Party Gifts 1/4 (Alexis PoV)

It was almost one in the morning when we finally left the club. Jake looked like he was in a trance. He was still lucid, but there was a dreamlike quality to his movements. It was totally worth getting him drunk, though it wasn’t quite like I pictured it would be. On reflection, it was dumb to think he would turn into something like a happy drunk. Even an angry or depressed one was out of the question since he didn’t feel those emotions in the first place. **** wasn’t going to magically spawn them, even if I secretly wished for it. Maybe deep down, a part of me thought he was just suppressing them? All he needed was a little loosening up and he’d relax his grip on them. After all, it was odd to imagine someone feeling nothing at all.

Though, watching a stone-faced Jake wobble and stumble around was hilarious. Couldn’t stop laughing as poor Chloe did her best to help him, though she wasn’t in a much better place. Which is why I helped as well. Between the two of us, we could manage to get him back into the car.

Natalie was shaking her head the entire time. “This was such a bad idea. No idea why I let you talk me into this.”

I grinned, looking over at her. “Don’t pretend you didn’t have—” My foot caught the pavement and I tipped forward. Only my grip on Jake kept me from faceplanting in the parking lot. My heart raced, clinging to him for support. That was close. The near miss snapped me out of the daze, sobering me slightly.

Natalie had an amused expression. “And you drank less than he did.” She gestured to Jake who was still in his zombie wobble mode.

“Shudup,” I grumbled, shooting a glare at the asphalt. “Came out of nowhere.”

I could feel the smug smile in her voice. “Mhmm. Sure it did.”

The near miss with the ground did wonders to temporarily clear my head as I managed to drag myself and the two others to the car. It was a quiet ride back to the apartment. Natalie made some small talk, but it was hard to focus. The night seemed to be catching up with me and I was lost in my thoughts. In the backseat, Chloe was talking in a quiet voice with Jake, though it was hard to tell if he was listening or not.

The car ride gave me some time to reflect on tonight. There were so many little moments that I just couldn’t get out of my head, such as dancing with Chloe. It was always mesmerizing to watch. I probably got too touchy-feely once we had a few drinks, but she never shied away from me. If anything, she encouraged it a few times by doing things like putting my hands on her hips and laughing while she swayed to the beat, or the times she pressed her body against mine. It didn’t help that she kept touching me too. A brush here, a touch there. I did my best to ignore it, but it was hard to do. A constant mantra reminding me we were friends, no matter how badly I wanted something more. The booze didn’t help, blurring the line we’d established. Even with the buzz I had going, it was embarrassing reflecting back on how much I was hanging on Chloe. I was used to clubbing with Victoria and all the bad habits that came from that.

My thoughts eventually drifted away from me as I watched the scenery pass by the window. Should I have taken up Victoria’s offer? It had been too long since the three of us did anything. Wait. When was the last time I got laid? Sitting up straight, I pulled at the teasing thread. Stupid booze was making it hard to think. It hadn’t been that long ago. Let’s see. There was that guy from class! That was last week, wasn’t it? Oh. Oh god. That was like, three weeks ago! What the fuck? Ugh. No wonder Vicky gave me that look when I turned her down!

Now I was really pulling at the thread. Why? It certainly wasn’t from lack of options. I had plenty of guys I could call up. Hell, I got endless texts asking if I was up for some fun. So why the hell hadn’t I had any action in almost a month? A fucking month! I hadn’t gone that long without since... since... Shit. I can’t even remember.

But I did know the answer. Chloe. I was spending a lot of time with her. Even when we had Victoria along, things were... normal. Fragments of the past few months flitted through my mind. So much of my free time was taken up by Chloe and by extension, Jake. Now that I was thinking on it, it was clear how bizarre my actions had been. Guys hitting on me after class were still a thing, but I only humored them a bit before ducking out to go meet up with Victoria; so we could kill time before going to meet up with Chloe. Shopping, eating out, just hanging out. Sometimes it was at Jake’s place, hanging out and playing games or watching shows. Other times we went out with Victoria. Hell, I even met Chloe’s mom a few times!

Only now was I starting to see just how much everything had changed. Even my relationship with Victoria wasn’t the same. Sure. we’d been friends for some time, but it always had a blurred line between friend and sex partner. We got along fine, but so much of our friendship revolved around sex that it was probably the main aspect of our relationship. Us hanging out usually led to sex of some kind, either with each other or with people we picked up. Things were different now. Going to movies, hanging out, shopping, eating, all normal shit that I found we never really did before.

Like actual friends.

I bit the center of my index finger as I stared out the window. Like a creature stirred from its slumber, I was reminded that I hadn’t changed that much. Great. Now I was horny. I should have taken up Victoria on her offer. What was I thinking?

The problem was I knew exactly what I was thinking at the time. Chloe. Any other girl, any other girl, and I would have gone for it. Everything leading up to that moment had, at least to my dumb self, suggested she was open to the possibility. I’d seduced people with less.

Yet my brain seemed to forget she was off limits. Chloe was my first real friend since... possibly ever. Sure, Victoria and I got along great, but the improvement in our relationship since Chloe got involved showed how lacking aspects of that friendship was. Now that I’d had a taste of real friendship, I wasn’t going to risk losing that. No matter how much my heart and body wanted otherwise.

