A couple of stories are coming to an end so I thought now would be a good time to start a new one but I want to say a quick thank you to levesque fan forever for all of her help with this, I definitely wouldn't have gotten this far so quickly without her. I hope you all enjoy the story but as always follows/favourites/reviews are always appreciated :)

The alcohol was flowing all around him as Paul sat in the booth bouncing his leg along with thumping beat of the music reverberating beneath his feet. He didn't even know how many people were in their group altogether now because initially it had begun with him and his best friend going out with a couple of their friends to celebrate the end of the first year of College and it had just multiplied and multiplied, so much so that he was sure they were taking up half of the club at this point.

Taking another sip of his beer his eyes drifted to the dance floor watching Stephanie as she tipped her head back in laughter at something one of the girls around her had said. Letting his eyes wander down her body he licked his lips as he looked at her bare legs, he could only imagine how good they would feel wrapped around his waist, he didn't care that she was his best friend, he just wanted her. His attention was taken away from Stephanie when one of the guys from his course took a seat beside him and began to engage him in conversation about what he thought they'd study the following year.

Out on the dance floor Stephanie was having fun dancing and laughing with friends but looking back at Paul sat in the booth she wished he would have accepted her invitation to dance instead of brushing her off with 'I don't dance'. After who knows how many songs her feet were starting to ache and her throat was dry so she made her way back to the booth taking the seat that was vacated by Mike, or something, as he was dragged off by his girlfriend.

Sitting down she took Paul's beer from his hand and had a drink before she placed it back in his hand, "Having fun being a party pooper sat here all by yourself?"

Raising his eyebrow as he looked at her he shook his head, "Having fun stealing somebody else's drink?"

Shrugging she gave him the smile that he could never resist, "I was thirsty, your drink was just there. You know you never answered my question."

Tipping his head back he finished off his beer failing to notice Stephanie's eyes on his Adam's apple as it bobbed up and down with each swallow he took.

Placing the empty bottle back on the table he raked his fingers through his hair, "You know I don't dance so I don't know why you bother trying to make me."

"Because you should, it's a fun way to burn calories and you know with me you'll forget all about whether you can or can't dance."

Snorting he shook his head, "Lamest excuse ever. Sex is a far more fun way to burn calories so are you offering yourself up for that too?"

Blushing a deep shade of red at his comment she ducked her head and pretended to massage her sore feet so he wouldn't see the colour of her face.

He didn't think before he spoke and he surprised himself by what he had said but the fact that she hadn't slapped him or something equally as bad wasn't a bad sign but the fact that he could quickly change the subject wasn't a bad thing either, "What's wrong with your feet?"

Not daring to look up at him yet she kept rubbing them, "Too much dancing in high heels, they hurt."

Moving down the booth a little so there was a gap between them he patted his lap, "Shoes off and put your feet up here and I'll give them a massage."

Slowly raising he head she realised that he was serious so kicked off her shoes and turned in the seat so she could put her feet on his lap whilst retaining her modesty, "You know you're the best friend a girl could ask for right?"

Rolling his eyes he shook his head fed up of being friend zoned by her when he wanted her so much, "Yeah yeah yeah, women never date 'best friends' though so it isn't exactly the highest of compliments you could pay me."

Wincing at his comment she was beginning to think that their friendship was about to come burning to the ground unless she did something about it she went to pull her feet from his lap, "Sorry."

Holding her feet before she could pull them off his lap he sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

The air around the two of them was now ice cold and and silent despite the amount of people in the building and the thumping bass of the music that shook the booth and made it difficult to hear anything.

As soon as he had finished massaging her feet he removed his hands, "There you go, hopefully you have a few more good hours of dancing in you tonight."

Removing her feet from his lap she slipped them back into her shoes, "Thanks." Standing up she made her way over to the bar and ordered his favourite beer and took it back to the table placing it in front of him, "That's to say sorry for drinking your other one and to say thank you for the massage."

Before he could even finish processing what she had said she had left and was back on the dance floor.

Walking back towards the dance floor she hooked her arm through one of her friends' and dragged her with he, "Dance with me."

Stumbling behind her friend she very nearly went face first onto the floor, "What happened with Paul?"

"Don't ask, just dance."

Putting her hands up in surrender she knew when to drop a subject and judging by the look on Stephanie's face now was that time so she just started dancing with her.

Watching Stephanie on the dance floor he may have not been friends with her for years but he already knew her body language and right now he knew he was in deep shit with her. Downing his beer he slid out of the booth and prepared to do the one thing he absolutely hated doing, dancing.

Making his way over to her he slid his arm around her waist, "Room for a small one."

The second she felt a hand on her body she prepared to do some serious self defence moves and teach the sleaze a lesson but luckily before she did he spoke and she realised it was Paul. Stiffening slightly she turned around to face him, "I thought you hated dancing and preferred burning calories by having sex."

Wincing at the coldness he didn't know what to do with himself, "Okay so I may have opened my mouth and not entirely thought through the outcome of the words I spoke and I'm sorry for that."

"You have a lot to be sorry for tonight Paul, you have acted more like an asshole than you have a gentleman."

Frowning he didn't know how to make things better, "I'm sorry okay? I don't know what else I can say."

Turning her back to him she just didn't want to deal with him right now.

