“Taylor, it’s time to go,” Kris tried to coax me as I half stumbled from the bar. I grinned up at him and shook my head.

“Nah, this is fun. Drink with me Kris!” I giggled, wrapping my arms around his waist to keep myself from falling. He blinked down at me, surprised by how close I had suddenly become.

“I… we need to go,” he stammered, holding my shoulders to keep me steady. “You’re drunk and the bar is closing soon.”

“B-but… I don’t wanna,” I pouted, sticking my lower lip out and looking up at him through my eyelashes. “I want to stay here. And drink, and have fun, and be merry! And-and you should stay with me!”

“How about I take you home, and we’ll get you something to drink there?” he bargained, grabbing my arm before I wandered off again. “I need to take you home, jolie.”

The thought of going home hit me so hard that I didn’t even pick up the petname he had used. Instead I was too worried about what was going to happen after we left. “Kris… I-I-I-“

“You’re stuttering,” he chuckled, making me blush. I hated when I did that. It was usually when I was really, really drunk… or really, really nervous.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, chewing on my lip. “I just… I don’t want to be home by myself,” I admitted quietly. “Can’t I stay here instead?”

He looked a bit sad, even as he cracked a smile. “No, you can’t stay here,” he explained, pulling on my arm lightly to lead me toward the exit. “They won’t let you. Might as well go home.”

“Okay,” I relented sadly. “I’ll go home.”

He smiled gratefully as we walked to the exit. Needless to say, one of us had a little more pep in their step. I had no desire to go back to an empty fucking house. With just a bottle of alcohol to keep me company, just like Sammy had said.

God I hated her sometimes. She had everything. She owned her own dance studio in Pittsburgh now with the help of her parents and Max. She was gorgeous. Petite and fit with her dancers body, golden blonde hair and sunkissed skin. And blue eyes that men tripped over themselves for. And she had a man who loved her, who doted on her and gave her anything she wanted. Of course, Sammy has had many of those. The one she settled on just happened to be the one I was in love with.

She had everything, and she had no problem reminding me of it.

I watched the buildings pass as Kris drove me home. This scene was so familiar, yet so foreign to me. I just wanted things to go back to the way they had been before, but I know they never will. What’s done is done, it can’t be reversed.

“Max used to drive me home,” I said quietly, staring out the window to avoid looking at him. “To make sure I got home alright.”

“Done lying to me then?” Kris replied, going right back to the conversation he and I had had at the bar before the bridal party had been revealed. Raychel would be the maid of honor with a bunch of cheerleading, dancing bride’s maids that Sammy knew from high school and college. I would be the ‘best man’ and Kris, Marc Andre, Tyler, and Pascal would all be groomsmen. Funny, for some reason I doubt the best man is usually in love with the groom, but I guess it will give this wedding some spice.

“He always made sure I had a way home,” I continued. I didn’t need to acknowledge his statement for him to know that he was right. There really was no use lying to Kris. He’d probably known all along to be honest. “Unless he was drunker than I was anyway,” I laughed, finally turning to look at him. “Then you made sure I got home okay.”

“Oui, Max would have killed me if I hadn’t,” he nodded. “And I really didn’t want you to have to try to stumble home drunk all by yourself,” he teased.

“You're such a gentlemen,” I slurred, making him laugh.

“And you’re such a drunk,” he countered, the smile not leaving his face.

“Sometimes,” I conceded. “But I’ve been driven to it.”

“Only because you let them,” he sighed, shaking his head. “You’ve let them do this, n’est-ce pas? You never told Sammy how you felt about Max. You’ve never told Max ‘ow much this hurt you. Why not? Why let it go on?”

“Because they’re happy,” I shrugged. “He’s better off with Sam than me anyway.”

“Only because it won’t take him much to outsmart her,” he muttered with a wicked grin. Even in my depressed state, I couldn’t help but grin at that.

“That’s mean,” I giggled, rubbing my eyes to try to wake myself up.

“Mais c’est vrai,” he pointed out, turning down the road I lived on.

We fell into silence again, neither sure what to say. It was odd, a few years ago Kris and I had no problem talking. We could actually talk for hours about anything. Music, hockey, Montreal, Indiana, college, anything and everything. But for the past year and a half, things seemed to have gotten awkward. Sure we talked, but it was like we had to struggle for things to talk about.

“You remember when you boys took Raychel and I skating? The first time, at Thanksgiving in Indiana?” I began as he pulled into my driveway. He paused for a moment before nodding.

“Oui, I do,” he nodded, a small smile breaking across his features. “You were so scared you would fall.”