Old habits die hard though, and it seemed like tonight I’d suffer through it.

“If you’re going to throw up, please tell me so I can pull over,” Natalie said with a quick glance over at me.

“Huh?” I dropped my hand.

“You look like you’re about to hurl.”

I sighed, letting my head fall back against the seat. “Just... thinking.”

She snorted. “You must have had more than I thought. Thinking isn’t usually your thing.”

“Ha-ha.” I gave her a pointed look. “If I do hurl, I’m totally aiming for you.”

She never took her eyes off the road. “Do that, and I’ll personally guarantee this will be the last birthday you ever celebrate.”

I closed my eyes, taking a breath. “Love you too.”

The night must have caught up with me, because I drifted off. Back at the apartment, I helped Chloe get Jake to his feet and the three of us stumbled into the elevator with an amused Natalie trailing after us.

“Got him?” I asked as we got to Jake’s door. Natalie slid past to unlock our door. The moment I let go of him, he nearly pulled Chloe down as he lost balance. She was too short to do much more than guide him.

She giggled as we managed to steady Jake. “Sorry. Can you help me get him inside?”

“Sure, get the door.” I looked over at my sister. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

“You sure you can manage?” she asked, still amused by our lack of coordination. “Two drunks leading a drunk.”

I gave her the finger. Laughing, she headed inside as I turned my attention back to Chloe. She fumbled with his keys, taking a few attempts to get it unlocked. Once that was out of the way, she returned to Jake’s side and together we got him inside. There was a lot of bumping, cursing, and straining since Jake didn’t seem to be able to walk straight, or maybe didn’t care enough to try.

With a relieved breath, I stepped away to stare down at Jake. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, head moving from Chloe to me, then back to her. He looked otherwise normal except the abnormal amount of blinking he was doing.

“Thanks.”

“No worries,” I said, facing her. “Thanks for coming. And for convincing him to tag along.” I jerked my thumb at the drunk on the bed. “I’d never be able to get him to go.”

My heart was racing from the effort of getting Jake here, and not from the smile she was giving me. This was all because I haven’t gotten laid in a while. Tomorrow. I’d take care of it tomorrow. Treat myself to a birthday bash. Wonder if Darius and his roommates would be down to—

“I was looking forward to seeing him drunk, but now... I feel kinda bad for him.” Her expression softened as she moved over to Jake, running a hand through his hair. He looked up at her.

“Don’t be sad.”

She gave him a soft smile, her voice light with amusement. “I’m not sad, silly.”

He blinked a few times, eyes searching something. His head turned to me. My heart hammered as I realized Jake hadn’t read Chloe’s emotions. He’d read mine. Chloe seemed to figure that out the same time I did.

I plastered on a smile. “Well, I’m going to go pass out now,” I said with a **** laugh. “Make sure you both drink plenty of water.”

A hand caught mine as I turned to leave. When I glanced back, Chloe seemed to be as surprised as I was.

“Ahhh,” she said as she realized she didn’t know why she stopped me either. There was an awkward moment as we stood there. She didn’t let go of my hand though and I made no effort to pull free.

It took everything I had to look away. “I should go.” I could barely hear my own voice.

“You don’t have to.”

The words froze time. My gaze lingered on the door, yet her hand on mine was like an anchor. I absolutely needed to leave. Now. Before I did something stupid and fucked up the only real friendship I had. I couldn’t trust myself to stay. Not with how I was at the moment. I was too drunk and too horny to be around her. Staying would only ruin everything we’d built, and I couldn’t handle that.

My hand slipped from hers, feeling cold without the warmth she gave. “I should.”

The door was right there. My eyes never left it as it taunted me. Just a few steps and I’d be out. A few dozen and I’d be home. A nice shower and bed were waiting for me. Tomorrow, I’d be sober and could treat myself for being a good girl and not fucking up the friendship I had with Chloe and Jake.

So why the fuck hadn’t I left yet?

Chloe moved around me, standing between me and the door. My throat tightened as I warred with conflicting desires. God I wanted her. More than anyone I’d ever wanted. But she was my friend! A good friend. An amazing friend. She brought light into my life I didn’t know I needed. Why did she have to look so cute tonight? And why did I have to be such a dumb slut who ruined everything she touched?

“Alexis?”

My heart stopped when her hands rested on my arms. She was so close. So fucking close. When had that happened? How hadn’t I noticed her moving closer? I couldn’t look away from those beautiful hazel eyes. She shouldn’t be looking at me like that. That type of look was reserved for someone... not me.

It took me a few attempts before I could say anything. “I should go,” I repeated, but my voice lacked any conviction. I tried to move, but there was nothing there. My legs weren’t listening. All I could do was stare at the only thing I wanted in the world.

Her hands slid down my arms and slipped into mine. “Do you want to leave?”

A single word bubbled up from deep inside me. A place where I buried all of which shouldn’t see the light of day. It fled from my lips before I could stop it. “No.”

She was nervous. I could feel it in the way she held my hands. “Then don’t.”