Hey guys, happy new year. Tomorrow start's the first day of the new semester for me. Like I said, it's gonna be very busy but I'm gonna try and update as frequently as possible. PLEASE review. They really mean a lot to me and let me know that you guys are interested.
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Beck choked back the tequila shot, bringing the lime to his lips and sucking down the fruit's tart juices as he swallowed. Tori grimaced as he shot her a smirk.
"You gonna finish yours?" he asked her, eyeing the small shot glass in her hand. Tori looked at him and, with a quick wrist flick, shot the liquid back quickly. He watched her wipe a stray drop from her lips, and then she smiled at him.
"You want another one?" he asked her, raising his hand slightly to flag down the waitress. Tori looked at him in disbelief.
"That was our second shot," she said incredulously, as she watched him tell the waitress to bring them another, and make it a double.
"I can't even feel it yet," Beck said to her.
"You drink a lot, don't you?" Tori asked, the question meant to be innocent. She saw a look of discomfort cross Beck's eye, but he quickly hid it.
"I guess you could say I have a high tolerance," he said, shrugging it off.
"Can we at least wait until our burgers get here to do the next one?" Tori asked, picking up her glass of water and taking a long sip. It quelled the alcohol in her stomach a bit, but it didn't extinguish the fire of it running through her veins.
"Why don't you live a little?" Beck asked.
"I came to a bar on the other side of the city to eat dinner with a guy I barely know, and the first thing he does is buy me shots. I'd say I'm living. Wouldn't you?" Beck smiled, enjoying the wit as it played off her tongue.
"I can't argue with that," Beck said, "but something tells me you hold back on a lot of things." Tori was about to answer, but was interrupted by the waitress who not only brought their burgers and a second waitress who brought their shots.
"Thanks, ladies," Beck said, smiling at both of them. He turned immediately to continue his conversation with Tori, not seeing the reaction of the two girls. They had to be about the same age as she and Beck. One was blushing and the other straightened up, sticking her cleavage out slightly.
"Anything else we can get you?" the closer one, the busty one, asked. Beck turned and flashed her another smile.
"No, we're fine. Thanks ladies." His tone was friendly but dismissive. They both walked away, and Tori couldn't help but be impressed. She observed Beck as he took a bite of his burger, wiping his lip with the back of his hand sloppily. Even that action couldn't take away from his looks. He really was gorgeous. Tori took a long sip of her water, thinking about how she had never really noticed that before. Beck tapped the table, bringing her attention back to him.
"You look like you're deep in thought," he said, stuffing a fry into his mouth. "What's bothering you?" Mortified, and not willing to admit that she was analyzing how gorgeous she thought his face was, Tori took a very unladylike bite of her burger. She felt the smear of condiments on her face and felt the juice of the burger run down her chin.
"Hungry?" Beck asked, chuckling a bit. Tori put the burger down and immediately searched for a napkin. When she couldn't find one, Beck took his and reached over.
"Here, let me," he said, bringing the napkin to her mouth and wiping away the mess. Tori held still, expecting a quick swipe. Surprisingly, Beck was gentle, wiping her mouth meticulously. But the napkin slipped from his hand when he reached the messiest spot, leaving his thumb brushed against her lips. She just stared at him, feeling the weight against her mouth. For a second, they stayed like that, his thumb warmed by her breath. The spell was broken by the table next to them, one of its inhabitants dropping a glass onto the floor. Beck retracted his hand and Tori wiped her mouth with her own hand. She'd barely known him that long and yet found herself filing this moment away as another thing she chose to ignore concerning him.
"Um," Beck said, shaking his hand out as if trying to shake the moment himself, "How about that shot?"
"Yeah," Tori said, taking the double and throwing it back so quickly that it was a miracle she didn't choke. The tension of the moment between them disappeared as Beck let out a low whistle of awe.
"Wow," he said, watching as Tori's face contorted as she took a slow breath, bringing the lime to her mouth.
