A/N: This is a belated Valentine's present for Anna. Enjoy, my friend!
Happy reading!
angellwings
Beer Goggles
By angellwings
Caitlyn left her bedroom and slowly trudged toward the kitchen. She plopped down at the table and immediately rested her head on it. She groaned in pain but didn't move. She felt like she'd been run over by a train or a bus or something. She was achy and sore, her head was pounding, and any sort of light was blinding. Just how much did she have to drink the night before?
"Well, good morning, sunshine," Caitlyn jumped at the sound of the masculine voice and prayed to God whoever it was wasn't her guest. She looked up and immediately glared at the dry grin on the person's face.
"Nate," Caitlyn sneered. "What are you doing here?"
"Brought Ella home and ended up staying," Nate said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "What kept you out till five o'clock this morning?"
"Your brother," Caitlyn grumbled.
Nate's eyes widened and he nearly choked on his coffee. "I'm sorry – What? First of all, please tell me you mean Jason and – secondly - what did the two of you do all night long?"
"Nate," Ella said sternly with an amused smile. She stepped across the kitchen threshold and Nate immediately handed her the mug she always used in the mornings. "How many times have I told you to be careful what you ask Caitlyn? Hm? I don't think you're fully prepared for her answer."
Caitlyn looked away from them and tried to hide her embarrassed blush. "We did what all people do when they're drunk off their asses, Nate. We got stupid, and did stupid things."
Ella quirked a brow at her. "Stupid? As in cherry bomb in a post office drop box stupid or sleep with your best guy friend stupid?"
"Neither," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "We just, sort of, made out. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was intense but we didn't quite go that far."
Ella huffed. "Damn."
"I know, I know. So stupid, right?" Caitlyn asked.
Ella rolled her eyes. "No. I said damn because I was actually hoping for the latter. But, I suppose, intensely making out is a step in the right direction."
"No!" Caitlyn objected in shock. "No it isn't! Ella! Those kisses might just cost me one of my very best friendships!"
Ella sat down across from her and then reached across the table to squeeze one of her hands. "Okay, you're going to have to start from the beginning," Ella said eagerly. "Tell me exactly what happened."
"Exactly?" Nate asked wearily. "This story's going to be very long, isn't it?"
Caitlyn ignored him and started her story anyway. "Well, you know, we were all at Mitchie's birthday party last night."
"Yes, yes," Ella said eagerly. "And you and Jason were getting all creative with the shots. We all saw you. Fast forward to the good part."
Nate chuckled and smiled affectionately at Ella. "The good part is what happened after they were wasted?"
"If it means somebody made a move then yes," Ella told him with a grin.
"Can I finish my story, please?" Caitlyn asked in an aggravated tone.
"Sorry," Ella said quickly as she turned back to Caitlyn. "Continue."
"Okay, so after the party Shane called C3's personal security and got Mike to drive us back to Jason's place—"
"Jason's place?" Ella asked in shock. "Before Nate and I started dating Mike would refuse to drop me at Nate's house late at night! He said his 'mama wouldn't approve.' How did you get him to do that?"
"Um…I don't really remember. I think it might have been something Jason said, but that's not the point, Ella."
"Still," Ella said with a pout. "I think Mike likes you better than me. Which makes no sense. You're the troublemaker."
"Yes, but you're sweet and innocent and seem to be someone who could be easily taken advantage of," Caitlyn told her. "He was probably looking out for you."
"I can look out for myself," Ella said. "Besides, Nate's safe. There's no one less dangerous than Nate."
"Hey!" Nate protested. "I'm a musician! That gives me some level of danger."
Ella smiled gently at him and gave him an amused look. "Sure it does, sweetie."
Caitlyn sighed. "The more commentary you give the longer this story's going to take."
"My bad," Ella said as she held her hands up in surrender. "No more interruptions."
"Well, then it's just me and Jason all alone and we're still way wasted. So, he goes to start coffee and…"
"So, how am I eventually going to get home?" Caitlyn asked as she stumbled a bit and nearly turned her ankle. "Stupid heels."
