NOTE:
I'm back. Sorry for the absence. I hope you like something new. XO
*****
"Can I squeeze past?" someone asked Jack. He looked up from his conversation at the strangers pushing past, making their ways to the other side of the crowded living room. Around him, dozens of different conversations crossed over each other, as guests chatted about this and that; they talked about their summers, the vacations they'd taken, the plans for winter, and whatever else was going on.
Jack was sitting on a piano bench, which he was sharing with his friend Louis, a cohost. This busy party was technically for Louis' younger sister Amy, who had graduated from high school a few months ago, and was now only weeks away from leaving for her first year of college. Louis' parents were always eager to host, proud to flaunt their wealth with their unnecessarily large home, so he was encouraged to invite all his friends. That's how Jack ended up on the bench, in a large circle with close to a dozen other people his age who were all home for the summer, about to return to their senior year of college, technically celebrating a girl they barely knew.
The conversation at hand was boring him, but Jack didn't care quite enough to change the subject. Instead, he just half-listened to one young woman talk about a run-in she'd had with an old teacher at a grocery store, as others laughed and reminisced about high school. Jack found himself instead scoping out the rest of the living room. Small groups of handfuls of guests had pooled in different corners, drinks in hands. Through the entryway, he could see into the kitchen, where another group of guests had congregated around the matriarch, Louis' mother Kim. Standing next to her was a woman Jack didn't recognize, and she was looking back at him, one eyebrow raised. They locked eyes, and he awkwardly tried to shoot a polite smile to the woman, but she didn't react. She just looked back at him. After another moment, she looked away.
At first, Jack felt himself blushing, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. He tried to reason that embarrassment away, telling himself that, if anything, she was the one caught looking at him. He'd never seen this woman before, so why was she eyeing him up like that, and why didn't she at least shoot him a courtesy smile back?
These questions tugged at him as Jack realized he was still looking at this mystery woman. She was leaning against an expensive granite counter, wearing white pants and what Jack thought might be a very soft, thin sweater, with open toe shoes, completing an outfit that was perfect for the late-summer-early-fall weather they'd been getting lately. Her dark brown hair was short, falling just above her shoulders in loose curls, like she got it cut regularly to keep it at that length; everything about her seemed to scream
money
to Jack. Her makeup was immaculate, just barely noticeable. Her complexion was tanned, maybe artificially but not overdone, with a subtle red lip color that drew in his eyes as she briefly smirked at something in her conversation. Plus, she was wearing what looked to Jack like a gold tennis bracelet that glinted in the indoor light, even from across two rooms.
Jack was admiring her body, how she filled out her sweater well, and how curvy and natural she looked standing next to Louis' mother, who was thin as a rail thanks to the personal trainer she worked out with constantly, sometimes twice a day. As his eyes trailed down to the woman's legs, they stepped forward as she walked out of the kitchen, out of view, towards the other end of the house. Right before she slipped out of sight, Jack was sure she'd shot another glance towards him.
Now, with no distraction across the room he was back in the conversation in front of him, but the only way he'd be paying attention to his peers' discussion about postgrad decisions was if that woman had been part of it. Instead, he found himself lost in thought, wondering why she'd been staring him down until he caught her, and why she'd stolen another look before leaving the kitchen. She was older, definitely one of Louis' mom's friends, probably from a rich family, based on how she held herself. But, despite all of that, Jack was sure he'd caught her checking him out, twice now. He felt his blood rushing from his face, lower, just the potential of such an attractive woman being attracted to him caused him to feel a hint of swelling in his lap.
As he tried to readjust his sitting position in case of anything obvious, suddenly she rounded the corner from the kitchen and walked into the living room, squeezing past Amy and some of her friends, joining a conversation with a mixed group of adults discussing their coworkers. She didn't speak, only listened and smiled, barely sipping on her drink. Jack was transfixed by her other hand, tucked into her back pocket, perfectly cupping half of her round rear end. He imagined what it'd be like if it was his hand, what it'd be like if he was the one doing the cupping.
His eyes followed her hand as it slipped out of her pocket, gliding up to her face where she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and Jack realized she was once again looking right at him. He felt himself blush immediately, knowing that she must've caught him. Still, he didn't break eye contact, and neither did she. He could feel himself try to send a kind smile her way, but she only reciprocated by lifting one eyebrow, unimpressed, bringing her drink to her lips and taking a small sip. Then, she broke contact, glancing to her right briefly before returning her gaze. She repeated the glance again, and Jack looked to his left, following her gaze to see the door to one of the several empty bathrooms in the expansive home. He looked back to meet her eyes, and he saw her paint the quickest smirk across her lips before returning her face to her resting, unimpressed look he'd gotten used to. He knew what she was hinting at.
