Sugar and Spice
By Misha
Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Night Out
"So, you've been sprung loose, huh?" Colin asked that night as he picked Christa up.
She chuckled. "Thankfully." She climbed into his car. "So where are we going?"
"First, we're going to Logan's." Colin told her. "From there, it's onto this great club in New York."
"New York City?" Christa asked, now knowing why Colin had told her to give an excuse to her grandmother.
"Is that a problem?" He asked her.
"No." Christa told him as she tucked her hair behind her hear. "I told Francine I was sleeping over at Juliet's, just like you instructed."
Her grandmother had accepted it at face value. One of the things Christa really liked about her grandparents was how few questions they asked. Of course, Christopher didn't ask a lot of questions either, something Christa appreciated. Which was why the whole grounding thing had caught her off-guard.
"So this is an overnight thing?" She asked, thankfully she had guessed as much and packed accordingly, though she hadn't known the destination.
"Yep." Colin confirmed.
"Am I dressed properly?" Christa asked him with a grin. Her boxes from California had finally arrived, so for once her choice wasn't limited. Not knowing exactly what was going on, she'd put on a short black skirt, a purple tank top, and a black lacy over-shirt. Pretty classic choices.
"You look great." Colin said, giving her an appreciative grin as he pulled the car into a driveway.
Christa blinked in appreciation. "Wow." She'd seen a lot of big houses, but this was something else.
"Yeah, the Huntzbergers lean towards the ostentatious." Colin said, getting out of the car. Christa climbed out as well and he took her hand and lead her to the door.
"Christa, I see that your punishment is over." Logan greeted when he opened the door.
Christa laughed. "It is. Thank God."
Logan lead them into the house. Christa saw that it was mainly the same crowd as always, which was cool.
"Christa, free at last I see?" Robert greeted her with a grin.
"I am." Christa said, grabbing the drink he handed her. "Just in time it appears?"
"Oh, yes." Logan told her with a grin. "Definitely, just in time." He looked at his watch. "Speaking of, we better get going or the jet'll leave without us."
"The jet?" Christa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I figured it was easier than driving." Logan said with a grin. "It's not like anyone else is using it tonight."
Christa grinned. "Awesome."
"Christa, finally off restriction, I see." Stephanie drawled at the sight of her.
Christa just smiled. The other girl was not her favourite person and the feeling seemed to be definitely mutual. She turned to Colin. "Did I tell you that I spent the whole day with Emily?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone alive?"
Christa grinned. "Yes, but I don't think she was too thrilled to realize that her grandchildren were being raised in potting sheds and basements."
"What?" Logan asked, giving her a weird look.
"My mom worked as a maid after we were born and she and Rory lived in the Potting Shed of the Inn she worked at." Christa said in a matter-of-fact voice. She felt no shame about the fact that her mother had made an honest living for herself and Rory. "At the same time, my dad and I lived in basement apartments and stuff like that. We moved around a lot."
Logan whistled. "Not exactly up to Emily Gilmore standards."
"Nope." Christa agreed.
"Didn't she know?" Colin asked.
Christa shook her head. "My mom didn't really talk to her parents back then."
"I think your mother sounds fascinating." Sophia, one of the other girls who attended the parties, piped up. "I can't imagine just walking away from it all and not taking any help."
"She's one of a kind." Christa said proudly, then laughed. "I don't think I could do it either." She admitted ruefully.
The truth was, she and Lorelai might be a lot alike, but Christa was a lot less independent and she liked her life. Yeah, the functions were boring, but the lifestyle definitely had it's rewards.
"You're not the only one Colin's seeing."
Christa saw Stephanie's reflection in the mirror and turned around to look at the blonde girl. She had gone to the washroom of the club to go fix her hair and make-up and apparently Stephanie had decided to follow her in.
"I'm aware of that." Christa said coolly. "Colin's not the only one I'm seeing."
