This one's for Hopelessangelxxx who was curious about Juice surprising Angela for her birthday. This one is also before they got together, before he left NYC, and when Raj was still very much in the picture! ;)
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Juice walked into the party going strong in Angela's apartment for her birthday. He was late and had missed the surprise Raj had planned, but he wasn't going to miss the party entirely. He hadn't meant to be so late, but he'd had shit to do for the Ozone crew, and it'd taken a little longer than expected. The apartment was filled with people. People he recognized from Raj's pre-law fraternity as well as some from Angela's mortuary school. Raj must've invited them because he wanted as many of her friends as possible there. Little did he know, she wasn't close with any of them. Juice was always surprised by how hard it was for Angela to make friends. Strangely enough, she was always so guarded and quiet when it came to people she didn't know; it took her a while to let someone in.
The place was well decorated for a her birthday with balloons and banners and shit in purples and black even though her favorite colors were the warmer ones. Reds, yellows, and oranges. Juice wondered if Raj knew that, or if he was just guessing. Didn't matter, it was the thought that counted. At least the guy had done his best to celebrate her, even if she probably hated everything about it. Juice honestly didn't know how Raj had found the time to do it all when he hardly spent any time with Angela.
He pushed through the people, searching for her. Raj was standing in the corner with his usual friends, a plastic wine glass in his hand, but she wasn't with him. He went into the kitchen to find Nina standing there, staring longingly at Raj. "You seen Ang?" he asked, knowing that if she'd been watching Raj all night, she'd probably seen where Angela went.
"She disappeared a while ago," Nina answered on a shrug. Her words were slightly slurred, her teeth stained red. He wondered how much wine she'd had. She frowned as she leaned in closer to him, and he could smell the alcohol on her breath. "Didn't seem really thrilled by the surprise. Raj and I worked hard to make this perfect, and she didn't even care. Just thanked everyone and left. Real ungrateful of her."
Juice grimaced. Of course she'd disappeared, Angela hated being the center of attention. He had a good feeling where she went though. He grabbed the top tier of the cake from the table, candles and all. He got a few weird looks but no one stopped him. Cake in hand, he headed out of the apartment and up the stairs that led to the roof. It was a warm night, just a little humid. The sky was clear, giving them a great view of the Empire State building. Angela was reclining on one of the chaise lounge chairs they'd put up there one day, a red plastic cup in her hand, and a bottle of tequila beside her. Her dark hair was down with a slight crimp to it, which made him think it'd been in a braid at some point in the day. She was wearing a dark green halter top that looked like a handkerchief, the koi fish tattoo on her hip just barely visible because of the pointed bottom of the shirt and the low cut of her ripped black jeans. She'd gotten it when her cousin visited earlier that year. It was a stunning piece with its bright orange and yellow colors swirled with blue waves and pink cherry blossoms. It flowed perfectly with the curve of her body as if it was meant to be there. He'd been dying to run his finger over the inked lines of the fish's back ever since he first saw it. That was off limits though. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't touch her like that. Her feet were bare, black platform sandals were haphazardly laying on the ground beside the lounger. She was deep in thought, her face lifted to the sky, eyes closed as she played with one of the rings on her finger.
"There's the birthday girl," he exclaimed, smiling when she jumped a little.
"Hey you," she greeted with a sad little smile. She sat, turning towards the empty lounger. "Whatcha got there?"
He walked over to her, setting the cake on the overturned milk crate they used as a table. "Your cake," he said, gesturing to it. He sat down on the other lounger across from her. "You're missing one hell of a party down there."
She snorted, shaking her head as she took a sip from her cup. "He asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, and I said all I wanted was a chill night with him. Not this shit," she explained, sounding just a little drunk. "Don't even know half the people there."
Juice was mildly offended that he wasn't included in her initial plans. "Did he ask about the party?"
"Nope. Was a total surprise he planned with Nina. All those study sessions were just him and her. Planning this," she said, wrinkling her nose. "You didn't know about it, did you?"
He shook his head quickly. "You think I'd tell him this was a good idea?" he asked on a scoff. "Know you better than that."
