His eyebrows lift. “Damn, that’s a milestone. Felix’ll flip out when he sees her here. And Veikko will probably try to hide.”
I laugh, nodding toward them. “They might be too preoccupied to notice.”
They’re both dancing up a storm. A feeling of intrigue pinches in my chest. There’s something about the way they’relooking at each other, something about the smiles on their faces as Felix instructs Veikko to sing along to the popular song like everyone else is doing.
Carter pops in between Sebastian and me. “Have you guys noticed something … I don’t know, different about how Felix and Veikko have been acting recently?”
Now that he mentions it … I kind of have. But I can’t put my finger on it, and don’t know how to put it into words.
Sebastian shrugs. “It is the beginning of the semester, after all. People aren’t in their normal rhythm yet.”
Hmm. Could that be it?
“Yeah, I guess,” Carter says. He doesn’t sound entirely convinced, either.
We drop the topic quickly, though, without it weighing too heavily on our minds. Sebastian has to go take Harper the drink he just grabbed her. Carter sees a girl he’s been talking to across the room and goes to her. And me? It’s hard for me to focus on anything for more than a couple seconds other than watching the door, waiting for Carmen.
After fifteen minutes that feel like two hours, she walks in.
I only have a glimpse of her as she maneuvers through the door past the gaggle of party guests, slowly unzipping her jacket.
When I finally get a clear view, she’s shrugging the puffy black coat off her shoulders.
My jaw hits the fucking floor.
She wears a denim mini skirt with thin leggings. Her legs look so unbelievable I could swear my eyes pop out of their sockets like I’m a damn cartoon character. My gaze slides along the length of her legs until it reaches the black platform boots on her feet. I bite down on my bottom lip. Have mercy.
She has a roomy maroon sweater above it, with long sleeves that swallow up most of her hands.
I’m going to be remembering this outfit for a long, long time.
In the corner of my eye, I notice something unusual enough to grab my attention for a moment. Veikko marching out of the living room, Felix hurrying after him and calling his name.
Huh. Wonder what that’s about.
But that question vanishes from my mind when Carmen scans the room and our eyes lock.
My throat tightens. It feels like my lungs are trying to suck in air through a pinhole. The music pumping through the speakers sounds distant and muffled. Our gazes hold steady for a long beat, the air between us humming with charged energy.
Finally, my brain kicks me into gear, and I walk towards her.
I’d like to say something smooth. Something that makes me look cool when she’s in my house for the first time. But my brain is so scrambled from how fucking amazing she looks, and all that comes out of my mouth is, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she answers.
The pounding music disappears. The people cramming the house full melt away. Nothing exists but her glossy, chocolate-brown eyes and my heart leaping in my chest.
Carmen turns her head, and I step back into reality. She glances around the living room.
“Just an average Friday night for you guys?”
I chuckle. “Kind of, this year. Last year, with so many of the guys being in relationships, this house’s tradition for parties sort of died off, but Felix and Carter are making sure they’re having a comeback.”
Carmen just nods, her eyes still scanning around the room. She looks a little overwhelmed as she takes it all in.
“As nostalgic for college house parties as you are for finals season?” I joke.
I get one burst of laughter from that. “Hardly.”
