One Night
By: Emily Rose Antrilli
I lifted my head; cricking my neck and peeling open my eyes to recall where I was on this
morning. He cringed slightly, creating a purring noise with his lips as he adjusted his bare
shoulders. I stretched and swung my feet against the wooden bar, climbing my way down in
search of an oversized t-shirt among the untidy floor.
“Leaving so soon?” he yawned as he spoke his words and eyed me viciously from head to
toe.
I flashed him a crooked smile and dropped the t-shirt in my palms; returning back to bed
with him.
“You’re crazy, you know that?” he giggled in a wicked manner, scratching through his
underpants and yawning once more.
I grazed my hand over his caramel, soft skin.
“I had fun last night.” I wished to say I love you, as does any helplessly exposed young
woman in bed with a half decent looking man who had offered to hold them close through the
night.
*
It begins so often with a single look, an uncomfortable lock of eye contact, gripping in the
pit of your stomach and moving further, further down. That first, initial physical attraction pulls
the ties together, a strength that can work over even the coyest of minds. Once one is roped into
that desire, it is difficult to think with precise clarity until the deed is simply done.
The one-nighter, hit and run, hit it and quit it, romantic endeavor, tryst; there are many
ways in which a person may see or understand a one-night stand. According to Urban
Dictionary, a one-night stand may refer to a single incident; a night in which you have had a
sexual encounter with another; an encounter that is forever unrepeated. It may have been
previously understood that this sexual experience was strictly on a no-strings-attached basis.
*
Veronica gingerly pulled up her transparent black stockings, stretching the
wrinkles out below her ankles. She slipped on a black skirt that fell freely just above her knees;
tucking in her long-sleeved maroon sweater.
Her neighborhood was florescent with a collection of white string lights cascading over
each suburban home. Distant fireworks made her heart thump with each bellowing echo in the
darkened sky. Each family waited patiently as midnight approached to welcome this glorious
new year of 2010.
Veronica jumped as her cellphone buzzed from beneath her forearm.
‘MOM: Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight? You can always come here if you change
your mind.’
Throwing the phone down to the carpet, she continued to apply a thick layer of plum
lipstick across her full lips. Veronica watched the clock as it neared eleven o’clock, drinking in
the silence of the empty household. Another message.
‘MATT: When are you coming by?’
Veronica held her phone, glowing at its promising question.
‘VERONICA: Soon’
She pulled on her dark brown leather coat and left her bedroom, grabbing her keys off of
the nearby nightstand. Her walk was seemingly brisk; she filled the vibrant noise with her tiny
ear buds and steady drumming.
Matt was waiting on his concrete front step, wearing a thick flannel that he paired so
effortlessly with a slim pair of khaki corduroys.
“Hey you,” Matt smiled at Veronica, revealing the strength in his bottom jaw line.
“Hey, so, uh, what’s up?” Veronica laughed nervously, lowering her eyes to the stone
path.
The two filled the growing silence with scattered chit chat, catching a glimpse of eye
contact here and there, but pulling away in fast succession.
“So how’s Heather doing?” Veronica fiddled with her shoe laces.
“She’s...well…She’s Heather isn’t she?” Matt looked away, adjusting his position.
“I don’t want to talk about Heather. I miss you, V.” Matt laid his hand over Veronica’s,
squeezing it lightly.
“Come on, come up with me.” Matt pulled Veronica upright, leading her into his foyer
and up the carpeted stairway.
*
On other occasions, this important fact is misunderstood; causing an inevitable string to
hang by a wilting thread. Emotional attachment comes hand in hand with this act of intimacy;
truly exposing oneself to another will leave both partners connected whether this connection is
wanted or not.
A one-night stand can be entirely unexpected or carefully planned out. A mutual presence
at a social gathering can cause two individuals whom have never met to find that spark of
physical desire and ultimately lead to the most intimate act of all. An invitation to see an ex-lover
may inspire new romance from old, distant feelings. A partner may explain, up front that they
want nothing from you, but this intimacy. In each situation, the moment is all together
surprising, unsettling, and truly incredible (Casimong, pg. 1).
*
Michael laughed and balanced the cup of beer in his hands as he swerved his body in and
out of the crowded basement. His hair had begun to become soaked with a thin layer of sweat,
his shoes damp from the grimy track prints.
He saw her standing by the door entrance. Her hair was a deep, chocolate brown highlighting the soft peach tone of her even skin. She wore a thin yellow crop top, dangling from her
chest followed by a small pair of tightly-fitted blue jeans. He watched her grasp her beer,
grinning, allowing the slant of her eyes to fold further.
“Mike!” Manda swooped up behind Michael’s back and hugged him tightly, spilling beer
onto his worn away tank-top.
“What on earth are you doing, come dance!” Manda grabbed onto Mike’s hand and
pulled him to the dance floor; he kept his eyes locked on the girl. She turned for a moment to
notice him gazing, and gave him a slight half-smile.
