I sat on the sofa, sipping the glass of cocktail in my hand. The taste of fruits and alcohol mixed around in my mouth, the refreshing taste of lime tingling my taste buds as the alcohol added a certain heat in my mouth. It was finally giving the small buzz i was hoping for, making my heart beat faster and my mind glazing over. As i swirled the glass in my hand, my eyes remained focused on one person the entire time. The she stood, by the bar, asking for more shots. Her hair tied up in a high ponytail as the sweat glistened down her nape. She turned around, as though feeling my gaze. As we locked eyes, she gave out a smile so dazzling, i nearly choked, feeling my throat tighten up from the sheer brilliance. She put her hand up, putting up four fingers, trying to tell me how long it would take for the shots to get ready. I tried smiling back, responding with a thumbs up of my own but i could feel my face turning beet red. Whether it was from the alcohol or from her, i couldn't care. If anyone saw me now, I'd just die of embarassment. I downed the cocktail, trying to get myself as buzzed as possible so i could blame it all on the alchohol. 

"Yo sorry for the wait, heres the shots i told ya about"

Ami sat down right next to me, placing a tray full of shot glasses on the table in front of us. She took one and downed it instantly, as though it was a normal thing for her.

This girl is nuts.

That was all i could think of as i watched her face cringe from the hard liquor going down . My eyes naturally went down along with it, wandering down that exposed white neck. A single sweat drop trickled down her neck, my eyes following it closely, enjoying the scene as it travelled down. I could feel my own throat getting dry, my toungue my lips without me realising it. I tried to get a hold of myself, grabbing a shot glass myself and downing it just like she did. Boy did that wake me up. The liquor burned my throat, nearly causing me to gag. The fumes were filling the back of my mouth, invading my nostrils and making it hard to breathe. I couldn't help but cough, trying to remove the excess liquor at the back of my throat. I could hear her laughing next to me as she pat my back, trying to help me breathe again.

God this is embarassing. 

And yet  I couldn't help but enjoy her soothing hands as it glided up and down my back, her hands gliding across my back. A wave of goosebumps hit me, travelling down the very spine she was so gently caressing.

"You don't have to force yourself to drink this you know HAHAHAHA but thanks for trying it!"

Her laugh was all i could hear despite the loud EDM music the DJ was playing downstairs. It felt so homely, so casual, i just felt at ease for some reason. 

"How are you so good at drinking?! You don't seem like such a strong drinker..."

I tried to as her, in a mix of broken japanese, and through my rough coughing. Somehow she managed to understand what i was trying to say, as she downed another shot as she nodded her head. As she placed the glass down, she pointed across the room where her brother was standing, talking to Sana and Tzuyu. He was probably telling a story or something, his hand moving excitedly around as he talked to Sana, while she tried to translate for Tzuyu. 

"He taught me how to drink. Well kind of. He only taught me how to drink hard liquor cause he was a fan of it. Beer and all that, not so much. I tend to get drunk easily though so he doesnt normally let me drink unless he's around."

She sat back against the couch, letting the alchohol hit her. She had a smile etched on her face, as though remembering the times she drank with her brother.

"You guys seem close. Reminds me of my own sister."

"Oh you have a sister? It's nice isn't it? To have a sibling."

"Sometimes, yeah..."

My voice trailed off, as i remembered the times my sister kicked my for stealing her food or wearing her clothes.

"HAHAHAHAHA i feel you. They're a pain in the sometimes, but when you need it, they always come through for you."

Despite my buzzed state of mind, i could still pick up that hint of sadness in her voice. I turned around to look at her. She was just looking up at the ceiling, the egdes of her smile not as sharp as they were before. My hands instinctively went to her knees, acting on impusle. She looked back at me, her right eyebrow raised.

"I uhhh heard about what happened. To the band... And your manager. I'm... uhhh sorry."

It took her a second to process what i said, probably cause i was slurring my words due to the alcohol. But soon another smile was plastered on her face, trying to tell me it was okay.