Well, actually, he was, but only because she'd been on restriction and she'd already accepted a date with a Senior at Chilton for later in the week.
Stephanie looked surprised, but she persisted. "Right now, when you're around, he focuses on you, but that's going to change." She informed her. "He might still dally with you, but he'll bring other girls to these things, until you fade out entirely and you're just a girl he used to date."
Christa suddenly realized that Collin and Stephanie had a history and that was the reason behind Stephanie's dislike of her. "I'm okay with that." She told Stephanie. "It's all temporary, right? That's how it stays fun."
Stephanie looked at her and shook her head. "You're just like them."
"Who?" Christa asked, turning away from Stephanie to go back to reapplying her mascara.
"Colin and Logan." Stephanie told her. "I didn't think it was possible, but you're like the female version."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Christa asked, moving on to her lipstick. Purple of course.
"I honestly don't know." Stephanie said, shaking her head. "I wanted to hate you, yet pity you at the same time and now... You certainly don't need pity."
"Not particularly." Christa said calmly, finishing up with her make-up. She gave Stephanie a look. "Keep it simple, keep it fun, it's a good attitude to have."
Stephanie just shook her head again. "No wonder they accepted you so fast." She murmured. "You really are one of them, more than I'll ever be."
"Have fun tonight?" Colin asked as the night was over and the group headed to the hotel where they'd be staying. It was two a.m and everything as warm and fuzzy, which Christa thought might be from the tequila shots she and Logan had done together.
"I did." Christa said with a smile, then she frowned as she realized she hadn't been given a room key. Not that she minded sharing, but suddenly she realized that everyone else seemed to have gone their own way and Colin was leading her to a room.
"Colin, I'm not having sex with you." Christa declared, stopping in the middle of the hallway. She hadn't had that much tequila.
Colin stopped and raised his eyebrows. "Blunt aren't we?" He asked with a small smile. "Don't worry, Christa, I wasn't expecting you too."
"Ok." Christa said, feeling a little stupid.
Colin put his arm around her waist and they continued to walk. "We are sharing a room, yes." Colin told her. "I didn't think you would care. But if you want, I can call the front desk and get you your own room."
Christa felt like that would be a pretty drastic over-reaction, since it was two in the morning, though she assumed that as the owner's son, Colin could easily do so. But he was right, she didn't actually mind sharing a room with him, as long as they were on the same page.
"Nothing will happen that you aren't comfortable with." Colin assured her, stopping in front of a door and opening it. He lead Christa inside the room and she saw that there were two beds.
She blushed. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Colin said with a shrug. "I can see why you reached that conclusion, but as I said, it's all up to you. If you want your own bed, you've got it, if you don't... That's fine too."
Colin lead Christa to one of the bed and they both sat down. He cupped her face in his hands. "I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm a virgin." He told her. "I'm not. Nor am I going to pretend that there are women I am sleeping with, because there are."
Christa nodded, she'd expected that. It twinged a little, but it didn't really bother her. She wasn't ready to have sex, but Colin was free to if he wanted.
"But I don't expect you to sleep with me until you're ready." Colin told her. "I like our relationship as it is. We have fun when we're together, right?"
"Yeah." Christa said with a smile. She sighed. "It's not that I'm opposed to sex." She told him. "It's just..."
"Your mother got pregnant at sixteen." Colin commented dryly.
Christa shot him a look then sighed. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"It makes sense." Colin told her. "You've had a good exposure to the consequences."
"I am the consequence." Christa reminded him, then sighed. "Not that my parents think of me that way, I know, it's just..."
"I get it." Colin assured her. "So no sex. Not unless it's what you want." He gave her a sexy grin. "There are other things..."
"That is true." She said, linking her arms around her neck and kissing him deeply.
Christa was happy with the understanding she and Collin had come to. She liked him and she liked what they had, even though she wasn't ready to take that final step.
Though, she thought as Colin pushed her back onto the bed, there were lots of other steps that she was willing to take...