#para25

Rachel absently taps her fingernail against her glass of Sauvignon Blanc as she listens to Santana bitch about the latest case she's been working on. It's not that she's not listening exactly. (She's kind of not.) It's just that her mind is on the thing she really wants to say but hasn't found the right moment to say yet.

It's Wednesday evening, and she's sharing a holiday dinner with friends after wrapping up a mildly unproductive day at her workshop. It's not exactly a holiday, but Brittany has it in her head that she needs to celebrate Holocaust Remembrance Day with Rachel because Rachel is her closest Jewish friend. It's very weird and more than a little inappropriate, but sometimes it's just easier to not argue with Brittany about these things, and at least Rachel hadn't needed to worry about dinner today. Brittany may be a lot of things, but she usually manages to remember that Rachel doesn't eat meat. (It only took about six years.)

The spaghetti aglio e olio is excellent. (Santana had paired hers with a side of steak.)

The black streamers hanging around the apartment and the candles arranged in a Star of David are less excellent, but Rachel is ignoring them like a pro.

Quinn had been wise to politely decline her own invitation, although she'd also had the excuse of working extra hours to get one of the books that she's currently managing to press on time. Coming into the city on a Wednesday night during the evening commute just to spend an hour or two with their friends - because they are their friends again - before heading right back home just really isn't worth it.

"Are we having a high school flashback to your laryngitis episode?" Santana's annoyed voice finally cuts in, drawing Rachel's attention back from her musings. "Are you gonna sing 'The Climb' again?"

Rachel responds with an inelegant, "Huh?"

Santana rolls her eyes. "I asked if Henrietta Hayseed is still giving you lip. "Cause I'll go Lima Heights on her hick ass if you want." Her lips curl into an evil smirk. "It'll help me blow off some steam."

Rachel shakes her head. "Her name is Helena, and no." Although she does appreciate Santana's offer to dispose of her professional rivals for her, even if she does have ulterior motives. They truly have come a long way since high school. "She made the mistake of calling Kevin a hack so they cut her." And really, why a twenty year old actress who's only been in the chorus of an off-Broadway production would be so bold to an up-and-coming composer who'd plucked her from anonymity for his workshop is beyond Rachel. "We're currently down a Ruth again," and it may be partially Rachel's fault that they're having so much trouble casting the character since they'd wanted her for the part until she'd sung her way into Idgie instead, "and I spent a very unproductive day today trying to convince them to cast Stephanie in the part."

Her friend is currently unemployed, and Rachel would love to work with her again, and she trusts Stephanie to not stab her in the back for the better solo.

Santana's brows furrow over a frown. "Why unproductive? You two have mad chemistry."

Brittany nods in agreement. "I totally shipped you with her in your last show."

That apparently was a thing that happened a lot, though, really, it was Andy and Emily they shipped. "Which is apparently why they're reluctant," Rachel relays with a rueful smile. "They don't want anyone making comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada."

"Please, there's no comparison," Santana scoffs, sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed. "If your thing makes it to the stage, it's gonna be such a downer."

Rachel glares at her, crossing her own arms. "That's awfully judgy of you, Santana. The full book and score aren't even finished yet."

"The book is already a book, Berry," Santana reminds her testily. "The bisexual marries a dude, gets abused, then dies, and her lesbian lover ends up raising her kid alone."

Rachel huffs, fully offended by the oversimplification of the plot, and flails a hand in her direction. "That's not…you know what? You have no appreciation for nuanced drama."

"What I have no appreciation for is dead sapphics," Santana bitches haughtily. Rachel continues to pout at her, hoping that's not really a thing that might keep other women-loving-women away from her show. "Oh, chill out," her friend finally says, shaking her head. "I'll still come see your show anyway, along with all our friends, and it's not like Fabray won't show up a few dozen times with her pom-poms to cheer you on."

The mention of Quinn brings an instant smile to Rachel's face, even as Brittany asks, "We can do that? I'm totally bringing my pom-poms next time we go to a show," she tells her wife, eyes lighting up with excitement. "Oh…can I wear my uniform too?"

Santana's complexion grows a little ruddy, and Rachel feels her smile turn bemused. "You still have that?"

Brittany nods happily. "Yeah, San likes it when I…"

"Britt, babe," Santana cuts in hastily. "How about we keep that for the bedroom, huh?"

"Sure," Brittany agrees with a shrug before turning her attention back to Rachel "Do you and Quinn play with her Flight Crew uniform in the bedroom too?"

Rachel feels her own face heat, and her eyes dart away self-consciously. "The team generally frowns on that." But what they don't know won't hurt anyone.

"Oh, you totally do," Santana accuses around devilish laughter. "God, a year later, and you're still so gross about her."

Rachel's smile is back in force, because, "I love her." And this feels like precisely the opening she's been waiting for. "In fact, we've recently decided to take our relationship to the next level."

Brittany gasps in delight, blue eyes wide. "You're getting married!" She bounces in her seat, clapping, "Yay!"

"No. No," Rachel denies, reaching a palm across the table towards Brittany in an attempt to calm her excitement and not failing to notice that Santana's expression doesn't match her wife's at all. "We're not quite at that level yet." She hopes they will be one day, and her smile widens. "But we are moving in together."

Brittany's excitement dims only marginally. "Yay for that too."

But Santana -

"You're not serious," she growls around an incredulous expression.

