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“Well?” Jimmy Jr. asked, stretching his arms wide and doing a pivot. “Do we look like yacht people?”
In lieu of a response, Tina hummed softly, too busy admiring the way that his butt looked in his pilfered slacks. He’d swiped them from his dad’s closet earlier that day, along with the rest of his ensemble - tan pants, a white button-up shirt, and a navy blue sport coat. The kind of clothes that yacht people wore, of which his father had only recently become.
After years of trying, Jimmy Pesto had finally been invited to join the Glencrest Yacht Club, and it was pretty much all that he talked about, now.
He was constantly boasting about the exclusive parties, the wealthy people that he got to rub elbows with, and the upgraded social status that supposedly came along with his fancy new membership card.
This was why it had been Jimmy Jr.’s idea to crash the yacht club’s annual holiday party - he wanted to experience all of this opulence for himself, to see what all of the fuss was about.
Tina, of course, had been easily convinced - she liked seeing Jimmy Jr.’s bad-boy side, and it was rare that he planned one of their dates. She wasn’t going to let an opportunity like this slip through her fingers.
That was how they’d found themselves huddled in the aisle of a convenience store, a motel-style keychain clutched in Tina’s hands. She’d gotten ready at home, but Jimmy Jr. couldn’t exactly march past his dad in his stolen clothes - they’d had to find another solution, even if it meant changing in a skeevy bathroom.
“Tina?” Jimmy Jr. prompted, adjusting an extravagant captain’s hat over his hair. “Did you hear what I said?”
Shaking her head, it took all of Tina’s willpower to focus on his face. “Sorry, what?”
Jimmy Jr. rolled his eyes, though it was negated by the fond smile that he gave her after. “Are we selling it? Do we look like yacht people?”
She spun the bathroom key around on her pointer finger, the way she’d seen undeniably cool people do in movies, hoping that it would make her appear blasé and unbothered by his appearance. “Oh, yacht people? Definitely. Hot yacht people.”
Nodding in agreement, his eyes slowly traveled up the length of Tina’s body, pausing for just a moment too long on the low-cut of her dress. Swallowing thickly, he averted his gaze and reached up to flick at one of the ship-wheel shaped earrings she’d borrowed from her mom’s jewelry box. “So hot.”
They walked to the Glencrest Yacht Club hand-in-hand, and Tina couldn’t decide if he was trying to be romantic, or if he was just trying to keep her from toppling over in her high-heels. She didn’t ask, content to let him drag her along the sidewalk, feeling warmed from the inside-out with each pass of his thumb over her knuckles.
The big metal gates outside of the club were thrown open wide, something that Tina had always found confusing - for such an exclusive organization, they sure didn’t make it that hard to barge in.
Just before they rounded the corner, she pulled Jimmy Jr. to a sudden stop, wheeling him around to face her.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, confused, and Tina shook her head.
“Nothing, I just think you should wear your hat lower.” She stated, stretching up onto her toes and tugging the wide brim down until both of his pale eyebrows were covered. It looked a bit silly, but she didn’t want to take any chances. “There, now you really look like your dad.”
Jimmy Jr. grimaced, but didn't protest - he knew that she was right.
“Are you ready?” He questioned, catching her wrists as she lowered her arms. Tina reached out to smooth her hands over the front of his jacket, though it was mostly an excuse to continue touching him.
“Born ready,” She assured, grinning. “Not that I knew that this was going to happen when I was born…you know what I mean, though.”
“Uh, I’m not sure that I do,” He shrugged, grinning back. “But that’s okay. Hey, isn’t this technically your second or third time sneaking into this place?”
Tina pursed her lips, trying to recall the other instances in which she’d been inside of the club - she’d crashed some sort of ball with her siblings back in eighth grade, and they’d barreled their way in once more when Gene was trying to save a plankton blob in the marina. A lot of her childhood escapades had started to blur together after a while, so she wasn’t entirely certain as she answered, “Third, I think. It’s hard to keep track.”
“A seasoned pro.” He teased, dropping her wrists before reclaiming her hand.
