After vising my parents at the hotel room downtown, I meet Denver at the square. He wanted to see me again, and I decided I'm not going to be sitting around on a Saturday night, plus I don't have to open Sophie's at six am tomorrow like I used to. That chapter of my life, at least, is over for now, and it is up now to Scarlet and whoever said shit about me to Sylvia to deal with the situation and work on the weekends.

I'm wearing a casual dress with not too much makeup over my face. My mother seems to be doing better, although she was still throwing up just before I arrived to see her. My father mentioned something about extending another night, so they don't have to catch the plane early tomorrow. The hotel is fancy, and the room has a lot of space, so I sit far away from her, afraid this could be more than food poisoning. I heard stomach flu is around at this time of the year.

"Wow, you look so pretty," exclaims Denver when he sees me. I smile with his compliment as he takes hold of my hands, his lips kissing my cheek and very close to my lips. Denver is dressed in a regular shirt, simple jeans, and his old pair of sneakers. At least, they are laced at this time.

What am I doing with him again?

"Where we are going?" I ask.

"There is a restaurant-bar around the corner. They have the best fries. Let's go," Despite the amount of food it was served in the baby shower a few hours ago, I think I'll be fine sharing some fries with Denver.

"Believe me. They have the best fries."

The streets of Madison are crowded with people celebrating the Badgers' s victory this afternoon. Most college students are drunk wearing white and red Badger shirts, including the girls. We enter the bar across from the Capitol. The dome lights are so bright, making the entire square a unique place.

"Can I have a beer, please?" Denver asks the female bartender. She serves him right away despite the many people crumpled on the counter to get their drinks. She is a woman in her forties, and she is not very warm. "What about you, honey?" she asks coldly.

"Just water for now." She fills the cup with ice and tap water, placing it on the counter.

"Do you have some fries?"

"Sexy Fries are over for tonight. You guys came too late for that. The bar has been full the whole day." She serves Denver a beer and moves to the next customer.

"That's Terry. Moody is her normal state of mind." He says when she is out of sight. "But she is cool."

Now and then, Denver touches my hands softly and places his arms around my waist whenever we move. I don't wish any public display with him, considering how my life is so confusing now with school, him, and Maroney. I know I need to be honest with him tonight, but I have' had the opportunity. I don't know, and I am not sure how I feel about neither of the two guys. I haven't had any feelings for someone in a very long time and whatever is inside of me is so new I don't know how to handle it.

Next, he takes me downstairs to walk around at the bar. He asks me if I want to play pool with him, but that's something I don't care about much. Paying dart, pool, and even watching a game, is not really my thing. Denver then suggests we walk in State Street, and I nod. Just as we are leaving the bar, we bumped into Aaron at the door. We talk for a moment, remembering the camping trip and that crazy tubing down on Sugar River. Then they talk about that frat party, but most names I don't recognize anyway because I don't know them.

"Suzan asked about you."

"Say hello for me. I'll call her tomorrow."

"Not a problem, bro," he says, making his way in another direction.

"Who is Suzan?" I ask Denver after Aaron is gone. Something bothers me with the mention of a girl's name wanting to speak with Denver, but I manage to keep a smile over my lips. I know I'm not supposed to demand answers from him as much as he is not supposed to demand answers from me.

"Someone I know. I have lots of female friends."

"Oh," I say. "Like friends with benefits."

"No, not many, only the ones I told you about. The one who walked out with my best friend and the one who ended up ending up with another woman."

"I still think the guy is not your friend."

"I'm not hurt or anything. She moved on; I moved on."

"Just like that?"

"I told you. You're the one person I really want. Why don't you believe me?"

The streets are very crowded with drunk college students, some of them speaking loudly and yelling at someone else across the street.

"Don't worry. They like the attention," Denver laughs at me.

We hop from bar to bar at state street until we find one with tons of people dancing on the floor. I'm surprised when Danza Kuduro plays on the speaker as I remember that song quite well in the boarding school. Personal radio wasn't aloud, let alone Latin music that would imply sexuality and freedom of expression. One of my peers had a small portable radio, and we danced when we could. Of course, we ended up being caught and getting in trouble for that. Now I'm here, walking in the streets filled with drunks, dancing, and laughing with Denver.

I'm shy at first, but to my surprise, the boy with dark eyes grabs me by my hips, pulling my body closer to him as I do my best to follow his steps. My upper legs lock on his, rubbing as I move my feet to follow his according to the song's rhythm. When I'm starting to feel my panties wet, Denver gets a hold of my hands and spins me around numerous times. I'm not a professional dancer or anything of the sort, but dancing with him like that is magical, and the last thing I expected when I met him tonight was to end up having a fun night like that with him. Honestly, I don't remember the last night I danced with a boy. I can't remember the last time I felt free to say I could be myself again. The song is finally over, and this time I accept a drink: Malibu and pineapple.

By the time we danced more than I can remember, we go to another bar and get a few more drinks. I'm tipsy that I know, but I don't care. I'm just laughing with him about almost everything. Denver continues to push his way over me until he takes me by my hand, suggesting that we go for a walk somewhere else.

We walk past some construction path with not many people walking around until we arrive at the lake. I should have known. Denver loves the lake. But this one is not the one by where I live.

"What's this place?" I ask, seeing no one is around this huge area, just us.

"Memorial Union." He tells me. "They have tons of concerts here, people eating and walking around. Not tonight, I guess."

"Well, it is past midnight." And as I say that, a few drunk guys show up, their voices loud. One of them jumps on the lake.

"There is something different about you, Cassidy. I think it is love at first sight."

My heart races as I look straight into his eyes, trying to find a trace of a joke or something that will be he is only playing. His tone is not only serious, but his dark eyes are so intense that I can't blink when they stare at me deeply. I keep my silence because I don't know what to tell Denver. He leans down and let his lips touch mine, and once again, I'm wrapped in a moment of emotions, forgetting about the things I'm supposed to tell him.

I stretch one of my legs as his hands move up my tights, my insides screaming for more of his touch. His warm lips become stronger and hungry on my mouth when they move faster. His hands are tight on my waist, and I can't not only move, but I don't want to move, returning the kiss at the same pace as his. When his hands finally reach my neck, his fingers going through my hair, I'm out of the air as I feel their weight on the back of my skull. They finally touch the side of my cheeks, and they are so warm, almost on fire, only to protect me from the chilly breeze coming from the lake. I still hear the drunk voices that don't seem to notice us sitting on this bench, but then it is like those voices suddenly disappear as if Denver and I had found a tele- transporter and moved to another dimension.

I'm not sure how long I've stayed there with him under watching the stars. We finally pull apart from one another.

"Maybe we should play truth and dare."

"Why ?"

"Because I want to know more about you." I notice a pervy smile on the corner of his lips.

"Who is the first one to answer the questions then?"

"I can be the first one." He speaks, his eyes never leaving mine.