Hearts beating faster [Open]

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

The beat of the music pumped through her body, bass pulsing in her veins and the rhythm was flowing out of Isabella in the swaying and shaking of her hips, sensually slithering in that well acquainted way that all dancers were capable of from knowing their body and the way that it moved. There hadn’t been any pretenses about tonight, just raw fun. One of those moments where people were free to let their hair down and get lost in some of life’s vices. The sexual tension was amped in the club providing plenty of willing bodies to dance up on, hands exploring the curves of her body, heat washing over her in waves and the numbing feeling of one too many shots of Tequila making her think she was completely invulnerable. Her arms were wrapped around some guy’s neck. He had said his name but over the blaring music Issy hadn’t heard and even if she had it would have been doubtful that she would have remembered.

Living your life on the edge, being charged by the thrill of dangerous situations and making bad decisions might not have been the best kind of living but it was the majority of what Isabella knew. She wasn’t without her redeeming qualities but to say that she was saintly would have had her laughing in your face. That rosary that her grandmother had given her before she died, a family heirloom, the beads had been well prayed upon but every time that Issy would feel their tarnished surface between her fingertips she couldn’t bring herself to pray on them and ask for forgiveness it just wasn’t who she was and it was a good thing her grandmother wasn’t still alive to see the wild child that Isabella had become. She was probably rolling over in her grave now but as long as Issy participated in the displays of good faith that her mother directed her towards she had a leniency with her parents regarding her actions. Absolution came not from avoiding temptations all together but rather canceling them out with good deeds.

Her fingertips grazed the back of the man’s neck, Issy leaned in close letting her breath tickle just beneath his ear as she giggled at the sensation that accompanied his hand sliding up her back. He was handsy and three sheets to the wind himself, though probably a little more conscious to his actions than he was letting on. Subtly, Isabella was guided off of the dance floor and pinned against the wall, in the shadows of the club, his lips pressing to her neck hungrily. It felt nice but that wasn’t why she was there- or hadn’t been her intention to hook with some random stranger. She played ball for a while enjoying the kisses that he trailed down her neck but as his hands grasped at her backside and groped down to her thighs trying to pull her against him in an opportune position put her hands to his shoulders pushing him away slightly. ”That’s enough.” He seemed to be willing to cooperate as he pulled away giving her a smile. ”Come on baby.” And back again he was, gunning for her rougher than before. Irritated, Isabella gave him the hardest shove she could muster in her drunken stupor and slipped off the wall and away heading for the crowd. She almost got there too before a hand gripped around her wrist. Perfect, some jackass with too much of an ego.

[cohenjackson]

Cohen was doing his usual thing. Dancing against some of the cutest girls at the club as he started forgetting any troubles that had arisen between him and his roommate. But he pushed the thoughts out of his head as one of the girls picked up his hand and started dancing with him, trying to get as close as possible to him. Of course he knew what she wanted, but the problem was, he hadn't had nearly enough alcohol to actually do anything.

He let out an internal groan, shaking his head at himself he dropped her hand. She was cute, but she was wasted and she would be better off with her own friends, the swimmer decided. He began making his way out of the crowded dance floor and back towards the bar. Looking around he spotted a girl being pushed against a wall by a guy. At first he thought it was all innocent fun until he noticed that she was pushing him away.

A frown formed and instantly, Cohen's protective side came out as he made his way towards the couple, putting his hand roughly on the boy's shoulder to pull him off the girl. Breaking them apart was fairly easy. Pushing the other boy away and making sure he got the message to back off however, was a little more difficult. It took another shove and a growled warning for him to understand that he wasn't getting any tonight.

With that sorted, the senior turned towards the girl, catching her wrist so that he could make sure she was okay. He was worried that maybe she'd had something put in her drink or that she had simply had too much to drink and was going to run away scared and get herself hurt. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, concern written all over his face as he looked down at her.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

Isabella was in a situation product of her own actions. She wouldn’t have claimed that she was some innocent party here. Just like the boy she had been tossing back drinks, she had been dancing up on him suggestively, flirting even. However, that wasn’t permission to take things to a level that wasn’t consensual. Issy might not have been a blushing virgin but she wasn’t much for sleeping around with just anyone. She couldn’t even remember this guy’s name and unlike some girls around school she had more class than that as well as self-respect. At first Isabella wasn’t too worried about the persistence of the boy. Being in a public place helped ease whatever concern she might have had if things had been more secluded but the music was loud, the crowd wasn’t paying any mind to them and after the first yank to free herself failing and the boy’s grip tightening painfully around her wrist making Issy winch.

