We go upstairs. Juliet, Peyton and Dylan are there, hanging out in the living room. Juliet and I share one room; Dylan and Tristan share another. We all share the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. After a ton of hugs and kisses, the guys serve us all drinks and we catch up. Or rather, I catch up. Everyone else has been here for a few hours already and, from the looks of it, the drinks were already flowing.

I haven’t seen Juliet since December, and I’m taken aback by how beautiful her hair is. Juliet is a voluptuous brunette with porcelain skin and to-die-for silky hair. I don’t know how she makes her hair so shiny, but I’m jealous. She gave me all of her products to use last semester, but my hair never got that lustrous, no matter what I did.

Dressed in high heel boots, a tight turtleneck sweater and a short black skirt, Juliet is the epitome of chic. I, on the other hand, look like the ‘90s threw up on me. I’m wearing leggings, a shabby t-shirt that’s way too thin for this weather, and a plaid button down shirt.

Dylan hands me a beer. He’s dressed in his usual uniform – a Nautica sweater, loafers, and slacks.

“Hey, Dylan, do you own any other clothes?” Juliet asks as if she’s reading my mind.

“What do you mean?” He shrugs.

“No, he doesn’t,” Peyton laughs.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Dylan asks, looking down at his clothes.

“You look like you just stepped off a sailboat in Nantucket.” Peyton smiles.

She’s making fun of him, but it’s obvious that she loves him and his clothes. He’s an L. L. Bean cover model and she’s the Connecticut queen on his arm.

Come to think of it, Juliet and Peyton could be sisters. They have almost identical chocolate hair, similar disapproving looks, and opinionated, know-it-all, coy smiles. Except that Juliet’s a lot curvier than Peyton. That’s really an understatement. Peyton’s so thin, she’s practically malnourished, and that’s coming from someone who lives in LA.

Dylan and Juliet play beer pong while Peyton’s nose is stuck in her phone. The fact that Juliet and Dylan are still on good terms is shocking to me. I mean, they slept together for over a month last semester after Peyton fell in love with her Resident Advisor at Yale. And yet, here they all are – Dylan and Peyton are back together without bruised egos or hard feelings and Juliet and Dylan are friends again. Honestly, they’re the epitome of some sort of post-relationship awakening – the image of modernity.

“Okay, kids,” Juliet says, finishing her beer. “It’s been fun catching up, but I’ve got to go. I have a date.”

“You’ve only been here a day and you’re already going out?” I ask.

“Hey, mama’s gotta play.” She shrugs.

“So who’s your date?” Tristan asks.

“His name’s Brayden. He’s a stockbroker,” Juliet announces in her usual way. Name, occupation or major. I’m Alice, English major. Dylan is Dylan, undecided. And Tristan is Tristan, economics major.

As soon as Juliet leaves, Tristan nudges me to go unpack in my room. I smile and tell everyone that we’re going to go unpack. They all nod and pretend they don’t know what we’re going to do.

“You think you’re so mysterious,” I say when we’re both alone in my room.

“No, not really.” He shrugs and pulls me close to him. “I just want to be alone with you.”

Tristan presses his lips onto mine. My knees grow weak again. Shivers run up and down my body.

“No, no, no.” I shake my head. “I do actually have a lot of unpacking to do.”

I pull away from him and unwrap his arms from my body. But when I lean over my suitcase, he’s around me again. Holding me tight. Close. I feel my body temperature rising.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispers in his most soothing voice. I smile. Turn around to face him. It’s not that I don’t want him. I do. More than anything.

“What do you want?” I ask. The huge smile on my face is so wide, it’s hurting my face, but I can’t make it vanish.

“You,” he says and tosses me into bed.

“You’re as light as a feather!” Tristan adds, the words that every girl dreams of hearing.

He climbs on top of me, cradles my head. He moves my hair off my neck and kisses it lightly. His kisses send shivers down my body and make my feet feel numb.

I lift his head up to my lips and kiss him on the mouth. I bury my hands in his hair. His hands remain at my sides, but his lips move along with mine. I feel him push into me.

I hear footsteps outside the door.

“What’s that?” I ask, pushing him away.

“Nothing,” he mumbles and starts to kiss my neck again. He gives me light little kisses along my collarbone, driving me wild. But something at the door is worrying me.

“What if Juliet comes back?” I ask.

“She won’t,” he says without stopping. “She’s on her date.”

“So who’s that? Outside?” I ask.

“Shhh.” He puts his finger across my lips. “That’s just Dylan and Peyton. They won’t come in.”

“How do you know?” I ask. I don’t know what’s worrying me. But something is making me stall. I’m trying to buy time. But why?

“They won’t come in because I never intrude on them. They owe me.”

I know he’s right. I take a deep breath. Just relax. I’ve done this a million times. We’ve done this a million times. This is Tristan. You love him. And he loves you.

As Tristan’s mouth makes his way from my collarbone further down, to my breasts and then around my ribs and down to my belly button, I start to relax. All thoughts of intruders suddenly vanish and I’m calm.

Wordlessly, Tristan pulls off my shirt and undoes my bra. He stands above me as he pulls off his own shirt. He isn’t flexing, but the muscles in his stomach still make a perfect six-pack.

“You’re so hot,” I say, running my fingers over each pack.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he says, snuggling out of his jeans. He kisses me lightly along my hipbones and tugs at the top of my leggings. I’m getting warm in between my legs. I lift up my butt to help him pull them off me. With one quick swoosh, I’m suddenly completely naked. No leggings, panties, or socks.

Tristan presses his body close to mine.

“You feel nice,” he mumbles, as we start to move in unison. I thread my fingers into his hair. His thick hair is so silky that my fingers can’t seem to find traction.

He kisses me behind the ear as he finds his way into me. We fumble around at first, trying to find the right pace. But quickly, start to move together. Energy builds up within me. I let out a moan.

“I love you,” he moans into my ear.

“I love you too,” I whisper as he sends me over the edge. I curl my toes as warmth pulsates throughout my body. I close my eyes and disappear into another world. Tristan moves faster and faster until he collapses on top of me.

My mind goes blank as my body goes limp. I can’t feel the lower half of my body.

“Thank you,” he says, sighing and rolling over next to me.

“No, thank you,” I mumble.