Intoxicating Intentions

A table full of unfamiliar faces was not the definition of a fun evening for Avina. She'd rather be curled up in a blanket on her couch, getting lost in the pages of a book. Her antithesis, Lucy, thought otherwise.

Avina couldn't explain why she still felt obligated to entertain the ideas of her college roommate, even ten years after they had graduated from Binghamton. She and Lucy had been forced together like typical teenagers beginning their undergraduate journeys. Their differences were obvious from the start: Lucy with her fair complexion, blue eyes, and sleek raven hair, and Avina with her olive skin, amber-green eyes, and unruly molasses curls. Lucy was easily one of the most attractive young women Avina had ever seen, a modern Black Dahlia.

Their personalities were also on opposite sides of the spectrum. Lucy was the bubbly and outgoing one dancing on tables at frat parties, and Avina was the reserved quiet one hiding in the corner. Lucy drew all the attention while Avina avoided it. Nevertheless, they formed a tight bond during their college years.

Now, standing at the front door of Lucy's gargantuan mansion nestled in the canopy of the Catskills, Avina took a deep breath as she smoothed her emerald dress with clammy hands. She thought if she tried hard enough, she could camouflage against the dense thicket of evergreens and disappear.

Her feet ached from the confinement of her stiff heels, screaming for the comfort of her well-worn sneakers. Avina sighed and lifted her hand to knock. Before her knuckles reached the door, a rush of air pulled her forward, and she stumbled awkwardly.

Lucy stood beaming in the doorway with bright blue eyes and a shock of red lipstick to match her ruby gown. She clapped her hands together and squealed. The hairs in Avina's ears cringed.

"I'm so glad you made it!"

Lucy pulled Avina into a bouncing hug and grabbed her hand as she led Avina into the foyer. Avina glanced back as the front door closed behind them with a subtle click, locking her in place.

Avina could barely get a word in as Lucy rambled about the dinner party. Her words ricocheted off the art-covered walls and got lost in the expanse that seemed to engulf Avina. In awe of the lavish architecture, Avina's mind wandered far from Lucy's voice as they made their way down a never-ending marble hallway to the dining room.

Lucy stopped at the threshold; her eyes gleaming as she admired her own work. Avina stared at the oversized mahogany table lined with more than twenty chairs. A delicate white tablecloth covered the dark wood which peeked out around the edges. Lucy had an exhaustive spread of flowers and candles laid out across the center of the table.

Reading the concern on Avina's face, Lucy leaned over and placed a gentle hand on Avina's forearm.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. You're in good hands here. Plus, I sat you across from Devin," Lucy said, giving Avina's forearm a playful squeeze.

Devin.

The hairs on the back of Avina's neck came to attention. Her cheeks flushed against her will. She didn't like how she still had such a visceral response to the sound of his name, despite the passage of a decade.

She and Lucy had met Devin during their senior year at Binghamton when Lucy had starting dating Caleb, who was now Lucy's husband. Devin was Caleb's best friend in college and apparently, they were still close.

Avina had only met Devin in passing a handful of times, but the intensity of Devin's green eyes was burned into Avina's memory, her body instantly recalling the electrical shock that radiated in waves. Avina had never felt that kind of physical attraction before.

And it hit her just the same now.

Lucy's voice jolted Avina from her thoughts.

"Everyone else should be arriving soon so I better finish up in the kitchen," Lucy told her. "Make yourself at home!"

Avina gave Lucy as small smile before Lucy disappeared and she was left with the overwhelming desire to run. Avina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, telling herself that she was overacting. Her nerves wouldn't allow her to stand still, so she paced around the table, examining the details of Lucy's thoughtfully curated decorations across the tablecloth.

Lucy had gone so far as to create personalized name cards for place settings at the top of each carefully laid plate. Avina groaned at the assigned seating, especially since Lucy was seated at the opposite end of the table. Dim candlelight illuminated the place settings and the rest of the room. At least she would feel less scrutinized under the minimal light.

A sudden burst of laughter tangled with the voices of too many people echoed down the hallway. Avina steeled herself and prepared for the excruciating small talk as a clatter of footsteps closed in on the dining room.

Lucy entered with a group of vaguely familiar faces and Avina did her best to smile as Lucy introduced them all. Avina had done some of her own research on social media to quell her anxiety of meeting so many people at once. Some of them were friends from the neighborhood or the gym, some of them were colleagues of either Lucy or Caleb. They all appeared to be paired off, adding to Avina's discomfort.

