Note: Yay, second chapter. I just started a new job so I'm afraid I won't be able to update super often, especially since I have Queen of the East up and running as well, but I will try. Hope you guys will enjoy this one! XO.2.
Saturdays usually were for hangovers and watching movies in bed all morning. Kirsten was up at ten today though; she was excited and nervous and really couldn't sleep anymore. Instead of making breakfast, she decided to play it safe and slice some fruits. She didn't want Lily to wake up due to the fire alarm going off because she tried to make pancakes again, or anything else that included their stove for that matter.
Kirsten tried to not be too excited. Yes, she was going out for coffee with this extremely cute guy. But she had just broken up with Jimmy, and in all honesty, Kirsten knew that she probably wasn't ready yet for a new relationship. She did realize coffee didn't necessarily mean a relationship though, and tried telling herself to ease up a little bit. It was only coffee. Just coffee.
She ate her fruit in silence as she wondered about what to wear. A skirt, jeans, shorts… So many options. Kirsten quietly grumbled; she hadn't been on a date for years. This was actually quite a challenge.
Kirsten was fashionably late at the Coffee Bean, arriving a little after three. She noticed Sandy on their terrace, a coffee already in front of him. She noticed another one there as well, seemingly an iced latte. Had he really ordered something random for her?
She approached him with a smile, not sure about what to do. Kiss him hello, just sit down in front of him… She decided to do the latter as she got to the table. "Hey, Sandy!"
"Kirsten!" He smiled a wide smile upon seeing her, making Kirsten's heart skip a beat. He had such a good smile. "I took a gamble and decided to order you an iced latte…" Kirsten couldn't help but smile. She and Jimmy always got into fights whenever he ordered her anything without consulting her. Somehow this seemed okay though. "That's perfect… Thanks, Sandy."
"So… Kirsten… You're a Republican and you're not very much interested in studying law. Tell me more." He looked at her, his blue eyes never letting go of hers as he was waiting for her to reply.
Kirsten couldn't help but blush slightly; those eyes seemed to pierce right through her, they were so intense. She tried to regain her composure, tried to be all confident as she replied: "Hmm, so much more to tell. I'll start easy though. I'm an Art History student. My father talked me into doing some classes regarding justice and America's legal system… Bad idea."
Sandy chuckled. "You hate 'em that much, huh?"
"It's just… Not my thing." Sandy nodded as they stared at each other for a bit. Kirsten was so taken aback. Sandy was so different from all the other guys she had ever met, so different from the Newport men she'd always known growing up. She could already tell despite having known him for such a short amount of time.
"So, Kirsten…." Sandy paused for a second as the waitress brought them a piece of chocolate cake, and waited for her to turn around again before saying: "I hope you like chocolate cake." He wiggled his heavy eyebrows and Kirsten couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course I do."
He handed her a little fork and she dug in immediately. Sandy couldn't help but smile; her love for chocolate cake most definitely was apparent.
"Hmm… This is good. So, Sandy… You have this slight accent, I can't really seem to fit. Where are you from?"
"The other side of the country, New York. The Bronx, actually."
Kirsten nodded. That was interesting. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he was so different from all men she knew. Plus, New York… Kirsten had never been there, though she definitely had been dreaming about it. "That's amazing. Why would you ever want to leave New York?"
Sandy chuckled. "Oh well, so many reasons. I just wanted something new…. Something fresh. Berkeley seemed like the perfect place. Plus, I'm a surfer… I love surfing, so California seemed the best place for me."
They were still taking three hours later. The chocolate cake had been long gone, but the words seemed to keep flowing. Sandy rambled quite a lot, though Kirsten actually thought it was quite adorable. Sandy seemed so full of life, so determined to help people in need and enjoy his own life to the fullest while doing so. His spirit felt like such a breath of fresh air to Kirsten; it was so different from everything she was used to. Sandy didn't care about status, or money. He cared about being happy.
