Chapter || 1

Chapter 001

Allie's POV

I was turning 18 tonight.

Like 12:00 A.M sharp, I'd officially kick age 17 to the curb and say hello, 18. Honestly, I was excited for my new age.

More excited because my best friend Jess and I have tonight all planned out. It wasn't anything big. Just the same thing we did for her 18th birthday last month... visit the bar, have shots and dance.

"Stay still, Allie cat. You don't want to turn 18 with a burn on your scalp." Jess said, wielding a curling wand dangerously close to my ear, her brows furrowed slightly in concentration as she curled another section of my hair.

"Please be careful about it, Jess," I muttered. I was barely breathing, staying as still as I could until she turned off the wand and safely put it away.

"Girl, I am careful. You're the one who flinched last time." She grinned, but I ignored her. I was too busy slipping into the dress she picked out for me. A little black dress that had cutouts and most of all, stopped mid-thighs, hugging my curves and accentuating my tiny waist. It was more than the usual clothes I wore but I didn't mind showing extra skin.

"You look... like the birthday girl herself. Go, Allie, it's your birthday." Jess held me at arms' length as she hyped, I grinned, swayed my hips to the rhythm of her voice until our giggles erupted, filling the whole room.

"Can you two keep it down. I have a test tomorrow."

Cue the buzzkill. I groaned inwardly before turning to the door where my brother’s head popped in, his face was in that same scowl he always wore when he was annoyed which was 90% of the time.

"It's my birthday, Caden."

"And I still have a test." He narrowed his eyes at me like I was the unreasonable one here.

"Then go study in the kitchen." Jess threw at him. Caden stuck his middle finger at her and disappeared. "Is it me or since when did your brother get this hot?" She raised a brow and peeked around the door.

My shoulders bunched up in a shrug. "I don't know." I did a little twirl but stopped when the room tilted. Like literally. The floor swayed beneath me, and my vision blurred for a split second. My legs felt like jelly.

"Whoa, Allie." Jess's voice in my head was laced with panic. She lunged forward, catching me before I could hit the floor, her arms wrapping around me. "What was that? Are you okay? You almost fell."

My head was swimming and a cold sweat was already collecting on my forehead and under my arms. "I... I don't know," I mumbled. I didn't want to think too much about what had just happened. God! The familiar dread was already creeping in no matter how much I tried to assure myself that I was fine.

Jess didn't waste another second. Her carefree face a moment ago was now etched with worry. "Okay, okay, take deep breaths. Let's get you to bed." She dragged me the few steps, gently lowering me onto the mattress. "Stay right there. Don't move."

I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I watched through hazy eyes as Jess rummaged through my bedside drawer, pulling out my small, zippered kit. My blood glucose meter. Yup, I'm diabetic.

She ripped open an alcohol wipe, swabbed my fingertip, and then, pricked it with the lancet. A thin bead of blood welled up. She touched the test strip to it, and the meter whirred for a second before displaying the numbers.

From her widened eyes and a small gasp, I knew what it would be. "Allie, your sugar's dropped. It's... It's really low."

No. No, not today. Cold fear washed over me, chilling me to the bone. It had been so long since I'd felt this. Like three months since a drop this bad.

Lily was already tearing through the kit. "Juice. Where's your juice?"

"In the kit," I said in a shaky voice.

She ripped it open, tossing aside glucose tablets and test strips until she found a juice box... apple, thank God. She shoved the straw in and handed it to me.

"Drink slowly, okay?'

I obeyed, my fingers trembling slightly around the little box. I sipped first, trying to focus on nothing but the sweet flavour rather than the panic pressing against me.

"It's been a while since it dropped like this," I said quietly, trying not to cry. "I was doing okay."

Jess sat next to me, rubbing my back. "You are okay. You caught it in time. You'll be fine, alright?"

I nodded, feeling grateful for Jess. She always knew what to do... like always. I didn't know how lucky I was to have her. I swallowed again. The sugar was hitting now, and my fingers were pulling me back to the surface. Although my body felt heavy, I could breathe normally again.

Jess looked at me with concern. "Do you wanna... cancel tonight? I mean, it's not a big deal..."

"No." I wiped my mouth and looked up at her. "Just because my sugar dropped doesn't mean I'm gonna die."

Jess opened her mouth, then shut it. "Okay, but maybe don't say that with..."

I giggled, weakly. "I'm fine, really. I'll eat something before we go. Drink plenty of water and... I'll dance in moderation."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You? Moderate? Please."

"Okay," she said finally hugging me gently. "But if you blink too fast at that party, I swear to God Allie cat, I'm dragging you home."

