♥kj (nobetterreason) wrote in mcdermott_game, @ 2009-11-29 17:27:00 |
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Current mood: | indescribable |
Entry tags: | chris, chris/kj, chris/matt, kj, matt |
Who: Chris and KJ, with a cameo by Matt
What: Chris gives KJ a birthday present; later on, Matt and Chris watch interestedly as KJ talks to Auden
Where: At their joint birthday party at the Blue Bar
When: Sunday, November 15 (backdated)
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
Even though her friends had yelled 'SURPRISE!' about twenty minutes ago, KJ still couldn't get over the fact that she was having this party. Granted, it was for both her and for Chris, but still; after all the other partying she'd done for the play, she was blown away by the fact that there was yet another party, and it was just for the two of them.
She'd gone around, said hi and thank you to most of her guests that had come, and was now enjoying her company. Out of the corner of her eye, though, KJ spotted Chris, hanging out with a few people she didn't know - probably his friends - and felt a little pang. She didn't want him to feel left out - after all, it was his party too - and so she excused herself from the people she was with and made her way over to where he was seated.
Ever since he'd gotten the invitation from Chris's brother to come to the party, Matt was a little worried that Chris wouldn't like it. Matt knew his roommate, and especially after the cast party and set strike, he thought maybe Chris might be a little tired. So he'd took it upon himself to 'watch' Chris for a while. He just wanted to make sure that Chris could enjoy himself somehow, even if it was just all the stupid stuff they did in their dorm anyway.
He'd been watching the crowd, too; there were a few people he recognized, like Bex, and Chloe, but for the most part, he didn't really know too many people at the party, either. So it surprised him when he saw a girl make her way in their direction. Matt had gleaned enough to know that it was KJ, the girl Chris had been sharing his party with - and consequently, the girl that Chris had hopelessly fallen for. He didn't seem to have noticed, though, so Matt nudged his friend. "Dude. What's her face is coming over here."
Chris had been more than surprised about his party, he actually thought he would be spending the evening with Matt and Justin in the dorms-- which he wouldn't have minded, he was overdue for a night in. The night hadn't been all bad, the party seemed more like a large hangout than anything that included heavy drinking, everyone was most likely still recovering from the past nights. This relieved him as he sat sipping a beer next to Matt, usually Chris didn't drink he'd made a promise to Justin that he'd at least have some fun on his birthday.
Chris' mind had been quite idle the whole night, this was not just a party for him and his friends, but KJ too. Not that KJ's friends weren't nice, for that matter he knew most of them, but there was a more pressing problem that weighed on his mind. What if her ex-boyfriend showed up? this question had taken over him like the plague, he listened to conversation around him in and out, nodding every once in a while, popping in a word or two. Suddenly Chris jolted, he guided his beer bottle away from him swiftly hoping not to spill on himself.
"What do you mean what's her--" Chris mumbled sarcastically, he was cut off by seeing KJ walk over, she looked particularly pretty tonight. It made his stomach tie in a knot, he could feel the small cardboard box in his pocket, he brought her gift tonight. He had to do it tonight, or he'd never give it to her, he took a deep breath and stood up to greet her. He lifted up his hand as to wave, "Happy Birthday!" Chris said as happily as he could muster.
"You too," KJ replied easily, smiling as she greeted him with a quick hug. "Pretty awesome surprise, huh?" she said. "Anyway, I just wanted to come say hi... no offense, but you guys kind of look lonely over here." She shrugged slightly, nodding to Chris's friend that was with him. "Are you having fun?" she asked, a bit of concern spilling into her voice.
"Yeah..." Chris said trying to act happy about the current situation he was in, his mind reverted to his comfy bed once more, he really needed sleep. He was startled by the quick hug sending a bit of pink to flourish on his cheek. He let out an awkward laugh trying to brush off the fact that Chris didn't have too many friends, "Well I guess we aren't all as popular as you KJ!" he stopped for a moment and realized that must have sounded mean, "I didn't mean that in a bad way." he waved his hand trying to wipe what he said away, he eyed Matt to help him out-- he was failing miserably. "Yeah of course, I mean I have Justin... who is... somewhere, but Matt is here!" he slung his arm around Matt patting his shoulder, "Right?" he looked at Matt his eyes pleading for his help.
"Yep, I'm here," Matt said, half-jokingly, because Chris was making the situation so awkward that he couldn't help it. He'd have to talk to Chris about that later. "And we're having the time of our lives here. By the way, hi. I'm Matt. Obviously, you're KJ, the birthday girl, right?" He'd gleaned enough to figure that out. She seemed nice enough, which was probably why Chris liked her so much. And she was pretty. He stood, offering a hand for her to shake.
