Fire Escape Visits

Party Game for Two

Riley's POV

Maya made us a soup for dinner from grocery we had brought up with us.

"The soup was delicious," I said clearing my place and helping her clean up. "You're a great cook. I'm an awful cook. I haven't been allowed to since an egg almost caught on fire when I tried to make myself breakfast."

She chuckled a little. "Thanks, Shawn taught me. Apparently, he went to school for cooking for a little bit."

"Do you think you could teach me sometime?"

"Definitely, just not here, I don't want the cabin to burn down," she joked.

"Hey," I said playfully slapping her arm as my cheeks became a light shade of rosy pink.

"Sorry," Maya said. "But really, not here. The cabin will burn down if I let you cook in it."

"That's probably the right call," I agreed with her as we settled on the couch in the living room to continue the evening.

My eyes locked with Maya's as an extended period of silence ensued. It wasn't an awkward silence, more like comfortable-and-content silence.

"So, what else do you want to do?" I asked, my eyes not leaving hers.

"I have an idea," she said getting off of the couch and walking to the bags with her clothes in them. 

She went into a pocket and pulled out a brass key and then headed to a high cabinet with a lock in the kitchen.

"Maya?" I questioned, unsure of the situation. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me, Riles," was all she said.

Maya's POV

I inserted the key and unlocked the cabinet, revealing an array of liquors to choose from.

"Maya, I don't think drinking spirits from your dad's collection in his cabin is a good idea," Riley said.

"If you don't like this stuff, there's beer in the fridge," I said half joking. "Loosen up, Riles, have fun. It's a Friday night and no one else is around to get us in trouble."

Riley gave me a stern look. "One beer," she said stiffly. "One beer and that's all."

I grabbed a bottle of vodka and shot glass for myself and headed to the refrigerator to get Riley's beer.

"Nice and cold," I smirked handing the beer to her.

She twisted at the cap but it didn't budge. "I guess it's not a twist cap, too bad you don't have a bottle opener," she said.

"Got one right here," I said handing it to her.

"Haha," she nervously laughed taking it out of my hand. 

She got the cap off and just stared at it.

"I don't know if I can do it," she said.

"Why don't we play a game," I suggested. "Never have I ever. One of us says something that we haven't done and if the other has done it, she takes a shot, or in your case a sip of her beer."

"Maya, I don't kno—"

"Never have I ever gotten above a C+ in school," I said beginning our game.

Riley looked at her beer, then at me, then back at the beer. She brought the bottle to her lips and slowly tilted it, allowing little more than a small sip to travel past her lips, and swallowed harshly.

"That was a low blow, Hart," she said shaking her head. "Never have I ever pressured a friend into drinking alcohol," she glared at me.

Without breaking the gaze, I poured the vodka into the shot glass and quickly poured its contents into my mouth. The burning liquid made its way down my throat within seconds.