Rachel feels her smile waver slightly. "I am. Her roommate, Kaitlyn, just got engaged, and she's moving in with her fiancé in two months, so I asked Quinn to move in with me."

She's still incredibly excited about it, though she and Quinn haven't made any decisions about the when or where or how of it beyond the momentous decision to do it at all. They'd admittedly gotten a little carried away with the celebration of that momentous decision, but they still have two months to pull it all together, and Rachel has a perfectly good apartment that Quinn can move into if they don't find something to both of their likings (and price points) before then.

Santana plants her palms on the table in front of her and leans forward. "Are you out of your Broadway loving mind?"

Brittany instantly leans into her, hand on her arm. "Santana, baby. We're cool with Quinn again, remember?"

"No, I'm cool with the dating thing," Santana dismisses sharply. "But living together is something else entirely."

"The dating thing?" Rachel repeats crossly, quickly growing irritated with Santana's antagonistic attitude. "We're in a committed, loving relationship, Santana." Which she knows very well, and Rachel points an accusatory finger at her. "Where is this even coming from? You forgave Quinn months ago. You're even friends again. Well, almost," she amends with a frown. "What passes for friendship with the two of you anyway." The snark and occasional digs about their unfortunate shared past are more affection than animosity these days.

Santana puffs out an agitated breath and drags a hand through her hair. "I have forgiven her, okay. I get it. I was a bitch when I found out she was back in your life, but I gave her a chance, and I get that she's changed." Her expression turns remorseful. "I see how happy you are with her, Rachel."

All of Rachel's righteous anger fades into confusion. "Then I don't understand why you're not happy for me."

Santana purses her lips. "She's had Kaitlyn all this time, keeping an eye on her and making sure she doesn't flip her shit again. And now, all of a sudden, it's just gonna be you?"

Okay, the righteous anger is back again. "You don't think I can deal with one of her episodes? God, Santana. We've been together for almost a year now. I've been through episodes with her before."

Santana nods in acknowledgment, but she doesn't look happy about it. "Not that many though. I mean, I guess you've been handling it well enough so far, but you've never needed to do it by yourself. You've always had Kaitlyn there to take the lead."

"I can take care of my girlfriend, Santana," she defends hotly, not liking the implication. So what if Kaitlyn has been looking out for Quinn too. "I'm not a child who needs to be told what to do."

"No." Santana flings her hands up in frustration. "You're a fucking Broadway star who's barely home when you're doing a show," she points out in exasperation. "I know you had a nice little honeymoon phase with Q after you took your last bow as Andy, but you just made this brand new commitment to Fried Green Tomatoes. You're already spending long, unpredictable hours in your workshop. What's gonna happen if it goes into production for real and you're gone all afternoon and night and Quinn starts spiraling all alone in your apartment?" The picture Santana is painting isn't one that Rachel wants to see, and she really wishes her friend would stop talking now, but of course she doesn't. "You're gonna get home at two in the morning and walk into a manic Quinn Fabray bouncing off your walls or worse." She points a finger at Rachel, frowning deeply. "Are you really ready for what that's gonna be like? What it could mean for Quinn?"

Santana's entire posture is begging Rachel to hear her and understand why she's concerned, and Rachel hates so very much that she does, but she stiffens her spine and digs in her heels. "I know what could happen, Santana." She's seen Quinn through some pretty bad moments, and she's all too aware that there could be worse ones ahead. "But I know that Quinn and I can get through anything as long as we're together."

Santana sags back in her chair, looking frustrated. "You're still such a hopeless fuckin' romantic."

"San," Brittany coos softly, rubbing her arm.

Santana sighs in resignation. "I know I'm not gonna change your mind, Rachel. But please, for both your sakes, make sure you know exactly what you're signing up for here before you commit to this," she pleads, her tone uncommonly soft with concern. "And, for god sake, be honest with yourself about whether you can really handle it."

Beneath the table, Rachel clenches her hands into fists. "I can handle it."

She can.

"I have faith in you, Rach," Brittany assures her with a gentle smile. "You and Quinn belong together."

Rachel exhales in an attempt to release some of the tension she's now carrying thanks to Santana's unwelcome warning, and she forces a faint smile of her own. "Thank you, Brittany."

"Yeah, congrats, whatever," Santana mutters, pushing up from the table. "I'm gonna grab another beer." And then she disappears into the kitchen.

Brittany stares after her wife with a frown before she turns back to Rachel with a sympathetic expression. "Santana's just worried about both of you. Living with someone is kind of a big change to make, and, like, moving is always super stressful anyway."

Tension coils in Rachel's stomach all over again at the needless reminder. BIg changes aren't exactly great for Quinn. But she nods and says, "I know."

She does.

Rachel has absolutely no doubts about her decision whatsoever; no matter what disasters Santana imagines could happen.

Yours days will get better.

These words had been promised to Parker during her first therapy session, a session that she had been dragged to against her will. Not kicking and screaming as was the norm but with labored breathing and the look of a caged animal, as she twisted defiantly in Sofia's hands, searching for Shade in the crowd. The last thing she wanted to do was lose her one place of solitude so shortly after finding it again. Shade hadn't been allowed in the room though, nor had Sofia for that matter.  Only Parker and one of Santana's revolving therapists had remained.

The therapist had sat calmly at his table as he initiated the session, speaking in tones that were supposed to be soothing and inviting but they did nothing to alleviate her stress at being left alone. Parker cowered under the gaze of the stranger, practically hugging the door and whispering the names of her loved ones in hopes that someone would join her, terrified that she was about to be taken once more. Her counselor at her 'fellowship orientation' had seemed friendly as well and that blind trust had led to her being kidnapped for months. Had led to her being tortured for months.