Taking Matt's hand, KJ smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Matt. I'm glad you came! I mean, you know, if I was the one throwing the party... anyway." KJ shook her head, laughing as she replied to Chris's earlier comment. "I haven't always been this popular, Chris. Really." She shrugged a little. "Seriously... sometimes I don't even realize that I would fall under the 'popular' label." She grinned. "So, Matt, how do you know Chris?" She was curious because she didn't really recognize him, and it was a small school, so she figured she would, but... yeah.
"I'm Chris's roommate," Matt clarified. "But we're cool, he's a good friend of mine, too. I wanted to come out and make sure he had fun, you know? It's not every day we get to go to a party." He glanced over at Chris, hoping his friend wouldn't berate him for the fact that Matt had managed to make them look lamer than they already did - which wasn't quite his intention, but there it was.
Chris was already gushing over KJ in his head, he had promised himself he wouldn't do this, but she was being so cute. Not only was she popular but she was extremely modest about it, that was one of his favourite features, she made him feel like he was part of the group, not just someone who tags along. His mind turned to Matt who was trying to make him feel lame, not that he didn't feel already, he couldn't help it, especially around KJ. Chris shot Matt a quick look of annoyance before turning back to KJ with a smile.
"Yeah were roomies," Chris said nudging Matt again, "It's like having a second brother really." This wasn't far from the truth, if Justin wasn't teasing Chris about something Matt would pick up the slack. Chris stuck his hands in his pocket as he searched his mind for something to talk about, his hand landed on the small box containing a pair of earrings. His face froze, Chris had almost forgot that he brought it along with him this evening. He looked to Matt with pleading eyes trying to come up with an excuse for him and KJ to be alone.
"Hey..." he gestured to Matt's phone, "Didn't Olivia text you not long ago, maybe you should get back to her..." Chris looked to KJ, "They are so cute together!" Chris immediately wanted to reject his words, he sounded like a girl gossiping, it disgusted him.
"Ooh, a girl?" KJ said, her eyes lighting up. "That's adorable. How long have you two been together?"
Matt couldn't help it; even though he'd been with her for a decent amount of time, he still colored slightly at the mention of his girlfriend. "Just a few weeks," he admitted, looking around the room to see where she'd ended up. "And you're right, Chris, she's probably looking for me. Besides... I'm sure you'll be having fun now." He patted Chris on the back; he could read the expression on his face and knew that something was up; besides, Olivia hadn't really wanted to come but Matt had asked her to, and he felt bad that he had left her alone for a while. "I'll be around, dude. Come find me whenever." He shot a grin at his roommate and then nodded to KJ. "It was really nice meeting you," he said, sincerely. "I hope you have a good birthday. I hope you'll excuse me, but I kind of left a girl alone and she probably won't be too happy with me." He winced slightly and then headed off to where Olivia had been sitting.
KJ glanced after Matt with a smile on her face. "That's adorable," she noted. "He seems like a good guy. You lucked out with the roommate situation, didn't you?" she asked Chris, the smile still on her face.
Chris almost forgot that Olivia had come along to the party, they didn't meld very well, not that they were on bad terms or anything, but he was pretty sure that he scared Olivia the first time they met. Chris could be overbearing on a good day, and some people couldn't handle it. Chris gave Matt one last annoyed look as he patted his back 'I'm sure you'll have fun now', he knew that Matt could see he was struggling with her, it was apparent he would be teased shortly after.
He watched Matt walk away, and he heard KJ's voice in the background he gazed over to catch a glimpse of her smile, he was truly happy that she was enjoying herself. He remembered the rough patch they had gone through with the play and he could definitely see a light in her eyes that was lost for some time now. Chris nodded in response, "Yeah..." he scratched the back of his head, "Sometimes I'm not the most interesting to live with, but Matt puts up with me." Chris thought of all his annoying habits, not to mention his desire to have privacy for extreme lengths of time, luckily he had the play to distract him. Now that it was gone he wasn't sure what to do with himself.
A shiver spread down his leg as he felt the small box once more in his pocket. This was the right time to do it, otherwise he may not get another chance, he may lose his nerve. He looked to KJ, one of his hands still behind his head. "I forgot that I wanted to give you something." he fished into his pocket to pull out the small box with a red ribbon tied around it. "I meant to give it to you on your birthday..." Chris offered the gift to her.