The women sparkled as they moved through the room, their diamond jewelry catching the candlelight. Their hair was precisely pinned or straightened, not a strand out of place. Their extravagant dresses clung to their subtle curves in a classy, professional way. The men were just as professional with neatly pressed slacks and buttoned-down shirts, their hair combed and slicked. Avina's nose stung with the pungent cacophony of fragrances, both masculine and feminine.

After a few perfunctory questions aimed in Avina's direction, the group lost interest and wasted no time in debating politics. Their personal diatribes were launched at each other in a vicious volley. Avina stood on the outskirts as a bystander, simply listening and watching their debate with no desire to contribute. Avina didn't belong here with these people. She was a gazelle surrounded by a cackle of hyenas.

More guests continued to arrive and Avina's uneasiness grew as the atmosphere became stifling. Her eyes darted to the doorway whenever someone entered, her heart catching each time as she anticipated Devin's imminent appearance. Remaining on the edges of the on-going conversations, Avina watched as Lucy fluttered in and out of the dining room like a graceful hummingbird while she felt like a ladened goose.

From the corner of the room, someone bit into a stalk of celery with a crack. Avina's head snapped up to see Caleb with the celery in his fist, crunching like a grazing cow, as he spoke.

So much for an elegant evening, Avina thought. She grinned as Lucy's hardened jaw twitched into a forced closed-lip smile as she silently reprimanded her husband with her intense sapphire eyes.

Lucy announced that dinner would be served and Avina took a tentative seat at the table. Devin had yet to arrive and Avina stared at the empty seat across from her. She secretly hoped he wouldn't show.

As if she had conjured him, Avina looked up to find Devin standing in the threshold. His dark hair was cut short, shorter than it had been ten years ago. His cropped hair and subtle stubble accentuated his cheekbones. Somehow, his green eyes glowed. Avina tried not to stare at his lean but muscular frame, despite the fact that it lit a match under her skin.

Caleb jumped up to greet him in a back-slapping semi-hug before ushering Devin to his seat.

"You remember Avina?" Caleb asked as Devin pulled out his chair and sat down.

Adrenaline shot through Avina's veins at the mention of her name. The heat burned her cheeks as Devin gave her a sly grin. She and Devin were seated across from each other at one end of the table and Avina felt as though they were in their own little world, away from everyone else. Her nerves knotted tightly in her chest.

"Wine?"

Devin tipped the bottle towards her empty glass with raised eyebrows. His eyes set her skin ablaze.

Avina nodded. "Thank you," she managed. She focused on the crimson liquid pouring from the bottle, hoping it would douse the growing fire within her.

"So, you were Lucy's college roommate, right?"

His voice was just as Avina remembered it, smooth and enticing. Avina raised her gaze to meet his, being careful not to linger too long. She smiled and nodded. Her stomach flipped at the thought of making conversation with him. Avina reached for her glass of wine and took a healthy gulp.

Luckily, Lucy emerged with the dinner plates and made her rounds, placing a decadent dish of marinated steak with roasted potatoes and green beans in front of each guest. Relieved that the arrival of the food would suppress the need for words, Avina immediately grabbed her silverware.

The hum of shallow conversations became the static in Avina's head as she tried to focus on eating her food, acutely aware that Devin was watching her intently. He twirled his fork, tapped his plate, drummed his fingers against his glass.

Avina wrung her hands together beneath the table, sliding her eyes across the tablecloth, avoiding eye contact with Devin. He eyed her like a wolf anticipating a kill, like she would be his main course. His electric green eyes watched her over the edge of his glass with a tug at the corner of his lips. His smile had a sweetness that stung. His eyes had a virulence that tranquillized, yet his gaze was galvanic.

Unable to contain herself, Avina excused herself from the table and turned towards the hallway. The tightness of her dress constricted her breathing as she hurried to find the bathroom.

Peeking into the doorways dotting the hall, Avina spotted the bathroom. She quickly shut the door and locked it.

Get a grip, Avina told herself as she leaned against the vanity. She closed her eyes and focused on steadying her breathing.

As her body began to relax, a knock on the door kickstarted her heart rate again.

"Just a minute!" Avina called, straightening herself in the mirror in an attempt to erase the deer-in-headlights look from her face.

But her attempt was futile as she opened the door to find Devin standing a foot away. She stopped breathing.

"Oh hey, I didn't mean to scare you," he laughed, casually scratching the back of his neck.

Trying to calm herself, Avina softly cleared her throat. "It's okay."

The two of them stood there, shifting uncomfortably. Avina held her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking.

"Can you believe the size of this place?" Devin asked, glancing up and down the hallway. "It's insane."

