My Adventures with Eris
an excerpt

She walked calmly to the doorway and stepped out in the hallway. The hallway looked like a horror film to her. People were making out, some of them maybe more, talking and giggling and staring at her as she walked past. She slowly picked her way down the dimly lit corridor and tried her best not to make eye contact with any of its denizens. ‘Third door on the left’ she kept thinking to herself and she eventually made it far enough to find the door. She had to squeeze past a couple to get inside and was actually relieved to find that no one was having sex in the bathroom itself.
The bathroom itself was way cleaner than she expected and this comforted her. In fact, she considered staying there a little bit longer, in her clean well-lit oasis. She went over her make-up again and used the Q-tips in her purse clean up the inevitable mascara dust under her eyes. She jumped as another woman walked in. Her oasis was ruined, invaded. She quickly made sure that everything was in her purse and took a deep breath as she walked out into the hallway. She felt bolstered and sobered by her quiet moment in the bathroom and managed to make her way quickly and confidently through the gauntlet of couples. As she dodged limbs, she wondered to herself what was happening with Bristol. He apparently did like her, but she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable and she couldn’t quite figure out why. It was probably just an effect of drinking too much. She should just get his number and go home, lest she continue drinking and really drink too much.
As she was thinking this, she ran directly into someone. Immediately two arms wrapped around her waist and kept her from falling straight to the floor and she found herself pressed up against a well-muscled chest. Her legs turned to gelatin and she drowned for a second. All of the air whooshed out of her lungs as she was captured and she gasped for breath, but she was thankful for the help; she didn’t even want to think about what was on that floor. When she had regained her balance and her breath, she placed her hands on the man’s arms near his broad shoulders, they weren’t overly large arms, but they held her up strongly as the frame holds up a house, and she looked up to identify the person who had saved her.
Gareth smirked down at her with one raised eyebrow. “Are you alright?” he asked her quietly in his mellifluous Welsh accent.
“I’m fine. Thanks for catching me.” Her eyes were captivated by his dark brown ones. He still hadn’t loosened his grip. “So, Gareth,” she said it breathlessly and correctly, with an ahh, “why is it that you are always the only one to see me fall?”
He just laughed gently, once again that light and open laugh that caused Sophie to smile and made sure that she was firmly on her feet before he let her go. As his arms withdrew, Sophie felt bereft, disappointed. He placed his hands firmly on her arms, just above the elbows, as if he still wasn’t certain that she could stand on her own. Sophie felt none too sure of it herself.
“I saw you flirting with Bristol,” he let go of her arms and looked sternly into her eyes. The hallway felt somehow colder, as if someone had opened a door to the outside air. “Just be careful, ok? He’s not exactly what he seems.” Gareth then slid past her and continued down the hallway without looking back. Sophie stared after him. It was definite now, she must be drunk. She made her way back to the room with the others in it. It was time to go home.