I giggled loudly while I stared at the slightly orange liquid. I had never had tequila before but somehow it tasted better the more I drank it. This was my 4th shot. Or was it my 6th?

I really didn’t know.

But math had never been my strongest subject in high school anyway. I giggled again when I thought of my math teacher, Mrs. Allen.

She had always been so nice to everyone; even to Miles and she let him pass the last exam even though I knew for a fact that he hadn’t even answered half the questions on the test.

But now that I came to think of it… she might have only done so he wouldn’t have to repeat the year so that she wouldn’t have to endure his endless laughing and talking again.

I took a sip and the liquid burned in my throat, but I barely noticed it anymore and that room was starting to spin didn’t bother me either.

It was fun, not as fun as roller coasters though. I remembered that a couple of weeks ago Connor had taken me to Six Flags and my smile faded. Connor.

My boyfriend. I let out a dry laugh and I didn’t even notice the weird looks some of the passing guests shot me.

I had almost forgotten the whole reason why I was sitting here, on a bar stool, getting drunk for the first time in my life. I had always been the responsible and careful one, which had always left me being the designated driver, and it hadn’t ever bothered me.

A few times I had had a beer and on New Year’s Eve or 4th of July my parents would have always let me have a glass of champagne but I had never -that is, not until today- had the urge to get so wasted that I forgot I even existed.

My parents had always been pretty laid-back when it came to alcohol which was probably due to the fact that they partied pretty hard during their college years. I, on the other hand, preferred staying home, reading, and drinking hot chocolate, something that especially Connor never understood.

He liked going out and whenever there was a party, it was certain that he and his macho friends would be there, so they wouldn’t miss the fun. In fact, having fun, was probably exactly what he was doing right now. He might have been having the time of his life at that exact moment in a storage room upstairs. And that with a girl that evidently wasn’t me.

I had to admit though, she was pretty.

Prettier than I was. I turned around and looked at the huge mirror that was hanging on a wall next to the little bar and frowned. I looked miserable.

My hair that had been neatly styled and curled just a couple of hours ago, was now messy and my cheeks were flushed from the crying and the alcohol. My makeup was all waterproof, but the lipstick was long gone, and my eyes were red and swollen.

My phone was dead because I had forgotten to charge it earlier. I tried to smile at my mirror image, but I didn’t even manage a grimace even though just a minute ago I had been unable to stop giggling.

Were mood swings like that normal?

I turned back and the room was spinning again, and I let out a loud groan. What was I doing here? Getting wasted wasn’t usually my way of dealing with something. Or someone.

But it was too late now, I told myself and I was about to finish my shot when somebody sat down next to me.

It was past midnight and some guests were leaving already while others just started arriving, the stranger being one of the latter.

“Whiskey, please.”, the he said and I looked up. His voice was deep, but he didn’t look much older than me. Maybe 2 or 3 years. He turned his head in my direction and my heart skipped a beat. He was stunning.

His hair was dark, almost black, and his skin was smooth. He had a straight nose, not too long though, full lips and long lashes that would have made any girl jealous - myself included.

“Hello.”, I murmured, and I wanted to look away, but his eyes interlocked with mine. They were a bright, pure blue, with a darker circle around the iris. He looked at me curiously and grinned a little which caused his eyes to glisten. His eyes were fascinating.

The dim, yellowish light made everything appear warm and blurry, but his eyes stood out like two piercing sapphires.

But it could have just been my fantasies running wild because I really wasn’t thinking straight.

The stranger raised an eyebrow.

“Having a bad day?”, he asked and smirked slightly.

Finally, I was able to break loose from his intense stare and turned away, reminding myself that it wasn’t appropriate to sit here, drooling over a guy I had never met, while my boyfriend was cheating on me only a few rooms away.

I flinched when I remembered the way Conner had kissed the other girl without even noticing I had entered the room. And I remembered his eyes and how they had widened when he had finally seen me standing in the doorway.

He hadn’t really said anything. He had just stuttered something like: “This isn’t what it looks like. Ally…” and then the girl had interrupted him, and she had said something like: “It’s your fault. You didn’t want to have sex with him, so he needed someone to spend some quality time with…”

And then she had brushed her shiny, golden hair back and had started kissing Connor’s neck. I had already started crying at that point, but Connor had just stood there, dumbfounded, so I had left, and he hadn’t tried to stop me.

“You could say that.”, I replied dryly and took another sip of my drink. Somehow, I felt the urge to tell him what happened which was absurd because he was a complete stranger, a good looking stranger, but a stranger, nonetheless.

It was hard to resist the urge though, with the alcohol clouding my mind.

“Thanks for reminding me though.”, I said instead and took another sip.

“I didn’t see you here earlier.”, I said then.

Even though it wasn’t exactly a question he said: “I was busy, but my father wanted me to at least show up for a little while. I’m not really into these kinds of parties; everybody is so boring… Well, most of the time at least.”, he said and shot me an amused look. I ignored the fact that I apparently constituted a welcome change from his oh-so-boring-life.

