Well. It could be worse.

Tom and I sat by the pool; our legs dipped in the water. My, previously straight, hair now messed up and making small waves down to my shoulder. His pants rolled up; well, at least one of the sides. The other had been burned. My emerald dress was covered in a deep blue paint. Heh, I matched the pool. Tom sifted his gaze to me and placed his hands on his thighs, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Well.”, he breathed. “It could be worse.”

~9 Hours Earlier~

“You understand that if you won’t come, I refuse to go alone, right?”

“Darling, I really believe you’re exaggerating”

“Ugh, come on Tom, you know I don’t enjoy these parties without you there. Maddie is not coming and now you’re ‘thinking about it’. That’s it, I’m staying inside to watch series and eat junk food”

I dropped on his bed, my arms crossed and my lips making the most fake pout I could. Watching me putting up my little show, Tom made an eyeroll and after what I assume was a curse under his breath, he came my way.

“I think,” he sighed as he took one of my hand in his, “that you want to go. And you should. Either I’m coming or not.”

“Yes, but it would be much easier, if I had your stupid *ss there with me.”, I whispered. “Please Tom, you know I’m like a fish out of the water in those gatherings.”

He looked at me with his baby blue eyes and after a long poker face, I saw a glimpse of affection in them.

“Fine. Go get ready, I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

I jumped off the bed and hugged him excitedly, before I headed for the door.

“And Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“You owe me big time.”

Once we arrived, I took on the sight in front me. It was… not what I expected. Usually, when Rose threw parties, they were dull and ‘classy’ and stuff. Imagine our surprise, when we saw the Rosalind Sinclair in jean shorts and an open flannel, wearing her bathing suit and passing shots in a bange of hyped people. Tom and I stood there, with our fancy clothes, completely at a loss of words.

“I did not see that coming.”, he exclaimed.

“I feel overdressed…”, I mumbled as I shifted in my dress.

“Because you are. We both are.” He took in a sharp breath and extended his arm for me to take it. “Shall we?”

So far, so good. There were other people dressed formally like us and they were equally confused by the scenery; apparently, Rose wanted to do something more fun for a change. To be honest, it worked. The guests were laughing, talking, dancing and drinking their way through the huge house, which, by the way, had two pools – one indoors and one in the garden. To think that one time, Rose actually called it an ‘apartment’. The music was pumping loud from the speakers in the living room. I made a straight way to the bar and asked for my usual, vodka with lime, while Tom went over the garden to greet some familiar faces. Drinking the first sip from my drink I thought to myself, “This isn’t so bad, we can actually have fun tonight.”. I finally located Tom after a few minutes, by the pool, talking and giving his fake laugh to a couple. The moment he laid his eyes on me, he excused himself and hurriedly came my way, his ‘smile’ disappearing as soon as he turned his back to them. I chuckled and he smirked as he gently took the drink from my hands.

“Don’t judge Chloe, I’m trying my best to be polite”

“Hey, that was mine!”, I whined as he drank the rest of my drink.

“Well, let’s get you another and some scotch for me.”

One hour had passed, Tom and I sitting in the bar drinking one drink after the other, until we were a little buzzed and decided to do shots, just to pass the time. In the middle of one of my famously ‘not so funny’ jokes, we heard a commotion from the garden. Sharing a curious and half-drunk look, we both stood up and followed the small crowd that had formed there.

“Oh. My. God.”

A fair number of flames had taken life in the grass and was growing by the second. The other guests, just stared at the small fire spreading around the pool, while one of them tried to call the fire department. I thought fast and run inside the house, only to come back out with a fire extinguisher I spotted earlier behind the stairs. I straggled a little with the safety on it, but once Tom helped me take it off, I managed to turn the yellow and red light into a snowy scenery, putting out most the flames. The guests, mouth agaped, started clapping and I felt a small blush creeping at my cheeks. The moment didn’t last long, because my gaze fell on Tom.

“Tom, look out!”, I shouted, pointing at his pants which were on fire.

