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The Key

Alex put her down carefully just before patting her lower back. Cathryn was about to give him a piece of her mind when he held both of her hands so that she couldn't protest on what he's about to do next. He kissed her silently, a big smack that makes her groan. In pleasure. No! In anger.

Cathryn hated how he messed up her mind like this. He grinned down at her, his light brown eyes twinkling as if he was looking at something special. He must be happy to see her but she didn't want to assume and get disappointed.

"I want you to meet my friends." He smiled, introducing her to a guy with platinum blond hair and sky-blue eyes a girl would want to drown in them. His eyelashes were to die for, long and curly. He was too fucking beautiful to look at. "His name is Blake Smith."

"Hey, Blake," Alex called out as he pinned her to his side. "Look at my girlfriend. She feels pretty real to me."

The guy with the platinum blond hair laughed at something a girl on his arm was chattering about and he turned a little, his eyes landing straight on her and stopped there.

Cathryn felt his stare like a hit of adrenaline that she wanted to look away, but she can't. She wasn't sure if she made this up but she could have sworn his chest jerked when he saw her.

Did he recognize her or something?

Suddenly the atmosphere was so heavy Cathryn couldn't breathe. As he raked her in one quick sweep of his eyes, her stomach had quivered nervously as he took her in, from her legs and up to her red hair. She became aware of her swimsuit hugging her hips, her abdomen, her breasts, and even her ass.

Oh god. Did he have to stare like she was parading around this whole place naked? Cathryn felt so self-conscious. She felt like an object that she clutched Alex's arm as if it was her lifeline.

"Your girlfriend is very beautiful, Alex."

"Thanks but I think you're more beautiful," Cathryn replied. "And I'm not Alex's girlfriend."

"Oh, a girlfriend would be more respectable than a fling, I guess." He stretched his long legs out before him, his stare fixed on hers without any inclination to move away. "Sorry if you got offended."

In just a matter of seconds, from girlfriend, Cathryn was now reduced to a mere fling. A fuck-buddy. She cleared her throat and managed to say, "I'm Cathryn. I'm Alex's... I'm Alex's... friend."

Cathryn sensed that Alex was about to disagree so she pinched his arm to interrupt his next words.

Cathryn saw another familiar-looking guy approaching them. He enveloped her into a bear hug and his playful smile didn't waver. "I'm Marco D' Angelo. Nice to meet you, Red."

"Oh." Cathryn clamped a hand to my mouth. That chocolate brown eyes and olive skin. He was that Italian bad boy whom she had fantasized putting black wings on his back. What a coincidence! What could have happened if she picked him first before Alex?

"I'm London." Another guy who had short blond hair with deep reddish-brown highlights said. His large nose was crooked, his skin pale, his lips were small and heart-shaped and he had those unique cat-like green eyes.

He had freckles, a piercing on his left ear and he brought a guitar with him. At a Coachella party. At night. It was just plain weird. Even his name was weird.

"Hi, London." Cathryn greeted. "By any chance, was your surname, Bridge?"

His eyes widened in alarm. "How did you know?"

Her own eyes widened at that, too. What the fuck? "I'm just joking."

Alex threw back his head and laughed. His friends also laughed at their heart's content.

"I told you she's fun," Alex told his friends. Cathryn stared at him and his friends, confused.

"This is Garred. He's half-Japanese." Alex motioned at the thin guy with black messy hair, high cheekbones, and indeed his light blue eyes were slanted. Asian.

He waved at her and smiled, the small dimples showing on either side of his thick, pouty lips. He was so freaking cute, too.

"I'm Jason." A guy with thick curly hair and hazel eyes said. Cathryn couldn't decide whether his eyes were blue or green but there were golden flecks surrounding them. The look on his face was completely remote and unreadable.

"Hi, everyone. It's nice to meet all of you."

Yes.

Where did these beautiful people come from? From what planet?

Now they're looking at her like she was lunch.