It was a little after six when they stood in front of the Coffee Bean again, slowly walking their way into the direction of Kirsten's dorm again.
"So, do you always talk this much, Sandy Cohen?"
Sandy chuckled before saying: "Some find it charming… What are you doing tonight?"
"Well… Lily told me about a party tonight at one of the guy's dorms off campus. Lily's my best friend, and my roommate. I was thinking about going but I still have this freakin' paper due on Monday… So I'm not sure. What about you?"
Sandy smiled at her, making Kirsten's knees go weak. He had such a good smile. "How about I'll help you with that paper again tomorrow? I'd like to see you at that party tonight…"
Kirsten smiled as she bit her lip. "You're going as well?"
"Yeah, it's at my place actually. Me and my friends are throwing the party."
Their eyes locked as they smiled at each other, Kirsten suddenly feeling a bit shy. It felt as if Sandy was looking right through her, and it made her feel so… Excited. "In that case…. I'd love it if you could help me again tomorrow with my paper."
"Of course! We'll talk about it tonight, okay?" Kirsten excitedly smiled and nodded. "Perfect."
"I'll see you tonight, Kirsten!" Sandy kissed her cheek before taking off, leaving Kirsten slightly surprised. He just…. Left, without any actual notification. He didn't even try to kiss her, just a polite kiss on her cheek… Kirsten wasn't sure exactly what that meant, though she couldn't help herself smiling the entire way back to her apartment.
"I'm so excited!" Lily and Kirsten had almost reached the apartment where the party would be taking place. Lily had been ecstatic Kirsten had decided to join her, especially since Sandy Cohen would be there as well. Lily had heard about the guy, though she had never met him before. She had met one of his roommates though, Mike.
"I'm sure you're mainly excited because the Mike will be there as well." Kirsten wiggled her eyebrows and Lily chuckled as she made a face. "God, Kirsten, no! Yes, that guy was fun. For a month. I'm so done with him now though, he was way too serious." Lily waved her hand while talking, dismissing all Kirsten's assumptions.
"Well, you better behave tonight or I'll tell him you've been wanting to see him very badly." Kirsten stuck out her tongue as Lily shook her head. "Like hell you won't. I'll tell Sandy Cohen about your crush the minute I spot you even talking to Mike."
Kirsten couldn't help but chuckle. She had been so excited about her coffee date with Sandy that afternoon that she'd been talking pretty much non-stop about him. "I'm sorry for my babbling all evening. It's just… That guy is so fascinating."
Lily smiled at her friend. Kirsten had genuinely seemed happy when she'd returned a couple of hours earlier from her meeting with Sandy. There had been a sparkle that Lily hadn't seen in a while. She shook her head as she said: "You know I'll never be annoyed with you for something like that."
They had reached the door of the men's dorm when Lily added: "Just don't let me go home on my own."
Kirsten chuckled as they entered the dorm via what appeared to be the backdoor. "I would never."
The place was already filled with at least thirty people, all smiling, talking and holding the always popular red cups.
"Lil!" A redhead flew around Lily's neck. Kirsten wasn't quite sure who the girl was, though Lily seemed equally excited to see her as well. "Jenny! I didn't know you were back!"
The girls broke their hug as Jenny shook her head. "I'm not! I just heard about this party though, figured it would be a perfect opportunity to come and say hi again."
"Ohh, I'm so glad you did! Such a surprise!" Lily hugged the girl once again before saying: "Jen, this is my best friend and roommate, Kirsten. Kirs, this is Jenny, we met in LA and, well, such a long story actually."
"Hi Kirsten, so nice to meet you!" The girls shook hands as Kirsten said: "Likewise."
She tried engaging in the conversation for a while before realizing Lily and Jenny obviously had quite a lot to talk about. She excused herself, knowing Lily would be perfectly fine and could probably guess she'd be looking for Sandy.