When they reached the entrance, a man in the club’s uniform was leaning against a wooden podium, a clipboard tucked under one arm. He looked bored out of his mind, and Tina could see the faint glow of a cell phone tucked in front of him, as if he was attempting to hide it.
Must be a tedious job, she thought to herself, but didn't say anything - it wouldn’t do her any good to draw unnecessary attention their way.
“Name?” The man asked, barely looking up as they approached.
“Jimmy Pesto.” Jimmy Jr. said, pitching his voice just a tad lower than usual. Tina wasn’t sure how convincing it was, especially with his ever-present lisp, but the man didn’t seem to notice.
“I’ll just need to see your membership card.”
Tina watched Jimmy Jr.’s shoulders tense as he pulled his wallet out, fishing his father’s card out before flashing it at the man. He glanced at it for a fraction of a second, and the two teenagers held their breath.
“Is this your plus one?” He finally asked, his eyes sliding in Tina’s direction. She tried to stand-up straighter, holding her head high, silently praying that he wouldn’t question how young she looked.
“Yep!” Jimmy Jr. replied, momentarily forgetting the fake voice he’d taken on - Tina sent a sharp jab to his ribs with her elbow, causing him to clear his throat noisily and resume with the deeper pitch. “Her name is, uh…”
“Dina!” Tina interrupted, shooting Jimmy Jr. a panicked look. While she probably wouldn’t be recognized by her first name, she thought that the staff members might have the name “Belcher” on some sort of “Do Not Enter” list. “Dina…Butler, yeah. We are Jimmy Pesto and his girlfriend, Dina Butler. We’ve been together for…twelve years! Um…and it’s totally fine that we aren’t married yet, so don’t even worry about it.”
“Bring it down a notch.” Jimmy Jr. hissed into her ear, his arm slipping around her waist as they forced confident smiles onto their faces.
“Okay, didn’t ask for your life story.” The man stated - he was already back to staring down at his phone, taking on a tone of feigned enthusiasm as he waved them on. “Go ahead, and enjoy the party.”
“That went okay, I think.” Tina whispered, letting Jimmy Jr. usher her inside, through a doorway decked out with snow-flocked foliage and twinkling lights.
“If you say so, Dina.” Jimmy Jr. mumbled, gazing around the extravagantly decorated room and at all of its lavishly dressed occupants.
A collection of thin, towering Christmas trees were spread out throughout the space, and they could see a large ice sculpture perched on an overflowing buffet table - a muscular merman holding a trident, with a frozen Santa hat carved onto his head. Tina blushed when she remembered the kisses she’d bestowed upon the last sculpture she’d seen at the club, directing Jimmy Jr.’s attention away from it before he could ask any questions.
“This is laaaaame.” He complained, looking down at her with a deep frown. “Nobody is even dancing.”
It was true - despite the pretty classical rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” that was playing, most of the party guests were just…standing there. The majority of them were talking politely amongst themselves, occasionally grabbing proffered treats from the waiters drifting around the room.
“Maybe they aren’t drunk enough, yet?” Tina said, giving his arm a comforting squeeze. “...The night is still young?”
“I guess.” Jimmy Jr. pouted, giving her hand an affectionate pat in return. “But… speaking of being drunk…”
One of the waiters passed by, a tray of tall champagne flutes balanced on his palm - Jimmy Jr. snagged two of them, quickly jerking his head to the other side of the room. Tina led the way, slipping between the crowd as delicately as she could, only knocking shoulders with one particularly unobservant older woman who stepped into her path.
“Phew.” Jimmy Jr. panted, leaning against the wall as he caught his breath. “That was close.”
“Was it?” Tina questioned, taking one of the glasses from his outstretched hand. Her stomach fluttered nervously as their fingers brushed, and she wasn’t sure if it was just the allure of forbidden alcohol that caused it.
“I mean…yeah?” He started, raising his own glass to his lips. “What if that guy-?”
“Wait!” Tina interrupted, grabbing his wrist before he could take a sip. “We have to say cheers!”
