ANGEL'S POV
"Terry, help!" Not even two seconds went by and she was busting the door open, panting.
"What? What's wrong?" I sighed.
"Can you button these?" I motioned to the buttons on the back of my shoes that I couldn't get a good grip on and Terry stared at me, breaths still shallow.
"Are you kidding me?" I blinked.
"No. I can't reach them." She was silent for a while before abruptly smacking me on the head. "Ow, Terry!" She tutted.
"Serves you right! I thought you were hurt!"
"You worry too much," I told her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, buttoning my shoes for me. "How do I look?" She looked me up and down.
"Hideous," she deadpanned, and my expression fell.
"What? Really?"
"Kidding! You look perfect, doll."
"Don't do that to me!"
"Payback's a bitch." With that, she exited the bathroom and I looked myself over once more. I was wearing blue skinny jeans and a slightly cropped navy blue sweater. I completed the look with white Adidas sneakers and a necklace Terry had bought me for my birthday the previous year.
When I was finally satisfied with my appearance, I ran a hand through my curls, took a deep breath and returned to my room.
I cleared my throat loudly. Carlos, who'd been tickling Terry, halted and Terry gasped in relief, flicking Carlos' arm. He smiled cheekily at her before they both turned to me. I did a spin for them, facing them again.
"Well?" I asked.
"You look... dressed," Carlos replied, looking me up and down. My eyes lowered.
"I look dressed," I echoed, unimpressed. "So much help." He shrugged. "Seriously, is it too much, too little?"
"Neither," Terry answered. "It's perfect. But we all know why you're dressing up like this." Showtime. I put on my best clueless expression, furrowing my eyebrows, crossing my arms and jutting my hip out a bit.
"What are you talking about?" Carlos sighed.
"Come on, Angel. You know Sage is going, and you want to look good for him." I clicked my tongue.
"Not true. He said he doesn't know if he's going." Terry narrowed her eyes skeptically and I took her silence as a chance to change the subject, clapping my hands together. "Alright, let's go, let's go." They climbed out of Carlos' bed, already ready, and the three of us headed across the street. Jonah's apartment was in the same building as Sage's, furthering my hope that Sage would show up.
When we got into the building, we took the elevator up to the fourth floor and made our way to Jonah's place. Inside, lights were flashing all over the place and the music was blasting so loud that my ears were ringing. It was packed, most people in the living room, which had been transformed into a makeshift dance floor.
When my gaze landed on Jonah approaching, I grinned, bringing him in for a hug.
"Happy birthday, Jonah." He smiled warmly as we parted.
"Thank you."
"How are you?"
"I'm good, really good. Thanks for coming." I waved him off.
"Please, I wouldn't miss this." He smiled. When he, Carlos and Terry began chatting, I roamed around, looking to see if Sage was there. Unable to find him, I sighed, a bit disappointed. I wandered to the kitchen, pulling a drink from the cooler.
"Angel! There you are." I turned, my eyes lighting up.
"Sage! You're here," I greeted, unable to contain my smile. He grinned back at me.
"I am. I decided, you know, I don't care if Ben and Leo are fighting. I'm like a therapist, I swear. I just need a break, you know? I'm a person, too. I have problems, just like everyone else." His words were slurred and messy as he ranted, head lolling around.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?" I asked, slightly amused. He blinked lazily.
"Oh, only like fff...ive shots?" My eyes widened.
"Five shots?" I squeaked. He laughed and took another swig of his drink. Thankfully it was a soda. I shook my head and smiled, grabbing his arm.
"Where are we going?" He wondered, giddily following me.
"Back to your place." He pouted but didn't let go; instead, he shifted so that he was holding onto my arm instead of the alternative.
"No, come with me, let's stay," he whined. I looked at his eyes, flooded with intoxication.
"Sage, I really think you should—"
"No, no, you're too thinky. Let's just have fun." I laughed.
