.jasonjsyk:
With the memory of his and Carolineâs ridiculous bet still on his mind, Jason suppressed a laugh as he twisted his body awkwardly and ducked underneath the outstretched arm of the gorgeous girl stood before him. With her palms placed firmly on the wall that heâd had his back pressed up against only moments before, Jason offered her a quick, apologetic smile, before disappearing into a crowd of club-goers and onto the dancefloor.
So Caroline hadnât been entirely wrong in her belief that this would be a little harder than Jason had thought, but Jason had been correct in his assumption that it was his own natural allure that was the cause of the issue. After taking to the dancefloor with just about the most gorgeous girl heâd managed to spot this evening â bar Caroline, of course â the girl had soon wrapped her arms around his neck, her body grinding against his, until sheâd slowly backed him into a corner and started pressing her lips to his neck. Freezing on the spot, Jason had stared at her all wide eyed, and a little bit tipsy, and had decided that the only option was to tell her the truth; That he wasnât allowed to kiss anyone right now. Naturally, sheâd stared at him like he had two heads and insisted that his April Foolâs joke was terrible. Which was why he was now swerving his way around dancers to make a safe return to Caroline, where ever it was heâd left herâŠ
As he glanced around, hopping onto his tiptoes and craning his neck to try and catch sight of the girl, he frowned. Not only couldnât he find her, but there were a lot of faces around, a lot of pretty faces, at that. And the problem with this whole bet thing, of course, was that Caroline knew him all too well. She knew what an affectionate kind of guy he was, and how he thrived off of cuddles and kisses â be they platonic or otherwise â and that kisses from strangers were never off the table for him. So, while Jason had no doubt in his mind that Caroline was sure to give in to her â bleedinâ obvious â crush on Gabe, he also knew that heâd have to keep not only his hands, but also his eyes to himself, and not let them wander over to the pretty girl watching him from the bar, or the handsome fella gesturing for him to come and dance with him.
Breathing a sigh and letting out a low, disbelieving scoff at his own lack of willpower, Jason begun shaking his head. How could one person be so reliant on physical affection that the idea of not being able to garner a few seconds of stifled, rushed kisses from a total stranger was so unnerving to him.
Pushing through the throng of dancers once more, he headed towards the doorway, deciding that the best bet for him was a bit of fresh air before he started downing more shots and slowly lost all attempts at self-restraint.
With his eyes on the door ahead, Jason strode forward, intent on getting out into the fresh nightâs air without distraction, when he spotted a flurry of motion out of the corner of his eye. A blonde girl, who looked as though sheâd had far more to drink than he had, was currently dancing on top of a table with not one, not two, but three drinks in her hand, liquid sloshing all over her as she carelessly waved her hands in the air. Watching her with wide eyes, he noticed as the girl spotted something just behind him, her face lighting up as she â holy fuck, was she about to jump off of that table?
âIndy, no!â Jason heard a voice cry out from nearby, as he watched a pretty brunette girl â was thatâŠ? No, it couldnât be⊠could it? â lunged forward to stop her friend, only for the girl â Indy? â to dive off of the table, drinks in hand, a wide grin on her face as she toppled from the table.
Currently undergoing a battle between wanting to help her, for fear of her breaking her ankle, and wanting to avoid the wave of alcohol that was sure to splash over him any second now, in the very last moment Jason found himself diving out of the way of the girl. Only, in his attempts, he found himself crashing into someone else.
âShite!â he cried out, instinctively throwing an arm out to grip onto whatever â or, as it turned out, whoever â heâd managed to bump into.
In that same moment, a soft melody of happy birthday started playing, and he cringed as he remembered the large, tacky birthday badge pinned to his chest. It wasnât subtle, with its flashing lights and dancing Buzz Lightyear animation, and Caroline had looked all too impressed with herself when sheâd handed it to him that morning.
Wincing, he looked up, only to find himself face to face with just about the most gorgeous man heâd ever laid eyes on. Fuckinâ typical.
âShite, feck it. Ehm, sorry. I didnât mean to, ehm, the badgeâ itâs⊠Well, speaks for itself, Iâd say?â Jason rarely found himself stuck for words, and certainly not when faced with someone so attractive, usually one to flirt and utter the first thing that came to mind, but now he was utterly lost.
A moment too late, however, he realised his hand was still gripped onto the manâs bicep â holy fuck â and he pulled away with an apologetic smile, clearing his throat as he internally cursed Caroline and their terrible bet.
Nathaniel had always been more inclined to Adam Garcia but he was only human and had to admire the finesse and poise Piper Perabo displayed when she climbed on top of a bar and danced her butt off. What was even more admirable than that was how determined Indy was to recreate that very same Coyote Ugly scene. Nathaniel, a good friend, was all too eager to cheer her on while Mellie, a tragically boring friend, opted to elbow him in the side and call on Indiana to be careful.
Pleasantly intoxicated, Nathaniel didnât think that their blonde friend was in any sort of immediate danger, and Deanâs wide-eyed look of worry wasnât particularly alarming seeing as Dean fretted about everything. When Indy began to sway a little in her high heels though, Nathaniel gave Mellie a gentle shove, the sober brunette more capable of catching Indy than he was at that moment.
âYay, Indy!â he clapped and cheered, his encouragement echoed by Benji who was laughing atop one of the nearby barstools.
The girl was preening under their attention, toppling too close to barâs edge as the bartender frantically swatted his towel at her in an attempt to make her climb down.
âOh, my dude, I wouldnât waste time hoping sheâll listen,â Nathaniel informed the man jovially, only to hear Mellie shriek in terror when Indy eventually came collapsing down. A body collided with Nathaniel and the brunette went stumbling backwards, blinking confusedly. Quickly regaining his footing, he searched for Indianaâs familiar blonde hair only to realise that it hadnât been the Australian that had bumped into him after all.
âHuh?â he asked, finding himself staring back at a shorter boy that wasnât his roommate by any means. Because Nathaniel wasnât attracted to his roommate, something Indy had realised she shouldnât be offended by after realising that Nathanielâs affections were reserved strictly for boys, and boys only.
âYou alright there?â he grinned down at the boy, hands going to the strangerâs arms to keep him balanced and also so he could judge if he was built or skinny under his t-shirt which⊠now seemed to be glowing and singing?
It took Nathaniel a few seconds to realise what was happening, the familiar tune and the badge the other boy wore helping him put two and two together and a snort of laughter tore from his throat, especially when he cottoned onto how embarrassed his new acquaintance was.
âNo, itâs cuteâŠâ Nathaniel lied. Well, it was cute but not exactly to Nathanielâs tastes given that he had graduated elementary school years ago. He was sure that maybe Abby or Jeremy would appreciate it though, and thought he could mention it to Will the next time he saw his best friend. He clapped the boy on the shoulder.
âHappy 8th birthday,â he teased him, gesturing to the badge and snickering again. Remembering his manners and the typical protocol for finding out it was the birthday of a stranger in a bar that had literally just bumped into you, Nathaniel gestured over to the bartender and clicked his fingers. The other man looked up, annoyed to have been called upon in such a rude way, so Nathaniel plastered a winning smile onto his face to make up for it.
âTwo shots of your best please, maestro!â he called out. He nudged the boy by his side. âOn me. Although does Buzz say youâre old enough to drink?â
