Erin will be in the same boat as me if the evening’s switched to gaming talk already. The multi-coloured fairy lights strung across the roof above her head shine as the evening darkens, and I slump into a chair next to her. She looks up from her phone screen.

“Oh. Thought you were getting cosy with your hot guild friend.”

“Just chatting. He’s joined the others for some tech talk now.”

Erin nods, a strand of dark hair falling across her face, back to rapid typing on her phone.

I swig from my beer and look around. The smell of burnt meat drifts around, and from the steaks and sausages on the plastic platter in front of us. People lean across, plating the food and squirting sauce as they continue conversations. I wasn’t aware how busy the party’s become, but the voices now overtake the music.

“Did you have fun today?” I ask, taking Erin’s phone and placing it on the table.

“Was...different. I’d like to go again.”

“You still have your cat ears in.” I stroke one. “Fluffy...”

“Your Elf ears look weird. Take them off.”

Why haven’t I? Because I don’t want to leave Sinestre behind just yet? Or because the glue pulls at my ears when I remove them and I could end up walking around with bright red skin all evening?

“Nope.”

She takes hold of a sausage and wraps it in bread, the great Australian delicacy found with or without onions and ketchup. “What’s he like? Aaron.”

“Why do you keep giving me the third degree? You talk to him if you want to know.”

“He’s not very approachable. Not unfriendly but a bit... I don’t know. When a guy is aloof like him, you need a smile from the guy to relax enough to chat.”

“Are you saying you’re intimidated by him?”

“Kind of. But you know him already, I guess. From chatting online.”

“Yeah, he keeps himself to himself. Even today. I couldn’t tell you much about him, to be honest.”

“Hot and mysterious...” She sighs. “I’d talk to him, Evie, but don’t want to step on your toes.”

I want to deny she would be, that I don’t care if another girl talks to him and he offers her his smiles. I’d be lying, but what’s the point? He leaves tomorrow. I stare at my beer; my promise to myself to steer clear of alcohol an epic challenge I haven’t met.

What would be the consequences if we did flirt and move closer? Or crossed a line? I shake the idea away. The effect he has on my sober self is bad enough. I pointedly set down my beer and gesture at Erin’s drink. “You want another?”

“Please.”

At the opposite end of the alfresco area, a tub filled with ice and bottles gradually depletes. Well, my beers have disappeared. I poke about Erin’s vodka mix cans and manage to find a lemonade for myself. As I straighten, cold water running down my hand, I give myself an imaginary pat on the back for my self-control.

Then turn around and am a hair’s breadth from bumping into Marshall.

Fuck.

This had to happen eventually as we share the same circle of friends. He can’t hold my look when our eyes meet, and I’m as frozen as the ice currently melting in the blue bucket next to me.

“Hey,” I say eventually.

“Hey, Evie. How’ve you been?” He bends over and grabs two bottles by the neck.

“Fine. Did you find a lucky girl the other night, after you called me asking to ‘come over’?”

“What’s wrong? I thought we could keep up the arrangement, that’s all.”

I narrow my eyes at him, and realise he’s had more to drink than me, fuelling the douchebag inside.

“Arrangement?” I splutter. “You mean, have sex when one of us is drunk and looking for some?”

“Yeah. Could be fun.”

“Let me think...” I tap my chin and turn my eyes skyward, before staring back into his less than coherent eyes. “No bloody way, Marshall.”

He shrugs. “Your loss.”

What the hell is it with arrogant men in my life? “Believe me, it really isn’t. The experience was underwhelming.”

He snorts. “You should count yourself lucky I took pity on you.”

“What the hell?”

“Aw c’mon. You’ve been wanting that for a year at least. I was drunk. Thought I’d give you what you wanted. Then I called the other night because I thought you might be interested again, since you were desperate the first time.”

“I cannot believe I’m having this conversation,” I hiss. “You arrogant asshole.”

“This sounds like an interesting discussion.” I look over my shoulder where Aaron stands, arms crossed, as he scrutinises Marshall.

“Who’s this?” asks Marshall.

“Aaron.”

The two men size each other up, but don’t speak.

The embarrassment that Aaron has again heard my dodgy sexual history heats my skin and I’m glad I’m in the shadows. Why can’t he take what he wants from the bucket and leave?

“I think we’d best avoid each other, Marshall.”

He nods in the direction of the partygoers. “Good idea. Probably best nobody knows what happened between us, huh?”

“Suits me.”

I wish Aaron would bloody pick his drink and leave. What kind of person hangs around to listen to conversations like this? I don’t want to imagine what opinion he’s forming of me.

The mortification Aaron’s close by and says nothing the whole time breaks our standoff and I turn away. Lowering my gaze to the floor, I mutter an ‘excuse me’ and walk back to Erin. Slamming down her can, I glance over my shoulder. Both men gone.

Screw this. I return and search the bucket for something matching the occasion and dig up one of Erin’s vodka mix drinks.

Yep. That’ll do.

“You okay?” asks Erin as I stumble past her.

“Fine. Need the bathroom.”

I head into a quiet corner at the opposite end of the garden and lean on the pool fence. The pool’s darkened water is still in the warm night, and I relish my spot deeper in the shadows as I rest against the gate’s metal rungs. Taking shaky breaths, I gaze at my feet and picture Marshall’s head crushed beneath them.

A large figure appears next to me and hairs lift on my neck. Aaron could be several metres away and my body would trigger an alert—and other things. Any closer to me and I’ll be diving into the pool to cool off.

Oh, please, don’t mention what you just heard.

“When you talked to me about the guy who messed you around, I didn’t realise he was a complete dickhead. Guys who treat girls like that deserve smacking in the balls.”

“Like I’d tell you.” I close my eyes.

“You didn’t want me to judge you?”

“I don’t care what you think of me.”

“No? But we’re friends.”

“Guildies,” I say with a weak smile. “Hard to be friends when we know nothing about each other.”

“But you’re okay?” His voice lowers in concern and I swear he’s about to touch my arm.

“I’m fine, Thorsday.”

“Aaron.”

I turn my back and rest against the fence. “You know what’s odd. You look more like a Thor than an Aaron.”

He grins. “I should use that to my advantage more, rather than sitting home playing games all night. What do you reckon?”

Is he telling me he has no girl in his life?

“Whereas I should do the opposite and not let men near me?”

“Why? Because of one experience with some douche like him? You won’t meet anybody of the non-douche variety if you stay home all the time.”

“Now you sound like Erin. Why not take your own advice first?”

He looks at the pavers. “I’m not interested in relationships right now.”

His tone and stiffening jaw suggest why: something ended badly. “Neither am I. I’ll stick with virtual ones.”

“Yeah.” He pulls away from the fence but his defensive aura returns. “Just wanted to see if you were okay, he shouldn’t speak to you like that. Dickhead.”

“My knight in shining armour ready to take on more than tigers for me?” I ask with a smile.

A muscle in his cheek twitches. “Virtually.”

Aaron strides away, leaving me with a whole heap of confusion.

And shit, the bottle emptied quickly. No more alcohol... But who am I kidding? It’s too late for that now.