Jessica, the maid of honor, clamped her hands on my shoulders and stood directly in front of me. Her eyes were fueled with determination. I stared back, wide-eyed. She clearly had a mission for me with her serious expression, which made me squirm. "Bella."

"Jess," I responded warily. I had no idea why she was staring at me like I was her next pet project but I felt seriously uncomfortable.

"Since you're the sober one–"

Oh god, here we go.

"–you're in charge of Nat. You gotta make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, alright? Anything. Don't let her wander off alone, don't let her flirt with strangers, and most importantly, don't let her call Ethan. This is supposed to be her hurrah without him."

I slowly nodded, unsure of whether I could handle it.

My nervousness didn't go unnoticed. Jess straightened up and softened her expression. "I'm not going to be drunk, just buzzed, so I'll still be there, okay? Sometimes I get distracted by boys and I don't want her to do something stupid."

Her words made me straighten up. "Don't worry about it, I can handle it. I've had my fair share of babysitting." I thought about all those times I had to look after Dylan and Jasmine after one too many drinks. "Please don't ruin your fun because of me. I got this," I added, sounding more confident.

She smiled and nodded. "I trust you. Besides, I promise I'll stay sober enough to react if something bad happens."

Something told me that wouldn't be the case. Still, I nodded.

Jess finally let me go, taking my words to heart. Sighing, I sat down on the bed and rummaged through my clothes. All the girls were getting ready. Some had rooms in this hotel for the week, while Gemma and I were staying in Jessica's room to get ready. Nat had her own hotel room here with Ethan.

This was the same hotel where the wedding was taking place next Sunday. It was huge and super-duper fancy. Even I was impressed with the location and that's saying something considering my parents enjoyed staycations.

A lot of their family was staying here, along with the other guests. It just made the most sense.

After I changed out of my dress into a tube top and skinny jeans, I went to the bathroom to fix up my makeup. I wanted to look badass tonight and my church makeup wasn't really doing it for me. Sharp wings are what I needed.

Gemma was already in there, having the same idea as me. She smiled at me through the mirror before leaning in to apply her red lipstick. "You're still in school, right?"

"Yup," I replied as I dug out my eyeliner. "Senior year."

"Aw, the good old days." She momentarily paused, her eyes going distant. Feeling awkward, I began working on my makeup. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gemma shake the thoughts away and smile. "Winter Break coming up?"

"Yeah, one more week, then we're free." I sighed with relief. It was kinda perfect that the wedding fell on the Sunday right after school ended. That way I could relax until Christmas time. The wedding was slowly sucking the energy out of me and it wasn't even mine.

We both finished our makeup by the time Jessica came bouncing in. She went to go check in on the other girls. From the chatter coming from the bedroom, everyone else was already here.

Sure enough, the other five were waiting. The bridesmaids, myself included, were wearing an obnoxious pink. The bride-to-be was adorned in white. She wore a white, tight dress, much less modest than the one from earlier, paired with white heels.

Jessica grinned and pulled out something from her purse: a sash. The silk material had the words 'bride to be' monogrammed in silver thread. We all hooted as Nat draped it over her body. Jess then pulled out a plastic tiara and placed it on Nat's head.

Tiara. Homecoming. Ben.

No Bella, we are NOT moping tonight.

All my thoughts were replaced by dread when Jessica looked at us mischievously. I just knew whatever she was about to pull out was bad.

And it was.

Groans echoed in the small hotel room as Jessica passed out something I'd maybe consider wearing on Halloween. Maybe. White, fuzzy bunny ears were passed around. The only one who looked half-enthused was Tina, their college friend. I was starting to think the three were in a sorority together considering their vibes.

"No way," Gemma deadpanned. "I'm not wearing this."

"Yeah, I'm with Gem on this. It seems a little unnecessary," Julie added.

Jessica's eye twitched while she plastered a wide grin on. It looked more Joker-ish than sweet.

At that moment, I was truly scared of her.

"Guys! Come on! We're the bride's bunnies! It's so cute! Tell 'em, Bella!"

