"The fuck are you?" Vinny's blue eyes narrowed. "Am I supposed to know you or somethin'?"

"Nope." Kaitlyn straightened, rolling her stiff shoulders. "I just recognized you is all. Heard your name somewhere."

She was too tired to come up with a better excuse, but Vinny didn't seem to care. He gave a snort of his own and grabbed the beer from the railing, taking a swig. "Figures. So? The hell are you all mopey about, girlie?"

"I'm not moping."

"Uh-huh." He eyed her skeptically. "Sure. And those are grease stains."

She glanced down at her damp sleeves and shrugged helplessly. "It's true. At least, this is pretty tame moping for me. You already missed the crying, I'm just plain sad now."

"Yeah, that's why I said you're moping and not crying."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Vinny had a point, but she wouldn't admit that. "I'm not moping."

"Coulda fooled me." He rolled his eyes. "You not gonna drink, then?"

Kaitlyn hesitated. During her time living in this house, she'd gotten enough experience with alcohol to understand her tolerances pretty well. And she knew with absolute certainty that she was a total lightweight.

…But I also know one drink won't kill me. Especially a beer. And I could go for just a little bit of numbness right about now.

Swiping the bottle off the railing, she took a swig of the beer and grimaced. It was cheap. Cheap, bitter, and unpleasant. But it was drinkable.

Vinny scowled. "Really?"

"What?"

"I was drinking that!" Vinny swiped the bottle back from her grasp. "Get your own damn beer!"

Kaitlyn shrugged. "What? I thought you were offering!"

"The fuck would you think that?" He growled and crossed his arms. "I was just drinking this!"

"I dunno, I thought you'd share or something."

"Because…?"

"Uh, because you're nice?" She suppressed a smile as his glower deepened. "You seem like it, at least."

"Uh-huh." He rolled his eyes. "That's a new one. What're you, one of those crazy chicks who says they can sense auras and shit?"

"Hah, no. Just good at reading people, I guess."

Vinny gave her a flat look. "That makes one of us. Cuz I really didn't take you for a dumb fuckin' bitch."

Kaitlyn nearly spat up her drink. She doubled over, alternating between coughing and laughing as Vinny just stared.

"S-sorry…" She choked out once she got some air back. "I just… You just caught me off guard there."

Vinny took another swig of his own drink. "Geez. You're a real weirdo, you know that?"

Kaitlyn couldn't help but chuckle. "Speak for yourself. You're the one who called some girl you don't even know a 'dumb fuckin' bitch.' That's how you get slapped, Vinny!"

"Yeah, go ahead and try." He grunted. "You look like you've got the punching power of a wet noodle. Maybe an al dente one if we're bein' generous."

"Do you even know what 'al dente' means?"

"It means you're still a fuckin' wimp."

She couldn't help the bemused smile that came to her face. Vinny hadn't changed one bit. It felt oddly comforting. And rather than insulted, she couldn't help but find the guy's directness refreshing. It was a welcome distraction if nothing else.

"So? The fuck are you 'not moping' about?" Vinny put emphatic air quotes around the words.

Kaitlyn looked at him, tilting her head in curiosity. "Why do you care?"

"I'm starting to wonder that myself–"

"No, really." She cut him off. "Why did you bother to come out and talk to me? You don't even know me. You don't seem to particularly like me, either."

It wasn't just this time. She was curious about all the other ones, as well. This had happened before, both at the party and outside of it when Vinny had picked her up at that bridge. Each time, he seemed to approach her without a second thought.

Kaitlyn knew he was a secretly nice guy. She'd lived with Vinny long enough to know that underneath that big talk was a total softie, just like Scarra. But she still wanted to understand his reasons why.

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"Oh, so the drink thing's all peachy keen, but me starting a damn conversation at a party's fuckin' suspicious?" Vinny asked incredulously. "Seriously?"

"I mean, kind of!" Kaitlyn gestured helplessly. "Why me and not anyone else? Why talk to the downer? Why not enjoy the damn party?"

"You ever considered that I'm trying to?" Vinny ground his teeth. "Maybe it's kinda a vibe killer for some chick to be cryin' in a corner while I'm livin' it up. You ever think of that?"

"I wasn't even crying!" Kaitlyn objected. "Well, not anymore. Besides, I was outside!"

"What, d'you think I'm an idiot?" Vinny growled. "I can't just pretend you don't exist as soon as you're outta sight."

"But still, why do you care?" Kaitlyn pressed. "I'm not your problem. My problems have nothing to do with you."

Technically that wasn't true. Not completely, at least. But Vinny didn't need to know that.

"Well, too fuckin' bad." The guy crossed his arms as he looked down on her. "It's my problem now, like it or not. So spill."