Most girls liked to think that they could handle themselves. Damsels in distress were a thing of the past and with the ideals of equality floating around it gave off a false sense of impartiality in all areas of life. That wasn’t necessarily the case though as was being proved presently. This guy was bigger than Isabella, stronger and clearly more forceful than she had originally anticipated. While moments ago she had been confident about the outcome so sure that she would just be able to walk away with nothing more than annoyance to show for it there was now a growing fear that shone in her eyes realizing the gravity of the situation. Issy was pulled back to him just as someone else’s hand clasped over the drunken boys shoulder snatching him away from her. The boy’s grip on her wrist wasn’t relinquished at first tugging Isabella along with her but the unexpectedness of the other boy’s intervention had his fingers slipping enough for Issy to get free.

Watching on as her savior gave the drunkard another shove, growling at him Isabella turned on her heel wanting to head back into the crowd and straight over to the bar for a drink to calm her nerves. She knew it wasn’t the smartest of moves but didn’t particularly care. Feeling another hand wrapping around her wrist Isabella whimpered snatching her arm away and held it gingerly to her chest, spinning around to see the familiar boy from before with anxious with concern. She nodded slowly letting her gaze search his face. Issy wasn’t scared of him but she was wary in general on edge and a renewed alertness had cut through her buzz. ”Yes, my wrist is just tender.” She didn’t think that enough damage had been done to create a bruise the next day but in that moment it did sting

She didn’t realize it until she glanced down at her wrist but her fingers had gently been rubbing her wrist in an attempt to work out the pain the drunk boy had inflicted. Isabella could feel his gaze shooting daggers into her as he stalked away grumbling something to himself but she stayed focused on her white knight. Giving him an appreciative smile Isabella stepped closer to him to let him know that she wasn’t scared anymore. Isabella brought her other hand to his face cupping his cheek. ”Thank you.” Leaning in she placed a chaste kiss on his other cheek. She realized that showing affections right now might have seemed counter productive to the events that had just taken place but that was just who Isabella was. He deserved the gratitude.

[cohenjackson]

Cohen was sure that he knew this girl, not her name or anything like that, but he was certain he'd seen her around Mayview. He instantly let go of her wrist, not that he could hear her wimper, but when she pulled away, he figured that she had been hurt. A frown formed as he looked her up and down, taking in the way that she was cradling her arm and rubbing her wrist. He turned his head slightly, making sure that the drunken boy was moving along. Glaring at him for a moment he turned back to the girl in front of him, just in time to hear her say that her wrist was feeling tender.

It was understandable, when he'd pulled the other boy away, no doubt he hadn't let go of her wrist and instead dragge her along. He nodded, a small smile on his lips as he looked down at her hands again. Cohen looked at her in surprise though when her hand lifted to his cheek and she moved closer to him to kiss him on the cheek and thank him. He let out a small groan and moved to take her hand away from his cheek. He cast her a look, trying to silently tell her that after what he'd just saved her from, she really shouldn't go jumping into things like that. "Maybe we should get you home." The swimmer told her, raising his eyebrows. He wasn't in the mood to spend all of his night rescuing her.


ooc: Sorry this took me so long and that its so short. My computer has been screwing up constantly so I couldn't post this earlier.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

His reaction had been anticipated but Isabella, even slightly tipsy, was working on at least some form of logic. Her gesture toward him, in her mind, wasn’t necessarily a pass or encouragement of promiscuity. This guy had taken the trouble to keep her from being mauled by the sexually charged teenage boy so he wouldn’t turn around and become one himself, right? The likelihood of the same thing occurring twice in a row in a span of minutes was statistically improbable. There was the notion that some might have formed that maybe this young man had saved her in order to cash in on her gratitude to the greatest level that he could having Isabella feeling as though she owed him for his kindness, but that was what the kiss was for. Considering he took her hand away and groaned he didn’t seem like he was going to take advantage. She found that pleasing.

