My head was pounding, and the light was shining too brightly in the room. I flipped over, placed the pillow over my eyes, and inhaled the scent of freshly laundered sheets. The smell of the detergent was one I was not familiar with. I opened one eye and took a peek from under the pillow to take in my surroundings.

Immediately, I jumped up to a sitting position, causing my head to spin from the abrupt movement. Glancing under the thick duvet, I saw I was only wearing my underwear and a man’s T-shirt. My heart pounded in my chest as I remembered the last person I had seen was Luke.

In a king-sized bed, fluffy down pillows surrounded me. In front of me was a massive flat screen TV, and at the foot of the bed was a low white couch. One wall was floor-to-ceiling windows while the other was painted a neutral beige. I deciphered that I was in a hotel room.

I could feel the heat building up behind my eyes, tears threatening to spill over. I placed my hands over my face. I was on the verge of crying. I was not this kind of girl. I never drank myself to the point of oblivion where I couldn’t remember what had happened the night before. I cocked my head up as I heard the door open, and when I peered up from my hands, I gave the look of death.

I was surprised to see Kent.

He studied me and scanned the room. Raising one eyebrow, he paced around and stopped in front of me. “Is something wrong? Is someone here?” he asked, his face concerned as he peered over the side of the bed.

I could feel the color draining from my face, and I pulled the covers up to my chin. “No,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. “How did I get here? Why am I only in a T-shirt? What happened last night? Why am I here in this hotel room with you?”

His eyes filled with confusion. “I brought you here. I changed you last night because your clothes were covered in vomit. I have no idea what happened. I found you passed out in my car. This is not a hotel room. This is my condo,” he said in one breath.

He walked toward me, his arms cautious and careful at his sides. “Why are you so mad? Actually, I think a thank-you is in order. Also, I’d like to thank you for leaving vomit that has now hardened on the exterior of my brand-new car.”

“Did we sleep together?” I asked, barely audible. I couldn’t even hear my own voice. I was afraid of his answer, but I needed to know. Panic began to rise within me, and I held my breath.

He paused to take in what I’d said. “Oh…” His widened as he registered my question. “Like I told you, you’re not my type. When will you believe that I only want a friendship with you?”

I released a long sigh of relief that was loud enough for him to hear. “I feel dumb now.” I realized I had spoken that thought out loud. Like a small child, I rubbed my eyes with both palms.

“It’s fine. I understand how you jumped to that conclusion, but I was a perfect gentleman last night. Even if I’d wanted to, I was pretty messed-up myself.”

“My head hurts,” I whined. I dropped back down and closed my eyes. My head was pounding so loudly that I thought it would explode all over the soft down pillow behind me.

“What the hell did you take?” he asked before walking out of the room. “Hold on, let me get you some Advil.”

A few seconds later, he was above me with a glass of water in one hand and Advil in the other. His brown hair was in disarray. He wore bed head well, and I swore, he could have modeled for toothpaste.

“How do you manage to still look cute in the morning?” I said, squinting up at him.

He laughed. “I think you’re still drunk. Take this,” he said, putting the glass on the side table next to me and handing me the Advil.

I pushed myself up, resting on my elbows against the satin sheets under me. “I saw you last night with the girl wearing the red heels.”

“Red heels?” His eyes widened in awareness. “Oh, you did now, did you?” His dimple was apparent on his cheek. “She was a present from Luke.”

“Okay, gross.” I rolled my eyes, took a sip of water, and swallowed the Advil.

“You’re the one who brought it up,” he said. He moved to assist me, grabbing my glass and setting it on the side table again.

“Luke bought me another drink, and it put me over the edge. He gave me some strong stuff.” My throat felt dry, like sandpaper. “How do you know him anyway?”

“He’s an old friend from high school.” He frowned slightly as his eyebrows pulled in as though he was deep in thought.

My eyes moved to the alarm clock beside me. It was almost two in the afternoon. “Crap, it’s Sunday. I should go.” I pushed my legs over the bed and froze. My head was still pounding, like someone was playing the drums in my brain. It took all my strength to just stand upright.

“You can stay as long as you want. You don’t look well,” he stated as he gripped my elbow to assist me.

“No, really, I have to go. I have to meet someone.”

“A date? With the guy at the bar last night?” he asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah, a date with both of those guys who basically assaulted me on the dance floor. Actually, I have a date with the guy with one arm. You took the other arm off, remember?” I looked at him like he was crazy. “No, dummy, I’m meeting my friend Caroline.”

“Interesting,” he said, slightly smiling at my comment. “I was serious when I said, don’t pick up guys from a club. You don’t want to catch anything. Plus, a good girl like you can do better than that.”