My eyes widened. Why me? I looked over at a nervous Natalie. She clearly wanted tonight to go as smoothly as possible. Wearing the stupid ears was the least I could do for her.

It's totally not because I was scared of Jess.

Putting my pride aside for the girl I consider my sister, I smiled, hoping the others could sense the pleading in my eyes. "I agree! Isn't it cute that we're all matching?" When their expressions remained the same, I continued. "Besides, it'll be good when we leave. That way we can distinguish our group from the other people in the club."

"Oh HELL no," Julie gasped. "I'm not wearing that abomination in public."

I exasperatedly turned to Jessica, who looked seconds away from ripping her hair out. Even Natalie looked stressed for her friend. I could tell she didn't give two shits about the headbands but she knew how bad an exploded Jessica could be.

If they said Bridezilla was bad, her maid of honor was the same, but on crack. Or steroids. Whichever made you turn into a raging monster the moment things didn't go your way.

I warily put a hand on Jess's shoulder, bracing myself for the explosion. "Why don't you go in the hall? I'll talk to them," I said softly. She took deep breaths and nodded, letting Nat pull her outside the room. I turned to the reluctant girls and sighed. "Guys, if we don't suck it up, she's going to have our heads on a platter."

"I wouldn't make you guys do that," Julie, the childhood best friend, bitterly muttered.

I chose to ignore her. I didn't want drama tonight. "Please?" They all stood there, arms crossed defiantly. I exasperatedly threw my hands up. "Fine! If you guys wear it, I'll buy each of you a drink. Just... please?"

Tina broke out into a grin. "Sounds good to me!" The others hummed their agreement and I sighed with relief, even though their bribery was shameful.

Whatever, it was daddy's credit card anyway.

Yes, that was meant to sound spoiled.

As we walked out of the room, Jessica handed us the ears with a smile, as if she wasn't moments away from exploding. That girl was scary. I politely took one and she mouthed, thank you, to which I just nodded back.

"Where to?" Nat asked, sensing the reluctance in the air.

Jessica's eyes lit up. "You'll see." We all knew the plan but she was insistent on keeping Nat in the dark about everything. We all went along because why not? Nothing we were doing was dangerous. She was in safe hands.

Natalie's eyes were closed as we ascended in the elevator. Soon enough, we were on the fiftieth floor, where the penthouse resided. My eyes widened as I took in the huge room in front of me. Windows on windows lined the walls, giving us a beautiful view of the buildings around us. Since it was dark outside, the cityscape lit up.

We wasted no time clambering into the living room. Jessica and Tina pulled out large bottles of alcohol and I internally sighed, wishing I could take part in the fun.

The drinking began and I resorted to nursing one single cup the entire night. That way I had something to drink but wasn't overdoing it either.

But with these gals, I didn't need alcohol to have fun.

It started off with different games, some involving drinking. I replaced my shots with water, obviously. Unfortunately, as the girls got drunker, they decided to torture me.

"What's the point of drinking games if you don't feel the burn of the shot?" Natalie whined, giving me a pointed look.

Jessica gasped and stood up quickly, wobbling a little. "I have an idea!"

I carefully followed her to the kitchen. The penthouse suite was fully stocked with things I wouldn't have dreamed of having, like food in the fridge. I just assumed that if you could afford a room like this, you could afford room service. Jessica wasted no time in pulling out random condiments from the fridge and piling them on the counter.

"What're you doing?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

She didn't respond at first. She was too busy grabbing everything in her arms and pulling it back to the living room where the rest of the girls were. Loud music was blasting through the speakers and I silently prayed we wouldn't get a noise complaint – that is until I realized this was the only room on this floor. She dumped all the stuff on the carpeted floor and I released a breath of relief when none of the glass bottles shattered.

She seemed to have remembered my question minutes after organizing the bottles so they were standing upright. "Since you're not drinking but we still want you to suffer, you'll have to down a shot of whatever concoction we make!"

I blinked at her, even though I expected this. Now, if they were sober, I wouldn't have minded so much but since they were drunk, I knew this wasn't going to end well. They weren't in the right mind and I wouldn't be surprised if they poisoned me.

Death by cult called Bride's Bunnies. How charming.

