Time: Back In The Day / Kinsey: Age 21 / Pre-YIM
Rating: Naughty
“Boys!” Kinsey shrieked happily as Zac, Taylor, and Isaac made their way cautiously into the apartment she shared with Tif. Due to the fact that she had been celebrating her 21st birthday all day long, it was of no surprise to any of them that she was already plenty drunk. They had flown in for a few days to celebrate the big day with her, something they hadn’t always been able to do in recent years.
“Thank god you’re here. She’s been talking about your arrival all day,” Tif smiled, giving each of them a hug.
“Happy birthday, Kinsey!” Zac exclaimed, grabbing her in a big hug.
“Zac! I missed you!” she grinned sincerely, holding onto him tightly until he let her go.
“I can’t believe you’re 21,” Isaac smiled, shaking his head at her, “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Ike,” she said, giving him a tight hug as well.
“Are you going out in that?” Taylor asked, giving her snug black dress and bright teal stiletto pumps a judging onceover.
“Fuck you, too,” she replied, giving him the finger instead of a hug. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the offending hand, pulling her toward him in an awkward hug before patting her hard on top of the head.
“Happy birthday,” he told her while she glared at him and attempted to fix her hair.
“Who wants a drink?” she asked, trying to brush off her encounter with Taylor.
“When’s Alex getting here?” Tif asked as they all followed Kinsey into the kitchen.
“Who’s Alex?” Zac asked as he lifted himself up to sit on the counter by the blender where Kinsey had started preparing drinks.
“Are you kidding me?” she asked him with irritation. When he shook his head, she sighed heavily, “Alex is my boyfriend. I have talked to you guys about him several times.”
“How long have you two been dating again?” Isaac asked, obviously pretending that he remembered having heard about him in the past.
“Five months. I swear to god, you three had better be nice to him tonight,” she grumbled as she turned on the blender, mixing a batch of strawberry margaritas into existence.
“Can’t you make regular margaritas?” Taylor asked, looking down into the fruity concoction with disdain after Kinsey had slapped a cup into his hand.
“It’s my birthday and I want strawberry margaritas. So you can either drink them or make yourself something else,” she spat before grinning suddenly as someone knocked on the front door. She ran out of the room to go greet the knocker.
“Is Alan cool?” Zac asked Tif.
“It’s Alex and yeah, he’s awesome. He treats Kinsey really well and-” she started but got cut off when Kinsey brought him into the room.
“Guys,” she smiled as she stepped up to do the formal and obligatory introductions, “This is Alex. Alex, this is Zac, Taylor, and Isaac.”
“Nice to finally meet you guys,” Alex said sincerely, shaking each of their hands. They all returned the nicety though none of them remembered hearing about him before, and after they had all finished their drinks they headed out for limo they had rented for the evening. Isaac had gone to a lot of work to plan a schedule for them that would include only bars that Zac, the only underage one, could get into without any trouble.
“So Adam, what’re you majoring in?” Isaac asked as they walked towards the limo.
“Um, it’s Alex,” Alex corrected politely, “And I’m majoring in Medical Imaging and Radiation Science. I’m looking to start a career in Nuclear Medicine when I graduate.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Isaac said.
“He’s very smart,” Kinsey interrupted, butting her way into the conversation with a smile.
“Well you’re very cute,” he told her softly, leaning down to kiss her quickly as they stopped in front of the limo and Kinsey finally realized that it was their destination.
“Are you kidding me?!” she asked, looking back at them.
“Happy birthday,” Zac grinned, rushing forward to open the door.
“You three are too much,” she said as she was ushered inside by Alex’s hand on her back. In the limo, she saw several bottles of champagne and presents stacked on the back seat. She made a little squeaking noise as she sat down next to the packages and looked them over.
“She loves presents,” Zac explained to Alex.
“I can tell,” Alex laughed as he sat down next to Kinsey, “I should have waited for tonight, huh?”
“It’s fine. I was glad to get yours earlier because I could wear it tonight. See?” she said, holding up the wrist adorned with a sapphire and diamond bracelet.
“It’s very pretty, Alex,” Tif told him as she scooted her way down towards Kinsey on one of the side seats. Kinsey nodded and smiled looked lovingly at the bracelet before Zac shoved a box in her lap.
