Emma cursed her parents for having her brother chaperon her everywhere she went and did with her friends. Her parents didn't mind too much if she went to join her friends near the lake to have some drinks, the condition being if her brother went with her. She loved her brother and got along extremely well with him, but must he always be to all of her social gathering?

She knew he didn't bother; her best friend Mary Margaret will be there, and he had a thing for her she could tell. He always ended up sitting next to her and talking to her for most of the night, and she could see that her friend enjoyed his company.

One of the reasons that she didn't mind for her brother coming along with her is that sometimes he would bring his best friend, Killian. They have met the first day of high school at orientation day. They became fast friends, and for the years that followed, they spent all of their time in her basement playing videogames, eating pizza and drinking soda.

She would always want to hang out with them, being a 8 years old little sister who used to follow her big brother everywhere. She spent a lot of time with them, watching them play their games. As she got older, she distance herself from them since she had made her own friends in high school and that his brother wanted more of his personal space. But she still look at Killian from afar, knowing that the crush she had as a little girl was still there.

So every now and then when David came to her parties with her, and he brought Killian, she couldn't help the little jump her heart made, and the butterflies that made their appearance in her stomach.

Tonight she was going near the lake with some friends, like they often did, and they would sit on big rocks and on a log of tree as they drank some beer. Shortly after they had arrived, Killian did with what seemed to be a bottle of hard liquor, which made her brother cheer and tap his friend on the back.

Killian greeted everyone, including her, and she felt her body hum with the familiar buzz that appeared every time she saw him. He came by next to her and greeted her and she was glad for having only the light of the moon on them so he couldn't see her crimson cheeks.

The night went on as it usual does, everybody mingling, making jokes, and playing 'have you ever', 'truth or dare'. Every now and then, Emma tried to go talk to him. She always had trouble speaking to him especially when she realised that she did in fact have a crush on him. The alcohol helped her a lot to get rid of her insecurities, and went to talk to him, but every time she did, one of her friends came to join them, interrupting the alone time she wanted to have with him.

After a couple of beers and numerous attempts to speak to him, she abandoned the thought of having any chance of being alone with him and went to sit near the lake with her drink. Sitting on the ground, she grabbed one of the little rocks and threw them on the water and repeated the same action over and over.

She heard some footsteps approaching and she was expecting to be his brother coming over, asking her if everything was alright, and she hated when he did that. Emma was surprised when she turned around and saw Killian sitting next to her with his bottle of liquor in his hands.

He tilted his bottle towards her, silently asking her if she wanted some. She took the bottle and eyed it before looking at him. She had never really taken hard liquor before, since she always stick to beer and wondered what it tasted like.

"What is it?"

"Rum." He simply answered and Emma took a huge gulp, instantly regretting it when she felt the liquid burning her insides and grimaced at the action of swallowing it. Killian laughed at her reaction and took the bottle from her hands as he took a sip himself, not looking at all affected with the burning sensation, on the contrary he seemed to love the taste that it left in it's trail.

"So is it a boy that has you all isolated and blue?" He asked her as he turned his head towards her, inspecting her reaction. Emma felt her eyes widen at his comment and she wanted to say to him that it was him, he was doing this to her, but she lacked the courage to do so.

"Maybe." Emma told him as she took another handful of rocks in her hand, and threw them one by one in the lake.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up for a guy love. If he doesn't notice you it's his loss." He said as he tilted the bottle towards her again, his gesture demanding if she wanted more. She took the bottle in her hands and took another sip, a small one this time, and realised that the taste was less overwhelming if she took smaller sips.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I've known you for a long time now, and I saw you grow up from this little girl to this young women. You have become this smart, strong-minded, and beautiful women and if this guy doesn't see how amazing you are, well he's a fool."

Emma stared at him, wondering if he knew that he was the one that she liked, and asked herself if behind his statement there was a chance for him to have some feelings for her. They both stared at each other, eyes searching each other's. Emma felt him lean in (maybe it was her imagination), and she followed his lead, but before anything could happen (or didn't), David came to them, reproaching his best friend of hogging the rum.

Killian smiled at her and got up and went back to the group with her brother. Emma stood there for a moment wondering if she hallucinated or if there was actually something between them.