But I also knew it was pointless arguing with them. I just had to suck it up and hopefully avoid throwing up tonight.

The games continued and we ended up playing a truth game. Basically, you answered a question but if you avoided it, you had to drink. At this point, I think they were too incoherent to think of anything else creative. Up until now, I had avoided the cups of death.

"Bella, your turn," Tina slurred, wagging a finger in my direction. "Have you and Nat's brother done it?" Her suggestive look made my face heat up.

"No," I quickly replied, hoping they wouldn't take my pause as a lie.

Gemma giggled and she had every right to. Only she and Natalie had seen how close Dean and I were, while the other girls didn't.

"Okay then, how far did you go with him?" Tina asked with raised brows.

My eyes flickered over to Nat who scrunched up her face in disgust. "Guys! I don't wanna hear about my baby bro's sex life."

We really hadn't done that much honestly but I didn't want to dish out the details, so I looked at Jessica and sighed. "Go ahead, make me your special."

Her eyes lit up and she began grabbing different condiments to mix in a red Solo cup. I looked away, not wanting to know what I was doomed to drink. Maybe it would taste better if I didn't know.

A cup filled with unknown contents was pushed in my direction. I took a short peek at the greenish liquid – which was concerning because none of the sauces were green – and shuddered. I contemplated sniffing but that would make me gag more.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I brought the cup to my lips. The liquid was just about to hit my tongue...

Then it happened

Saved by the bell. Or... knock in this case.

Springing up, I put the cup down and let out a silent sigh of relief. "I'll get it!" Hopefully, they don't remember my abandonment of the task at hand but with their intoxication levels, I doubt they would.

With a bounce in my step, I grinned as I opened the door.

But it wasn't who I was expecting at all.

"Oh... officer... uh," I stupidly stuttered, looking at the blue-uniformed man in front of me. If I wasn't scared shitless, I would've been admiring his handsome looks. Unfortunately, my priorities were straight and all I could do was gape at the man.

I had a fear of authority.

"I-uh, it's... C-can I help you?" I continued, eyeing his blank expression. I couldn't tell if he was here because we were being crazy loud or someone in the hotel was brutally murdered and we were now suspects.

His face broke out into a smirk, one I would've admired if I wasn't too busy shitting my pants, as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed across his chest. "Are you the one who I'm taking downtown?"

Huh?

A presence appeared behind me and I nearly sighed when it was Jessica. She's here to save the day! She squealed right into my ear as she saw the man and my eyes widened.

Oh no. Jessica is drunk. A drunk person and a police officer don't mix.

Before I could do anything, she pulled the man inside. He seemed unfazed and in fact, even cockier. My brows furrowed as I watched the two, silently cursing myself for not taking care of the problem. Wasn't that the reason I stayed sober? So I could play babysitter?

Damn me!

It took me a second to realize that I'd been left behind and I quickly scurried back into the living room before the cop arrested us for whatever dumb shit. Could he even enter like that? Was this even legal?

"Well, well, well," the cop smirked, looking straight at Natalie. My heart pounded against my ribcage. She couldn't get arrested a week before her wedding!

"Uh–" I started but abruptly shut up as he put a foot right next to her on the couch, basically flashing his crotch.

What the...?

"Babygirl it's a crime to look so sexy... how about we take a ride in my cop car?" He winked, then took a step back. Before I knew it, strobe lights were flashing in the room and he ripped off his pants to reveal a pair of tight, black boxers.

Oh.

OH!

I stifled a laugh at my own stupidity. The man wasn't a real cop, he was the stripper Jessica hired! Man, I was dumb.

He began to sexily take off his shirt, revealing a firm six-pack. His smooth, tan chest glistened in the light and he lazily grinned before hopping on Natalie and giving her a lap dance.

"You've been a bad girl," he cooed. Lil Wayne's Mrs. Officer began playing and I burst out laughing. This was so incredibly cheesy, I loved it!

We all hooted as Nat squealed, laughing. I knew if she was sober, she'd be mortified. Lucky for us, she enjoyed this a lot.