“Now go ahead and open the rest of your presents before you spontaneously combust or something,” he teased. She opened the three presents the guys had brought her: the “House Party” expansion pack for The Sims and a new video card for her computer from Isaac, a gift certificate for a full spa treatment at a local salon from Zac, and, horrifically, a glass clown statue from Taylor.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she scolded, forcing the item back into the box, “You force me to watch ‘It’ when I was eight years old and now you give me this?” Taylor just sat back in his seat and laughed while Kinsey dropped it hard onto the floor, hoping that it would break there. She knew that he loved to give her bad presents, but giving her something that actually scared her?
“What did you get her, Tif?” Isaac asked.
“The dress she’s wearing,” Tif smiled.
“Oh, so you’re to blame for that?” Taylor asked.
“Hey!” Alex said defensively.
“I’m just messing with her. It’s what we do,” Taylor explained, trying nonchalantly to calm Alex down, but Alex just shook his head and grabbed Kinsey’s hand.
“I think she looks hot,” Zac laughed as he helped Isaac pour some glasses of champagne. Kinsey went to thank him for the compliment, but felt Alex’s hand close even tighter around hers and thought better of it. She didn’t know why Zac had to go and make that playful comment that had obviously upset Alex. All she wanted was for everyone to get along. It was her birthday, after all. Her last ever exciting birthday, if she wanted to get technical about it.
By the time they reached their first stop of the evening, they had all downed two glasses of the delightfully bubbly champagne. They went inside and Kinsey did her birthday shot while everyone else had a drink, except Zac.
“How sloppy are you planning on getting tonight, Kins?” Zac asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders after she had returned her now empty shot glass to the smooth bartop.
“That depends. Are you planning on cleaning up after me this evening?” she countered.
“No, that’s my job, right?” Taylor asked.
“I’d say it’s probably Alex’s job,” Tif laughed, “Just one of those boyfriend perks, right Alex?”
“Well, it’s her birthday. I suppose I could take care of her just this once,” Alex smiled, grabbing Kinsey’s wrist lightly and pulling her towards him so he could kiss her.
“Do you want another drink?” Zac asked Kinsey, who shook her head vigorously.
“Absolutely not. Not until we get to the next place,” she said.
“Yeah, we don’t want her getting too crazy too soon,” Isaac teased.
“You mean too slutty too soon?” Taylor asked.
“A little slutty never hurt anyone, am I right, Alex?” Zac asked, lightly elbowing Alex in the ribs. Alex just blushed lightly and put his arm around Kinsey’s waist. They chatted for a few minutes and then headed out for the next bar where they continued in the same fashion. By the time they reached the fifth and final stop, Kinsey was ready to let loose and do some dancing. After being forced into accepting her free drink from the bar, she set it untouched on a table and grabbed Alex’s hand, pulling him towards the dance floor eagerly.
“You know I don’t like to dance,” he said, smiling lightly at her enthusiasm despite himself.
“And you know I do. It’s my birthday, come on!” she pleaded. He rolled his eyes playfully at her before pulling her close.
“Just a few songs.” She kissed him and sighed contentedly as her body moved against his. They had been dancing for many songs when she couldn’t control herself any more.
“Are you having a good time?” she asked directly into his ear before placing a kiss just under it.
“Having a much better time since we came out here,” he laughed, letting his hands slide up and down her back, “I really like your dress. I’ll like it better on the floor of my bedroom later.”
“Alex, I can’t stay at your place tonight. The guys are all crashing at our apartment. We’ll have to stay there.”
“Seriously?” he asked, “But, it’s your birthday. I haven’t given you all of your present yet.” She held up the bracelet in front of his face and rotated her arm, letting the club lights hit the diamonds, sending sparkling reflections onto her face. “Not what I meant.”
“I know,” she sighed, stepping back and smoothing her hands down the front of his dark blue dress shirt, “But, they came here for my birthday.”
“But we’re all just going to go back and go to bed, right? Why can’t Tif entertain them and we can go back over in the morning?”
“I just can’t okay,” she told him, leaning forward to give him a kiss, “Please don’t be mad at me. It’s my birthday and I love you.”
“I love you, too. And I’m not mad, just disappointed,” he admitted. She nodded and kissed him again, leaning her forehead against his.
“Me too. But trust me. I’ll make it up to you,” she grinned wickedly as she pulled back.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that in the slightest!” But before they could continue their conversation, Kinsey felt herself being pulled away.
