Sanctuary

"Girl, those heels will be the death of you," Danielle joked as Taryn strode across the room. She glanced down at her black pumps.

"I'll be fine. They'll probably come off anyway," Taryn said with a smirk. She did a once-over in the mirror as Danielle shimmied over and handed her a full shot glass. Her shoes matched her new little black dress that hugged her body and rested at her upper thigh. Sure, it was a little revealing. But where else would she have worn it, if not to a college party? She downed her shot, placing the glass on the desk and feeling a familiar warm sensation down her throat.

"So you know that guy in Ethics who sits a few rows in front of us?" Danielle asked, applying eyeshadow in the opposite mirror.

"Yeah, that guy you've been talking to occasionally?"

"Yeah. His name's Daniel and we've been texting back and forth. And until like ten minutes ago, he was supposed to be coming with me tonight to Shane's. And now he's blowing me off." She pulled away from the mirror, blinking a few times and reaching to pour herself another shot.

"Why?" Taryn said, shooting a quick text to Jocelyn.

"I don't even know. I told him to come over and now he's backing out. He says he's got a game in the morning or something. And he's just being rude."

"A game? On a Sunday? What does he even play?"

"He's on the soccer team, but still," Danielle replied, pausing to take the shot. "He's being a dick for no reason."

"I'm sure everything's fine. Maybe he's just not into parties."

"Yeah, but if he liked me enough, he wouldn't mind, yeah?"

"Hey," Taryn said. "Don't think like that." She was surprised to hear that coming from Danielle's normally confident mouth. "I'm sure he really does like you. But it's probably overwhelming for him to just take you to a party full of your friends that he doesn't know."

"You're so right," Danielle said with a smile. "I'm just over-thinking. God, he's not even my boyfriend. How pathetic am I?" She turned up the volume on her music, grabbing her phone.

"Shae's on his way!" she said excitedly, shimmying over to Taryn. They each took two more shots in the fifteen minutes it took Shae to arrive, sliding the glasses into Danielle's desk drawer just as he knocked lightly on the door. They quickly straightened up the room before heading out of the building.

Shane's house was even closer to campus than the baseball house had been, and Taryn's stomach tightened in anticipation as they climbed the front steps. The house wasn't too crowded yet, mostly Shane and his close friends. He greeted them at the door.

"New girl," he said with a smirk, running his hand along the small of her back. "Keg's in the kitchen, bathroom's upstairs."

"Thanks," she said with a sly grin, following Danielle towards the kitchen. She wasn't sure what the night was going to hold, but as she was handed a small cup, she found herself excited for it to happen.

***

Three hours later, and the house was packed. Taryn pulled away from the guy she was dancing with, stumbling toward the kitchen. She had lost her shoes and wristlet hours ago. She headed for the keg, toasted a shot with Danielle's guy friend from Ethics - when had he shown up? - and squeezed her way towards the stairs in search of the bathroom.

After a quick pee and touching up her hair and makeup, she emerged slowly down the stairs, trying carefully not to wipe out. The room swerved as she took the bottom step, and she giggled. "Hey," someone to her right called.

"Shae!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck in greeting. "Are you having fun?!"

He nodded, taking a sip from his plastic cup. "Yeah. I take it you are, too?"

"Of course. I've been dancing forever." She backed up towards the wall, giggling as the room spun again. "I need to go find that guy again. He was so cute."

"Alright, crazy. Have fun," Shae called as she left the wall in search of the guy she had been dancing with. She circled the perimeter of the room, flashing strobe lights illuminating the people around her. She recognized a few kids from her large lecture classes, shooting them a flirty smile as she passed them. She noticed a few people watching her, and she marveled in it. She wasn't used to it, but she found that she liked it a lot.

She pouted, taking a shaky seat on the arm of a couch near the speaker system. She poured herself a drink from the table beside it, sipping it as she glanced around the room. Where the fuck was everyone?! She was getting bored.

"There she is." She recognized his voice before he was even next to her. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans. She wondered how he wasn't dying of heat exhaustion. "You looking for me?"

"You wish," she shot back with a flirty grin. Shane grabbed her hand, and with the other she lifted her cup to her lips, downing the rest of her strong drink and tossing it aside. He tugged on her hand and she shakily rose to her feet, bracing herself as her vision jolted again. He placed his other hand on the small of her back again, guiding her through the crowd to the other side. The bass pounded in her chest, and she looked up at him. God, he was attractive.

"Dance with me?" he slurred softly. She bit her lip, rocking her hips to the beat and turning around. She backed against him as he smoothly wrapped his strong arms around her slim waist. She leaned back into him, releasing her head back and he held her and swayed to the beat. He smelled good, like the cologne samples she always saw in magazines.

They danced for a while, her head pleasantly foggy and all insecurities long gone. His lips trailed up and down her neck, replacing the hickies that hadn't even completely faded yet. She shivered as his shallow breaths hit her ear. She pushed him towards the wall, turning around and grinding against him.