"You're too cute," I blurted out. My smile fell and Sage blinked, cheeks flushing pink. God damn it, Angel. "Um... Fine. We can stay." Sage perked up, momentary awkwardness seeming to disappear. "But only for a little bit, and then I'm taking you back to your apartment." He nodded.
"Yes, sir." I couldn't help but smile. As he moved to the couch, he looked up at me with big green eyes, patting the spot beside him. "Let's play a game," he suggested as I sat, eyes hazy.
"What kind of game?"
"We take turns looking around the room and picking people. You have to decide if you'd kiss them or not." I smiled softly as he spoke.
"And what exactly is this game called?" He thought for a moment.
"Kiss or Miss!" He exclaimed.
"Did you just make that up?"
"Maybe..." He trailed off, grinning. I sat back on the couch.
"Okay. You first." He looked around for a moment before grinning mischievously.
"Jonah."
"Um... miss."
"Why?" I quirked an eyebrow.
"Do you want me to want to kiss him?" He shook his head quickly.
"No!" I raised my eyebrows and he flushed. "I mean... it's up to you." I blinked and he shifted. "Your turn." I looked around the room until my eyes landed on a girl.
"How about Hailee?" He scrunched his face up.
"Hailee Pearce?" He asked. I nodded. "Miss. Definitely. I mean, she's pretty and all, but she's toooooooo open," he dragged out. I chuckled, waiting for him to take his turn. "How about Kelsey?" I blinked.
"I'll have to pass." Confusion flooded his face.
"Why? Kelsey's... kinda pretty, yeah?" He met my eyes over his cup as he took another drink.
"Sure, she's really pretty. But I don't really swing that way," I chuckled, and he burst out laughing.
"You can't swing a girl!"
"Sage?" He hummed in response. "I'm gay." I grinned as realization took over his expression.
"Oh. Oh. Right, I knew that, sorry, sorry," he spoke meekly, clearing his throat and shaking his head. "I'll give you someone else." Looking around for a new subject, his eyes softened and he looked directly at me.
"What?" He bit his lip.
"What about me?" My lips parted as I looked in his eyes, half expecting him to laugh and tell me he was kidding. He didn't.
"Um— I, uh..." I stuttered as I tried to form a coherent sentence, and he kept his eyes on me.
I had just mustered up the courage to say, Kiss. I'd kiss you, when a girl stumbled over, attempting to entice Sage. Annoyance plastered on his face, he tried to nudge her off but she wasn't budging. I turned away, nauseous. Aren't I supposed to be the sober one?
"Ashley, get the hell off of me," Sage finally snapped, making her jump. I blinked, biting the inside of my cheek as I refrained from laughing.
"What is your problem?" Ashley slurred angrily.
"Um, I don't have a problem. I'm sitting here having a conversation and you're putting your ass in my face. What's your problem?" Both of them were drunk, so both of them were fumbling over their words. I stood, moving between them. Sage hovered behind me as I faced Ashley.
"Ashley, someone's calling you." She spun around frantically, eager.
"What? Who?"
"Luke," I answered on a whim. I wasn't even sure if there was a Luke at that party, so when Ashley perked up and ran off, I was more than relieved.
Sage plopped down on the couch and looked up at me apologetically. I smiled gently before taking a breath.
"Come on, let's get you home." I reached for his hands. He took them and sighed as I pulled him up. We pushed through the crowd, searching for Carlos and Terry.
When I found them, I directed Sage to stay put because they were in the smack center of the dance floor and I didn't want to lose him in the crowd.
"Carlos," I called over the music and he turned to me. "I'm taking Sage home, I'll see you guys later." He nodded.
"Keep your phone on you." I gave him a nod and pushed out of the crowd to where I left Sage, only he wasn't there. I sighed deeply and looked around. I went into the kitchen, the living room and the hallway near the bedrooms, but had no luck in finding him. Just as I was about to pull my phone out, I glanced at the panel doors that lead out to the balcony.
Sage was there. Kissing Ashley.