“I did fall!” I laughed, unbuckling my seatbelt and nearly falling out of his car. “Thank you,” I said quietly as he helped me walk to the front door. “I fell a lot actually…”

“Max didn’t do too well at teaching you to skate. He’s always been too impatient for that,” he shrugged, taking my keys and unlocking the door. “I didn’t even understand why he offered to teach you.”

“Because he wanted in my pants,” I deadpanned, slipping my shoes off as soon as I got in the door. “And he thought it would help.”

“Did it?” Kris asked, his face betraying that he hadn’t meant to blurt that out. He wasn’t really the most sober person either, but he had nothing on me at the moment. I snorted and shook my head.

“No, it didn’t. If it had, you would have been the one in my pants anyway.”

Oh his face was priceless. I forgot how easy it was to catch Kris off guard and get him flustered. “Pardon?” he finally managed to stammer out.

“You were the one that finally taught me how to skate, remember?” I grinned, walking over to the couch and falling onto it. It felt so good to sit down and get those damned heels off. Kris watched me with a peculiar look on his face as I stretched out, trying to get rid of the stiffness in my limbs. “Why are you just standing there silly? Sit down!” I ordered, lifting my legs up and letting them fall off the side of the couch so he had somewhere to sit.

A bit cautiously, Kris took a seat. He seemed much more tense than before, and I wasn’t quite sure why. “Why are you acting shy, Kristopher?” I asked, lifting myself up on my elbows to watch him. He glanced at me and licked his lips.

“I’m not being shy,” he said quietly, staring at the floor in front of him. I rolled my eyes and sat up, finding myself studying him more than usual. I could use the excuse that I was trying really hard to figure out why he was so tense, or I could just be honest and say that I was admiring the man. Kris was a stunning human being, I’d always thought that. Hell, most people I know thought that.

I wasn’t sure if it was the way his hair fell into his face, or the five o’clock shadow he seemed to always get later in the day, hell, it could even be that crooked grin that he seems to wear half the time, but something about Kristopher Letang has always given me the shivers.

“You’re lying,” I accused, scooting a bit closer to him and staring at his face. He was doing his damnedest to avoid looking at me, I knew that. But I didn’t understand why.

“I’m not ly-“ I cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. His eyes widened as he stared at me, making the smile on my face grow even more.

“Yes, you are,” I told him, shoving his shoulder so he was leaned back against the couch instead of standing stock straight like some soldier. “Relax Kris. You look like you’re scared to death,” I ordered, slowly trailing my finger away from his lips and down his chin. I probably shouldn’t have done that, I really shouldn’t have. It only made me want to touch him more. Oh God, I’m such a slutty drunk sometimes, it’s pathetic. I feel like Sammy.

But good God.

I bit my lip, not bothering trying to stop myself as I ran my fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and groaned, leaning into my hand. Feeling a bit braver, I let my hand move down his neck, then back up to trace his jaw. I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on at the moment, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to stop.

He said my name softly, jarring me out of my trance-like state. I pulled my hand away quickly, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Sorry. I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I just… I…”

Kris seemed to think it was his turn to smirk now as he leaned closer to me with a look that brought thoughts to my head that made me even redder than before. “You’re sorry?” he questioned, now seeming quite confident with himself. “Why are you sorry, jolie?”

“I… For touching you?”

“What if I want you to touch me?” he questioned, seeming very proud of himself when I was the one to become flustered. I stammered for a moment, trying to find something somewhat intelligent to say, but my mind was too befuddled with alcohol and sex hair. He simply laughed and leaned closer to me, leaving our lips only a breath apart.

I shivered as his bottom lip just barely brushed mine, wishing he would just kiss me already. Fuck I wanted him to, so badly. It was almost like the damn Frog was taunting me. He moved his lips away from mine, brushing them across my cheek, down my jaw, and stopping at my neck.

“I do, you know.” His lips moving against my neck nearly drove me insane. What is this man doing to me? I’d never been teased like this before, ever. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it. “You’re being awfully shy, Taylor,” he teased, moving his lips back up my jaw.

I laced my fingers through his hair, pulling his lips back up to mine. “Kiss me already,” I ordered with a small smile. He grinned, brushing his lips against mine in a kiss so soft that I almost wondered if it had really happened.

“Je t’embrasse,” he said triumphantly, teasing evident in his voice. Oh that mother fucker.

“That was pussy shit, Letang,” I smirked, lifting myself up to straddle his lap. Until now, I don’t think I’d ever realized how muscular he really was. But now I could feel it. His body was bulky, but hard. I could feel his muscles pressed against his clothes, strained in some places. He’d wrapped his arms loosely around me, but it was enough that I could feel some of the power in them. How had I not realized how built this man was before?