“Why?” He groaned, though he did what she asked, gently shaking her off of him.
“I don’t know.” She admitted, looking down into the shimmering liquid. “It’s just something that people do. Now, cheers me, damn it!”
“Fine, jeez. Cheers.” He sighed, rolling his eyes as he lifted his glass to clink it against her own.
“Cheers!...Oh, oops.”
It was the first time that either of them had ever done that before, and it was apparent that neither teen knew how much force they were supposed to use - Jimmy Jr.’s glass smacked against her own with a loud clang, drawing stares from those who were near enough to hear it.
“Mind your own business.” He sneered at a nearby couple, angling his body so that they weren’t able to continue with their gawking. “That was embarrassing.”
“Should we try again?” Tina whispered, and Jimmy Jr. shook his head rapidly.
“Absolutely not,” He grimaced, and then he was bringing the glass to his mouth again. “We cheers-ed already, so it’s fine.”
Tina shrugged, following suit - she coughed sharply as the liquid fizzed its way down her throat. “Ugh, that’s awful.” She winced, “How do people even dri-…oh, you’re still drinking it? Okay.”
With a shuddering breath, she took another swig, resisting the urge to spit it back into the flute.
“Tina, babe, you know that you don’t have to keep drinking it, right?” Jimmy Jr. asked, wrinkling his nose as he watched her struggle.
“No, no, it’s okay,” She huffed, swallowing heavily and going for another sip. “It’s getting better, I think. Also…I think I might already be drunk?”
A short while later, Tina had somehow found herself on her second glass of champagne, and her entire body felt pleasantly warm and slightly tingly.
Of course, that might have been because she was in Jimmy Jr.’s arms - both sensations left her feeling more than a little tipsy.
“This is nice.” She sighed softly, letting him continue to lead her in their version of a slow dance - her head on his chest, his hands clasped behind her waist, swaying in a way that didn’t quite make sense with the pace of the music that was playing.
“Yeah.” Jimmy Jr. said, and Tina felt his lips graze the top of her head. “I like being here.”
“What, at the club?” Tina asked, leaning back until she could see his face. “Are you thinking about becoming an actual member, someday?”
Jimmy Jr. snorted, shaking his head before clarifying, “No. This place kinda sucks.”
Tina silently agreed with the sentiment before pressing on. “What’d you mean, then?”
“Just…here.” He avoided her gaze, his eyes tilting up towards the ceiling as the tips of his ears burned red. “You know, with you.”
It might as well have been a declaration of love, at least in Jimmy Pesto Jr. speak - he couldn’t really get any more romantic than that.
Rather than embarrass him further (it was Christmas, after all - she could afford to be generous, just this once), Tina raised up onto her toes to press a chaste peck to his cheek. “For the record, I like being here with you, too.”
Jimmy Jr. grinned at her, the twinkling lights over-head reflecting brightly off of his teeth. “That’s good, or else this would be super awkward, probably.”
“Maybe just a little…mostly because I really want to kiss you right now.” She said, smiling back at him. “Like…for real kiss?”
“Yeah?” He asked, pulling her just the teensiest bit closer.
“Yeah. But…maybe not…here?”
While she had very few qualms about kissing in public, making out in a crowd full of classy older rich people felt…weird? She wasn’t sure how much action these people saw on a day-to-day basis, and she wasn’t trying to inadvertently host a Christmas peepshow…
There was also the potential for someone to complain about their public display, and then they might be asked to leave, something that she was certain she’d had enough of for one lifetime. As the thought crossed her mind, she was suddenly struck with an idea - they’d already made it this far into the evening without being caught. Where was the harm in a little more sneaking around?
“Remember earlier, when you asked me about the other times I’ve been here?”
Jimmy Jr. nodded, and Tina took it as an invitation.
“Great! Come with me.” She ordered, shifting out of his arms before grabbing his hand and pulling. They bypassed a waiter on their way off of the dance floor, and Tina snagged a half-empty bottle of champagne from his grasp as they went. “Thank you, Merry Christmas!”
The club's trophy room was, as she’d hoped, empty.
