The Nineties (Completed)

May 1996

 "What do you want to do for your birthday?" Rafael asked as they laid bed. They had finished finals the day before and it was the first full day in a while he hadn't had work or school allowing them both an opportunity to sleep in.

"I'm not really up for celebrating this year." Jolie grumbled.

"Why not?" He asked pulling her closer.

"I just don't want to. Don't get me anything either." She huffed.

"If I recall last year you claimed the entire month and now you don't want to even acknowledge your birthday..." Rafael said, not letting her let this go.

"I just don't feel like I deserve to celebrate me this year."

"Why?"

"I feel guilty..." Jolie muttered.

"About that band guy?"

"Yes. I thought you had kissed someone else and felt justified, but now that I know it was a misunderstanding I feel shitty."

"And if I hadn't been an ass about the whole Jason thing... actually talked to you, we could have avoided this whole mess. It's not like if we had been together you wouldn't have made out with him."

"Of course not."

"That's all that matters then. Now I'd like to know what you want to do for your birthday." He said, pinning her beneath him.

"To redo the month of April." She huffed.

"If I can find a time machine I'll give you that, until then what do you realistically want to do for your birthday?" Rafael asked, kissing her neck.

"To eat cake." She giggled when his hair tickled her.

"Why are you being so hard on yourself? So you kissed another guy while you were broken up. It's not like you had sex with him." Sarah chided as Jolie moped around the house while Rafael was at work.

"But I thought about it." Jolie huffed.

"I've thought about having sex with lots of people I will never meet, it doesn't mean I actually would. It's called fantasy." Sarah said, trying to cheer her up.

"Have you thought about it while kissing them in their hotel room." Jolie muttered, still angry with herself.

"You went to his hotel room?" That little detail had been left out of Jolie's original version.

"It was stupid."

"Yes, it was. You don't know what he could have done. What if he hadn't taken no for an answer." Sarah scolded.

"Well he did. He was actually pretty decent about the whole thing."

"Lucky for you." Sarah huffed.

"If I promise never to go to the hotel of some guy I don't know again, will you let this go?" Jolie grumbled.

"I'm just saying that was really stupid."

"I know." Jolie exhaled, staring at nothing on the wall.

"Look, stupid or not, you need to stop beating yourself up over this. So you went to his room and considered going further. The point is you didn't. You don't want to be with anyone else and you weren't. Don't obsess over a choice you almost made while feeling rejected by the only person you've ever loved." Sarah stated.

"I feel bad though, I can't help it."

"You're allowed to feel bad, just don't obsess... or you'll never move past it." Sarah gave her a supportive little smile and patted her shoulder.