An amused smile came onto her lips. His protective nature was showing itself even after the threat was gone either that or he had no desire to spend the rest of the night feeling obligated to look after her having already put himself in the position to be her personal guardian angel. No good deed went unpunished, right? Isabella had come to have a nice time; she wanted to dance, drink, flirt and had for a while already but was she ready to leave just yet? Not really. ”I’ll let you take me home…” Issy made it seem like she was doing him the favor, she was quirky like that. ”But first you have to dance with me.” Ultimatums weren’t necessarily something that normal people would have done in her situation but then Isabella had never been all that normal- that would have been boring. He was attractive, wasn’t exactly drooling on himself around her or acting like a fool with her, and by inserting himself into her radar like he had it did peak her interest. ”I’m Isabella. I don’t suppose you’ve got a name to go with that handsome mug of yours?”

ooc: Its no worries.

[cohenjackson]

Even with the small amount of alcohol in his system, Cohen still managed to think clearly. Which is how he knew that it was time for the girl to go home before she got herself into more trouble that even he couldn't save her from. Of course he knew that others might find it unnecessary to feel as protective over someone they had just met and still didn't even know the name of yet, but Cohen was different. He'd just pent the time saving her, so he wouldn't let her out of his sight until he knew she was safe. The swimmer would feel responsible if he let her go and something happened to her.

Some guys his age would have taken advantage of their situation. The cobination of her being drunk and grateful at being saved meant that it would have been easier to get with her. Cohen knew this of course, but had always liked the challenge and chase the sober girls provided, often finding that drunk girls were more on the boring side.

He would far rather simply take her straight home, minimizing the likelihood of anything else going wrong tonight. Cohen looked her up and down suspiciously when she smiled, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up.. He had a feeling that something was going to happen and he wasn't going to like it. A relived sigh almost escaped his lips when she agreed to let him take her home, though it quickly became a heavy sigh as he heard her condition. He no longer felt like dancing, but figured that if it got the girl home safe, then what the hell? Right?

"Fine," he smiled, shaking his head at himself. "But only one song." He told her raising his eyebrows at her. "I'm Cohen." The swimmer replied, knowing that if Isabella attended Mayview, she would have heard about him, but Cohen was mostly just glad to be able to put a name to a face now.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

Coaxing that smile out of him was a little more difficult than she preferred. He could have just taken her home but then where was the fun in that? Something told her that he was a little tense with his current situation. Maybe it was those heaving sighs of his that gave it away or the way that he was holding himself around her. Whatever the case it didn’t set well with Isabella. Just because he stepped in the save her didn’t mean he had to feel obligated for the rest of the night. She preferred being a joy to be around not a burden and whether or not that was how he felt about her at the moment- it was how Isabella felt he did. That needed to change at his earliest convenience.

She recognized his name and it soothed that tip of the tongue sensation of familiarity that she had been suffering through. Cohen was on the swim team, a jock and popular a trifecta that Isabella should have been scolding herself for not paying attention to sooner. It wasn’t that important to her really. People didn’t have to be popular to catch her attention but putting a name to a face was always a good thing. Besides that he was Tariq’s roommate. It wasn’t like Isabella popped in at the dorm for any reason, if she needed Tariq there were other ways of getting a hold of him then swinging by- but there were just too many interlinking reasons that she should have known Cohen and yet didn’t. That was on her though.

”Just one?” Isabella grinned taking him by the hand to lead them further into the dancing crowd. She wasn’t going to push him too much on the matter. After all she did owe him but that nature of hers had a way of rearing its head and seeing just how far she could bend peoples will toward what she wanted. It seemed to her that Cohen needed to relax some anyway. He was more standoffish than she would have liked and the first impression that had been made needed to be amended, at least a little bit. If Cohen was going to go around saving her then the aftermath of that needed to be enjoyable. Isabella was confident, if he wasn’t completely stubborn, that she could manage that. There was no reason that either of their nights had to end on a sour note.

Her arm draped over his shoulder letting her hips begin to sway to the rhythm of the music. The beat was fast paced; something to bump and grind to but Issy wasn’t going to rub all up on him. ”How are you with Salsa?” Her hands slipped down resting lightly on his waist to help guide his hips if need be while Isabella herself picked up the steps. She was well versed in most dances but that was to be expected.

