Once I knew you I never wanted to know anyone else.

- Leo Christopher

I pause and take a breath. I am tired.

“I am done!” I yell at Jason and scurry towards the small set up bar and sit at one of the stools. My legs scream in pain. It is such a hard task to dance in heels. I take my heels off and massage my ankle.

“Ooh,” I hiss in pain. Jason arrives by my side.

“What, out of breath already?”

“Well, I am not wearing comfy shoes, am I?” I complain.

Jason makes tsk tsk sounds, and we watch the people on the dance floor. Then Jason nudges me in the shoulder.

“What do you think of her?”

I spot a girl in a short red dress, her hair falling around her shoulders in a curly mess. Her honey colored skin is glossed over in the dance lights. Her movement is fluid. Her smoky eye shadow compliments her bright eyes.

“Hmm, nice,” I say.

Jason smirks. “Should I try?”

“Obviously, go for it,” I encourage Jason. “You will never know if you have a chance or not if you don’t try.”

Jason takes a breath that puffs his chest up. Then he looks at me. I give him two thumbs up. He strides towards her. I smile.

I stand up and croak in pain. Taking my heels in my hands, I decide to go around with bare feet. I know that is a very bad idea, but I’m done with these heels.

So, where will I find Mr. Mystery Man?

I think starting from his room might be a good idea. So, I head upstairs. When I reach there, the memory of a distant Saturday night washes over my brain.

I smile in nostalgia. Who knew I would meet a handsome mystery boy while puking?

I try to open the door but it is locked. I walk around a little and find the room beside that one, which is locked, too.

“Oliver, are you in there?” I shout banging on his door. No replies come.

So, Oliver isn’t in his room tonight.

I go around searching for my fellow vampire buddy, but only God and Oliver know where he is. I search the whole first floor. Then I give up and go downstairs again.

The party has become louder. The DJ has gone mad. Someone is screaming a Drake song at the top of their lungs. I crash into a few people while making my way towards the pool.

There are many teens hanging around. Harry Potter is currently in the water making out with one of the Wonder Women. I see Woody dancing over a poolside bed.

This is complete and utter madness.

I roll my eyes while I continue searching for Oliver. There is no way he is anywhere near this. Oliver doesn’t do crowds and madness. Unless that madness is coming from me.

That thought makes me smile.

I mean, he sure is annoyed by me and all. But he does enjoy my company. He is just too scared to admit it.

I sigh and sit down on one of the empty beds beside the pool. Woody greets me again.

“Wanna have a dance?” he asks me with his slurred voice.

He looks so comical, I laugh. He is a senior, now I’m sure. I have seen him around. Maybe he is one of Owen’s friends.

“Over the bed?” I ask back.

“Yessss! Nobody gets me. Only you do,” Woody slurs again.

Then he stands over the bed beside mine and lends me a hand, “Come on up.”

“I don’t think so,” I say. Woody pouts.

Poor Woody. I shake my head and chuckle. Then I get this feeling that someone is looking at me.

I turn around and don’t see anyone in particular giving me attention.

“Are you looking for someone?” Woody asks from his stood up position.

“Umm, yes. A mystery man, my fellow vampire buddy,” I reply.

Woody frowns and then sighs. “Okay. I know where he is. I know you are a vampire too, and you do belong with another vampire.”

He looks like he is going to cry. Oh, Woody.

“Woody, I would love to dance with you. But I really need to find him.”

“Okay,” Woody sighs and looks up. “There.” He points his index finger towards the roof. “You see, there is a vampire sitting alone. I think he is Dracula.”

I follow his direction and I see a shadow of a figure sitting alone on the roof. The figure is facing us. I have a feeling he is looking at me. That is Oliver, for sure. I can feel the weight of his stare even from here.

“That must be him,” I reply. “How will I get there?”

“You are a vampire. You can jump and climb.”

“Well, I certainly can jump and climb,” I say, reminding myself of my climbing skills that I use to get out of my room. “But this one seems pretty hard.”

“There is a ladder in the store room that leads to the roof. My friend showed me once,” Woody replies.

His friend must be Owen.

“Okay, thank you so much,” I stand up. “I would have loved to dance with you. But I gotta go.”

I have a feeling Oliver is waiting for me.

Woody frowns. “Okay. But can I take your red cape? I like it.”

I turn around to look at my red cape. It was a pain in the ass while I was dancing and walking around. I might as well give it to him. Woody deserves it.

“What will you do with it?” I ask, taking it off.

“I will sleep in it,” Woody says. “Or maybe I will fly.”

I hand him the cape. “I hope you will fly. ”

Woody takes the cape and looks at it with such admiration, it dawns on me he only wanted to dance with me because of this cape.

“See you later.” I wave at him before taking off.

Woody doesn’t even look at me. He puts the cape over his face. It was the cape. It really was the cape. That disappoints me.

I go back inside in search of the store room that leads to the roof. When I find it, the door to the room is open. I find the ladder, and taking my heels in one hand firmly, I climb up slowly.

After struggling for a few moments, I’m finally on the roof. I walk cautiously and find Oliver sitting in one corner. Some empty bottles lay by his side.

Has he been drinking?

“Hey, Vamp buddy!” I say cheerfully as I sit down beside him.

Oliver takes his time to reply. He turns to look at me, his face illuminated by the reflection coming from the pool. He has a softness to his expression, like I have never seen before. Gone was his hard line of his clenched jaw and the knit between his eyebrows. The only thing that remains are his dark eyes, staring at me the same way like before, like he wants to read what has been going on in my brain, like he wants to consume my senses, and make me think of him every living moment.