Blake merely patted the blonde on his arms on the back and sent her on her way. Alex reached out to take her elbow in a somehow instinctive gesture which brought her a strange sense of comfort.

Cathryn didn't know anybody else here, so when he tugged her to his side, she sat next to him on the edge of the long booth with his other friends. They made her so nervous.

He leaned his dark head over to her and murmured, "I'm Alex." His voice was so deep and rumbling she shivered.

"Cat," She offered lamely.

Alex raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "What makes you freaking late?" Alex asked and pouted adorably. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Cathryn wondered what to say when Marco lifted his drink and drained it. "Trust me if there's a bridge nearby he'd jump off if you didn't come earlier. Alex is not a patient person." His Italian accent was oozing with charm, drawling out the words.

Cathryn didn't know why, but she was acutely aware of the position of Alex's body with hers. He straightened fully in the booth and somehow shifted so that his arm was very noticeably stretched out behind her.

"Well, good thing you stop him from jumping to London's surname," Cathryn answered them with an extra-wide smile, her heart-pounding over Alex's presence.

Suddenly she can smell him. Just him. Among all the mingled scents at this party, it was Alex in her lungs, in every breath. He radiated a vitality that drew her like a magnet. It unnerved her but something in his nearness soothed her too.

"You look familiar," Blake said. "I think I've seen you before."

Cathryn panicked inside. Where? When? What? How? Did she ever make a fool of myself at that moment? She wanted to say that but she was so nervous it was better to shut up than make a mistake.

"Maybe, I have a common face," Cathryn said calmly.

"No." Blake insisted. "I think I've seen you before. Somewhere."

An awkward silence descended upon them so London decided to change the subject.

"There's a dress code-you look tribal and fierce. Like you're one of the Amazons who lived in a forest. And that war paint on your cheeks and those strips of cloth that covered your waist. The feathers. Did you make it?" London noticed as a waiter set a drink before her.

"I am from Xavier School of Arts. It was my friend who made these clothes." Cathryn tugged the hem of her skirt self-consciously. "I was the one who painted flowers on my face."

"Did you, now?" Marco asked.

"M."

One word, one letter, from Alex.

"Yeah, Alex?" Marco replied, lifting his eyebrows.

"Dibs."

Cathryn almost spitted out the juice she had been drinking. She coughed and slammed her hand to her chest, and Alex calmly reached out to take her drink from her hand and set it aside.

"Okay?" He asked, ducking his head and peering into her face.

Cathryn gave one last cough and squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. When she opened her eyes, she found him staring at her in a penetrating way that she could feel it in her bones.

"Do you want to dance?" Alex asked.

As he waited for her reply, he reached for her cocktail and extended the glass out to her. His wrist was thick and looked so strong, so golden, his skin smooth, his arm dusted with a little bit of hair. She cautiously took the drink from him, their fingers brushing.

Blake reached into the pocket of his swim shorts and waved whatever he extracted in the air. It was a key. "Alex. May I?"

"What's happening?" Cathryn asked, confused.

"Nothing is happening." He told her and then to Marco, he said, "That's not her scene. It isn't necessary."

"What do you mean it's not my scene?"

Alex murmurs beside her. "You don't want to accept that, do you?"

"Aw! Come on, let's give her a key. She's yours, isn't she?" Marco whined. "Since when are you such a spoilsport?"

"What's this key all about?" Cathryn said in disbelief as Alex stood slowly. She followed him up, staring into his face in confusion. Curiosity will kill the Cat.

"If you want to fuck, then go ahead accept it."

Fuck? As in...that act?

For the first time since they met, he looked at her like he was losing his temper. Alex wasn't smiling at her anymore.

He leaned closer and whispered in Cathryn's ear. "Trust me when I tell you, it's not your scene. It's for the groupies. Now, come here and we'll dance."

Alex sent her a dangerous look and dragged her away from his friends as they blended into the crowd.