“All these rich people think they are so much better than the rest of us. They think they can just go and push us around.”, I complained and thought of the girl Conner had been with and the triumphant way she had looked at me. Was I not good enough for him?

Because I wasn’t rich?

Or was I just not pretty and exciting enough?

I had always wondered why Connor had asked me out in the first place. I wasn’t ugly, but I certainly wasn’t as beautiful as the girl he was spending his time with now. He could have probably had any girl.

Maybe he had just kept me around because I was the first girlfriend his parents had approved of. I wondered how his parents and younger sisters could be so sweet while he was so… horrible.

The guy laughed and I was pulled from my thoughts.

“Thanks.”, he said and for a few moments I didn’t understand what he meant, then I shrugged apologetically.

“Sorry.”, I apologized. I had only meant Connor anyways.

“It’s fine. No offense, but why are you even here if you don’t like the people?”, he asked curiously and still amused. I sighed and downed the rest of my shot.

“Well, my boyfriend, my ex-boyfriend I mean, thought it was a good idea for me to come here. He said we could have fun and that everyone would be super nice but whenever I talked to a person and told them that my parents are just a teacher and a pediatrician in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they somehow lost interest. And then Connor decided to just leave me here and he is probably having sex in one of the storerooms with another girl because apparently, I am not good enough for him anymore.

And also, this dress, which Connor bought for me, is about 3 sizes too small and I feel like my cleavage is the only reason any men wanted to talk to me tonight. I mean look at me. I look like a whore.”, I cried out and I threw my hands in the air.

He looked at me for a few seconds and it might have been the alcohol, but I could have sworn he was smiling.

“That really does sound like a horrible day. But just to be clear, we are not talking about Connor Brady, right?”, he asked, and I looked at him in surprise. Did he know Connor? When he saw my face, he sighed, and I saw him clenching his teeth.

“I never liked that douchebag.”, he stated and took a large sip of his whiskey. “How do you know him?”, I wailed while asking myself whether I should get another shot.

“His dad sort of works for my dad, so we always saw each other at events like this and other meetings.”, he responded with a grin and shrugged.

“His parents are alright, but they pampered him way too much and now he is used to always getting what he wants.” I giggled, not even trying to stop myself.

“So, you are saying you aren’t spoiled?”, I asked in a teasing tone, and he shrugged again and smirked.

“Maybe a little. But my parents taught me that I always have to work for what I want.”, he said and suddenly his blue eyes were staring at me so intensely, that it sent a shiver down my spine. I was so captivated by his blue eyes, that I didn’t notice the 2 people stepping out of the elevator not too far from the bar.

But the guy in front of me noticed them and turned slightly towards them. My gaze followed his and I gasped. It was them. I felt like somebody had just punched me in the stomach.

Connors's arm was wrapped around the girl’s waist and his hair was messy and, on his face, there were some red lipstick stains. His tie was missing, and his shirt was wrongly buttoned as if he had done it in a hurry.

And then, as if all that weren’t enough already, he leaned down and gave the girl, whose hair was just as messy as his, a long, wet kiss.

I couldn’t help but just stare at them.

My eyes started to burn with tears again. I stood up but the alcohol made my legs feel weak and stumbled and almost fell, but at the last moment a hand wrapped around my waist, and I was pressed against a hard, warm chest but I barely noticed it. My whole body felt numb from the alcohol.

Connor and the girl finally came to an end with their make-out session and they turned around to make their way to the bar when Connor saw me and stopped.

His face turned white.

“Ally, I- I thought you had left. I-”, apparently he didn’t know what to say, at least until he noticed the other guy behind me whose arm was still wrapped around me.

“What are you doing with him?”, he asked and let go of the other girl to take a few steps in our direction.

“I am gone for half an hour and you already have someone new? I didn’t think you were that kind of girl.”, he hissed and gave the guy behind me a death glare.

It was probably the alcohol, but it took me a few moments to realize what he had just said.

“What?”, I screamed and by now all the other guests around us -which thank God, weren’t many- were staring at us but I didn’t care.

With all strength I had left in me I freed myself from the grip of the guy standing behind me and stormed towards Connor, who was staring at me with wide, red eyes that were evidence for him being probably just as drunk as I was, but that was not an excuse.

At least it felt like storming, it was probably more stumbling.

“You asshole! You are the one that just had sex with that slut! I didn’t do anything!”, a few seconds ago I had felt like curling into a ball and crying for the rest of the night but now all there was left was rage and anger.

How dared he?

“Listen, babe. You are drunk, let me drive you home, we can talk about this tomorrow.”, he said and gave me one those smiles that would have made me feel all tingly and happy just a couple of hours ago but now it just made me want to punch him even harder.

I wasn’t a very violent person but the way he looked at me like I was the one who did something wrong made me sick.

I finally reached him and noticed the smell red wine and vodka. Apparently he wasn’t in the right state of mind either, but I didn’t care.

I was just about to strike out when the other guy repeatedly wrapped his arm around me and pulled me back with alarming ease.

“Let me go!”, I yelled angrily and tried to free myself again but this time he held on and after a while, I gave up. He was too strong.

