Amidst his rather
âYou donât exactly look happy to be here, Lance. You realize it isnât mandatory, right?â
He heard the older man say in greeting, smiling at him in the process. âItâs a nice night Nate; I wouldnât dare pass up a party like this.â The eighteen year old smirked at him disregarding the comment about not happy being here, and took out his right hand as he gestured to the drinks on the table. âBesides the opportunity to have unlimited booze is too tempting to miss,â he continued, further vanishing away any negative thoughts either about Jessica or Niamh that he had.
He knew that Nate had a point on wondering why he even entered the four walls of this hall. He wasn't the most sociable person around and while he may drink with the others once in a while, it was uncommon for him to be found in a throng like this. However, while heâs sure that he can talk to him about anything, Lance would prefer to leave things as they are. It would be awkward and totally a stupid move to tell him that he wanted to get wasted in order to forget his f*cked up morning. While he may have once or twice mentioned Jessica and about their current relationship status, he figured that was enough. He didnât need to update Nate about his love life or the almost lack thereof.
Lance then questioningly looked at him in the corner of his eyes, wondering why Nate bothered to approach him. As far as he knew, missing out class this morning was not a big issue since he really didnât make it a habit to skip lessons. And while they are in good terms, it wasnât necessary for them to check each otherâs situation.
Not that he minded company, especially since he had only recently solidified the resolve to not let Jessicaâs selfish actions to ruin his night (-and coming weeks) but he reckoned that in a party such as this one, Nate would rather be with the other teachers or students instead.
âHow about you Nate, how is the lesson going?â He continued in a teasing tone as he nodded towards the direction of the black-haired girl standing far on the side with her more than tipsy best friend. He was referring to how the History teacher flirted with the said student. It was amusing and entertaining. Lance wasnât privy to the older manâs problems and certainly not about his romantic issues but having just recently witnessed a drama in the making between the three, he couldnât help but goad him. Knowing that he would not be offended with his sarcastic comments nor mischievous comments, Nate was apparently quite used to him and his more than humoring comments, he smirked again. âCare to share some tips for that?â
Lance then opted to walk towards the nearest chair when he noticed how idiotic he looked: hiding in the corner as he conversed with him. He was about to move when suddenly a pair of hands covered his eyes blocking his view.
His first instinct was push the intruding hands away and tackle the person and he actually did that. Moving agilely as he slightly pushed the person backwards to the wall, he grabbed the intruderâs wrist, locking it in place with both of his hands. He ducked to the side in order to get out of the hold and turned to face the person, determined to give him a peace of his mind, still firmly holding his hands. He was more than shocked into stillness when he noticed Juliette Halliwellâs drunken yet undeniably striking face just a short distance away from him.
âJules?â He spoke out loud in an incredulous voice, unable to stop the question from coming out his mouth. Totally aware of the small distance between their faces, their lips only several inches away from each other; he instantly stepped back and dropped her wrists.
âSorry âbout that,â he said as an explanation. âI thought you were someone elseâ, he added sheepishly scratching the back of his head. What she did was totally unexpected and being the not so touchy feely guy, he reacted in the way he naturally did. âAre you ok?â He asked with the concern evident in his voice. He hadnât been gentle or anything of sorts with his actions after all.