Just a Few (Chloe PoV)

Two Mai Tais, one Whiskey Sour, three shots, and a White Russian later, and I was starting to feel the buzz. Okay, maybe a bit more than a buzz. In my defense, it wasn’t all at once, and there was plenty of dancing and conversation between them.

Oh god. This was so much fun! Being with Jake and Alexis, just having fun without any cares in the world. Having friends like Natalie, Victoria, and Ezra only added to the enjoyment. When Alexis finally convinced Jake to join us on the dance floor, the others fell away. He looked so cute as he awkwardly tried to follow our lead. I took his hand and pulled him close, moving my hips and body to the beat. Both Alexis and I teased him about his lack of rhythm, though I don’t know if that was due to lack of talent on his part, or the booze we were feeding him. Which was... a lot.

I had to admit I was curious. Ever since Alexis mentioned getting Jake drunk, I found myself wanting to see it happen. We weren’t out to get him sloppy drunk, though, uh, we might have gone a bit overboard. But in our defense, the man could drink! All three of us drank enough to be well past tipsy, yet he still wasn’t showing any signs of intoxication.

I watched as he blinked a few times, swaying slightly as he sat beside me.

Okay, maybe a little?

A weight shifted beside me, and I felt the heat and weight of a body against me. “Think we gave him too much?” Alexis said in my ear.

I felt myself smiling, trying to ignore the racing my heart was doing. Trying not to think about how great Alexis looked, or how mesmerizing her dancing was, or how nice it was to have her pressed against me, or how wonderful her eyes were, or how glossy her lips were, or—

“Chloe?” Her lips brushed against my ear with each word, causing me to shiver.

“Mmm?”

“Are you drunk?”

I blinked, staring at her as she pulled back to meet my eyes. It took me a few seconds to realize I was staring, but the mane of beautiful red hair framing her face took all my attention. “No,” I answered definitively. Might have been more convincing if I didn’t slur it.

Laughter brought my attention to the other side of the table where Natalie was sipping on her water. I felt bad for her. She’d been eyeing the drinks all night, but she refused to have one herself. Victoria was tipsy, but she hadn’t been drinking as much as Alexis and I had. And poor Jake...

I looked over at him again. There was a far off look in his eyes, focused on something no one else could see. “Jake? You okay?” I waved my hand in front of his face.

He blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. Then he seemed to realize I was there, turning his attention to me. “You’re pretty.” His voice was firm and matter of fact as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I might have blushed had his eyes been on me when he said it. They moved about, taking in something I could never see.

My smile spread. “Thank you.”

“Mhmm,” he hummed with a nod, which caused him to sway. “Hard to... see clearly. Too much distraction.”

I giggled. “Is that why you keep blinking?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Need to focus more. Otherwise...” His gaze found mine. “Are you horny?”

Alexis snorted. Across the table, Ezra and Victoria were laughing.

I sputtered, feeling my face heat up. “What? I, uh—” I looked to Alexis, suddenly nervous. No idea why I was so focused on her at the moment. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement, not moving away from her spot against me as she waited for my answer.

He continued as if he didn’t expect an answer, speech slurred slightly. “Can’t tell. Yours? No. Yes? Too many people. Too much noise.” He suddenly straightened, blinking again as he looked over at Natalie, or at least in her general direction. “I feel odd. Hard to think.”

She hid her smile behind her hand. “I wonder why.” Her expression turned serious for a moment. “You feel okay?”

Jake didn’t answer as his gaze drifted off, mouth slightly open as he followed some invisible... something.

“Might have gone a bit overboard,” Alexis said, still not moving from my side. Not that I was complaining. My gaze swept across the table to the small army of glasses sitting atop it. Maybe? I mean, Alexis and I had some of those.

No one was in the mood for dancing anymore. We were just talking, laughing, and enjoying the moment. I think this was even more fun than dancing! I giggled, feeling bubbly at the atmosphere. Having friends... a loving boyfriend... it was perfect.

Alexis and I spent a good amount of time teasing Jake. He was still his usual stoic self, but there was a disconnect. Like he had to fight through fog to keep up with the conversation—or rather he was focused on two separate conversations. For someone who was usually on point and focused with his words, he tended to ramble on and veer off into odd tangents. It was adorable. Though a less than happy side effect was his filter seemed non-existent. Nothing horrible, but he could be rather... blunt. Definitely had to be cautious about what you asked him, which wasn’t best when almost everyone around him ranged from tipsy to drunk.