"Good tequila," she said, putting the glass down. Tori opened her eyes and immediately felt the head rush. Her whole body was warm, and she stretched as she felt all her muscles loosen. She shrugged her hoodie off, enjoying the cool air on her shoulders. She felt Beck's eyes on her, feeling a little self-conscious. Not knowing she was going out that night, all she'd put on for the game night at Cat and Robbie's was a simple pair of jeans with a tank top and hoodie. This tank top in question was a couple years old, making it a little tighter than she was used to. The alcohol made her stretch her arms over her head, twisting slightly to show off her stomach. She looked at him, indicating to the untouched tequila on the table.
"You gonna finish yours?" she asked, surprised at herself for the flirty, but mocking tone in her voice as she shot back his earlier question. Beck returned the smirk.
"Comedian and singer?" he asked, downing the shot, albeit slower than Tori had. He felt the effects starting on his body as well, and the tequila made him brave. He looked at Tori freely as she worked out the kinks in her muscles, taking in the slenderness of her wrists and working his way down. His eyes traveled down the nape of her neck, noticing the modest neckline of the tight tank top. It was short, her flat stomach exposed and the tan skin flattering. The table cut off his observation at the top of her jeans, but the probing continued in his mind. He shook the thought away, wondering how he had allowed his thoughts to run away with him.
"So," Tori said, breaking the silence between them. "I was thinking for our project we could look at a lot of tragedy plays and draw ideas from those." Beck shook his head.
"Where's the fun in that, though?" he asked her, continuing to eat his food. "We should just write from experience. It's always better that way." Tori, flagging down the waitress and asking her to bring a beer, could barely hold back a giggle.
"What's so funny?" Beck asked, giving the waitress an order (another shot) himself.
"What do you know about tragedy?" she asked, not unkindly, but not as gentle as a sober her would have. Beck, not one to take things personal, retorted with a question of his own.
"I feel like I should be asking YOU that, honestly," he said, finishing off his food.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tori asked, leaning forward on the table.
"You're pretty popular at school, aren't you?" he asked, not giving her a chance to answer as he continued. "I've seen some of your other work. The extra work you did on Cambridge Falls, last year? You were really good. I'm surprised acting is only your minor."
"Are you fucking stalking me?" Tori asked, but Beck ignored her and kept going.
"When you didn't show up to vocals, I thought you told them you got into a car accident. Cat was actually hyperventilating." Tori shook her head, smiling despite herself.
"Well, that's Cat for you," she said, enjoying the intensity with which he was going on with his explanation. She leaned forward a little more, knowing that her cleavage was drawing his eyes in. The alcohol could have been a magnet, the way it was drawing her to him. Beck continued, despite his wandering eyes.
"Andre worships the ground you walk on and Cat and Robbie freak out when you're not around." Beck leaned forward to meet her gaze, stopping when his face was two inches from her own. "So, Tori, why don't you tell me about tragedy?"
His last statement stung a bit, but Tori held her ground.
"I asked you first."
"But you're more afraid to answer, aren't you?" he asked, the smell of tequila so strong on his breath, and yet his eyes didn't have the glazed over look of someone who drank too much. Tori couldn't help but wonder how many experiences he had been through to have that tolerance.
"You want me to answer you?" she said, accepting his challenge. On a normal sober day, Tori would have been terrified that someone was so blatantly probing her with his eyes and trying to pull back the layers of her mind. But right now, she didn't really give a damn.
"Okay," she said, leaning her head closer, closing the gap between them. "Maybe you're right. I'm not exactly a welfare case. But tragedy? Try living with my sister. And sometimes I have nightmares all night and can't sleep."
"What do you dream about?" he asked, generally interested, caught up in the conversation. The air between them was charged.
"My ex-boyfriend or my sister tend to duke it out," Tori said, immediately regretting it when the words left her lips. But before she could pull away, Beck grabbed her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him. She just stared, his eyes asking hers a thousand questions with a glance. Her own eyes shot him a look that said it all.
