Thankfully, an ounce of my common sense returned, just enough that I remembered there was a crucial bit of information that the boy hadn't shared with me. Some information that would be splendid to know before we got a bit too familiar with each other. "But wait--first tell me your name. And--and any criminal background history."

"Chris." He was so close that the word puffed out in a breath against my forehead. "The only criminal history I have is the one I'm about to make by driving you insane."

Holy mother of--I had not seen that one coming. Not in my wildest dreams, not out of the kinkiest steamy romance novel on the planet. Even buzzed, I didn't know how to respond, except to say, "Wow. Chris. That's such a unique name."

Chris coughed, his lips pulling up into an amused smile. "We're just going to ignore my incredible one-liner?"

I was flushing from head to foot. I could just feel it. "I--I'm Am--"

But before I could choke out my name, Chris's lips were on mine. Crushing them. Without hesitation. Without shame. Like we were lovers instead of complete strangers. Like he was every bit as intoxicated as I was.

Feeling giddy, scared, and like I was running off a high that would crash down on me any moment, I kissed him back just as fiercely. It was my first real kiss, and I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, but none of that mattered to me. Nothing really mattered to me. I was drunk.

Chris's hands traveled down my back, under my football jersey--God, of all the stupid things to be wearing, a football jersey?--pulling me closer to him.

I had no clue where to put my own hands, so I just kept them fixed around the back of his neck. Prayed I was doing this right. This was nothing like pecking Tommy Gregor on the lips. This was electrifying. A full on makeout session, with roving tongues, swollen lips, and raw, animalistic desperation.

Chris's hands snaked their way up my legs, skimming my thighs, slowly reaching higher and higher. I was still conscious enough of my actions to recognize that this was the first warning sign of The Number One Thing I Must Not Do Before Marriage, lest my uber-conservative Chinese parents disown me. Using all of my remaining brain power, I shimmied my body just out of Chris's grasp. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "Um...I can't."

He took the rejection surprisingly well, and rested his hand on the small of my back instead. Pulled slightly away from me. "Whoa, you have some serious Asian flush," Chris said, blinding me with a crooked smile. He swept a strand of hair off of my cheek and examined me in a way that made my already warm cheeks turn hotter. "That's cute."

"Asian f-flush?"

"You know. A lot of Asians lack the enzyme to properly process alcohol, and as soon as the smallest amount hits their system--boom. You get the Asian flush."

I blinked. "That explains...a lot." It explained why my dad always turned the shade of a newborn's freshly slapped behind whenever he had beer with his dinner. And trust me when I say that was definitely not cute.

Tentatively, I pressed my hands to my cheeks. They did feel hot. Feverishly hot. But I had no clue if it was from alcohol or a very intense makeout session. "What are you, a biology major?" I demanded.

"Pre-med, actually. But this is just common knowledge."

Pre-med. Of course. Cute and intelligent. Don't fall so hard for some stranger, the sensible voice inside me urged. But sensibility was not in control today. Another giggle escaped out of my lips, thanks to me and my Asian flushing, delirious self.

"Everyone hit the pool!" someone yelled from below us, startling us both. The guy streaked across the grass, flinging his shirt over his head, and cannon-balled into the pool with a huge splash. I heard shrieking as water splashed all over the lawn.

"God, Max. What an idiot," Chris muttered.

More screams from below, followed by splashes. Drunk college kids were diving into the pool left and right. "Doesn't that look like fun?" I said excitedly.

"Uh, on what planet?"

"C'mon." Ignoring Chris's faint protests, I tugged him by the hand, toward the source of the shouting. Splashes and hoots. Even though the tiny part of my brain that wasn't drunk was trying to scream some sense into me, the rest of my brain, which was encompassed in a drunk stupor, was having a blast slapping away every last sensible thought.

When we were outside, we joined the crowd of college kids sitting around the edge of the pool. I was still stumbling a bit, so really it was more like Chris dragging me along with him. An older-looking, brown-haired kid wearing a red plaid shirt and sitting at the edge of the pool whistled as Chris and I drew nearer.

