Halloween night. The first time in a long time that I had an actual costume and not something thrown together from the depths of my closet, a costume I had handmade no less and not simply bought at the store. Regardless of how many compliments I was receiving I was still feeling unsure of myself, as I always did in skirts, although this one was much shorter than I was used to and therefore a source of great nervousness. When my husband, my best friend and I arrived we did our part to help set up the party, being thrown by the close-knit group of friends I belong to, but there wasn't much to be done and we were soon slamming back shots of Jaeger and Rockstar, a group trademark, followed by big plastic glasses full of vodka and Sprite.
It wasn't long before I was able to relax and felt my 'other side' coming out. People have always said I'm a different person when I've been drinking and it's not a lie. Normally, I take the word 'bitch' as a compliment but when I've had a few drinks, I'm suddenly social and outgoing, a complete transformation. It took only a good song to get my best friend and I on the dance floor and we did everything we could to encourage other people to join us. Though so early in the night, few actually took on that challenge.
When the music changed we headed off the dance floor and towards the doors, mutually agreeing it was time for a smoke and a refill. We bypassed the open bar, however, knowing there were two half gallons each of vodka and whiskey (the top shelf stuff and not the cheap crap being served to the party) in the back of my truck. Since neither of us was planning on staying sober enough to drive home that night we'd also loaded up a futon mattress in the bed along with enough pillows & blankets to turn the canopy covering the truck bed into a mobile bedroom.
Moving from the dance floor to outside always takes a while, greeting people and making the rounds through the crowd. By the time we finally stepped outside the door my skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat and I was on the verge of overheating. But after a quick glance through the crowd milling about on the sidewalk the temperature of my body suddenly plummeted. Standing among a crowd of people, most of whom I knew, was one of two people I wasn't expecting to see there that night. And I had no idea how to react to either the sudden and immediate turn on I felt nor to the strong urge I had to change my outfit that instant.
Jared and I had met a few months prior at a smaller party, something casual that had erupted into an intense night of flirting and sexual tension. My husband had been off having his own fun with the hosts of the party and I was left to push Jared's limits as far as he'd let me. His being with someone at the time that wasn't as open as my husband and I were made things restricted but no less fun. My shock at his being at our Halloween party stemmed from a series of incidents in the week or so prior; beginning with his getting in contact with me to let me know he was now single and ending with his somewhat vague and unconfirmed plans for that very night.