Kirsten wasn't sure where to look. The house seemed… Big, for a dorm, with a huge staircase in the middle of the room and tons of people filling the place. She said some hello's and waved at a couple of people in the process. She had reached the table filled with liquids before she had found Sandy, and decided to pour herself a drink first. Some vodka would definitely be nice.
She was putting the cap up on the bottle again as she heard a voice in her ear saying: "I never though you'd be the vodka kind of girl." Kirsten turned her head to face the man on her side, happy to find it was the dark haired man she'd been looking forward to meet that night. Their faces were close and Kirsten smiled, their eyes locked as she replied: "Hmm, I think you'll find I'll have more surprises."
Sandy raised his eyebrows, a grin on his face as he said: "I'm looking forward to it already. Come, let's talk some place more quiet." He reached for her free hand and grabbed it before leading the way. Kirsten couldn't help but feel a spark running through her entire body. He took her outside to the patio in the front of the house, where it was surprisingly quiet. The weather was good and the sky was filled with stars. Kirsten loved it.
Sandy sat down as he let go of her hand, Kirsten missing the warmth immediately. She sat down next to him, wanting to sit as close as she could to him. She decided against that though, not sure if that would be the best idea. Sandy looked at her for a bit before he said: "So. Hey. You look beautiful. I doubt you ever don't look beautiful, but, still."
Kirsten chuckled. "Thanks, I guess. So this is your place, huh?" She took a big gulp of her drink and managed to suppress a gasp when Sandy's hand rested on her upper leg.
He took a sip of his beer before saying: "It is, apparently. It's great, honestly. This place is big, plenty of space for the three of us. It's so great, living with your best friends."
"I know, I'm so happy to have Lily close to me all the time." They both smiled and Sandy said: "I'm glad you came."
"Me too." They were silent for a bit and Kirsten decided to scoot over a little bit. She had barely eaten anything and she felt as if the alcohol was already hitting her brain, though it could easily be just being in Sandy's presence that caused that fuzzy feeling. She made sure her leg was touching his before she said: "I enjoyed having coffee with you this afternoon," not looking at him as she did.
"Me too."
Kirsten could feel Sandy staring at her before she looked up again, their eyes locking. Kirsten smiled before letting her eyes dart to his lips and back to his eyes again. She really wanted to kiss him. Should she kiss him?
Kirsten wasn't sure if she had been the one initiating the kiss. She did feel herself melt the moment her lips met with his. God, he had good lips. Soft, big… Perfect. The kiss started sweetly, both gently starting it off. Kirsten soon felt herself wanting more, her tongue slowly peaking out to ask for access to meet his. Sandy eagerly opened his lips, their tongues immediately meeting. Everything about their kiss was sweet. Kirsten felt Sandy's hands on her waist, pulling her a bit closer to him as he deepened the kiss.
"Ahum…. Sandy? We kind of need you for a second, sorry to ehm, interrupt…"
The heavy voice startled Kirsten and she almost jumped away from Sandy. His hands were still steady on her waist though, not letting go of her as he broke their kiss with a sigh. "Paul, seriously?"
The guy –named Paul, apparently,- shrugged. "Sorry man, there's something wrong with the oven, and we do need snacks. Hi, I'm Paul by the way, Sandy's roommate." He waved at Kirsten, who smiled before murmuring: "Hi, Kirsten." She was glad it was dark outside, as she could tell her cheeks were getting all red.
Another sigh escaped from Sandy's lips as he said: "Fine, I'll be there in a second Paul."
"Thanks Sandman! I guess I'll see you around, Kirsten!"
Paul disappeared again as Kirsten chuckled. "Sandman?"
Sandy looked at her before chuckling as well. "Yeah, he loves to call me that… I eh… I'm sorry about that." He got up and held out his hand for her, which she gladly accepted before getting up as well. "It's okay."
They were getting inside again as Sandy turned around, facing Kirsten again before saying: "You're not leaving anytime soon, are you?"
Kirsten smiled, pretending to be thinking about it as she said: "I'm not sure yet… Still deciding."
