“I don’t eat noodles,” Winter said.

Zach gave her a look that clearly said, “Yeah, right. Like I believe that.”

She was about to head back to her room when he suddenly asked, “How about a drink?”

Winter glanced back at the wine, noticing the condensation on the decanter. It was her favorite kind of wine, and it was perfectly chilled.

“Fine, pour me a glass!” she said, giving in to the temptation.

Zach eagerly grabbed a glass. “Here, try it out! I promise you’ll love it.”

Winter took the glass from him, raising an eyebrow. “That’s only because I’ve got good wine.”

“Sure, sure, your wine’s great, and my skills are top-notch. Together, we’re unbeatable!” Zach grinned.

“You just focus on complimenting yourself and leave me out of it,” Winter shot back before taking a sip. Zach was speechless. She really didn’t let him have an inch.

Just one sip, and Winter had to admit that Zach wasn’t lying. The wine was perfectly prepared.

“Well? Not bad, right?” Zach asked, crossing his arms, looking rather proud of himself.

“It’s decent,” Winter replied after a pause. She wasn’t about to inflate his ego too much.

“Just decent?” Zach was a little offended.

Winter took another sip, teasingly humming in satisfaction.

“Hey, are you gonna finish your noodles? They’re already getting soggy,” she pointed out.

“What!” Zach scrambled back to his bowl. “They’re soggy already?”

He sat down again, slurping the now-soft noodles with gusto. When he finished the last of the noodles and broth, Winter’s empty wine glass suddenly appeared in front of his face.

The glass was delicate, with smooth, curved edges. Her fingers were slender, and her nails were painted in a soft, glossy pink. The sight of her hand caught Zach completely off guard.

“Hey, did you hear me?” Winter asked.

“Huh?” Zach blinked, momentarily dazed. “What did you say?”

“I asked for a refill,” Winter repeated.

“Oh! Right! Sure!” Zach hurriedly reached for the glass. In his rush, he grabbed her hand instead of the glass.

The instant he touched her, it was like an electric shock. His entire body tensed up, and a wave of heat flushed through him.

Winter smacked his hand, and Zach recoiled, staring at the red mark now forming on the back of his hand. “Why did you hit me?”

“Because I asked for more wine, not for you to grope me, you perv!”

“What? How am I a perv? All I did was accidentally brush your hand! I didn’t mean to touch anything else…”

As he grumbled, his voice trailed off. Maybe he felt guilty or just realized he didn’t have a leg to stand on. Winter shot him a cold look. “Oh, you were thinking of touching somewhere else, huh? Why don’t you just fly straight to the moon while you’re at it? You’ve probably been this sleazy for ages, haven’t you? So used to it that it feels normal now, right?"

She continued, her tone laced with irritation, “I’m telling you, without a girl’s permission, even if you touch her foot or her hair, it’s inappropriate. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t slap you across the face. And now you’re acting like the victim?”

Zach gulped. “But-”

“No buts! When you’re wrong, you stand up straight and take the hit. Stop trying to make excuses,” Winter snapped.

Zach knew he couldn’t win this argument, so he quietly poured her more wine. “Alright, alright. I was wrong; it’s my bad. Here’s your wine, my lady,” he said.

Winter took it, finally satisfied. “That’s more like it.”

She sipped her wine and leaned back comfortably on the couch. Zach filled his own glass as well.

As the night deepened, the wine started to go to their heads. One glass after another, they slowly began to feel the buzz take over.