(7)
Casey stood in front of Alex, music pulsing through her head like a sword hacking away at her brain. It was so loud, Casey could not tell if she had a headache. She knew, though, that her body ached in time with the beat, and her heart beat changed to match as well. "I've heard some loud noises, Alex, but this takes the cake. I can't even understand the songs."
Alex laughed. "That's okay. People focus on your body, anyway." Around them, a few of Alex's friends danced along with strangers and people dressed in costumes Casey had never seen anywhere else in her life.. Others lounged on a couch behind a table littered with their drinks, alcohol for everyone but Casey who was sipping on Sprite. Alex held out her hands, gesturing with her fingers for Casey to give her hers. The red haired woman carefully laid her hands on Alex's. "Move like I do," Alex instructed.
Casey followed Alex's movements, jerking and shaky. "I can't do this, Alex. I don't move like this."
"Here." Alex carefully turned Casey around, pulling her body flush to her own, her fingers still intertwined with Casey's. "Close your eyes. Follow what you feel." Casey did as instructed, her lids fluttering shut as she tried to focus on the feel of Alex's body behind hers as she moved in the rhythm of her body. She tried to block out the sound of the music as well, the beat still pounding through her bones like a deep, deep ache.
It took her a moment to realize that Alex had done it, but the blond moved Casey's stray hairs from her neck, her fingers trailing down her skin. Cupping her hand over Alex's hand, Casey held Alex's palm to her neck. "Alex," she murmured, her voice too quiet to be heard over the music, even at the proximity Alex was standing.
Taking two steps forward, Casey shook her head. "Alex, wait. I, I need to sit down. But, keep dancing."
"What's wrong, Casey?" Alex asked.
"Nothing," Casey said. "I just need to sit. It's too loud in here." Casey pressed her hands over her ears to accentuate her point. Alex nodded and pointed to the couch some of the others were sitting on. Casey curled up on the fabric couch and cuddled her Sprite to her chest. Alex sat down beside her, aware enough to be far enough away to not touch her but to still be close.
"You look pretty good out there," a voice beside Casey said. She looked over and smiled mildly as the brunette man lounged back into couch, his arm draped over the back. He looked utterly content and relaxed, and Casey could not help but to smile.
She shook her head. "You're just saying that," she said with a shrug. "But, thank you, Charlie."
"You've never been out dancing before."
"Is it that obvious?"
Charlie laughed. "Just a little. Alex knows what she's doing. She'll teach you how to find the rhythm."
"You sound like a beatnik." Casey shifted on the couch so that she was evenly spaced between Alex and Charlie with a cautionary err closer to Alex. She had never really done well around male strangers. It was just her level of socially awkward, and it was flamboyant and incredibly evident. It was difficult to miss that she had no idea what to do with herself around the men in the group, but it was equally easy to misunderstand what that really meant.
Hiding his smile, Charlie took a sip of the beer he was holding. "There might be a poet in me somewhere," he quipped.
Chewing at the inside of her lip as though it were necessary that she eat her way through her mouth, Casey stared at her hands. She was trying hard to not treat any of the guys in the group like siblings even though that was her assertion of each one. They were Alex's friends. Ergo, it was okay to treat them like friends. But, she needed the practice apparently, and they seemed to know about what was wrong and what was right. Plus, if Alex jumping in as often as she did was an indicator, at least two of the men in their group had hit on her that night and one other man from the club. Casey did not yet know if that were a good thing or not, but she was incredibly grateful to not be alone at the club.
"Hey, come dance with me," Charlie said, standing as he held out his hand to Casey.
Briefly, Casey looked to Alex who nodded, shooing Casey away with her hand. "Go. Have fun," she said as a bottle blond flopped on the now vacant area of the couch beside Casey. Earlier in the night, Casey had been introduced, and if she remembered correctly, that was Monica. The woman was barely twenty one and taking in the clubbing and drinking thing eagerly. She handed Alex a tumbler of something Casey could not identify, her friend taking it with a grateful smile.
"Alright," Casey said, taking Charlie's hand and letting him lead her back to the dance floor a few feet away. Really, they had a prime spot in the club for lounging around. The way some of Alex's friends reacted in the club, Casey figured they were there often enough. That, and the bar tender knew Andy by name when Casey had helped him carry everyone's drinks back to the table. The bar tender also did not seem to mind that Andy was buying so many drinks at once even though most of the people around them were unable to order more than two or three drinks at once.
"Just enjoy the music," Charlie coached.
Casey still felt awkward and jittery, but she tried to do as she was told and mimic the other girls around her. Quite simply, dancing did not come naturally to her.
"What do you do for fun?" Charlie asked.
"I play softball and read," Casey answered. "What about you?"
