It took Reese about five seconds to realize she was still in her PJ's as the door slammed shut behind her, but she just shrugged on her coat and walked across the wet lawn and down the sidewalk, bracing herself against the rain.

She heard someone come running out behind her a moment later and picked up the pace.

Why the hell was she being like this? It wasn't a huge deal, she knew that. In a matter of days, the internet would forget her and she could move on with her life, and she knew leaving in the middle of a conversation was a pretty bitchy move.

"Reese!" Tom called.

God, she was a terrible person. Tom was an angel, sweet and caring and never above willing to apologize when he did something wrong. She wished she could go back and give him a hug and apologize as soon as she stepped outside, but for some reason, she kept walking.

"Reese, wait!"

Now she was soaked all over again and her hair clung to her face in wet clumps, having come out of its little bun. Water ran down her face and neck and dribbled into her eyes. What was happening to her?

Tom came jogging up behind her. Reese kept her eyes on the ground. "Jesus, Reese, slow down, for Pete's sake."

"Tom," she mumbled into her coat. "I'm sorry, I'm such an asshole."

He reached over to wrap an arm around her, but she jerked away without really meaning to.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked. They were both stopped now. Reese's head was still bowed and Tom was staring at her with a concerned expression.

"I don't know," she said, and meaning it. Her jacket, definitely not waterproof, was soaked all the way through and she was shivering. "I'm just..."

"Reese, I really am sorry. I wouldn't have gone with you if I'd known -- I should have known, I'm a complete idiot."

"Tom," she snapped. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."

"Right, well," he sighed. "We should get back inside."

He moved to grab her hand, and Reese stuffed it quickly into her pocket, still not budging.

"I think you should leave," she told him suddenly. Tom froze, and Reese finally looked up into his face. His eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion and water was dripping from his hair and down his neck. He looked hurt.

"You want me to leave?" he asked.

"Just get a hotel room, at least for tonight, please," Reese said, shifting her weight. "I think it'd be good."

Without another word, Tom turned on his heel and walked back into the house, Reese trailing behind him. By the time she pushed through the door and slipped off her sopping wet coat, Tom was coming down the stairs, a bag slung over his shoulder. He reached over her for his jacket and brushed past her back out into the rain, the door swinging closed behind him.

Reese stood there, water pooling around her feet, her hair plastered to the back of her neck, watching the spot where Tom had been only moments before.

After her third shower in the last two days, Reese found herself slumped at the kitchen table, a beer clutched in her hand that she decided halfway through had been one too many, in a bathrobe and nothing else. Her head was spinning and her legs were wobbly, and she was afraid if she tried to get up, she'd collapse.

"Reese?" Reese didn't look up as Alex marched down the stairs, a blanket draped over his shoulders. He looked confused as he took in the scene but seemed to decide not to say anything as she shot him a hard glare. "Um... your father's in bed, thought you should know. He did everything himself."

Reese grunted and took another swig from her bottle. "Thanks, Alex," she croaked.

"Are you okay?" he asked, inching over to her. "Where's Tom? I haven't seen him since early this morning."

"He left," she mumbled. Her tongue felt thick and clumsy in her mouth. "He'll be back tomorrow, probably."

"Oh," Alex said, and thankfully didn't ask her to elaborate. Instead, he went to the fridge and sat down next to her with his own beer. They drank in silence for a few minutes, the drumming rain getting steadily heavier with every passing second.

"I'm glad you're here," Reese said quietly, propping her head up with her hand and turning to look at him. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"No, you're not," he said. "I had to beg you to let me stay. You almost ripped my head off last night when I came home."

Reese giggled and sipped her beer. "Not true."

"You're drunk," he told her matter-of-factly.

"That's true," she sighed, pointing drunkenly at him. "You're so smart."

"We should get you to be," Alex said, setting his bottle down and standing up. "C'mon, you'll feel better in the morning."

Reese looked up at him, down at her legs, then back up at him. "I don't think I can walk," she said. Alex rolled his eyes, but leaned down and slipped an arm under hers, somehow dragging her to her feet. Step by step, they got up the stairs and down the hall to her room, Reese falling back onto her bed with another high-pitched giggle.   