She didn't cave.

Her session had ended without Parker uttering one word to the therapist, her only words falling upon the hard surface of the door. She had come back the following week though. What else was she supposed to do? Sofia promised that it would help to ease some of the trauma from her kidnapping and there was nothing else Parker had to rely on to accomplish that. In theory, she knew that she couldn't spend the rest of her life clinging to Shade in fear and so she continued to attend the therapy sessions, saying nothing each time, up until the time that the therapist uttered the words, “Everything in life happens for a reason. This happened to you for a reason, Parker.”

It had been at that moment that Parker had stood, wordless as she always been during their sessions, and walked out the door without a backwards glance. This therapist, she assured Sofia, was not going to work.

Despite leaving the therapist, his words in their initial session eventually rang true. Things did get better. If only minutely.

Sofia persisted in finding a therapist that would work and they went through a revolving door of practitioners. Parker found reasons to leave almost all of them after a session or two; those who mentioned God or any kind of karmic bullshit were immediately abandoned, if there were hygiene problems in the way of stench then they were of no use to her, if they were too young or too old then she would claim that she didn't feel as though they were qualified, and in one case, the therapist had reminded her of the woman who had dealt out her torture sessions. Shade had ran into the office immediately during that one, leading her away as her panicked cries filled the building of the office.

Eventually though, there was one that clicked. One that didn't claim the events in Parker's life were part of some larger cosmic plan and after four sessions, she actually spoke to the woman. Nothing major was said but it was more progress than anyone else had made and so Zariah Morton became her official shrink and Parker made small steps towards becoming human again. Zariah assigned her 'homework,' telling Parker to do things that had given her joy prior to her abduction.

What she meant was: spend some time rock climbing or hanging around in trees or making puns with Riley or playing Mario Kart with the whole squad, letting her competitive steak run wild with her friends.

Parker had other things in mind.

She slept; more than she ever had, only waking when her nightmares became too much to handle. Shade helped, of course, but he could only do so much and he needed sleep as well. She no longer woke screaming from the nightmares of what her death visions had shown her but, rather, she woke in silent terror in the memory of her time away, mouth wide and gaping, panting for breath while tears streamed down her face until Shade soothed her back into a dreamless sleep.

For the most part, they didn't talk about what had happened to her. Talking had never been their way of solving issues and when it one day came out that, in his attempts to rescue her, that he maybe might have killed a man, they left the story at that. There was no pondering the unknown man's fate and Parker didn't even venture to suggest that he join her in therapy. Instead, she packed a bowl as high as she could with a special strand of pot that Caro had created specifically for Parker's now never-ending anxiety; cotton candy kush, with its pretty pink and purple veined buds, was perfect to calm her nerves. She'd taken a hit and quietly passed the bowl over to Shade. They'd passed the bowl back and forth without a word, before sliding into bed, both of them shivering despite the warmth of Shade's apartment. From that night on, they had shared the weed silently,  never talking about why they needed it with each other but also never going without it.

And things did get better. Slowly, Parker stopped cringing away in fear whenever a stranger would come near her on the street and she eventually started allowing people back into her life, only closing herself off when they asked about the attack. It was something that she never wanted to talk about, for fear that that would become her reality again if she were to mention it. She started learning events that had happened during her time away, such as Sofia and Riley's break up, or Caro's research on something that she didn't understand but sounded exciting anyways. Sometimes she would forget facts or space out completely on whatever she was doing or be brought back to her time in the tiny, cramped basement room that she had been held in. There were times when it was impossible to get any reaction out of her at all and other times when she would start crying, breathing in panicky gulps of air for no reason, before the tears would cut off automatically, like a switch had been thrown, and Parker would continue on with whatever she had been doing, as though she hadn't been in hysterics seconds prior.

Andrea had taken the liberty of dragging Christian around London with her - she'd been wanting to see all the tourist attractions, and since her cousin had just gotten here she figured it would be a good opportunity to drag him around. She'd gotten them tickets for a tour on one of the buses, and while it didn't allow much time for them to really ​explore​ they could do that another day, since Andrea had worked and it was getting a little late. The city was gorgeous at twilight, and Andrea might've been a little engrossed in the way the sky was turning purple instead of paying attention to th me tour or her cousin. She just kept sipping at her soda, staring out the side of the bus as the sun dipped behind a building, her mind completely somewhere else.

Christian: wanted to explore London, he really did but he thought he'd be doing it on his on time and alone because he just likes doing things on his own sometimes. But of course it was like Andrea could read his mind and next thing he knew he was being dragged on some tour around the place going to all the obvious places but not really because eventually it was getting late. But he still listened, taking mental notes of certain things like what places are best to eat and how to get to one place to the other. He got bored though, after a while and pulled his phone out, opening snapchat and holding the phone up so he could get his cousin in on the frame. "Hey, Andy, pay attention." he grinned, hoping she'd turn around so he could catch her off guard.

Andrea blinked, her attention being brought back by Christan's voice. She took another sip of her soda, staring at the sky for another moment before turning to him and - "Ugh, no." she groaned, putting her hand up to cover her face and turning away again. "Seriously? You can't snapchat when I don't look exhausted?" she asked, even though she really wasn't as irritated as she sounded. Honestly, she was happy he was here; she was tired of doing things by herself.