When Chris presented her with a present, KJ gasped, taking the small box from him. "Chris," she began, in a tone of voice that was both surprised, pleased, and a tiny bit ashamed, "you didn't have to get me a present." And she felt bad because she hadn't returned the sentiment; she hadn't know it was a party for him, too. "I feel bad because I didn't get you anything." She bit her lip, trying to figure out what kind of present would fit in a box so small.
"Don't worry about it," Chris waved off her modesty, he was just happy to see her smile. "Think of it as a thanks for being a great co-star gift." he smiled brightly anxious for her to open it, thankfully KJ seemed happy about her gift.
"Alright," KJ said, a bit hesitantly, but excitedly all the same. She undid the ribbon carefully, lifting the lid of the box to find a pair of earrings. Her eyes lit up and she looked back up at Chris. "Chris, they're... they're so pretty! How did you know?" she asked, smiling. "I love them."
Chris scratched the back of his neck as the heat rose to his cheeks, she really liked them. He was so glad to see the smile on her face, but he couldn't look her in the eye out of embarrassment, "Well I noticed you had your ears pierced..." He coughed, "I came across them you know when I was at the mall you know looking at video games." Chris cursed himself in his mind, he was trying to sound manly, but now video games just sounded nerdy and lame. He was actually there doing a normal book run, and decided to look for a present on a whim.
Chris gained the courage to look at her, "I passed by these, and they reminded me of you."
KJ shook her head. "I'm glad you know me so well," she told him, giving him a soft smile, and on impulse, a hug. "Really... they're amazing. Thank you so much. I totally owe you now." She paused, and then her eyes lit up again. "Video games? We should totally play one time. I'm a video game expert, didn't you know?" She nudged him slightly, grinning.
Chris smiled his eyes averting again, how could he not know her so well... he knew more about her than she probably wanted to admit. His thoughts were interrupted by KJ wrapping her arms around him, he didn't want to let her go, but he knew that would sound weird. I totally owe you now. Chris' mind went to the gutter and he shot it back, his past character John still hadn't fully worn off, he was a guy after all.
Chris' eyes landed on hers with surprise, "You play video games?" This was not good, not only was she pretty, cute and smart but she was awesome at video games. Where had she been all his life.
"I do play video games," KJ assented, her eyes sparkling. "I have been known to kick some ass once in a while, too. Comes with having two brothers." She laughed, shrugging as she swept her hair off her shoulders; as she made the movement, she glanced around the room, partly out of habit; she'd begun turning back to Chris when, all of a sudden, she locked gazes with a stunningly familiar pair of eyes, belonging to a guy that was standing near the doorway, looking impossibly out of place, but... there all the same.
Auden was here. Auden's here. For a moment, KJ felt like she couldn't breathe; the world fell away like it always did whenever they were in the same vicinity. She took a breath to calm herself, and then turned to Chris, her eyes pleading; for a moment, she'd nearly forgotten he was there. "Excuse me for a minute, okay?" she asked him, tucking the earrings back into her purse. "I promise I'll be right back." She gave him a smile that was partly indulgent, partly eager, and partly pleading.
Chris was falling head over heels, was he hearing right, did moments really move in slow motion? He watched he slender shoulders appear as she swept her hair aside. KJ had been everything that Chris ever wanted in a girl, and she was here talking to him, and they were having a great time. His eyes wandered to hers, but she wasn't looking at him, he then followed KJ's gaze to her target. He took a second look, who WAS that guy?
Before he could ask she was walking over to the stranger, he watched them for a moment and saw how they talked, watched their actions. It must be her ex-boyfriend, that was the only explanation, Chris could tell by their slight reluctance. This was his time to bow out, what if she showed him the earrings Chris had just bought her, he would have his head.
Next thing he knew he was snatching Matt's arm, "Dude you have to help me!"
Matt had been sitting quietly with Liv, just watching the party and talking about things, when Chris came up to him, snatching his arm. Looking up, alarmed, Matt said, "Oi! What happened? I thought you wanted me to leave you alone!" he said, protesting slightly. But he could tell Chris really was panicking and that concerned him a bit.
"Oh Hi Olivia!" Chris blurted out quickly before tugging Matt away eagerly, much to Liv's dismay. "Okay, so I gave her the gift..." he looked around hoping that no one was around, "And her ex showed up out of no where!" Chris was scared that he had gone to the play and recognized the way he looked, and now he may have seen the gift he gave KJ, he was sure in for it now.
"And?" Matt asked, slightly annoyed. He glanced over to where KJ and... what was his name? He recognized the guy as the Blue Powerade guy that came into Harper Cove often, but he'd introduced himself before; Matt remembered he had a different name. Auden? That was definitely him, holding a gift bag. "What are you so afraid of? He's not even looking over here, dude. And it doesn't look like KJ's showing him anything, you know?" In fact, to him, he could see all the hope written on KJ's face, because it was similar to the way Chris looked at KJ. That wasn't a good thing, was it? "It looks okay, Chris. He seems like a cool guy. I met him once."