Before Jimmy Jr. had even had a chance to look around, she was shoving him up against the heavy wooden doors, her hands tangling in his hair and her lips colliding with his in an almost painful clash of noses and teeth.
He responded enthusiastically, one of his hands reaching up to cup the back of her neck, while the other made its way down her side, finally coming to a stop on her hip. He pulled her closer, ensuring that there was almost no space left between them.
There may not have been festive music playing, and there was no mistletoe or holly to be found, and Jimmy Jr.’s lips tasted strongly of champagne, but this was the Christmas party that Tina had been hoping for.
Just the two of them, alone, together.
And kissing, of course, but that was always inevitable when they were alone.
“H-how’d you know about this room?” Jimmy Jr. stuttered when she turned her attention to his throat, nipping softly at the skin there before running her tongue along the underside of his jaw - the hand that was holding her hip squeezed tightly, and she felt herself smirking when he shivered against her.
“Mmm, I’ll tell you later.” Tina whispered, and he nodded, quickly pulling her face to his own again. He started moving forward, slowly, careful not to step on Tina’s toes as he herded her deeper into the room.
She was forced to stop when she bumped up against something sturdy and solid, but before she could turn to investigate, his hands were around her waist and she was being lifted to sit on whatever it was. Soft, fuzzy material brushed against the bare skin of her thighs as the skirt of her dress shifted around - pool table.
“This…this happened on “The Bachelorette” once.” She panted excitedly, pulling away from the kiss - Jimmy Jr. stared at her blankly with heavy-lidded eyes, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.
“Huh?”
“Um…never mind.” She blushed, grabbing his collar and tugging him back. “Kiss me again.”
Warmth pooled low in her belly when he used his thigh to separate both of hers and stepped into the vacant space, his palms falling to the crook of her knees before wrapping her legs around his back.
“Is this okay?” He mumbled against her lips, and Tina didn’t respond - instead, she maneuvered them until she was on her back, Jimmy Jr. poised above her, his weight pressing into her like a heavy blanket.
She allowed herself to get lost in the sensation, momentarily forgetting where they were - all that mattered was the feeling of his tongue in her mouth, and her hands in his hair, and his hands sliding underneath the fabric of her skirt, and-
Crash!
The two teenagers jerked apart, faces burning with the humiliation of being caught as the door to the trophy room was flung open. Tina was about to protest, annoyed at the interruption, but her complaints died in her throat when she saw just who had walked in on them.
“So, is it safe to assume that this is what you two are gettin’ up to when you’re supposed to be “studying” ?”
“D-dad?” Jimmy Jr. yelped, fixing Tina’s dress before hastily stepping away, leaving almost a full foot of space between them. “What are you doing here?”
“You told him we were studying?” Tina hissed, running shaking fingers through her mussed hair.
“What was I supposed to tell him?” Jimmy Jr. hissed back, and Tina wished that he would follow suit - his hair was a mess.
“I don’t know, something believable?”
Jimmy Jr. opened his mouth to argue, and then his dad was holding up a hand, effectively cutting him off. “Enough, both of you.”
They fell silent, staring guiltily up at the man in front of them, shifting uncomfortably under his steely glare.
“First of all…Junior, you’re grounded.” Jimmy stated, beginning to pace back-and-forth in front of them. “Second, no more hanging out in your room with the door closed. I don’t know how Linda and Bob feel about…all of this, ” He paused, gesturing vaguely between the two. “But I won’t have you doing… that… under my roof.”
Jimmy Jr. groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “How’d you even know that we were here? I thought you had other plans.”
“I moved some stuff around.” Jimmy shrugged, his arms crossing over his broad chest. “Imagine my surprise when I show up here, ready to attend a Christmas party at my yacht club, and I can’t find my membership card! Weird, huh?”
“...Yes?” Tina supplied, and Jimmy Jr. smacked his forehead in response.
“Yes, Tina. Anyway, guy at the front says it’s not a big deal, because somehow, I already checked in! I said, that’s not right, I just got here! Know what he said?”