She slipped them off and threw them over her shoulder as she listened to Jason answer from the kitchen.
"I rode with Nate over to the party. So my car is here. As soon as we sober up a lot I'll give you a ride."
"So, then…after we sleep all of this off?" Caitlyn asked with a laugh. "It's gonna take a lot more than coffee to sober me up."
There was a loud crash in the kitchen and Caitlyn ran toward it. The world kind of tilted as she ran so she tried desperately not to fall. She tripped slightly as she crossed the threshold into Jason's kitchen. "What happened?"
"I dropped the canister of coffee grounds, but none spilled out. So that's good," Jason said with a light laugh. "I couldn't quite get the lid off and it slipped."
"Maybe we should forget the coffee and just crash," Caitlyn said with a laugh. "That way we can't accidentally hurt anyone."
"Okay. You take my bed and I'll take the couch," Jason said with a nod as he bent over to pick up the coffee canister.
Caitlyn tilted her head and admired the view he was giving her of his rear as she responded. "We're adults, Jase. We can share the bed."
"We're drunk adults," Jason said as he turned and caught her staring. She blushed and looked away with a smirk. "Sharing a bed might be too tempting for our current beer goggle-y state."
Caitlyn scoffed. "I don't get 'beer goggle-y', Jase. I'm a pro at holding my alcohol."
Jason quirked a brow as she stumbled again and braced herself against the counter. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
"C'mon!" Caitlyn whined. "I'm not going to be able to sleep knowing you've been banished from your HUGE cushy bed because of me."
Jason sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But I reserve the right to say I told you so later. Deal?"
Caitlyn eagerly shook his hand. "Deal."
They both headed upstairs and Caitlyn watch as Jason dug through his drawers. Caitlyn wiggled uncomfortably in her dress. She knew she looked amazing, but it was tight and very uncomfortable. Her hair was starting to dry out and tangle. She glanced down at the hair falling across her shoulders and grimaced at the way it was starting to separate into sections. She dug through her small clutch and found an elastic hair tie. She pulled her hair into a sloppy bun and piled it on top of her head. She was done with it. Just done. She groaned tiredly and collapsed back onto Jason's fluffy king sized bed. She sunk down into the memory foam and groaned happily.
"I swear, one day I will steal this bed," Caitlyn announced as she stared up at the ceiling.
He chuckled. "Good luck getting it out the door and down the stairs."
Suddenly a soft button up shirt landed on her stomach and she heard the bathroom door close. Her brow furrowed and she picked it up. Oh, this would be interesting. She got up and slipped out of her skintight dress and hastily slipped on Jason's shirt. She walked over to the full size mirror in the corner of his room and smirked at her reflection. Her legs looked killer.
She held the cuffs of the long sleeves in her palms and turned to look at her side profile. Maybe it was the 'beer goggles' talking, but she was totally planning on stealing this shirt. She heard the bathroom door open and then heard something crash to the floor and shatter. She jumped and turned to find Jason staring at her. He shook himself and looked down at the floor.
"Shit," Jason cursed with a sigh. Caitlyn moved to approach and help but Jason stopped her. "You have bare feet and there's broken glass. I'll get it."
"What did you drop?" Caitlyn asked.
"The glass I use to rinse with," Jason said with a sigh. He looked up slightly and his eyes instinctually stopped on Caitlyn's bare knees and the few inches of bare thigh that he could see. She was in his room – half naked.
"Do you need me to get the broom or the vacuum cleaner or something?" Caitlyn asked as she glanced down at him.
"I, um, no. No, I have a hand vac in my closet. You can get that. It should work," Jason said.
Caitlyn immediately turned and pranced over to the closet. Okay, being a rich rock star had certainly paid off when it came to home furnishing. Jason had the most amazing bed and very luxurious carpets. If she lived there she'd never wear shoes. It was so soft. She got the hand vacuum and brought it back to Jason quickly.