Smiling, Charlie shrugged. "I like going to the movies. Wanna get some fresh air?" Casey nodded. He reached out and grabbed Casey's hand, his fingers soft and gentle around hers. She followed him over to a side door, wiggling through the crowd of people, bursting out onto the porch, almost gasping like a fish out of water.
The only noise on the porch was the chatter of people talking. It smelled of cigarette smoke, but Charlie found them a place upwind of everyone else that was not nearly so choked with smoke, where he and Casey could breathe. He perched on the railing around the deck area, and Casey followed suit. "I like it out here much better," she murmured.
"Me, too," Charlie agreed. "It's quieter. I like to hear myself think."
Casey laughed. "I guess."
"You sure you're okay?" the brunette male asked, his fingers gently pushing Casey's hair behind her ear.
Biting her lip, Casey nodded. "Yea, I'm fine."
"You seem distracted."
Casey shrugged. "I've never been very good at talking to guys."
"Why not? We're just people."
"I know. I'm just awkward."
"I think you're cute."
Casey blushed, the heat rising to her face rapidly. "Thanks," she murmured, letting go of the railing with one hand, trying to hide the obvious color in her otherwise snow white cheeks.
"You are innocent, aren't you?" Charlie asked rhetorically. "Have you and Ali been friends long?"
"She's my second year mentor. I met her just before classes started last semester. We just kinda clicked."
Charlie nodded. "She's a good friend to have. Is law school everything you hoped it to be?"
"And more," Casey answered with a grin. "I really am enjoying myself. What about for you?"
"It's nice. I feel like I'm doing something with myself. But, it's also really stressful. Some days, I think it might just be too much."
"I know the feeling," Casey confessed. "I kept thinking that one more all nighter, and I was going to collapse from exhaustion."
"You're a better person than I am."
"No better, no worse."
Charlie smiled. "You know, I'd really like to spend more time with you. Maybe we could get coffee later this week?"
"Sure. I work at a cafe near the campus. Maybe one day after I get off work."
"Sounds great."
Casey shivered. "Good. This is going to sound weird, but I'm freezing. Can we go back inside?"
"Yea. You bet. It's almost midnight, anyway. They'll be starting the count down in a few minutes. We should all be together." Charlie hopped off the rail and held his hand out to Casey who took it and slid off the iron bar, her other arm wrapped around her bare shoulders, skin covered in gooseflesh.
Charlie led the way back to the couch where Alex and Monica were talking. Everyone else had managed to disappear, but the two women were guarding the drinks. "Where'd everyone go?"
"Andy's in some dark corner doing his thing, everyone else is out on the dance floor. It's almost midnight, Charlie. Where'd you two disappear off to?" Alex asked looking up.
Biting her lip, Casey shrugged. "Outside. It's much quieter."
Alex laughed, patting the couch beside her, looping her arm around Casey's shoulder as the red haired woman settled in, leaning against her friend. "Did you two have a nice talk?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Charlie.
"Yes," Casey said. "Charlie's an interesting person."
"Don't be jealous, Cabot," Charlie chided.
"I'm not," Alex said. "Just worried. What did you two talk about?" She was still fixed on Charlie, her arm draped protectively around Casey.
"Alex?" Casey asked, lifting her head from the blond's shoulder and looking between the two. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, Casey. Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "I'm going to get something to drink. Do you two want anything?"
Alex shook her head.
"Sprite?" Casey asked, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans for some cash. Charlie nodded but refused the money Casey offered him, disappearing into the crowd. "Alex?" Casey turned back to her friend, tucking the money away. "I'm confused."
"He's interested in you, Casey," Alex said, her tone speaking of caution.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No," Alex responded, stroking Casey's hair. "He's very smart."
"Why don't you like him, then?"
Alex smiled, her body language softening. "I guess he's right. I'm jealous."
"Of what? Do you like him? I'm not trying to-"
"No," Alex said quickly, shaking her head. "No, no, no. He's all yours." Alex tossed her head back and laughed. "Listen to us. It's like high school all over again."
"Maybe your high school," Casey answered. "Not mine."
"Just not the part you participated in. You're lucky."
Casey shook her head. "To be the social outcast? My brothers were all big shots on sports teams and had tons of friends. I was good at the sports I played, good enough to make varsity and be scouted in soft ball, but I never made the kinds of friends you make."
"That might be a good thing, hot shot," Alex said with a slight frown. "Are you okay?"
"Yea."
"You're a liar if there ever was one."
"So are you."
Alex smiled. "Just a little."
Charlie returned, holding out a clear carbonated beverage for Casey. "Sprite for you, Casey," he announced.
"Thanks, Charlie," Casey said, taking the glass from his hands, sipping from the straw.
"Last dance of the year with me, Casey?" Charlie asked.
