A/N: First of, thank you so much to those who reviewed, added to their favorites and followed.

And as promised, here comes the party. Not proof read but I'll probably check every chapter when I finish that fic lol.

Rated T for now but might be up for a change in future chapters.

Disclaimers: I don't own anything, blablabla. Not the characters, nor the book, nor the movie, nor the show...

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Saturday night came soon enough. Of course, Emily didn't escape Penelope's shopping session that she always claimed to be mandatory before every single one of their outings, even though most of what she bought was crazy earrings, extravagant necklaces and bracelets. The brunette would often complain but deep down, she really enjoyed going out with her two best friends.

They had all paired up to attend the party. JJ was of course going as William's plus one, Penelope had met some guy named Kevin that she was yet to introduce to them, Derek was bringing a girl he had danced with chez Miller's the previous week. And to everyone's surprise, Spencer was bringing a woman named Maeve that he apparently liked very much.

Since John was going to join her there, Emily had called to see if JJ wanted to carpool with her. But the real reason was that she hated to arrive alone at a party. Unfortunately, her friend was going to help William before everyone arrived and so would be going there at 2pm. Then Emily remembered that she was to wait him outside anyway so there was no reason for her to worry.

She started getting ready at around 7. His apartment wasn't far from hers but with traffic, she thought it would be safer to anticipate. If there was something she hated more than arriving alone, it was to be stuck in traffic. And so at 8:50pm, she was gone.

The drive was much quicker than she had imagined, which meant that she arrived at 9pm, along with Penelope and her Kevin. She decided to go wait upstairs with, to at least say hi to everyone and have that done. When they reached William's apartment, JJ greeted them at the door.

The entire scene felt so domestic that anyone who didn't know her would have thought that she was living there as well. She had on an apron and had obviously been cooking. She took their coats, indicated where the bathrooms were, gave them a quick but full tour of the apartment before offering them something to drink and asking to William to come say hi to his guests.

"I'm so glad you guys came!" He said as he quickly hugged them and shook Kevin's hand. "You are?"

"He's my plus one," Penelope answered for him, proudly.

"Good. You're alone Emily?" And before she could answer, he continued. "Because Aaron is coming, too, and I'm sure he'd prefer to stay with you rather than my little sister, as lovely as she is."

"Lovely, yes…" Emily laughed awkwardly. "Uhm, no. I'm actually expecting someone. He told me he'd arrive a bit later."

"Oh, that's good, too. Well, you guys can help yourself to all the food and drinks you want. JJ and I spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen."

As JJ blushed lightly, Emily winked at her. But the blonde simply looked down and hushed William before sending him to go talk to Morgan and his lady friend.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Em."

"Sure," she answered nonchalantly. She checked her phone and saw what time it was. "Oh, uh, I have to go back to my car, I, uh, forgot something. I'll be right back."

"Take this," JJ handed her a key. "Like that you don't have to wait for someone to beep you in.

She thanked her and turned to leave. But before she reached the door, she heard Caroline's laugh. It instantly burnt her ears. Maybe she wouldn't go back up after all.

Arriving downstairs, she got out of the building and found a spot close to a street lamp so she could see John coming. And so she waited, and waited, and after fifteen minutes, there was still no sign of John Cooley. She texted back JJ who was starting to worry, telling her that she had to make a quick stop at a drugstore for some urgent shopping. She hated lying but she hated even more waiting. She tried calling John for the umpteenth time but still nothing. His phone was turned off or he didn't want to answer.

She cursed herself as she started shivering. Who goes out at night and doesn't think of bringing a coat? But then, she remembered that she still had Aaron's in her car, which she was supposed to randomly drop on his arms when he will be reaching for a glass of whiskey or a petit canapé. And as she turned to the left to go to her car, she found herself face to face with the infamous coat borrower.

"Goodnight."

Yep. Still throaty and broody as hell, she thought.

"Hey," she lightly waved her hand at him.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Uhm, no," she lied.

"So why don't you get in then?" He asked as he pushed the lobby's door open, silently inviting her to come inside.

She gave a last lingering look at her phone before putting it away.