"You have the right to remain sexy!" he hollered, making us giggle like schoolgirls. The others were drunk but I had no excuse as to why I was acting like this. I blamed it on the atmosphere, because I was truly having a good time.

He began griding his hips in front of her and she screamed, covering her eyes. Moments later, she peeked through her fingers and giggled.

A knock broke me out of my giggle fit, and when I realized the others were too engrossed in the sexy cop, I went to check the door again.

Much to my surprise, it wasn't another stripper. Mr. Cullen and another guy stood at the door.

"What're you doing here?" I crossed my arms and blocked their view as they tried to peer over my shoulder.

Damien heard the hoots coming from inside and laughed. "What the hell is going on in there?"

I eyed him and the man with him and it didn't take a genius to figure out they were here to spy on us on behalf of Ethan. Wagging a finger and narrowing my eyes, I said, "Oh hell no! This is strictly girls only!"

Right then, the stripper decided to yell, "Aw baby, you can try my handcuffs on any day!"

Both boys' brows raised to their forehead as they tried to peer behind me. I stood on my tippy toes, not giving them that advantage.

Once they gave up, I smirked. "Is your party going so terribly that you've been sent to spy?"

"No," the other dude scoffed. "Ethan sent us to check up on Nat."

"Right," I sarcastically drawled. "Well, she's perfectly fine as you can hear." On cue, Natalie let out the loudest giggle, followed by a hiccup. "Tell Ethan to not worry a hair on his pretty head. If anything happens, I'll call."

"I'll pass along the message," the guy replied.

Damien smirked back at me. "Guess we'll let you be, then."

"Don't try anything!" I yelled to their retreating figures but based on the mischievous glances they shared, they were scheming.

Damn, I worked so hard to get Natalie to let loose, I wasn't about to let a gaggle of dudes ruin that.

Before joining the girls, I decided to send Dean a text.

Me: Make sure your cult doesn't mess up tonight.

Five minutes later, he responded.

Dean </3: Cult? From what I heard, you're the one who's a part of one.

Dean </3: What I would do to see you in those bunny ears ;)

My cheeks heated up and I quickly shoved my phone back into my pocket. How else was I supposed to respond that?

All I knew was that I was going to kill Damien.

"Ladies, ladies, please! There's plenty of me to go around," Officer Sexy grinned, looking at the other girls who were shamelessly grabbing at him.

He then proceeded to do some performance moves so everyone could enjoy the show. While the others were drooling, I was laughing my ass off. Tears clouded my vision as the girls swooned. It wasn't because I was the only one sober. I had no doubt these girls would feel the same even if they weren't inebriated.

Honestly, I found the whole ordeal hilarious. Maybe it was because the man was older than me and I wasn't legal so it felt wrong, but he just didn't appeal to me. Why would he when I had a Dean?

Man, imagine if Dean was doing this. I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

It would be hot though.

Okay... someone's hormones are through the roof.

"Final dance for the lucky lady," the stripper said huskily. Nat shied away even though I knew she found this amusing.

Another knock came from the door and seeing as how I was now on door duty, I got up before anyone even acknowledged it. I swear if it's more of the groomsmen...

When I opened the door, it wasn't the groomsmen, but the groom himself!

Ethan stood at the threshold, seemingly worried. Right away, he tried to peer over my shoulder and I instinctively blocked his view. "Yes?"

His eyes flickered down at me like he noticed my presence for the first. Ouch. He gave me a small smile and craned his neck. "Uh, Damien said there was a cop in here."

Damn it, I knew they were planning something. I brought my hand to my mouth to muffle my laugh. "Nope, everything's totally okay."

"Look, can I just see her? To make sure she's okay."

"You can't!" I quickly interjected.

His brows furrowed and for the first time, he gave me his whole attention. "Why not?"

Think think think!

"Because she's trying on her wedding dress!" I blurted, then internally facepalmed. Everyone could tell that's what she wasn't doing with the hoots and sensual music. "You know, bad luck for the groom to see her in that before the wedding."

His frown deepened and I sighed, pulling him into the empty hallway and silently praying I had my keycard in my pocket. I was a little surprised his buddies didn't come up with him.