“Alex, may I borrow the birthday girl for one dance?” Zac asked as he pulled Kinsey to him. Alex nodded a little glumly and pressed a kiss to Kinsey’s cheek before retreating to the bar to talk to Tif.
“Well that was very rude of you,” Kinsey laughed as Zac pulled her close.
“I’m sorry, but there was no way you were ending the night without one dance,” he told her. They chatted and danced for one song, just as Zac had requested, and then Kinsey felt herself being pulled away from her dance partner again.
“We need to go to the bathroom,” Tif informed Zac before leading Kinsey out of sight.
“We do?” Kinsey laughed as Tif hooked her elbow through Kinsey’s and directed them towards the long line for the ladies room.
“Of course. Like I’m going to wait in this line by myself,” Tif said, “And you need to spend some time over at the bar. Taylor keeps hitting on sluts, and I love Isaac, but he’s drunk and he keeps staring at my boobs and I need some deflection.”
“My god, I was only out there for a few minutes,” Kinsey laughed.
“Try an hour,” Tif said.
“Whatever,” Kinsey shrugged. When they had finally gotten through the epic line for the bathroom, Kinsey set off in search of Alex while Tif went to find the guys. She smiled when she spotted him through the flashing lights, leaning up against the bar waiting for his drink to be served. His ass looked fantastic in his jeans and in her drunken state, she just couldn’t help herself as she reached forward and gave it a pinch. He jumped and turned, and Kinsey wanted to die on the spot. The owner of the jeans, dark shirt, and shaggy blond hair at the bar was not Alex, but Taylor.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Taylor asked. Kinsey just groaned and tried to walk away but found herself held in place by Taylor’s hand closing in over her wrist, the one that housed the bracelet Alex had given her.
“I just saw you from behind and I thought you were Alex,” Kinsey explained quickly before trying to escape again.
“If you wanted to grab my ass, all you had to do was tell me.”
“Why, because you’d let me?”
“No, because I’d make fun of you for the rest of our lives. I’ve always known you wanted me,” he said drunkenly.
“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s dark in here.”
“Whatever you want to tell yourself.”
“Oh fuck you, Taylor.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” And just as Kinsey was about to rip into him for that comment, she felt a body arrive at her side.
“Everything okay over there?” Alex asked and Kinsey felt herself flush.
“Yup,” she lied, “I just think I’m ready to go home.”
“We can do that,” Alex said, and Kinsey noticed that he seemed a little distant, but told herself that it was just her alcohol-laden system misinterpreting his tone. They all gathered back into the limo and headed back for Kinsey and Tif’s apartment. Once they got back, everyone went straight to bed, the guys fighting over the couch in the living room until Taylor’s whining earned him the spot, Tif retreating into her room after watching the spectacle, and Kinsey and Alex heading straight for her room.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Kinsey told Alex as she pulled off her dress and slid beneath the covers.
“Yeah, I noticed,” he stated.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kinsey asked defensively.
“I don’t want to talk about it when we’re drunk, okay?” he said, placing a kiss to her cheek. Kinsey wanted to demand how in the hell he expected her to sleep after making a comment like that, but he shut off the bedside light and turned his back to her, silencing any hopes of further discussion. Eventually, she did drift to sleep and woke up many hours later with a raging headache. She groaned and flung the covers off her body, waking Alex in the process.
“You feel okay?” he asked, sitting up as well.
“Headache,” she explained, closing her eyes tightly until she felt that she could stand up. She pulled on some jeans and a sweatshirt before going out into the living room where she found everyone still asleep except for Tif who was making breakfast noisily in the kitchen. Kinsey didn’t greet her and just poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot before dumping four Advil into her hand and washing them down with the scorching, black coffee. Only then did she greet her best friend.
“What are you making?” she asked.
“Pancakes!” Tif said, in her typical chipper, post-drinking mood. She had never had a hangover and Kinsey frequently wanted to slap her for it.
“Good, but can you shut the hell up while you do it? Some of us drank too much last night,” Kinsey grumbled before plopping down at the table with her coffee.
“Aren’t you supposed to drink too much on your 21st birthday?” Zac laughed as the guys finally came in the kitchen followed by an uncomfortable looking Alex, “I know I’m going to!”
“Is breakfast ready yet?” Taylor asked as he leaned up against the counter.
“You can just wait like everyone else, your highness,” Kinsey rolled her eyes.
“But I’m hungry,” he complained and was almost immediately hit in the face by an object thrown by Tif.
