Roaming around the balcony alone, she carried her drink by the rim with her heels in her hand, tired of standing so tall for hours. Being a girly girl had it's perks and downsides, she liked the way it made her legs look slimmer and gave her height, but at the end of the night caused an aching in the pads of the feet.
Leaning forward on the polished railing, she hummed to herself and swished the contents of her drink around the slim glass. Having more champagne as she watched some guests leave to find their vehicles.
Her fingers traced petals of the flowers surrounding the beams and railings of the deck, plucking a light pink rose off it's plant as she admired it. They were gonna be divided into vases and die anyhow, she figure one tiny rose would not make a difference. She could not stop smiling as it was ever so pretty and not once in her life had she been given a rose, finding them both expensive and useless but pretty and worthwhile here and there.
Coming around the corner with an empty cup, the rim covered in a candied topping, a slump in his walk prevented him from properly roaming about. Black dress shoes had scuff marks from his constant running around most of the night that left him tired and a little drunk, which he would not admit to having way too many drinks.
He'd been given hell from his coach for running around such a nice place and causing a scene, hence why he decided to hide back from leaving with his friends. They did question him before agreeing if the boy wanted to do his own thing that he very well could and also hitch his own ride home.
He spotted the silver sequin from afar and perked up, dumping his glass over the edge of the balcony. He walked over to her as she was leant over the rail, hips swaying quietly as she touched each rose petal, admiring the flower.
Luis did not hesitate when he came up behind her, placing a hand to either side of her waist and barely felt her shift below his touch. He hovered over her shoulders nonchalantly, not the most aware of his actions currently.
She shivered at his touch and flinched, ready to throw a punch at the unwanted touch on her body, but when she looked back to see who it was, hadn't hit him.
Gigi remained calm and blinked, seeing how youthful he looked below the dripping flowers above their heads. The lights twinkled in his cold eyes as his touch was soft, not rough in any way as she could sense he was goofing around.
He smiled sheepishly with a melodic voice, eyes seeming to be enthralled and dancing as he laughed in her ear. "You look beautiful."
The words were warm to the heart and she felt his hot breath fan the side of her face.
"No words of wisdom?" He smiled, looking out to the dark field of grass as she lowered her head, pulling her hair behind her ear and smiled quietly to herself.
Gigi felt a flutter of butterflies begin to roam around her stomach, making it sink with a dull yet very wanted and tolerable ache. She could feel a sudden onset of chills travel from her chest out to her arms and fingertips, making her feel a way she hadn't felt in months.
She liked every part of it and wanted to feel a bit more because once someone felt that feeling, it was very hard to let it go. A gentle touch made her feel all kinds of ways but most of all: wanted. That in this very moment, even after every argument, fight, laugh or cry between them, she could still find this comfort and peace from a singular sincere moment.
She almost wanted to cry. It wasn't real. None of it was and Luis was only the way he was because he had too much drink and as youthful and sincere as he seemed, it wasn't his typical self. Gigi liked every bit of him in this light but hated knowing it was an effect to something he drank and it would never be the same again.
They had an off and on again friendship to the point they knew each other really well but couldn't quite tolerate the other. Most days they bickered back and forth, taunting the other whilst teasing for the laugh of it. However, one of them caught feelings months ago and the other was clueless about it.
Gigi knew Luis was always up to no good, constantly looking for another reason to pick at her for little things like the way she shot pucks in hockey, or the fact she wasn't as fast a skater as him, or that she couldn't possibly pull any guy, when he very well knew she could.
"I heard..." He trailed, setting his chin to her bare shoulder, one hand remained on her left side as he pulled the right away, setting it to the railing between them. "I heard that these hors d'oeuvres aren't even from Hawaii." He laughed.
A country club had hosted a party playoffs, which was all too fancy for the teenage Ducks, but everyone attended and met with the other teams and people who crashed. She inhaled deeply, both liking and hating his touch as his mind couldn't focus on a single task before diverting to something else.
He was so casual about it that it left him unphased nor realizing what he was doing.
Her thin smile never left as she turned her head slowly with an inhale through the nose, looking up at him. "Yeah?" She asked him quietly.
"Mhm hmm." He agreed quietly. A calmness to him that made her feel like she could trust him. "Did you try the caviar?"
Gigi shook her head. "No."
Luis looked down at her, catching a glimpse of her breasts covered in sparkles. He was still smiling sheepishly with a grin he could not dare hide as he was feeling so good about himself. He pulled his eyes away to look at her, she didn't catch his faint stare as she was looking at the few people walking through the grass further out.
He gulped and lifted a hand, reaching for her sparkling drink and took it from her. "Luis-" She tried to take it back, but he managed to drink it dry by the time she tried to take the glass back.
He gagged on the after taste, head lowering to relieve himself as he shook his head. "That's flat." He points, throwing the glass across the greenery and it cracked, shattering when it hit the ground.
Gigi's head lowered, his erratic behavior still around even when he was drunk, and she glanced away from him. His breath was still hot on her neck, being felt on her ear now as her breath hitched. She turned her hand to grip the railing and closed her eyes, needing to hold something as it felt surreal; almost fake.
She knew it wasn't her head messing with her and that Luis was truly coming at her strongly, expressing himself in a way both of them tried to take one step at a time. Gigi felt so much that her head struggled to keep afloat and remember who she was a person. She did not get close with just anybody, being drunk or high was a different story, as she kept to her morals.
She didn't kiss random people or lead them on without having an attraction to them or dating someone. It went against respecting herself as a person because she hated people who flip flopped from girl to girl, or boy to boy, because it wasn't right.