Christian: took the picture the moment she turned around to look at him. She came out blurry and it made him laugh as he brought his phone back down, adding a caption and sending it to his story, only for five seconds though, he isn't ​that​ cruel as to keep it up for longer. "You always look exhausted." hummed Christian, ignoring a few snapchats that came in for him and shoved his phone back in the pouch of his Adidas sweater. He slumped back in his seat, looking around at the buildings they were passing before rolling his head to the side, "What are you thinking about? You were hardly paying attention - which isn't surprising but still."

Andrea scrunched her nose up; she wasn't really going to argue with him on that, she probably did look exhausted all the time either way. She shifted around so that she was actually sitting forward, slouching back and looking at him, fixing a stray hair on his head. "A lot of stuff. Don't worry about it." she didn't really feel like talking about the whole ordeal with Evan- at least not right now. She was always whining to him about something and she thought maybe she should stop, at least for tonight. The bus finally stopped then, and Andrea waiting for everyone else to file out before standing up to follow, hopping off and looking around. Okay... she has no idea where they are.

Christian: shrugged, not believing her one bit but didn't question her further. Of course, he'll eventually ask her again because he's a naturally curious person and whereas he likes to say that Andrea has no life or is as boring as brick, she actually always has some fucked up thing to talk about. Christian doesn't know if it makes him a bad person finding her stories entertaining. Maybe it does. Does he care? Not really. Of course, it won't stop him from breaking phones again if he has to. He trailed after her, shoving his hands in his pouch and hopped off the bus. Right, he guesses that's that and they'll head back to campus. He turned to look at Andrea expectantly, waiting for her to lead the way when he saW her expression and no. "You do know where we are, right?" he asked cautiously.

Andrea pursed her lips in thought, chewing at her lip and looking around for anything she might find familiar. She found it vaguely familiar, but definitely not enough to know where the heck they were supposed to be going. She could just hail a cab and tell it to take them back, but she sees a bar right around the corner and well - drinking sounded way more fun than going back to school. "I have no idea where we are, but wanna get a drink?" she tilted her head in the direction of the bar across the street, where people were just starting to go in since the night was young.

Christian: sighed, of course Andrea didn't know where they were. And she's been here way longer than him. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around, the street lights we're beginning to turn on and there seemed to be more and more people coming out. "What?" he asked, looking back over at her and then he glanced over her shoulder at the bar she was talking about. "You serious?" he asked, he shifted around, part of him actually just wanted to walk around but the other part of him wanted to go drink and ​wait​ he can legally buy a drink now. "Alright, yeah, let's go." he grinned, already pushing past her, "Sometimes you do have good ideas."

Andrea nodded, chewing at her lip and waiting for his response. It didn't seem to take him long to decide, something seemed to click in his head and he was all gung-ho for it and it wasn't as if Andrea was going to deny him, even if he did seem a little too excited. Then she remembered that he could actually ​legally​ drink here; she'd just suggested it without thinking. She was definitely going to have to get him some free drinks. She grabbed his arm so he wouldn't get lost in the night-crowd without her - not that he needed her help, but she'd still probably flip if she lost sight of him - and pulled her wallet out of her purse, flashing her ID at the bouncer and waiting for Chris to do the same before going in. Even though the night was young, it was still a summer weekend so the bar was pretty full. It was a relatively young crowd too (Andrea must know how to pick 'em), and the groups of girls out on girls' night were ​already​ whispering and staring at Christian or glaring at her. ​Gross​. "Which group do you like better?" she asked, leaning close to him so no one would hear her.

Christian: put his ID back in his wallet when they went inside, it was a bit stuffy considering the amount of people inside and he hopes they can sit down so he can take his hoodie off soon. But first, a quick scan of the place. It was a typical bar, not that he's been too many considering back home he can't actually get into bars and he lost his fake ID during the beginning of summer at some club and it would have taken him ages to get another one so instead he just had one of his older cousins buy him beer and alcohol whenever a party was thrown. He blinked and looked over to some of the groups Andrea mentioned and this place was filled with girls. "Is it martini night or something?" but nonetheless he raised his eyebrows, a small smirk tugging the corner of his lips. "The one on the far right, two of them seem to swing multiple ways so you don't feel left out." he could tell by how they seemed to be ignoring or politely declining guys who went up to them to buy them drinks and he doesn't think they're taken or else they wouldn't have dressed like they did and if he looks over to the bar, behind on the wall was a rainbow flag so safe place. Christian tended to be very observant.

Andrea shrugged her shoulders - she had no idea when martini night was, but she wished she did so she could do it herself. Did she even have enough girl friends to go out and do something like that? She thinks herself and Jaxson were a handful enough to go out and drink together. She glanced over to the table he'd gestured to, flushing immediately and turning away from him, going the exact opposite direction of the table he'd indicated. "I don't know what you're talking about." she waved him off as she neared a table that was mostly staring at Christian and not glaring at her - it seemed as though the guys had decided to occupy the bar and the tables were occupied by the girls, except for the few exceptions here and there. They seemed kind of startled that she was there, and she just leaned on the table giving them a friendly smile. "Hey, uh." the hesitation was more to appear kind of coy rather than because she didn't know what to say. She talked to them for a bit, and once she'd gotten the conversation going she turned to point at Christian. The group of girls giggled, and then two of them got out of their seats to go introduce themselves to him. She talked to the other girls for a while though, trying to be friendly so she wouldn't seem as lame as she knew she was.

