Chapter One
“Shots, shots, shots!”
The crowd cheers as I down not one, not two, but three shots of tequila. Knocking them back like water, not a lick of salt or squeeze of lime in sight.
“Woo!” I shout, wiping the liquid off my lips with the back of my hand. My roommate Sydney hands me a cup of water and I could kiss. She rolls her eyes but smiles at me as we make our way toward the dance floor.
“So, how does it feel finally being twenty-one?” she asks as we shake our asses to Missy Elliot’s Work It.
Grabbing her hand, I spin her around. “It feels amazing to not have to sneak into the bars with you guys anymore!” I giggle, swaying my hips back and forth with the music.
My roommates and best friends Sydney and Margot both turned twenty-one over the summer before our senior year but being an early December baby didn’t help me at all growing up.
Now that we’re all of legal drinking age, this last semester of college together is going to be absolutely unreal.
Sydney glances behind me just as I feel a pair of arms snake around my waist. Whipping around, I come face to face with Margot who looks windswept and snowy from her walk to the bar.
“You made it!” I cry, pulling her in for a bone-crushing embrace.
“Of course, Dani. Have I ever missed your birthday?” Margot grins.
I pause. “Uh, yeah. Last year. While you were on your little romantic beach getaway with hunky frat boyfriend.”
Margot shoves my shoulder playfully. “You were in Vermont with your family! What was I supposed to do? Sit at home and wait for you to get back?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you were,” I reply, sticking my tongue out at her.
In all the twenty years I’ve known Margot, we’ve done almost everything together.
Having grown up down the street, we spent every holiday, every birthday, every snow day together.
Margot has been my best friend, my safe place, for my entire life, and I’m the same for her.
Well at least I was, until last year when she started dating Tomlin University stud Alex Prescott. She hasn’t completely forgotten me but she definitely spends less time with us at the apartment and more time shuffling back and forth between campus and Alex’s apartment in Boston.
I’m happy for her, though. Those two deserve all the happiness in the world after what they went through last year. I love seeing Margot so blissed out. And rightfully so, Alex absolutely adores her.
Speaking of the devil, Alex shuffles up behind Margot, reaching up over her head to pat mine. “Happy birthday,” he says as he pets my head like a dog.
I chuckle, “Thanks, Alex.”
“Anyone need a drink?” he asks, grabbing Margot’s coat to hold onto while we dance. A chorus of “margaritas” rings from our little group and Alex nods as he makes his way toward the bar.
Margot hugs Sydney as the song changes to Truth Hurts by Lizzo. “I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch from Boston.”
“I’m just happy you’re here!” I squeak out.
I love spending time with my friends but more than anything, I love being out having fun, dancing and letting loose.
My roommates, however, aren’t always on the same page with me in that regard.
Margot would much rather be curled up with a book or a rom com movie while Sydney would love nothing more than to go for a mile run then hit a pilates class.
Sometimes I wonder how we’ve kept such a close relationship all these years but I don’t question it. Somehow fate brought us together and I am not one to tempt that.
Besides, it’s not like we’ll be doing this forever.
While all three of us are graduating in May—Margot with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and Sydney in exercise science—I’ll still be here, entering the Tomlin University Medical School.
I could’ve gone somewhere closer to home, applied at Duke or Johns Hopkins.
Contrary to popular belief, I do care about my grades and I’ve managed to keep my GPA up all through undergrad.
I probably would’ve gotten in. And wouldn’t that thrill my mother.
But, I originally chose TU for its medical program. Plus, I love the Northeast; you’d have to drag me away kicking and screaming from these fall leaves and cinnamon lattes.
Alex returns with our drinks and we cheer again to my birthday.
After a little more dancing, my feet are actually killing me.
“I need a break,” I shout over the music and Alex pushes our way through the crowd and into the more quiet seating area.
It’s only ten pm but already the bar is packed and it’s a miracle we’re able to spot a booth for the four of us.
Throwing my heels off, I rub my toes gently, trying to get the blood circulating back into my extremities.
“Pretty unsanitary in a public place, brat.”
My hands freeze. Only one person in the world calls me that. Slowly, I gaze up to see the last face I was hoping for or expecting to see.
“Arden!” Margot squeals from the other side of the table and jumps up into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Figured since you spent Thanksgiving with your boy toy, I’d come visit you instead.”
“Worst birthday present ever…” I mutter. Arden laughs above me. Margot’s lovely boyfriend ignores the “boy toy” comment, reaching his hand out to shake Arden’s. After he greets Sydney, he looks down at me again.
“Birthday shot?”
Looking up at him from beneath my eyelashes, I hit him with my withering stare. Arden raises his eyebrows. With a huff, I stand. “You’re buying.”
He chuckles again then grabs my hand and pulls me away from the table, through the crowd to the bar. The feel of his hand on mine is foreign and I don’t understand the jolt it sends up my arm and down my spine.
