She'd thought that by working at one of the coolest magazines on the planet she'd end up at a cooler office holiday party, but that obviously wasn't the case.
Cheesy Christmas music, two strangers caught in a bathroom hookup and her wasted manager were just three of the many things wrong with Nylon Magazine's 2013 office holiday party.
At least she had the formal one to look forward to. This one, however, was a bust on all counts, save for the stunning Manolo Blahnik pumps she'd gotten as part of a Secret Santa gift.
She wants nothing more than to go home and curl into the warmth of her bed with her pillow. A nice, warm bath couldn't hurt a girl, either. Unfortunately, that won't be the case.
Her dear cousin Quinn and her boyfriend are throwing a holiday party of their own at their new apartment and had made it mandatory that she attend.
She can just say 'no'. She truly contemplates saying 'no'. She realizes shortly after that you can't say 'no' to Quinn and get away with it.
After a quick stop at her place––and a prolonged departure because her bed was just so tempting tonight––Kitty heads back out to her cousin's shared apartment.
Thanks to the fresh snow on the ground and the slick streets, the ride takes longer than expected. She's late, she knows that much. She doesn't need to check the time to know it.
Quinn should be glad she tried. It's not effort Kitty likes to make too often, not when it doesn't directly benefit her. But she is family and blah blah blah.
She hurries out of the cab once she arrives, eager to make it inside and into the warmth. It happens quickly after that.
First step, fine; second step, okay; third step, she catches a patch of black ice and slips back.
It's at the moment she misses the railing that her life flashes before her eyes. Safe to say, that experience is way more of a let down than movies make you believe.
Just as she braces for the contact with the ground (and quite a few steps along the way), something much softer stops her fall. She opens her eyes, peeking up to spot a guy standing before her.
"Might want to watch where you're falling," he says.
"Because I obviously had a choice on that matter," she retorts.
He smirks, enjoying the challenge. Helping her straighten up, he extends his hand out to her after. She glances down at it with a raised brow.
"I'm Jake," he introduces himself.
"I'm late," she answers.
He nods in response. That's fair, he supposes. He lets her dust herself off before holding the door open, letting her walk inside first.
"Hold that elevator!" she shouts.
He watches as she rushes to it, slipping in carefully. The doors shut before he has a chance to hold it himself.
No matter. He'll just take the stairs. Five floors isn't that bad anyway. He even forgets about the walk as he enters his brother's apartment and shrugs out of his jacket.
"Sorry I'm late, bro," Jake apologizes, greeting Puck. "Got held up outside."
"It's no big," Puck shrugs. Jake spots Quinn on the opposite side of the room with a petite blonde in front of her. He sees her wave them over. "Come on, Quinn wants you to meet someone."
He follows with a nod, grabbing a drink along the way. Peppermint Baileys. It's surprisingly good. He'll have to compliment Quinn on it later.
"Jake, you made it!" Quinn smiles as she greets him with a hug. "I want you to meet my cousin, Kitty. Kitty, this is Jake, Puck's younger brother. He's new in town. We figured you could help show him around."
He notices the look in her eyes. The smirk reaches his face once again. He has a feeling she doubts she'll agree to that by the end of the night.
Challenge accepted.