“Are you talking from experience?” I asked. “Too much information. I’d rather not know.”

He sat at the foot of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “For your information, I get tested twice a year, and I always use protection,” he said, amused by my comment.

“Good to know, but it doesn’t matter because we’re not sleeping together.” I bent down and reached for my jean skirt lying on the floor. “Turn around.”

He turned to face the TV as I slipped on my vomit-crusted skirt. My body ached and the first thing I needed to do when I got back to my apartment was take a hot shower.

“Also, I’ve decided that we can’t be friends anymore,” I said.

His one eyebrow shot up at my words. “Okay…” he said slowly, turning to face me. “Why not? Did I do something to offend you?”

“No. I just realized that I don’t know you very well, and your type of people are just way out of my league. I don’t do drugs or casual sex, and I don’t want to be around that. It makes me feel…” I paused to search for a word. “Uncomfortable.” I pulled my hair into a bun on the top of my head and stepped in front of him to grab my heels.

“Beth,” he said, as he stood from the bed, “let me remind you that you invited yourself to my little outing. I asked you before if you could handle it, and you said you could.”

He offered me his hand, and I gripped it for support while I hopped on one leg to put on my heel.

“When you refer to my type of people, you’re stereotyping. One, the only person I knew from that place last night was Luke. Two, everyone has casual sex—okay, everyone but you has casual sex. Three, I don’t do drugs,” he said as he released me. His eyebrows pulled in. “Plus, I knew you were with me, and I felt responsible for you.” He looked surprised by his own comment.

“Why?” I asked, pausing to assess him.

He laughed. “Now that I think about it, I could sort of tell you weren’t used to that environment. I’ve seen a lot of things happen, and I didn’t want anything to happen to you.” His eyebrows pulled together. “When I left you with Luke, I thought you’d be okay. I didn’t think he’d get you piss-ass drunk.”

I softened at his comment. “Oh.”

He straightened his shoulders. “Did I make you take any drugs last night?”

“Is this a trick question?” I asked, confused.

“Don’t overthink. Answer the question.”

My eyes were cautious as I wondered where this conversation was heading. “No,” I replied.

“Did I try to make a pass at you or coerce you into doing anything against your will?”

“Uh…no?” I said, lifting my eyebrows.

“Yes, that’s right. I told you specifically not to take drinks from anyone but me, and I remember a particular instance when I almost took someone’s arm off because he was being disrespectful. Also, I was very considerate when I let you spend the night. I even changed you out of your vomit-covered clothes before I left you to sleep in my guest room.”

I opened my mouth to speak but Kent raised one finger to indicate he was not done. “If that is not a definition of friendship, I don’t know what is.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to be friends?”

“What an odd question.” His eyebrows drew in. “I don’t know,” he said, studying my face. “Because you make me laugh, and I guess I like that you love to eat and don’t care.” He seemed finally satisfied by his own answer.

I thought of all he’d said, and the fact that he hadn’t tried anything on me when I was passed out had to count for something. I gave him a small smile. “Okay, fine. We’re friends who eat together.”

I made my way to the side mirror and the image of my hideous face stopped me dead in my tracks. My eyes were smeared with eyeliner. My cheeks were red from leftover blush. My lipstick went beyond my lips to the corners of my mouth and up toward my nose.

“Uh…okay, if we’re friends, you have to always tell me the truth. Why didn’t you tell me I look like death right now?”

“I always tell you the truth, Beth.” He walked behind me, so I could see both of our reflections in the mirror. “You look like death right now.” He framed my shoulders with his hands. “And smell like vomit.”

At that, we both laughed.

Looking at his reflection again, I thought to myself, It’s not fair that he looks like a model in the morning, even while hungover.

The next week was restaurant week with Kent. There were over three hundred restaurants participating with prix fixe menus. It took forever and a half to decide together on where we wanted to go. We compromised by trying both of our top five picks. On multiple days, we went to lunch and dinner. I’m certain I gained over five pounds getting my eat on.

Before I knew it, the workweek was over, Friday night had come, and I was out at the bar with my coworkers. It was a different environment, seeing everyone out of the corporate element. Jim was by the bar, laughing like I’d never seen him laugh before. He was wearing jeans and a Northwestern alumni T-shirt, looking younger and more relaxed.

Sitting on a bar stool next to Caroline, I watched as she wrapped her arms around her tall, lanky boyfriend, Jeff. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, and I wondered if they remembered that I was right beside them.

I jumped when I felt a hand on the small of my back. When I turned, Brian was behind me with a beer in his other hand.