Kaitlyn met his glare with one of her own, staring down the blonde. It was a tall ask, considering that he was taller, beefier, and significantly more intimidating than her. But she gave it her best shot anyway.

…He's not gonna let this go. She sighed internally. I know Vinny, and he can be damn stubborn when he wants to be. And besides… I kind of could use someone to talk to.

Reluctantly, she averted her eyes in defeat. "I just lost someone close to me. That's all."

"'Lost?' What, they die or somethin'?"

"No. He's not dead. Think more… amnesia." She hesitated on the word, uncertain how close she could dance to the truth.

"'He?'" Vinny's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I swear, girlie, if you're about to spout of some kinda sappy romance novel shit…"

Kaitlyn grinned. "Hey, you're the one who asked, remember?"

The blonde just groaned, running a hand down his face. "I didn't sign up for this shit."

"You literally did." Kaitlyn leaned back against the railing, looking up at the patio's wooden covering to organize her thoughts. "Anyway… I was really close to this guy. He helped me a lot, and I'm happy to say that I helped him back. We… were dating, if only for a little while. And then… he had an accident. His memories are just gone. So I'm just dealing with that."

Vinny waited for a moment before speaking. "That's it? I really thought you were gonna launch into some big 'ol movie script there."

"That's it." She shrugged. "I can elaborate more if you want, though–"

"Nope, I ain't complainin'." He cut her off brusquely. "Well, what are you gonna do about it? You gonna pull some of that 'soulmates are forever' bullshit?"

"No," Kaitlyn shook her head. "I can't ask that of him. Besides, it wouldn't be the same. I know that much."

"Well, then what are you gonna do about it?"

"I guess… I'll move on." She smiled sadly. "I'll accept that he's gone and just… move on. Even if it sucks."

"Kinda sounds like you're given' up pretty easy," Vinny snorted. "You're not even gonna try?"

"I'll talk to him. It's not like I'm just gonna leave him," Kaitlyn explained. "But I have tried. Trust me when I say it won't work. Not the way I wish it would."

She couldn't explain any further without risking the wrath of the game. She was already surprised it had let her say this much. But if all this was a-ok, then she wouldn't complain.

"So in the meantime, I'm just trying to handle all that." Kaitlyn grimaced as she sipped her beer again. "I need a little bit of time and distance. That's why I'm here."

"Well, at least you know what a damn party's for." Vinny pushed off of the railing and jerked his head toward the door. "C'mon. That beer ain't near strong enough for this shit."

Kaitlyn chuckled. "I'm ok. I'm a lightweight, and kind of a sloppy drunk besides."

"Yeah, well, so are half the people here and you don't see them givin' a shit." He shrugged. "My house, my rules. And I don't give a fuck if you puke."

Kaitlyn thought about the offer. It wasn't like she had any particular reason to say no. Plus, she didn't have a ride home anyway. It would make more sense to ask about staying the night if she was drunk.

And I'm nowhere near as much of a wreck as I was last time. In fact, I'm feeling a bit better after talking to Vinny. I'm not great, but… I'm not horrible either.

"...Fine." She straightened to follow Vinny. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I hope you've got a place for me to sleep."

"We've always got extra beds. In the meantime though…" Vinny gave her a vicious grin. "How're you at beer pong?"

***

Kaitlyn woke up the next morning with a pounding headache.

Ugh… She pressed the heels of her palms to her forehead. Ok, maybe that wasn't a good idea.

The previous night was a bit of a blur. Things had definitely gone downhill after beer pong, even faster than she'd anticipated. She didn't even remember going to bed.

Actually… am I in bed?

Reluctantly opening her eyes, she glanced around. Vinny's room sprawled around her, the horrifying mess of dirty clothes, trash, and other clutter having claimed it once more.

Sheesh… Kaitlyn winced. I forgot how bad it was before I got here. The guy really does need to clean his room.

Reaching down, she felt at the coarse sheet covering her. She was alone in the room, thankfully – though she hadn't expected anything different. Vinny was probably asleep downstairs on the couch, if she had to guess.

Guess I kinda stole his spot again. She shrugged. Hopefully he doesn't mind. But this probably means that I didn't make too bad a fool of myself. They didn't kick me out, after all.

Shrugging, she forced herself to stand and make for the door. As much as hangovers sucked, she knew that it was better to deal with it sooner rather than later. And that meant getting some food and water in her belly. Preferably before Vinny woke up and tried to make "breakfast."

Hopefully I'm up early enough to beat them to the kitchen. We could all use a real meal. She grinned. And besides, I've gotten a lot better at cooking since I was here last. Maybe I can treat them to something special…

Unlocking the door, Kaitlyn stepped into the hall.