After a few hours, things were starting to wind down. Natalie was forcing Jake and I to drink water. Alexis still had energy in her, no idea where it was coming from, but her efforts to drink more were cut off by Natalie, who closed the tab. Alexis was still arguing with her as I focused on Ezra and Victoria. They had gone dancing a few times but were now taking another breather.

“I think it’s about time,” Victoria said, peeling her gaze away from her handsome boyfriend to address Alexis.

“Huh?” Alexis said after a few seconds. “Leaving already?”

Victoria laughed. It was a nice sound. My gaze lingered on her, trailing down...

“It’s past midnight, dear.” Her gaze shifted to Jake and I. “And it seems like the young ones are starting to nod off.” I pouted at that. I wasn’t that much younger than them! Besides, I still had plenty of energy left. Though Jake, well, I don’t know. He was kinda staring off into space. Uh, did we break him? When was the last time he said anything?

“Still,” Alexis said, resting her head against my shoulder. “Party is just getting started!”

I laughed, holding up my drink. It was just water, but I needed a few attempts before I could get the straw to my mouth. It didn’t help that Alexis was insisting on distracting me by hugging me.

Victoria had a mischievous smile. “Indeed it is, but I’m afraid it’s time to move to more private celebrations.” Ezra snorted, causing her smile to widen. Was it just me, or was she giving Alexis and I a weird look? Maybe I was just imagining it. “Care to join us? As the birthday girl, Ezra and I will make sure you are the center of attention.” Beside them, Natalie wrinkled her nose, but said nothing.

Alexis glanced at me. There was something in her expression, some lingering emotion that I couldn’t place. Then it was gone, replaced with a bubbly smile. “No thanks. Be kinda lame to abandon the guests to my own party.”

Her friend quirked an eyebrow, giving a light shrug before looking to Ezra again. “Looks like our third bailed on us.” Her pout was... well, it was something. People like Victoria shouldn’t exist. Every little thing she did seemed to do something to me. Ugh. I **** myself to drink more water. Needed to sober up more. Hopefully Alexis wouldn’t be so distracting.

I meant Victoria. Victoria was distracting.

“Again? She’s been doing that a lot lately. Maybe she’s tired of us?”

“Must be it.”

“Fuck off,” Alexis said, giving them the finger. It didn’t sound like she meant it, a big smile on her face.

Victoria let out a sigh. “Guess we’re on our own tonight.”

“Unless...” He grinned. “Pretty sure you can find a replacement for us.”

“Why am I always the one to do it?”

“Because you always complain when I do it. Besides, you’re much better at it than I am.”

She gave him a warm smile, cuddling up to him. “I am, aren’t I?” Victoria looked up at him with an innocent expression. “Guy or girl?”

“Surprise me.”

The two went back and forth for a bit. It was fun listening to them talk as they had such a loving relationship. I glanced over at Jake. He was still staring off into the distance, swaying in place. Jake and I may not have had such a touchy-feely relationship, but it was still... nice. Sure, it could be unnerving how he always seemed to know what I was thinking, even if he couldn’t outright read my thoughts. Then again, that was also a huge plus because he always knew how I felt and knew just what to do or say. He wanted me to be happy, which made me want to make him happy too. At least, his version of it.

Victoria eventually pushed herself to her feet, telling Ezra she would be right back. She moved with a seductive sway, and for a moment I found myself staring. Then Alexis poked my side, making me squeak as I tried to squirm away from her.

“You’re staring.”

I met her gaze. “So?” I noticed something in the way she was looking at me. “Are you jealous?”

“What?” Her eyes widened. “Of course not.” Her words were immediate. When I went to tease her, she cut me off. “Come on, we should go.”

She was already getting to her feet. Even Natalie was surprised by the sudden shift in her mood.

“I thought you wanted to stay.”

Alexis looked down at her sister. “You want to be here when Vicky gets back?” She shot a grinning Ezra a look. “I know you do.”

“No, you’re right,” Natalie said, joining her sister in standing. “We should probably call it a night.” Her expression shifted as she looked at Jake. “He going to be okay? He hasn’t said anything for a while.”

I looked over at him to find him still staring into space. I waved my hand in front of his eyes. After a moment, he slowly turned to look at me. “You okay?” I asked.

A second passed, his gaze focused elsewhere. Guess he was trying to look at my noise? “I don’t know.”

Yep, it was time to go home. “Come on then,” I said, giving him a gentle tug. It took him a second, but he eventually followed. We said our goodbye’s and headed out. I helped Jake along. He was a bit wobbly. Or maybe that was me? Hard to tell at the moment as we made our way to the exit. I was a bit sad the night was ending, but at least I got to spend some time with friends and see a new side to Jake.

I gave him a kiss. My aim was off and it hit his cheek, but he got the idea.