This one was requested by @dustybunhargrovee who asked about this moment that was mentioned in one of the earlier chapters of "She Will Be Loved" (I think). This one was fun to write!! It's set back in New York and Ang and Juice are still just good buddies 😉

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Juice shoulder-surfed his way into Angela's apartment building, climbing the stairs two at a time. By the time he was at the top, the winter chill was gone from his bones. He was out of breath and sweating, but it was normal since she was on the top floor. He should've waited for the damn elevator. He was just so excited to see her, he couldn't wait. She'd been in California for Christmas and was finally back in New York. He tapped on her door, smiling at the sound of the locks on the other side of the door sliding unlocked one by one. She opened the door, already grinning at him. "Hey you!" she greeted, taking a step back to let him in.

She was wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts. The inside of her apartment was hot as hell; she must've had the heater turned all the way up. "Hey Angel," he replied, taking off his gloves, hat, and winter jacket. "Fuck, it's hot in here."

"It's fuckin' cold outside," Angela said, nodding towards the window where snow was gathering on the fire escape.

He pulled her into a tight hug, smiling as she hugged him back, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. He loved the way she felt in his arms. The way her body seemed to fit perfectly against his. He wanted to press his face into her neck, breathe her in, slip his hands under her top to feel her silky skin. He resisted the urge, letting her go with a smile. "Welcome home!" he exclaimed, throwing himself onto the couch.

She smirked, and he had a feeling she was going to correct him. She didn't though. This was her second year in New York, and he knew it was starting to feel like home. "Thanks," she said, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. "What're you doin' this weekend?"

"Workin'," he said on a sigh. He rolled his head over to look at her. "Why? You and Raj got big plans?"

"Raj is in India with his family," she said on a sigh. "So it'll just be me. Here. Alone. What work do you have?"

"Doin' a waiter gig at some fancy-ass hotel downtown. Some office party. Said they needed a cute waiter to carry champagne around," he said, giving her a big grin. "You want in?"

Angela considered it for a moment. "Not sure if I meet the description, but sure, why not?"

He rolled his eyes at her. She wasn't wrong, though. She wasn't cute. She was beautiful. One of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen. How could she think she didn't fit the description? "Please. You're over qualified," he told her, feeling his heart skip a beat when her cheeks turned a little pink. "I'll get you the details. Think you need like a white blouse, black pants, a tie. All that fancy shit."

"I'm sure I can find some somewhere. Just tell me where I gotta be," she said pulling her knees to her chest. "Want a beer? Set up the N64, 'n' we can do some drunk driving or something."

He grinned; he loved that she called booze and Mario Kart 'drunk driving'. Loved that they could spend an entire day in her living room getting hammered and playing video games. Later, they'd order a big ass pizza and get high on the roof. He loved that shit. It was his favorite way to spend a day. "Sounds perfect."

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Angela was miserable as she stood in the middle of all the fancy people, a tray of champagne flutes perched on her palm. Juice had been wrong, the dress code for the guys was a white dress shirt, black pants, and a tie. She had to wear a black pencil skirt and black heeled pumps. She hated it. She'd been instructed that her hair had to be tied back in a low bun and only a low bun. It was uncomfortable as hell. To top it all off, when she got there, the manager of the catering company had leered at her, told her to unbutton an extra button on her blouse. She'd done it in front of him but had re-buttoned it the second he turned away.

She glanced across the hall where Juice was chatting with one of the party guests as he re-filled her champagne glass. He was so handsome in his white dress shirt and slacks, his tie perfectly tied. His dress shoes were black and shiny. He'd recently shaved his hair down to a buzz cut. She missed the gel with the spikes a bit, but the shaved hairstyle made him look older, more mature. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off of him. All she could think about what getting him alone, fusing her lips to his, and ripping open that sexy button down to let her hands roam all over his body.

"Hey sweetheart. Why don't you smile for me?" an older man asked, breaking into her thoughts. He wasn't unattractive, but his dark eyes were slightly glassy, and the look in them made her feel squeamish.

Angela didn't smile but held out the tray to him. "Champagne?"

He took the last glass from the tray and downed it quickly, sidling up closer to her. "You're too pretty not to be smilin'," he slurred, his hand going to her lower back before sliding down to her ass. "Bet I can make you smile."

It took all of herself control not to take the metal tray and hit him in the face with it. Instead, she took a step away, swatting at his hand. "Hands to yourself, sir."

He filled in the space again, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing it this time. She must've looked murderous because out of nowhere, Juice was at her side. He pulled her away quickly, putting himself between her and the guest. "Hey, how about you go get more champagne glasses? I'll talk to this guy over here."

Angela glared at him before heading towards the kitchen where a refill station was set up. Instead of getting another tray, she took a seat on one of the kitchen counters, grabbing one of the champagne flutes and downing it in one long pull.

Juice came crashing in a few seconds later. "We gotta go," he said, grabbing two of the unopened champagne bottles sitting in the ice. "Now."

"What?" she asked, stealing one of the open bottles and following after him. "What the hell happened?"

"May have pushed that guy that grabbed ya...and now here we are," he said, rushing through the exit back into the hotel.

She stopped walking in shock; he'd defended her. Without thinking twice. She knew he needed the money for the gig, but he'd put his job in jeopardy for her. "Holy shit, Juice. You didn't need to do that."

"Kinda did," he muttered staring at the hotel map. "So we gotta go."

Angela laughed, shaking her head at his back as she followed him into the elevator. "Where are we going?"

He shrugged, setting one bottle on the ground and starting to open the other one. It opened with a satisfying pop. "Swimming," he said with an excited grin that just about stopped her heart.

She raised an eyebrow. The hotel was known for their amazing indoor pool. One that was exclusive only to guests. "We're not gonna be able to get in without a key," she told him, taking a sip of the champagne bottle in her hand.