“Hey,” he said, leaning into me.

I moved from his touch, hoping Caroline hadn’t seen it.

“Brian, finally, you’re here. Beth over here has been waiting for you.” Caroline giggled before tilting her beer bottle all the way back.

I gave her my evil eye before taking a sip of my drink.

“Beth, I’m so kidding.” She hiccupped. “What number is this one?” she asked, turning to her boyfriend and lifting her bottle.

“Caroline, don’t you know? Beth doesn’t date coworkers, so there is no way she could have been waiting for me.” Brian gave me a wink, breaking the awkwardness.

I silently thanked him and awarded him with a small smile.

“I’m going to order the next round. What are you guys drinking?” he asked.

After we gave him our requests, Brian headed toward the bar, and I watched his broad shoulders move under his fitted T-shirt.

“Beth, look at all that hotness! If you only gave in a little…” She hiccupped. “Quit being so uptight, and live the life. Plus, you two would make the cutest couple.”

Before I had a chance to snap at her for teasing me one too many times, Jeff grabbed her beer bottle.

“You’re cut off,” he said before giving her a kiss on the lips.

“Aw, why?” she whined, trying to reach for the bottle. She slumped against his arms when he tipped her drink all the way back.

“Because you had too much to drink, that’s why, and when you have too much to drink, you have no filter.”

I lifted my beer bottle to tap against Jeff’s in thanks. “Yeah, you’re a mean drunk, Caroline.”

She looked me deep in the eyes with her sad Caroline pout, jutting out her lip. “I’m sorry, Beth. I was just telling you how it is.” Her arms draped around my neck, and the next minute, she started crying, confirming that she was officially drunk.

I wrapped my arms around her lower back. “It’s okay, Caroline. I forgive you. Plus, you’re my one and only girlfriend in Chicago, so I’m not left with much of a choice.” I said, patting her back and giving Jeff a small smirk.

When her sobs accelerated, Jeff gathered her from my arms. “Okay, babe, this is our cue to go home.”

I gave him a hug as he held her by the waist, and I watched them move toward Brian, who was surrounded by a bunch of bankers. Leaning against the bar, he was in conversation with the others, making them laugh. He was probably telling them some joke. I’d only seen Brian in the office, and he seemed very professional. I hadn’t been out on a customer call with him, but I’d heard customers loved him because he was easy to talk to, and he made everyone in a room feel at ease.

I watched Caroline tiptoe to give him a hug, and then Brian reached for Jeff’s hand to signal good-bye. When Brian’s eyes caught mine, I looked to my beer bottle and tipped it back. When I glanced back up, he was making his way toward me.

“So, you having fun?” he asked.

“Yeah. Everyone at the bank is pretty cool.” I took another swig of my beer.

“How many is that now?” he asked.

“I’m not sure—three or four maybe.” Suddenly feeling shy, I looked at the beer bottle in my hand.

“Just so you know, I hate when she teases you and me. It makes me uncomfortable. It’s not like I don’t think you’re cute. It’s because we work together,” I said, looking up into his clear baby-blue eyes. The way our eyes caught stir butterflies in my belly that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

He chuckled lightly and lifted a finger. “Waitress, another Corona, please,” he said, speaking over the noise. “You’re more honest when there is liquor in you. Let’s see how far this can go?” He squared his shoulders to face me directly. “So, Beth, what’s the worst that can happen if we start dating while we work together? Making out on the copier?” He gave me his boyish grin. “You think too much. Just live in the moment. Who knows? I could be your future husband, and you’re turning me away. How are we going to have our six kids in uptown Manhattan?”

I blushed at his comment. It really took all my power not to gravitate toward this perfect man in front of me. After all, I was only human, and he was the ideal male that I was sure everyone pictured in their storybooks. He was good-looking and hardworking, and he was able to provide for a family in the future.

“Uptown Manhattan?” I asked, breaking into my own thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m trying to get placed as a corporate banker there. I had a couple of leads, but that’s a tough position to score.”

The waitress approached with our beers, and I tipped mine back as he talked about New York and how he always wanted to live there but life had just landed him in Chicago. I asked him about his family to deter the questions from myself and because I was generally interested.

Both of his parents were working professionals. He had grown up in the Midwest with three sisters who had loved to dress him up as a child. His face lit up as he talked about them, and I laughed as he reminisced about his childhood.

My mind drifted to Kendy. I missed her so much that my heart ached. Talking to her every day hadn’t been enough. I missed the physical Kendy—the person I could tell my deepest darkest secrets to, the person who I didn’t have to pretend with, and the person who knew everything about me, including my past and what I wanted for my future.