Well, I already do that anyway.

“And you’re finally here,” Oliver says. I’m surprised by the softness of his voice.

I was joking to myself when I thought he was waiting for me. But maybe he really was waiting for me.

But, this is not the Oliver Carlson I see everyday. This is someone else. This Oliver looks different. This Oliver is not silent. This Oliver has emotions.

I glance back at the bottles lying around. Oliver is drunk.

“Are you drunk?” I whisper, scared to hear his reply. What if he isn’t, and he’s showing me a true part of himself? Am I ready for that?

Oliver follows my gaze and looks at the bottles. While eying them he asks, “Are you?”

I contemplate his question. If he is vulnerable tonight, he can blame it on his drunken state. And maybe I can do the same. Maybe for one tiny moment, I can let go of my armour and let him see the real me too.

By blaming it on my drunken state.

“Yes, had quite a few drinks downstairs, after you left.”

Oliver nods, believing me. I glance down where I can see people partying. I look back at Oliver, and find him looking at me.

My breath gets caught in my throat, and I look away hurriedly.

“Took you long enough to come find me, didn’t it?”

Oliver is 100% certainly drunk.

“Well, umm, how would I know you wanted me to find you?” I ask back, accusing. “The only thing you ever want is to get away from me.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“Aren’t you?”

Oliver leans closer, our shoulders touching, our bodies inches apart. “What about now?”

About now, my stomach is fluttered, my heart beat is speeding up, and I feel warm all over. He hasn’t even touched me.

“Why don’t you tell me? I can never figure you out. ”

“Neither can I,” Oliver confesses.

I look away. Oliver becomes silent, which is not unusual for him.

“I have never been really enthusiastic to make friends, and, you know,” Oliver looks down at his hand, “I am just not like that.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“It has become a habit, to be alone and just be all by myself,” Oliver says.

I look at his eyes. Oliver looks at me.

“So when you come barging in my life, just like that, I-” Oliver shakes his head.

“I mean, I am the Queen of Entrances. Even Thor fails,” I reply sarcastically. “Who else would get in your room puking their guts out? Only me.”

Oliver stares at me. “Do you remember what you said to me when you saw me first?”

I shake my head no.

We hear loud laughter, so we look down. There are a lot of people around the pool. Owen is laughing his heart out. Woody is dancing with my cape. Few people are swimming in the pool.

“You said, ‘You are not Owen,’” Oliver says softly.

Ouch.

Did I say that? I was drunk, God damn it.

Oliver snorts. “That is like the tagline of my life, that I am not Owen.”

“Hey,” I place my hand on his arm.

Oliver is still looking down at the pool where Owen is messing around with his friends. “I mean, I could be a hundred different things. I could be anyone. I could be the best at what I love to do, but still, at the end of the day, to everyone, ‘I am not Owen.’”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Oliver snaps his head back at me and drills me with his gaze.

“Okay, umm, maybe at that moment, I did. I didn’t know you,” I confess.

“You didn’t know Owen either,” Oliver replies.

I look down. “Yes, I didn’t know him either.”

We are both silent for a moment. I think of what I need to say to him. “I didn’t know you when I met you that day. But I know you a little bit now. And I don’t think you need to be anyone else. Owen is Owen. You are you. Both of you are different people. It was so stupid of me to say that, ‘You are not Owen,’ and I am sorry about that. I truly am. The truth is, if anyone cares about you, knows you, they won’t bother with the fact you are not someone else. They will get you. Understand you.”

When I look at Oliver, I find him staring at me.

“Where are those people?” Oliver asks.

My heart skips a beat because of what I am about to say. “Right here.”

It’s like I let a bomb out in the open by those words. Oliver doesn’t look any different though. He stares at me the same way. My stomach does this weird somersault.

Oh God. Say something, Oliver.

Then, really slowly, a corner of Oliver’s lip twitches, and he smiles.

I die. Right there. I am not even kidding.

Oliver looks away and shakes his head. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“If you know that, then why do you make me say it?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

“Validation?” Oliver says. “It just sounds different coming from your mouth.”

I huff. “Yeah, yeah.”

We go silent. Oliver is looking up at the stars. Pool lights dancing on his face make him look even more handsome, if that’s possible. Sometimes I really don’t think he belongs here, like he came from some planet where everybody looks good, really good.

Oliver turns at me suddenly and catches me staring. I look away hurriedly.

“You should take a look at a mirror,” Oliver says, half smiling.

“Why?” I ask.

“To see the way you’re blushing.”

I touch my cheeks. They feel warm. Am I really blushing?

Oliver leans in a little bit. He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. “And then you want to be my ‘friend’.”

My eyes go wide. “Wh-what do you mean? What’s wrong with wanting to be your friend?

“Just because I don’t say anything,” Oliver leans close, so close that when he whispers, his lips touch my ear, “doesn’t mean I don’t see anything either, Gwen.”

I am breathing way too hard for it to be normal. My body is radiating heat. Then Oliver’s lips find their way to my earlobe, and I shiver. Something shifts underneath me, and I slide to the outer corner of the roof.

Oliver grabs me by snaking his hands around my waist. I stare at him with my eyes wide. Then I glance back and see the poolside. I would have fallen right there.

“Why do you always fall when you are around me?” Oliver asks.

I glance at him, his arms still around me. “Fate,” I blurt out.

Oliver’s smile widens. “For the first time, I am starting to like fate.”

*****