"Um, when I steal your bed I might take your carpet with me too," Caitlyn told him as he took the small vacuum from her.
Jason chuckled at her. "You might as well just live here then. It would be a lot easier than stealing something that is literally nailed to the floor."
Caitlyn didn't know why that comment flustered her so much, but she could feel all the blood rushing to her face as she blushed. If only he were really asking. She turned and walked away from him and lay back down on the bed. Bite your tongue, Caitlyn, She thought. Bite your tongue.
The hand vacuum turned off and out of the corner of her eye she saw Jason cross the room and put it away. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Jason was not her boyfriend or even a guy she was casually seeing. He was her best friend. The bed shifted beside of her and she knew Jason had joined her. He clapped twice the lights went out. Caitlyn laughed.
"You have The Clapper?"
"Well, yeah, why not?" Jason answered. She smiled at him and could just barely make out his grin in the darkness.
"You're adorable," Caitlyn said with a light laugh.
He pulled the covers over them and she could immediately feel his body heat seeping over to her side of the bed. This was going to be the longest night of her life. The bed shifted again and Caitlyn suddenly felt Jason's leg brush her own. She jumped at the warmth and gulped nervously.
"Sorry," Jason said as he cleared his throat.
She blushed and bit her bottom lip. "No problem."
But there was a problem. That little bit of contact had made her want more. It was like potato chips. You can never have just one. She slowly slid her leg over to Jason's and tucked her feet underneath his. She heard him take in a sharp breath and felt him tense before he spoke. "Caitlyn, what are you—"
"My feet are cold," Caitlyn said quickly. "And you're warm."
Jason's hand found her own, under the covers, and he laced his fingers through hers. "Are you cold anywhere else?"
His voice had deepened some and his tone – his tone – just oozed masculinity. She may have made the first purposeful move but he certainly didn't appear to be objecting. He'd already worn her down and he'd only said five words. "Y-yes."
"Where?" Jason asked as he released her hand and then softly traced the length of her forearm with his fingers.
Caitlyn closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Everywhere."
That appeared to be all the answer Jason needed because his arms snaked around her and he swiftly jerked her toward his chest. His arms tightened around her and her cheek landed on his shoulder while the rest of her was pressed against him. "Better?"
"Perfect," Caitlyn said with a grin and a pleased sigh. One of Jason's hands dug into the ends of her hair and started to play with the loose messy bun on her head. She couldn't seem to stop her moan. She loved having fingers in her hair. It was soothing to her for some reason. That moan appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Jason because he rolled onto his side to face her and the brought a hand to either side of her face.
He chuckled and smiled softly. She could see it through the darkness. His grin faltered for a second and he blinked unsurely. "I should probably move to the couch."
He started to get up but Caitlyn yanked him back down. "No! Jason, don't!"
He sighed and gave her a knowing look. "Beer goggles, Caitlyn."
"No one gives a damn about beer goggles, Jason. Don't go," Caitlyn said in a frustrated tone. She slowly smirked and blinked prettily at him. "Besides, if you do…I'll be cold. You don't want that, do you?"
"Caitlyn," Jason said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Neither of us are in the right frame of mind to—" He cut himself off when Caitlyn suddenly attached her lips to his neck. "God, you play dirty."
She laughed against his neck and continued to kiss him. She stopped just below his jaw and then carefully laid herself across the length of his body. He angled his face down to give her a wary look, but it did nothing but encourage her. She placed a soft kiss on his chin, the corners of his mouth and the tip of his nose. Once that was done she hovered just a centimeter above his lips.
Jason's eyes flickered to her lips before he let out a resigned moan and closed the distance between them. He rolled them over as he kissed her and soon he was the one hovering over Caitlyn as he kissed her neck. Caitlyn's arms went around his chest and gripped his thin white t-shirt. She arched her neck as he kissed her and Jason took the opportunity to get a better hold on her. She was crushed against his chest and she didn't mind one bit.
