Tegan POV

Sara was holding back, and I could tell. She didn't make any comments on the way here, so I knew she was planning her attack. After insisting that I pay, Sara, Aura, and I walked to a faraway table to eat our meals. I like Mexican food as much as the next person that has blood in their veins, but Aura had made this place sound like heaven. Time to test that theory. Several bites into my burrito, I was finding myself agreeing with Aura's description.

"How have I not heard of this place before?" I managed between mouthfuls. "This is amazing."

"I have no clue. To me, it's one of those things in life where you don't realize that you hadn't really lived until you try it," Aura commented. Sara nodded and shoveled more food in her mouth. There wasn't much more conversation until we had annihilated our respective meals. Aura meticulously cleared the table.

"Thanks, Aura. What are you? Our waitress?" Sara jested, amused by Aura's cleanliness. Being a neat freak herself, I knew this was actually gaining Aura brownie points in Sara's eyes.

"Uh. Old habits die hard, I guess. I've waited my fair share of tables," Aura stammered as she rejoined my side. I was a bit confused as to why she seemed embarrassed by her admission, but I didn't want to prod just yet. Sara didn't seem to share my feelings.

"Ah. Is that what you do?" she asked Aura.

"No. I- um, I do some bookkeeping and accounting, type…of…stuff," Aura was getting less confident in her answers. If she didn't want to discuss her job right now, I wasn't going to make her. I chose what I thought would be an easy segue.

"So you just waitressed while in college?" I took it upon myself to steer the conversation away from her occupation.

"Not exactly. I don't have a degree," Aura replied, seeming meeker than before. My attempt was failing. Although she was a fan, I knew Aura was not 'star struck' by us, but she didn't seem to be very secure in the idea of us. It was almost as if she didn't think she would be accepted by Sara and me. Not that this was common, as Sara and I weren't very famous at all, but we had encountered it in the past a few times.

"Neither do we," Sara tried to give Aura more equal footing. Sara was on the same page as me, and I was thankful for that.

"Yeah," Aura weakly curled her lips. Now I really didn't want to prod for fear of making Aura even more uncomfortable.

"You know, we're not going to judge you based on your job title," Sara again was sharing my thoughts but not my feelings. "But only if you don't judge us on ours." I wanted to applaud Sara's observational tactics and condemn her tact. Sara was always more forward with new people. As much as she was quiet in our public persona, she was dauntless in our personal lives, especially when it came to someone I was dating. Aura looked like a deer in headlights. I watched intently, wanting to gauge her reaction to this side of Sara. I silently rooted for Aura.

"Sure. I'm sorry if I caused any discomfort. The awkward shall now cease and desist," she straightened her back and spoke affirmatively. Sara and I giggled at her wording. "What? What did I do?" Aura asked, appearing completely confused as to what Sara and I were amused by.

"Nothing! Nothing. You just- I like the way you word things," I worked between fits of laughter. Thankfully, Aura began laughing with us.

"Well, I'm quirky. That's how it goes. Take me or leave me," Aura stated.

"Oh, I'll take you," I flirted.

"Gag me! If we're done here, can we move on? Quit trying to out-cute each other," Sara complained. I was wondering when it would start. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to do something other than read in my room alone. That is, if you two are able to keep your hands off of each other long enough to get in a decent game of Scrabble or cards."

"Hey, I'm down. Both sound like fun!" Aura quickly volunteered.

"To the hotel!" I extended my arm to point.

"You seriously like this dork?" Sara asked Aura, mocking me.

"Eh. You don't judge my quirks; I don't judge yours," Aura answered with a shrug of her shoulders. I was glad that her nerves had calmed. She threw me for a loop every time she stopped being so shy. It seemed that she could keep up with Sara's wit, which was good. I've had many potential girlfriends scared off by Sara's 'interviewing' tactics.

"Fair enough," Sara conceded. Aura used Sara's own logic back at her. I was definitely impressed. On the way to the hotel, Sara seemed to calm her teasing down to a small number of comments. It appeared that she was getting more comfortable with Aura, which I found to be a good thing. If this pans out, Sara and Aura will be seeing much more of each other.