"Come on, Ethan, it's your last day as a bachelor! Don't you wanna have fun?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

He looked at the closed penthouse door with a lovesick look and I knew he was genuinely missing his fiancée. "We're technically married. I haven't been a bachelor since she moved in a year ago."

"See? Wouldn't you like a night away from her?"

"Never." The seriousness in his voice really showed how bad he had it for her.

I let out a deep sigh as I realized that this wasn't going to be easy. "Look, I understand that you guys are two peas in a pod but go out and enjoy your night with your friends. I promise if anything happens to Nat then you'll be the first I dial, okay? Well, after 911 but you get the point," I said, earning a snort from him. "I promise. Now, go enjoy with the boys."

"Fine," he pouted, making him look utterly adorable. "You know, she considers you a little sister."

"Yeah," I smiled.

"And you're a good one." He ruffled my hair and sent me a wide smile. Even though he kid-zoned me, I couldn't help but feel proud of myself.

"Thanks. Now, go before I have them drag your ass down there," I replied, nudging him toward the elevator.

Once I was sure he was gone, I patted my pockets and sure enough, my keycard was in there. Silently thanking the Gods, I went into the room just to see everyone chugging drinks. The amused stripper turned to me sheepishly. "I didn't trust them alone so I stayed."

I waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I appreciate it." He nodded and left the room wearing his entire police getup again.

