Dove and Grenade

Wednesday came fast, and the party we'd planned for New Year's was here all too soon. As far as I could tell, Jorel hadn't said anything to Matt. If he had, Matt hadn't given any indication he knew anything about was going on. I was pretty sure he had no idea, and that was okay with me.

He found me pacing in the kitchen sometime in the late afternoon, and he stopped in the doorway, smiling. I ran a hand through my hair, and he approached me. He put one arm around my waist and one around my shoulders, and he held me there for a long while.

"Matt, I love you," I sighed, burying my face in his neck.

"I love you too," he replied. "I'm gonna miss you every day. I'm gonna miss seeing you and talking to you and sleeping next to you and being able to hold you like this."

"I'll be back on weekends," I said. "And I'll call you every night."

He kissed the top of my head and said, "Your voice will have to do, then."

I smiled and put my arms around him. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and we stood there for a minute. There was a few knocks on the door, but whoever it was let themselves in anyway.

"I brought my own- wait, are you guys naked? I can't come in if you're not wearing clothes. I've already had enough emotional scarring for-"

"Jordan, shut up," I said, looking up. "Get in here, dumbass."

Jordan poked his head around the doorway and smiled. He set two bottles of Jack on the counter, and he put an arm around Matt's shoulders.

"Brought my own booze, but I'm sure it won't be enough," he sighed. "For me, that is. Did you guys buy stuff or is it BYOB?"

"We have alcohol, Jordan," I said."

"Of course you do," Jordan chuckled. "When's everyone else getting here?"

"In about an hour or so," Matt replied. "I don't know why you always have to show up early."

"Because that's what I do," Jordan said. "Look, if you guys were gonna have sex, run along. I'll be right here getting a preemptive buzz."

"We weren't gonna have sex," I said.

"That was yesterday's festivities then?" Jordan asked, unscrewing the cap on a Jack Daniels bottle.

"What?" I said, my face turning pink.

"I called three times and no one answered," Jordan explained. "I assumed you were having sexual intercourse-"

"Jordan!" I hissed.

"Oh, like you've never heard that term before," he snorted.

Matt scratched his head and said, "I never heard the phone ring."

"That's cuz you two are fucking animals when you have sex," Jordan said. "It's written all over your face, Kara. Don't try to deny it."

He filled a red cup with Jack and smiled. I crossed my arms, trying to fight the urge to smack the smile right off his face, and in the end, I punched his shoulder. He shrugged and sat down on the counter.

"Oh, and George should be here any minute," he said. "He was picking up Lauren and Jason. Then again, he might stay and also get preemptively drunk. I know Jorel is at Dylan and Meredith's, but I don't wanna know what your brother is doing to his girlfriend."

"Well, you're early," Matt said.

"I'm prepared," Jordan said, holding up his cup.

"I suppose this means you've told everyone to come early," I said.

The doorbell rang, as if on cue, and Jordan said, "I may have."