"Have any plans after work?"

A sad laugh rolled off her lips. "No."

"How about I pick up a bottle and we head back to my place? You look like you could use a drink."

She chewed her lip as she took in his dark eyes. "Sounds like a plan."

Ben smirked with a glimmer in his eyes. "What's your poison?"

"I'll take anything at this point."

"That bad?"

She looked away. For her it was. "I have to grab my tips and I want to get cleaned up before I come over. I smell like a fast food joint."

Ben's smile only grew and he laughed. "Want to get washed up at my place? I'll give you some clothes."

"Yeah, that would be great actually." She really wasn't in the mood to go home just yet, even if it was to change. She wanted to have a drink, shower, and relax. In that order.

"Sweet. I gotta checkout too. Meet me out front and you can follow me?" he asked, and she nodded.

Pulling into the rundown neighborhood, it was dark with hardly any lighting. Ben only lived about ten minutes from her house, but they made a detour to a liquor store that was still opened. They decided on Tequila, well, Ben did. She wasn't crazy about liquor, but at this point she didn't care. She just wanted to get drunk and forget about Johnny for the night.

Parking her mom's car, she got out and followed him to the front door. Unlocking it, Ben pushed the door open to his rented apartment and escorted her in. He flicked the lights on and she looked around. The apartment was small and bare, but rather clean. No pictures were mounted on the walls and there was only a couch, coffee table and a flat screen television.

"Is your dad home?"

He chuckled. "I don't live with my dad."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Yeah, we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, so I was out once I turned eighteen."

Curious, she asked, "But how do you afford to live on your own?"

Ben dropped his keys and black plastic bag that held the Tequila onto the small glass table. "Well, a one bedroom isn't all that expensive on this side of town actually and everything is included in my rent." He shrugged. "If I'm not in school, I work. Plus, I have student loans that help."

Ben uncapped the bottle and pulled out two tall and slender shot glasses from a cabinet in the kitchen. "A shot before you get cleaned up?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." He handed her the glass and she could smell the potency of the seemingly innocent looking clear liquid. A shiver flitted across her arms. Ben saw it and laughed.

"Not a big Tequila fan?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm more of a Bud girl. Hard liquor isn't my thing, but sometimes beer isn't enough, you know?"

He nodded with a smirk. "I suggest taking the whole shot in one then. Tequila is more of an acquired taste."

She held up the glass and looked at it.

"It's a double," he said. "Ready?"

She released a sigh. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Bottoms up," Ben clinked his glass against hers.

Taking a deep breath, she took the whole shot. As soon as it hit the back of her throat, she almost gagged. The last time she had a shot of tequila was with John at the bonfire. It wasn't bad then, but she'd already had a few shots of whiskey before that so maybe that helped. She shivered, cringing from the impact and swallowed hard.

"Holy shit," she brought the back of her hand to her mouth. Tequila was definitely an acquired taste. Her eyes watered and she shook it off. Ben laughed at her response to the shot. "That bad?"

"No," she lied. "I'm just not used to it. You drink this stuff all the time?" He nodded. She was going to need a few minutes before she had another one. Placing the glass on the table, she asked, "Want to show me to the bathroom?" She could smell the food on her and wanted to wash it away.

"You have a dart board in your place?" she said with a smile, stopping in the living room.

"Yeah, why not? It's fun, especially after a few drinks."

"I have terrible aim. I would be hitting the wall left and right."

Ben chuckled. "We'll play a game in a little bit. I'll teach ya."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you want tiny little holes in your wall? Because that's what will happen." Ben wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned. His lip ring caught her attention. "Let's get you cleaned up and we'll try it out."

As she walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on, Ben walked back in and handed her a pair of boxer shorts and a black Metallica shirt. He left and she turned the water hotter, steam filled the bathroom. Stepping in, the heated water cascaded down and she leaned against the shower wall. It was a little too hot, but she needed it. She needed to forget about the last few days but she couldn't. They plagued her thoughts all day.

Tears escaped as she thought about Jace. She thought about him as much as she thought about John. Despite not knowing Jace very long, his passing still tore her up pretty badly. She wished she had more time with him. He was fun to be around, had that innocent flirtatious smile and was real. He was her friend and now he was gone. Alyssa shook her head, the mourning in her chest mounting. John might have needed her that night, but she needed him just as much. Jace had become a good friend and now he was a memory.

