Chapter 2

Throwing her second beer bottle into the trash, Neela smiled to herself, feeling the effects of her buzz hit her full force. Yeah, this is exactly what I needed. A chance to let my hair down and flirt with a couple of cute blokes.

Neela turned around and decided to seek out her roomie and give him proper thanks for bringing her tonight. Walking through the house, Neela kept an eye out for Ray, but was suddenly pulled to the side. "Hey Neela, let's dance." She heard a low whisper in her ear. Thinking it was Ray she turned and grinned, only to find herself face to face with…Nick.

"Hey there Nick, we did just dance, ten minutes ago," Neela responded casually.

"Right, let's go out to the porch then and get some air," Nick said grabbing her hand and leading her out the sliding doors. Uncertain as to whether she wanted to 'get some air' but still keen on finding Ray, Neela allowed Nick to escort her outside.

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"Aaah, much better," Nick stated taking a deep breath and moving closer to Neela, who was leaning against the railing. "Having a good time?" He asked her, playing with her hair.

"Yeah, surprisingly I am," Neela replied smiling at him. "It's been a long time since I've had a chance to relax and not think about work, too long."

"That's good, nothing like a party, a few brews and a little company to get the mind off…of things," He finished slowly, moving closer still, lightly trailing is finger along her jaw. Recognizing the look in his eyes but unsure if this is what she wanted to do, Neela turned her face slightly away and allowed Nick to place soft kisses on her neck. Trying to enjoy the feel of Nick's lips on her skin, Neela couldn't help but sense that something was off about this situation.

She turned her gaze to look over Nick's shoulder and her eyes fell upon a blonde chick with a tight fitted short dress, in the midst of a lip lock with a guy whose face she couldn't quite see. The couple turned slightly and Neela could now see the blonde's hands firmly grasping the guy's ass. The guy in his navy tee, jeans and tattoos was looking a lot like her roommate. Wait…..that was her roommate! Oh my god, Ray!

Shocked Neela, lightly pushed Nick away. "Hey, Neela you ok?" Nick whispered to her, looking at the appalled expression on her face.

Nodding her head slightly, Neela took a deep breath, trying to control her thoughts. Ray kissing that blonde! The blonde with her tight dress and hands all over his….I need to get out of here, now!

Turning to Nick, she urgently requested. "Can you take me home, Nick? I'm not feeling too good." Which most definitely wasn't a lie, considering her stomach was in knots and she fought to control the wave of dizziness that had just hit her. Grabbing a hold of his arm, Neela followed Nick back into the house and out the front door.

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15 minutes earlier

Ray downed the rest of his beer, with the hope that if he was drunk enough, he could get his mind off of Neela and the guys that were probably following her around. Think Barnett, this is your roommate, good ol' Neela, prim and proper. Looking hot in that shirt, she really should let her down more often……bad move Ray. Really bad.

"Here Ray, I got you another beer." Erica sauntered over to him, kissing him soundly on the lips.

Breaking off the kiss to take a sip of the beer and keep Erica from getting too friendly. Ray smiled at her and tried for the 7th time that evening to start a more meaningful conversation with her. "How's beauty school been treating you?"

"It's okay, not what I thought it was going to be," Erica mused, more interested in running her hands up and down his arms and pulling him close. "I was thinking of maybe quitting and hanging around with you guys at your gigs, you know help out," she continued coyly. "I could be like your assistant."

Trying to ignore that alarm bells going off in his head, Ray gave her small smile, "Now Erica, quitting would probably be bad idea, you wouldn't have much fun with us."

Pouting slightly, Erica looked up at him with a clear invitation in her eyes. Ray recognized the look all too well, considering she had been hinting to him all evening. He cleared his throat and took another sip of his beer as he gazed around the porch.

Ray noticed Nick walk out with Neela trailing behind him. Uncomfortable by their closeness and the smile playing on Neela's lips as she talked to Nick, Ray turned back to Erica.

Erica took this opportunity to lean towards him, running her hands down the front of his shirt, down his sides. Whoa. Ray hesitated switching his gaze back to where Neela and Nick were standing close and watched as Nick ran his finger along Neela's face.

Realizing that what he was about to witness wasn't something he wanted to remember later, Ray seized the opportunity Erica had presented him with and kissed her. Reaching over to pull her face close to his, all the while feeling her hands reach down and firmly grab his ass. Beyond caring at this point, Ray continued kissing her until they were both out of breath.

"Hold on," He gasped trying to catch his breath. He looked up and noticed that Neela and Nick were no longer standing near the railing of the porch. In fact they weren't anywhere outside. Trying to calm the panic he was feeling on the inside at the thought of where Neela could have gone with Nick. Ray brushed past Erica, "Be right back."

He headed indoors, asking some of his pals if they had seen Nick or Neela come through. Most of them just shook their heads and suggested he look upstairs. Groaning, he quickly walked through the living room and was about to go up the stairs when he bumped into Jason, the drummer of his band. "Hey Jay, have you seen Nick or Neela around?"

"Sure, man, I saw your roomie leave here about five minutes ago with Nick." Jason replied giving him a grin. "I think she wanted to end this night on a happy note. I suggest you do the same, Erica is quite the hottie."

Annoyed that Neela had left with Nick and not even spoken to him, Ray cursed. "Damn it!"

"What's up, Ray," his friend asked looking confused. "Nothing, Jason, nothing I'm going to head out now, I have an early start tomorrow at the hospital." Ray lied, feeling tired.

Ray walked out of the house and over to his van, forgetting about Erica and just wanting to get away. Knowing that going home wasn't an option, Ray headed to the closest bar instead.