Somewhere on the other side of the room, Lydia and Janis stared at us with considerable interest.

“They’re hitting it off, aren’t they?” whispered Lydia.

“I don’t know,” said Janis. “I can’t really tell what Mel’s thinking.”

“Don’t you think they would look cute together?”

Janis giggled. “Definitely.”

“Besides, I would like to see Hannah in a healthy relationship for a change,” said Lydia.

“And I would like to see Mel with someone who’s not just using her for fun. Do you think that could be Hannah?”

Lydia shrugged. “Well... I don’t think Hannah is even capable of using someone. She’s too much of a goody two-shoes for that.”

Ceres appeared behind the two of them, and pinched their ears.

“It’s not polite to gossip about your friends, you two.”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch,” said Janis. “All right, love. I’m sorry.”

Ceres let go, chuckling. “Give the girls some privacy,” she said, with a smile.

---

I watched as Amelia drank some more beer out of the bottle she was holding.

“Hey, is that any good?” I asked, pointing at the bottle?

“This?” Amelia looked at her drink, and pondered about it for a little bit. “I like it, I suppose. But it’s something of an acquired taste.”

“Can I try?”

Amelia nodded, and handed me the bottle.

I took a sip... and made a face.

“Well, it’s not exactly great, if you ask me.”

“I told you it’s an acquired taste,” she reached for the bottle, but I pulled back.

“I’m keeping this one,” I said, cheekily. “You get another for you.”

Amelia laughed. “I thought you said you didn’t like it,” she teased.

“And I thought you said it was an acquired taste, so let me acquire it.” I took another sip. It really was bad, but I was a proud bastard who wasn’t going to go back on my word. “I do wonder, why is it that people always drink at parties?”

“All sorts of reasons,” Amelia explained. “It can help loosen inhibitions, and I think a lot of people go for that. But since you’re starting out now, it’s important that you know this really is a drug, so you should be careful. Some people end up dependent, or worse,” for a moment, I thought I saw a hint of sadness on her face, then, but it was gone the next moment. “Also, sometimes there will be people who’ll try to pressure you into drinking. Steer clear of these types, they don’t give a shit about your well-being. Drinking is a personal choice and you should not do it out of obligation.”

“Why do you drink it?” I asked her. It had piqued my interest.

“Nowadays, mostly for the taste,” Amelia replied.

I furrowed my brow. “You like the taste of this?”

The way I said it made the girl laugh again. “Yeah, I do,” she replied. “But I never drink more than one bottle or one can. I’ve been drunk before, and I don’t recommend it.”

Now, that piqued my interest even more. “Why not?”

Surprisingly, I saw the girl by my side blush. It accentuated her freckles, and that was just the cutest thing.

“Well... I couldn’t really take care of myself, and I... did a lot of stuff I regretted, later.”

“Such as?” I pressed, brimming with curiosity.

Amelia seemed like she might die of embarrassment. “Well, I kind of... kissed Ceres.”

I gaped, wide-eyed. “You didn’t?!”

“Did too,” said Amelia, smiling, the blush spreading to her ears. “And I did it in front of Janis, to boot. Which... was kind of a good thing in the end, actually, because Janis understood it was just me making a stupid mistake. I’d be mortified if I had actually done something that hurt their relationship.” She sighed. “They forgave me for it, but I never allow myself to get drunk anymore.”

“Because you kiss people when you’re drunk?” I teased.

Amelia chortled. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Maybe I should try getting drunk, too.”

Wait... I was flirting? Oh god, I was flirting. Who are you, impostor, and what have you done to the real Hannah?

Amelia was understandably surprised. “I... don’t think you need to be drunk for that,” she said, hesitating.

I winced. “It doesn’t matter, I don’t think anyone would want to kiss me anyway.” Right, and now self-deprecation jokes. I was definitely not myself, that night.

“What?!” Amelia protested. “That’s so not true.”

“Would you kiss me?” I dared.

I don’t know why I said it. It was a sort of challenge, as if I was certain that she would say no, and that this would prove my point. But at the same time, there was just the faintest hint of hope in those words, too.

“In a heartbeat,” Amelia replied, without hesitation. We locked eyes again, and I could see that she was being honest. Our faces were close. Too close. I could just lean in and kiss her. Or, I could tell her to do it, and have her kiss me instead. And I knew she would, if I just had the courage to ask.

But I didn’t. I looked away.

“Sorry, that was a weird joke.”

Amelia, too, pulled back, putting some distance between us. “Don’t... ah, don’t worry about it,” she stammered.

There was an awkward silence between us.

“Excuse me,” said Amelia, standing up. “I’ll go to the kitchen to... get myself another drink. Do you need anything?”

I shook my head, without looking at her. “No thanks, I’m good.”

I couldn’t tell what the look on her face was, then. She simply replied with an “okay,” and left. I pursed my lips.

I buried my face in my hands. Get a hold of yourself, girl! I was acting way too strangely, that night. Why did I flirt with this girl I only just met? I don’t think I’ve ever flirted with anyone before, least of all a girl. And it was right after my breakup with Michael. Is that what people call being “on the rebound”? Did I actually want to kiss Amelia, or was I just using this to forget about Michael and my frustrations?

I didn’t know. And that’s why I couldn’t do this. If this was just me playing with Amelia’s feelings... that would be unforgivable.

On the other hand... what if this wasn’t it? Amelia was such a lovely girl. She was fun, interesting, and charming. That’s like, everything I looked for in a guy in the past, before I started dating Michael. Maybe... just maybe... this would actually be right?

That’s when it hit me.

This had nothing to do with Michael, or our breakup. This was really just me thinking this girl I met was cute, and wanting to become closer to her. I wanted to talk to Amelia more, and to see her smile. Most of all, I really wanted to kiss her.

And I had just blown my chance to.