“Well….” I found myself unable to take my eyes off of hers. My heart stammered a little as I watched the way her lips twitched upwards, the way her arm on the counter moved a little closer to mine. “Would you let me make you one? I’m not bad, I promise. At making drinks. If you hate it, I won’t be offended, ‘cause someone else will have it. If you don’t want me to make you one it’s fine, obviously, we can ask Aidan if his parents—”

Julia giggled again, lightly. “You talk a lot, Alex. Make me whatever drink you like.”

I reached across her for the liter bottle of Morgan’s, and then the Smirnoff, before rummaging around for the Bacardi I was certain Connie had brought. “Only when I’m nervous.”

“Nervous? You’re at a friend’s party, even if it is Aidan. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

If only you knew, I thought, all the things I wish I could do to you—you’d be far more nervous than I am.

I handed her the drink I had thrown together and she paused after taking a sip, smacking her lips together. “It’s…very strong.”

“Oh, God—I can put in some more mixer if you like.”

“No, it’s good. Everyone else looks like they’re already drunk. I should probably try to do the same.”

“Yeah, you’ll want to be drunk later on. Especially when someone starts thinking up some party games.”

She smiled into her drink and just as she opened up her mouth to speak, I felt another body press up against my back, arms coming to wrap around my waist. Connie squeezed me in a hug before twisting around to the front so that I could see her, her face just inches from mine. Christ, whatever perfume she wore was strong enough to clear a room. Not nearly as muted as the citrus I adored. She was smiling but there was no touch of laughter in her eyes, eyes that bore into mine inquisitively, almost accusingly, but it felt so good to be held so warmly that I thought nothing of it.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, motherfucker,” she murmured, resting her head on my shoulder, “This party is tedious.”

“I’ve just been in here chatting to Julia,” I replied, and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Who?”

“Julia.” I gestured to the other girl who was still standing next to me.

“Oh, of course.” Connie let go of me and straightened up. There was a bite of clipped suspicion in her slurred voice. I watched as she gave her a once over, eyes narrowed and skeptical. “Julia, hey. I didn’t know you’d be coming tonight.”

“It’s her first party. I made her a drink.”

“How kind of you.” Connie folded her arms against her chest. “Well. You seem to be getting along just fine. Best of chums. I’ll head back outside, I guess.”

“See you later,” I began to say, but she had already started to walk away. I watched her stomp in her viciously high heels back through the kitchen and into the crowd and wondered briefly if she had seemed a bit…off. Then again, anyone would seem ‘off’ after one drink too many, and even if she hadn’t seemed all that drunk, she could very easily just have been holding it well.