"You don't have to apologise! What happened, happened. I'm just glad i had Seiya and the rest with me. They tried so hard to cheer me up. If it wasn't for them, I'd be..."

As her voice trailed off, her eyes wandered down to the floor, her smile not as wide. But that only lasted a second before she masked herself with another smile and looked me in the eye again

"Enough of that! It's a celebration! No time to be sad and remembering old memories. It's time to make some new ones tonight!"

She raised another glass up in the air before downing it again. She let out a a loud hiss as the liquor travelled down . Following her footsteps, i took a glass myself, letting the liquor burn me from the inside once more. I ended up having a second round of coughing fits as she laughed next to me, her arms wrapped around mine and her face resting on my shoulder..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I leaned back against the couch, watching the scene in front of me. There she was, the girl that's been catching my eye lately, sitting right in front of me with my guitar in her lap. She was looking at it with awe, as though it was her first time seeing an electric guitar. Her fingers traced the neck of the guitar, feeling each groove and fret. 

"Hey thanks, for coming here instead. I know it's your birthday and all but i just can't seem to bring myself to mingle with so many people."

She looked up from my guitar, turning her attention to me. Guess she was really into the guitar.

"Oh no it's okay. I know what you're talking about. I don't do well with crowds either."

She had a slight grin on her face, but that was enough to make my heart skip a beat. She had her face in an angle as she looked down at the floor, revealing only her side profile to me. I scanned her face, trying to take in as much as i could. I knew i was staring, and she probably did too, but neither of us were saying anything.

"You did great by the way."

She said that as she looked at the ground, too embarrassed to say it to my face. Her hand shot up to pull her hair behind her ear, exposing more of her face to me. 

"Say that again? I didn't catch you the first time."

I knew exactly what she said, but i wanted to hear it from her face to face. She knew i heard her, instantly picking up what i was trying to do. She let out a small laugh, her hand covering before covering her face. It took her a few seconds before she pulled her fringe back, moving all the hair out of her face. She looked me dead in the eye, as though trying to challenge me. I leaned forward myself, trying to answer her challenge.

"You did great. There you happy?"

"I'm flattered. Gives me so much joy to know you were watching oh so intensely."

I gave her a cheeky grin, one I habitually give whenever I'm teasing someone. She covered her face as she leaned back, her laughter ringing throughout the room. It sounded so natural, as though i've heard that laugh so many times. 

"God, Jungyeon was right, you really are a piece of work."

"Wow talking about me I see. I don't know what to feel about all this attention."

I tried to keep the mood up, wanting to hear that laugh of hers more. It was addicting, a laugh you just can't get sick of. As our laughter died down, her attention went back to my guitar, her right hand absentmindedly plucking the guitar strings.

"So..."

Her voice trailed, as though contemplating whether to say what was on her mind. I kept quiet, not wanting to prod her.

"The last song."

"What about it?"

"I really liked it. Who wrote it? It was really my style."

"I'm glad that you did. Cause i wrote it myself. Me and the band write most of our music since we dont have a producer."

She had a look of surprise, as though it was a concept she couldn't fathom.

"Why are you so surprised HAHAHAHA"

"It's just, it was so good! But now that you mentioned it, it makes sense. The lyrics just screamed *you*"

"ANd what's that supposed to mean?"

"It was... Cocky."

She had a slight grin on her face, as though trying to get back at me for all the teasing. I couldn't say anything back, just laughing at the whole situation.

"Did you write the second song too? The one with all the cussing and uhhh *suggestive* lyrics?"

"Well, what would you do if i said yes?"

I leaned forward, attempting to prod her, merely trying my luck. I could just pass it off as a joke if it got weird. Instead she leaned forward towards me, surprising me. 

"Cheeky, aren't ya."

She suddenly had her hand next to my cheek, tapping it slightly while letting out a small chuckle. My body acted on its own, grabbing her hand as i maintained eye contact. I could see a the surprise in her eyes, but it only flashed for a second before it clicked in her head what was going to happen. I leaned forward, our faces merely inches from each other.

"Cheeky ain't bad right?"