"Um," Casey hesitated, looking at Alex with uncertainty. Alex moved her arm from Casey's shoulders and pushed her standing. "Okay." Charlie grinned.
Laughing, Casey followed Charlie onto the floor, dancing with him. She could not help but turn to look at Alex. The blond woman was watching her, tumbler to her lips, lids lowered, and even in the darker, colorful lights of the club, Casey could tell that Alex was watching her almost exclusively. Charlie put his hands on Casey's hips, drawing Casey's attention away from her blond friend and to the man she was trying to dance with.
Casey leaned back against Charlie, her mind quickly working to try and wrap her head around the night. There was just so much that was new to her that she was having trouble adapting. Men did not flirt with her because she had never allowed it. Or, maybe she had just never noticed it. Alex had pointed it out, and she did not doubt that Charlie was flirting with her. She just could not tell if she was flirting back, or even if she wanted to. She did not know if she wanted to jump at the first chance or wait until she had more knowledge behind her, more understanding of that aspect of social society.
"Charlie," Casey murmured, pushing his hands away from where his fingers danced over her hips and up her sides. "I can't."
"Okay," Charlie muttered in her ear, his hands covering hers. "You be comfortable, Casey."
Casey nodded as the DJ announced the beginning of the countdown. "Come on," Casey said, her eyes lighting up as she pulled Charlie back over, closer to the couch and the rest of the group which had reconvened with a few new participants.
Andy passed Charlie and Casey sparkling hats, and Casey pulled hers on. "Here's to a new start," Casey said with a smile.
"Heck yes," Alex agreed. Monica grabbed Alex's arm, pulling her several feet from Casey and Charlie. Charlie wrapped his arm around Casey, and she leaned against him, careful not to dislodge her hat. They joined in the countdown, and the lights went off as tradition dictated, the dark world filled with the sounds of cheering and party horns. There was a trickle of confetti and balloons sinking around them, things that had been released when the countdown hit zero, just before the lights went dark.
Alex felt a hand on her cheek, moving her face, lips pressed up against hers. It was a chaste, uncertain kiss in the total darkness, and Alex's senses flared to life. She had dated on both sides of the coin, and in so doing, assumed the woman kissing her was Monica who had been fawning over her all night. She pressed her hand into the back of the woman's bare back, pulling her tighter against her. She had meant what she had told Casey. She didn't need a boyfriend to put her tongue down someone's throat. After a few heart beats, the mouth pushed up against hers opened, and Alex responded in kind, pulled into an incredibly passionate kiss that left her breathless and wanting more.
By the time the lights flickered back on and everyone began cheering, whomever had been in front of Alex was gone. Monica, however, offered Alex a flirtatious grin. Alex smiled back. Reaching over, Monica swiped part of Alex's lip, coming away with an almost purple lipstick. Alex's eyes roved over the bottle blond, her eye shadow and lipstick almost matching shades of purple. Blushing sheepishly, Alex looked to the floor before her. Her eyes flickered up again, this time meeting Casey's eyes. The woman was standing a few feet away with Charlie, hugging her Sprite to her chest. Quickly, Casey looked away, staring hard into her drink, playing with her lower lip with her fingers.
"Happy New Year, Alex," Monica said, pulling her away from the group, laughing.
Smiling, Alex trotted into the dancing crowd again with the other woman leading the way.
"What's wrong, Casey?" Charlie asked the red head beside him.
Casey turned to him, smiling. "Nothing. Why do you keep asking?"
"You look at Alex a lot."
"She's kind of my guide. This is new territory, Charlie."
"Just do what feels right. Do you think I'll steer you wrong?"
Casey shrugged. "I don't know you, Charlie. For as sweet as you are tonight, I don't know you."
"Fair enough. For being innocent, you're smart. I like that."
"Me, too," Casey murmured. She felt torn and did not understand why. It really was new territory for her, and now with Alex's insight, she knew Charlie was hitting on her. It made her more nervous than she had thought it would. She had just kind of assumed she would be single for her entire life, buried in her work. She had joked more than once with her sister, Stephanie, that she would be like a nun, but rather than married to the service of God, she intended to be married to the service of the law.
Charlie snickered. "You're something special, Casey, you know that?"
"What do you mean?" Casey asked, innocently twisting her fingers together. She truly did not understand and it was becoming frustrating for her as much as it were a wonder. "I'm nothing special."
"You are, but I have a feeling I'm going to have no success in arguing what you believe about yourself."
Casey's brow furrowed as she looked Charlie over. "That's cruel," she muttered, pulling away from him, disappearing through the crowd.
Alex watched the red haired woman push past her, seemingly unaware that she was breaking up the two women dancing on the floor. "Hang on, Monica. I'll be right back. I think Charlie fucked up."
