something Ben said, was it?”

“No!” Eve exclaimed, not believing her boyfriend could be so clueless.  “It wasn’t anything Ben said!  I…I just need some time alone, okay?”

And she turned on her heel and strode away, leaving Jason there with his hands outspread, wondering what had gone wrong.  A moment later, Eve was outside, breathing in the cool night air, staring up at the cloud-flecked stars as she listened to the dial tone on her phone.

“I saw you, girl,” Lauren’s amused voice echoed out on the other end.  “Dancing with that guy…”

“Yeah…about that…” Eve began, but then stopped, not knowing what to say.  She sidestepped two guys who were ogling her, trying to say something up at her.  But she didn’t hear them; they were easy to tune out, so far below her.  

“I thought you might call me later,” Lauren said.  “Where are you now?”

“Outside on the steps,” Eve replied.

“Okay, I’ll come meet you there,” Lauren chuckled.  “Look, I know you aren’t really a party girl…yet…heh…but I’ve got a fifth of Wild Turkey back at my dorm…wanna get drunk?”

Eve felt so thankful for Lauren that she almost started crying.  She had only been drunk twice in her life, and right now, that sounded like exactly what she needed.

“Lauren…” she said into her phone, “Oh my god…that sounds…perfect.  I hope you’re ready because, I’ve…yeah…we’ve got a lot to talk about.”