I'm not telling you anything.
The spell between them was broken again, not by the sound of shattered glass, but by Beck's phone ringing.
"You're crying," he murmured, letting her face go and leaning back in his seat as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. Tori leaned back as well, frantically wiping back the few tears that she hadn't felt fall. The waitress came, dropping off their latest drink orders. Beck, frustrated by something Tori didn't know, put his phone angrily on the table and chugged his shot back in a single gulp. She sipped her beer, enjoying the break from the harsh liquor.
"What's your tragedy?" she asked him. Beck made to answer, but his phone once again rung. Before he shut it off, Tori caught a glance of the name on the caller ID. Jade.
"You've been avoiding her all night," Tori said, remembering how Beck's phone had been ringing non-stop since they first sat down two hours earlier.
"I'm aware," Beck said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. The latest text message from his girlfriend contained her typical "I'm-gonna-hunt-you-down" threat. Beck, not putting it past her to put some weird tracking app on his phone, just shut it off. He also just wanted some peace. He didn't wanna talk to her. He felt like she wouldn't take that answer lying down. So saying nothing at all would have to do.
"How long have you guys been together?" Tori asked, taking another sip of her beer.
"Two years," Beck said, taking her beer and taking a sip for himself. She let him, enjoying the feel of his fingers on hers as he took the bottle from her.
"That's a long time."
"What about you and your ex?"
"About a year," Tori said, taking back the beer and finishing it. "Maybe not even."
"What happened?"
"That's not really any of your business, is it?" Tori asked, smiling sweetly. Her tone held no malice, but the charged moments that had been happening between them all night had caused her guard to fly up. She didn't understand what was happening, but the unknown wasn't appealing to her. Beck looked thoughtful.
"No, I guess it isn't," he conceded, leaning back. "Well, were you happy?"
"Are you happy?"
"Not really your business, is it?"
They stared at each other, with both walls up now. Two could play that game, Beck thought. He found himself wanting to know his new partner, but wasn't prepared to push the issue if she was going to fight him on it. Always a hard worker, but never persistent. That was him.
One of the girls from the table next to them had made a drunken stagger to the old juke box in the corner, turning on some music. A slow melody filled the air and Tori smiled. She loved this song. She started humming, and then in a soft voice, she began to sing.
Beck listened, looking down at his hands on his lap. He didn't miss a word she said, though. He glanced up as she went into the chorus of the song, noticing her eyes were closed and that she had a serene smile on her face. It was like she had completely forgotten where she was or that he sat across from her. Her voice was incredible, and he immediately understood why she never chose to miss her vocals class. Looking back, he'd felt the same way about his acting classes in the beginning. But things changed, and now he was never in school. He admired her conviction. The song was soon over and she opened her eyes again, a happiness shining behind them.
"You can really sing," Beck said, the admiration in his eyes making a blush come to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the tequila. "You can sing, dance, and act. That's amazing."
"You're only saying that because you're drunk. And I can't dance," Tori said, motioning for the waitress to bring their check. She counted some money from her wallet and set it on the table. Beck frowned as he put his half of the bill down. He didn't want the night to end yet.
"Being drunk doesn't mean my ears or my eyes don't work," he told her, rising from his seat. "I was there when you danced in school, you know." With that he walked off, and Tori's eyes followed his retreating figure to the jukebox. Putting in money and picking a song, her ears immediately picked up the same song that she had danced to the day they met. She looked up and was immediately met with his stare, him having moved back to the table so quickly. The sudden closeness caused her to shift suddenly, and her drunken state caused her to lose her balance and slide off her bar stool.
"Whoa," Beck said as he caught her, one hand on her lower back and the other on her stomach, trying to steady her. Tori's hands were flat against his chest, feeling the body heat through the thin fabric of his shirt. That was nothing compared to the intensity of his hands, though. The fire she felt when they did their acting exercise together was nothing compared to the electricity jolt of his hands. She looked up at him, locking stares again.