It was just before 6pm when we arrived at Sara's room. Aura and I shoved the desk to the foot of the bed. It was a standard hotel room desk, so there wasn't much effort required. The three of us sat around the desk and debated what game to play.

"So, Scrabble or cards?" Sara piped up first.

"Like I said, I'm down for either," Aura offered. "I do give fair warning, though. I count cards. I can't help it."

"Do you mean Rainman-style 'can't help it'?" I looked at her with wide eyes. At this point, I wasn't putting anything past this woman. She was throwing me off in a good way with every other sentence.

"I don't know. I've played a lot of cards. You just…pick up on it," she half shrugged.

"Cards it is!" Sara grinned. "I want to test your skills."

"Oh god. Now I'm going to lose just because you jinxed me," Aura complained. Sara and I just giggled at her. Murphy's Law did like to pop up when least expected.

"What's the game?" Sara posed to Aura.

"That I know or that I'm good at?" she replied.

"That you're good at," Sara answered immediately. She really did want to 'test her skills', apparently.

"Um. Rummy, I guess. Vegas rules. No wilds. Ace is high or low, but not both, so no wrap-arounds. Seven cards each to start and flip the top one of the deck. I can keep score, too, to make it easier," Aura stated the rules while Sara dealt the cards. The entire time Aura was rattling off everything as though she were a Casino dealer herself, I just watched her lips. I didn't want to show my awe again until it was more warranted.

The first hand was a brush up for Sara and me, being that we hadn't played Rummy in years. Aura seemed to be holding back, but she played a decent hand. Sara came out ahead, and I was in last place.

"I thought you said you were good at this game," I goaded Aura, hoping to make her show her true ability.

"First off, I don't think last place has any place to talk," she quipped. My surprise wrote itself on my face, while Sara snickered at my expense. "Secondly, I was trying to be nice. If you'd like, I can actually play to win. I just didn't know what your skill levels were."

"Sure, that's what they all say. 'Playing nice'. But look who's in first place," Sara retorted.

"Alright. If you want me to play, I'll play," Aura stated simply. I was beginning to learn something about her. If Aura stated something that matter-of-factly, a bit of concern was a good idea, because you're most likely about to have your ass handed to you. She shuffled and dealt the cards. The round was continuing similarly to the first hand, but Aura hadn't laid anything down. She wasn't going to get any points this hand, because Sara and I were both close to being out of cards. I had just gotten to the point of coming up with a few more stabs at her 'skills', when Aura took her turn. She pulled a bunch of cards from the face-up pile and laid out all the cards in her hand except one, which she flipped over on the deck to indicate the hand had ended.

"Wait. What did you just do?" I scanned her cards and the deck. I hadn't followed anything she did, because she had moved too fast.

"Well, what I just did was win the hand. You see, I made 125 points with all those royals and aces. Sara lost at least 35 with the two kings and the other ace in her hand. And you lost at least 25 points with the two tens and the eight of hearts in your hand," Aura explained. Sara and I were dumbfounded. We shared our cards with each other to confirm her statements.

"H-how did you…" Sara stumbled over her words, trying to catch up in her own head.

"I told you. I count cards," Aura said in her same matter-of-fact voice. She was tallying the score as I gathered the cards and shuffled. The ass had been handed.

"So. When can I take you to Vegas, Rainman?" I jested once I remembered how to form words.

"Ha! They don't take too kindly to my kind in those parts," Aura chuckled. Sara and I laughed with her, partly due to her joke, and partly out of nervousness for any ability to come close to winning. We switched to strategizing a Vegas weekend as Aura kicked our asses.

Sara yawned, "Well, you two may have not have moved until after noon, but I, for one, was up early. I'm kicking you out."

"Fine. Be a spoil sport. We'll just find something else to do!" I whined.

"Yeah. Each other," Sara didn't even miss a beat. Aura looked embarrassed again. In her amusement, Sara tried to comfort her.

"Don't be so shy. Let me have my fun. It's not everyone that I get to tease for hooking up with Tegan," Sara said.

"I should hope not, or Tegan and I need to talk!" Aura exclaimed.

