After Headlines

27: Party

" Are you sure?" Bexley asked Jane for the thirtieth time. The Toursies, plus Natalie, were going out for the night and Jane had offered to babysit Penny for Bexley and Josh.

" Absolutely." Jane smiled.

" She'll be fine, Bex." Josh chuckled as he passed.

" I know." Bexley sighed.

" We'll grab some ice cream, play some games, watch some movies." Jane smiled at Penny who looked all too excited.

" You'll be good?" Bexley looked down at Penny.

" Yes!" She nodded.

" Okay, love you." Bexley hugged her.

" Love you mommy! Love you daddy!" Penny exclaimed as she hugged Josh and Bexley.

Josh and Bexley made their way down to the lobby hand in hand.

" Y'all ready?" JoJo asked excitedly.

" You betcha." Bexley smiled.

oOOo

" A club? Really?" Bexley asked over the blasting speakers.

" Yeah! Tomorrow's a travel day, so it won't matter if we're hung over." JoJo grinned.

" Uh-huh." Bexley nodded slowly.

" Don't worry, I rented us a private table." Jeff assured her. They made their way over to a large table and a few chairs, a rope around them.

" So, I'm hiding here." Cara commented.

" Same." Bexley nodded.

" We'll, I'm gonna go dance." JoJo dragged Ben onto the dance floor.

" Me too." Natalie gave Nick a not so subtle gesture to follow.

" You okay?" Sky turned to Cara.

" It's loud." She said, glancing around.

" I know, but we can hang out at the table. I'm willing to bet Josh and Bexley aren't going far." He smirked.

" Okay." She smiled.

" Guys, I'm a genius." Anthony announced.

" Are you?" Cara laughed.

" I brought cards." He produced a deck of cards from his back pocket.

" So we can play Blackjack?" Sky cocked an eyebrow.

" I was thinking Kings Corners." Anthony smiled innocently.

" Perfect." Josh chuckled.

oOOo

A while later the others made their way back to the table. JoJo was already tipsy but Ben still looked sober. Anthony, Bexley, Cara, Sky, and Josh were playing an intense game of Go Fish.

" We're at a club, and they're playing Go Fish?" DeMarius laughed.

" Hey, my priorities are straight!" Sky called.

" Plus, we are drinking, just not dancing." Josh gestured to the array of drinks in front of them.

" I win!" Anthony shouted.

" He's won the last three games." Bexley chuckled.

" I think we're gonna go take a walk." Sky said as he and Cara slid out of the booth.

" And I think we're gonna go dance more." JoJo stood with Ben following.

" Okay, I will be doing a headcount tonight, so do me a favor and be back to the hotel by 1." Bexley called.

" I'm fine with midnight, I don't want you feeling like you're staying up all night for us." JoJo replied.

" Midnight's perfect." Natalie agreed.

" Alrighty, can y'all just shoot me a text if you think you'll be late?" Bexley asked.

" Absolutely." Sky nodded.

oOOo

" It was so loud in there." Cara laughed lightly as she and Sky walked down the sidewalk hand in hand. The city was still pretty busy at the hour, people bustling past to get where they needed to be.

" Just a bit." Sky nodded.

" I will never understand the appeal." She shook her head.

" Me either." Sky chuckled.

" Do you think we'll ever get my mother's approval?" Cara asked ot of the blue. 

" Maybe. I hope so." Sky replied.

" I wish she would just give up on me marrying her friend's son." Cara sighed.

" She still is going on about that?" He asked.

" Unfortunately." Cara nodded.

" Cara," Sky stopped, turning to face her, "I love you, and I was an idiot for listening to your mother. And I have every intention to marry you and start a family with you." He stated.

" I love you too. And you were an idiot for listening to my mother." She teased.

" Okay, you've been spending too much time with JoJo." Sky chuckled.

oOOo

Bexley and Josh made their way up to their room, counting heads as they went. They passed by Nick and Natalie hovering outside her door.

" You guys seen Sky and Cara?" Bexley asked.

" They're in my room trying to suck each other's faces off." Nick deadpanned.

" That's rough." Josh chuckled.

" Where you sleeping?" Bexley questioned.

" He's crashing in my room, he can take Cara's bed." Natalie smiled.

" Okay, sounds good. Have fun you two." Bexley waved.

" But not too much fun." Josh winked.

" Josh." Bexley laughed, pulling him away from the pair.

" Thank you, Josh. That didn't make things awkward at all." Nick said sarcastically.

" Aim to please." Josh called over his shoulder.

oOOo

" But Benji, it's not even that late." JoJo pouted as Ben sat her on their bed.

" JoJo, you're drunk." Ben chuckled, helping her change out of her dress and into leggings and one of his sweatshirts.

" But it could be fun." She said suggestively.

" It would be, but it'd be even more fun if you were sober." Ben nodded.

" You're no fun." She crossed her arms with a huff. A knock came from the door. Ben sighed, leaving JoJo on the bed as he went to answer.

" We're just making sure you both made it back." Bexley said.

" Ben won't sleep with me!" JoJo shouted. Ben flushed red while Josh burst out laughing.

" She's drunk." Ben stated.

" Really?" Bexley said sarcastically, biting back a laugh.

" You have fun with that." Josh pulled his wife to their room. Ben closed the door, turning back to his own wife.

" JoJo, Sunshine, you're drunk. I don't wanna sleep with you while you're drunk. I'd feel like I was taking advantage of your situation." Ben tried to explain. It only worked a little.

" Fine." She huffed, lying down.

" No cuddles tonight." She added. Ben sighed, laying down next to her, listening to what she said. It wasn't more than ten minutes later did he feel a small arm lay across his torso.

" This is simply because I'm cold." JoJo stated, laying her head on his shoulder.

" I know, baby." He chuckled.