A memory that would soon fade with the rest of them.

Alyssa stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair. The tequila was already hitting her blood stream, helping the tension in her neck ease. She slipped on Ben's clothes and wiped the foggy mirror with her hand. Ben's shirt almost went to her knees and made it look like she had no shorts on. She tied it into a knot at her waist and rolled the shorts so they sat a little tighter on her. A blank look stared back at her and she touched the puffiness under her red eyes. She wanted one night where she didn't think about John or cry from losing Jace. She felt selfish wanting that, but she needed it. The pain was damaging. She didn't want to be alone either, so it was perfect that Ben invited her over.

Out in the living room, music played in the background as Ben made each shot near the center ring and two more shot glasses waited on the table nearby. Walking over, she grabbed one and tipped it back and handed the other to Ben without saying anything. It burned going down, but it wasn't as bad this time. She needed to forget, not feel anything. Ben raked his gaze down her body, lingering on her belly that showed from his tied shirt then snapped his eyes back to hers. He gave her a crooked grin, then he slammed it back.

"Let's go," he waved at her. "You're going to play." Ben hooked an arm around her waist and pulled to her stand in front of him. He stepped closely behind and she shivered at his touch on her stomach. His fingers danced across her naked skin, heating her up. He picked up her hand and positioned the dart between her fingers.

"Look at the center," he whispered near her neck. "Focus on it. Take a deep breath and throw it. It's very easy."

Alyssa swallowed hard. The stubble on his jaw grazed her face causing goose bumps to coat her skin. Brushing it off, she followed Ben's directions and flung the dart ... where it bounced off the wall and hit the floor. Alyssa giggled and Ben gave her hip a squeeze.

"You weren't even close!" Ben joked. "And it didn't even stick to the wall," he said, bending down to pick up the dart with a smile. "Try it again, this time put a little oomph into it and throw harder." He handed her three darts. She bit her lip and nodded.

She launched all the darts one after another. This time they stuck to the wall, but not even close to the board. Ben tried to stifle a laugh, but his face gave it away and she found herself laughing.

His eyes lit up. "I don't understand how you are so far from the target."

"I told you I have no aim!" she laughed.

"But you're not even close to the board," he said in astonishment. Ben grabbed the darts, closed his eyes and shot all three off hitting the board.

"Show off."

He grinned and her eyes found his lip ring again. The second shot was beginning to hit and she liked the feeling it gave her.

"Every time you miss, you have to take a shot. That should make you learn real quick."

"Or I'll just get really drunk and my aim will be even worse."

"I can't imagine it could get any worse."

Pursing her lips together, she grabbed the darts and focused on the colors of the board. She shot each one, her body angling forward from the power she added to the throw, this time hitting closer to the board. Ben picked up the darts and walked behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her to his chest. He didn't let go, just held her tight and she could feel the hardness of his body pressed against her. Her heart was pumping faster, heat coursing through her body when he picked up her hand, put the dart in it and held on. He pulled back, her hand going with his and flung it hard. She leaned forward from the force and her hips pressed into Ben's. His hand flattened on her belly, his fingers searing her skin as the tip of his finger dipped into the lip of her shorts. Ben didn't probe, just left it there.

"Next time you miss, you take a shot." She rolled her bottom lip and nodded.

Naturally, Alyssa missed.

"I'm determined to get this," she huffed as Ben poured more tequila. She brought it to her lips and paused. "This isn't fair. You never miss!"

He smirked. "I'll take one with you each time."

"Good," she said and downed the shot. Three shots and they were hitting her all at once. Maybe she should have eaten, but she hadn't had much of an appetite since everything happened, so it didn't cross her mind.

Over the next hour, each time Ben helped Alyssa, he touched her somewhere. Her body was warming up and she felt herself leaning into him more. Instead of taking shots each time she missed, they turned it into a game and whoever lost had to drink. She'd finally won one game but then lost two other. Tequila infused her blood stream and she didn't have a care in the world. Ben made her laugh with his comments and she was having a blast. It was just what she needed.

Alyssa could feel Ben's gaze on her many times and even though she shouldn't like it, she found herself becoming more aroused. The tequila made her giggly and turned on.

