The lighting in my bedroom at the Hutch's is absolutely terrible. I have tried to properly blend my eyeshadow for the last twenty minutes and I cannot get it right. For the first time in a long time, I have on a face full of makeup. Typically, I only wear a solid color of eyeshadow and mascara, but tonight I have pulled out my large pink makeup bag full of cosmetics.

A vast array of products is scattered across the top of my dresser and I toss my makeup brush amongst it all in frustration. This eyeshadow debacle will ruin my entire night. I glance at the clock which reads 9:15 and I know Jennie will be here any minute to drive us to the party.

Jennie had convinced me to go to the party with her after a little pleading and negotiating. The terms of our agreement were simple: we were not going to the party with Chase but would casually see him there, we would leave the party together no matter what, and if we saw any other girls hitting on Chase, or Nik if he was there, one of us would "accidentally" spill a drink on the girl. The last term was Jennies idea, not mine.

The thought of seeing Nik at the party tonight sends my stomach exploding with butterflies. After how terribly the whole hanging out thing went, I am not sure why I am hoping to see him. But the thought of his face appearing in a crowded room of people excites me.

I try to prepare myself for what to say if he is there. Considering I am drinking tonight, I know that I will be bold enough to approach him. A part of me wants to apologize to him for my behaviour after the movie, and another part of me wants to show him exactly why he should stay away from me.

This is my problem. I think things out too much and end up creating games and being manipulative. If Nik should stay away from me, then there should naturally be signs that he should stay away. I shouldn't take it upon myself to hurt him to prove that I'm trouble for him. But this is how my brain works.

I take a deep breath and snatch up my makeup brush just as Jennie bursts through my bedroom door. She looks amazing. Her dark hair is curled, with the top half up in a perfect messy bun. A bottle of tequila and a bag of limes are clutched in her manicured hands. I scowl when I see how perfectly her makeup is shaded.

"Help me." I whine and point to my left eye, which is currently makeup free.

"Oh, baby." Jennie frowns and immediately sets to work fixing my makeup. "How are you feeling about tonight?"

"I'm excited to party with you again. Also, it has been years since I went to a house party, this better not be a letdown."

"Oh please, it's me you and a bottle of tequila baby girl, the party won't start until we arrive." I smile slightly, trying not to laugh and cause her to mess up my makeup. "But honestly," she stops and looks me in the eyes, "are you sure you will be okay if Nik is there?" her hands find their way back to my face, angling it towards the light.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Every time I see him I feel like I need to have this wall up, to protect us both. Then when I'm not around him, I think about him so much and I want to talk to him, get to know him again. So I am currently sitting in the 'I want to talk to him' category. We will see how that changes as the night progresses."

"I think you're just scared Haven."

"Scared of what?" I question.

"A lot of things and I understand why you're scared. But you can't make decisions based on fear. You need to do what your heart tells you to do."

"My heart isn't exactly providing written instructions when I am around him. Mostly it's just thumping in my chest like a damn maniac." Jennies hands release me as I finish speaking, she gestures to the mirror, and I am relieved at what I see in my reflection.

"You're going to do whatever you want Haven. I'm just saying maybe try not to think so much. Tonight we party and tomorrow we live with the consequences." She grins evilly before taking her cellphone from her jeans pocket and snapping a selfie. "That will actually make a great caption on this photo."

We pull up to a large brick house on a perfectly trimmed and manicured street. According to Jennie, Shaughnessy is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Vancouver, and I can see why. In the dim of the setting sun, you can see how massive the houses are and most have gated driveways. The house we pull up to has its gates thrown wide open, and several cars are pulled up onto the driveway.

I already have two tequila shots pulsing through my body. I needed the liquid courage to get me out the door. Now, I have the slightest buzz and there is little room for worries about Nik and whether he will be here. All I can think about is how excited I am to let loose and have some fun. Jennie grabs the tequila and the bag of limes from the trunk of her car and holds them in the air as she dances her way up the sidewalk.

"Should we just go in?" I question her before I cross the threshold of the gates. We can hear the music and laughter echoing in the air and I assume there must be people in the backyard.

Three girls dressed in skimpy dresses round the corner, all of them are teetering on their too high heels. They are chattering loudly and don't pay us any attention as they pass through the gates. I can smell the alcohol on them as they walk past us, up the driveway and around to the back of the house. Jennie and I look at each other and shrug before following the three girls around to the back of the house.

The backyard is massive, complete with an in-ground pool. Twinkle lights are strung overhead creating the perfect starry night. Placed on a large, smooth concrete pad is an expensive-looking BBQ, which is smoking and emitting the smell of cooking meat. Beside it is a large patio set with a wide umbrella hanging above. Set up along one fence is a long table filled with food and drinks. This is where I see Chase.

I point him out to Jennie and we make our way over to him. As we walk towards him, I notice Jennie eyeing him up and down. I know she must be pleased to see him again, this time topless and in low riding swim trunks. He is too busy laughing with another guy and shoving food into his mouth to notice us approach.

"Hey Chase." Jennie uses a flirtatious tone.

"Hey, you made it!" Chase tosses the chip in his hand onto an empty plate and pulls Jennie into a hug.

"I told you we were coming." Jennie smiles devastatingly at him. "Who's this?" she turns her head towards the guy Chase had been laughing with. He has dark hair, is also shirtless and is dripping wet.

"I'm Hayden." He extends his hand to both of us.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jennie and this is Haven."