"Thought he did too," she murmured sadly before letting out a long sigh. "Think I'm being a brat because I'm a little homesick. My family and my best friends back home called, and I just...miss them."
"Thought I was your best friend," he said in mock offense as he took a swig of tequila straight from the bottle.
She smiled warmly at him, rolling her eyes. "You're my best friend too, goof. I can have more than one."
He couldn't help but grin at her. As much as he wished there was more between them, he also loved being her best friend. Loved the time they spent together without the extra addition of romance. He'd gotten to know the real Angela, and he loved her all the more for it.
Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his lighter and a joint, tucking the joint behind his ear, he leaned over and lit the birthday candle on top. "Well, I know I'm not Raj, but we can celebrate up here," he suggested, leaning forward to block the cake from wind. He cleared his throat before starting to sing Happy Birthday to her. He knew his singing wasn't the best, but he was loving the way her dark eyes were lit up and sparkling as she watched him, her smile growing bigger with every note. He drew out the last line, enjoying the sound of her laughter for a moment before finishing his song. "Now make a wish and blow out the candles."
She closed her eyes for a minute to make a wish, then blew them out, still smiling warmly at him. "Thanks, Juice."
His insides turned to mush at the loving look in her dark eyes. He wanted to lean in closer, catch her lips in a kiss to show her just how much he cared. "Yeah, 'course," he said, breaking her gaze for a minute to catch his breath. He dug in his pocket for a second for a little baggy with her present. "Gotcha somethin'. Kinda stupid, but I liked 'em."
Angela took the little dime bag he'd handed her and gasped. Inside were small post earrings that looked like the base of a bullet, the primer replaced by little clear stones. "They're not stupid at all," she replied with the biggest smile. "Thank you. I love them. Where do you even find shit like this?"
He didn't want to tell her that he'd found them at a gun shop where he'd been picking up a case of unregistered handguns for the Ozone crew, so he shrugged. "I have my ways. They reminded me of you."
She gently took the small hoops out of her ears, replacing them with the studs. "Reminded you of me?"
"Oh um...'cause they're badass and pretty all mixed into one. Like you," he admitted brazenly. Clearly, the tequila had gone straight to his head, loosening his tongue.
Her cheeks turned the sweetest shade of pink as she stared down at her hands. "Oh," she murmured softly. Her dark eyes met his, her lips parting just slightly as she held his gaze. The look in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. It had to be the tequila again that was making him see the love, the want in her eyes. She didn't want him. She couldn't. They were friends. Just friends. They both had said it multiple times. Still, if that was true, why was she looking at him like that? Finally, she looked away, inhaling sharply. "I better go back down there so I don't look ungrateful or whatever."
He cleared his throat, nodding enthusiastically. "Y-yeah. Smart."
"Thanks again, Juice. This was...it was perfect. Exactly what I wanted." She stood, squeezing his shoulder lovingly before surprising him by dropping a kiss to the top of his head. He could barely feel it through his hair, but the sentiment was there. He wished he could lift his head, kiss her for real, but he knew she wouldn't want that. That she would freak out, push him away, and he'd lose her forever. He couldn't have that. He needed her in his life in whatever capacity she'd let him.
With a sigh, he took another swig of the tequila before getting to his feet with a soft grunt. He took the plate of cake and headed back down to the apartment. He walked through the door and set down the cake and the empty bottle. Looking around the room, he spotted Angela just as she was looping her arm through Raj's. The other man set his hand on hers, turning mid-conversation with one of his friends to kiss her temple. She beamed up at him in response, pecking his cheek.
Juice hated the smile on her face. Hated the smile on Raj's and the respectful way his hand was laying on top of hers like a real gentleman. He drained the rest of the tequila, feeling his head swim as he headed towards the kitchen in search of more. It was bittersweet to see her so happy with someone else. He knew he could make her that happy. Maybe even happier. He just hoped he'd get his chance someday.
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Just a little bit of a look back into Juice and Angela's past in NYC. Thanks so much to @Hopelessangelxxx for the idea!!
Please keep up the requests!! I'm enjoying delving deeper into these characters! :)
🖤
~Love Ink