Christian: scrunched up his eyebrows when Andrea went the opposite way of where they were supposed to go. Or well, where he wanted to go. He let her go off though and then headed straight for the bar, pulling his wallet out to buy a drink. His ​first​ legal drink and he's definitely snapchatting it to his friends back home to rub it in their faces. He ordered himself a Surfer on Acid -- basically coconut rum , Jagermeirster and pineapple juice which isn't his usual but he found the name hilarious. They didn't even ask to ID him and he's liking this place more and more (in your face Berkeley). The moment he hit send on his snap two girls walked up to him which alright but he looked up and nope, this was Andrea's doing. He still smiled though, giving him his most charming smile as they gave him names he'll probably forget the moment they left. He talked both of them all, telling them what pretty smiles they had and how they probably didn't need makeup, etc anything to have them squirming in his seat and offer ​him​ drinks. Of course, after a while he got bored, they were too much a like -- lack of confidence, try-hards, attention seekers basically and whereas any other day he would have hooked up with one or both he just got here and there's a lot of girls here but. He excused himself, deciding to do Andrea a...favor or sorts. He walked over to one of the girls he mentioned earlier could swing her way (that way). "Um, hi, you don't know and I don't know you but could you do me a favor?" he asked the pretty brunette with freckles across her cheeks and she raised her eyebrows, "...what?" Hesitation and giving him a look that says not interested, she's the one. "See that girl over there? The one with the baby face and blonde hair? She thinks you're cute and would like to buy you a drink." he smiled and while she looked over he pulled out his phone to give Andy a heads up 'hope you have $$$ on u' and shoved it away when she turned to look at him, a small smile on her lips as she stood up. Chris sat back for a bit, waiting to see what happens.

Andrea had been standing there at the girls' table, talking and declining ever time they asked her if she wanted some of their beer because she wanted a margarita and having beer before liquor was always a bad idea. She'd just been getting into a serious conversation about Zayn leaving One Direction when her phone buzzed in her pocket with the text from Christian. She turned to look at him curiously but then she noticed the girl walking away from Chris and towards ​her​ and ​oh no​. This could not happen or her dad would absolutely flip. How would he even know? No, this couldn't happen. She flushed as the girl came up to her, shaking the hand the girl had offered her and fidgeting nervously. It's been over a year since she's openly hit on any girls and it was making her feel nauseous. ​She's going to kill Christian.​ The girl asked her if she wanted a drink and Andrea nodded dumbly, fidgeting with her phone until the girl walked away before typing a furious text back to him. '​im gonna burn all ur condoms !! ur such a dick !!​' She glared at him pointedly as it sent before going to join the girl at the bar, because she couldn't very well abandon her after she'd stupidly agreed to let the girl buy her a drink.

Christian: pulled out his phone when it buzzed, almost cackling in delight when he saw what Andrea sent him. He looked up and gave her two thumbs up. Andrea wasn't exactly the most subtle when it came to her finding someone attractive, at least what he remembers from parties they've been at together. He pocketed his phone back, finishing up his drink before looking around, eyes zeroed in on this girl in one of the back booths. He thinks he'll have her up and having a drink with him at the bar in about less than ten minutes, she seems the type. He didn't know whether Andrea went with the girl but he hopes she did because from what he's gathered every guy she's around tends to be a fuck up, maybe it was different with girls.

Andrea It took Andrea a good while to warm up to the girl, mostly because it was making her anxious and this girl was cute but she kept thinking about her dad which was making things weird and also made her want to run away. But once the girl was about to walk away Andrea stopped her, explaining that she was still trying to get comfortable with herself and ​dad doesn't approve​ and the girl seemed to get it. Sam, the girl had introduced herself as. After that things seemed to have loosened up a little, even though Andrea still couldn't stop thinking about her dad. She glanced around, looking to make sure Christian was still around after a while, and once she'd spotted him she turned her attention back to Sam. She was on her second drink, and how tense she felt made her want to drink more, but someone had to be sober enough to get her and Christian back to campus in one piece and she wasn't going to limit the first time he was able to legally drink.

Christian: didn't take long to convince the girl - Liz - to have a drink with him. It took a small compliment or three to have her twirl her hair and follow him to the stools where he got her a drink and himself another and those slowly turned to more. By the time he was on his fifth drink he was already a little more loud and scandalous whereas Liz was giggly and placing her hand on his arm and leaning into him and Christian could totally kiss her if he wants, she looks willing enough and why the hell not? It wouldn't be a night if he didn't kiss at least one pretty girl. But that's all he did and left it at that because he's here with his cousin and their both lost and if he was out with the guys then maybe he'd head to the stalls with Liz behind him but he's not and he isn't that much of a jerk, at least not to Andrea. Which he got Liz's number which he won't be needing but took it anyways and then went to find Andrea because he wants to know whether she stopped being a pussy and flirted or is at least having a good time with the nice girl he sent her way.

Andrea had had four drinks by the time Chris came over to talk to her - she'd been having a really deep conversation with Sam about Game of Thrones, and over the past couple drinks they'd both managed to be shoulder to shoulder as they talked. Sam hadn't made a move on Andrea, and Andrea hadn't made a move on her out of anxiety, but it was nice. She was sipping on a Shirley Temple, deciding to give the alcohol a break, when Christian made his way over. She might've been annoyed, if she wasn't so nervous, but he'd actually ​stopped​ flirting with the girl with the obnoxious laugh to come talk to her. "Sorry, just a minute." she muttered to Sam, twirling in her chair so she could greet Chris, reaching out to him. "How're you enjoying yourself, mini-me?" she asked, offering him a sip of her soda.