[cohenjackson]

Cohen was tense from the situation. In all honesty, he didn't rally like fighting, even if it was a shove and trying to intimidate another guy to back off. There was a reason the Cohen played a solo sport where there was no tackling involved. He simply wasn't that much of a physical person when it came to other guys and he'd never been interested in fighting. But he couldn't help but step up when someone was going to get hurt if he didn't. There was a bit of an after effect though. He felt a little bad about pushing the other guy and wasn't sure that he liked being portrayed to people who had seen and to Isabella as a 'white knight'. It simply made him uncomfortable.

This especially troubled him now that she knew who he was. He was supposed to be a badass jock like he was at school and now it turned out that he had a softer side. The swimmer wasn't going to be pleased if this got out. He could only imagine what his friends would say. Cohen was oblivious to Isabella's mental scolding for not having known him. He was unaware that she knew Tariq and so had no idea that they could have met earlier in his dorm if she'd only stopped by.

An easy laugh escaped past Cohen's lips at her question. "Maybe two." He told her, the laugh still on his face and in his voice as he took her hand, allowing her to lead him through the crowd. He could allow her a couple of songs but then he would need to take her home, the longer they stayed out, the more uncomfortable Cohen felt with the situation. For all he knew, the guy that he'd pushed off her could be holding a grudge and want to get back at him if they stayed longer.

The senior was lost in these thoughts and nearly missed her next question if it weren't for the way her hands slipped down his body to rest on his hips. He glanced down at them, before back up at her with his eyebrows raised. He could certianly say this wasn't what he expected and that he'd never been asked that question before. He cocked his head at her for a moment, letting her hands guild his hips before he picked up her hands and started dancing with her for real, taking over the leading. He knew he wasn't very good, but he'd been forced to watch enough dancing movies and tv shows to have picked up a couple of moves. Another laugh escaped and he was smiling for real and he ducked his head, "Obviously not as good as yours." He laughed into her ear, making sure that she could hear him over the pounding music.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

Whatever his problem was or whatever she was doing – maybe even a combination of the two- seemed to have him lightening up little by little. It always started with a smile and could slowly work its way into a good time. Isabella wasn’t one to let a singular unfortunate incident ruin a perfectly good evening. She had come to let her hair down and enjoy herself. Things had gone well enough for the first half of the night, so why couldn’t she just view the overly aggressive guy as a terrible intermission and end the night on a positive note with Cohen? If you set your mind to it you could usually accomplish anything. In this scenario it just so happened that she needed a little bit of give from Cohen but he wasn’t being too resilient.

That foot-in-the-door phenomena really had some truth to it. She had gotten him to agree to one dance and then, as he said, maybe two. Once you got started on something it was always easier to keep it going and push your luck rather than starting out big and having it smacked down. The same principle was used in all sorts of ways. Cohen didn’t seem upset with her initiative, which she took as another good sign. He picked up the rhythm quick enough and before she knew it he was taking the lead, as he rightfully should have been. Hearing his laugh brought a smile to her lips. She could feel the heat of his breath next to her ear and the bass in his laughter both blending in with the music and coursing through her body pleasantly.

”I have an unfair advantage.” Isabella quipped back leaning closer to him for the same reason he had. She could have been talking about anything really and was more than happy to let his mind wander with the possibilities of what she might have meant, at least for a little while to tease. It was a quick step advancing and retreating in time with the beat of the music, added flare with the wiggling of hips in a sort of figure eight pattern. The dance was spicy and sexy without being raunchy. Sensuality was rife in Isabella’s culture and she thought that she represented it rather well.

She grasped the back of his neck, though gingerly it being more about the appearance of feistiness than the actual actions. Passion in a dance came from the illusions that it cast and in some cases mutual feelings between two people. Since they had just met the latter was off the table but Isabella was a dedicated dancer so making it look authentic was second nature to her. ”You’re speaking my language. You don’t seem too lost in translation though.” Her euphemism was to amuse. Being colorful in her speech was quirk of Isabella’s. She never once got off beat despite the conversation that she held. ”To be fair how about we do something you’re good at next?” Isabella was open to letting Cohen lead, in more than just dancing.

