It had been by far the busiest shift of my life, about five minutes in, a hair fell into my eye and I didn't even have a spare second to brush it away. Now, it was a few minutes off 12 and I was currently leaning on the countertop, watching the last few customers who remained in the shop. After minutes of watching them shamelessly, one of their hands gravitated towards their keys which sat on the table, and I bolted upright. Something I had picked up quickly were the signs of when a customer was about to leave - uncrossing their legs, pushing their chair back the tiniest bit, but the real giveaway was the keys grabbing. That was a definite indicator. Seconds before I was drifting into a coma, but now I was wide awake with the knowledge my shift was about to finish.

I had to hold myself back from shooing them out of the door, but eventually the door bell chimed, signalling that the customers had left the building.
I found myself at door in no time, flicking the lock and almost falling against the frame as I sighed with relief. My eyes scanned the room, seeing what had to be done before I could leave, and calculating how long it would take.

As I started towards the nearest table to stack the chairs, Zac emerged from the staff room.

"Hey Anna, all clear?" He said, craning his neck to look for customers.

I nodded, "Yeah, the last ones just left." I stacked a chair, two, three. I had become so accustomed to Zac calling me Anna, I didn't even notice anymore.

"Don't worry about the chairs, the stores closed tomorrow so the cleaners aren't coming in."

My muscles thanked him, but my brain overlooked it.

"Closed?" I questioned, feeling my nose scrunched. I knew the store was open every Sunday, so being closed was unusual.

Zac shrugged, "No clue why, so don't ask."

I made my way towards the counter where my phone was, when I picked it up there was a text from Mom.

Pasta in fridge if you're hungry, don't wait up.

I grimaced. My mom was picking up work wherever she could, and it was ruining her. I've barely talked to her, lately. I don't even notice when she is home, because she only ever comes home to sleep, and then she's off again.

I hoped she was okay.

My thoughts were interrupted by Zac, "I think we deserve this," he said, retrieving a wine bottle from one of the cabinets under the counter.

My lips parted, before forming into a cheeky smile that I had to bite back.

"You wouldn't." I crossed my arms across my chest, daring him.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh Anna. You're so new to this Burger Place game. I've gone through about twenty of these babies in my time." He popped the cork screw off with ease, tilted his head back and took a generous swig from the bottle. His adam's apple bobbed up and down. When he finished, Zac wipes the back of his hand across his mouth and grinned.

I laughed, reaching out to take the bottle from him.

He retracted from my reach, holding the bottle up above my head. "Uh, uh. Not so fast, you're underage."

I rolled my eyes. "So are you, genius."

"Not in Australia." He winked.

I laughed, shoved him in the chest. "Stop playing around, you said you owed me. This will make us equal."

His long fingers slightly uncurled from the neck of the bottle, letting it fall into my grasp. "Fine, maybe getting you drunk would make this easier."

I furrowed my brows, "Make what easier?" My pulse picked up, I was alone in this restaurant after close, the cleaners weren't coming in.

He used his palms to lift himself sightly from his cross legged position on the floor, leaning dangerously closely toward me, so I could taste the alcohol on his breath. I could hear myself breathing heavily, and I slid myself away from him so my back was flush against the cupboards below the counter.

"Finding out all of your secrets." He whispered lowly, before slowly returning to his seat on the floor, eyes never leaving mine.

I relaxed, he was just messing with me. Probably too late, I masked my discomfort with an unimpressed expression.

"I don't have any secrets." With that, I took a big gulp from the wine bottle, the burning sensation was no stranger to me.

Zac scoffed, "We all do. Don't act like you don't want to know mine."

I simply laughed in response. I had nothing to hide, my life was as boring as anything.

"Fine, I'll make it easer for you." He announced whilst leaning over to retrieve the bottle from my hands before adding, "Are you familiar with the game 21 questions, Anna?"

"No, Zac. What on Earth is that?" I answer, dripping with sarcasm.

He rolls his eyes, "Doesn't matter because my versions different. This game, for your information, got me laid by the hottest senior girl." Zac proclaims proudly.

"And I should be impressed by that because..?" I take another drink slowly.

"I was a freshman at the time." He adds, waiting for my reaction.

A mouthful of wine shoots out across the bar, spluttering against the cupboard door. I don't wipe my mouth before I scream out between laughter, "ZACHARY!"

He leans back chuckling, then stops looking offended. "My full name isn't even Zachary you fake fan."

My mouth drops at the irony, "My name isn't even Anna you moron!"

Zac grins, "I was wondering if you'd ever try to correct me, I know you moron! But 'Anna' stuck."

