I didn't know anything about the new young bodyguard except what he looked like. Maybe that was enough. I was curious about him. My father rarely allowed anyone to get that close to our family, especially someone who stayed in the house almost twenty-four hours a day.
I even started to wonder if my father was paying him to watch over me. I kept seeing him everywhere.
Whenever I walked past the office wing, I found myself glancing at him with interest. I don't even know why, but there was something about his appearance that caught my attention.
I tried to focus on my studies when suddenly my phone rang. I ignored it, but it kept ringing over and over again. I rolled my eyes and finally picked up.
I put the call on speaker and set my phone on the desk, then leaned back in my chair.
"My friend is throwing a party today and…"
Mew said hesitantly.
"Are you going partying again, Mew? Not with me. I'm out."
"Wei, come on, it's not a big deal."
I didn't respond.
"Win, what about you?"
Mew asked through the phone.
I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. If my parents found out, I'd be grounded for the rest of my life. But curiosity won.
"When and where?"
I could almost see his cheerful smile.
"9 p.m. at my place. We'll go together."
Sneaking out of the house without being noticed was difficult. The security guards at the gate made it even harder, and climbing over the fence wasn't an option it was about three meters high. Only then did I start to question why I was even doing this. If anyone found out and told my father or worse, posted it online it would be a disaster.
I had no idea how to get to Mew's house. I'd always had drivers take me everywhere, but that wasn't possible now. My only options were walking, which would take too long, or calling a taxi. So I chose the taxi.
After twenty minutes, I arrived. His house was quite big, though not as big as mine. I hadn't even managed to ring the bell when I saw Mew approaching me, holding a bottle of his father's alcohol.
I looked around to make sure no one was watching him, but Mew didn't seem to care at all.
"Are you crazy?!" I scolded him. What was he thinking? I knew he did reckless things sometimes, but I didn't expect him to bring a whole bottle of whiskey.
"Relax, man. You're not going to be a teenager forever."
"Yeah… sure."
About an hour of wandering around in a taxi later, we ended up on the outskirts of Bangkok. From a distance, I could hear loud music coming from a nearby building. I still thought it wasn't a very responsible idea, but Mew didn't seem to care at all.
"Mew?"
"Win! Come here!"
I heard my friend's voice coming from somewhere in the kitchen.
I headed there right away, since I didn't know the place or the people around me. I noticed several students from our school already drunk, people I had never even spoken to before.
Next to Mew, I noticed a fairly tall guy and a girl of average height. They looked slightly unsteady, but still aware enough. The girl gave me a polite smile, which I returned immediately.
The guy standing next to her, however, gave me an almost murderous look. He raised one eyebrow, clearly irritated. He had short blond hair with visible roots of his natural color.
"I'm Pluk,"
the girl said, interrupting my silent staring contest with… probably her boyfriend.
"I'm Win,"
I replied confidently.
"And this is Van, my boyfriend,"
she added, pointing at the boy mentioned earlier.
Trying to be polite, I offered him my hand, but he only scoffed and looked away. I quietly slipped my hand back into the pocket of my jacket.
I sat down at the kitchen island on a bar stool, not really knowing what to do. I had been to a few parties before, but only with people I knew, and here I only knew Mew, who looked like he was about to drift off into unicorn land after his whiskey drink.
Pluk leaned her elbows on the counter and moved closer to me, which made Van tighten his grip around her waist. She looked like she was scanning my face.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Water, maybe something fizzy."
Someone had to keep an eye on that idiot when he got drunk. I wasn't planning on drinking I wasn't stupid enough to drink at not-quite-seventeen.
"Don't be a pussy, man."
Van suddenly spoke in a mocking tone, stepping closer and throwing an arm over my shoulder. I looked at him uncertainly, but his confidence overshadowed me, and I felt like a kid being scolded.
"I'll make you my signature drink."
I glanced at him, unsure, but after a moment I nodded. If it hadn't been for the encouraging looks from Mew and Pluk, I probably wouldn't have agreed.
A moment later, he handed me a glass filled with alcohol you could smell from a mile away. I hesitated, looking at the three of them staring at me.
"Come on, come on, don't be a pussy!"
Mew shouted.
When the bitter taste of alcohol slid down my throat, I grimaced, but after a moment it was replaced by the taste of some kind of sweet drink. It actually tasted good, but in the back of my mind I had a feeling this might not be a good idea.
A few hours later, I was sitting on the couch with some girl, holding a drink in my hand. I felt good, but whenever I stood up, my head started spinning. I laughed at Pluk's not-so-funny jokes, while the girl next to me fell asleep on my shoulder.
I hadn't felt this carefree in a long time, without my father standing nearby and controlling my every move. It was nice. I was finishing my drinks faster than Mew sitting next to me, but alcohol seemed to hit him twice as hard, while I still felt somewhat aware.
"Do you want something stronger?"
Van asked in a drunken voice, as if he himself wasn't entirely sure what was going on anymore. I was still sober enough to shake my head right away, but Mew immediately agreed. In my state, I didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.
A moment later, Van came back with some kind of package. I didn't know what was inside. When Pluk asked who else wanted a drink, I raised my hand. Knowing she would probably bring me a glass in a moment, I stood up and, barely managing, made my way to the bathroom. The last thing I heard was someone saying it would be better to add "that" to the drink and have it with alcohol. I snorted.
When I came back to the couch, I grabbed the drink sitting right in front of me and took a sip. I didn't notice anything unusual.
"Win, come ooon, let's dance."
The girl who was still sitting next to me said. I agreed, since I didn't have anything else to do.
For a few minutes, we swayed to one of the songs from Pluk's playlist, and Lia, because I think that was her name moved closer to me, resting her chin against my chest. I pulled her closer, holding her by the waist. Her eyes sparkled from the alcohol, which made her look cute.
For a moment, I closed my eyes when a strong wave of dizziness hit me, and I was pulled out of the haze by the feeling of someone's lips on mine. I don't even know why, but I returned the kiss. The touch of her lips was soft like feathers, which made me pull her impossibly close, continuing to kiss her, trying to be as gentle as I could. Her touch almost knocked me off balance. I had never felt anything like it before.
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Mew…
I pulled away from Lia and clumsily took my phone out.
"What do you want?"
I slurred.
"Where are you? The taxi's here, you were supposed to be here five minutes ago, idiot!"
Shit…
I don't exactly remember how I got to the taxi, but I clearly remember what happened when I got out. After Mew drove off, leaving me in front of my house, I wondered what I should do. The security guards weren't around, so all that was left was to just go straight inside, right?
It wasn't easy. My legs kept tangling, and my head felt like a rollercoaster. When I finally opened the door, the house was completely dark, which only made it harder for me to find my way around.
Suddenly, a light turned on in front of me. I froze. I don't know if it was the alcohol or just my stupidity, but I bolted out of the house. I didn't get far before I felt someone grab my wrist, making me turn around and lose my balance. I fell straight into a tall figure and let out a shout, but the sound never left my mouth because Gun's hand landed over my lips.
"Be quiet."
I looked at him, still leaning against his chest.