She felt one of his hands drift toward her hair and gently pull the elastic tie out of her hair. He spread her loose hair out on the pillow under her and then dared to kiss his way down the collar of her borrowed shirt. His fingers fumbled with the top three buttons and he tugged at the shirt to get it to open as much as he wanted. His lips handed just between her breasts and Caitlyn sucked in a breath. She arched against him instinctually and then reacted by pulling his lips back to hers and kissing him deeply. She parted her lips and then let Jason take the lead.
He was an excellent kisser. Firm but gentle. Anxious but not overzealous. And he felt free to explore the inside of her mouth without feeling the need to literally shove his tongue down her throat. She couldn't seem to get enough of him. He was becoming highly addictive. Which was apparent by the way she had tangled her legs with his and molded herself to his body. She felt Jason's chest rumble as her hands lifted the hem of his shirt and explored his muscles and skin on his back. That rumble worked its way upward until a low growl sounded against her mouth.
Jason pulled away long enough to toss his shirt aside and then he was back to kissing her senseless. His hands drifted toward the buttons on her shirt again and Caitlyn suddenly felt the full weight of where this was going. It was too much too fast. As much as she really wanted this…this was not how she wanted it to happen. What would happen tomorrow morning? After all of this amazing kissing and all of their epic chemistry…where would things go? She didn't want to go any further without knowing that. She pushed on Jason's shoulders urgently and he quickly got the message and pulled back.
He gave her a concerned and curious look. "What? What's wrong?"
"I – we – can't do this," Caitlyn told him with a gulp. "I mean…I want to, but…"
Jason sighed sadly and nodded. "But beer goggles, right?"
Caitlyn bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Beer goggles. What would happen afterward? Would we be dating? Would we pretend it never happened? Would it make everything awkward?"
Jason winced and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "I—Normally, I'd be able to answer that…but my brain is a ball of fuzzy mush right now. I don't know which answer you're looking for and if I say the wrong thing I'll either offend you or scare you away. I don't want either of those things. I just…I want you, Caitlyn. I really do."
"Sure, you want me now. I got you all liquored up. But will you want me tomorrow? When you're all hung over and miserable are you still going to want me like you do now?"
"I've never not wanted you the way I do now, Caity. I have always wanted you just like this. I may be a bit impaired but I am certain of that," Jason said immediately.
"I – I think I'll feel better after a few hours sleep," Caitlyn said sadly. "I don't want to risk anything changing for the worse."
"But," Jason said as he brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. "What if it changed for the better?"
"Please, Jason," Caitlyn begged. "Can we just go to sleep? My head hurts just thinking about this."
Jason sighed and nodded before he rolled off of her and landed on his side of the bed. "Can I cash in my 'I told you so' now?" Jason asked with a hesitant grin.
Caitlyn bit her bottom lip and then smiled sadly. "Sure. Why not?"
"Just promise me you'll think about things…changing, okay?" Jason pleaded. "Maybe not tonight or even tomorrow, but promise me you'll think about it sometime."
She nodded and sighed tiredly. "I promise."
Ella blinked at her friend. "What? That's it? Caitlyn! You are the most hormonal person I know! Why in the world did you stop? God, you love the man. Just jump his bones for Chanel's sake!"
"What happened after that?" Nate asked as he grinned at Ella in amusement.
"I woke up. Called a cab. And came home," Caitlyn said with a pathetic groan. "When I woke up I was snuggled into his bare chest and his arms were wrapped around me. I almost didn't have the heart to leave."
"You called a cab?" Ella asked in disbelief.
Caitlyn nodded.
"And you just…left. Without a note or anything?"
Caitlyn nodded again.
Ella picked up her Ella magazine from the center of the table and smacked Caitlyn's shoulder with it. "What is wrong with you? You should have let him drive you home!"
"But I felt so awkward! I was in his shirt and I had some serious hickeys and I knew he'd want to talk about what happened and I just…I need to think," Caitlyn said frantically. "Yesterday I didn't think I stood a chance and now…"
"Now, you know what we've all known for years," Nate told her. "Jason cares about you deeply, Cait. Deeper than he's ever cared for anyone."