"You're not going to run this time?" he said breathlessly. She shook her head, rising on her tiptoes and touching her lips to his. He kissed her back, running his hands along her back and pulling her closer to him. He tasted like alcohol and mint, his tongue colliding with hers as he deepened the kiss. She got bold now, running her hands down his toned chest and to the top of his jeans. She ran her hand along the bulge in his jeans over the fabric, never letting her lips leave his. He took a sharp breath, pulling back for a second to look intriguingly at her.

"There you are!" Danielle called, emerging from the crowd. Taryn backed away from Shane, her hair disheveled and heart racing.

"Dani!" she said, giddy with delight.

Danielle's eyes traveled back and forth between the two of them while she assessed the situation. "C'mon. Let's go."

"What are you talking about?! It's only one o'clock."

"Yeah, I don't feel well," Danielle said. She held up Taryn's heels and wristlet. "Let's go."

Too tipsy to resist Danielle's pull, Taryn stumbled after her, turning around and giving Shane a flirty wave. He stood against the wall, watching her curiously and shaking his head as she left.

"It's so hot," Taryn whined as they hit the pavement outside the house. Danielle paused once they had gotten far enough from the house.

"Hey. Shoes," she said, helping stabilize her friend as she slid her shoes on. Taryn braced herself on her heels, stumbling a little as she regained her balance. "Listen. We're going back to your room. You need to compose yourself, okay?"

"Okay," Taryn giggled, trying her hardest to walk steadily. "I'm really sorry, Dani."

"You're fine. I just want to get you back. Where's your phone?"

"In my wristlet, I think," Taryn said, swinging it around.

"Okay, just keep walking."

They slowly reached Radnor and Danielle walked her into the building, distracting the security guard until Taryn could get to the elevator. Up on the fourth floor, they stepped off.

"Hey, guys," Jamie said cheerfully. She sat with Alex at one of the tables, showing him something on her phone. "How was your night?"

"So good," Taryn gushed, giggling. She slowly made her way across. Alex watched her curiously, undoubtedly aware of what was going on. He said nothing.

Danielle grabbed Taryn's wristlet, unlocking the door and helping Taryn inside. "Are you alright?" she asked as Taryn stumbled out of her heels.

"Yeah. I just need to sleep," Taryn said, hugging her friend and leaning against her bed. She grabbed her phone, noticing the six texts she had missed throughout the night.

"Call me if you need anything, okay? I'm right across the road." Danielle yawned, adjusting her outfit before striding out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Taryn hiccuped, suddenly annoyed. Bullshit. She wasn't tired. She didn't want the night to be over. She pulled out her handle, pouring herself another shot as she contemplated what to do next. Who else she could call. Maggie, maybe? She heard a knock at her door. She cracked it open.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Alex asked, smirking at her.

"Of course," she said with her sweetest smile.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything," he said slowly, backing away.

"Thank you," she said, moreso grateful for the fact that he wasn't going to write her up for underage drinking.

She shut the door again, turning out her harsh room light and flicking on the Christmas lights that she had strung up around her side of the room. She basked in the warm glow and twirled around in delight. A few minutes later, she heard another light tap at the door.

"Alex, I'm fine," she said, throwing open the door.

"Who's Alex?" Shane said slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No one," Taryn dismissed as he came in. She shut the door behind him, picking up her handle. "You want one?"

After they each took another shot, she slid the bottle away and stretched. "I'm sorry I left. Danielle wanted to come back for some dumb reason. You didn't have to follow us. God, I'm such a buzzkill. I'm sorry I made you leave your friends."

"Trust me, you didn't. You're fine," he said, hugging her. After a few long and silent seconds, he sighed, leaning against Taryn's desk. "God, I'm so hammered."

"You and me both," she laughed, spinning around and stumbling. She leaned herself against the bed, checking her phone again for new messages. She looked up and saw that he was watching her. He smirked at her, taking a few steps closer.

"You're beautiful," he said quietly, lacing his arms around her hips. She smiled at him, looking into his gorgeous light blue eyes. He leaned his head down, kissing her neck. She reached up and placed her hands on his neck, bringing his lips to hers and kissing him again. He deepened the kiss, leaning into her and pulling up on the hem of her dress. She smiled through the kiss, her heart racing. He lifted her up to the bed and she pulled his shirt off, running her hands along his toned stomach. She leaned backwards, pulling him onto the bed over top of her. He trailed kisses down her neck, her collarbone, and she sighed with delight. He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. She nodded, biting her lip and grinning at him. He kissed her again, tugging on the zipper of her dress and pulling it down over her shoulders. He lips trailed over the top of her cleavage, trailing down her stomach. He slid her dress off and she shivered with anticipation. Her hands founded his belt buckle, undoing the clasp and wrestling with his jeans until she had pulled them down far enough. She could feel his bulge as he grinded his pelvis against her, biting her neck and caressing the side of her head. Her breathing picked up and his hands traveled lower.

"You okay?" he whispered in her ear. She shivered at his breath on her ear, and she nodded, gripping his hand and lacing her fingers between his. He kissed her again, softer this time, as he maneuvered himself on top of her. Within minutes, he was inside of her. "Fuck," she gasped, feeling his heavy breathing. The ceiling faded as she closed her eyes, taking a breath and letting thoughts of him completely consume her...