"Come on, hurry." She said as she passed by him and headed straight for the elevator.

Their ride went by faster than she thought and thank God, he didn't say a word so she didn't have to come up with some useless small talks to scare away the awkwardness. Sometimes it was better to just embrace it and endure it like a real woman.

He went into the apartment, held the door for her and as soon as she reached it, he walked away, greeted everyone as fast as he could and took a seat next to William. Apparently, he still hadn't resolved his antisocial issues.

The night went on, John didn't call, Emily drank along with her girl friends and they even danced for an extended period of time. William was handling the music until his sweet little sister came around to disturb everything with her hip-hop and electro songs. But it didn't last long because of the looks Aaron sent her, making her understand that nobody wanted to listen to that kind of music, since they weren't in a club, but rather in a small comity party at home. So they went back to listening to some rock songs and newfound bands.

At some point, every couple went to the rearranged living room that had turned into a dance floor and started swaying together. Emily felt terribly alone at that exact moment and wanted to go find John Cooley and make him eat his phone.

But she was also happy because she had had the occasion to talk to Spencer and Maeve. The brand new couple seemed to be doing just fine, and even better than most couples she knew. There was something in the way they looked at each other, the way they communicated that seemed so easy and natural. They seemed to perfectly fit in each other's world, and Emily just hoped that their relationship would keep on growing.

"Would you like to dance?"

She jerked her head up to look at the man addressing her, obviously surprised and brutally shaken out of her reverie.

"Mmh, no, I'm good here."

"Are you sure? You've been watching all of them dance since you've taken that seat. And you're balancing your foot in rhythm with the music."

"What? No, I'm not." She stepped her foot on the floor. "Are you spying on me?"

She took a sip of her drink and could have almost choke as she saw a subtle shade of pink creep its way to his cheeks.

"No, of course not!" He protested. "It's just that, well, we're both here alone so I thought now that they've all decided to act like couples, we could keep each other company." She opened her mouth but he kept on talking. "And you did mention that dancing was good to socialize."

She had to bite the inside of her mouth not to smile.

"I thought you were here with Caroline."

"What? No. She's…" he turned his head and took a quick glance at her. "Young. I mean, I see her grow up, like a sister."

"Then don't tell her that or you'll break her heart because she obviously has a thing for you." She saw that he was about to protest and just cut him short. "And don't try to tell me that you've never noticed. A blind guy would have seen it."

He shrugged and plunged his hands in his pants' front pockets. It looked like he was giving up on the idea of getting her to stand up so she decided to surprise him (and herself).

"So. That dance. Does your offer still stand?"

His mouth almost went up into a full smile before he extended a hand to her, that she (surprisingly) gladly grabbed. What was she doing anyway? She could of course blame it on the alcohol.

"This song is rather good."

"It is. The rhythm is nice." She waited for an answer. Nothing. "You're supposed to say something else, you know, to continue the conversation."

"I mentioned the music," as if it was some sort of achievement.

"Yes, well you could talk about the people surrounding us, William's new place… Or the weather."

"Then tell me what you'd like to talk about," he shrugged.

"Oh God, that's not how it works." She exhaled hard.

"I prefer smaller parties at home, with a few friends, rather than going out to some club. What about you?"

She had to hand it to him that at least, he was trying.

"Both, I guess. But I don't like those crowded clubs. You remember chez Miller's? That's the kind of place I like to go to. But yes, I also prefer such a sympathetic gathering at home."

"I've seen you a lot in the gardens at work. I didn't know you liked the outdoors so much."

"Oh I love it! It's such a peaceful place in the middle of that jungle."

"It was my idea, actually. I thought those buildings needed some natural grounds to give them some fresh air."

She took her lower lip between her teeth, subtly smiling at him. But before she could start enjoying the moment, she remembered something.

"And I've made some interesting encounters over there." She saw his until then relaxed face harbor a serious look. "John Cooley is such a nice guy. I don't understand why you didn't stay friends."

"I'm not sure he's aware of the definition of the word."

"Come on! You'll never talk to him again?" This was just ridiculous.

"Absolutely not. Why are you asking me that?"