“What did he say?” Jimmy Jr. sighed miserably, and Tina reached over to smooth down some of his unruly hair - he batted her hand away, but not before giving it an affectionate squeeze.
“He asked me where my date went! So I said, what date? I don’t have a date! And you know what he said after that?”
“Oh my god, whaaaaaat?”
“He said, that girl, the one who rambled on and on about gettin’ married, or something.” Jimmy scoffed, waving his son off. “Didn’t take a genius to figure out what’d actually happened. Now, give me my card back.”
Jimmy Jr. reached for his wallet, sliding the card out and handing it to his father. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Yeah, sorry, um…Mr. Pesto?” Tina mumbled nervously - it wasn’t often that she had to address her boyfriend’s dad directly, and she never knew what she was supposed to call him.
“Thank you.” He snapped, sliding the card back into his own wallet before turning to face the two of them again. “Now, I won’t tell your mother about this, so long as you don’t tell anyone that I saw you here, or that you’ve been drinking, alright?”
“How’d you know we were drinking?” Tina asked, confused, and he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, to where she’d abandoned the swiped champagne bottle on the carpeted floor. “Oh, right.”
“Don’t go telling your parents about this, either. As far as anyone is concerned, I had no clue that you were ever here.”
“Yes, sir.” Both teens replied in unison, nodding their heads in agreement. “Aren’t you gonna kick us out?” Jimmy Jr. asked, his brow furrowing.
His father eyed the two of them critically, stroking his chin as he considered it. After a moment, he shrugged. “Eh, what the heck, it’s Christmas.”
“...Really?”
“Sure. Just…stay out of my way, don’t embarrass me, and don’t tell anyone that you’re my son. Capeesh?”
“Heard.” Jimmy Jr. replied, his shoulders sagging in relief.
His dad nodded awkwardly, turning on his heel to leave them in the trophy room. Before he made it out, he turned again, whistling sharply until Jimmy Jr. looked his way.
“I found this on the ice sculpture.” He reached into his pocket, producing the captain’s hat that Jimmy Jr. had been wearing earlier, albeit a more wrinkled version of it. He tossed it their way, and Jimmy Jr. caught it just before it could fall to the ground. “Don’t lose that, it was expensive.”
And then he was gone, the door shutting behind him with an audible click.
Jimmy Jr. moved closer to her again, pulling her into a half-embrace and resting his forehead against hers.
“Was that as scary for you as it was for me?” He asked, grimacing.
Tina shook her head, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips as she repeated her words from before. “No…that went okay, I think.”
Jimmy Jr. laughed, grabbing her hand and helping her down from the pool table.
“Did you wanna get back out there?” She asked, ducking over to retrieve the champagne - she didn’t really intend on drinking any more of it, but it felt wrong to just leave it there.
“Are you kidding?” Jimmy Jr. muttered incredulously, his mouth dropping open in shock.
“...No?”
“Tina, you heard what he said.” He started, looking her directly in the eye. “He’s going to stay here and enjoy the party…”
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she was still recovering from being caught getting carried away, but Tina had no idea what he was talking about. “And…what does that have to do with us?”
“He’s here… and…my brothers are at my mom’s, tonight…so…” He trailed off suggestively, sidling close enough that she could practically feel the heat radiating off of him.
“Oh… oh.”
“Yeah.”
“So…you’re saying that your dad’s apartment is…empty?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded, his arms encircling her waist again. “Did you want to…?”
She didn’t need to be asked twice - bottle of champagne in one hand, she grabbed his wrist in the other, yanking him out of the trophy room with enough speed that he almost fell over.
“Wait, don’t forget that hat!” She reminded once they were outside, waiting until it was firmly on his head to start running again. “I’ve always wanted to sleep with a captain…it was at the top of my Christmas list this year, actually.”
“That’s so specific!” Jimmy Jr. panted, struggling to keep up. “How was anyone supposed to gift you that?”
“We can call it a Christmas miracle, I guess.” She grinned, sprinting down the street towards Ocean Avenue, somehow staying upright in her heels - another Christmas miracle, she thought.