"I don't get drunk. Just ask my husband."

The first time Ellie told Jake that she couldn't get drunk, he found it hard to believe her.

"You mean that you don't get drunk very easily," he said.

"No, I mean that I don't get drunk. Like at all," Ellie corrected him. "I tried a couple of times in college, but it just never happened." For a week straight Jake tried to get that statement out of his head, but he just couldn't.

How can someone just not get drunk? After days of wracking his brain, Jake decided to try something.

"Ellie?" he said one night. It was after dinner and Jake was sprawled out on the sofa reading a book while Ellie was curled up next to him doing a crossword puzzle. She finished writing something down in her book before she lifted up her head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we do something fun tonight," Jake said. He watched as Ellie put down her pencil and lifted an eyebrow."

"What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well...Why don't we watch a movie."

"A movie?"

"Yeah. We could watch any movie that you want," Jake said.

"Why do I have a feeling that you don't only want to watch a movie?" Ellie asked.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you have that look on your face," she said.

"What look?"

"The same look that you had when we went to the zoo that one time and you wanted to-"

"Why don't we watch a movie and turn it into a drinking game?" Jake blurted. Ellie closed her book and leaned back against the sofa.

"This is about the 'not getting drunk thing', right?" She shook her head. "I had a feeling you wouldn't let it go."

"It-it's not that," Jake sputtered. "I just…"

"You know what? Let's do it," Ellie said. She had a small smile on her face and it was full of...amusement? Confidence? Pride? Jake couldn't quite tell, but he certainly knew he didn't want to let the opportunity slip away from him.

That's how he found himself with Ellie at a Redbox machine at the nearby grocery store twenty minutes later. Jake watched as she scanned her eyes across all the available titles, and he could could practically see her brain straining as she contemplated the pros and cons of each movie. Which one would give her the upper hand? Which one would lead her to victory? Jake stifled a complaint when Ellie finally decided on a romantic comedy. It was called Forever Love and the cover looked so cheesy, Jake could practically taste it in his mouth.

"Every time we hear the word love," Ellie said, "We take a shot."


"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ellie asked later that night. The movie was cued up to play on the TV and two shot glasses and a bottle of liquor sat on the coffee table. The amber liquid looked almost menacing to Jake. They agreed to take partial shots as neither Jake nor Ellie felt like spending the night in the emergency room. For a moment Jake felt a jolt of nervousness in his stomach. Ellie had a familiar look plastered on her face. Eyebrows raised. Lips turned up into a smirk. The face of heavy determination. Even if Jake wanted to, he knew he couldn't back down from this challenge without facing the embarrassing consequences.

"I'm ready," he said. "Let's see what you're made of."


It had been almost one hour and the word love had been said twelve times. Jake gripped the arm of the couch and watched his knuckles pale as he tried to ignore the ground swaying beneath his feet and the nausea building up in his stomach. Being drunk had been fun at first, but now Jake was almost tempted to swear off alcohol for the rest of his life. Taking a deep breath he turned his head and looked over at Ellie. She looked...completely normal. No flushed face or glassy eyes or sweaty skin. She was just sitting on the couch watching the movie as if she had been taking shots of pure water the past hour. Ellie looked over and then placed a hand on his knee.

"We can stop if you want," she said softly. She smiled, but her eyes were full of concern. Jake shook his head.

"There's still half an hour left," he slurred. In the background the main character professed his love to the barista. Again. Inwardly Jake groaned. Outwardly he reached for his glass, threw the liquid into his mouth, and winced when it burned his throat. Once he set the glass down, he tilted his head back against the couch and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning. Jake felt Ellie rest her head on his shoulder and he fumbled to put her arm around her.

"You seriously weren't kidding," Jake mumbled.

"Nope." The movie played in the background, but Jake was no longer paying attention. Instead her focused on the scent of Ellie's hair and how she gently played with his fingers. The word love was said once again, but when Jake moved to take another drink, Ellie tightened her grip on his hand.

"I think I've proved my point, Jake," she whispered. "No need to torture yourself."

"I love you," Jake blurted. He didn't know what made him say it. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe because he had heard the world 'love' twelve damn times in the past hour or maybe it was the way she was looking at him with such warmth and tenderness, but Jake opened his mouth and said the words, 'I love you.' He watched as her expression turned into a mixture of surprise and happiness and then, surprisingly, sadness.

"Jake...you're really drunk."

"So? Can't I be both? Can't I love you and also just happen to be drunk?" And as if that weren't bad enough, he kissed her. It was a slobbery, drunken, clumsy ordeal, yet, she didn't pull away. In fact, Ellie let him kiss her until her they both needed to come up for air. A soon as they pulled away, Jake opened his mouth to speak, but instead he ended up expelling his entire dinner into her lap.

Jakes whole body suddenly felt extremely warm and he knew it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Jake exclaimed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"I'll be right back," she responded. She stood up and left the room and came back a few minutes later wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Ellie grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned off the TV before she grabbed his arm and attempted to lift him up.

"Come on, Jake. Let's get you to bed."

"The movie's not over yet."

"Forget the movie." She pulled at his arm again and this time he obliged. He slumped against her and slowly they walked to the bedroom.

Jake tried again. "I'm sorry, Ellie."

"Shh...It's okay." She gently guided him to the bed and helped him lie down. Jake lay there as she carefully removed his button up shirt and his shoes and his socks. She took the glasses off his face and carefully set them on the night stand. Ellie sat on the edge of the bed and a moment later Jake could feel her fingers running through his hair in a soothing fashion. He felt to drunk to do anything, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed the calming sensation. The heaviness of sleep began to overwhelm Jake and he soon gave into the inviting feeling. Just as he was about to fall into unconsciousness, Ellie pressed her lips onto his cheek.

"For the record," she whispered into his ear. "I love you too, Jake."