“Who is that?” Michael asked curiously as Manda tugged on his forearm.
“Who, Becky!? She’s a new pledge. I am in love with her, she is so cute!”
“Becky.” Mike repeated to himself as he kept his eyes locked with Becky’s stare.
“Wait, a minute, you are checking her out, aren’t you? Oh my God! Just wait, wait here.”
Manda slumped away in a drunken stumble. Mike began to stop her, but she had already been
whispering into Becky’s ear by the time that Mike reached the doorway.
“Hey Manda, maybe you should go sit down...” Mike placed his hands on Manda’s
shoulders, but she quickly shoved him away.
“Shut up Mike! Becky this is Mike, you know, Mike...” Manda gave an loud chuckle as
she hung over Becky, tripping over her words.
“Hey Mike,” Becky beamed and sipped lightly on her beer.
“Uhm, Hey Becky,” Mike smiled and slid his arm next to Becky’s small-framed
shoulder.
As the door closed behind them, before Michael could echo a word, Becky had climbed
onto him, kissing him passionately, moving his t-shirt upward and exposing his bare chest.
“Becky, I just wanted to…” Michael began to utter a word, but fell silent the heavy
euphoria surrounding the room.
“Please, please don’t say anything.” Becky placed her hand over Michael’s lips as she
climbed over him on the bed. Michael lay down and allowed his body to enter the moment as his
mind grew despondent; unsure at how he had gotten here; so enveloped in this instant.
Becky looked up from Michel’s grip.
“Do you have a condom?”
*
The excitement, exhilaration, breathlessness that engulfs a person as they enter their
freshman year of college is an emotional roller coaster like no other. From the dimly-lit hallways
of a local high school, to a wide, expanding campus with a variety of new faces, fresh looks, and
most importantly, independence. This freedom may be expressed in a variety of ways; making
this college atmosphere an ideal first time for many to experiment sexually. It is easy to have this
desire, as budding young adults who have finally detached themselves from parental figures.
The original one-night stand is often times a concept unusual to some previous to college,
but soon becomes an environmental norm to see those around you attempting to ‘hook-up’. A
recent study on sexual activity during college adolescence found that 59.3% of students were
likely to have encountered a hook-up. It is intriguing however, to see how a young, inexperienced
students may handle this type of experience and if in fact, they were ready or were just doing it
because everyone else was too (Scherker, pg. 1).
*
Theodore noticed Kyle dancing about, giggling with his friends, by the climbing tide
moving in towards the dry sand.
He had met Kyle before; they had bonded together under the shimmering glow of the
glittering streamers, set up for a glorious prom to remember. Theodore had brought a stunning
female dressed in a strapless red silk gown; he wore a vibrant red bow tie to match. Kyle had
brought a much similar date, a gorgeous girl in sapphire blue who had happened to be quite close
with Theodore’s date.
Kyle and Theodore spoke through the night as the girls they had brought found a variety
of suitors to dance away with.
“Wow, seriously Theo, it was wonderful to meet you. I would love to hangout some other
time.” Kyle slipped a napkin with his phone number scribbled in pen under Theodore’s hand.
Theodore held the number, examining its handwriting for some time. As he left the ball room, he
balled the napkin within his fist and tossed it into the waste can.
Theodore now watched Kyle twirling about; he thought of this night at prom and lifted
himself from his beach towel.
“Kyle!” Theodore jogged through the thick layers of sand.
‘Theo, I was hoping you’d come say hello. How are you?” Kyle gave Theodore a short,
innocent hug. He wore florescent blue bathing suit, complete with a lightning bolt pattern that
surrounded the edges.
“I’m all right. All right is the phrase. But anyway, we’re having people over the condo
later. Come?” He peeked at Kyle’s thin frame through his aviator lenses.
“Yeah, sounds good.” Kyle tapped on Theodore’s shoulder and ran off into the cool
ocean.
The intoxicated guests parading in and out of Theodore’s living room began to retreat to
their hotel rooms. They each hugged and thanked Theodore for the night, still shouting his name
as they flooded into the hallway.
Kyle sat crossed-legged in the living room den, his cotton button up opened slightly at the
top, a tuft of hair being revealed. Theodore moved towards Kyle, slinking up next to him on the
couch. He clutched the underside of Kyle’s jaw and brought his mouth to his.
“I’ve been watching you for a while,” Theodore whispered as he unbuttoned the second
and third button of Kyle’s shirt.
“Theo, I’ve wanted this to happen for so long…” Kyle’s breath became heavy as he
swallowed Theodore’s mouth and folded into the suede sofa.
*
A one-night stand may described using words anywhere from ‘fun’ to ‘disastrous’.
Despite this, these singular-unexpected moments of intimacy have often gone unnoticed by
society; perhaps wished to be forgotten. In reality, these hidden excursions undeniably play a
role in our further romantic relationships both sexually and intellectually (Kaufman, pg. 1).