As he turned to leave, she reached for his arm and pulled him down next to her. "My hero!" she exclaimed, waving her arms around. "Thank you for carrying me!"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, obviously amused. "Whatever, goodnight, you idiot."

But he didn't move. They just stared at each other, and without warning, Reese rolled over, grabbed his face with her hands, and kissed him. Hard.

Instead of pulling away, he wrapped his arms around her and deepened it, wasting no time in slipping his tongue in, and she let him. They pulled away breathless, and so Reese could let loose the hysterical laughter she'd been holding in. "You're a good kisser," she said once she'd recovered.

Scooting closer, Alex leaned down slowly and started kissing her neck. Reese tilted her head, her bathrobe collar falling over one shoulder, giggling to herself as he climbed over her, arms on either side of her head.

"You're beautiful," he mumbled in between kisses, pressing down on her now, being careful not to crush her. Reese planted another sloppy kiss on his mouth, not caring about her robe, which had slipped dangerously low between her breasts.

"Hm, thanks, Tom," she murmured, and then froze. Even in her drunken state, it was enough to momentarily turn her spine to ice.

Shit!

Had she said that out loud?

Either Alex hadn't heard her, or just didn't care, because he continued to plant kisses down her jaw and neck, moving toward her collarbone, as he worked on tugging her bathrobe down below her waist.

Reese quickly forgot about her little slip-up and let the fog of alcohol settle over her brain again, and the rest of the evening was enveloped in a blur of slurred words and bad decisions.

Reese woke the next morning to the sound of the doorbell being repeatedly pressed like someone was slamming their head up against it. She tried to sit up, then fell back upon feeling like her head was about to crack open.

"Ugh," she groaned, pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes.

It took her a moment to recognize a second person laying next to her on top of the covers, and even longer to recognize he was naked. Buck-ass naked.

"Alex!" she screeched, jumping to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

Alex groggily opened his eyes, looked around, and shot up into a sitting position. His legs were spread out and Reese kept her gaze on his face, not letting it slide even a little bit lower. Instead of apologizing, he just broke into a grin and scooted a little closer to her. Reese backed away until she hit the wall.

"I had a great time last night," he purred. Purred. Reese wanted to gag.

"Why the hell are you here?" she snapped again, and, noticing how his eyes roamed her body, reached over and pulled half of the curtain around herself. "Get out! Get out!"

His face fell as he stumbled to his feet. "What about..."

"For God's sake, Alejandro," she said (she hadn't used his full name in ages, and he immediately sensed something was wrong once she did). "I was drunk. Really drunk. God, I'm such an idiot."

The doorbell had another round of attacks, and Reese frantically started searching for her robe, finding it under the bed, along with her discarded panties. She threw them on, securing the belt tightly around her waist, and headed for the door, stopping with her hand on the doorknob.

"You need to get out of here," she spat. "I'll give you twenty-four hours." He just gave her a half nod, pulling on his jeans and boxers.

"Yeah, that's fair."

Reese made sure to latch the door behind her before heading down the stairs, where the bell was still flipping out. "I'm coming!" she yelled, jogging over to unlock the door.

Standing in the doorway was Tom, arms crossed, bag draped over one shoulder. He pushed past her without saying a word, and she slammed the door behind him as he dropped his bag at his feet.

"Tom... what..."

"I'm not leaving," he said simply. "I don't want to, and I don't think you want me to either."

"I-"

"I already apologized, and there's nothing I can do about any of that now, but, Reese, you're my friend, and I can't just leave without a reason." He stepped closer. "If there is a reason -- a valid one -- then I'll just fly back home and you can live here with your ex-boyfriend and your father, but you've got to tell me. Why do you want me to go?"

Reese opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. Her mind was completely blank. She had no reason. He was perfect.

"I... I don't," she said. Tom's face broke into a smile.

"Great! I'll stay, it's settled." He strode over, tilted her head up, and kissed her forehead. It took all Reese's self-control not to jerk away. "I'll go put my stuff away, then."

Reese watched him go. Her neck felt hot and her ears burned with embarrassment, but she heaved a sigh and followed.