Chris looked back to them once more, he DID have a gift bag, what was he doing trying to win her back? Chris' stomach did a somersault, "Do you think he's trying to get back together with her? Really?" It wasn't that she could be with someone else that bothered Chris, it was the idea of KJ falling back into what she had earlier, he couldn't stand to see her upset like that, not again. He bit his lip, "But man, you didn't make out with his ex girlfriend, on stage in front of hundreds of people, he could have seen me," Chris looked concerned, "If that was me, I'd want to kill me!"
Matt sighed. He didn't know what to tell Chris; he didn't know the other guy very well, and he had a point - if Olivia was up on stage making out with some guy, he wouldn't be very happy, either. "I don't know. Maybe we should just... watch?" he said, glancing over at him. "We could do some espionage. Like, stand behind this tree and see what happens?" In spite of himself, Matt grinned. "That way, he can't see you, but you can definitely see them."
"You have a point!" For some strange reason Chris' mind didn't click in, normally he would tell himself it was a bad idea. "I mean it'd be a favour to KJ, what if you know he tried to do something bad, I could be there to rescue her." He scratched his head, yeah he could turn this into something positive.
Glancing at Chris strangely, Matt said, "You won't have to rescue her, I don't think." He shrugged, glanced over at them again, and then tugged on Chris's sleeve. "They're moving. Come on, let's go."
"Oh come on, I want to be the hero," Chris whined as he was tugged by Matt, he could see Olivia rolling her eyes as they followed the two ex love birds. "I feel like were on nature television, stalking our prey." Chris knew deep down what they were doing was wrong, but he couldn't help himself.
"You just called KJ prey. Dude." Matt shook his head and then glanced over at where they had seated themselves, at a small table; Auden's back was to them and so they could see KJ's expressions. He then glanced at their situation; there was a fake tree near one of the windows, and so Matt sat on the windowsill and motioned for Chris to join him. "The point is not to look too obvious, okay?"
Chris followed Matt, although he was being obvious, he kept his eyes on the guy, he wanted to know what he looked like, was he good looking? Of course he was. "Gah, I hate that he's good looking." he said facing Matt, his back turned to the two at the table, "What are they doing now?"
Matt glanced over at the table. "It looks like KJ's opening the present he gave to her," he told Matt, giving Olivia an apologetic glance as he caught her gaze as well. "Can you tell what he got her, though? It kind of looks like... maybe a book?" I can't really see from here.
Chris laughed, "Thank god!" he couldn't help himself, "I totally have him beat, I got her earrings." His expression was smug, at least it was something he could brag about while the other guy was trying to steal her right from under him. "Does she look happy?"
Matt frowned; he didn't really know this girl well, so how was he supposed to know if she was happy? It was a good thing she was an actress; they were supposed to be expressive. "I... I think so?" he said; her facial expressions were a little confusing, but in the end, she did look up and smile at the guy. "Yeah, she's smiling." He paused, and then glanced at Chris. "Don't overthink this, okay? It doesn't seem like they're about to jump into each other's arms." Matt could tell from the hesitance that still surrounded them that everything wasn't perfect.
Chris couldn't help but be sad, what if this guy was winning her back, what if KJ wanted to be back with him more than anything else. Perhaps he was chasing after something he truly could never have. He stopped thinking when Matt told him that she was happy, that was all he needed to hear. "Look man, this is wrong, lets get you back to your woman." What he really meant to say is: If he makes her happy, then its okay.
At Chris's words, Matt couldn't help but blush a little bit. "Hey," he said, putting a hand on Chris's shoulder supportingly. "It'll be alright, one way or another, I'm sure. Just remember, this is your party, too, okay? So enjoy it." He grinned at his friend and then stood up from the windowsill. "You sure you'll be alright without me for a while?" Matt asked, concernedly.
Chris faked a smile to Matt as genuine as he possibly could, "Yeah man, I'll be fine, I promise." He patted him on the back, he was right that it was Chris' birthday too, although he never really thought about it that way. He couldn't get KJ out of his head, he made this night about her and her birthday.
Matt glanced at Chris, studying him for a moment before nodding, just to make sure. "Okay," he said, smiling at his friend. "If you need me, though, I'll be right over there, okay?" He pointed to where Olivia was still sitting, watching them. "Relax," he said, as a parting word to Chris. "It's your birthday. Have fun."