Avina nodded. "It really is insane," she agreed with a smile.

"Have you seen their library?"

A library? Lucy hadn't mentioned a library. Maybe because Lucy knew Avina would have absconded from the party to hide among the books. "No, actually," Avina said, her interest piqued.

Devin gave her that sideways grin and tilted his head down the hallway, away from the dining room. "Follow me."

He turned and Avina followed close behind him, her heart racing in her ears. An unknown force pulled her along, keeping her tethered to Devin like he had his own electromagnetic field. She watched the elegant movement of Devin's body as they made their way to the library. He had the gait of a seasoned athlete, his broad shoulders straining at the creases of his shirt with his left hand in his pants pocket.

Devin came to a stop in front of a pair of mahogany doors. He turned, raising his eyebrows. "You ready?"

Avina smiled, goosebumps rising in waves across her skin in excitement. But it wasn't an excitement entirely for books. Her body seemed to crave something more.

Devin pushed open both of the heavy doors and stood to one side as Avina stepped into the massive library. And it was truly a library. It extended up to the second floor, books lining every inch of the wooden shelves. Avina's jaw dropped in awe. How many books did Lucy and Caleb own?

Avina slowly walked to the center of the library, her eyes following the spiral staircase up to the second level. They even had one of those sliding ladders. Avina couldn't help the girlish giggle that bubbled to the surface as she thought of Belle swinging as she sang in the bookstore at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. She had the sudden urge to do that herself.

"What's so funny?"

Devin's laugh brought her back and she turned to see him standing behind her with both hands in his pockets. His grin made her blush.

"Oh, nothing," Avina said. "This library is ridiculous."

She walked towards one of the shelves, letting her fingertips brush the leather spines of an old collection. "These books are beautiful," she whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you," Devin whispered back as he stood beside her.

Avina's heart leaped at his words and her eyes locked with Devin's. Her voice was non-existent, her muscles forgetting how to move. He slowly approached her, closing the gap between them. The heat radiated from his body and Avina became enveloped his warmth. Devin gently placed his palm on her cheek and the sparks burned her skin.

Devin leaned in for a tentative kiss, followed by a more desperate one. Avina had never felt something so primal, so urgent. Her body acted on its own, and her mind seemed to short-circuit, unable to form a logical thought. Avina sighed into Devin's mouth as their lips remained locked, her hands resting on his solid chest.

Her limbs tingled as the alcohol flowed through her veins, mixing with the pleasant sensation of Devin's lips on her neck. The softness of his lips suddenly became the abrasiveness of his teeth. She flinched, but the hand at the back of her neck restrained her.

"Devin..."

Her voice trailed off and he silenced her with his lips, his tongue slithering its way into her mouth. The cherry wine quickly soured in her stomach as Devin grabbed a fistful of her dress and shoved it upwards. Caught by surprise, Avina bit down on Devin's lip and a salty metallic taste hit her tongue.

Devin recoiled, releasing her. He brought his hand to his lips, his fingers now painted red. His green eyes emitted anger and disgust.

"What the fuck?"

He froze in shock, but Avina took flight without another thought. She pushed through the double doors, panting and disoriented. Avina's mind raced as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

She had been lured to the library, tricked by a menace. Had Devin planned to splay her on her spine like one of the books?

Her heart fought its caged existence as she ran down the hall. Her heels clicked in a frantic staccato across the marble floor. Glancing over her shoulder, Avina prayed Devin wouldn't catch her before she made it back to the dining room. Maybe she should just leave.

Before she could make a decision, Avina rounded the corner and bumped into Lucy.

"Where did you sneak off to?" Lucy quipped, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"I just had to use the restroom," Avina managed, hoping her trembling hands wouldn't give her away.

"Right." Lucy winked. "Well, you're just in time for dessert!"

Lucy linked arms with Avina and escorted her back to her seat. Avina resumed her position at the table, nervously gripping her cloth napkin in her lap. She stared at the haphazard place setting across from her, the chair pushed backwards. A dessert plate had been placed, offsetting the chaos. Avina watched the scoop of vanilla ice cream melt and seep into the red filling of the pie. Or maybe the filling was seeping into the ice cream.

Avina pressed her fork into the flaky pastry crust in front of her and the cranberry compote oozed from the pie, staining the pristine porcelain.

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Author's Note: This story was inspired by the music video for "Dinner & Diatribes" by Hozier, one of the music videos from the Music Video Writing Prompts created by sleepy drafts! Read the rest of the amazing submissions below!