[cohenjackson]

Cohen couldn't help but become annoyed with himself. He wanted to get Isabella home safe, but there was just something that happened to him when he was dancing, especially when it was with a really good looking girl. He simply couldn't make himself stop having fun. Maybe if was the combination of the beat vibrating the air around them or the way she was making him dance a different way to his usual club style that was making him smile brightly, even though he knew he was terrible compared to her.

If any of his friends saw this he would die. Actually, even if Tariq saw this he wouldn't be able to look him in the eye for at least a week. It just wasn't his style t dance like this or even let someone talk him into something, he couldn't usually be persuaded into things like dancing. A three kilometre race he would be all for at a moments notice. Dancing ... well, a previous girl had tried for weeks to get him to ask her to a dance and he had never relented because he didn't feel like going.

For a moment, Cohen was a little stumped by her reply. It was easy to work out what she meant, but he couldn't help his mind going blank first before it hit. Oh, the dance team. He finally realized, smiling again. There was really no excuse for his slow mental state other than a little too much alcohol, but the swimmer brushed off the thought, figuring there was no way he'd had that much to drink.

He would be lying if he said he didn't find them dancing like they were incredibly sexy, but he also knew that was what it was supposed to be. So when she put her hand on the back of his neck, he didn't think too much of it other than to use a hand on the small of her back to pull her a little closer as he continued to move his hips the way Isabella had shown him. He laughed easily as she spoke about him not being lost in translation. Considering how little he ever danced, he was glad she thought he was doing well, but a light shake of his head escaped at her next offer. "I wouldn't picture you as someone who likes swimming or picking up girls." He told her laughing, knowing that those were probably the only things he was genuinely good at.

[ISABELLA MARIANA DIAS]

She could practically see Cohen slowly coming to the realization of what she was talking about. Either in this case he was just that transparent or Isabella’s skill of reading people had come into play but whatever it was that had her taking note of his momentary confusion and working through it, she was amused by it. He was proving to be a nice time and Isabella certainly appreciated him for it as well as the role that he had played for her earlier. Getting to know a little more about Cohen seemed like an excellent idea to her. While Isabella knew that he had every notion of taking her back to the dorms and making sure she was tucked in, safe and sound, before he left, she wasn’t quite ready to let him complete what he needed to do in order for his worried mind to be put at ease.

Instead Isabella was encouraging him to indulge in keeping her entertained for a bit longer that night. Cohen seemed to be warming up to the idea of it. Getting him to dance with her had been met with resistance at first but it was pushed through and the result favorable. She was pleased with the young man, in more ways than one. His action to put his hand on the small of her back and pull her closer was well received. Even though he wasn’t a dancer by his own admittance Cohen seemed to understand the flow of it and his instincts on how to handle it were dead on. Isabella was impressed by him. His laugh surrounded her again, pleasantly, causing the smile on her lips to broaden slightly.

He was right. When it came to water sports she was a surfer not a swimmer and as for picking up girls it hadn’t been anything that she had tried before. Picking her doing either, swimming was clearly the more believable of the two. However, considering there were females around versus a pool it would have been more convenient to pick up girls than it would to go swimming. If they left and headed back to school that circumstance would change but it was up to him really. Isabella was considering both of the things that Cohen had proposed and weighing the pros and cons of each. Both had their benefits and both could turn out to be entertainment for them.

”You never know what you’re capable of until you challenge yourself.” Her hand smoothed out over his shoulder a smirk lightly perched on her lips. Whichever Cohen wanted to go with she was sure that they would be able to make it engaging. The tone of playfulness in both options wasn’t lost of Isabella and it was harmless really. Sure, if Cohen went for picking up girls there was a risk to her reputation and spouted rumors of her sexuality called into question, but that really wasn’t too important to her. When it came to high school gossip, though Isabella was more vigilant about it than most, she didn’t go completely out of her way to structure what people thought of her. ”Which would you rather?” She was leaving it up to him, which was a surrender of dominance that she only gave out for two reason, manipulation or because they deserved to hold the reigns for a little while. In his case, given that he had saved her, Cohen was the latter.