Big Black Car

"Let's play a game," Adam said while searching the kitchen cabinets. "A ha!" He turned around grinning with a bottle of tequila clutched in his hand.

At 24, Annik was no stranger to alcohol. However, she had never really gotten drunk. Her friends had never really been into that kind of thing, and she had always known when to stop. She moved forward to tell him she wasn't interested when her hip snagged the counter, hitting right at her worst bruise. Annik clenched her teeth and thought of her attackers. Maybe tonight she could make an exception.

"What game is it? And should I be nervous?"

Adam laughed, "It's called shots and secrets. It has the dual purpose of easing physical and emotional pain while helping us to get to know each other."

Secrets. Annik didn't like the idea of that.

Seeing her expression, Adam out his hands on her shoulders gently. "Relax. It will be fun. We'll go back and forth and for each secret one of us tells, the other does a shot.”

"When do we stop?"

"When we are passed out on the floor."

"Game on, Levine."
________________________________________

Annik was starting to feel the effects of her first three shots. She couldn't feel any pain and her tongue was loosening up. Adam looked unaffected. They had started off easy, more with get to know you info than secrets. She had found out his age (32) his favorite song to perform (Secret), and his love for yoga. She had told him her age (24), her favorite Maroon 5 song (Sweetest Goodbye) and how she had one more year to get her master's degree in English education.

Adam gazed at her from across the table and indicated it was time to up the ante. "No more basic information. I want something real."

Annik was curious at his greediness to get secrets out of her. He had everything he could ever want. Why did he want to know about her?

Annik thought for a minute. "When I was thirteen years old, I read The Great Gatsby and was so mad at how it ended that I took a sharpie into a Barnes and Noble and scribbled on the pages of every copy the store had."

Adam snorted. "You, an English major, are a book ruiner!"

Annik nodded her head in mock sadness. "I know. There were like fifteen copies, too. I am a disappointment to my kind."

Adam lifted his glass to her and threw back a shot.

"My turn," he paused. "When I was thirteen, my parents divorced. And it crushed me. I remember standing in my room and wanting to destroy everything. It was then that I swore I would never get married."

Annik looked at him. "That's really sad."
"Which part?"

"All of it. But just because your parents screwed up doesn't mean that you will."

He just nodded and looked down. Annik downed a shot. She could feel that the atmosphere of the room had changed in some subtle way.

The alcohol was swirling around in her brain. She blurted, "Before I was attacked, I was a virgin."

Adam stared in evident surprise and disbelief. A blush rose to her cheeks from the combination of alcohol and embarrassment at the pitying look in his eyes.

It was silent for a few seconds. "Why?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"I was waiting for marriage. I don't know...I wanted my husband to know that I valued him above everyone else."

Adam took a shot. "I haven't been a virgin since I was 15."

Adam was deep in thought as the seconds stretched into minutes.

"If that is your reason, then I think you still are. A virgin I mean. Some evil man can't take away that part of your being."

Annik smiled at him, looking into his dark brown eyes. "Thanks, Adam. I needed that."

Adam smiled back at her. This alcohol must finally be taking effect, he thought, as he felt warmth spread through him. It couldn't be the way she was looking at him.

Annik’s eyes were soft, dilated from the alcohol. He was losing himself in them, the warmth and the tequila and the smile on her face made him feel like he was melting. He wobbled slightly, losing his balance and grabbing the wall for support. Annik’s eyes grew concerned, and she placed her hand on his forearm.

Annik felt like her arms weighed a million pounds as she unsteadily gripped his forearm. She had intended to steady him, only to realize she wasn’t so steady herself. She looked into his face and saw that he was laughing slightly, at himself or at her she didn’t know. Adam had done so much for her; she couldn’t feel any pain anymore.

Before she knew what she was doing, her hands had slipped to his upper chest, sliding up his neck, tracing his jawbone. Annik knew somewhere in the back of her mind that this was wrong, but she just wanted to forget.

She nudged his face downward and leaned up slightly, pressing her lips to his softly. She could feel his stubble on her lips but did not pull away. Instead she wound her arms around his neck, capturing his lips again in warm kiss.

Before Adam knew it, his hands had wrapped around her waist, tugging her closer to him, wanting to tangle themselves in her pale hair. Then reality hit.

For the first time, he pulled away from a girl who was kissing him. The guilt sneaked up his spine, bringing with it something like shame. She didn’t need to deal with her problems like this. He didn’t need to deal with his problems like this.

They were both breathing heavily as he looked into her eyes. She looked surprised at herself, and also a little hurt. She looked down and started to turn and mumble something. She was about to run.

“Annik, wait. I… I shouldn’t have gotten you drunk like this. You wouldn’t have kissed me otherwise. We can’t do this right now, it isn’t right.”

Annik gripped her head, her words slurring. “Y-you’re right. I just, I just…” The words weren’t coming out of her mouth right; she was so unbearably tired.

“I’m so tired, Adam.”

“I know, An. Let’s get you to bed.”

He carried her to the guest room and laid her gently on the bed. Annik’s eyes blinked open, and she pulled at his arm desperately, needing him in her drunken state.

“Please. Stay.”

Adam was beginning to think he would never be able to refuse her. He climbed in on the other side, but she quickly curled up into him.

And so, for the second night in a row, Annik Jenkins fell asleep in Adam Levine’s arms.