you've been at the party for approximately four minutes when jackie materializes out of nowhere with two shots and an expression like she's just had the best idea of her life.
which is either very exciting or very dangerous.
usually both.
"Hello shots," she announces.
"Hello shots?" you repeat.
"It's a thing," she says. "You take a shot when you see someone you love."
"That's not a thing."
"It is now," she replies, holding one out. "I just invented it. It's ours."
you look at her.
at the shot.
at her face which is doing the thing where she's already decided and is just waiting for you to catch up.
"What are we drinking to?" you say.
she grins.
"You," she says simply. "Obviously."
you take the shots.
jackie makes a face that suggests it was not good. then immediately recovers like it didn't happen.
"Great," she says, eyes watering slightly. "Amazing. Fantastic."
"That was terrible," you reply.
"It was character building," she says, grabbing your hand. "Come on, Nat's doing something unhinged in the kitchen —"
an hour later the hello shot thing has gotten completely out of hand.
every time you find each other across the room —
shot.
every time one of you comes back from the bathroom —
shot.
every time jackie appears from literally nowhere which she does constantly —
"Hello!" she says, materializing at your elbow with two more.
"Jackie, we just saw each other ten minutes ago —"
"Hello shot," she repeats. more insistently.
"We're going to be so sick —"
"We're going to be fine," she says. "Take the shot."
you take the shot.
she takes hers.
makes the exact same face as before.
"Still terrible," you say.
"Still character building," she replies, already disappearing back into the crowd.
later you end up in the hallway.
the party going on around you, the music loud through the walls. jackie is leaning against the wall with the specific energy of someone who is happy and knows it and is just sitting inside it for a second.
"How many was that?" you ask.
"Four," she says.
"It was five."
"Four and a half," she replies. "That one in the kitchen was more of a sip."
"It absolutely was not."
she slides down the wall slightly.
starts laughing for no reason.
you start laughing too which makes her laugh harder which makes you —
"Stop," she gasps. "Stop, I can't —"
"You started it —"
"I didn't do anything," she's fully losing it now, head back against the wall. "You're just funny sometimes —"
"Sometimes??"
"Most times," she corrects. "Most times you're funny and I'm telling you that even though it's very bad for your ego."
you look at her.
pink cheeked and bright eyed and completely incandescent the way she gets when she's happy.
"Hello," you say.
she blinks.
then realizes.
"We don't have shots," she says.
"I know."
"The whole thing only works with shots."
"Does it?" you reply.
she looks at you for a second.
then leans forward and kisses you instead.
pulls back.
"Okay," she says, like she's made a decision. "That works too."
"Better than the shots," you reply.
"Significantly," she agrees. "And they were very good shots."
"They were terrible shots."
"They were ours," she says, like this settles it entirely.
you laugh.
she takes your hand.
pulls you back toward the party.
"Come on," she says. "I think Nat needs supervision."