E

It was ten in the evening on New Year's Eve and Riley sat at a table for two in the rooftop cocktail bar of his hotel in Manhattan. The 360 degree glass wall allowed for a breathtaking view of the island alight in the night sky in all its shades of yellow and white.

Riley found himself lost in a stare as his mind wandered to the crazy month that had led to the meeting he'd attended that day and the success of his mission.

Now it was time to celebrate.

"Hey stranger, is this seat taken?" Alice's velvety voice woke him from his daydream and when he turned to look at her, his eyes brightened.

Alice was in a pair of high waist silver palazzo trousers made of small, thin sequins that gave the piece a wet effect. A pair of suspenders of the same colour and material embellished a black, sleeveless bustier with a deep v neck and her boots were purple leather with a five-inch metal heel. Her hair was styled in two thick, messy plaits that let exposed her neck, decorated by a thin black choker from which a silver letter dangled.

Not and A this time, but an E.

"You look amazing," Riley said when he found himself staring longer than necessary.

But Alice's eyes were also on him, shamelessly taking in every inch of his tall figure in a pair of stylish black suit trousers paired with a fitted dark grey t-shirt and Converse.

He had even combed his hair with a real brush.

"You're really striking," she stated, taking her seat at the table.

"I should tell my mother someone agrees with her," Riley joked causing Alice to chuckle.

"Modesty doesn't go with your outfit, Riley," Alice declared as she studied the drink menu. She scanned it briefly then stopped a waiter passing by, placing an order for both herself and Riley, without bothering asking for the man's preference. But Riley didn't care.

"What have you been up to these days?" he asked when the waiter left.

Alice leaned on the table, her lips pouting. "Oh, you know, this and that," she said checking her perfectly manicured black nails, then looked up at Riley. "I've missed you," she admitted.

Riley's heart skipped just one bit, but he played it cool.

"I think Alice is a much better liar then you are, E," he said, hinting at her necklace.

The woman leaned back against her chair without breaking eye contact. Her fingers searched for the little dangling letter and toyed with it for a moment.

"I finished your book," she said, and her eyes filled with the same fiendish heat they had in the picture she'd sent him.

"I'm glad you liked it," Riley replied, truthfully.

The waiter arrived and deposited their cocktails on the table, bowing his head slightly before leaving again.

"To us," Alice cheered, lifting her glass and Riley met it with his.

"To us," he repeated before digging into his drink.

The alcohol was strong, but the cocktail was tasty, with hues of cherries and dry vermouth.

"This is a lovely bar," Alice said casually, looking around the crowded place, and Riley wondered if it met her standards for people-watching.

"It is," he agreed. "The drinks are great and the view is amazing," he added, letting his eyes land on Alice on the second part.

Have I really just done that?

"Women must fall for you like flies," Alice remarked, then wrap her lips around the black straw and focused her attention into the glass as she sucked its content.

"Some are not so inclined, unfortunately," Riley replied.

Maybe the answer was a bit risqué, but he felt like he and Alice were stuck in a sort of third dimension where identities and time didn't exist, where everything was possible.

Alice lifted her eyes from her drink, opened her mouth and let her tongue rest on the top of the straw for a second before placing the glass on the table.

"Mmh, I love this song," she said, closing her eyes briefly and swinging her head to the sound of Wicked Games playing in the background. "You know what they say, careful what you wish for," Alice said then, focusing her attention back on Riley, but the man brushed her off with his hand.

"That saying is only for people who don't know how to handle life," he replied, smugly.

"I knew your modesty was a poor quality mask," Alice joked and motioned the waiter for two more cocktails.

"You're the one to talk," Riley teased.

Alice leaned forward again and looked at him with vivid curiosity. "Do you think I'm too big-headed?" she queried.

Riley shook his head. "No, I think you're righteously confident to the point of intimidation," he replied. "Which I think is endearing."

Two more drinks arrived and Alice lifted her glass again.

"To intimidation," she said with a smirk and Riley cheered as he chuckled.

They kept the conversation light and fleeting as the drinks kept rolling until the lights dimmed and the music became louder.

"Let's go dance," Alice suggested, suddenly standing from her seat. Her arm was outstretched for Riley to take and her eyes were sparkling with elated excitement and the man couldn't but follow her towards the dance floor.

"I'm a terrible dancer," he shouted in Alice's ear over the sound of the music.

"Me too," she replied.

And she wasn't lying. Her moves on the dance floor resembled those of a running Phoebe in Friends, but the alcohol in their system made it all the more fun. Alice moved, uncaring of the people around her and Riley found himself quickly drawn into her contagious excitement so he carelessly joined in her dance. They moved completely out of sync to many of the songs the DJ played, but they didn't care, they were too busy laughing. The dance floor was packed and the strobe lights illuminated them blue and green as the air became hot and saturated.

Then Alice's eyes met Riley's in that way that would always scotch his soul. His hands fell to her waist, feeling the warm skin over her trousers, and his eyes landed on the deep cut of her bustier, admiring the groove between her round breasts.

