if anyone ASKED, she'd tell them it was a vodka sprite - and the clear bubbles && lemon/lime scent would sell the tale, but really; she'd asked them to hold it on the liquor, and there wasn't a drop of booze anywhere near her cup. it was more of a comfort in hand, anyway, than any real slate for thirst. instead, with her heart thundering beneath her rented dress ( finer than anything she'd worn before, surely, by a lot ), laila fed her energy on the conversation she'd found herself engaged in. " no, that is literally what i am the most afraid of. greek life. like- i don't even know anything about it. is there a sorority, or is that for the movies, strictly? do i need to be afraid? " it was hard not to feel like she stood out, in a bad way, with her anxious giggle, her ill-fitting dress, her shifty eyes && nervous hands, picking at hand-painted nails with dollar store polish. " i mean, i think i'm kidding... it can't be as bad as monsters inc 2. "

⸻⸻ " i've never seen monsters inc 2 and now i never will, " he states matter - of - factly, lifting his chin up to feign distaste. kaan recognizes the anxiety that she carries, his eyes analyze her demeanor — there was more behind what she was saying but it wasn't his place to ask about it, so he didn't. " put your mind at ease, that kind of greek life is mostly american. which kind of just makes sense if you think about it, " kaan speaks calmly and chuckles under his breath at his last comment. his eyes flicker down to her hands where she picks at her nail polish and he motions toward them, " is that what you were most worried about ? life here would be like greek life in the movies ? " he asks curiously before he gives her a small smile and rubs his hands together.

his cheeks turn a light shade of pink at the request and he lets out a soft laugh. truth or dare — he'd never played the game until he entered his freshman year at daskalos. even still, he only actively participated once or twice. " they dared you to kiss me ? well, i appreciate you asking first, " kaan responds warmly while gaze flickers to her friends not too far away, amused to say the least. " would they give you a hard time if i said no ? if that's the case, lay one on me. i usually do prefer a nice dinner first, just for future reference, but i'll be a team player this time. " he teases, obvious through the grin on his face.

𝓼𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 . . .  the  back  deck,  post-dinner.

𝐈𝐓'𝐒  𝐀  𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋  𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆  —  the  perfect  balance  between  warm  &  not  too  humid,  the  sun  just  beginning  to  set  as  everybody  rises  from  their  seats  to  take  advantage  of  the  bar  &  the  beach. milo's  already  made  his  rounds  &  procured  himself  a  gin  &  tonic,  &  is  halfway  through  it  by  the  time  his  rugby  teammates  swarm  him,  trying  to  corral  him  into  stripping  his  suit  &  going  into  the  water.  two  of  them  have  already  taken  off  down  the  beach,  hooting  &  hollering  &  shedding  layers  as  they  go,  &  milo  waves  them  off  to  the  best  of  his  ability  —  but  they  keep  taunting  him  even  as  they  dive  into  the  ocean.  through  the  distant  chorus  of  '  come  on,  milo  !  '  and  '  just  do  it  !  ',  milo  turns  to  the  nearest  bystander,  an  overwhelmed  grin  on  his  face.    ❛  would  you  go  with  me?  ❜    he  blurts  out  through  a  sheepish  laugh.    ❛  into  the  water?  ❜

⸻⸻ if it were up to kaan, he'd have gone back to his dorm the moment dinner concluded for the evening. he loved a good party but he also strongly commits to his routines, and it was cutting way too close to his bedtime. he'd press forward though, find a coffee for a little pick - me - up and then relax with a few of his friends until the event's full conclusion. yet he's faced instead with a chance for some spontaneity, meeting the other's gaze with a quiet chuckle before he waves his hand in dismissal. of course he would reject such an offer, swimming wasn't included on the invitation. " oh, no, i'm good. thanks though. just not a big swimming guy, " kaan responds, his voice soft spoken in nature. those who aren't familiar with him could perceive him as shy or standoffish, which was not the case by any means. " plus, i didn't dress appropriately. i'll just supervise from right here where it's dry and warm. "