My heart was beating fast and I was breathing heavy and fast.

“You heard her. Let her go, Damien.”, Connor said with crossed arms and a low, threatening voice but the other guy just chuckled.

“What? So, she can hit you? I just did you a favor.”, he said, and Connor shook his head.

“She would never hit me. I know her.”, he said and looked me deep in the eyes, sounding very confident, something that I had always admired about him, but now I felt disgusted by it.

It was my turn to laugh now but it wasn’t pretty.

“I guess you don’t know me that well, Connor. And I didn’t know you that well either.”, I said and shot a look in the direction of the girl. She was standing behind Connor, but she hadn’t said a word yet.

“I think you should leave now.”, Damien said but Connor shook his head.

“I am not leaving without her.”

The girl behind him gasped and stamped her foot like a three-year-old.

“Excuse me?”, she said to Connor with her hands on her hips. Conner ignored her and instead he came closer to us.

“Ally, I know you are mad but please don’t be ridiculous. We are the perfect couple. Me and you. My parents love you. You can’t seriously want to be with that guy. And also, Macy was right it wasn’t all my fault. I mean you were the one who refused to have sex with me and I-“, he didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence because faster than my drunken self could have realized, Damien had let go of me, taken two steps forward and punched Connor in the face.

Macy and I both gasped in shock, and Conner grunted and stumbled backward, his hands pressed on his face. Blood was dripping on the floor.

A few other guests stepped closer and looked at Connor and Damien but none of them tried to stop what was happening. Damien took another step towards Connor, but I stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

“He really isn’t worth it.”, I said, and I didn’t know where that sudden change of mind came from. I wrapped my arms around myself. Suddenly I felt cold. He looked at me for a few seconds and then he nodded.

“You are right.”, he gently grabbed my shoulder and started to push me towards the elevator but then he stopped and turned around one last time.

“It isn’t broken, so running to a doctor and wasting your father’s money really won’t do any good.”, he informed Connor in such a casual tone as if he were talking about the weather.

Then he guided me towards the elevator. Macy stepped out of our way and I glanced at her while Damien didn’t spare her a look.

None of the other guests were trying to stop us nor was there security rushing in which surprised me because I had seen a ton of security all over the place.

But I didn’t care. I just wanted to leave and forget about this.

When we left the building and stepped outside, I took a deep, shaky breath. I really felt like I needed to sit down. I couldn’t believe that Connor had literally talked about our sex life in front of all these people.

Our non-existent sex life, but still.

I flushed. But it was probably too dark for Damien to notice, at least, that was what I hoped.

His arm was still on my shoulder, and I leaned against him while the valet came up to us and asked: “Your car, sir?” Damien nodded, while I chuckled.

Damien was barely older than 22 while the valet was probably twice his age and he called him Sir? It wasn’t all that funny but somehow, I couldn’t stop giggling.

Damien grinned amusedly while the valet shot me a weird look but neither of them said anything.

The valet didn’t even ask for Damien’s name when he left and I wondered if he was here that often, that even the valets knew his name.

“Are you cold?”, he asked and looked at me.

I shrugged. “It’s okay.” He ignored my protest and took off his jacket. Then he laid it around my shoulders.

“Thanks.”, I said hesitantly and leaned back against his arm and closed my eyes. Did all of this really happen or was it just a really bad nightmare?

“Nope, it really happened.”, Damien said, and I flushed again while opening my eyes again.

“Did I say that out loud?”, I asked, mortified. I didn’t even know, why this out of all the things that had happened, was what bothered me so much.

He chuckled again and looked down at me. He was taller than Connor by at least a couple of inches and definitely more than a head taller than me.

“I’m sorry for what happened up there. You deserve better than that.”, he said, sounding sincere and I laughed.

“I’m kind of relieved it is over.”, I admitted, and I was surprised that was actually true. It was amazing that it only took me about half an hour, 4 or 6 tequila shots, and a really handsome guy to punch Connor in the face, to get over him.

“So, what are you going to do now? Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?”, he asked and I was going to nod but then I realized that I had forgotten that I had left all my stuff, except my phone which was empty anyway, at Connor’s house because I was going to spend the whole weekend with him.

And that also meant that I didn’t have a key to our apartment and Celia was at her parent’s house over the weekend so there was no one home who could let me in and unfortunately I hadn’t made that many friends in New York yet that I could simply go to, except Derek of course, but he was out with his friends in a bar which meant he wouldn’t be home until 4 in the morning. And that was if I was lucky.

“I don’t know. I was going to stay at Connor’s place and all my stuff is there so…”

The valet came and stopped the car right in front of us. He got out and handed Damien the keys.

“Have a good night, Sir. I hope you had a pleasant stay.”, he said politely and then he left.

“Come on. Let’s go, feisty.”, Damien said and smiled.

He had a beautiful smile. Carefully he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the car. I wasn’t really into cars, but I could tell that it was probably super expensive. It was a sports car and in a dark shade of blue. Or maybe it was black, I couldn’t tell.