Alice took a step closer to him, her eyebrows knotted for a second, studying his expression briefly, then her hand was on his back, slowly tracing the hard lines of his muscles. Alice's fingers were leaving streaks of burning tingles that caused Riley to heave fast as he lost himself in her expression; her eyes downcast and her lips slightly parted, her skin changing with the colours of the lights.

He pulled her against his chest and the woman didn't protest; the feeling of her body on his was exhilarating. He was probably playing with fire but he didn't care, he was ready to burst into flames to have her skin so close to him. Riley's lips brushed against Alice's hair and he smelled her intoxicating scent.

Then she let go of him and took a step back, motioning for Riley to lean down towards her and he obeyed, her warm breath on his cheek as she talked.

"Have you ever seen the ball drop?" she asked, her sweaty chest panting.

Riley shook his head.

"Neither have I," she said, then carelessly twisted Riley's wrist to check the time.

"We have fifteen minutes, let's go," she ordered, grabbing Riley's hand and making her way through the crowded dance floor and into the lobby; Riley followed without complaints, amused by her excitement for the new sudden plan.

After retrieving their coats and Alice's purse, they exited into the cold New York night, ten minutes to midnight.

"Hurry," Alice urged as she powered walked on the busy pavement on forty-third street and Riley took a longer stride to meet her speed.

Alice crossed the street without bothering to check for incoming cars and a yellow taxi braked hard, beeping his horn in protest.

"Alice, you're going to get yourself run over," Riley called after her.

"They always stop," she said. A childish grin brightened her expression as she turned around to face Riley, stepping backwards in the second lane of oncoming traffic.

"Came on," she urged and resumed walking.

Riley let a car pass by and eventually caught up with her on the pavement where Alice grabbed his hand not to be separated in the crowd as they ran down the avenue, not so carefully avoiding the people around them. Riley followed her with anticipation. On Broadway, she turned left and their run was eventually slowed down by the sea of people cramming Times Square.

Alice's gaze lifted to the bright ball shining golden in its LED lights, and her face changed with the colours of the famous square. The big digital clock on the tall building read eleven- fifty-five.

"It's beautiful," said Alice, awe in her eyes at the display of lights.

Riley took a step closer and wrapped his arms protectively around her body to shield her from the icy wind, and Alice rested her hands on his forearms, leaning comfortably against his chest.

The music was playing loud from the live event and people from every corner were trying to squeeze in the barricades to get even closer. But Alice and Riley remained on the outer edge of the square, trying to find a place of their own in the vastity of the city celebrations.

The alcohol, the lights, the crowd, the crisp air and Alice's smile filled Riley with excitement that verged on a high.

"It's quite something, Alice," he agreed, leaning towards her ear, a silly grin on his face.

At that, the woman looked up at him and gave a resolute smile. "I don't want to be Alice, tonight," she said, her voice laced with urgency and for some reason, Riley's chest filled with anticipation and his heart beat just a little faster.

"Who do you want to be?" he asked, watching the lights dance on her face. But Alice didn't reply. She turned around completely and locked her eyes on him, the hint of a smile on her lips.

In the background, the ball was slowly falling, and the crowd was counting down ten seconds to midnight.

Alice's arms circled Riley's neck, his hands fell to her waist and their lips touched.

Then the people around them exploded in cheers and claps as the clock struck twelve, but they all appeared muted and in slow motion.

Riley's lisps merged with Alice's, tasting the sweet cherry from her drinks, moving gently and ever so slightly. And they stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime but was probably just a handful of seconds. Then Alice pulled back, her enigmatic glare still on him.

"Happy new year," she muttered.

"Happy new year," Riley replied.

Then they got lost in the crowd.

***

It was three in the morning when Riley arrived back at his hotel. He and Alice had spent the hours following the midnight hopping from bar to bar for a drink, drunkenly dancing in the streets and being carefree for a night.

He realised Alice didn't take herself seriously, and he loved that about the woman, her ability to let loose and just have fun in a reckless way.

Riley couldn't recall the last time he had had so much fun.

Not since Noah, for sure.

Then they had decided to part ways and Riley wasn't disappointed, he cherished their kiss and the fact that it wasn't supposed to be or mean anything more than a display of affection. He liked E, but he couldn't allow his fantasies of Alice to resurface and ruin everything.

As Riley arrived at his hotel room, he patted himself, scavenged his wallet before finally retrieving his plastic key. He staggered inside the room and switched on the lights, taking in his intoxicated reflection in the mirror. He was drunk and already dreading his flight back to London the day after.

He let his coat fall to the floor and his eyes widened in excitement as he saw the water bottle on his nightstand; nothing worse than an extra thirsty hangover.

He downed the whole content in one gulp, feeling the refreshing benefits of hydration before removing his clothes and taking a sobering shower. Both from the alcohol and from dark, compelling eyes.

Pulling on a pair of joggers for the night, he turned on the TV for background noise and started haphazardly throwing his clothes inside his suitcase. He really should have packed before leaving for the evening.

That's when his chest tightened, Riley automatically brought his hand to his heart as he assessed the painful fit that was followed by a second, stronger one. Then a burning sensation expanded to his arms and legs.

And everything went black.