Hayden's eyes go wide and he stops midway to shaking my hand. I raise my eyebrow at him and lower my hand awkwardly. What is his problem? Chase elbows him hard in the ribs and Hayden fumbles to speak.

"Haven, sorry. Nice to meet you." He extends his hand to me again and I quickly shake it. I can only assume that Hayden knows Nik, knows him well enough to have heard about me. Great.

Chase clears his throat loudly and reaches for a bottle of vodka sitting on the table. "So who wants a drink?"

"I do." Jennie, Hayden and I say at the same time. A little alcohol will clear up the awkwardness lingering around us. Chase and Hayden make themselves mixed drinks with their vodka as I pour Jennie and I two shots each.

"Make me one to man."

I don't need to turn around to know who that voice belongs too. Only one voice could send chills down my body, raise the hairs on the back of my neck, and cause an eruption of butterflies in my stomach. I turn anyway and gasp, or maybe it comes out as more of a squeak.

Nik is standing there, water running down his topless body and pooling at his feet. He runs his hand through his wet hair, messing it up and sending drops of water flying around him. His swim trunks are hanging low on his hips, and I don't dare allow my eyes to linger. There is a smile on his face that lights up his eyes, but the moment he realizes I am standing before him the smile falls and the lights go out.

"Haven."

"Nik."

Nobody says anything for a moment, and then Jennie pips up, "Chase!"

"Jennie!"

"Hayden!" Hayden calls his own name and holds his red plastic cup in the air before taking a long drink.

I keep my eyes on Nik, suddenly feeling the need to explain my presence, "I came with Jennie, Chase invited her." when he says nothing I continue nervously "I didn't know... I mean I assumed... I wasn't sure if you would be here too."

Nik laughs and I know right away it's a genuine one. "You didn't know if I would be here?" he turns his attention to Jennie, "You didn't tell her the party was at my house."

"Your house?" Jennie and I question together.

I look up at the massive brick house beside us. I know it isn't actually Nik's house; it must be his parents. They had lived in one of the nicer areas back home to; I knew his family was well off but I didn't know they were this well off.

"In all fairness, I didn't tell Jennie that this was your party." Chase pipes up as he hands Nik a drink. "Now come on, who cares whose party it is, lets just have a good time."

Chase hands me and Jennie our shots and holds his red plastic cup in front of him. "Cheers?" it comes out as a question, we all clink glasses and then I take both my shots quickly, biting down on a lime wedge and keeping my eyes on Nik. He takes a long drink from his cup and his eyes meet mine over the rim. When he lowers it he shakes his head and a smile reappears there. Maybe he is enjoying the fact that I am at his party after I told him we shouldn't hang out together. He probably thinks I am absolutely insane.

"Come on, I'll show you guys around." Nik offers.

"You two go. I'll catch up." Jennie moves to stand closer to Chase, his arm slings around her shoulder immediately and turns them away from us. Hayden takes off at a run, diving into the pool with a loud splash. Several girls screech and laugh as they back away from the assault of water. Part of me is internally screaming at Jennie; another part of me is relieved to be alone with Nik.

I turn to face him. "All right then, lead the way tour guide." I flash him a smile and he gives me the smallest one back. Okay, we will need to work on that.

As he leads me through the house, I try to pay attention to what he is saying. It's hard because every time he gestures to something the muscles on his back, or arms, or chest, move and ripple in the most incredible way. My mind still can't wrap around the fact that Nik is so grown up now. When he gestures inside one bedroom and says that it's his, I instantly take a step back. The last thing I want to do is intrude on his space even further.

"Your ridiculous." Nik laughs and continues down the hallway. I cross my arms and come to a dead stop "Bathroom, spare bedroom..." he continues pointing to different doors. When he turns to say something to me, I am a few steps behind him. "What?" he questions.

"Why exactly am I ridiculous?" I retort.

He leans against the wall, bringing one foot up to rest against the wall too. When he crosses his arms his biceps bulge and my eyes automatically dart to them. He grins, and I blush. "The way you backed away from my room like that, as if I would pull you in there and throw you down on my bed or something..."

"Wouldn't be the first time." I cut him off and raise my eyebrow at him in accusation. "Plus, that's not why I was backing away. I did it because I'm trying to be respectful of your space. I didn't know this was your house and I don't want to intrude."

Nik shakes his head at me and then stares up at the ceiling in frustration. "You're not intruding, Haven. If you would stop being so weird then maybe we could both enjoy the fact that you're here. And I don't just mean here as in, in my house, I mean here in Vancouver."

I shrug. "Okay fine."

"Fine, what?"

"Fine, I will stop being so weird." I flop my arms to my sides in a sign of defeat and close the gap between us. He stands up from the wall and faces me, staring into my eyes as I stare into his. I hold my hand out for him to shake and he rolls those stupidly gorgeous brown eyes and puts his hand in mine.

"Friends?" he questions and the scent of vodka mixed with mint washes over me as his breath tickles my face.

"Friends." I confirm. We shake hands and as our hands fall apart, I realize that I am barely breathing. With great difficulty, I let out a long breath without Nik noticing.

"By the way, I don't recall pulling you into my bedroom and throwing you down on the bed. Are you sure that happened?" I shoot him a glare because I know there is no way he could forget.

He used to throw me on his bed and wrestle me, or tickle me all the time. We make our way back down the hallway, as we pass Nik's room he lunges at me, I put my hands out defensively and let out a high-pitched squeal. He never even lays a hand on me.

"You're so jumpy!" he chuckles and I push him lightly away from me.

"I need another drink."