"Deal." I took one more sip of juice, curled my toes to ground myself, and slowly stood. Birthday or not, I wasn't going to let my body dictate the night. Well, not tonight anyway.

~~~

"Allie cat, this place is packed tonight," Jess leaned in closer so I could hear her. "You sure you're okay just sipping one Coke? I can get you a refill."

I shook my head. "One more glass and my blood sugar tanks up," I reminded her, tapping at my glucose monitor. "But do be careful with the way you're going. You've had what... three shots?"

"I'm just saying, if I die tonight, let it be in the arms of a man who smells like whiskey," Jess was already two-thirds of the way through her second shots of tequila.

I tilted my head back and laughed as I leaned over the sticky bar top. "You are a bad friend."

"Correction honey, I'm your bad friend." She winked. "Now turn around slowly and don't make it obvious, but there's a group of extremely hot-looking men that just walked in."

I rolled my eyes but peeked over my shoulder anyway. Sure enough, a group of tall, broad-shouldered guys had just entered the bar, all matching joggers. One of them, dark hair, squared jaw and body like a Greek god was staring directly at me, a smug half smile on his face.

"Holy moly," Jess breathed, her eyes wide. She nudged me again, harder this time. "Allie, check out the one in the black hoodie. He's staring. Are you gonna talk to him?"

“Are you insane? No way,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “If he’s interested, he can come over here.”

Jess glanced at her phone before huffing. "A few hours until you turn 18. Don't be impossible."

I smiled lightly, fiddling with my straw. A few seconds later, Jess' eyes widened. I made the mistake of peeking over my shoulder again. The guy was walking straight toward us, in slow and confident strides like he had done this a thousand times. I suddenly forgot how to breathe.

"I'll, uh, go grab another drink," Jess said with a wink. "Have fun." She disappeared into the crowd and now it was just me and Hoodie Guy. Up close, he was even more... dangerous looking. Not like the type of guys I was used to. His eyes were like sin, pure sin. He had a jawline that could cut glass. And be smelled good, like woodsy cologne and mint.

"Hey," he said, confident and with the faintest grin in his tone. "This seat taken?"

I turned, forcing a smile onto my face. "Technically, yes, but you can have it."

He smirked and slid in beside me. "I'm Lucas."

"Allie... Although my friends, particularly my best friend, call me Allie-cat. You can call me Allie though," I said. My cheeks were already heating.

His eyes lingered on my face a little too long. "Allie-cat. Cute. You here alone?" He asked.

"Nope. My best friend just ditched me for tequila."

"Guess that leaves you stuck with me."

I giggled, then as usual when I'm nervous, the babbling kicked in. "She usually doesn't drink this much, but it's my birthday and it's been a rough week for her. She got ghosted by a guy who dared to wear Crocs on their first date, can you believe..."

Lucas laughed and I blinked at him.

"Sorry," mumbled. "I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous. It's like my brain panics and my mouth doesn't get the memo to shut up."

Most guys would start backing away at this point. I'd seen it happen... Their eyes would glaze over, and then they'd politely smile and they'd slowly retreat. But not Lucas. If anything, he looked amused. He enjoyed my babbling.

“You’re cute when you babble” he said, tilting his head slightly. “Makes me want to hear what else you’ve got to say. Uhm... I was thinking if you wanna take this party somewhere a little more... private?"

My stomach did a flip. "I don't even know you. Or your friends."

"We're hockey players from the campus. We just won a big game."

I nodded. "That explains why you're all so... hot." Oh God, I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth. My face instantly burned even hotter, a furious blush. I was such an idiot, Jess would approve.

He raised a brow. "So you do think I'm hot."

I just blushed, burying my face in my hands for a second, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.

He reached out, his fingers warm as he gently pulled my hands away from my face. His touch was light, but it sent a jolt through me. “It’s okay, Allie cat. I think you’re pretty hot too.” He leaned in closer again, his voice dropping to a whisper. “And we just won the game tonight. Big one.”

I raised my glass, “To victory, then?”

He chuckled and lifted his. “To victory.”

Before I could even sip, he hurled me to himself, his arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me against his hard body. My Coke sloshed, a few drops splashing onto my shirt, but I barely noticed. His mouth was on mine, hot and demanding.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss and nothing like I'd had before. It was hungry, possessive, and utterly intoxicating. His lips moved against mine with a confident expertise that stole my breath. Sparks ignited between us, a wildfire that consumed every thought, every doubt, every rational bone in my body. My body trembled, a delicious shiver running through me, from my toes to the roots of my hair.

He pulled back, just slightly, his forehead resting against mine, his breath warm and sweet on my lips. His eyes, dark and intense, searched mine, a silent question in their depths. “So, Allie,” he murmured, his voice husky, “you wanna go somewhere with me?”

My mind was a jumbled mess. My body was screaming yes, every cell vibrating with a desperate need to follow him. But a rational part of my brain was trying to catch up and remember my manners. Jess. I couldn't just ditch her.

“I… I just… I need to talk to my friend. Tell her I’m leaving.” I stammered, my voice a little breathless.

He grinned, a sexy curve of his lips. He didn’t seem bothered, not even a little. “Fine by me. Go get her.” His hand, which had been resting lightly on my waist, dropped away.

I pulled away, my legs feeling a little wobbly, and spun around, trying to spot Jess in the sea of bodies. I scanned the bar, the dance floor, the crowded entrance, my eyes darting through the throng, searching for her bright red hair.

It seemed like she was gone. Probably off flirting with some other guy, or maybe she’d gone to get that drink and gotten lost in the throng. I was relieved and guilty at the same time. But then, Jess would understand. She always did.

I turned back to Lucas, a decision solidifying in my mind, pushing aside the last vestiges of hesitation. Screw it. This was my birthday night. This was college. Jess would say I live a little. Besides, maybe one night with this ridiculously hot guy would keep my mind from thoughts about my diabetes, or my asthma.

“You know what,” I said, “let’s go.”

A smile spread across his face. He didn’t say anything. He just took my hand, his fingers lacing with mine. He pulled me gently towards the exit, navigating the crowded space with me by his side.