"See, that's…that's scary shit right there," Caitlyn said as she pointed at Nate. "What if I break him? I'd hate myself forever."
"Couldn't be any worse than what you're feeling now could it?" Ella asked.
Caitlyn groaned and slammed her head down on the table. "I suck."
Nate couldn't resist chuckling. "I'm sure Jason has the love bites to prove that too."
Ella smirked at him and bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Leave the girl alone. She's clearly suffering from hangover stupidity." The intercom buzzer by their apartment door sounded and Ella quickly ran over to answer it. "Yes?"
"It's Jason. Can I come up?"
Caitlyn's eyes widened and she shook her head no, but Ella ignored her and pressed the button to open the security door.
"Sure, Jase. See you in a bit."
"I think Nate and I are going to go out and find breakfast while you and Jason catch up," Ella said as she made her way to Nate and grabbed his hand. Caitlyn watched as Ella gathered her purse and when there was a knock at the door she nearly bolted to her room, but Ella opened the door before she could. "Hi, Jason. Nate and I were just getting ready to go out for breakfast, but Caitlyn's in the kitchen."
"Where exactly are we going to find breakfast at seven in the morning?" Nate asked Ella with a quirked brow.
She shrugged. "I don't know. Starbucks, McDonalds, Waffle House, IHOP. We'll find some place."
"Oh, joy, Waffle House. Such gourmet food and top notch company. How will I ever resist?" Nate said dryly as Ella dragged him out the door by his hand.
The apartment door closed behind them and awkward silence filled the air in the room.
"So, I woke up all alone this morning," Jason said through a tense jaw. "Not even a note on my nightstand or anything."
"I'm sorry," Caitlyn said quietly. "I was just…"
When her sentence trailed off Jason finished it for her. "Scared?"
"Yes!" Caitlyn said frantically. "What if I hurt you?"
His eyebrows rose and he sighed. "Well, you kind of already are, Caity."
She groaned and huffed. "You know what I mean!"
"If we break up then, yeah, it'll hurt, but at least we'll have gotten some truly good times out of it. I'd rather try and hurt then ignore it and still hurt. But, for the record, I don't think we'll break up," Jason said honestly. "And I really wish you'd give me a chance to prove that to you."
"Jason," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "I can't believe we messed this up."
"Mess it up? How did we mess it up?" Jason asked with a furrowed brow.
"Because now our friendship is messed up. So it's either we date or we never see each other again, right? And usually all that dating stuff is so fake. I don't want anything with you to be fake. Why do you want to date me anyway?" Caitlyn asked.
"Because I love you," Jason said simply.
"What?" Caitlyn asked as she blinked at him.
"I love you and you should be with me," Jason told her.
She gaped at him and then stood up from the table. He watched warily as she approached him and then immediately brought his arms up to shield his face. He knew what was coming. Caitlyn punch his arm and then continued to slap both of his arms and even got a few light jabs in at his chest. He hunched over and tried to protect himself as best he could.
"Are you crazy?" Caitlyn yelled. "Y-you can't just say that! You love me? I…how am I supposed to respond to that."
"Hey—hey," Jason said as he tried to back away from her. He finally reached out and managed to grab both of her arms. He pulled her close and held her arms behind her back. "Damn, Caity! Most people don't respond to love with violence!"
"Yesterday we were just friends," Caitlyn said as she shook her head. "And suddenly today…you love me?"
"Not suddenly," Jason corrected her. "Believe me, it's anything but sudden."
"So, you're saying you've been secretly in love with me all these years?" Caitlyn asked as she tried to squirm her hands out of his grasp.
"Yes, and so have you with me," Jason said knowingly. "Last night proved that to me."
She glared at him. "How do you know its love? It could just be lust."
He rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't make a move on your best friend if it was simply lust, Caity. I know you better than that."
"I might if I were drunk," Caitlyn muttered.
"You wouldn't risk losing a friend for anything less than love," Jason told her. "Alcohol wouldn't change that."
