Dedicating this chapter to KristelleMarieRipdos for being a regular reader & for all your votes & for all your comments that have made me happy! :)

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CHAPTER - 24

TOO MANY THINGS

The loud chattering of the crowd and the banging music were starting to make us aware of our surroundings, but that didn't mean that I pulled away from Kim. I kept standing there blocking her path, looking into her eyes and trying to keep my hormones under control. She too was silent, but nothing about this entire situation was awkward. In fact, it was the opposite.

The Sound of some crockery hitting the floor, made both of us look towards the kitchen door, where some drunk guy was now trying to stand properly on his feet. Rolling my eyes at him, I looked back at Kim. She was still looking at the drunken guy.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

She looked back at me and blinked a few times, biting her bottom lip. So tempting!

She smiled and shook her head and said, "Nothing."

Knowing that she was lying, I tilted my head to the side and gave her my judgmental gaze. Her expressions couldn't be deciphered properly, but I was sure that she was not upset or angry at me for kissing her. She looked quite happy and that made me happier. I knew that we had to talk about whatever had just happened, but there was something I needed to clear up.

"Wait here, okay? I'll be back in five," I told her.

"Okay." She breathed and nodded slightly.

I removed my hands from her waist, reluctantly, I might add, and she removed her hands from my shoulders. Taking a step back from her, I realized how cold I felt without her being close to me, without her in my arms. I wanted to kiss her again, run my hands all over her body, but I told myself to wait. Taking a deep breath, I tried to control my hormones and told her again, "I'll be back."

Without wasting even a single more second, I turned around and went out of the kitchen. I was pretty sure that at this time of night, Adam could be easily found in some bedroom. And if he was fulfilling his 'Winter Mission' which he most probably was, he could be found in Precious's bedroom. I almost ran upstairs to the first floor, ignoring the couples making out in almost every corner or at almost every stair. I ignored the loud moans that could be heard in the corridor from the rooms alongside as I made my way towards Precious's room. A chuckle escaped my lips when I thought about how I'd have been in one of these rooms banging Hannah senseless, if I hadn't had a change of heart towards one particular brunette all of a sudden.

My feet automatically stopped outside Precious's room and without giving a second thought, I barged open the door.

"What the f*ck?" Sure enough, that was my best friend shouting curses at me as I interrupted their session. The girl, who I was sure was Precious, gasped and pulled the covers above her body. "Keith?" That's when he noticed that it was me and that changed his pissed off expression to a mix of pissed off and confused.

I, on the other hand, was way too happy and smiling like a Cheshire cat that I was not at all affected by his little outburst. "I'm not fulfilling my part of Winter Mission." This caught his attention and he looked at me in shock. "I'm going now. You can continue." I waved my hand in dismissing manner and turned back towards the door.

"Wait... wait... wait," Adam called behind me, making me stop at the door. "What?" His voice sounded nearer with each word and I faced him again. I mentally thanked him as he was still wearing his boxers.

"I'm not going to bang Hannah," I rephrased my words. He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. "Or anybody else for that matter." He shut his mouth at this and looked thoughtful for a moment. "No need to act all CSI on this matter. Someone is waiting for you," I told him, pointing towards the bed and smirking in the process. I patted his bare shoulder and turned again.

"You're doing this because of Kim," he said and a smile made its way on my face at the mere mention of her name.

With that smile on my face, I looked at him again and said, "Yes."

Chuckling, he shook his head and muttered, "I knew this was going to happen."

Just as I opened my mouth to say something in response, we heard a voice from the direction of the bed. "Will you just leave now? We were in the middle of something." Our heads snapped towards the owner of the voice and I spotted a red haired girl, who was now checking me out with a sly smile on her face. She added, "Or better, you can join us."

Not bothering to reply her, I looked back at Adam with a confused expression on my face and found him looking towards the girl on the bed with raised eyebrows. "That's not Precious," I stated, motioning towards the girl with my hand.

He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "But, she is hotter," he said as if this was enough to explain his actions. Yup, it definitely was.

"That she is." I laughed and almost sprinted my way back to the kitchen. Trust Adam for banging a girl in Precious's bedroom when he had made her think that they were almost a couple.

The smile could not be wiped off my face as I made my way back to the kitchen. I couldn't wait to kiss her again. I couldn't wait to run my hands over her curves and through her hair. I couldn't wait to tell her how much I've started liking her. I couldn't wait to look into those warm brown eyes and tell her that we'd make things work, somehow.

I was way too lost in my thoughts of Kim, when I was suddenly pulled inside one of the rooms.

