A Ghostly Love

Chapter sixteen

As we walk through the front door the music gets louder and I can feel my body moving with the beat. "Let's take shots!" Tia yells and I agree. I grab Stanley who grabs Sophia and make our way to the kitchen. The kitchen was set up so it looked like a bar, there was a guy who looked a little too old to be partying with seniors was bar tending. "Hey can I get eight tequila shots?" The man nods and then hands me the glasses. "Two for everyone." I say as I hand them to the group. "On three ready? One two three!" We down the shots as fast as possible and I instantly start to feel the effects from earlier.

I feel myself loosening up so I decide to go find the smoke corner. "Are you guys gonna smoke again?" Tia and Stanley say they will so I tell Sophia where to find us. She nods and goes off getting lost in the crowd. I take a seat on the couch in the corner and start to roll up again. I light the blunt and feel the last bit of stress melt away, as I pass the blunt to Stanley someone takes a seat next to me. "Didn't tell me you smoked." Jarell's voice makes me shiver and I turn to him with a smile. "You didn't ask." He smiles at me and his teeth are so white is almost blinding. "You drink?" He asks me before taking a sip from a dusse bottle. "Yes sir." He passes me the bottle and I look at it for a while. Tia hands me the blunt and I give it to Jarell. Turning back to Tia I raise a eyebrow, "When did you decide to sit on the floor?" She giggles and shrugs. "It's easier to pass it to you if I'm right here." I nod and take the blunt from Jarell. "That's some good shit ma." My heart flutters at the nickname.

"I'm gonna call you Rell. Now if I die tonight it's your fault, I've been pre gaming with tequila." I take a hit from the blunt and then a shot of the dusse, I swallow the shot before blowing the smoke out of my mouth. "Wait a damn minute! What was that?" Rell says to me. "When did you learn that?" Tia asks and I smile to myself before teaching the pair how to do it themselves. "It's called a cherry bomb. You inhale first and then swallow the shot. After you just blow the smoke out." As the two practice I turn to Stanley who seems to be in his own world on the couch. He's dancing but not really as if he's still shy. "Hey can I see that?" I point to Jarells bottle and he nods. I grab it and tap Stanley on the shoulder. He looks at me with a lazy smile, "open up." He does as I tell him too and I pour the liquor down his throat. He shakes his head and then stands up, "whew! I'm gonna go find Sophia then make her take shots with me." He laughs to himself and I nod.

I feel myself get hot so I take off my jacket and frown when I have nowhere to put it. "Tia I'm gonna go put this in the car." She stands and says she's going with me. "I'm coming too!" Jarell stands and I smile at him. Grabbing my purse I make my way to the front door with Tia and Jarell behind me. When we reach my car I unlock the doors and the three of us sit in my car for a few minutes. "So do you guys wanna smoke again?" Tia agrees instantly and Jarell seems hesitant. "I don't smoke like that... what if I get sick?" He looks at me and I swear those hazel eyes make me crazy. "I'll take care of you." He agrees and I quickly roll up and spark, as the three of us smoke I can feel the energy shift into a more relaxed and comfortable one. When we finish we head back inside to dance and have some fun. I have to admit I'm tipsy and high so everything feels as if time has slowed down.

As I dance with Tia and Jarell he keeps handing me his bottle and I stupidly keep drinking from it. It's been about a hour and I'm already drunk but the good drunk, not the sloppy kind like some girls. Sophia and Stanley wobble their way over to us and I break into a fit of laughter as Stanley trips over his own two feet. Jarell grabs him before he can hit the ground and it warms my heart for some reason. The five of us dance for a while just enjoying each other's company.

The song changes and jhené aiko comes on and I smile because it's my favorite song. As I lightly hum the words I sway to the beat and look around me at my friends. I smile to myself then slightly lean against Jarell, he smiles down at me as he wraps his arm around my waist. As we sway to the beat we sing together and I can't help the smile that comes over my face. I take a sip from the bottle and slowly lick my lips after, Jarell stares directly at my mouth before he continues singing along. We make eye contact and it's so hard to look away from him, I can feel my cheeks heat up but I don't look away.

The lights are flickering with the beat making this moment feel like a haze, I wish I could stay here forever. I can feel everything around me as I sway with Jarell, his breath on my neck, the feeling of his hands on my back. I take in a deep breath and exhale feeling myself relax. As the song comes to a end I feel his hands cup my face and his lips connect with mine creating a inferno deep inside me. It started slow but slowly rose like a bird learning to fly. The kiss was simple but it felt so intimate, it left me breathless as he pulled away. I smile as I look at Jarell who's smiling back at me, "I enjoyed that." He whispers in my ear. I shiver and agree with him. I turn to the group and the looks on their faces make me nervous.

"What?" The three of them break into smiles and I smile back. "Let me just say the tension between the two of you is astronomical. He's definitely your twin flame girl." Stanley says to me. The twins agree with him and I feel myself blush once again. "Let's not make this a big deal." I say to them before I turn back towards Jarell who's laughing at our conversation. "They're right you know. You can't lie, the energy between us the entire night has been strong." As I listen to his words I realize he's right. The thought makes me smile but then Donny crosses my mind and I feel my heart squeeze.

"I'm gonna go get a shot. Tia wanna come?" I stare at Sophia and Stanley as the pair drunkenly giggle about something and decide that Tia will be my go to. I grab her hand and lead her over to the kitchen and out the back door. "Where are we going?" "I need to talk to you.." she stares at me waiting for me to tell her what's bothering me. "Ok I know we just met Jarell and all but the way I feel around him is breathtaking." A smile takes over her face. "His touch sets my skin on fire and the kiss we shared made me want more, it made me want to get to know him. I want to know what makes him get out of bed in the morning and it's freaking me out because I still love Donny." She frowns and so do I. "Well I see your problem. You and Donny are just friends right? Working on things and finding out if you two are the ones for each other so I don't think this is wrong. I don't think it's wrong for you to be attracted to another man while figuring out things for yourself. I mean Donny has been all over Katie since you said what you said."

She's right you know... my subconscious pipes up and I roll my eyes. "Sometimes I wish my mom was here, she could tell me what to do." Tia hugs me and then stares directly into my soul and I know she's about to lecture me. "Look, you take the next three weeks to figure out if you really want to be with Donny because of love or because you feel obligated to return his feelings because he's spent so much time watching you." Her words make my head spin and I sigh. "Come on let's just go enjoy tonight." She leads me back into the party and almost instantly the music takes over.