"You can't wear that," Renee says, giving my outfit a once-over.

"Why?" I argue.

"It's too conservative. Do you have anything sexier?"

"I, uh," I say, searching through my bag.

"Let me see," Renee says, pushing me over. "A-ha! Wear these," she exclaims, pulling out my white-washed skinny jeans. "Do you not have any revealing tops?"

"They're not really my style," I admit.

"Okay, it's settled, you'll wear one of mine," she states, striding over to her dresser. She pulls out a small white t-shirt with a mid-neckline. "Here, wear this," she says, throwing the top at me.

I hesitate. It looks a bit short. It's definitely more of a crop-top than a t-shirt. But what else am I going to wear? "Thanks, I say, placing it on the bed beside my jeans.

When I turn around, Renee is half-naked and changing into a skimpy sequined dress. "We're not going clubbing, are we?" I ask.

"No!" she laughs. "We're going to a loft party. Some of the older music guys are hosting it," she says, catching my stare, "and some of them are cute, too."

Heat rushes to my cheeks as I turn around. The last thing I need to worry about now is meeting a guy. I need to keep my head down and focus on my studies, even though they haven't started yet.

"Lyla, get dressed!" Renee squeals!

***

Renee and I split an Uber with some other people, so it only ends up costing me four dollars. I can hear music blasting as the elevator lifts us to the eighth floor, which gets louder when the doors slide open.

I almost lose Renee a moment after entering the apartment, but I quickly catch her sequined outfit from across the room. When I catch up with her, her body is flush with Derek from this afternoon. As I stand there watching them, I feel someone's body press against my backside, but I don't flinch until they put their hands on my hips. I gasp and turn around to see who the person is, only to see that it's some guy with messy hair. I back away from him, signaling that I'm not interested. The guy just shrugs and walks away from me. I glance over at Renee.

"What's wrong?" she asks me.

"Some guy just groped me."

"Lyla, that's bound to happen. You're cute as hell!"

"What? I am not," I argue.

"I beg to differ. Someone hasn't been able to take his eyes off of you since we walked in," she says, nodding behind me.

I turn around slowly and meet a pair of glacier blue eyes, staring at me from across the room. "W-who is that?" I stutter.

"That's Liam. He's cute, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," I mumble, taking in his appearance. He's wearing all black, topped off with a reversed baseball cap resting on his head. At first glance, he looks cocky, but Laura taught me never to judge a book by its cover.

"I'll be right back," I say to Renee as I venture away from her. I don't make it ten yards before someone has their hands on me again. On instinct, I grab them and peel them off of my hips.

"Excuse me!" I say, making eye contact with them. The guy grins and attempts to pull me in closer, bringing my hands against his chest. "No!" I shout. The guy shakes his head at me, still grinning. I continue to fight his movements until I hear a deep voice behind me.

"The lady said no, so scram," he says. The guy lets go of me and walks away.

I turn around and come face-to-face with the blue-eyed boy I saw moments ago. He's much taller than I thought he was, and I can't help but stare at the curve of his lips as he licks them quickly.

"Are you alright?" he asks me, placing a hand on my shoulder, but I don't mind.

"I – yes, thank you," I stutter. His deep voice resonates within my body, reaching to the very tips of my toes. He tilts his head, gliding his hand down my arm, skimming his fingers against mine on the way by. The motion makes me shiver, but I try to conceal it within myself.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"Lyla," I say, looking into his crystal blues.

"Lyla," he repeats my name, "I like that."

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be replaying the way my name sounded coming off his lips. "And you?" I ask, raising a brow, though I already know his name.

"Liam. Want to get a drink with me, Lyla?"