As I guzzled my drink, I felt the cold beer move down the back of my throat. My body began to warm as my mind began to haze over. I didn’t know how long we had been sitting at our table, but when I glanced up, all of our coworkers were long gone. Listening to the bar music, I was sure I had a goofy, drunk smile all over my face. Brian was so animated when he was drunk that I laughed even louder.

A cheeky grin hit my face when the music changed to “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake. It brought back memories from the good old days.

“Come on, let’s dance.” I grabbed Brian’s hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

After tossing his beer back, he took my hand. “Just so you know, this white boy can dance,” he said, pointing to himself.

“Sure!” I yelled over the music. “And just so you know, this girl was on the pom team in high school,” I said, bobbing my head to the sounds.

His hands moved to my hips as we made our way to the dance floor. Turning to face him, I bounced slowly to the beat and nodded my head to the music. We both started swaying to the bass echoing through the bar. I felt tingling sensations where his hands met my body. Inching closer to me, he started to let loose. Brian could dance. I put my arms on his shoulders and shifted toward him, swaying my head from side to side as our bodies moved in unison to the music.

When he looked at me under hooded eyes and dropped his head, I held my breath. He brushed his lips against mine, soft as a whisper and just barely touching, as if his lips were asking for permission. I let his lips linger a little longer than what I should have allowed. I wanted to blame it on the alcohol, but every part of me wanted to kiss him back, especially with his hands all over me, causing my insides to heat up to immeasurable temperatures.

My no-business-and-boys rule rang in my head, and I slowly backed away.

Brian eyes peered down at me. “What?” A smile slowly crept across his face.

Before I crossed the line any further, I shook my head, pivoted, and headed toward the bar. “I need another drink,” I said, trying to calm my raging hormones.

He followed me and ordered us both drinks. We sat on the bar stools, silently watching the crowd moving to the beat of the music on the dance floor.

When I finished my drink, I stood. “It’s late. I think I should go.” I just needed to distance myself, especially with this much liquor in me. I couldn’t think straight, and I didn’t want the night to progress into something I would regret later.

“Hey, I’ll walk you home.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s only a couple of blocks. Plus, I have this,” I said, taking out my mace from my back pocket. “See?”

“That thing is not going to save you against a six-hundred-pound ogre. I’m taking you home.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bar.

A little past one in the morning, we walked in silence back to my apartment. Downtown Chicago was vacant, except for a group of drunken partygoers lingering at a bar down the street. Our hands were linked together, and I knew I should pull away, but I didn’t. When we were in front of my apartment, I reached up to give him a hug. When I released him, he dropped his head and kissed me. This time, my self-control was shot. I let him do it—again.

His lips were soft and gentle. He tasted of hard liquor and beer. I was buzzed, but his mouth moving against mine awakened all my senses. My whole body leaned into him, wanting more, even though I shouldn’t because I was breaking my own rule. But it felt so good. I hadn’t been kissed in such a long time. Pushing through the haze of liquor, I painfully pulled away from him and took a deep breath.

I shook my head slowly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you do that,” I said, my voice not very convincing. “Listen, Brian, we work together.”

“So?” he said, coming down for another kiss.

I pulled farther away from him but was still locked in his embrace. “Sorry, I shouldn’t lead you on like this. Seriously, I don’t want to complicate things at work,” I said, finally finding my voice.

“It won’t,” he said, his arms still wrapped around my lower back.

“I’ve worked very hard to get this job. I don’t date coworkers because I don’t want to be the talk of One Financial.” I finally pulled away from our entanglement, instantly regretting my temporary lapse of weakness from his irresistible lips.

“Okay, what are you doing next weekend?” Brian asked as a half-smile appeared on his face.

“Did you not just hear what I said?”

“Yeah, we can hang out though, right? Just as friends.”

“I think you used that one before, and that went all so well,” I said sarcastically, shaking my head.

His eyes met mine, his blue to my emerald, and I stood there under the lamppost, admiring how the light accented all his boyish features.

“Okay,” he said, finally taking a step back. “I’ll see you at work then.”

I paused and studied his smiling face, while a car horn blared in the background. “See you at work,” I said as I reached for the door.

He pushed against the door, keeping it closed and blocking my path. “Just as friends.” He pointed to his cheek, gesturing for me to kiss him.

I looked at him, shook my head, and tiptoed to plant one on his cheek, taking in the musky scent of his cologne. He put his hand on the spot I’d just kissed and sighed heavily.

“Bye, Brian.” I laughed once as I headed into my apartment. What am I going to do with this boy?