Page 41 of Eight Steps to Alpha

Chapter 13

It was nearlyten that evening when Fe ran up the stairs to their second story apartment. His blood was still racing from their ride at The Barn. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. Fe seemed to share the same effect however, because she was energized, excited, as she spun around and turned to face him. “I can’t believe they paid for our dinner,” she stated.

He joined her up at the landing, pulled the keys from his pocket and grinned. “We should’ve ordered more food,” he drawled. But the truth was, everything about the night was perfect. The conversation, the food, the bull, and he knew he couldn’t have eaten another bite.

When the door sprung open, Elliot let out a relieved breath, finding the apartment empty. Colton had said he’d be gone, but growing up with his brother, he always took promises with a grain of salt.

The apartment was messy, yes, scattered with Colton’s things on every surface, but he didn’t care. He plopped the grocery bags on the table, then began to gather up Colton’s belongings. T-shirts, jeans, toiletries, until his arms were full, and he threw them to the chair in the corner of the living room.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Fe hollered at him, right before setting the brown bag of alcohol down on the table.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked toward her. “Sure do.” But honestly, he wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore.

“Have you ever been drunk before?” she asked him.

He lifted one eyebrow, wondering if she was testing him, or just playing dumb. “You’ve seen me drunk before, remember?” Which was true…. And it wasn’t even that long ago.

She blushed a little, then pushed a clump of hair back behind her ear. “I mean with the hard stuff. Have you ever been thatdrunk?”

He shook his head, clenching his teeth as he shook his head. “Not that I can recall.”

“Okay.” She pulled the top off the whiskey bottled, and cringed. “It hits you faster than other alcohols. Harder.”

It was comical really, Fe being the one doing the explaining, because he was pretty sure she was just as inexperienced as he was. “Okay.”

“And sometimes, people have different reactions. Like my uncle Teddy would be as sweet sin on Tequila. But give him a shot of Jack, and he turns into a total asshole.”

He nodded. “Noted.”

“So I guess…” She turned to face him. “The best thing to do is just get into it.” She scanned the table looking for the shaker, then filled it with ice.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, but he tried to ignore it. It wasn’t like they hadn’t drank together before, but given their last experience, who would blame him for being a little nervous…

She filled the shaker with a few ounces of whiskey, then began to shake. “Whiskey always goes down better if it’s cold,” she stated.

Elliot lined up the two glasses up on the table, his heart thudding in his chest.

She poured a good helping into to each glass, handed one to him, then held hers up in the air. “To adventure,” she toasted, tilting her shot back to her lips before he had the chance to respond. “Now you,” she said, wiping over her mouth with the back of her hand.

He swallowed. Don’t look at her mouth, you asshole, don’t look at her mouth. He closed his eyes, but for some reason, it wasn’t helping. He was terrified. About what they were about to do. About what might happen. Before he could talk himself out of it, he picked up the shot glass and threw it back to his throat. It tasted like nail polish mixed with pine scented floor cleaner. Caustic, vile, and dry. He quickly swallowed to be rid of the taste, right before everything in his mouth began to burn. “And people drink that on purpose?” he coughed.

Fe laughed, filling each glass again with cool whiskey. “Yes.” She nodded. “And they pay a pretty penny for it, too.”

He scratched the back of his neck and glanced around the apartment. Everything looked the same. He didn’t feel any different.

Fe squinted at him, and he realized she’d already refilled both of their glasses.

“Again?” he asked.

She nodded, then threw another back to her throat.

Not one to drop out of any completion, he picked up his glass and drank. This time, it went down a little bit smoother, likely because his taste buds had been burned off by the first.

“Do you want to play a drinking game?” Fe asked him. “It usually makes things go down easier.”

He looked her in the eye, searching for any sign of intoxication, but found nothing. In fact, she seemed completely normal. Probably more relaxed than he’d seen her in days. “Sounds fun.” He nodded.

Picking up the shaker and ice, she indicated he should grab the bottle, and headed for the living room. “Have you ever played two truths and a lie?”

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