Dan fcked up: Time Skip Unknown - May 22nd, 1998
Part 5
The air buzzed with anticipation as Addie, Justin, and Natalia arrived at the mansion’s grand entryway, the light spilling out from the massive windows and music booming from inside. This wasn’t just any party—whoever was hosting had gone all out. The Party of the Summer or as one would likely call it very soon. As JJ parked, he turned to Addie with a raised eyebrow.
“So…” he said, giving her a look that said don’t play him. “Behave yourself tonight, or you’ll be my problem andddddd I also kind of want to enjoy myself without dragging out my drunk older sister from a party”
Addie scoffed, already rolling her eyes. “Relax, Justin. I’m perfectly capable of being on my best behavior.”
“Uh-huh… tell that to our messed up kitchen,” JJ replied, giving her an amused look. “I give you twenty minutes before you end up in some kind of trouble.”
Addie feigned offense, clutching her chest. “How dare you doubt me? I am the picture of innocence, brother.”
JJ laughed, shaking his head as they stepped inside. “If that’s what you want to call it…”
It took all of two minutes for the party to get its hooks into her… and honestly, she needed this. The crowd, the beat, the flashing lights—Addie headed straight for the bar, ignoring JJ’s watchful glance as she grabbed a drink. Maybe a few. Who was counting? It wasn’t like she had anything else to lose tonight, right? And, well… there were things—no, people—she needed to forget tonight, and honestly, she couldn’t care less if she overdid it.
With a pleasant buzz already going, she found herself by the edge of the pool, watching the other partygoers laugh and flirt. That’s when the host—an overly eager junior she’d only met once at the entrance—slid up beside her with a broad smile.
“Hey, Adelaide, right?” His grin was as ambitious as his party-planning skills, and he looked her up and down with open… admiration. (if that’s what you could call him checking her out) “Care to make your night even better by, I don’t know, joining me for a private tour?”
Addie raised an eyebrow, biting back a laugh. This was honestly… fun? Being able to be drunk enough to flirt with another man and not think about… a certain… blonde man. “A private tour, huh? Look, if you’re trying to hit on me, how about meeting me on the dance floor first? Maybe you’ll win me over there.”
This man was easy. Correction - men in general were easy. Wear a sexy dress, flutter some eyelashes, and they were goners. Maybe this is exactly what addie needed - a night to forget. A night to get as many fcking hickies as Leo had. Would it make her feel better? Probably not but what did it matter: after all, she was here to forget about this whole… existence she was stuck in. “I like when the woman takes charge, gorgeous. Dance floor it is. Don’t go anywhere—I’ll be right there.”
As he drifted away, Addie moved to the dance floor, already letting herself sink into the music. It felt like she’d lost herself in the crowd—exactly what she wanted. She closed her eyes, let the music pull her in, and let every thought about Leo, about this time-twisting mess, fade away. Here, there was nothing but the rhythm and the lights flickering through her eyelids. So there she was: leaning into the beat, hoping it would drown out her thoughts. She just wanted to feel something else… even if it was just for the moment.
She barely noticed the hands slipping around her waist, steadying her, pulling her closer. She leaned back into the man’s touch, moving with him, feeling a warmth at her back that was grounding and strangely comforting. Addie knew she was a bit too drunk to care who it was, which was just fine with her. That kid that was flirting with her earlier? Probably. Who cared? She wanted to forget herself tonight. She wanted someone—anyone—to distract her, even if it was only for a moment.
The minutes blurred as she lost herself in the beat and the heat of the crowd, swaying closer to him. She turned, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, “Let’s get out of here.” She opened her eyes, half-expecting to see some vaguely familiar face.
Instead, she found herself staring into Leo’s eyes.
Of course it was him. She cursed inwardly, cursing him, cursing the universe, and cursed herself for even wanting it to be anyone but him. She pulled back, breath hitching, and without even a second though, she walked off towards the beach not even offering him another look. Was she running? Probably - but she needed to be away from the chaos of the party, where the waves and stars stretched out infinitely before her.
Under her breath, she muttered, “Why is this happening? Every fcking place I go… you have to be kidding me. Is this my punishment?” she questioned; looking up at the sky at whatever god, devil, demon was likely watching her and laughing.
Footsteps crunched on the sand behind her. Leo, refusing to let her walk away, spoke up, his tone somewhere between frustration and genuine confusion. “What is your problem with me, Addie? Because clearly, you’re not ‘engaged’ and clearly, you were having fun out there. So what is it?”
Addie stilled, watching the waves for a moment, then turned around, her gaze softened and almost… defeated. “Let’s be friends,” she said, the words surprising even herself. “Just… friends. Because clearly, we can’t avoid each other. The fcking bloody universe won’t allow it, so let’s just be friends.”
