Eighteen Years Earlier…

“I don’t think we should go in,” Rachel shouted to her best friend over the roar of music from inside the house. “My parents would kill me if they knew I was here.”

“Come on, Rachel, your parents won’t find out. It will be a blast!”

“But, I’ve never been to a Frat party before.”

“It will be ok, I promise.” Mindy tugged on Rachel’s arm and guided her inside.

Someone shoved a red solo cup filled with beer into Rachel’s hand, but it was too dark to tell who it was. She didn’t know anybody at this party besides Mindy, and she didn’t know a soul that attended this particular university. She felt like a fish out of water.

“I’ll be right back,” Mindy announced as she headed across the room. “I need to find the bathroom,” and was instantly swallowed up in the crowd.

Rachel stood against the wall, staring into her cup, hoping to go unnoticed until her friend returned. Alas, no such luck.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Haven’t I seen you in BioChem with Professor Keeling?” a deep voice asked from beside her.

“Oh, Uhm, no. I don’t go to school here.” Rachel stammered, turned, and was met with the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen.

“What a shame,” the stranger winked, his dark curly locks framing his face making him look like he had just come from a photo shoot for GQ magazine. His smile was dazzling, making her knees go weak. “This school needs more beautiful girls like you.”

Rachel had no response to his compliment other than to gulp down the rest of the contents in her cup.

“My friends call me Junior.” He said and took the cup from her hands. “Here, let me refill that for you.”

“Thanks,” she replied meekly. “I’m Rachel.” She watched him walk toward the makeshift bar on the far side of the room, admiring how his jeans hugged his butt. She blushed at her thought.

Junior returned moments later with a fresh drink and handed it to her. He leaned in very close, invading her personal space, and she caught a whiff of his cologne. She shifted from one foot to the other, but that didn’t add any distance between them as she had intended. Not knowing what to say to him, she took a deep drink from the cup and felt her head tingle a little. Being inexperienced with alcohol, she wasn’t sure if the beer or his cologne was causing the unfamiliar sensation; she just knew she liked it.

The rest of the night dissolved into a blur…