Chris truly appreciated his friendship with Matt, he always knew the right things to say. Great Chris don't fall in love with him now you idiot! He nodded reassuringly to his roommate, "Now hurry up before Olivia dislikes me even more for stealing you away." He felt like he was assisting in Matt cheating on her... for attention anyway.
"She doesn't dislike you," Matt said, though his tone of voice wasn't so confident. "Anyway, I'll catch you later, okay?" He smiled and nodded at Chris before turning back, but not before noticing that KJ was caught in a hug with this guy. It was brief; it didn't seem long or drawn out, and it also seemed slightly awkward. But he hoped, for Chris's sake, that he hadn't seen it. His paranoia was too much for Chris's own good and Matt worried about him sometimes.
Chris watched Matt walk away, and mumbled: "More like I scare her." He couldn't help but remember their first meeting, Olivia was extremely meek in nature, and well Chris was in a strangely outgoing mood at the time. His eye wandered over to KJ who was now in the middle of a hug, he quickly took a large drink of the beer in his hand. I guess I'll make Justin proud after all.
Meanwhile, KJ had watched Auden walk away, her pulse racing with so many different emotions that she couldn't keep her head straight. She stood there, staring, for a while after Auden had disappeared; it took her a few moments to shake her head and clear it, remembering that she had been in the middle of a conversation with Chris. Finding him now seated at a table, she pulled up a chair next to him, mustering up the best smile she could at the moment. "Hey," she greeted him. "Sorry about that. I just... there was some business I had to take care of." It kind of hurt to reduce the best part of her night to 'business,' but she didn't feel she could elaborate any more tonight. Motioning to the drink in his hand, she said, "I didn't know you drank."
Chris was now almost finished his third beer, and he hated every second of it, the taste was terrible. What does Justin find appetizing about this stuff really? Chris would much rather have a glass of fine wine, but obviously that wouldn't happen at a party like this. Next thing he knew KJ pulled up a chair, she seemed a bit flustered but he brushed the thought from his mind.
Business? He took another large swig, is that what that guy was? It was a strange word to use when you were conversing with your ex boyfriend. He merely waved her comment off, trying to pretend like he was okay with it. Normally Chris would say that Justin made him drink, but today it felt different, "Well it is my birthday isn't it?" He winked before taking another sip.
"It is your birthday," KJ agreed, grinning. "And as long as you're enjoying it, that's all that matters." It certainly seemed that way, though she knew from experience that boys, by themselves, nursing beers meant quite the opposite. She hoped it wasn't the case with him, though it didn't necessarily seem that way. "Thanks again for my present," she told Chris, sincerely. "I really love them. I'd put them on right now if I wasn't afraid of losing the ones I'm wearing now." She smiled apologetically at him.
Chris held out his beer in agreement to her comment. He was quieter than usual, but he didn't know what to say, and what if he blurt out something stupid. He nodded to what she said as he placed his beer on the table, he idly spun it around as he listened. What if her ex gave her the earrings she had on, and she didn't want to take them off. He shook his head he was over reacting. He wanted to ask about the guy, but Chris didn't have the courage instead he played nice, "I'm glad you like them." he smiled while still playing with the nearly empty bottle.
"Thanks," KJ said, smiling. She had been holding tightly to the journal Auden had given her, and now set it down on the table, sighing a little. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that things between them were so complicated, but it hurt more than she thought it would, now that he was gone, even though they had agreed to try and keep each other in their lives. Looking up at Chris, she asked, "Have you ever wanted to be with someone but just... couldn't?"
Chris' eyes wandered to the book she received, she was holding it tightly. He then reverted back to his drink as he listened further, Chris' heart suddenly stopped. Yes, I have, with you. Instead he just nodded and drank the rest of his of his beer, "Yeah, I have." he couldn't look her in the eye.
KJ looked at her friend sympathetically; she didn't really know Chris too well, and didn't really know about his situation (especially that it was about her), but she could speak from experience and knew how badly it hurt. "I'm sorry," she told him, laying a hand on his gently. She frowned. "It sucks." Sighing, she shrugged, and then shook her head lightly; she didn't want to be down at her birthday party, especially because of Auden. "I shouldn't be a downer. This is our party; let's go celebrate, okay?" She smiled warmly at Chris. "Come on."
Chris wasn't sure how to react when she told him she was sorry, KJ had no clue this whole situation was about her. He wanted to hold her hand tight, but he couldn't muster himself to do it, he did eventually catch her eyes after she shook her head lightly. He couldn't help but let a small smile escape his lips, she cheered him up instantly as always. Chris squeezed her hand as he stood up, "You're right, lets go!"