“Then why don’t you show me how to do it?” he challenged, his large hands resting quite comfortably on the small of my back. I giggled, shoving him back into the couch roughly and softly biting his bottom lip before kissing it softly. One of his hands moved up to cup the back of my neck and he pulled me in, smashing our lips together as we both let out a groan.

I pressed myself against him, enjoying the feeling of his hard body beneath me, while our lips moved together like we’d been practicing this for ages. It was like we just fit, and it was fucking weird, but I loved it. His tongue brushed against mine and I felt myself quake a bit on the inside. The taste of him was addicting, and I couldn’t get enough.

I felt his fingertips brush my thighs as he carefully pushed my dress up off of my legs and sighed. His touch was heated, but still soft and gentle. It wasn’t rushed like I would have expected for a drunk hookup. I shivered as his hand climbed higher, brushing the sensitive skin on the inside of my thighs. I pouted as his lips left mine, wanting to feel the warmth and temptation that his mouth had provided. He smiled at the dazed look spread across my face and grabbed the hem of my dress, checking my face for permission. When I made no move to stop him, he carefully pulled the delicate material from my body, dropping it to the ground as he stared at me.

“Mon Dieu,” he whispered, his thumbs brushing over my ribs as his eyes held something that could almost be read as concern. He wasn’t feeling guilty and wanting to back out now was he? It’s not like he’s taking advantage of me. If anything, it may very well be the other way around.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as he seemed to get lost in his head. His eyes moved back to mine and he gave me a small smile, moving his hands back to my thighs.

“Nothing,” he said quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. It caught me by surprise, I must admit. I didn’t even have time to attempt to connect the low moan snuck out of me. I could feel the effect it had on him and grinded myself against him, entangling my fingers in his hair as his mouth really went to work on my neck. He bit down on my collarbone and I arched my back, pressing my hips even harder into his.

“Mmm… Kris.”

As his name left my lips, I could feel him harden even more as his hands began to wander. While one found my hip, his other crept up my stomach, tickling the skin until it came to rest on my breast. His fingertips brushed across my nipple through the thin material of my bra and I gasped, grinding myself into him even more as I arched farther back. His other thumb slid over the lace of my underwear and I nearly lost it. I moaned loudly and tried to move closer to his touch, but instead found myself falling off balance.

“Ack!” I squealed as my body fell backward, colliding with the floor while the back of my head hit the coffee table. I laid on the carpet, groaning as Kris slowly bent over to look down at me, seeming as confused as I felt.

“Taylor… what just happened?” he asked slowly, creasing his brow in thought. I bit my lip and looked back up him with innocent eyes.

“I just fell off your lap and left you with a hard on,” I told him seriously before erupting into giggles. It hurt to laugh and I knew I was going to probably have at least a light bruise on my back and a knot on my head, but fuck, it was funny. This shit would only happen to me. Kris’ deep laughter soon joined mine as the situation replayed in our heads. One minute, we were well on our way to sleeping together on my couch; the next I was on the ground in pain.

A classic Taylor moment, let me tell you.

“Jesus, it’s cold down here,” I mumbled, rubbing my arms as I sat up stiffly. Yeah, I would be feeling this in the morning. Kris’ eyes remained on me as I stood up, watching every move I made. Good to know the mood wasn’t totally ruined for him either.

I licked my lips and stepped in front of him, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and tugging it off of him. “You’re much too over dressed, beau,” I grinned, pushing him over so he was somewhat laying on the couch. “And I want to cuddle.”

“You want to cuddle?” he asked, opening his arms for me to snuggle into. He jumped when my skin hit his, making me laugh. “Merde, you are cold, jolie.”

“Told you,” I snickered, locking my eyes on his face as my hand wandered over his chest, taking in the smooth skin and contours of his muscles. His breath caught as my hand slipped down his abs, running right above the waist of his pants. “You really are a beautiful man, Kristopher,” I yawned, nuzzling my face into his neck and breathing in the scent of his cologne. It was marred a bit by alcohol and cigarette smoke from the club.

His body heat warmed me as we lay on the couch, and surprisingly I felt incredibly comfortable in his arms. Usually I didn’t really like people touching me much, with the exception of a select few people. And with how Kris and I had drifted apart the past couple of years, I figured I would have shied away from this sort of affection, even though I was drunk and the one that had suggested it. But instead, I was so at home and comfortable, that I drifted right off into an alcohol induced sleep.

Notes

Mais c'est vrai - But it's true

Je t'embrasse - I'm kissing you