“Eat a granola bar, then,” she told him before turning back to the pancakes on the stove. Taylor bent and picked up the granola bar grudgingly, but ate it. Kinsey couldn’t help but think that as long as his mouth was busied with chewing, he wasn’t being obnoxious, and that was fine by her. They all sat and chatted, having a nice breakfast, and once the meal was complete and cleaned up, the guys left to go to their parents’ house for awhile with the understanding that Kinsey would be joining them for dinner later on that night. After she had seen them to the door and Tif had gone into the bathroom to take a shower, Kinsey turned to Alex, expecting some answers for his strange behavior right before they had gone to bed the night before.
“So, what’s going on?” Kinsey asked as she sat on her bed, patting the comforter next to her until he sat there.
“I don’t know how to say this…” he started.
“Well then, just say it,” she said, her heart pounding fiercely against her ribs. She knew that whatever he was going to say wasn’t going to be good, but she just wanted it out in the open because wondering what it could be was making her almost nauseous.
“Your relationship with one of the guys made me very uncomfortable last night,” he said. Kinsey sighed and immediately knew who he was talking about. Zac was always really affectionate with her and she knew that the comment he had made about her being hot was pretty out of line to be said in front of her boyfriend.
“We’ve just always been that way, Alex.”
“Yeah, I know. You’ve told me. And you made sure to tell me about it, to warn me about it,” he said and Kinsey felt her brow furrow. She had never told Alex about Zac’s touchy-feely tendencies. Why in the hell would anyone tell their boyfriend about a strictly platonic relationship like that?
“I don’t think I ever mentioned that Zac gets a little-” she started, but Alex cut her off.
“I’m not talking about Zac! I’m talking about Taylor!” he interjected. Kinsey couldn’t help herself as she laughed at him.
“Taylor? What did Taylor do that made you uncomfortable besides being an epic ass to me most of the night?”
“You’re an ass right back to him, Kinsey.”
“Of course I am. You think I’m not going to defend myself against that?”
“You instigate, too.”
“So what? Taylor and I fight. It’s nothing new. Did you notice how Isaac, Zac, and Tif didn’t even pay attention to us?” Alex just sighed and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.
“It’s not just the fighting,” he said softly.
“Then what is it? Because honestly, that’s really all there is.”
“I saw you grab his ass,” Alex said, “And I know you were drunk, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why you would do that when I was there.”
“Alex! I didn’t mean to grab his ass! He was up against the bar with his back to me, I was very drunk, and I thought he was you. I was trying to grab your ass!” Alex just laughed bitterly and stood up, prompting Kinsey to follow him defensively. “What?”
“How can you not see how incredibly wrong that is? Are you really that blind or do you just think I’m incredibly stupid?”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded.
“Okay, say you did mistake Taylor for me. Do you honestly not see how messed up it is that we look that much alike?”
“You were wearing similar outfits and both have longer blond hair. I hardly think that counts as looking alike, Alex,” she spat.
“Kinsey, I see the way you look at him.”
“With seething hatred?”
“You don’t hate him, and you don’t have to pretend for my benefit because I already know.”
“Know what?!”
“That you two have feelings for each other,” he said simply.
“Are you kidding me?” she blanched, “I don’t have feelings for him! It’s Taylor!”
“Yes, it is,” Alex said before turning and heading for the door. Kinsey lurched towards him and grabbed his arm in her hand, keeping him in the room since she certainly wasn’t done talking to him yet.
“What are you doing? Where are you going?” she asked, “You accused me of having feelings for Taylor. I told you I don’t. What’s the problem?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you’re lying?” he said incredulously, “Kinsey, I like you a lot. But I can’t be with you when I know that you have feelings for someone else.”
“I don’t have feelings for Taylor!” she said, practically pleading now as she felt tears reach her eyes, “Alex, I love you. Please believe me.”
“I want to, Kinsey, but I know the way I felt when I saw you two interact last night and… I can’t go through that again. I have never doubted our relationship or had any reason not to trust you until last night. And I can’t be in a relationship with someone who I can’t trust to be honest with me.”
“I’m being honest with you! Why aren’t you listening to me?” she asked, now fully crying. Alex sighed and gave her hand a squeeze.
“Bye Kinsey,” he said before leaving. Kinsey stood there in shock for a few moments before going over to her desk, grabbing the bag with the clown statue in it and throwing it into her garbage can.