I did a frenzied move; I grabbed him and shoved him inside the pool. There was a dead silence while he emerged from the water, looking at me shocked.

“Well. I supposed I have to say thank you ‘darling’.”, he joked.

The garden filled with cheers and applause, as everyone took this as an opportunity to jump in the pool, some with their clothes on. The fire had started by some dumb*sses, who thought it would be nice to grill some marshmallows ‘country style’. I- I can’t even begin with them.

I closed the door of the bathroom – one of the many in the house, specifically on the second floor – and Tom immediately took of his shirt to let it dry. I turned around and felt my face turn red. I heard him chuckle.

“Don’t tell me you are playing shy with me now, Chloe. You’ve seen me shirtless before.”

That was true. I’ve seen him in the beach last summer and the pool, casually swimming and laying in the sand, trying to achieve a sun-kissed tan – never happened, by the way. What I haven’t experienced until today, was him, shirtless in such a close proximity from my hands. It just felt different to have him like this in a small space – a bathroom, of all rooms! I regained my composure, only to turn and watch him dragging a towel all over his torso. I swear, if I had water in my mouth, I would have choked.

“Yeah, no, it’s fine, just me being polite with your privacy and stuff”, I mumbled.

“I believe you saved only one of the hems”, he changed the subject looking at down at his pants.

He was right, the right hem of the trousers was gone, replaced by his bare leg and some smocked fabric.

“I’m sorry Tom, I know you liked those.”

“Are you joking? You saved me from a serious burn. Although you did throw in a pool with a crowd watching. I’ll remember that.”

He grinned his glorious smug smile at me and I huffed, throwing him a toilet paper.

After he dried his shirt with a blow dryer, we left the bathroom, only to hear loud laughing and some music from the floor above us. With a small shrug we took the stairs to the third floor.

“If Rose didn’t freak out earlier, she will now.”, I muttered.

There was blue paint everywhere. My guess is they found the stash for the renovation Rose’s parents were about to start next week and they decided to redecorate the jacuzzi room by themselves. I specifically spotted a tall man with a bucket full of paint- Oh I know him.

“Chris, hi!”, I approached him with open arms, the rush from earlier fading away and the alcohol returning to sooth my anxious personality.

“OMG Chloe, hey! Wait a second.”. He through the entire bucket inside the pool, making it deep blue and splashing some paint over his blonde hair in the process.

He dropped the empty bucket and he immediately hugged me, sweeping me of my feet.

“It’s been so long! Last time I saw you was at graduation. I didn’t think it was possible, but you look even more beautiful now.”

I blushed, again, and smiled warmly at my high school friend. I used to have a huge crush on him, but it eventually faded away since he was always in a relationship with someone and I was… well, I was my shy self.

I glanced at Tom, with the corner of my eye and I saw him looking around awkwardly, but clenching his jaw subtly. I frowned in my attempt to decode his weird stance. Usually, he would come to at least introduce himself, all smiling and chattery. But now, he looked… dare I say, he looked jealous? No, that can’t be it. It’s not like he showed me those kind of signs before. We were always just close friends.

“Tom, -”, I signaled him to come over, “-come to meet someone. This, is my friend Chris, from -”

“From high school, yeah I heard. Tom, pleasure to meet you.”

Chris was taken a little aback from Tom’s glare, but put on a smile as not to be rude.

“Nice to meet you to Tom. You’re a lucky man. Chloe is an excellent girl; you guys make a cute couple.”

My face drained from color and as I opened my mouth to make things clear, Tom caught up to me.

“Aw that’s sweet, thank you. I am really lucky to have her.”

“EXCUS -”

“Now, darling why don’t we go get ourselves another drink and let the lad continue his work here”, he said pointing at the blue paint in his hands.

I was boiling inside. And not because he agreed to us being a couple – which it did something to me, but wasn’t the point here – but because he was rude. I have never experienced him being rude to anyone and the first time, it’s with a friend of mine? He tried to take my hand, gently tugging me to go, but I stayed put.