"To see if I can see what kind of person you are." She saw his hands twitching by his sides. "But so far, I've just gotten mixed messages."

"I hope you'll be able to draw your own idea of myself with time."

She didn't answer, as she decided that their conversation was now other and tried to simply enjoy the dancing. He was rather good and it felt really nice to be there, surrounded by her friends, who were all in a happy place.

As the songs went by, they were getting closer and closer to each other but without ever touching one another. He'd occasionally made her twirl and the connection between their hands was the only contact they exchanged. But when she less expected, someone switched songs to Ray Charles' A Girl I Used To Know.

She slowly stopped moving, Aaron doing the same, and with a quick look around them, they saw that everyone was now slow dancing with each other, with the exception of Caroline who was sleeping on one of the couches.

"Can I?" He asked, his voice deep.

"Mmhmm," was everything she found to answer as once again, she started biting her lower lip.

Subtly, he put his hands around her waist and she folded hers around his neck. They initially kept a relatively safe distance between them, but as the song went on, he brought her closer and closer until her head rested against his shoulder.

She turned her head to look at the people surrounding them; trying to concentrate on them. But her brain didn't seem to be disposed to show good will at that precise moment.

Slowly, they simply started vanishing around her. She soon found herself alone with Aaron, sensually swaying to the great sound of the piano, the chorus, Ray's voice… It seemed to go on forever. And she wouldn't have minded if it had. She felt so warm, so secure, and most of all, so at peace, at this precise moment.

But it was brutally broken by a cold wave that came from the balcony's glass doors and went directly toward them. She lifted her head and ran her hands down his shoulders, pushing him away as subtly as possible. She felt rather than heard him clear his throat, but she kept observing her friends that were all going outside for a smoke, or to simply stare at the night sky.

"You want to go to the library? I saw he had a great LP collection, that included some Ray Charles." Her question came out of nowhere as she looked up at him, his eyes locked on hers and his hands slightly caressing her hips. "I'm surprised he listens to that kind of music."

"He doesn't. It was his father's collection. I do love it though."

She took it as a yes, grabbed his hand and dragged him through the hallway. He sat on the floor, close to the main shelf and waited for Emily. She was looking at the LPs, taking some of them under her free arm. After picking a handful of them, she sat down beside Aaron and handed the vinyl's over to him.

"I can't believe his LP player has an iPhone dock station!" She clapped her hands. "Choose one."

"You're being chivalrous?"

"Was that an attempt at a joke?" Her eyes opened wide and she started laughing.

"Yes, and it was a success, I see." He let out a little laugh before taking one of the LPs out of its sleeve and placing it on the player. "These are two of my favorite songs of his." And he turned the music on.

"Mmh, I'm surprised it's not Georgia. You seemed like such a Georgia kind of guy."

"And what is that kind of guy?"

"A lonely and classic guy."

"And what is a Crying Time and What Would I Do Without You kind of guy?"

"A much more interesting one," she answered after a few seconds of silence.

She didn't let him answer and paused the music.

"Would you do something for me?"

"If it's within my capacity."

"I think it is," she joked. "I saw ice cream in the freezer…"

Two minutes later, he was back with two cups of ice cream and spoons. He put the music back on and they started eating. He finished first and put his cup afar. As Emily took her last spoon, she squirmed and squealed.

"What was that?" He asked, half laughing, half frowning.

"My brain just froze!" She shut her eyes and hit her forehead with her hand. "Uuuuughhh."

"Put your thumb on the roof of your mouth," he said, on a serious tone.

"What?" She opened one eye and weirdly looked at him.

"Just do it," he urged.

"Okay, done," she tried to say, with her thumb in her mouth.

"Push down on it for a minute or so."

She did as said, and as the song went on, her head started to get better.

"Wow, what sort of black magic do you do?" She joked.

"I was an ice cream addict when I was a kid."

They remained silent for the following half hour, Emily started the LP again each time it ended, never getting tired of the two songs. At some point, she breathed heavily.

"I'm almost glad John didn't show up."

Shit!, she thought, as soon as the words got out of her mouth.

"John Cooley was the person you were waiting for?" He said it in such a tone that she immediately felt the need to hit him.