Jessica clapped, getting everyone's attention. "Alright ladies, it's club time!"

~~~

I never thought taking a party bus to the club would be so fun. I mean, it's like a mini-club session before the actual club.

It was weird.

But it was also fun. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially with girls as drunk as these. I know Jessica promised to stay semi-sober but I don't think she realized how much of a lightweight she was. And Natalie was a totally different story. The more she drank, the more mellow she became. I found her trying to text Ethan and I had to pry the phone away from her hands.

She did it at least five times. Luckily her drunk typing skills weren't the sharpest and I snatched the device before she could type out a two-letter word.

I didn't want to take her phone away just in case there was an emergency so I always gave it back. I just wished she wouldn't keep trying to text him. Their love was endearing but both needed this small break before they spent the rest of their lives together.

And Jessica would kill me. She strictly told me to make sure she didn't text him.

The club we pulled into looked rather crowded for it nearing one a.m. It must've been a popular spot.

Nat's bridal sash and our bunny ears were like a beacon for attention. Lucky for me, the others were too drunk to care. Unlucky for me, I wasn't.

The bouncer let us in and didn't even ID me. I didn't really think about being underage until now, but thank God he was okay. Imagine being kicked out while everyone else is having fun. What a bummer!

The thumping bass hit my ears and I was immediately surrounded by the smell of alcohol and sweat. The sticky floors were anything but welcoming but I suffered through it as we found a table.

"Bella, remember when you said you'd buy us drinks?" Julie innocently batted her lashes.

"OMG, really? Gosh, you're the best Bella!" Jessica squealed, pulling me in for a sloppy side hug. Ugh, I didn't mean to add Nat and Jess to the list but I guess I had no choice now. Everyone shouted their orders and I took Gemma with me for ID purposes. She was super calm compared to the others, which I preferred. I mean, who wanted their ear screamed off?

Gemma flashed her ID to the bartender and ordered the drinks. When the time came to pay, she looked at me with her innocent eyes. Grumbling under my breath, I slipped out my card and paid before I could go back on my word.

I took the liberty of carrying the drinks back because I didn't trust Gemma. At all. I didn't trust any of them honestly. Not like this, at least.

But as their drinks were only half consumed, Jessica was pulling us to the dance floor. I reluctantly followed along but soon found myself drowning in the heavy bass. It wasn't as obnoxious as I thought.

"Jess and I are going to the bathroom," Nat winked and dragged her best friend away. I turned to face the other girls but they were all gone. Panic settled in and my eyes scanned the crowd for the bunny ears. As terrible as they were, they were so useful right now. Thank you to an obsessive Jessica!

Relief filled me as I spotted three pairs. Tina and Gemma were grinding together and Julie was with a dude. He didn't look creepy and she looked like she was having fun so I let her be, making a note to keep an eye on her just in case.

Seeing that I no longer have a dance partner, unless I wanted grimy hands groping my ass, I go back to the bar.

Amusement flashed in the bartender's eyes as I ordered a coke. "You're the girl paying for the wedding party's drinks, aren't you?"

"Just one drink," I reminded him. "But yeah, I was roped into babysitting duty."

He chuckled before pouring me a cool glass of coke. I smiled appreciatively before taking the drink and sitting on the barstool, facing the dance floor so I could have the girls in my eye line.

For some strange reason, I had the urge to text Dean, so I did.

Me: Would it be cheesy to say I wish you were here?

Dean </3: Gasp! Are you saying you miss me?

Me: -.- No. I just want someone to dance with.

A smirk formed on my lips as I typed the next part.

Me: Actually nvm.

Dean </3: Huh? What??? Why??!

Me: Cutie across the floor is making eyes at me. Gotta gooooo.

My phone buzzed multiple times with messages from Dean but I slyly ignored him. That was a little mean of me but I've been known to be a tease. Okay, not really, but whatever.

I did a sweep of the dance floor and saw all the girls intact. Then I realized there was a fourth pair of ears but I was still missing a tiara. Jessica was dancing with some random guy.

Crap.

"Jess, where's Nat?" I frantically asked, lightly tugging on her arm to get her attention.

She turned to me for a split second. "Bathroom." Then she continued to dance with the guy. I couldn't even hold it against her. She warned me that she'd be distracted by boys.

Bathroom. Nat. Alone. Drunk.

I conjured up the worst-case scenarios as I pushed through the drunken crowd. How could Jessica leave her alone like that? I would've gone with her! Ugh.

As I burst into the bathroom, I called her name. "Nat? You in here?"

The sound of gagging, followed by liquid hitting liquid hit my ears and I winced before slowly approaching the stall. Nat was sitting on her knees, crouching over the toilet. Instinctively, I gathered her hair and pulled it back with one hand, while rubbing her back with the other. She whimpered as she puked again.

"Shh... it's okay. I'm sorry I left you alone," I whispered.

"It's... not..." she started but was hit with another wave of nausea. I looked away as she threw up in the toilet. Maybe I shouldn't have let her drink so much.

She puked, dry heaved, puked again. It was a vicious cycle.

Eventually, she slumped down, resting her face against the toilet seat. Gross! My eyes widened and I picked up her head and wiped her mouth with toilet paper. Then I rested her face against my shoulder. I rather have a pukey shoulder than risk her getting an STD or something.

"You're so sweet," she mumbled.

I smiled and stroked her hair. "Alright, I think it's time to go home, yeah?" It had been two hours since we arrived, meaning it was three in the morning. The club didn't close until five but I was exhausted and Nat needed sleep. She was lucky her wedding wasn't tomorrow.