~
Veronica crossed her legs and muffled her hands across her face as the tears began to
well up in her eyes.
“What happened the next morning?” I asked as I eyed her body language as she
shifted back and forth in her chair.
“I walked through the halls feeling as if it would all be back to normal, Matt
would swoop me into his arms and tell me what a great night he had had, and I would kiss him
right there, against his locker for everyone to see,” She paused, grabbed a tissue and dabbed the
corners of her eyes, crushing the wet paper ball between her palm.
“He didn’t even look at me. We passed in the hall, and he would not face me or
look in my direction. I tried to say hello, and he may not of heard, but I believe he did not turn
around on purpose. I later saw him groping Heather’s waist by his locker. He laughed, while he
kissed her face and tickled her hips.”
“Did you ever speak to him again?”
“He asked me to see him again, possibly two months or so later. And I did.”
“Do you still continue to see him?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How long has this been going – “
“Five years.” Veronica soaked through her white, laced t-shirt, placing her body
over mine. She hugged me, gripping weakly, her soul with a frailty unknown.
~
Michael lay back in his chair, locking himself to the television.
“I believe she wanted to release something, a something I don’t quite know or
understand. There was so much aggression. I felt so disconnected.” Michael’s tone was
confused, wounded if you will.
“So you did not wish to continue seeing her?” I placed my hand near his and grazed his
fingers.
“No, I stopped answering her attempts to contact me after this. She wasn’t the girl I had
been looking for. And I wish I hadn’t done what I’d done; I do believe we could have been
friends,” Michael squeezed my hand for a moment and let go to cover his lips.
“I saw her in passing not long ago, I tried to wave and give a smile, but she kept her head
down and barely nodded; that was the last time that I saw her.” Michael brushed his hair from his
face and watched me as I scribbled down his words. He touched my hand, stopping my
movement and looked up at me.
“But that doesn’t matter, because I’m happy where I am today.”
~
Theodore folded his arms as he nodded his head in the direction of the beaming window.
“Did you enjoy the night?” I asked; my voice traveled around the room as Theodore
hesitated.
“I had fun. It was the first ‘one-night stand I had ever experienced, the first sexual
encounter I had had after my two-year relationship with Drew that had ended shortly before.”
Theodore rose for a moment, paced the room until he was circled back in his chair.
“I did not feel guilty until I found out that Drew knew, and that he was hurt.” Theodore
spoke with a hushed, genuine tone.
“Did you continue to speak to Kyle?”
“Kyle kept attempting to call and message me for months after this, but what I can really
say about this now is that I had used him. I used him as a rebound to take that next step into
being on my own. I think this set me up for what was to come in college; it was an important
stepping stone.” Theodore traced the lining of the love seat with his finger.
“I haven’t spoken to Kyle since that day. But Drew and I, we’re currently working on
getting our relationship back together.”
*
The sun was beaming across his furrowed brow, causing him to squint when he peered in
my direction.
“Not half bad, I really don’t usually go for girls like you, but…” he sat up and combed
through his fluffed dark hair with his short fingers.
I didn’t ask the question, I instead sat with my arms folding in on themselves, creating an
armor to cover my exposure.
“I mean normally I like smaller girls, maybe 4’9” or 5’0”, a little under a hundred
pounds, fit.”
I hadn’t asked, and it had become quite clear to me why. I hadn’t wanted to know and
now his harsh words pressed against me like a moist open wound; creating a pulsating sting. I
hugged the small pocket of fat that lay under my stomach, held my breath and hovered my hand
over the stretch marks lurking on my left thigh.
There was not another moment in my life that I had felt so unattractive; seeing myself as
a large and scaly beast with seven toes and a hunched sculpted shoulder. At my stunted growth
of 5’4”; I never had felt so unusually tall; towering over cities, highways; the rusted maple leaf
tree in my backyard.
I sat up in my chair and threw a t-shirt over my body.
“I’m sorry, but I think I have to go.”
`
SOURCES:
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Scherker, Amanda. "College 'Hookup Culture' Isn't As Pervasive As You Might Think:
Study." Huff Post. The Huffington Post, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/14/college-hookup-culture_n_3751008.html>.
Kaufman, Gena. "What Guys Really Think: About One Night Stands and Sex On a First
Date." <i>Glamour Sex Dating</i>. Conde Nast, 5 July 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
&lt;http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2012/07/what-guys-reallythink-about-o&gt;.
Sarah, Casimong. "One-Night Stands In College: Are We Having Them?" <i>Her
Campus</i>. Her Campus Media, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
&lt;http://www.hercampus.com/love/dating-hooking/one-night-stands-college-are-wehaving-them&gt;.
"One Night Stand." <i>Urban Dictionary</i>. 25 Feb. 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
&lt;http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=one night stand&gt;.