"Hey!" I said right back. I put on my best 'hurt' face and folded my arms across my chest, and Aura played with my hair. We managed to get as far as entering my room before the bar downstairs sounded like a wonderful idea.

"I'm not much of a drinker," Aura heeded.

"Well, that just means we won't be blowing a ton of cash here, then," I grinned. I hooked our arms at the elbow and found a table. Once the waitress showed up, I asked for a beer. Aura requested a coffee with Frangelico and Disaronno. "Fancy drink, eh?" I commented.

"I told you I don't really drink. When I do, I'd rather not waste my money on something that tastes like ass. I hate beer. Plus, mine has a lot more alcohol in it than yours," Aura made a face at me.

"Ah, well. More for me then!" I chugged a mouthful of my beer and made a smacking noise with my lips. We fell into an easy conversation over a few rounds and lost track of time. I didn't even realize that 10 minutes had passed, honestly. I was sincerely and simply enjoying Aura's company more than I had anyone's in a long time.

"I should probably get going home sometime," Aura interjected at a lull in the chat. I didn't hide how crestfallen I was. I knew I wouldn't have been able even if I tried. She stepped down from her chair and tripped over the floor quite obviously.

"I don't think you should be going anywhere right now. How much did you have?" I asked as I attempted to help her gather her bearings.

"I had three. Two shoz eash. In," Aura checked her watch, "an hour an' half. Six shoz total. I raaarely drink. I'm sufficiently sloshed," she slurred. Somehow the more complex words came out right, though. She never ceased to amaze me.

"Right. You're not driving. I have some pajamas you can wear, if you're worried about that," I offered. I tried to guide her back to the elevator, but she wouldn't have it.

"Wait! We have t' pay! The waitress neez a big tip. She waaas a good waitress. An' hot! She waaas a hot, good waitress," she rambled, still slurring. I couldn't help but find her completely hilarious and endearing at the same time.

"I charged it to the room. Don't worry," I nodded, urging her to the elevator again.

"Well I sill need t' tip her! Hole on!" Aura stopped me and wriggled out of my grasp. She managed to maneuver a $20 out of her wallet and walked over to the waitress bussing our table. I wasn't able to do much more than watch in awe as she flirtingly tucked the bill into the unsuspecting waitress' apron and wink at her. I was pretty sure my eyebrows were in my hairline when she returned to me. "What?" she rhetorically questioned, finally on her way to the elevator. I rushed to her as she stumbled again. I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her arm over my shoulder to assist her balance. "Win."

"Win what?" I was confused at this point. I didn't even know if she meant 'win' or a different similar word, with the way she had been slurring. She turned to me with something akin to sheer terror in her eyes.

"Well this is awkward," she grinned. "I tripped on purpose to have you hold me. It worked. Therefore: win." I just laughed and shook my head at her.

"You don't have to do that to get me to hold you," I flirted. I turned into her and fully grasped her in my arms. I kissed her softly to emphasize the emotion behind the attraction. We made it to my room with little more issue, and I grabbed out a shirt and pants for her to change into for bed. She promptly turned them down.

"Yeah. Before all 'at. Are we gon' have drunk sssex?" she slurred out as though she were questioning if I like green beans. I didn't know how to respond.

"I- I don't know. I wasn't planning for or against it. I- just- hmm," I paused to think. "You're a bit more forward when you've been drinking, aren't you?"

"It happ'ns. Drunk words are sober thoughts. I jus' don' know you tha' well yet. If we get clossser, the filter will die," she returned to her matter-of-fact tone and nodded. The buzz I was nursing in the bar was slowly increasing from nearly chugging my last beer. If she wanted drunk sex, I wasn't in a position to argue.

"If? Don't you mean 'when'?" I returned my arms around her and smirked.

"Nope. Pred- predic- guessing the fushure isss too hard. But I'll be rooting for the 'when'," she became more adorable as she spoke.

"Well then leave the guessing to me. We will get closer," I confidently stated.

"Oh yeah?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And we're going to start now," I said as I held her closer and kissed. I could feel her lips curl into a smile against mine.

"Is zat so?" she mumbled into my mouth. I simply nudged her back toward the bed.