The Good Life

*Alex*

I was sitting on the couch with Rian and Cass watching some reality show and waiting on Jack to come over. His flight came in at noon and he wanted to stop at his house to drops his bags off and would drive his car over to my place.

“I wish I had her body! Jeez she looks like a Victoria Secret model.” Cass said while looking at one of the girls on screen.

“Cass your body looks fine. Right Alex?” Rian asked.

“Are we talking about this bag of bones sitting next to me on the couch?” I laughed as Cassadee took the pillows from the couch and started hitting me with them.

“You. Asshole. I. Hate. You.” She emphasized each word with a hit.

“Rian! Please help me!” I yelled while trying to stop laughing.

“Nope. You did this to yourself, buddy.” He laughed. There was a knock on the door and I tried to get up to open it.

“Cass I have to go let Jack in.” I whined trying to dodge her hits.

“No no I can get it. You guys continue.” Rian said as he went to go open the door.

“Hey Rian! How are you?” I heard Jack ask, but before Rian could answer I yelled out to Jack.

“Jack!! Please come help me! Cassadee has gone mad!” I saw him and Rian walk around the corner.

“Cassadee, what are you doing to him?” Jack asked.

“He called me a bag of bones!” She whined and finally stopped assaulting me.

“It was a joke.” I defended. I got up and ran to Jack hugging him tightly. He hugged me back, just as tight.

“I missed you!” I said kissing him.

“Can you two get a room? And preferably not a classroom, I know what you guys do in those.” She laughed as I pushed away from Jack.

“YOU TOLD HER?!?” I tried to sound serious.

“She saw the bruises on my hips…” Jack mumbled.

“Ewwwwwwww! I don’t want to hear about you two having sex!” Rian complained.

“And I don’t want to talk about it.” Jack said. “Let’s talk about what we’re doing for your birthday, Alex.”

“I want to get wasted. I’m going to take a shot for every year I’ve been alive!” I exclaimed.

“Oh and then we can take a group trip to the hospital because you’ll have alcohol poisoning!” Cass fake cheered.

“My liver isn’t weak like yours, my liver is made out of steel so I can handle.” I teased.

“At least this time I would know you were in the hospital.” Jack said crossing his arms.

“I said sorry so many times, you can’t possibly still be mad at me!” I said.

“I would still be mad, Jack, he lied to you.” Cass said trying to be an instigator.

“Yeah he did.” Jack said pushing me away when I tried to touch him.

“Cassadee’s stop being an instigator!” I yelled at her.

“Make me!” she yelled back.

“Are you guys ten or twenty-five cause sometimes I forget!” Rian yelled at both of us, making Jack laugh.

“She started it. She always starts it.” I complained to Rian, but he just shook him head.

“You said my liver was weak!” Cass said.

“You said I was going to get alcohol poisoning!”

“Alex, if you take twenty-six shots in one night you will most likely get alcohol poisoning.” Jack cut in.

“Oh whatever.” I said giving up. I went to sit on the couch next to Jack and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned my head on his shoulder letting him place kisses on my hair.

“Well there’s two weeks until your birthday and I don’t want to wait until the last minute so let’s figure this all out now.” Cass started. “Do you want a house party or a dinner party and a small get together afterwards?”

“Umm I kind of like the dinner party and small party idea.” I said.

“Yeah that sounds fun.” Jack agreed.

“Okay. Where do you want to eat so we can make a reservation?” Cass asked.

“Hmmm I’m not sure.” I thought out loud.

“What about Olive Garden?” Jack asked. That was his favorite restaurant, but I can only eat there like twice a year before I get sick of it.

“No Jack I don’t want Olive Garden.” I laugh as he pouted. “I don’t know what I want.”

“Why don’t you have it at like a club or something and everyone can eat before they come. We can all drink and dance and rent like a VIP area.” Rian suggested.

“That sounds fun too!” I couldn’t decide which would be better.

“How are we going to get everyone back to their homes?” Cass asked.

