Make It Last (Friends & Lovers 1)

“Holy shit,” Briana exclaimed, as the whiskey burned its way down her throat.

“Oops. Sorry, Bree. I forgot you don’t like whiskey.” Pete chuckled, not looking a single bit sorry as he took out a bottle of the vodka she preferred, and poured them each another shot.

They took the shots and then separated to start cleaning. Briana and Kara were having a party of sorts at their apartment after work, so they wanted to finish up quicker than usual.

Once the stainless steel of the fryer gleamed and the floors were scrubbed down, Briana took one last look around the kitchen and deemed it spotless.

She went out to see if Kara, Pete, or any of the others needed her help getting their side work done.

Kara was just finishing up rolling her silverware and Pete was turning off the radio when she walked up.

“You guys ready?” Briana asked.

A chorus of “Hell, yeah’s” were shouted and they all headed out, calling goodnight to Pam.

She and Kara rode together back to their apartment over the flower shop. Their Texas town was small enough that getting to the other side meant they only had to drive for five minutes to get wherever they needed to go.

They parked and ran up the stairs, racing to see who would get to the shower first.

Briana won by half a foot and yelled, “Sorry, sucker,” as she began stripping off her clothes, eager to get rid of the greasy stench.

She showered as quickly as she could, while still scrubbing the smells of the kitchen out of her hair and off of her body.

When she was done, Kara was waiting for her turn, and handed Briana a towel as they switched spots.

Briana ran down the short hallway to her room, rubbing the towel over herself as she mentally went through her wardrobe.

She decided that cutoff shorts and a frilly tank would do quite nicely on this hot summer night, and dug through her dresser trying to find the pair she was looking for.

Once she was dressed, she brushed out her chestnut colored hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail. She put minimal makeup on, then threw on her flip flops and hurried out to the kitchen to check the status of their provisions.

It was BYOB, so most of the people would have their own drinks, but a random moocher always showed up and needed some alcohol.

They had a bottle of wine, a twelve pack of Bud Light, and a bottle each of cherry vodka and Sprite.

They were good to go.

She took out a couple bags of chips, put them in bowls, and placed them around the living room.

She threw the blankets, a random sock, and the magazines that were littering the floor into the big hope chest that served as their coffee table.

She was considering running the vacuum when Kara came out, dressed in a sweet sunshine yellow sundress, her blond hair tousled around her face.

“Thanks, Bree, the place looks great. Do you think we should vacuum?”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Then I remembered who was coming over, and realized we’ll probably have countless items spilled on the carpet before morning comes, so what’s the point?” Brian laughed.

“Very true,” Kara said. “Pre-game?”

“Absolutely,” Briana replied, following Kara back to the kitchen to make herself a drink.

She’d barely taken her first sip of cherry vodka and Sprite when the front door opened and a group of people piled in. It didn’t take long for the music to be turned up and the sound of laughter and chatter to fill the room.

Briana was talking to someone she had taken a college course with a few years ago, when she felt someone come up behind her and softly kiss her neck.

She turned and looked up at Kent over the rim of her glass.

“What’s going on, Hot Stuff?” he asked with his cocky grin.