r u l e # 2

Rule #2 Flirt the right way and go easy on the booze.

Flirting isn't just about having bold confidence but rather, it's about having great perception skills. A keen pair of eyes matters more than a thick skin, and sometimes it's better to abort instead of to advance.

Is she averting your gaze? Does her smile reach her eyes? Is her laugh nervous? Is she lightly touching you back, or is she taking a step back? Like war, it's more important to analyze the situation and assess your opponent's weakness, instead of blindly flaunting your weapons, shooting off compliments and exhausting your carefully picked one-liners.

If she isn't interested, back off. Smile, leave, and be a good sport.

Alcohol can relax people and sometimes bring them closer, but nothing ruins the moment more than having your partner puke on you when things are just about to get interesting. Too much of it can also make you less aroused, less satisfied, less hard...enough said.

......

"Shit, I almost forgot," Dylan said from the passenger seat. "We have to get Linda a present."

"We do?" The idea of bringing one never even crossed Jake's mind. He thought his showing up was the best present already.

They were on their way to Linda's 15th birthday party, one that neither of them was particularly looking forward to. They felt obligated to attend for the mere fact that they were friends with her brother, Sean, who had specifically stated that booze, drugs and sex were off-limits—which basically defeated the purpose of throwing a party in the first place.

"It's her birthday, man. I practically watched her grow up, so she's like a sister to me. We have to hurry up so we won't be late," Dylan said, all matter-of-fact, as if he hadn't complained incessantly about this stupid party and how absurd it was that they were hired—without pay—as bouncers.

It was exactly what Jake expected of him though; the guy was embarrassingly tender sometimes.

"What should we get?" Dylan asked.

"...A bottle of perfume? Girls like perfumes."

He could feel Dylan's disapproval without turning his head. "That's a little pervy coming from her brother's best friends. Perfumes are sexual."

"Anything is sexual through your eyes," Jake said. "I just thought she'd like the cute bottle."

"If you want cute, then how about a giant teddy bear? Every girl wants one to go to bed with."

"Really? The ones that I know only want to go to bed with a giant dick."

Dylan snickered beside him, always supportive of his lame jokes. "I'm surprised you didn't give it to Stephanie. She has a really nice rack."

"I'm not a picky eater, but at least I have some table manners. I don't want to risk her getting all clingy on me afterwards because I'm her first."

"You can date her," Dylan suggested. "That way you get to bang all the time."

"I just want some milk occasionally. I don't want to buy the whole cow."

"Judging from the frequency you want your milk, you might as well buy a cow," Dylan said, actually making a little bit of sense. "It's Basic Economics."

Renting would perhaps be a better option, except it wasn't on the menu. "Let's just buy the bear first."

They bought the bear but fought over the privilege of taking it out of the car. Dylan insisted it didn't go well with his eyebrow piercing and that he didn't like the idea of a stuffed animal under his arm. It messed with the tough image he was trying to keep up. As they went up to Sean's door, the bear was thrown from one boy to the other repeatedly, like a basketball they played every afternoon.

"Be a pal and take it." Dylan tossed the bear to him one last time, and Jake caught it in the air with one hand. "Look, the color even matches your hair."

With a good-natured sigh, Jake put one arm around Teddy's golden neck and walked through the door. He remembered where Linda's room was, having been to this house many times before, so he headed towards that direction after greeting a few acquaintances. When he was halfway through the hall, a door opened up ahead.

He saw the hair first. It splashed down her shoulders and reminded him of a waterfall of black ink, rich and flowing and full of shine. When she turned her head, he caught a sparkle between the strands. It was a diamond earring on one earlobe, set in the shape of a snowflake.

The party theme was winter wonderland, and Jake just found his own wonderland.

She was wearing jeans paired with a grey sleeveless top, with crystals adorned along the collar. The outfit was eye-catching, but it was nothing impressive compared to the person wearing it. On a scale of one to ten, if he were to rate this girl, he would give her a 25.

He watched as her mouth pulled itself into a smile.

"Aw," she said. Her voice was the sweetest thing he had heard of in a while. For some reason he thought of marshmallows melting in a cup of hot chocolate, which was ridiculous, he knew, because marshmallows were silent. "You brought your teddy bear? How cute."

Jake put both arms around the bear and hugged it to his chest. He decided to play along. "Yeah, parties are scary. He's here to protect me."

Her smile widened, like a cheery splitting before his eyes. Jake could see past the physical appearances and smell his own kind, like a St. Bernard hearing a wolf call in one of the Jack London stories he used to read. This girl has potential.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Protect you from what?"

"From girls like you," Jake said. "You look like a really bad decision...like you have the power to make me do something really stupid."

On hearing this, she laughed, and it was more powerful than anything she could've spoken. It was the kind of smooth laugh that sounded innocent, but at the same time confirming his speculation that yes, she had that kind of power and yes, she was well aware of it.

