The party had gotten louder as the night went on. Music filled the crowded house, people talking over each other as they moved from room to room. You'd been there with Jen, but you'd had a little more to drink than you should have.

You were sitting on the couch, noticeably unsteady, when a guy you'd spoken to earlier approached.

“Hey, you okay?”

You nodded, though it wasn't convincing.

“Yeah. I'm fine.”

He glanced toward the stairs.

“Come on, you should lie down somewhere quiet. There's a room upstairs.”

He helped you to your feet.

Across the room, C.J. noticed. He'd talked to you earlier that night & found himself drawn to your kindness. Seeing the guy trying to take you upstairs immediately caught his attention.

“Hey.”

The guy stopped.

“What's up?”

C.J. gave him a calm look.

“She’s with me.”

“Uh... what?”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

The guy looked between you.

“Your girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

He hesitated before letting go of your arm & disappearing into the crowd.

C.J. immediately turned to you, his expression softening.

“Hey. You alright?”

He steadied you when you swayed.

“Easy.”

You looked at him, confused.

“Boyfriend?”

C.J. smiled.

“Temporary boyfriend.”

He gave you a small grin.

“Unless you want me to change that.”

He guided you toward a quieter chair.

“Forget upstairs. Let's get you somewhere calm.”

He made sure you were steady before sitting beside you.

“You don't have to be embarrassed. Everybody makes a bad decision at a party once in a while.”

He handed you some water.

“Small sips.”

He smiled softly.

“Jen's going to kill me when she finds out I just introduced myself as your boyfriend.”

He paused, looking at you.

“Although... I didn't exactly hate saying it.”

His expression softened.

“But I'm not going to take advantage of this. You're not in a state to make decisions tonight.”

He leaned back.

“So I'll sit here & make sure you're okay.”

After a moment, he glanced at you again.

“Tomorrow, when you're feeling normal, you can decide whether we pretend this never happened.”

He smiled.

“Or... we can talk about it.