"Yes. He's really nice, I don't get what's your problem with him."

"My problem?" He let out a sarcastic laugh. "My problem is that he has no moral at all."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No, he's ruthless."

"What? The man just came back from war. How can you judge a man who comes back from war?" She felt outraged.

"He probably only did it for the money since it's all he can think of!"

"You… You are the one telling me that?"

"What are you implying?" His tone was severe. "You shouldn't go out with him, anyway. He's not worth of your trust."

"Who are you, my dad?" She straightened herself and moved a couple of inches away from him.

He clenched his fists, mentally hitting himself for ruining the moment. But he couldn't let her become friend with that individual. Nothing good could come out of it. But this wasn't the time nor the moment to try to reason with her… There was only one thing he wanted to do.

"I'm sorry."

He took her by surprise, and she lifted her eyes at him, astonished.

"What are you apologizing for? For being a complete jerk or trying to contr-"

She didn't have the time to finish her sentence that his mouth came crashing on hers. At first she tried to push him away but when she felt his hand run up her thigh, then cupping her side, and his tongue caressing her upper lip, she just gave in and closed her eyes.

Her hand came up to grab his hair and she opened her mouth to let him in. He tasted like whiskey and chocolate. She could have been repulsed only by the idea of associating the two. But strangely enough, on his tongue, it tasted heavenly. The bitter and the sweet. A mixture she didn't seem to get enough of.

With her free hand, she grabbed his shirt and slowly laid down, bringing him with her. He lifted her knee and positioned himself between her legs. Their tongues continued their unstoppable tango. It was abrupt and aggressive at first, but then they slowed down and it became more sensual. He took the time of caressing her waist, his hand timidly coming under her silky shirt, as she caressed his broad shoulders and started pulling his shirt out of his pants.

But they immediately stopped when they heard a door slam, both starting with surprise.

She pushed him to the side and sat up to look at the door. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was still closed. When Aaron's hand came resting on her thigh again, she slapped it away and promptly stood up.

"Oh God… What did we do?" She grabbed her purse from the sofa and headed to the door.

"Wait, Emily…"

"No, no. Just… No."

And with that, she left.

He sat up and rested against the shelf, throwing back his head and shutting his eyes. He heard her say goodbye to everyone but didn't seem to be able to stand up. The front door slammed shut and he started hitting his head against the wood.

The music was still playing in the background. But soon, the LP came to an end and the player made its particular sound, signaling that the music was over. And apparently, it was the signal he needed because he quickly stood up, grabbed his coat and ran to the front door, saying a quick goodbye to the surprised people in the living room, and headed to the elevator.

He frenetically pressed the button but the elevator was already going down. So he didn't think twice and ran to the stairwells, going down as fast as he could. When he opened the door, Emily was pushing the lobby's front door open. As she passed it, and before it closed on him, he managed to grab her wrist.

"Emily, please."

She pushed hard on her wrist.

"Let me go."

"Of course, I'm sorry." Idiot, he thought as he immediately let go of her. "You can't just leave like that."

"What do you want me to do then, huh? Tell me."

"I… I don't know. We should talk."

"Aaron, you made it very clear that talking wasn't your forte."

He saw her shivering and tried to reach for her arm but she pulled away. His eyes locked on hers and they stared at each other. A million questions were going through his mind, through hers, a million of words to say, not to say. But before he could come up with something, she sighed and started to leave.

"Please," he tried to hold her back. "At least take my coat, you're freezing."

"Ugh. Okay." Great, now she was going to start collecting his clothes, she rolled her eyes.

He dropped his coat on her shoulders and took advantage of that little window to caress her shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no. I'm sorry. This was so, so… so… inappropriate," she lamented. "Goodnight, Aaron."

She ran to her car, leaving him alone, in the cold night, and started driving home.

"Goodnight, Emily," he whispered to himself.

To be continued...

2A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the little surprise! It doesn't really stay faithful to the original story but you know, we're in 2013, it's a different era, the characters are older, etc, etc.

Anyway, we'll see if I can come up with a new chapter for next week.

Please, review if you've enjoyed it (or not).

And thanks for reading! x