Christian: was already a little buzzed and found everything a bit more amusing than he usually would have. The closer he got to Andrea the more he noticed that freckles and her were just talking. Talking. Christian would roll his eyes but -- actually nothing's stopping him from doing that so he did, he rolled his eyes when Andrea turned to talk to him, one for being her and two because of that God-awful nickname she keeps using. "Andy, have you ever heard of the saying 'shut up and kiss me' well I'm gonna change it, ​shut up and kiss her​." he hissed, of course maybe he should be more considerate of how Andrea feels about it but he's not because it's ​him​, "Grow a pair now I'm gonna go over ​there​." While he had been looking at Andrea his gaze had drifted to two girls at the other end of the bar who were just waiting to get chatted up, he took his drink with him not even bothering to say bye to her.

Andrea blinked in surprise, her face flushing in embarrassment because maybe he ​thought​ he was being quiet and helpful but he really wasn't. She sputtered, not knowing what to say as he walked away from her. If she hadn't been completely used to him embarrassing her and being an ass to her all the time she might have gotten out of her chair and gone home, but Sam was grabbing her arm and telling her it was okay and Andrea did nothing but sip more of her soda as she turned back around to continue conversing with the other girl. To even ​think​ about kissing Sam she needed another drink, so she did just that, telling herself that if she wasn't brave enough after this one then she just needed to stop or else she'd get way too smashed.

Christian: didn't check up on Andrea again. In fact he was definitely drunk now only he could still stand his ground and form some coherent sentences, not that he even needed to because he was to preoccupied making out with a girl to talk. He doesn't even remember how he got to that point, he remembers talking to two girls and then a different one and next thing he knew a girl had her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Fuck, he thought suddenly realizing, is she even pretty? He hopes so because she's a good kisser and if not he would regret this night forever and make sure no one knew it happened. "What the ​hell​?" he heard a girl's voice screech next to them which caused him to pull back and well he could say the same thing for being interrupted. He looked behind him and there stood a blue-haired girl, her fists curled up at her sides and angry expression all over her face. "Oh shit." Christian glanced back to his entertainment and phew she's cute, caramel skin and curly black hair with nice green eyes, he patted himself mentally on his back. "I cannot believe you!" blue-haired basically shouted in his ear even though the remark was headed towards green-eyes. "Listen, I can explain." And Christian maybe drunk but he can put two and two together and he just made out with a taken girl. Nice. He stepped back, wanting no part of this and left without saying anything because no thanks, those two aren't going to kill his vibe.

Andrea had loosened up a little more after her last drink, and then Sam had asked if she wanted to dance. Since it was a bar there wasn't a lot of people dancing; just some people that were the ​I'm drunk and want to dance​ types that were too plastered to relocate to a club. But it looked like they were having fun so Andrea accepted the offer and danced with Sam, at first hesitant but after Sam's gentle hand settled on her waist she was kind of completely gone for it. And after grinding for a few minutes (front to back grinding had quickly turned to front to front) Andrea was getting more and more flustered - but who was here to even know what she was up to? Christian? As if he really cared what she was up to. She moved in to kiss Sam, and then Sam kissed her back and ​she'd really missed making out with girls​. They both pulled away at the sound of shouting, and Andrea glanced over Sam's shoulder to see some drama between Christian and some other two girls. One of the girls seemed to be mad at the other, and Andrea could pretty easily guess what had happened. She grabbed Sam's hand, and pulled her over to where Christian had fled to. "Hey..." should she offer to relocate? She could kind of go for a club; she really felt like dancing. But she'd do whatever Christian wanted to do.

Christian: had wondered off back to the bar, he knew he had a drink on him that he didn't finish but he left it back with the blue-hair and green-eyes. So the only thing to do now was get another drink and find someone else to talk to, preferably someone single so he doesn't go through another episode of ​that​. If he was back home he thinks this would be the part where they (his friends) get in the back of a pickup truck to head to the next party a street over or do something stupid that ends up on Instagram or someone's 200 second story on snapchat story. He spun around, nearly dropping his new drink when he heard Andrea's voice. "Hey yourself." he mumbled and he noticed she brought Freckles with her and his eyes trailed down to their hands and, "Took ya long enough." He looked down at his drink, Jack on the Rocks, with a frown. "Yanno, there's something missing." he slurred, wrinkling his nose while he took a sip, "I forgot what Raymond put in these to make it better, fuck -- a splash of Buchanans? No, that's gross, would call him but he's probably to busy fucking Alan's mom." Raymond and Alan were some of Christian's closest friends and he might've just let a secret slip but he's a bit to drunk to even realize.

Andrea glared at Christian halfheartedly, and Sam squeezed her hand in reassurance. Maybe she could talk to Sam about how much of an asshole her cousin is; she'd probably get it. She tilted her head to the side, taking the glass from his hands to take a whiff and - of course it's Jack. She wrinkled her nose, handing it back with a grimace. "Yeah, less Jack and more anything else." she held Sam's hand in both of hers, giving Christian her best puppydog eyes. "We kind of wanted to go to a club? Come with us?" she smiled, then what he'd said had processed through her head. Was he joking? It didn't look like he was joking. "Um, gross. I bet Alan would puke." something way worse than spilling your own secrets was spilling someone else's; she's going to hold that over Christian's head for a while.