Was she making sense? Probably not… no… definitely not. However, she just… she needed him to say yes. She needed him to agree to this and put a brick wall between them.
Leo’s brows knit together, and he took a step closer, his voice low. “Who said I wanted to be friends with you, Addie? Because I don’t.”
She swallowed, trying to make sense of his words, but all she could think about was him, standing there in the moonlight, looking at her like this. And before she could think twice, she closed the distance between them and whispered, “Fck it.” . Her heart nearly stopped, the buzz of alcohol suddenly fading as a very different kind of heat overtook her. But before she could process what was happening or what it meant, her instincts kicked in. Forget caution. Forget everything.
Her lips met his, and soon her hands were in his hair, her body pressing against his as if every part of her had missed this. They ended up on the sand, with Addie kissing every piece of him she could find, trying to drown out every doubt and everything that was so deeply familiar.
Her mind went blank. It was just him, his hands sliding down her back, the taste of his lips, the way he felt familiar and electric all at once. She didn’t care about the time, about the party only a few feet away—nothing else existed. Minutes slipped by, hours, maybe, she couldn’t tell. They were lost in each other, and she was too far gone to stop herself from drinking in every second of it.
Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew this would end. It always did. But here, on the sand with his arms around her, she let herself pretend.
“Addieeeee! Where the hell are youuuu? ADELAIDE PARKER!”
When she finally pulled back, breathless, heart racing, her hand resting on his chest, she took a second to catch her bearings, to realize where she was and what she’d just done. She looked at Leo, at the smudges of her lipstick on his face, his neck, all over his chest, even his collar, and a pang of regret and fondness mingled in her chest.
She glanced down, almost defeated, shaking her head as she muttered, “So… friends, yeah?”
Leo’s eyes were a mixture of confusion and disbelief as he opened his mouth to reply, but just then, JJ’s voice echoed louder as he approached, breaking the spell.
Leo’s gaze turned hard, clearly irritated by the interruption, but Addie let out a small laugh. The absurdity of the situation hit her. Here she was, lipstick smeared on him, her heart pounding from a kiss she’d already regretted, and now her brother was yelling at her like she was sixteen again. Which… granted… she basically was. But she wasn’t… oh no… she wasn’t. Adelaide Parker knew too much… which is exactly why none of this should have happened… Fck.
She closed her eyes for a beat, muttering, “Great timing, JJ…” With a sigh, she gave Leo one last look… her state of drunkeness wavering down to a slight buzz…
All she could think was I… really messed this up, didn’t I?. But… she couldn’t sit around and wait… wait… and give him a chance to say anything to stop her. So instead; Addie quickly stood up, leaving Leo in the sand as she wrapped her arm around her brother and dragged him back towards the party
JJ was waiting with an exasperated look, groaning, “Seriously? The guy you crashed into?”
But as she walked back toward the house, Leo wasn’t far behind. She barely made it back to the deck before he caught up to her, his hand wrapping around her arm, firm but careful. She turned, meeting his gaze… a sigh leaving her lips as she looked back at her brother.
“Give me ten, JJ,” she said with a weary smile. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
Leo’s gaze held hers, intense and unreadable. “I thought I made it pretty clear already how I feel about being ‘just friends.’”
Addie folded her arms, watching her brother’s silhouette fade before turning back to Leo. “And I think what I said before made it pretty clear where I see us in the future, Leo.”
He scoffed, a mixture of frustration and something more vulnerable in his voice. “Then what the f^^k was that back there? That didn’t seem like ‘just friends’ to me.”
Addie rolled her eyes, exasperated but more at herself than him. “Come on, Leo. Have you seriously never gone to a party and kissed someone for fun? That’s all it was. Drunken, stupid fun—for me and for you. That doesn’t mean I want it to go anywhere.”
His expression darkened. “You’re the one who said, ‘Let’s be friends.’ That was you, Addie.”
She let out a frustrated laugh. “And what’s wrong with being friends? God, Leo, I came here tonight to forget about you. To kiss someone random and do something stupid. You… showing up… that just wrecked everything.”
Her voice softened as her thoughts spilled out, her words tumbling over each other. “You don’t get it. All week, all I’ve wanted is to stop thinking about how I hurt you… how I’ve ruined this over and over. And I just… I can’t do that again. Can’t you just leave me alone or be my frien—”
She stopped short as a familiar voice interrupted them. The party host, obviously several drinks deep, stumbled up to them, barely able to focus on her face as he broke into a sloppy smile. “Heyyyy, didn’t see you on the dance floorr…where’d you go?”
He turned his bleary gaze to Leo, swaying slightly. “And who the hell are you?” He squinted, then called over his shoulder, “Security! This guy’s not invited!”
Addie seized her chance to slip away, leaving Leo to deal with the host as she turned and disappeared into the crowd… it just… hurt too much… and honestly… she wasn’t drunk enough for this.