She didn't say anything more, but she wasn't in a hurry to leave, either. Jake watched her unclasp the small purse she wore on her shoulder and bring out a silver flask. Her slender fingers screwed open the cap before she held it out to him. "Do you want some?"

"What's in it?"

"Cranberry vodka."

"Miss." Jake narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?"

She gasped. "Was I that obvious?"

"I was taught not to accept drinks from strangers at parties," he said, pretending to be stern. This girl looked like she'd been said yes to all her life, therefore he wanted to come across as slightly more challenging than the guys she usually dealt with.

Besides, alcohol is a wonderful invention that has been getting ugly people laid all over the world, but Jake could perform very well without it. She looked promising and he wanted to stay on top of his game.

"Hmmm...if I can't get you drunk, then I guess I'll have to tell you that you're pretty and just so...different. I can feel this special connection between us right away," she said, her tone falling halfway between sarcastic and teasing. Jake could pick up her hint between the lines. This was exactly the kind of bullshit guys say to naive girls, and she obviously wasn't one of them. She knew nothing special was going to happen.

He loved where this was going.

"I'm not different at all," Jake said. "I'm as awful as every other guy you know. Just prettier."

She smiled. This was probably the fifth smile he collected so far, and for some reason each one appeared more stunning than the last. "That kind of makes you perfect," she said, tipping her head back to drink from the flask. Her tongue ran over her bottom lip for the briefest time when she finished.

The movement successfully diverted Jake's attention to her mouth. He hated how predictable he was sometimes. When a girl touched her necklace, he always checked out the cleavage. Whenever she licked her lips, he wanted to kiss her.

But this was too early. Good things come to those who wait, and she was the best thing that had crossed path with him in a while. Jake planned on sitting on the riverbank for as long as it took for reeling in a fish this big.

"Are you aware that you're not allowed to drink at this party?" he asked. "I'm in charge of making sure that no one breaks the rule."

One eyebrow rose as if amused. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate your drink."

She lifted her head upward by an inch and met his gaze. Her eyes were silent stars on a cloudless night, dark and bright at the same time.

Jake took a step and narrowed the space between them. She didn't flinch, not even when he reached out to take the flask from her. She brought her arm back instead, which pulled him in even closer.

His fingers touched hers lightly. She didn't let go. They were now standing only inches apart, close enough for him to imagine the feel of her hair and the taste of her tongue. He did a brief count of the times she blinked and observed the curve of her eyelashes. He could smell the fragrance on her, a chic, feminine scent, and at this moment he had to agree that perfumes were very sexual. This would've been a perfect moment if not for the stupid bear he still carried under one arm.

She smiled and let him take the flask away from her hand.

"I'll give it back at the end of the party," Jake said. "You better give me your phone number in case I don't see you."

"Why don't you give me yours instead," she said.

"I'm not sure you're cool enough to get my number." He assumed this girl got hit on regularly, which made it okay to tease her a little. If she had been less confident, he'd have adopted an entirely different tactic altogether. "Tell me something interesting about yourself."

She leaned her head back. "I have a dad, a mom, and a sister. I live in a house. I go to school during the week and party on weekends."

"That's not very interesting."

"That's the kind of information your phone number is worth."

"Ouch." Jake pretended to wince. "Who do you know at this party? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Flora's friend. We went to middle school together. To be honest, I don't go to this kind of house parties often—"

Jake knew Flora went to a private girls' school, and he could tell that the girl in front of him was incredibly rich. She probably only went to fancy events and debutante balls.

"—but once in a while I like to go and find some cute public school boys to flirt with."

Jake grinned. Her words made him happier than he imagined. "The party just started and looks like your mission is already accomplished."

She looked at him and the edge of her mouth curled up. "I'm very efficient."

"Tell me your name," Jake said.

"It's Jessica."

"Jessica...?"

"Jiang."

"Is that a Chinese surname?"

She nodded. "It means river in Mandarin."

"That's a beautiful name, Jessica River Jiang." He held out his hand. "My name is Jake Lancaster."

Her hand was almost touching his when she stopped. Her eyes widened. "Jake Lancaster. The Jake Lancaster?"

"I wasn't aware that my name came with a definite article."

"I've heard lots about you. From various people." She shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't make the connection."

Jake had the sinking feeling that it was definitely not his sense of humor that got him this fame. He wanted to tell her that while he wasn't exactly a boy scout, he did have certain morals and a set of rules for himself. He decided, however, that Jessica could make up her own mind and believe whatever she wanted to believe, because opinions were hard to change and he was sick of defending himself all the time.

So he flashed her a careless grin, just so she couldn't detect how much he wanted her approval, and said in the most arrogant tone he could muster, "I just want to warn you that anything bad you heard about me is probably true."

"I've heard nothing bad. You're exactly the kind of guy I've been searching for." Jessica smiled and pushed her body away from the wall. Her eyes sparkled like the wings of a beetle. "See you later, Jake. It's about time we finally met."