I shake my head, not wanting to bother with his twisted logic. "So how do we play your version."

Zac quirks an eyebrow, goes to take a drink before answering and then frowns, "We are all out of wine! We need drinks to play." He gets up, potters around the bar for a moment before settling back down even closer to me with a thud, revealing a bottle of vodka.

This was a very bad idea.

Let's do it.

Twisting open the cap, he begins to explain how to play. "So traditional 21 questions, person A asks a question, person B answers either yes or no, right?" I nod, he continues. "My version, person A makes a statement about person B, if it's true, person B takes a drink, if it's false, person A takes a drink."

"So basically, freshman you got a senior girl drunk enough to have sex with this game." I ask, pointer finger prodding him in the chest accusingly.

Zac gasps, acting hurt. "I was joking Anna, I cant believe you thought that was true! I'm a virgin!" His voice high, clearly lying.

I stare at him strangely, conflicted. If that was true, I would lose respect for him, that's gross and whoever she was didn't deserve that.

Zac's expression transforms into one of seriousness, he must have registered my silence. "Alana I'm sorry I made a stupid joke in poor taste, I would never take advantage of a woman like that. I've only ever played this game with my friends who are guys, and I definitely did not sleep with them!"

I laugh, thankful that Zac was the kind of guy who could clear up a misunderstanding like that without making it awkward.

I sit up straighter, "Which one of us goes first?"

"I'll go, ask whatever your heart desires!" Another wink.

I roll my eyes, but I couldn't help but smile at his childish behaviour. "Hmm, okay. Your full name is not Zachary."

He stares at me, unimpressed. "You can't do that, that's cheating you already knew that."

"Sorry, you didn't explain the rules very well!" I teased, grinning.

He takes a drink of the vodka, unbothered by the burn. "Fine, from now on, then."

He looks at me, calculating. "You think I'm incredibly sexy."

I immediately laugh, "False!!" I manage to correct him.

Zac pouts. "You're lying! That's cheating, you have to drink." He accuses, thrusting the bottle to me.

I stare at him, Zac definitely was attractive, and I was sure every girl in my grade would be head over heels for him with his tanned skin, dark blonde hair and perfect white smile, like some surfer model, but I just wasn't attracted to him. At that thought, Theo flashed in my mind.

Somehow, while spending time with Zac, I hadn't thought about Theo once until now. For some reason, guilt swirled inside me, like I was doing something wrong by being here right now.

Returning back to the room, I realise Zac has been ranting for the past minute about how I'm trying to act as if I'm immune to his insane good looks, so I take the bottle to shut him up.

"You got me! I think you're incredibly sexy." Before downing a mouthful of vodka. Maybe I was just saying it to shut Zac up, maybe I was trying to convince myself I shouldn't feel guilty.

My turn. "You thought I was annoying when we first met and I was asking a million questions."

Zac smiled, "False, actually." Surprised, I took a drink.

"You're a virgin?" He asks, sounding unsure.

I blushed, quickly took a drink. I should have known that question would pop up, we were playing 21 questions, alone!

It seemed as though Zac relaxed, as my drinking confirmed I was a virgin, did he think I wasn't?

"You're not a virgin!" I state, to which he takes a drink. No surprises there.

The game continued on like this for a while, drink after drink.

My Italian mother's cooking had pretty much immunised me to the effects of wine, so I hadn't really noticed my vision beginning to blur, or my movements slowing until it was too many shots too late, and it all hit me at once. The room moved sideways, Zac had seven eyes. I giggled, reaching forward to poke one of them when I lost my balance.

Zac's hand quickly moved to encircle my wrist, steadying me. "Woah there Anna, I'm just going to round whatever we were up to, to 21 a call it a night, sound good?" He asks, not waiting for my answer. Zac helped me to my feet, but I quickly fell forward against his chest.

"You're very muscly Zachary." I state.

"True, but no definitely no more drinks tonight." He chuckles.

I notice I'm no longer against his chest, but floating in the air down some stairs. We hadn't left the restaurant though, where was this? "You need to sleep this off Anna, but I'm not going to drive you home when I've been drinking."

I see a guitar, a bed, a desk, a small bathroom. I look at Zac, who's looking down at me in his arms.

"You live here?" I ask curiously. That's why he was always here!

He smiles, lowering me into the bed I noticed just before. "You could say that."

I immediately stretch and snuggle into the covers, feeling exhausted. "G'night Zachary! Sweet dreams!" I wave to him, he's on the couch, long legs dangling off because he is too tall for it.