“What is the matter with you?”, I whispered angrily at him. “You were totally rude at my friend and- and then the couple thing?”

“Oh, come on, just a little play thing and I wasn’t rude. I just found your ‘friend’…”

“What?”

“A little demonstrative of his affections.”

“So what? Why do you care?”

He clenched his jaw again and averted my gaze; “I don’t, can we go now?”

“No, I want to kn -”

“INCOMING!”

I felt something liquid hit me from behind, followed by a gasp.

“I’m so sorry miss.”

I was supposed to be angry. You know, in the middle of an argument, blue paint came from nowhere and all the people looking at me – twice in an evening, may I add. But the moment I saw Tom’s lips curling into a suppressed smile, I laughed so hard, everyone in the room laughed along.

“No worries, it’s a sign I should have wore the blue dress instead of this one”, I calmed the guest who made me look like a smurf.

Suddenly, I felt Tom’s hand grabbing me and pulling me flash against him.

“Now, don’t be silly, darling. You look ravishing in that dress.”

My breath caught to my throat as he stared down at me with his blue eyes. His blonde hair, almost dried now, becoming golden from the reflected light of the water. He must have seen my pale cheeks become red, because he gave me the most mischievous smirk, placing a hand in the small of my back.

“But unfortunately, I have an excellent opportunity for payback right now and I’m going to take it.”

I didn’t even have the time to look at him puzzled. The next thing I know, I was inside the jacuzzi with the blue paint. Landing with a glorious splash.

When I came out, blue from nail to toe, everyone had started to splash each other with the remaining paint. Whoever didn’t have a bucket, made a run for it, but in the end, it was like a warzone of paintball. I climbed out of the jacuzzi only to find Tom waiting there.

“What is the matter, darling? Are you feeling a little blue?”, he joked.

I gazed at him playfully, getting a little closer, step by step. He just eyed my moves, until I was in the exact same spot, before he threw me.

“There, sweetheart.”, I said bringing my hands through his hair, making them blue with the paint on them. “Now they match your gorgeous eyes.”

“See, you think I would be mad, but I just don’t care right now.”

That last phrase escaped his lips in a low husky voice that made me shudder, but only for a second. Because right after, he pressed his lips on mine and I lost connection to everything.

Every loud sound, moved to the background of my mind and the only think I could hear was my own heart, warning me to calm down or I’m done for the day. Our kiss ended, mostly for air, but also to process what had happened.

“What was that for?”, I exhaled with a lot of effort.

“Just… something I wanted to do all night. Was that, okay?”

“Yeah, no, it was- it was great! But um, I should probably go get rid as much of this paint I can, before it gets stuck in my hair.”

“Yes, that would be wise. I’m going to use the other bathroom for- for my hair. Meet me down in fifteen?”. He tried to sound as normal as possible, but his moves were so frenzied, they betrayed his nervousness.

It wasn’t long after I managed to get the paint out of my hair, when I heard a loud noise from downstairs. Like glass breaking loud. I run to the staircase and-

“WHAT THE –”

I quickly pulled out my phone to call an ambulance, as I reached the unconscious guest’s side. Around him there were broken glasses everywhere, and the big chandelier that was previously hung above our heads, was now laying a few feet from the man.

“What happened?!”, I asked the worried faces around me, as I passed the phone to someone to give the details to the ambulance.

“He- he wanted to see if he could ride it… like a disco ball or a -”

“Where is Rose?”

The woman pointed a passed out - drunk Rose in one of the couches and I sighed heavily.

“Okay everyone!”, I shouted across the house, “That’s it for tonight, get home, the party’s over.”

Tom helped me get rid every single one of the drunk guests and the ambulance took the poor guy – who, thank God he was okay. I crawled my tired feet to the pool and getting rid of my shoes, I dipped my feet inside the water. Tom copied me, rolling up his one good hem.

“That was the craziest two hours of my life.”, I muttered.

“Well.”, he breathed, “It could be worse.”

I smiled, as I leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

“Yeah, I guess it could be.”