The friend who had been dancing with Stephanie turned her attention to Paul and grabbed his arm before he could leave, "Don't give up on her just yet."

Against his better judgement he stuck around and 'danced' with the mutual friend.

Giving Paul time to leave she turned around to dance with her friend when she saw a guy beginning to approach her as the end of the song neared and frowned when she saw Paul was still there but she wasn't turning back around just incase the guy bothered her but unfortunately she couldn't even escape the creep with her back to him as he touched her shoulder, "Care to dance with me beautiful?"

Resisting the urge to gag at the smell of his aftershave she tried to shake him off her, "Actually I don't, I'm having fun here."

Refusing to take no for an answer as the next song began to play and it was a slow song he stepped closer, "Aww come on, the three of you can't dance to a slow song together."

She may have been mad at Paul but she knew that he would protect her so she grabbed his arm and pulled him close, "Maybe not but he promised me the next slow dance and I'm not turning him down to gag whilst dancing with you."

Slipping his arm around Stephanie's waist he held her close wanting to protect her, "Back off or we will have a problem and you do not want to get on my bad side tonight."

Watching the guy leave Paul wasn't sure what to do now, "He's gone, I'll get off you now."

Quickly putting her hand behind her back and over his she pressed it into her back, "Don't, it's okay. I'm sorry for being a bitch, I just didn't know how to deal with what you were saying."

Closing his eyes and resting his head on hers as she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest the words were out of his mouth before he thought them through, "The alcohol loosened my tongue, I was a bit more honest than I should have been."

She didn't want to move her head as she felt so comfortable but that was a revelation so reluctantly she did so she could look at him, "You what? What do you mean?"

It was the end of the first year, he wasn't going to see her for months so he may aswell just get it over with, "I can't have this conversation here, come back to the apartment with me and we'll talk there."

Resting her head back on his chest she was not letting him get out of it that easily, "After this song."

Laughing he rested his head on the top of hers, he would expect nothing less.

As soon as the song had ended Paul pulled away from her, "Shall we go back to the apartment now?"

Slipping her hand into his she held it tightly and nodded her head, "Yes."

Leading her out of the club the two of them walked back to the apartment silently and soon found themselves sat on the couch together with Stephanie the first to break the silence, "You said you couldn't have the conversation at the club so exactly what conversation are we having?"

Turning to face her he knew this could go one of two ways and he was worried, "So the alcohol loosened my tongue and I was a little too honest with you earlier." Opening his mouth he went to comment on something specifically but decided to skip over that part as it wouldn't sound right he went straight for the end, "When I snapped at you over calling me your best friend it was because I . . . uh . . . I like you as more than a 'best friend' and it just angered me because I know that once you are put in the 'friend zone' you will not get out of it and it just brought reality home to me that this was one sided."

Confused she rubbed her temples before she turned to face him, "Slightly confused here. What are you trying to say to me?"

Groaning this was hard enough as it was, "I like you. Please don't make me spell it out for you, this is hard enough as it is."

Replaying the events of the night and their conversations one specific part jumped out at her, "So if I were to say that when you asked if I was offering myself up for sex it was because you would like that to happen would I be hot or cold?"

"Hot, very very hot."

Breathing a sigh of relief she leant forward and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips and blindly found her way so she was now straddling his lap.

Groaning into her mouth as he felt her straddling his lap his hands found their way to her legs stroking the bare skin as their kiss got deeper and their tongues started to do battle.

Shifting on his lap her hands moved to his chest to undo the buttons on his shirt but instead she pulled back from the kiss and moved off his lap standing up and straightening her skirt out, "We can't do this, anybody could walk in."

Lost he shook his head to clear the fog from his brain as he tried to process it all, "Wait, what? Don't you want this?"

Turning back to face him she smiled softly, "I want this but I don't want to get caught and for people to talk so maybe we shouldn't."

Standing up he took hold of her hand and began to lead her towards his bedroom, "I have a lock on my bedroom door and they're used to you staying in my room anyway so they won't think anything of it."

Stopping in the hallway she forced him to turn to face her and when he did she slid her free hand around his neck and pulled his face close, "You think of everything."

Pressing her lips to his she closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss before he pulled away taking both of her hands in his and walked backwards until they entered his room at which point he promptly shut and locked the door so they couldn't be disturbed.

Being in his bedroom on this occasion was so different, so strange, she was used to just hanging out but this was far from just 'hanging out'.

Walking closer to her Paul's hands immediately went to the zip on her dress and pulled it down before his hands moved to the straps on her shoulders and his lips moved to her ear, "Say now if you have had second thoughts."

Turning her head to look into his eyes all fears she had disappeared as her desire for him took over, "No second thoughts."

Relief washed over him hearing her say that she wasn't having second thoughts so he didn't waste time and pushed the straps down her arms, "Good."

As her dress hit the floor she quickly stepped out of it at the same time kicking her heels off before she faced him blushing at the way he was looking at her now topless body, "Stop staring and start stripping."

"Make me."

That was one challenge she was more than happy to accept so kicking her dress to the side so she didn't ruin it by standing on it she stood in front of him with her hands immediately going straight to the collar of his shirt pulling him closer to her, "Don't worry I will."

As their lips fused together and her hands started working on the buttons of his shirt he used the time to run his hands up and down her sides with neither thinking of what would happen tomorrow when they were both sober, they were just enjoying the here and the now.