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Leaning against the nearest wall, Derek nursed the cup of beer in his hands. He didn’t have a single clue why he agreed to come to this party. He wasn’t a party person. Parties meant standing around and chatting with people he didn’t know, or like, about asinine topics such as football games that he didn’t attend or watch, what type of beer was better when he’d rather be drinking whiskey, and which girl was the prettiest.
With people he didn’t know or care to get to know.
The only reason he was at this party was because Charles and Mary Musgraves had persuaded him into it.
Charles had his own reasons; Derek recognized that even if he was clueless just which person he was trying to be set up with. Or maybe that was Mary’s reasons.
Looking down at the beer in his hands, he wondered if he should have taken those shots of whiskey before coming here. Although Anne was driving. Sweet, dependable Anne Elliot. Just the thought made him want to down the rest of the cheap beer in his hand.
Or was Charles the designated driver?
Scanning the room, he looked to take notice of what was going on. Some of his training was still instilled in him, even if he’d probably drank more than was healthy for his liver. It didn’t really matter; he’d agreed, reluctantly, to crash in the Musgraves’ guest room – or on their couch if the Musgraves Sisters weren’t also crashing at Charles’ place – so his sister and brother-in-law weren’t likely to see him in his inebriated state.
There was Charles in a corner having a heated discussion with Etta and Isa. He noticed that Etta kept looking over at where one of the frat guys was morosely nursing his own cup of cheap beer.
In the back of his mind, he remembered something about Etta being interested in Charlie Hayes before he had made his appearance into their circle. He vaguely remembered seeing the pair of them talking at the Musgraves dinner party before Charlie had stormed out of the house.
Moving away from the wall, he headed directly towards Charlie.
“Hey,” he mumbled, his face expressionless as he addressed the younger guy. “Etta has been miserable these past few weeks without you. She’s been moping ever since you canceled that date suddenly.”
“She hasn’t been interested in me since...” Charlie hesitated, turning to look Derek in the eye. “Since this semester started.”
“She might have been...mildly distracted,” Derek hedged, “but she’s been moping around ever since the dinner at her parents' house.”
Charlie looked at Derek. Merely looked at him. Finally, he nodded his head and asked, “Why are you telling me this?”
Derek glanced over towards where Anne was catering to Mary’s whims. “I know what it’s like,” was all he said before returning to the wall he was holding up.
Ten minutes later, he watched Etta move to talk to Charlie. He didn’t know if she’d seen him talking to Charlie or not, only that he had a gut feeling about the twenty-one-year-old.
After his time in the Navy, he learned to trust his gut feelings.
He only wished he could trust his heart.
Ten minutes later found him unthinkingly swirling the remaining liquid in his cup, staring at it in a blind stupor. He didn’t think he had been drinking that much, but he couldn’t recall just how many times he’d wandered over to the makeshift bar to get a refill.
He made a mental note to throw a twenty into the tip jar to pay for the expense of his drinks.
Derek almost missed the flash of blonde hair that rushed up to him, pressed her lips against his, and darted off again.
Looking around, he tried to get a glimpse of who had issued a kiss and run, but without knowing anything more than it was a blonde – not even a shirt color had caught his attention – there was no way to tell who it was among the crowd of real and bleached blonde sorority girls and other guests crowded in the frat house.
Glancing around the room, he saw Anne and stumbled his way over to where she was sitting with Mary.
Ignoring Mary’s pouting, he mumbled, “I need to leave.”
Anne stood up, aware that Derek wasn’t nearly as steady as he thought he was. His words were not as clear as he assumed, but she knew what he meant.
“Why?” Mary asked, her arms crossed as she scanned the room.
Narrowing her eyes, Anne looked down at her sister, aware – even if Derek wasn’t – that Mary had spent the last thirty minutes complaining about having to go to a stupid frat party just so that Charles and Isa could convince Etta to put herself out of her own misery and try to gain Charlie’s forgiveness.
She had a few choice words about fraternities and sororities putting the lowly poor students up on the pedestal Greek Life allowed. She considered them to be social climbers and loudly proclaimed her opinions, unaware of several of the glares cast in her direction by the people around them. To Mary, it didn’t connect that you needed money in order to pay the dues needed to join.
“I think I drank too much,” he mumbled, still slurring his words. “I don’t normally drink this much.”
“Distraught that you lost Etta?” Mary bitterly asked him, disappointed she had been wrong about her favored pair and that it seemed as if Isa was going to win the handsome veteran and future real estate agent.
“No,” he shortly answered her, looking at Anne as he answered Mary. “Can we leave?”
“I’ll go find Charles,” Anne responded. “He has the keys. Just...” she glanced around the room, reluctant to say what she needed, “...sit down next to Mary and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Why’d you have to let Etta go after Charlie Hayes?” Mary spit out as soon as Anne disappeared in the crowd. “His father works in a factory.”
Derek eyed Mary carefully, juggling his first impulsive response with the tiny shred of sense he still held. “Charlie Hayes is pre-med. He’s going to be a doctor. Depending on his practice, Etta will probably end up better off than she currently is.”
Anne returned a few minutes later, Charles and Isa in tow. “Etta will be getting a ride home with Charlie,” Anne grinned.
“Great,” Mary grumbled.
“Where are you staying, Derek?” Charles asked, Isa leaning in closer to find out.
“My sister and her husband are...” he paused, shaking his head as he tried to remember where Sophy and Bob had gone for the weekend. “They went...”
“He’ll be staying in your guest room, Charles,” Anne insisted, reminding her brother-in-law while helping Derek up off of the couch and slinging an arm over her shoulders. “Can you walk?” she asked him.
“Barely,” Derek admitted, subtly breathing in Anne’s shampoo.
He didn’t know that only Charles had caught his movements. Mary and Isa were already heading out towards the car; the only two completely sober people in the group - Anne and Charles - wondered if the girls were now plotting how to get Isa firmly on Derek’s radar.
But Charles... Charles was another matter. He had begun to suspect something he didn’t want to voice aloud in case he was wrong.
“I can sleep on the couch if Isa is sleeping over.”
“That might be a good idea,” Charles replied, taking the bulk of Derek’s weight off of Anne and handing over the keys. “Go get the car started, Anne. You know how Mary gets.” Turning towards Derek, he stated, “The couch is much closer to a bathroom than the guest room.”