While Arden and I have a bit of a sordid history, we’ve never been the “holding hands in public” kind of close. As if remembering myself, I wiggle out of his grasp. Arden hardly notices.
“What’s everyone drinking? I’ll get the next round, too.”
I tell him our drink orders but refrain from complimenting the gentlemanly action. I’m sure he’ll ruin it somehow.
“I really only dragged you over here to get another set of hands to carry drinks back to the table.” Knew it.
“Jackass.”
He flashes me that million dollar smile before ordering the group drinks and two shots of Don Julio. Top shelf. Fancy. When the bartender turns to make the drinks, Arden leans his arm on the bar, facing me fully.
“Finally twenty-one, huh?”
“Looks like it,” I reply, cocking my hip out with my hand on top. I’m giving all the attitude I usually give to my best friend’s older brother but he’s giving me so much more attention than he ever has. Well…not ever.
There was that one night last year.
Shaking my head, I evaporate the image from my mind. There’s no way I’m going back to that night. The events are never to be repeated.
“You’re old now, brat.”
I smirk. “At least I’m not geriatric like you.”
The bartender places the drinks down, and Arden takes the shots from the bar, handing one to me. “Twenty-four is distinguished, mature…” he trails off.
“Annoying,” I finish. For a few seconds we have a staring contest, not saying a word. Both too stubborn to speak first.
“To twenty-one,” Arden says, not breaking eye contact with me.
“Twenty-one.” I nod, then both of us down the shot without issue. Arden wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before turning back to grab the rest of the drinks. He hands me my margarita and I take a sip.
I should probably slow down my drinking but if you don’t end your twenty-first birthday with your face in the toilet, did it even happen?
When I wake up, it takes effort to peel my skin off the cool porcelain. I look down and realize I’m pantless, my shirt thankfully long enough to cover the more private parts of my body.
Speaking of shirts, this is not the one I was wearing last night.
Someone must’ve changed me before I took up residence on the bathroom floor.
I’m sure it was Margot. She’s big sisterly like that, even though she’s the youngest in her family and only a few months older than me.
Still, I’ll have to give her many kisses of gratitude for taking care of me last night. Well, after I brush my teeth.
It takes a lot of effort to hoist myself off the ground, but once I finally do, brushing my teeth is the first task I set to.
Then I take a steaming hot shower to wash the stink of alcohol and puke off of me.
The scolding water makes me feel infinitesimally better but it’s better nonetheless.
Once I’m done, I dry off before fastening on my purple polka dot rope.
Groaning, I make my way back to my room, bypassing the living room, kitchen and my roommate’s rooms. All doors are closed, it must be early.
I have no recollection of anything that happened past that shot I took with Arden but I can’t imagine anyone else got as drunk as I did.
I’m just grateful to have a good support group of people to get black-out drunk around.
Kicking open my door, I shriek at the sight in front of me.
Arden is curled up, passed out cold wrapped up in my dandelion duvet. The yellow color completely washes out his olive skin.
Rolling my eyes, I march toward the bed, hitting him hard enough for him to stir and waken.
“Why are you in my bed?”
“Good morning, brat,” he mutters with a yawn. Arden reaches up to stretch his arms and I swat at him.
“Why are you in my bed, peepants?” I ask, using the nickname I had so lovingly given him when we were in middle school.
“You threw up on the rug.”
I inhale a quick breath. “No, I didn’t.” Running toward the living room, I’m assaulted by the smell. I have no idea how I didn’t notice it when I came out of the bathroom. The room absolutely reeks.
“Fuuuuck,” I groan, plodding back into the room. I plop down next to Arden on the bed. “I need to clean that up.”
“Sooner would be better,” he chuckles and I hit him with a scathing look.
“What happened last night? I think I blacked out.”
Arden laughs again. “Oh, I know you did. Who do you think carried your crazy ass home?”
“Carried?” I squeal. “Fucking hell.”
He pushes the covers off, getting up from the bed.
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Only when he stands do I realize he’s only wearing his boxers.
I’ve seen him shirtless before, beach days in the summer, pool parties, last year…
The sight of him now causes my nausea to return for an entirely different reason.
Arden leans down and I turn my head up to look at the ceiling instead of his ass. I hear him shrugging on his jeans and pulling his hoodie over his head.
“I’m going out to grab breakfast and coffees. Clean the rug before Margot kills you. She doesn’t know.”
Leaning up on my elbows, I look at him appalled. “You’re not going to help me?”
Arden leans in my doorway. “Not a chance, brat,” he chuckles before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
With a grumble, I lay back down on the bed heavily. There’s no way I could feel any worse right now.
“DANIKA! GET YOUR DRUNK ASS OUT HERE AND CLEAN THIS RUG!”
Happy birthday to me.