I smiled at the bartender and waved my empty glass. "Another Long Island Iced Tea?" he asked over the noise of the party. 

I grinned and nodded my thanks. Sticking with iced tea was a wise choice, and I was proud of myself for making it. The last thing I wanted was to ruin my housemate Everly's party. She was my only friend, and she watched out for me. But I didn’t want her thinking I couldn't handle myself when she was gone. 

“Thank you!” I shouted once he handed me my drink. Everly’s goodbye party had gotten really noisy in the past few minutes. It seemed like the entire town of Crown Creek had come out to wish her and her rockstar, celebrity boyfriend, Gabe King good luck as they headed overseas to shoot his TV series. This was the kind of party that would have gotten me in trouble a month ago. But I’d wised up since then.

Yes. Drinking only iced tea was a good choice. I grinned to myself. Pride made me feel loose-limbed and slippery.

Seized with the urge to move, I shimmied back onto the dance floor, taking another big sip of my iced tea. It was hot in here, I suddenly realized, then spun in a circle to get closer to the open door. Everly was watching me with an odd look on her face. I grinned at her and waved. “I love you!” I shouted. It was true. She was like a sister, no, more than a sister since my sisters and I had never really gotten along. I waved to her and Gabe. "Hey guys!" I shouted over the music. “Come dance with me!”

“Nah, I’m pretty comfortable right here!” Gabe called back, draping his arm over Everly. Then he shot me a wicked grin. “I bet he’ll dance with you though!”

I felt heat on my skin and turned to see that Gabe’s brother Beau was watching me. When Everly and Gabe had started dating, she’d dragged me along and introduced me to Gabe’s younger brother, who had also been dragged along. I knew that all four King brothers had been in a band at one point, which should have scared me. But there was something about Beau.

Something completely confusing.

He was calm. He was quiet. Being with him was almost…restful.

That is, until he looked at me like I was the only thing worth noticing, with warm hazel eyes that seemed to heat my skin to scorching.

He was over in the corner now, sitting with his twin brother, but his eyes were on me. If I went over to him, I knew that would be the end of the night. When Beau and I got to talking, I lost all track of time. And I wasn’t here for Beau tonight. I was here for Everly.

I needed to focus on her. She was my friend and she was leaving. My best friend. "I can't believe you’re leaving, Everly!" There was a strange echo in my head and I wondered if I had already said that. 

Then I felt her arms squeeze me tight and wondered how I was already hugging her when I didn't remember crossing the room. "It'll only be a few months," she said and I heard that same echo in my head.

This time I was certain we'd already done this, so why couldn't I stop my mouth from whining, "Who's going to teach me about secular life?"

My drink suddenly lifted itself from my hands. I blinked and realized she was setting it on the bar. "Right, well I'm clearly a bad influence, how much have you had?"

"Nothing!" I protested. I leaned in, stumbled and braced my hand against the bar. "It's just iced tea!"

But even as I said that I knew it was wrong. I was drunk. I had no idea how it had happened, how iced tea had made the room start spinning like this, but it had happened and now I was far drunker than I ever had been before. 

"Goodness," I mumbled, turning away from Everly. She was asking me a question, but I was too preoccupied with remembering how to put one foot in front of another. Guilt was pouring into my veins like I was standing in front of my community during a Shaming.

I needed to get out of here. I stumbled, then cursed myself silently as I pushed open the front door and staggered out into the cool night air. A chill shivered up my overheated skin and I vaguely remembered leaving my jacket in Everly’s car, but there was no way I could turn around and ask her for it. She’d be horrified at me.

No, I needed to get out of here and get home before I ruined Everly’s night. Guilt was throbbing in my head right along with the drunken haze. Drunk... how was I drunk? How had I gotten this drunk when I didn't even mean to...

That thought cut short when I felt myself suddenly go airborne. I was falling, no I was flying, no I was floating parallel to the ground, borne up in a pair of arms.

I knew who they belonged to, without having to turn and look at him. I knew by the way my skin heated under his gaze.