Monica nodded, and Alex took off after Casey, catching up to her just outside the front door. "Casey," she called, squeezing past the bouncers. "Casey, wait. Talk to me. What happened?"
Turning, Casey looked back at Alex, blinking tears back furiously. "Nothing, Alex. Nothing happened."
"You're crying over nothing, then?"
"I'm not crying." Even as she said it, Casey pushed the tears from her face back hard.
"What did Charlie do?" Alex asked. Casey shook her head. "Well, then what did he say?"
Casey shook her head again. "It's just me being stupid, Alex. That's all. I'm sorry. You shouldn't worry about me."
Alex wrapped her arms around Casey. "Of course I worry about you, hot shot. You're not being stupid. If it upset you, then it upset you."
"It's not just what he said, Alex. I'm confused and scared. I've spent the night trying to flirt but I just don't think it's what I want."
"What do you mean, Casey?" The red head shook her head, burying her head into Alex's shoulder. "Hot shot, I can't help you out unless you talk to me."
Biting her lip, Casey stood back, her arms wrapped about her bare skin. "I don't know, Alex. Never mind. Forget me. Can we leave?"
Alex nodded. "Of course. Why don't we take a cab? We'll leave the guys to keep drinking. I'll go tell Andy. I'll be right back."
Casey nodded, leaning against the building as Alex walked up to the bouncers, scooting beyond them through the door once she talked to them briefly. Casey did not know what she said, but they seemed to know her.
Once inside, Alex wound her way over to the couch. "Hey, Alex, what's going on?" Andy asked.
"I'm going to take Casey home. She's had enough exposure for one night. Charlie, can I talk to you?"
The man nodded, slipping to the side with the blond woman. "What's up, Cabot? Is Casey okay?"
"You shouldn't have had anything to drink tonight. Not making an impression on Casey. You know alcohol doesn't mix well."
"That's none of your fucking business, Cabot," Charlie bristled.
"It is if you hurt her, Charlie. She's my friend." Alex squared off with the man. "You stay away from her unless you plan on behaving. She's innocent, and you have no right to take that away from her."
Charlie shrugged. "I'll only take what she gives me. I know she's naïve, Alex. I'm not stupid, so stop treating me like I am. You think she might just be overreacting?"
"No," Alex snapped. "Because I know what you're like when you start drinking."
"I'm not an asshole. Stop making me out to be one."
"You can't drink on your meds, Charlie," Alex hissed. "You know that. It messes with your head. You're a good guy, and I'd love to see her with a good guy, but not when she's going to be crying at the end of her first night meeting you. What did you say to her? What did you do?"
"She's frightened, Alex. She doesn't know about flirting and dating. Do I think she's cute? Yes. Would I like to get to know her? Yes. Have I been flirting all night? God, yes. Have you seen her? Don't you dare tell me you wouldn't flirt with her if you thought anything might come of it."
Alex slapped Charlie. She didn't know where the anger had come from except that it flowed out over her, and the best outlet at that moment happened to be Charlie's cheek against her open palm. "If you ever take advantage of her, Charlie Rhoads, you better hope and pray to God that I don't find out."
Turning Alex left the club, finding Casey still outside, leaning against the brick wall, her cheek pressed against the chilled material. "Come on, Casey. Let's get you home."
"I'm a fool, huh?"
"No," Alex murmured. "I promise, you're not."
"I don't fit in at a place like this, Alex. I'm sorry. I just don't."
"Despite what he said, would you see Charlie again? Maybe one on one?"
"Yea. I really don't think he meant anything bad by what he said. I just – I'm the one that should apologize. I owe him that much."
Alex licked her lips, glancing down before sighing. "I can't tell you what to do, Casey."
"But, you don't think I should apologize," Casey concluded.
Shaking her head, Alex shrugged. "You do what you want, Casey."
"What aren't you telling me about Charlie, Alex? Have you two known each other longer than he said? Did you date? What? Something's gotta be there."
"No," Alex said, offering a soft smile. "I'm just being overprotective."
"I don't need protecting," Casey said, her voice hurt.
"No," Alex agreed. "You don't. You're just my friend, and that's how I am. It doesn't mean anything, just that I'm over protective. You do what makes you happy, Case. I'll stand behind that one hundred percent."
"Thanks, Alex." Casey bit her lip, shuffling her feet in the light snow covering the sidewalk. It was not snowing as they stood there and talked, but it had been snowing earlier while they were inside the club. "I agreed to have coffee with him later this week."
"Good for you," Alex said with a smile.
"I'm scared I'm going to mess things up. I've never done this before."
"There's plenty of times after if you do. Charlie knows you're inexperienced. He'll be a gentleman."