"Mmh, yeah," she yawned. "Wait, we have to wait."

"Why?" I asked, wondering she was drunk-talking.

A knock came from the bathroom door and my brows furrowed. Drunk people could be really weird. You didn't have to knock if the bathroom had stalls, it wasn't locked. Seconds later, a head poked in and everything made sense.

"Nat, baby? Are you in here?" Ethan asked cautiously.

Of course she called him. I left her alone for ten minutes and this happened. I should've seen it coming.

Seeing the bathroom was empty, Ethan fully stepped in. "If there are any females in here, please know that I'm not trying to creep on you," he announced, making me snort. He eventually reached our stall and his eyes widened in panic seeing me. "Bella? Uh..."

"Relax," I laughed. "It's okay, I know she called you."

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Upon hearing his voice, Nat sat up straight. "Baby?"

"Hey sweetheart," Ethan said softly. "Come on, let's get you home." I noticed Ethan wasn't drunk but if I'm being honest, I expected it. He didn't seem like the type to get rowdy if his wife was away and I appreciated it. I just hope he had fun.

Together, we hoisted Nat up to a standing position. Luckily, he took the task of holding her up so I didn't have to. "She puked. A lot. Make sure she stays hydrated."

"Already have water and crackers in the car."

And that's what true love is, folks.

I smiled as he helped her out of the stinky bathroom. Luckily I avoided any traces of puke on me. I might've said it was okay, but that's just to be a good friend. Heat of the moment kind of stuff.

A pair of arms encircled me from the back and I tensed up. Was this another pervy guy? Because I wasn't in the mood.

"Where's your dance partner?"

I whipped around to see Dean giving me a lazy smile. "You're here?"

"In the flesh," he replied. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. Even though I saw him hours ago, it felt like days. Man, was I exhausted.

After pulling away, I gaped at him. He was really here. I shouldn't have been surprised considering all of Ethan's groomsmen were here but it still made my heart flutter. "I'd offer you that dance but I'm going to collapse."

Then, in a very un-Dean fashion, he turned around and squatted on his knees.

"Uh, what're you doing?"

He made a tsk sound. "Get on, princess."

"Seriously?" A piggyback ride? From Dean? My bad boy Dean?

"If you don't get on in the next five seconds I'll fling you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Giggling, I got onto his back. He lifted me with ease and began following his sister and Ethan. I neared his ear and whispered, "You've gone soft." He stiffened as my breath fanned his ear and it was then that I realized my words had a totally different effect on him.

Hehe, I affected him!

It was very flattering to see I affected him the way he did to me. Sometimes I felt like I was the one all flustered around him even though he always proved me wrong.

Feeling the high and sudden boldness, I took the liberty of nipping his earlobe. He tensed and stopped walking. "Arabella," he warned. "Stop being such a tease."

"Who, me?" I innocently asked. I could feel him roll his eyes before continuing outside. I craned my neck to see some of the others following me.

The cool December air hit me and I shivered. Ethan was hauling Natalie into his car. Some of the others brought their cars and were hauling the drunk girls in. It was particularly funny to see Damien drag Jessica out regardless of her protests. Poor girl just wanted to party hard.

"Getting turned on already?" Dean asked smugly, referring to my shivering.

I smacked him on the back of his head. "I'm freezing and your body heat is doing nothing for me."

"Maybe you should've dressed warmer."

I looked down at his leather jacket-clad body and scowled. Of course he got away with wearing his normal gear while I was forced into the girliest pink I could find.

"Who do you wanna ride with?" he asked, looking at the cars. I followed his gaze and saw my options. Damien, Ethan, and the guy from earlier all brought their cars. I didn't want to ride with Ethan and Nat knowing how gushy they would be. Plus it would be a major cockblock. Damien had Jessica in his car and that itself was scary enough to fend me off. The third guy was the only option... until Julie puked in his car. Yes, inside.

"Taxi?" I suggested.

I felt his shoulders slump with relief. "God, that's the smartest thing you've ever said." After smacking his head, I hopped off his back and called an Uber while he told his brother and Ethan what we were doing. They were skeptical but agreed in the end.

Dean and I sat against the brick building. Our shoulders were touching and somehow our hands got entwined, but I didn't mind. It felt nice.

I was still shivering like a chihuahua because I was dumb enough to not bring a jacket in the middle of December. In my defense, I didn't expect to stay outside this long. Dean, being the gentleman he was, wrapped his arms around me instead of just giving me his jacket.

"You're kind of an ass," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"So you just expect me to give you my jacket? Sorry babe, that's only reserved for my girlfriend."

I wanted to stubbornly pull away from him but his warmth was much needed. I didn't need to die of hypothermia outside of a dingy club.

"Where are you going after this?"

I bit my lip as I thought about it. It was nearing four in the morning and I definitely didn't wanna go home. I was too tired to drive. I could get a hotel room but that just seemed so expensive and unnecessary. Maybe one of the girls was willing to let me crash?

The feeling of his thumb tracing circles on my hand brought me back to the present. "Uh, no idea. Guess I'll figure it out when I get there."

He awkwardly cleared his throat and focused on our hands. "I–I know we're starting over and everything but I have a room if you wanna spend the night." He actually sounded nervous. Wow. Dean Cullen being nervous?

I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed. "I'd like that."