Christian: was practically downing his drink, not paying much mind to Andrea because well, there's not such thing as ​less​ Jack. Of course, the moment she said club he perked up a bit, the vibe in the bar was kind of mostly chill and there's only so many people you could talk to before rotating between them. "Alright, I'm down." he shrugged and set his glass down back on the counter. He's never been so thankful that practice isn't in the morning tomorrow but instead during the afternoon, he should be good by then if he gets completely smashed. "Why would Alan puke?" he furrowed his eyebrows, confused and shrugged, forgetting what he had let slip almost two minutes ago. He pushed past them, "Right, what way is it?"

Andrea nudged Sam so that she'd lead the way, and Andrea watched as Christian as he walked out of the bar, obviously ready to leave and go do something else (or someone else). She followed after Sam, grabbing Christian's arm as she followed the other girl down the street, intent on everything she was babbling to Andrea about. The club was just down the street, and it seemed like Sam went there often because the bouncer let them right in even though there was a line. The club was loud with the noise of remixed pop music and chatter, and Andrea turned to look at Christian. "If you need me I'll be dancing!" she shouted at him over the music as Sam tugged her deeper into the crowd of people.

Christian: waved Andrea off when they arrived, his way of telling her that alright, he'll go find her if he really needs her because right now he felt fuzzy and he could feel the music pounding in his chest and he decided to grab a drink and see what other pretty girls London has to offer. He should probably cut down though, he doesn't want to go around making a drunken fool of himself, at least not tonight. A couple of minutes later, drink in hand, he started conversing with a girl sitting by herself on one of the small booths near the dancefloor, apparently her date never showed up and Christian took this as an opportunity to comfort a girl in distress. Few minutes after telling her that her date is a jerk and that she's too pretty to be this upset and offering to get her a drink he demeanor was finally changing. She became more open and suddenly more flirty and next thing he knew she was laughing at his dumb go-to jokes. Then he he had her pressed up against the wall near the restrooms with his mouth latched to her neck and her hands in his hair. Coming here is definitely the best choice he's made, hands down. He'll make sure to write Andrea a thank-you card for getting them lost.

Andrea had been dancing for what felt like forever, and she's really glad she'd foregone heels today because she knows her feet would definitely hurt by now. Sam had gotten them both another drink and she'd been sipping on it for a while, ignoring the way Sam's hand was trailing up and down her thigh and how it was making her squirm. Halfway done with her drink she went to set it down, grabbing Sam's arm and tugging her toward the bathrooms. Which seemed like a good idea until she saw Christian who apparently hadn't even ​waited​ to lock himself into a stall to go at it. She backed away into Sam, both of them stumbling and giggling as Andrea pretended to gag - which seemed like a good idea until her stomach wretched and she felt like she was ​actually​ going to throw up. "Go go go." she pushed Sam away from the bathrooms, because there was no way she could get busy with Sam after practically walking in on Christian. They took the opportunity to get Andrea some water, since she still felt like she might throw up and the last thing she wanted to do was puke on Sam.

Christian: It wasn't long before hands started wandering between him and Sophia (which he found out between kissing was her name) and then they pretty much detached themselves from the wall and stumbled into an empty stall and his hands had been traveling behind her thighs so he could pick her up and press her against the door but then she spun them around, switching their places and sunk to her knees. That had to be one of the best drunken blowjobs he's gotten and after he helped her out, he finally walked out of the stalls pulling his zipper up and headed out the restroom. She followed him out but once they made it back they went their own ways but not before she kissed him and walked off. Which was good, he didn't need a clingy lay. He made his way back to the bar, maybe he'll ask for water now and tone it down before he gets a major migraine the next day. Which he will anyways.

Andrea was sipping away at her water bottle carefully, having gone out to the back alley with Sam so the other girl could smoke a cigarette. Cigarette's made her think about Spike, and Evan, which had her stomach twisting in knots - which she hadn't really thought about until she was outside and able to smell the smoke. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned over, trying to will herself not to puke as Sam asked if she was feeling alright. Andrea shook her head, afraid to open her mouth, but it was pointless because she was bracing herself against the wall and puking right onto her pair of rip-off Vans she'd gotten from Target. Sam was nice enough to hold her hair back, and after Andrea had stopped upchucking her drinks she slipped out of her shoes, carefully stepping away from the gross splatter on the ground. "Shit, want some gum?" Sam offered, digging into her pocket. Andrea sipped at her water, swishing it around her mouth before spitting it out away from her before nodding, gratefully taking the minty gum from Sam and chewing at it. "Come on, let's get your cousin and get you guys back." Sam gently pried Andrea away from her place in the middle of the alley, pulling her back inside and searching around for Christian until finally they found him at the bar. "Are you ready to go? I think she's done for the night." Sam asked him over the music, stumbling slightly when Andrea rested all of her weight on her.

Christian: managed to get an ice cold water bottle, downing all of it almost in one go. It didn't make him feel any better but it did make him feel less stuffy and cool for a couple moments. He didn't bother talking to anyone this time, he was feeling sleepy already and tired and he wondered what time it was. It feels like he's been out for at least an hour but when he pulled out his phone that hour to turned to ​hours​. He glanced up when someone was talking to him, Freckles. He looked at Andrea sideways and she looks absolutely terrible. "What happened to her?" he snorted but still stood up because yeah he was ready to go. He may be drunk himself but he can still walk properly a bit so he took Andrea from Sam before she knocked the girl over and had her lean on him. "Right you have to take us because I have no idea where we are."