"Okay. No more darts. Let's arm wrestle," she slurred. "I'm just getting worse by the second."

Ben gave her a droll stare and pulled out a cigarette. "I'll beat you in two seconds flat."

"You know," she propped her hands on her hips, "you're supposed to let me win."

"Because you're a girl? That's not how it works in the real world, baby. When you want something you gotta take it."

She was pretty drunk and didn't acknowledge his baby comment. Alyssa pulled out a chair and sat down with her arm poised and ready. Ben shrugged and sat down, placing his cigarette in the ashtray.

"You ready to lose?" she taunted. A slow smile spread across his face and she stared at his lip ring, again. That thing was sexy as hell. Her cheeks flushed when Ben cupped her hand with his tightly and met his eyes. Glossy, slightly pink with heavy eyelids. She probably had the same look going on.

"On the count of three." She nodded.

"One . . . two . . . three."

That's all it took for Ben to win. Three seconds. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" she lied, and he laughed. He took another puff of his cigarette and put it down. Alyssa swiped it and took a puff herself. She wasn't a smoker, but she wasn't a tequila drinker either. Inhaling, the smoke made her instantly light headed. She wasn't expecting that. It heightened her drunk high and she became really intoxicated.

"Welllll . . ." she said. "I think I'm high. And really drunk."

"From a cigarette?"

Alyssa didn't know why, but she found his comment really funny and chuckled. "Okay. One more time, but I get to use two hands."

His mouth dropped open. "That's cheating!"

"You gotta give me something!"

"Fine. One game and you get two hands. If you don't win, two more shots."

They tasted like water at this point. "Oh! You are so bad," she slurred.

"You have no idea, baby. Now let's do this." Ben put his hand up and she cupped it with both hands. Looking him dead in the eyes, she said, "On my count." He nodded. "One ... two ... three ..."

Alyssa put everything into winning, and she actually was. Ben's other hand was gripping the table, his knuckles were turning white. She started slipping off the chair as she leaned to the side and tried to pull his hand down. Just when she was about to hit the table, he swung to the other side and pressed her hand down and won. She fell off the chair and came face to face with his carpet.

"Oh my Goddd," she laughed from the ground.

"You're a mess," Ben said, bending down and hooking an arm around her waist.

"A hot mess is the correct term." He lifted her up but she forgot to use her legs and fell back down. She was a hot mess for sure.

"Now I know what that saying means."

"What saying?" he asked, picking her up and bringing her back to his chest. He turned and propped her up against the wall using his body to hold her up as he poured another shot on the table next to them. Ben's body felt incredibly good against hers and she almost sighed as she pressed into him.

"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila floor."

"That really does apply to you," he joked.

She turned around, but Ben didn't move or give her space. He stayed in the same position and felt every outline of his hard body. Her lips parted when she came face to face with him. Chest to hips were pressed together and she had a strong urge to pull that lip of his into her mouth.

Ben never took his eyes off of her as he pinched his cigarette between fingers and took a drag. He blew the smoke out from the corner of his mouth then brought the cigarette to her lips. She parted her lips more and he slipped it in. She didn't know why, but she found the move unbelievably hot. She inhaled and blew it out, purposely hitting his face and sighed as she did. In this moment, she was wet with desire for Ben.

Tilting his head to the side, he said quietly, "Who knew you were so much fun, Alyssa?"

She shrugged with a coy smile and reached for the shot glass. She drank half of it and gave the other half to Ben.

He shook his head. "Take it all."

"I'm really drunk."

"So am I, but I always finish what I start." Why did that sound so hot to her? His eyes were dark and she found herself falling into them. She tipped the shot back and he gestured to the other one.

"No more. You take that one. I can't feel my legs." Ben grinned and drank it.

"You're really drunk and can't feel your legs . . . I'm thinking we're gonna have a slumber party," he winked.

"I'm a thinkin' you're right," she breathed. It was stupid to drive in this condition and she wasn't going to take a chance.

Alyssa was achieving her goal for the night. No stress, no tears, no feeling until Ben asked, "Can't imagine lover boy knows you're here."

She looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You just want to forget it, right?" She looked back at Ben and nodded. "And let me guess, you want me to make you forget everything, right?"