Against the inky night sky, fragmented city lights blurred into mottled smudges as a misty rain drizzled on and on.
Laura Lowell stepped unsteadily out of a black van. She wore a white, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress, and her long hair, lightly waved at the tips, cascaded over her shoulders.
Her lightly made-up face was fresh and clean, though a faint blush warmed her cheeks from the alcohol. A soft, dusty rose lipstick colored her plush lips, and her skin was so fine you couldn't even see her pores.
"LoriaLaura, slow down."
Laura Lowell's assistant, Peach, scrambled out of the van. With one hand, she held an umbrella, and with the other, she draped a khaki trench coat from her arm over Laura's shoulders.
"It's cold out. What will you do if you catch a cold?"
As she spoke, Peach raised the umbrella higher to cover Laura's head.
Laura nodded obediently and murmured, "Oh."
Tonight was the wrap party for Laura's movie, and the entire cast and crew went out for a celebratory dinner. In her excitement, she'd accidentally had too much to drink.
Now she felt completely dizzy, as if she were walking on cotton.
Peach's phone suddenly rang. She supported the unsteady Laura with one hand while digging through her bag for her phone with the other.
"Hello, Mom..."
"How could this happen? Don't panic. I'll call 911 first, and I'll be home right away."
Whatever Peach's mother said on the phone made her expression turn anxious, her voice tight with tension.
Laura stopped, a hazy light in her half-drunk eyes. "What's wrong with your mom?"
"It's my dad. He suddenly fainted..."
Peach was so frantic she was on the verge of tears.
"Then you should hurry home. Your mom must be terrified. Do you need me to go with you?"
Peach looked at Laura, whose words were already slurring, and felt a pang of worry.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? I should at least get you upstairs first."
Laura pushed the umbrella back toward Peach. "Look, you're getting soaked... I'm not a three-year-old. I don't need you to walk me up. Go on, hurry and check on your dad."
Even though they were already downstairs from Laura's apartment, Peach was still very worried.
'When Laura gets this drunk, she'll grab onto any handsome man she sees and refuse to let go for dear life.'
'And what's even crazier is that she'll start clamoring to sleep with them.'
"Then... be careful. Go straight home, and call me when you're inside."
Peach ran toward the black van, calling out instructions over her shoulder.
Laura waved at her, then turned, pulled the trench coat tighter, and staggered into the building.
By the time she stepped out of the elevator, Laura's consciousness was fading fast, and her stomach was churning violently.
Head down, she leaned against the wall, drifting unsteadily forward.
Suddenly, her forehead bumped into a wall of flesh.
She looked up, and Aiden Shaw's cool, ascetic face abruptly filled her hazy, smoke-like gaze.
"Hey, handsome... *hic*, you're so hot... Will you be my boyfriend?"
Laura was backlit by the warm, orange hallway light, which created a halo around her slender, tall silhouette.
She had tucked a rain-dampened strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a pale earlobe. Her soft voice was laced with the scent of alcohol.
Aiden Shaw lowered his gaze. His eyes, deep as a starry night sky, showed no emotion. His voice, crisp and cool with a magnetic quality, asked, "Miss, do you live... across the hall?"