Andrea whined as Christian took her from Sam, but she leaned on him anyways. Sam shook her head. "Nah, I'll just get you guys a cab. Won't matter if you don't know, they can take you." she led the way outside, standing at the curb and hailing a cab, pulling the door open for them and helping get the shoe-less Andrea inside the cab. "You guys take care, alright." she looked into the cab at Andrea and gave her a small wave, but it seemed like Andrea was currently fighting death, or at least trying not to puke again, so she didn't get too offended when Andrea just kind of stared. "See ya." she stepped away from the cab to go back inside after telling the cabbie to take Andrea and Christian to Austen's. Andrea sighed, leaning her head against the window. "Did you have fun?" she managed to get out.

Christian: shrugged, he knew that, he totally knew that cab drivers basically knew where everything was. He felt a bit deaf, probably from the loud music in the bar but he gave Freckles a two-finger salute and slumped back in his seat. They were finally leaving and he was content to go back to his dorm and his ​bed​, he feels incredibly sleepy all of sudden but he needs to stay awake, last thing he needs is both of them passing out and the cab driver turning out to be some criminal and kidnapping them -- which he probably could anyway since he has to drunk kids in his backseat but that's highly unlikely. "Guess so." he mumbled, but he smiled because he did, he just likes giving her a hard time, "Did you?"

Andrea hummed - as always Christian was being hardheaded, but she didn't have the energy to bother him about it. She knew by now that he would probably always give her a hard time about everything. "Yeah. Before I puked." she blew a tiny bubble with the gum in her mouth before sucking it back into her mouth and popping it with her teeth. She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging her hair tie from her wrist to pull it back into a ponytail. She tried not to think about Spike or Evan, because the last time she did she puked, but by thinking about not thinking about them, well... She kept her mouth shut, the entire ride just keeping her eyes shut so she wouldn't get motion sick. Then they were finally at Austen's, and she paid the fair before practically stumbling out of the cab. She sighed, peeling her socks from her feet and throwing them out into the empty expanse of the parking lot as the cab driver drove off once Christian was out. "Fuck." she leaned over, pressing her palms to her eyes.

Christian: wrinkled his nose at the mention of puke and didn't say anything back because that's gross and he doesn't want details. He yawned like five times on the way back to campus, almost falling asleep in the cab but he always jumped up when he felt his head drop. Finally arriving he slurred out a "thank you" to the driver and pushed himself out of the cab, going around to follow Andrea and it was then that he noticed she was shoeless. "Where the fuck are your shoes?" he muttered, rubbing his face and looked over at the buildings, they were close, "Come on, let's go I refuse to carry you of you pass out on the sidewalk."

Andrea forced herself upright, tiptoeing on the pavement since she didn't have any shoes on. "I puked on them." she stated simply, making her way to the side door and swiping her fob before going into the dorm building. She groaned and started up the steps, dragging her feet and groaning. "Hey Chris?" she asked, leaning against the stair railing. "Have you ever been in love with anyone? Like, seriously. Don't give me like, one of your stupid douchebag answers."

Christian: followed after her, making sure she didn't fall on her face or puke all over the pavement because that will not be a nice surprise for whoever ends up stepping on it. "What?" once they were inside he was about a step ahead of her on the stairway already making the plan of dropping her off at her dorm before heading to his. But the question caught him off-guard he nearly tripped. Love. He thought about it, he's been in relationships sure, here and there but he's never actually loved any of the girls he's been with, he liked them a lot sure at one point but he usually started feeling suffocated in relationships that he broke them up. "No." he answered and continued uP the stairs, "I haven't." He doesn't know whether he should ask her if she has, he thinks he already knows the answer to that, he thinks she falls in love with everyone and that's why she always gets hurt, why she put up with Hayden for so long, that's what he thinks. "Lets get you to your dorm."

Andrea frowned, still trudging after him and sighing. "No wonder you just sleep around a lot." she muttered. She wished she could be more like Christian sometimes - she wished she didn't care so much about everything. She followed him down the hall to her room, tugging her keys out of her pocket and leaning against her door for a moment before turning to look at him. "Thanks, for going out with me today." she sighed, tugging her hair out of it's ponytail and running her fingers through it.

Christian: snorted, "You calling me a slut, Andy? Ouch." It's not a lie that he gets around a lot but of course it's probably just another family trait because he isn't the only one. He shoved his hands in his pockets when they arrived at her dorm, he'll watch her get in and then go back to his own room and crash because he deserves it. "Not like I had a choice." he replied casually with a shrug, he'd do it again though definitely, "Go to sleep before you pass out in the hall."

Andrea shrugged her shoulders. "No, of course not." if she called him a slut then that definitely made her one, and well-. That word just brought back bad memories she really did not want to think about. She glared at him half-heartedly, rolling her eyes as she turned to unlock her door. "Of course you had a choice. You're mean." she pushed her door open, immediately quieting down because her roommate was in bed passed out, probably from doing actual work because his books seemed to be sprawled out and his face was using a textbook as a pillow. "G'night." she turned to give Christian a small smile before shutting the door. She sighed, shutting all of Sebastian's books and setting them on his desk, carefully prying him from his textbook-pillow and setting his actual pillow near his head before turning the light off and collapsing into bed. She stared up at the ceiling - she didn't even remember actually falling asleep.