She glared at him again. "You think you know me so well."
"I don't think," Jason said. "I just know."
"You're starting to sound smug," Caitlyn said with a huff.
He smirked at her and tightened his hold around her. "Don't pretend you don't like it. I can tell you do."
"Will you let me go?" Caitlyn asked in an irritable tone.
"No, because either you'll start hitting me again or you'll go lock yourself in your room to avoid me," Jason said confidently. "And I don't like either of those options."
She growled and her shoulders sagged. "It was a mistake, Jason. It shouldn't have happened."
"Oh yeah? Is that why you're still wearing my shirt?" Jason asked with a smirk.
Caitlyn blinked at him. She'd forgotten about the shirt. She'd put on a pair of pajama pants when she got home but she didn't take off the shirt. Why didn't she take off the shirt? "I-I…forgot that I had it on."
"Right," He said with a chuckle. "You forgot."
She sighed and leaned her weight against him. She was tired of arguing with him. She was just tired in general. "I don't get it, Jason."
"Don't get what?" He asked as he took in her exhausted voice.
"Why me?" Caitlyn asked as she rested her cheek against his chest. "Of all the girls out there, why me?"
"Because you challenge me. You see me for who I am. And I know that despite all of your bark your bite is pretty harmless. You always care deeply, but usually pretend you don't. And you're passionate and opinionated and when that's combined with your honesty it means everyone always gets your honest opinion. I don't get a lot of those in my position and I cherish yours. You insist that you can take care of yourself but I know that you secretly want people to, at least, attempt to take care of you. I want to be the one who takes care of you, Caity. I want to just be there for you. Always."
She gulped and honestly couldn't find the words to speak. He didn't just pretend to know her. He really and truly saw through her. He saw everything, and he wanted her because of it. Her eyes started to water and she hid her face in his chest. No one had ever talked to her like that before. His tone was so soft and understanding and full of…love.
He loosened his hold on her arms and she immediately wrapped them around his neck. She was crying. She was actually crying. Why? She had nothing to cry over. No, nothing at all, she thought sarcastically, the man you've been in love with forever just confessed his love for you in the most beautiful way ever. Why cry about that?
A soft whimper escaped her lips while cried and Jason soothingly rubbed circles on her back. "Caity? Caity, are you okay? Why are you crying?" He paused and took a deep breath when she didn't answer. "Caitlyn?"
She held him tighter as she struggled to calm herself down and she felt him backing them up toward the living room couch. He pulled her down onto the couch with him and then pulled her into his lap. His hand stroked her hair softly as her tears finally stopped.
"What did I say?" Jason asked worriedly. "I didn't mean for you to cry."
Caitlyn let out a soggy chuckle and shook her head as she pulled it out of his chest to look at him. "I wasn't crying because I was sad, Jase."
"That was…happy crying?" Jason asked. "You do that?"
"Apparently," Caitlyn said as she smiled softly.
"Well, I learn something new every day," Jason told her as he brushed away the pieces of damp hair that had stuck to her tearstained face.
"So, you really love me, huh?" Caitlyn asked as she gulped nervously.
"More than anything or anyone," Jason told her seriously.
"More than your guitars?" Caitlyn asked in a shocked tone.
Jason chuckled and nodded. "More than my guitars."
She smiled and dipped her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. "I love you too."
He nodded and grinned. "I know."
She rolled her eyes and tugged at the curls her fingers were wrapped around. "Shut up, smartass."
"Now what?" Jason asked as he continued to rub her back.
"Well, we're all alone in the apartment, and I do believe we have some unfinished business from last night," Caitlyn said as she wiggled her eyebrows and smirked at him. "We could move this little party to my room if you want."
Jason's eyes widened and he smiled brightly. "Oh, I want. Believe me, I want."
Caitlyn laughed and took his hand as she stood up from the couch. She led him toward her bedroom and locked the door behind them. She wouldn't want Ella or Nate to disturb them when they got home because she and Jason had lost a lot of time.
And now they could spend the rest of their lives making up for it.