99 Steps

Step 30: Make Love

"OHMYGOD! Jack you made it!" Kloee ran at Jack and wrapped him in a hug. It was a weird relationship, with a backwards type logic; Kloee only seemed to remember the green haired teen when she was drunk and partying. He wasn't going to be rude though, so he hugged her back.

"So how have things been going?" She asked, stepping back. Jack just shrugged his shoulders, quickly scanning all the people around him.

"Come on, let's go get a drink." Frank grabbed Jack's hand again, pulling him into the kitchen. Jack noticed it was surprisingly quiet and empty for being the room with all the drinks. "What do you want?" Frank looked up from mixing a pink drink in front of him.

"Uh, just Jack and Coke is fine." He grabbed a stool, sitting down. "On the rocks too please."

"Any particular reason for that?" The brunette smirked, crouching down to grab two more bottles from under the counter. Jack took a second to process what he meant, then he rolled his eyes without saying anything.

"It is pretty good though, I'll give you that much."

"I'd like it if you gave me my drink too." He was sure it didn't make any sense but Jack just wanted to get drunk and not have to think about anything.

Frank slid the cup across the counter, watching Jack closely as the cold glass met his lips. He watched his Adam's apple bob up and down each time he swallowed. Nobody was in the room to witness Frank as he licked his lips, looking at the base of the Irishman's neck. Creepily. Stalker-ish. All those words that give you chills when you're walking home alone after dark.

Jack slammed his cup down, nearly breaking it and pushed it back to the man who didn't even get half way though his.

"Another one please, I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick." Jack didn't wait for a reply as he walked to the bathroom. He actually did have to pee, but he wanted to check his phone to see if Mark had said anything. He nearly rolled his eyes at himself, Mark would be sleeping by now. Even if he was up, he wouldn't be trying to get ahold of the person he was spending the night away from.

Frank had finished making Jack's second drink, and slammed his own. His brown eyes locked onto the door way, waiting for any flash of green to signal that Jack was coming back.

Jack walked back into the kitchen with his head down, not notcing the man who was watchinghis every move. Frank's stomach started doing flips as the Irish grabbed the full glass and brought it to his lips. Something behind his flickered like that of a super villian in cartoon. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes as Jack set his glass back down without drinking any.

"How do you know Kloee?"

"Met at a party. Why?" Frank stood up straight, pushing himself off the edge of the counter.

"I thought the only parties she went to where the ones she threw herself."

"Now, that's how she is, yeah. Before she would go out to all kinds of parties, meet all kinds of assholes like me." Jack smiled at Frank's comment as he turned his glass in circles on the counter. "That's probably why she stopped."

"Don't put yourself down too much, you seem nice." Jack smiled again, letting out a laugh.

"Whatever you say."

Jack brought the glass back up to his lips, drinking all of the golden drink in one go. He slammed the glass back down onto the counter and coughed.

"That burns." Jack pointed to the empty glass, "Especially when you don't drink it everyday."

Frank smirked taking a sip of his own glass. "Did you used to do that?"

"Yeah, and if I'm being completely honest with you; I miss it."

"Why did you stop in the first place?" Jack looked Frank in the eyes, a sudden surge of anger crashing over him.

"I'd rather not talk about it." The drink started to kick in, and for a split second, Jack thought he saw the man in front of him smile. His head felt heavy and everything started to blur, his palms burned as he slapped them onto the counter, trying not to fall.

"Woah, hey. Do you need to go lay down?" Frank was at his side even though Jack didn't recall watching him walk around to be next to him; warm hands grabbed his arm. People were blurring together into big groups as the two walked by. Jack kept tripping over his feet, leaning more on Frank than he'd like to be.

Jack felt like his head was a glass and his brain was water inside sloshing around. His body felt like a ton of bricks as he was pushed onto a couch, no bed? The black denim that hugged his legs were being ripped away. Seconds of blacking out turned to minutes as he fought against his body's urge to sleep.

Jack lost any last senses for feeling, every few minutes all he could see when he opened his eyes was the side of someone's head and neck. As messy as his thoughts were, he managed to piece together what was happening. But not quite.

Sweat. Skin. Mark. Love?