This Love

Champagne & Chlorine

This one was requested by @dustybunhargrovee who asked about this moment that was mentioned in one of the earlier chapters of "She Will Be Loved" (I think). This one was fun to write!! It's set back in New York and Ang and Juice are still just good buddies 😉

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Juice shoulder-surfed his way into Angela's apartment building, climbing the stairs two at a time. By the time he was at the top, the winter chill was gone from his bones. He was out of breath and sweating, but it was normal since she was on the top floor. He should've waited for the damn elevator. He was just so excited to see her, he couldn't wait. She'd been in California for Christmas and was finally back in New York. He tapped on her door, smiling at the sound of the locks on the other side of the door sliding unlocked one by one. She opened the door, already grinning at him. "Hey you!" she greeted, taking a step back to let him in.

She was wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts. The inside of her apartment was hot as hell; she must've had the heater turned all the way up. "Hey Angel," he replied, taking off his gloves, hat, and winter jacket. "Fuck, it's hot in here."

"It's fuckin' cold outside," Angela said, nodding towards the window where snow was gathering on the fire escape.

He pulled her into a tight hug, smiling as she hugged him back, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. He loved the way she felt in his arms. The way her body seemed to fit perfectly against his. He wanted to press his face into her neck, breathe her in, slip his hands under her top to feel her silky skin. He resisted the urge, letting her go with a smile. "Welcome home!" he exclaimed, throwing himself onto the couch.

She smirked, and he had a feeling she was going to correct him. She didn't though. This was her second year in New York, and he knew it was starting to feel like home. "Thanks," she said, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. "What're you doin' this weekend?"

"Workin'," he said on a sigh. He rolled his head over to look at her. "Why? You and Raj got big plans?"

"Raj is in India with his family," she said on a sigh. "So it'll just be me. Here. Alone. What work do you have?"

"Doin' a waiter gig at some fancy-ass hotel downtown. Some office party. Said they needed a cute waiter to carry champagne around," he said, giving her a big grin. "You want in?"

Angela considered it for a moment. "Not sure if I meet the description, but sure, why not?"

He rolled his eyes at her. She wasn't wrong, though. She wasn't cute. She was beautiful. One of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen. How could she think she didn't fit the description? "Please. You're over qualified," he told her, feeling his heart skip a beat when her cheeks turned a little pink. "I'll get you the details. Think you need like a white blouse, black pants, a tie. All that fancy shit."

"I'm sure I can find some somewhere. Just tell me where I gotta be," she said pulling her knees to her chest. "Want a beer? Set up the N64, 'n' we can do some drunk driving or something."

He grinned; he loved that she called booze and Mario Kart 'drunk driving'. Loved that they could spend an entire day in her living room getting hammered and playing video games. Later, they'd order a big ass pizza and get high on the roof. He loved that shit. It was his favorite way to spend a day. "Sounds perfect."

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Angela was miserable as she stood in the middle of all the fancy people, a tray of champagne flutes perched on her palm. Juice had been wrong, the dress code for the guys was a white dress shirt, black pants, and a tie. She had to wear a black pencil skirt and black heeled pumps. She hated it. She'd been instructed that her hair had to be tied back in a low bun and only a low bun. It was uncomfortable as hell. To top it all off, when she got there, the manager of the catering company had leered at her, told her to unbutton an extra button on her blouse. She'd done it in front of him but had re-buttoned it the second he turned away.