A grin appeared on Sandy's face as he said: "I hope you'll decide in my favor, Kirsten Nichol. I'd love to talk some more."
"Talk only?" Kirsten winked at him before they entered the house, the grin not leaving Sandy's face as he said: "I guess I'm up for some other activities as well."
Kirsten smiled at him before going a separate way, deciding it was time to find Lily again. It was because of that, that she didn't notice Sandy being grabbed by Paul into one of the storage rooms.
"Paul, what are you doing?"
Sandy raised his eyebrows, not sure why his best friend was dragging him into one of the tiniest room of their home. "Sorry man, I just figured this was a private thing."
"What, you want to declare your love for me?" Sandy wiggled his eyebrows and Paul slapped him. "No, Sandy, this is serious man…"
"What do you mean?"
"She's here… I'm sorry, she got in without any of us knowing about it. She's looking for you. I didn't want to tell you with that pretty blonde by your side…"
Lily and Kirsten were laughing hysterically; one of the guys they had both never really seen before, a redheaded guy with a little bit too many pounds on his body, had decided to do some sort of silly fireman striptease act for one of the girls who was turning 21 on midnight. The girl didn't seemed to be to please with it though, begging her friends to get him away from her. People were enjoying the scenery too much though, Kirsten and Lily including.
It had been over an hour since Kirsten had seen Sandy though, and she was actually dying to see him again. Once their laughter had worn off, she nudged Lily before saying into her ear: "I think I'm gonna go see if I can find Sandy…"
"You should let him find you!"
Kirsten chuckled. That was very much Lily, always letting a man work hard for her. "I know, I know. I just… I'm just gonna get a little peek of what he's up to. Wanna come?"
Lily smiled. "I am quite curious as to who this Sandy Cohen is. You lead the way."
The girls made sure their drinks were filled before Kirsten grabbed her friend's hand, leading her through the massive amount of people in search of Sandy. He didn't seem to be anywhere in the big living room, nor was he outside on the patio. Where was Sandy? They made their way over to the kitchen, passing a couch on their way. They had almost passed it when Kirsten stopped dead in her tracks. There was Sandy.
She dropped Lily's hand when she noticed a brunette near him. They seemed to be in a deep conversation. The brunette sat a little bit too close to Sandy for her liking. She stared as Lily stood next to her. Lily had not seen Sandy Cohen before, but looking at Kirsten made it clear it was indeed Sandy Cohen on that couch right in front of them. She was about to tell her friend he was probably just having a random conversation when the brunette girl suddenly pulled the guy in for a hug, her hands touching the nape of his neck as she pressed himself against her. This wasn't just a friendly hug. Definitely not.
Kirsten wasn't sure what she felt. She had just met Sandy, she knew it was silly. But seeing this in front of her made her sad, made her heart feel as if a knife was suddenly stabbing it. She turned around; she didn't want to be her anymore.
"I knew I'd find you here…. I got our coats and your purse. And a little extra something."
Lily dropped into the sand next to her friend before covering Kirsten's bare legs with her jacket. She could tell Kirsten had been crying. Lily had been quite sure Kirsten had fled to the beach after her sudden disappearance from the men's dorm. Instead of rushing after her, Lily had figured it would be smart to find their stuff first. She'd doubted Kirsten would want to return later for that. Luckily, she had found her friend on their very favorite spot on the beach.
"Hey! Don't cry over him. He's a fucking idiot."
Lily threw her arm over Kirsten's shoulder before handing her the bottle of whiskey she had stolen from the party. "Here. Take some."
Kirsten eagerly took a gulp, the liquid burning in her throat as she quietly said: "I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over a guy I've known for a fucking day. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid." Lily hugged her friends closer before adding: "He's just an idiot. Any guy not appreciating you is an idiot. A fucking idiot."
A small chuckle escaped from Kirsten's lips before she said: "I think I should hold on better to that pact of ours."
The girls looked at each other and Lily smiled before saying: "You don't need a man, Kirsten Nichol! You have me!"