"What the..." I was interrupted from cursing loudly when I felt someone press their lips against mine. In the dim light of the room, I saw that it was Hannah and no matter how confused and shocked I felt at that moment, I tried to push her away. She had completely other plans though. She lifted herself in the air and wrapped her legs around my torso and made both of us fall on the bed, with me hovering her. After gaining my senses back and not at all responding to the kiss, I grabbed her legs and removed them from my torso. I pulled myself away from her and looked at her in disgust. I was pissed off at her for throwing herself at me, when I clearly didn't want her.

"What the f*ck is wrong with you?" I shouted at her. My breathing was fast, not due to the forced make out session we just had, but because of the anger I was feeling and trying to control.

She didn't look even a bit fazed and lay on the bed, stretching her body seductively. The dress she was wearing left nothing to the imagination. But, I was way too pissed off and infatuated to Kim to have any kind of hormonal reaction towards her. "Oh C'mon, Keith. I know you want me, just like I want you. There's no need to stop now. There's nobody here. Just you and me," she purred, batting her eyelashes and ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

I laughed humorlessly and shook my head at her. I looked at her straight in the eyes and told her with gritted teeth, "What you want from me is to f**k you senseless and what I want from you is to f**k off and never show me your face again."

With that, I turned and started moving towards the door. I could hear her footsteps sounding nearer to me and she grabbed my jacket from the back, making me stop. Rolling my eyes at her desperation, I turned and gave her my most bored look, but what she said next made me want to hit her really hard.

"It's because of that bitch Kim, right?" She laughed humorlessly, reminding me of a witch from the good old tales and continued, "I knew she was a slut who had wanted you since the beginning. That desperate little slut."

At these words from her mouth, my temper took control of me and in an instant; I grabbed fistful of her hair making her flinch at the unexpected pain. She yelped but I paid no heed. With a murderous glare and voice filled with venom, I told her, "You should feel blessed that I don't hit girls." When her expressions of complete pain told me that my message was conveyed, I pushed her lightly, freed my hand and barged outside the room.

All through walking down the stairs and till reaching the kitchen, I could literally feel the smoke coming out of my ears. I thought about Kim and that somehow, calmed me and made me not to go back and throw Hannah out of the window of the room where she had tried to seduce me and said all that sh*t about Kim.

I took a deep breath to calm myself before facing Kim. Things I had to discuss with her were way more important than the blonde I had almost hit. I entered the kitchen with a forced smile on my face, but that smile was short lived as I couldn't spot Kim there. I looked around the kitchen and she was not in the room. I started searching for her in the living area, but it was tough, considering the amount of people in the room dancing and drinking. I spent a good fifteen minutes to find her there, but all in vain. Remembering the night when she talked her heart out to me, I walked out towards the porch, thinking that she would be there. But, all I got was disappointment.

Panic rose in my stomach as I thought about where she could be. What if some drunken bastard tried to take advantage of her? My already pissed off mind was not doing anything good for the situation. I ran towards the first floor and started calling for her. The people around gave me weird looks, but it didn't faze me. I had to find her.

"Where are you, Kim? Where are you?" I muttered to myself with clenched jaw and shaking hands. With those shaking hands, I dug my hand inside my jean pocket and took out my phone. Just as I was about to dial Kim's number, I remembered that her phone had some technical problem due to falling in school this evening and she had told me that its working condition was as good as it being switched off. Nevertheless, I took a chance and dialed her number. And yes, it was switched off. Cursing under my breath, I called Hailey. She answered seven rings later. Yes, I counted that!

"Where's Kim?" I asked her instantly, without waiting for her to say anything.

There was pause for a moment and she finally answered, "She is here, at home."

"What?" I shouted in utter disbelief. Yes, irritation and anger were completely spread in my blood at the moment, but yet there was something entirely different than these two.

Relief.

I was relieved to know that Kim was alright and safe at home. But why did she go?

Hailey probably read my mind as she continued, "She called me and said that she was not feeling well and wanted to go home."

"Not well? What happened?" I asked. Now, there was just concern.

I heard her sigh and she answered, "She didn't tell me. In fact, she looked quite fine when we met her at the party and drove back home. Yeah, she was not her usual self as she looked tired. I guess, she needed some rest before going back tomorrow."

"Today," I corrected her absent-mindedly in almost a whisper.

"What?" she asked. I heard someone saying something at her side and undoubtedly, it was Brian. "It's Keith. Just asking about Kim," she told him and I heard him say something like 'idiot' or 'd*ckhead'. "Go to sleep, Brian," Hailey scolded him, but the laughter in her voice was way too evident.

I had too many things in my mind to joke with the couple. I just said, "You too go to sleep, Hail."