"Dance for me," he whispered, voice lower, a growl in the back of his throat. Tori swallowed.
"This isn't a night club. People aren't supposed to dance here."
"Who cares what people think?" he asked, bringing his mouth closer to her ear and breathing out his request again. "Dance for me, please?"
Tori's whole body went into a sort of convulsion at his request, which only pressed her tighter into him, her hips now pressed against his own. She felt his warmth through his jeans and as she shifted, she could feel a moistness start between her own two legs. The affect he had on her was driving her crazy, and he was barely touching her. The feeling was so overwhelming that some part of her wanted to run; but the part that was dominating her right now was drunk and, while never a reckless drunk, it could never be said she wasn't adventurous. Tori raised her arms and placed them around his neck, pulling closer again.
"How about I dance with you, instead of for you?" she asked him, wriggling her hips a bit. He bit his lip but didn't say anything as he returned the movement, placing both his hands at her hips. He moved with her, feeling the music and the alcohol swirling in his blood. Tori closed her eyes and, just like that first day, let the music take her away. She wasn't dancing as wildly, because it wasn't coming from an angry place this time. This dance was slow, her movements deliberate and close. On some level, she knew her moves came from a place of primal attraction. This time was different. She'd been attracted to people before, but had never felt it to the point that some part of her felt crushed. He ran his fingers slowly up and down her spine, and Tori played with the stray hairs at the back of his neck. She opened her eyes to look at him, but once she did make the eye contact, the overwhelming feeling was enough to make a small gasp escape her throat.
As if trying to catch the sigh from her throat, Beck slowly lowered his face to her neck, feeling her pulse hammering against his lips as he placed a soft kiss there. He also heard another gasp, a deeper one this time, catch in her throat. Her hand tightened its grip on his hair. The song ended, and yet he kept his lips pressed to the pulse point, enjoying the rapid thuds against his lips. He vaguely wondered if his heart was beating like hers was.
A shrill sound filled the air, followed by an upbeat, chipmunk version of a latest radio hit. It was Trina's ringtone. It was also Tori's instant transport back to reality. Realizing the position she was in, she gently pulled her hands back from his neck and pushed him away, steadying herself as she felt the slight wobble in her step. Beck also stepped back quickly, feeling the cold from his own reality check and her sudden lack of contact setting in. Not stopping to look at him, Tori turned around and walked outside, answering her phone as she went.
"Trina?" Tori asked, hearing music in the background.
"Tori," Trina said, a slight sniffle in her voice. "Where are you?" Tori looked around, seeing the streetlights and the random cars. She honestly had no idea where she was.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked, not missing the sniffle. She heard the unflattering sound of Trina sniffing and swallowing the mucus from her nose. She only did that when she was very drunk. Even when inebriated, her sister cared about her image.
"Where are you, Trina?" Tori asked, walking back toward the bar and the cabs that were across the street from it.
"I'm on La Brea," Trina said, the music in the background getting a little stronger. "Are you coming to get me?"
Trina falling back into the damsel in distress routine told Tori that their fight was officially over. Even though she knew it was going to be an extra long night considering she was also drunk, she didn't care. Not only was she happy that her sister and her were going to be back to normal, she had been given the perfect excuse to run. She was still hot from her encounter with the boy she had left suddenly inside the bar, and she didn't like how it was overtaking her. She just wanted to put as much distance between him and her as possible.
Tori got into the cab, making a mental note to ask Trina to take her to pick up her car tomorrow.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"La Brea," Tori replied as she put the window down, craving the crisp night air. As she did, she saw Beck emerge from the bar slowly, running his hands through his hair as he looked side to side. His eyes locked with her instantly. He didn't seem to be surprised that she was running, and as the cab pulled away, Tori wondered if that was a bad thing or not.
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Hi guys! I hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think. It would really make my day! Thanks :0)
Oh and Kiribati: To answer your question, I'm honestly not sure yet.