“I can rent a limo for the night so no one has to drive or fight over who has to be the designated driver. And don’t say you don’t want me to spend money, Alex. I’m going to do it, it can be like your birthday present.” Jack insisted.

“Okay. Now we have to choose a nightclub.” I said. This was turning out to be harder than I thought it would be.

“What about Outlines?” Rian asked. It was a nice club in the heart on San Diego, and believe it or not it was the only one with a normal name.

“Outlines is perfect.” I agreed.

“Okay I’ll call and see if we can get a VIP area for next Saturday.” Cass said as she picked up her phone and started googling Outlines for its number.

“And I’ll call to rent the limo so I don’t forget later.” Jack said while pulling out his phone.

“Everyone has a task except for Rian. Rian go make yourself useful.” I joked.

“I can get up and kick your ass if you want?” He started to move off the couch, but I spoke up before he could make it to me.

No no no that is not necessary!!” I said laughing and he sat back down. We watched TV Cass and Jack both talked on the phone setting up my party.

“Alex how many people are you going to invite?” Jack asked me.

“Um me, you, Cass, Rian, Oli, Hannah” Jack made a face when I said Hannah’s name but I ignored it and kept going, deciding to ask him about it later. “Lisa if that’s okay with you, Alan, Taylor and Angie; who work with Cass. My college friends Patrick, Pete, Austin, and their girlfriends. Your friend Matt because he knows you and Oli. And your sister and her boyfriend so I can finally meet her since she’s moving here this week.” I finally stopped to catch my breath because I was talking so fast.

“I think I counted nineteen people.” Cass said counting on her fingers.

“That’s perfect because the lime can only hold twenty people.” Jack said as he went back to his phone call, apologizing for making them hold for so long.

“I have your VIP room set up and ready for next Saturday from midnight to three am. Ri and I will split the price of it and it can be your present from us!” Cass exclaimed.

“Yep. And everyone can come over at eleven and we can take shots while we wait for the limo.” Rian added.

“It won’t be that hard for me to make it to twenty-six shots!” I said happily.
“Alex!” Jack warned.

“Ugh I was just kidding.” I told him. I kind of was, but not really.

“Un huh. Do we have to invite my sister and her stupid boyfriend?” Jack whined. I knew he didn’t like his sister’s boyfriend, but I wanted to meet her and what better way to break the ice than to be blackout drunk. Plus I couldn’t invite May and tell her, her boyfriend couldn’t go.

“Yes. It’ll be fun I promise!” I told him.

“If you say so.” He moped.

“Why did you look so distraught when I said Hannah’s name?” I asked him.

“Oh I ran into Oli and Hannah while I was back home and Oli asked how you and I were doing, and Hannah cuts in and was like ‘you and Alex are dating.’ So I was like yeah is there a problem and she was like yeah Lisa has been trying to get back together with Alex and you’re standing in her way. And I was like that’s too bad. And she was throwing a fit over this whole situation until Oli finally got her to stop. So I don’t like her and I don’t know if Lisa should come if she’s ‘trying to win you back’” Jack ranted.

“That sounds like a story someone would tell me in high school” I laughed, but Jack didn’t think it was funny. “I can promise you that Lisa doesn’t want me back, or whatever; she said so herself. And all you have to do is ignore Hannah, she probably hasn’t talked to Lisa in a while so she doesn’t know.”

“Okay.” Jack sighed, relaxing a little bit.

“All this planning made me tried, come nap with me.” I told Jack while I was yawning.

“You didn’t do a damn thing!” Cass yelled at me.

“I had to count how many people I was inviting. So that’s something.” I smirked at her and she glared back at me. “Come on Jay, I can see we’re not wanted here.” I grabbed his hand and led him back to my room.

I laid in my bed as he did the same and wiggled close to me. “I missed you sooo much.” He said as he laid his head on my chest. “Did you miss me too?”

“Of course I did. I was counting down the days left until I could see you again.” I yawned again.

“Mmm. You can go to sleep now.” He yawned. “You're making me yawn now, jerk.”

“Sorry” I chuckled and closed my eyes.

I felt Jack kiss me and I finally drifted off to sleep.

Notes