"Yeah, yeah. You come back home whenever you feel like. Don't worry about Kim. She is fine and sleeping in her room now," she told me and I could sense the care in her voice as she said these things.

"Good," I mumbled, rubbing my free hand over my forehead and running it through my hair.

Just as I was about to hang up the phone, Hailey said, "Happy New Year, little brother."

Despite the bad mood I was in, despite the mixed crumbled up emotions in my head, a chuckle escaped my lips and I wished her back, "Happy New Year, sissy."

She laughed at the other end and after a little pause, added, "I love you, bro."

"I know, I'm just that awesome." I couldn't resist the cockiness to return and I heard her laugh again. "Love you too, Hail. Now, go back to your square faced fiancé."

"Oh, just shut up," she groaned on the other side and I laughed.

"No, seriously! Why the hell are you marrying him?" I smirked, asking her the same question that I had asked Brian way too many times.

I heard some muffled noises at the other end and then it was Brian's voice that reached my ears. "I'm sure you don't want the first day of the year 2008 to be the last day of your life." Even though he was warning me, there was unmistakable humor in his voice which made me laugh. He too laughed and continued, "Now Keith, just so you know, you're interrupting a very important and hot session here."

That made my laughter die and I scrunched my nose in disgust. "I never asked for the details!" I exclaimed, and shuddered at the mental images. They both laughed and I continued, "Get lost now. Bye!" With that, I pressed the red button on my phone and mentally promised myself to never call Hailey at night, or Brian for that matter.

I put my phone back in my jean pocket and made my way downstairs, towards the bar.

Too many things had happened in the last one hour and I desperately needed some alcohol in my system.

The messed up feelings in my head were doing no good. I was pissed off at Hannah. I never thought that she would be such a bitch. Taking a huge gulp of beer, I shook my head at my own thoughts and decided not to ruin this night because of her. This night was about Kim and the kiss we shared. A feeling of uneasiness was there in the pit of my stomach as to why did she leave all of a sudden and that too without telling me. But, I knew that there was nothing to be worried about. Right?

I was too lost in my thoughts and my beer that I didn't notice the blonde who came and stood by my side at the bar.

"Having fun, Keith?"

I looked up at the voice and saw a smirking Precious looking at me. I smirked back and nodded my head, looking back at the dance floor. There was nothing between us to talk about, but it seemed that she was quite thick headed to understand that.

"So, I heard that there is something going on between you and that tomboy you brought with you." This got my attention and I saw her looking at me with a huge smirk on her face.

A humorless chuckle escaped my lips and I shook my head at her. "How typically 'girly' can you be, Precious?" I asked her showing genuine curiosity on my face. "Gossips. Really?"

This confused her and she asked, "What?"

"It's really weird that you hear about things happening in other's lives when you've no idea what's happening in your own bedroom," I told her, giving her my best innocent look.

Her eyes widened for a second, before narrowing and she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." I waved my hand, dismissing her, but nevertheless continued, "Just Adam screwing some girl hotter than you in your own bedroom, on your own bed."

The smirk on my face was huge and the anger on her face was clear. Her eyes were filled with anger as she clenched her jaw and fists. "You... you b*stards," she screeched, gritting her teeth.

All I could do was laugh in response as she ran towards her room. She didn't have to take many steps as the culprit himself blocked her way with a suggestive smirk on his face. By the looks on my best friend's face, he was now ready to complete his 'Winter Mission'. B*stard!

Precious had completely other plans, though. She slapped him squarely on his cheek, making Adam look at her in shock while keeping his palm on his 'injured' cheek and making me laugh. She said something to him which couldn't be heard over the music and went in the opposite direction. I stopped my laughter when Adam looked in my direction with a confused expression on his face. I turned back towards the bar and took a gulp of my beer.

"What the hell just happened?" Adam asked once he reached me and grabbed a beer from the counter. Shrugging innocently was the only thing I could do and the only thing that made Adam understand that it had something to do with me. "You told her that I banged someone else in her room," he stated, wide-eyed and I laughed.

I shook my head and corrected him, "I told her that you banged someone 'hotter' than her in her room." This was my way of defending myself.

Adam thought so too, as he looked thoughtful for a moment and eventually nodded. "But, you're still a b*stard," he told me and we again, laughed.

Through the multiple beers and through the talks and laughs, there was one person on my mind all through the night. The person I wanted to talk to about everything that happened tonight. Too many times I had an urge to get up, drive back home and wake her up, but I couldn't do that. I knew that I had to wait.

'Talking to her would be the first thing I would do in the morning,' I promised myself.

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28th March 2016 - Edited!