In the end I choose a white T-shirt and jeans. It’s the most comfortable and I won’t have embarrassing sweat stains at any point during the night. Nothing says give me a hug like sweaty pits. Now, on to the shoes. I own more Converse and Vans than any person has a right to. Should I go for fun, or classic?
My gaze roams over the many shoe racks along the bottom half of my closet, hoping a pair grabs my attention. So far, nothing. My Doc Martens are right beside the door, but they are incredibly heavy when you wear them for a long period of time. I have no clue what this party will be like, or if there will be plenty of chairs to take a break from the weight on my feet. Maybe I’m being over dramatic about the whole thing, who cares? Aching feet are never a good thing, and the Docs are nixed without a second thought. One more sweep across the rows of shoes, and I settle on classic checker patterned Vans. It matches what I’m wearing, and my feet won’t hate me in the morning.
Thirty minutes later, I’m pulling into Sophia’s apartment complex. She gave me the option to just go to her parents’ house, but I’m not that brave. I need some sort of buffer, and it will put me at ease if she introduces me rather than showing up and making a complete ass of myself.
I park next to her car, and sigh in relief when I don’t see Jay’s car. Looks like I’ll get some time alone with her before I face the firing squad. Taking the steps two at a time, I’m at her door in less than a minute. Jay answers the door. I guess there’s no alone time after all.
“Why so glum?” Jay asks, opening the door wider to let me in.
“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter.
“It’s me isn’t it?” He grins. “There will be no hanky panky before my big party. It’s my day, and I will not have my big sis showing up late with her hair in disarray.”
“You’re disgusting,” Sophia pushes her brother out of the way. “What Adrian and I do with our time is none of your business.” She shoots me a wicked smile and winks. “Hell, we could go to my room right now, your presence in my apartment be damned.”
“Oh my God, I think I actually threw up in my mouth.” He rolls his eyes, “Yet I’m the disgusting one.”
Sophia shrugs then launches herself into my arms. “I missed you,” she whispers in my ear.
“It’s only been a day,” I chuckle, and pull her closer.
“That’s too long.” She places her lips on mine, and kisses me as if it’s going to be the last time. I deepen the kiss, tongue sliding between her lips and I can taste the cider she’s been drinking. My tongue massages hers. She grips me tighter and moans.
“You have a fucking audience,” Jay yells. “Can you not do that in front of me?”
Sophia pulls away from me, wiping around her lips to make sure her lipstick hasn’t smudged. It has, but I’m not going to tell her. She looks hot as hell right now, and I want to skip the party altogether. “Then go to Mom and Dad’s.”
“I don’t have my car,” he argues.
“You can take mine,” she bites back. “It’s not like you’ve never driven it before.”
“And how will you get there?” He asks like he’s won this battle.
She waves at me, “In case you haven’t noticed, my boyfriend is standing right here and perfectly capable of giving me a ride over there. We’re going to the same place.” Referring to me as her boyfriend makes me want to puff out my chest. I’m proud to be her boyfriend, and there’s nothing that can change that.
“No dice, Sis,” he pouts. “I don’t trust that you’ll show up. It’s not like I’ll be here forever or anything. Come Sunday I’ll be hundreds of miles away, and will not be gracing you with my presence.”
“You are such a baby. Fine, we’ll stop and all ride to your party together. Will that make you happy?” She attempts to look angry with a scowl, but the quirk of her lips says otherwise. She’s going to miss her brother when he’s away at college. I’ll make sure to keep her occupied, though.
Giving her hand a squeeze, I pull her to my side. “Are y’all ready? We can head over early.”
“Are you that excited to meet my parents?” Sophia looks up at me with a small smile.
“Not really,” I shake my head. “But I might as well get it over with. How bad could it be?”
The sudden joy on Jay’s face has me worried, and I want to take back everything I just said. This is going to be awkward; I can already tell.