there was a elicited childlike excitement in her that came with the idea of a party. she was giddy, rocking back and forth on her feet, just at the thought of the amber colored drinks she’d toss down her throat, how she’d feel the linger of a hand on her lower back from someone, a stranger, that she’d pass in the crowd, how the invitation of a party came with the promise of a thrill. she was good with the highs, invited her vices to sit atop her shoulders like proud trophies, and it always felt like it would never end — the fun, that is. she never wanted the fun to end. she had separated from elias for the evening momentarily as they had first entered the party, only to really rouse her hair into something that looked less like they had just freshly fucked on the doherty sheets. adorned on the top of curled loose waves sat a pink cowboy hat like a crown, something she had stolen from a western themed party she had attended downtown about a month ago, bedazzled with the words “birthday girl” on it from the random model they had all been celebrating that night — she didn’t know her, not well, didn’t even follow her on instagram, but that didn’t matter — dakota had always been a plus one to those kind of events, and she tried not to think about that fact too much. she had made herself comfortable at the bar for some time, even leaning over it just enough for her cleavage to threaten to spill out of her mini dress just the right amount for the bartender’s green eyes to widen, his interest piqued. all the right moves and she had convinced him to let her bar tend for a few minutes as he stepped to take a smoke break, really only pouring fruity juice and hard alcohol into a shaker and making a concoction that would have her more fucked than she already was after flute after flute of champagne at the gala. she had sat herself on the tiled countertop of the bar, allowing her delicate fingers to pick at the maraschino cherries out of a glass container and drop it between her lips. “you tell a guy it’s your birthday and smile at him and he’ll let you take his job. you think if i flash my tits they’ll let me own the place, next?” her drunken mind, bubbling, inquired towards the face that stepped towards the bar, as she pulled off the sunglasses she had tried on that had been left vacant on the bar.