"Doing alright, Ishikawa?" he called.

Chris wasn't smiling, which I noticed even in my buzzed state. "Fine."

The other boy's eyes flickered toward me, expression twisting into a leer. "Oh, damn. Sure looks like it," he whistled, answering his own question. "Who's your friend?"

"No one," Chris answered. I felt him tense up beside me. No one, he'd called me. Rude way to refer to a stranger he'd been locking lips with just minutes ago.

"Aw, don't be like that," the other guy said, hopping off the edge onto the grass. He strolled toward us. "I'm proud of you. Thought you were never gonna get any girl action again. Not after your last girlfriend, ah--"

"Don't. Say. Her. Name," Chris all but spit out. His eyes were shining, reflecting the moon's glint on the pool water. I almost thought they were shining with tears.

"Hey, easy," the other guy slurred. He took a swig of the can of beer in his hand, and then crushed it and tossed it somewhere into the grass.

"That's littering," I said, though I was barely in control of the words that were pouring out of my mouth. "That's bad. You're a bad person."

The guy snorted, and then returned his attention to Chris. "She dumped you, right? And you went dry for, what, six months after her? It's about time you got back in the game."

Chris went silent. With anger, I realized, recognizing the slight tremors that were traveling through his body. "Andrew, I don't want to talk about this right now," he said through gritted teeth.

"Dude, it's been over for months. She's got a new boyfriend now. You should move on too, you know? I'm just trying to do you a solid. Give some advice."

With that, Chris launched himself at Andrew. Or he would have--if my brain, which had been slowly awakening from its stupor, hadn't spurred me into grabbing him by the back of his shirt. Chris turned his head and gave me the sideways stink-eye. "Do you mind?"

"You can't do that," I protested. "You can't just punch him!"

"Says who? You? Listen, girl, I don't even know your name."

I blinked and nearly buckled over with the realization that he was right. Chris didn't know my name. Nor, probably, did he really care about knowing my name. I'd been stupid. So, so stupid. Textbook feeble freshman girl--that was what I'd become, before the school year had even started.

With this horrific realization, I let go of Chris's shirt. Not really upset. Just kind of disgusted with myself. Forgetting about Andrew entirely, Chris stared me squarely in the eye. He was biting his lip. "You, uh, you know this is just a one-time thing, right? No expectations?"

I blinked at Chris. Really looked at him, trying not to let his long eyelashes distract me. And then, seized by sudden rage, I did the only thing that made sense to me at that moment. I screamed, threw Chris's arm off me--and watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as he lost his footing and fell fully-clothed into the swimming pool. 

*****

A/N - And with that, this little bonus arc is a wrap! If you're interested in hearing how Amelia's (and Chris's, hehe) story ends, I've just posted the blurb and foreword to an all-new novel focusing on Amelia's college adventures. It's titled "Lies We Tell". Here is the synopsis reposted below:

"Freshman year of college isn't as smooth-sailing as Amelia Xu had hoped it would be. Between avoiding a bad summer hook-up, rooming with her dorky, fresh-off-the-boat Chinese cousin, and butting heads with her too-Kpop-for-his-own-good dance team leader, she barely has room to breathe, let alone concentrate on academics.

Then, college drama becomes the least of Amelia's concerns when a rash of hate crimes break out over campus. With her dorky roommate and an annoying boy by her side, Amelia is determined to uncover the culprit threatening students' lives. But as she soon discovers, the enemy is far greater than she could have ever imagined.

In an America where American values no longer seem to exist, to fight for what they believe in, Amelia and her friends might have to sacrifice everything."

As you can tell, it's got a darker vibe, though of course I'm hoping to balance that out with humor and romance and all that fluff. Head on over and check out the new book! I'll be posting chapter 1 within the next few days. Also, if anyone wants anymore one-shots, feel free to post requests below. I'll probably write the odd one here and there to keep the creative juices flowing as I write my other books.

Love you all and thanks for the unending support, you guys are seriously the best. <3

--L.B. Jade