It was eleven in the evening on a cool wednesday of one December. Cate lies lazily on her side in Ross’ bed as she half-mindedly peers at a book infront of her. She can’t remember how long she’d been in that position but her arm where her head rest had already started to feel numb. Letting a heavy sigh she leans back, pushing the book away with disgust. She gently rubs her left elbow with her right hand as she straightens it while staring in space wondering what time it was and if Ross was already making his way home. She’d almost drifted to sleep when a loud bang and sound of heavy footsteps rattled the antique wood furniture where she lay rest. In anticipation she pulls herself up from bed hoping that it was him but only to hear the noise falter as she imagines it making its way to the kitchen. “Must’ve just been one of his roommates,” In effort to shake sleep off she reaches for the book beside her once again. ‘The Seduction Of Water’ the title reads, she picks up where she had left off. The protagonist namely, Iris, takes her in a hotel where she was in for a surprise. In the book the writer describes the uneven emotional high a young woman usually experiences when out in her first official social engagement that is in her case, the uprising bookwriter celebrating her first debut novel. Fallen unconscious of the time Cate jumps at the slight thud of the front door, hearing a great bustle surrounding the arriving host. Ross slips his head through the slightly opened door of the bedroom like a kid cautiously creeping out and away from the ‘it’ player in a game of hide and seek. Gently he pushes himself in.. (more on this later)Getting up she reaches for her shoes on the corner side of the bed with her left foot and started to follow Ross out to the door into the kitchen where a number of voices seem to be coming from. “Hey guys this is Cate, would you like some wine?” She agreed to some and turned her attention to his acquaintances. A perky possibly other than hetero and perhaps even half italian guy with soft kinky hair was the first to offer his hand. ‘Hi, I’m Oly, ’ squinting the eyes among his soft features on her as if in attempt to read the response off her forehead. ‘Hello Oly, Cate.’ Another introduces himself as “J”(?), skinny, much taller pale skinned guy with black eyes and the same hairdo except that his curls were alot frizzed. She began to think that the hairdo was probably a trend to this group. Next was “D”, who seems to be the youngest of them all. “H”, blond, standing tall with average height and built in a pale blue polo shirt his clear skin not hiding the blood on his cheeks also shook her hands. Cate noticed a girl whom she later found out to be named Sam. Long dark brown hair who was either not paying attention or was shying away. She ignores and instead makes her way next to Ross who was at the sink, he handed her her glass and poured some wine in it then to his own. Again she turns around facing the circle of people jeering about some people they knew, Oly’s voice standing out. The wine felt nice and warm in her throat, a relief from the dry and chilly state she was in previously. She felt tempted to close her eyes and be lost in its taste had she only been alone at that moment. She suddenly remembers that she needed to ring her old man to inform him of her late-night affair and return the next day.

Everyone’s eager to head to town for some drinks and dance. Fortunately, it was just walking distance away from where Ross lived. Ross held out his hand and she was only happy to give hers. They were almost skipping their way down to catch up with the rest of them. ‘You okay? So how are you?’ he gently inquires his eyes examining her face. ‘Great, this is actually all pretty exciting, they ALL seem very nice.’ He lets go of her hand raising his arm and rested it around her, pulling her close. She felt his hard body and warmth despite the strong breeze passing against them. ‘Yup, they’re my workmates. They’re pretty pat aye.’ Holding the wine bottle on his other hand, shaking it playfully. ‘Yeah I think so too. So what’s the plan, where do we go first?’ ‘We’ll all go for a drink then maybe go for some dance.. you know we could still go back to my place if you don’t really feel like going tonight’ letting out a faint smile. Puzzled she replies, ‘You’ve asked me that even before we left the house ross, twice. Are you sure it’s me you’re worrying about or..’ He slightly shakes his head, ‘Nah, it’s just I see you wearing high heels.’ Cate playfully shoves him, ‘Oh, don’t worry about me too much, I’m used to it’ she tells him. ‘I’ve been trying to coax you to go dancing with me for ages, it’s good to finally have you come with me tonight. Want more?’ lifting the bottle of wine and holding it up to his ear. The way he looked reminded her of how one could hear the ocean when a large conch shell is propped up in the same postion against their ear. She giggles inwardly and snatches the bottle off of him. (editing as I go)