The pounding beat of the music throbbed through Alex's veins as she danced atop the table at the Forge. The world had become a whirlwind of sensations, intense and electrifying. She felt every note of the music vibrating through her body, and the swirling lights overhead painted kaleidoscopic patterns on the faces of the ecstatic crowd below.

Kylie twirled and laughed beside her on the table with sparkling eyes. The two of them lost themselves in the euphoria of the moment. Around them, the Forge had transformed into a pulsating dance floor. Bodies moved and swayed in rhythm to the music.

Rae had taught them several drinking games, most of which Alex already couldn't remember the rules of anymore. She remembered all the shots she had to take though.

Lucas, ever the social butterfly, was talking to a group of Dauntless members near the bar. He glanced over at Alex and Kylie, raising his glass in a silent toast before diving back into his lively conversation.

For Alex, the world had become a blur of vivid colors and sensations. She felt alive in a way she hadn't in a long time. The worries of her failed mission and the tension with Eric seemed to fade away in this moment of freedom and camaraderie.

Alex noticed Rae in the crowd and gestured for her to come on the table as well. She pulled her up and then jumped back on the ground herself. "Not enough space for three up there", she yelled towards her as if she had just realised that and then walked towards the restrooms. She forced her way through the crowd, was jostled and pushed again and again. A guy with black hair and face tattoos stood in her way and wouldn't let her move on until they danced together, but she just rolled her eyes and continued to fight her way out of the crowd. She longed for a moment of clarity and calm. The bright flashing lights, the warm air smelling of sweat, and the mist in the air were getting to her. Everything was spinning. She stumbled towards the wall and leaned against the cool stone. She saw Kylie and Rae dancing on the table together and smiled. She felt happy and at home. Dauntless had been the right decision. She closed her eyes and took the moment in.

"I think it's time for you to go home."

Alex squinted at Eric through one eye and grinned.

"I saw you, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you looking at me while I was dancing."

"I'm surprised you didn't fall and break your neck."

"Sure", Alex pushed herself away from the wall and started walking towards the exit. She could have argued with him, but she had better things in mind.

Once they had left the Forge she turned around and started walking backwards.

"Still too proud to admit it, huh?" It only took her two steps though to lose her balance and begin to waver. Eric caught her by the arm before she could fall.

"Let's make sure you get home safely and then we can talk."

"Will you have anything else to say at home?"

"I don't have anything to say."

Alex grinned. "No worries, I can make you talk."

Eric just shook his head and led her back to his apartment. There, he made her sit down on the couch while he got some water from the kitchen.

"Here drink this."

Alex examined the white bubbling liquid in the glass.

„Be honest. Are you trying to kill me?"

"It's to prevent hangovers. Just drink it." He handed the glass to her and then downed the same liquid from his own glass. Hesitantly, she followed his example.

The scent of cheap booze and smoke still lingered in Alex' nose, so she got up to take a shower. She stood there waiting in just a towel for the water to turn warm. Minutes later it was still freezing. Alex sighed and shut the water off again before walking towards Eric's room. He wasn't in his bedroom so she knocked on the bathroom door but could only hear the shower.

"Eric?" No answer.

She opened the door and tried again.

"Eric? My shower isn't working."

The shower stopped and shortly after Eric pushed the curtain to the side just enough for her to see his upper body. Pictures of their night together flashed before her eyes again and she could feel the heat rushing to her face.

"So what?"

"Can I use yours?"

"Why do your problems always become mine as well?"

"Don't act like this is might fault!" Alex was getting cold from standing around with just a towel and was also not in the mood for a discussion with Eric.

"What are you doing?" Just from his voice, one wouldn't have been able to tell that Alex had just dropped the towel to the floor and joined him in the shower.

"What does it look like?"

"Like an invasion of privacy."

"Oh please, Erudite, it's not like I'm going to see anything I haven't seen so far." She walked past him and turned on the shower again, enjoying the hot stream of water running over her body.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

"Because you're drunk."

"So what? You're drunk as well."

"You're not in the state to make decisions like this. Go to bed."

"What are 'decisions like this'?"

"You know what they are. Now go to bed before you do something you might regret in the morning."

"What I'm hearing is nothing I do right now has consequences because I'm drunk and drunk doesn't count."

"That's not even close to what I said."

"It's what I heard."

She turned around again and looked him in the eyes. It was hard to tell with Eric, for someone drunk he still held his composure quite well. But she could see the difference in his gaze. Usually, there was something calculating about him, you could always see his sharp mind taking in details others would have missed, could see the machine behind his eyes running but today his eyes were narrower and they missed the calculating edge.

A confident smile spread on Alex' face as she turned around again and started putting shampoo in her hair. "Are you scared you will break tonight?"

She wasn't surprised when she felt Eric's breath on her neck a few seconds later.

"You don't want to start this tonight."

She looked over her shoulder. "You're right. I want to end it." She looked at him a little longer before turning back to the stream of water.

"Do you know how incredibly frustrating you are?"

Alex chuckled as his fingers slid down her spine over her huntress tattoo. He had seen every last tattoo of hers now, she realized.

"Admitting that you want me might help."

She turned around again. There were merely inches between them.

"Just three words. Three words to set you free." Alex smiled while her hands gently brushed over his chest.

As she looked up into his eyes, she could almost see her victory. But then his eyes seemed to refocus and the gap between them widened.

"Just take your shower and then go to bed. Your own bed."