As she held herself together, she held the rose with her right hand and turned to lean back on the railing. Luis' hand did not leave, but instead loosened as she perched herself against the white deck rail. A pounding in her chest got quicker as she was face to face with Luis in a proximity she never imagined before.
He was quiet, breathing a bit quicker than normal people from the crazy amount of drinks he sustained and she simply watched him. The bow around his collar was loose, like he'd toyed with it to tear it off but failed in succeeding. His white blouse was unbuttoned a single one and revealed his tan, sweaty complexion as he grew hot. Unable to fix his dilemma due to a slow mind.
A burning remained in her eyes as she just wanted to cry, it was so much to decipher that it hurt.
"We should get outta here." He rubbed his thumb over his eye. "You know these flowers are fake, right?"
"They're real."
"Nah uh." She extended her hand to his hand gripping the railing and let a thorn on the rose prick him. He pulled his hand back quickly with a hiss. "What the hell, Gi?"
"Real." She eyed him.
"Yeah, no kidding." He scoffed.
Gigi watched his eyes wander away to several waiters walking by, cleaning up any garbage and dishware. "Why are you here, Luis?" She exhaled.
Luis had protectively kept his arm near her as he surveyed the waiter and Gigi sniffled, brushing her cheek as she noticed the way he got. She watched his bicep clench and glanced down his hand on her hip, his fingers curled in to firmly grip her dress, she watched the silver sequin bunch up between his fingers.
The girl had leaned forward just enough to watch the waiters pass by as Luis let his eyes roll, jaw clenching.
He laughed to himself and debated on telling her, but he found himself leaning in to her ear smoothly. "I ugh- I ugh just think you're really hot right now."
"Thank you, Luis." She whispered.
He leaned a little too far forward, stumbling from his lost of balance and she grabbed hold of his side, steadying him as she pulled away from the railing. Her shoes dropped to the ground next to her and she was careful not to bend her perky rose.
"I'm a little drunk." He stuttered with a laugh, gelled back hair falling over his forehead in his tiny natural curls.
She patted his shoulder, running her hands down his jacket to flatten it for him. "You should stop drinking."
"Why? It's a party!" He shouted, throwing an arm in the air and leaned toward her as he pulled her in tightly for a genuine hug.
She wasn't really happy that he was drinking but Gigi knew she could not voice that opinion because she drank too. When she drank and got real fucked up sometimes, he was there for her the odd time, so she couldn't bring herself to leave him.
He was a little cute, too.
"But you owe me one." He rose his hand, gripping the pillar covered in flowers next to them. Gigi glanced down to her feet with a low hum, unsure what he meant by that because she was with him. She hadn't left him as he stood drunk in front of her.
"Owe you what, exactly?" She lifted her hand, placing two fingers to the side of his face so he would actually look her in the eye while she spoke.
"Don't do that." He warned her, head fallen as his pupils piked upward the top of her head. A distinct look he held.
Gigi smirked.
She was intrigued to find out that Luis Mendoza disliked her hand on his face, forcing him to look at her when he didn't want to. She felt this power that came with it. She liked that it bothered him and made him keep looking at her, her fingers pressed to his jaw to avoid him from gazing away.
He could feel his own heart beat begin to quicken and Luis loosened up a little, but grew a little angsty. "Just answer it." She spoke carelessly.
"You're gonna regret not listening, Gi." His eyes rolled as he let his head fall back, evading her touch and she smirked internally.
She shifted, peeling his hand away from her hip and stopped when he grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop her movement. Her breath hitched as she didn't know what he was doing. "I told you." He muttered, then proceeded to laugh.
He was so bipolar in this moment she didn't know what to do. One second he was all over her with a laugh and the next he was beyond serious she'd thought he'd kill her with one look.
"Luis," She voiced quietly, pulling her hair behind her shoulder and shook her head. His grip was harder than he himself even intended as she grabbed his hand, trying to peel each of his fingers away. "Luis." She spoke a bit louder. "Hey," She tapped his cheek with her free hand. "Look at me."
He had never turned his head so quickly in his life, not even to look at her, and she didn't move a muscle. His chest rising and lowering in a hurry as his eyes narrowed to a more softening glance. With a single glimpse of her, his grip loosened just a little and she felt the throbbing ache a little less.
The second she had managed to get his grip to loosen enough, she slipped her arm out of his hold and turned. Lowering, she grabbed her shoes and threw her head back in a hurry, getting her hair out of her face.
Luis fell to an array of confusion but certainty and let himself fall against the pillar, turning as he grew lightheaded. Hand gripping the railing and his eyes narrowed to a droop, focusing on a panel of the deck flooring and Gigi turned, looking back to see he had not followed her like she thought he would.
"Are you coming? I'm driving you home."
Lip quivered as he forced himself to keep quiet, his emotions taking over and he hated every last bit of it. Luis began to shake his head, waving his hand to motion she just go.
"Come on now, where'd that smile go?" She walked back over to him, heels swinging by her side and he stared down to the rose she held.
He shrugged, not caring anymore. "I hate you sometimes."
She was taken aback by his words, brows bushed together in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
"You-you make me feel this way." He began to explain, looking everywhere but at her. "This way. . ." He repeated and gulped, hand coming to the front of his shirt as he gripped it. "It's annoying."
"Well, you annoy me too, Luis." She shrugged, casually.
"No," He shook his head and pushed away from the pillar, ripping some flowers off it and threw them onto the floor. "It's not the same." He told her.
"Then what is it?" She let her hand slap her outer thigh with frustration.
"I don't know." He paced around. "But it's fricken killing me!"