Juice held up a key card, giving her a sneaky grin. "Some old lady gave me this," he said on a shrug.

Angela raised her eyebrows at him, though she wasn't surprised he was being hit on by the older women. He looked incredibly handsome in his waiter getup. "You know why she gave you that, right?"

"Sure," he muttered off-handedly, more focused on opening up one of the champagne bottles in his hand. He popped it open and grinned as he took a swig. "This is good shit."

She glanced at the Dom Perignon label on the bottle and wondered just how expensive it was since it tasted amazing. She hadn't had much champagne other than stolen glasses at different quinceaneras, and she never enjoyed the taste of it much. The bubbles danced on her tongue in the most amazing way. "Can't be cheap," she commented as they followed signs to the pool.

He opened big door to the pool with the key card, holding the door open for her. "M'lady," he said, gesturing towards the inside. Her jaw dropped as she walked into the pool area. It stunk like chlorine, but the deck was made of what appeared to be a cream colored marble with cabana style lounges in little inlets around it. The pool was a beautiful blue color, the water inside of it was steaming. Juice nodded in approval as he set the champagne bottles on the pool's edge. "This place is awesome! C'mon, let's get in!"

Angela watched as he loosened his tie and got undressed, tossing his clothes onto one of the cabana lounges. He had his back to her, and she let her eyes travel over the muscles in his shoulders as he pulled his shirt over his head. Her cheeks grew hot as she noted the small dimples in his lower back over the curve of his ass. He had a great ass, she thought, tilting her head to the side. The urge to touch him filled her, and she stamped it down. It was the champagne, she reasoned. She had to stop checking Juice out. She was with Raj. She had to calm down.

Thankfully, he jumped into the pool before he caught her ogling him. She giggled, kicking off her heals and sitting at the pools edge, taking a swig of the champagne just as he resurface. She grabbed the life guard floating bar and threw it at him. He spit out water as he put the floaty underneath his arms, kicking his way over to her and grabbing the other champagne bottle. "Water's warm," he said with a big grin. "You should come in."

She couldn't. Not in the lace panty set she had on. It would destroy the expensive lace, not to mention; she didn't entirely trust herself to be drunk and half-clothed with Juice. "I'm good, goof. I can't swim," she lied, though she did take off the stupid tie she'd been forced to wear.

"Pretty sure that's a lie," Juice commented with a roll of his eyes. Still, he didn't pressure her, just lay back slightly with a soft sigh as he floated in the water. "So Raj is in India. You ever been?"

Angela laughed, loving the buzzy feeling the champagne was giving her. "To India?" she repeated. He nodded, and she laughed. "No. No, I've never even been outta the country. My ex wanted to take me to Mexico once back in high school, but my aunt wouldn't let me go. Have you ever been outta the country?"

Juice frowned, shaking his head. "I've never really left New York."

That wasn't surprising to her. If she hadn't gone to New York for school, she was pretty sure she would've lived her whole life in California. She didn't have the money for expensive trips, and her Aunt hated flying. She was terrified of it; it was why Elena had never been to visit her. "Have you wanted to?"

He thought about it for a long moment before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess. See the west coast, maybe. See what the beaches are like over there. Internationally, I always thought Rome would be fun. See the Coliseum. That Gladiator shit is cool."

"That would be fun," she replied with a little smile. "Italy's on my list too. Love to check out all of Europe. Go to London and shit."

"London, ey?" he said in the worst British accent ever. God, he was cute. She wished she could get in the water with him, kiss the scrunch of his nose. He stretched his arms out to the side. "I'll take ye to London."

She loved that. She had no doubt she would have a blast traveling around London with Juice. "Take me to London?" she repeated, doing her own attempt at a British accent. "Get us some fish and chips?"

Juice nodded, looking very serious. "Take ye to London, Ireland, wherever ye want to go. Show you the world. Take you wonder by wonder."

"Over sideways and under?" she asked, wondering if he realized he just quoted "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.

"Magic carpet ride!" he exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

"Goof!" she exclaimed kicking water at his face.

"Hey!" he shouted, splashing her back. It wasn't a big splash; he wasn't trying to get her totally soaked. She appreciated that. They splashed back and forth, their laughter echoing through the pool room.

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Juice wasn't sure how he ended up on the large pool lounger with Angela tucked into his side, but he had to admit, he wasn't mad at it. The last thing he remembered was playing a rousing game of "Never Have I Ever" with her where they took drinks for things they'd done. For some reason, they both avoided most of the sexual topics, but regardless, they'd both done a lot of shit. The last one he remembered was watching Angela drink as she admitted to spending a night in jail after getting caught underage drinking.

There was pimple faced teenaged employee standing over him looking a little nervous. Clearly, he'd been the one who'd woken him up. Angela was still passed out with her head pillowed on his chest, her hand resting over his heart. He noticed how long her eyelashes were as they were pressed against her cheeks. She was beautiful, and all he wanted was to stay like that forever. Still there was the teenager looming over them. "Um, sir, you gotta get outta here," he stated, his voice cracking slightly.

"Right," Juice grunted. He gently shook Angela, who woke up with a start.

She jerked up before she groaned, her hand pressed to her forehead. "Shit. Too fast," she muttered.

He chuckled, waiting for her to sit up before sitting up himself. He was shirtless, and he didn't miss the quick glance Angela made to his chest. "He says we gotta go," he muttered, feeling a little disappointed. He grabbed some cash from his pocket and slipped it to him. "We're goin', man. Just like...stall for a sec, please."

The teenager took it, nodding enthusiastically before heading out the door.

Angela glared at the teenager's back before slowly getting to her feet. She stumbled slightly as she grabbed her high heels. She looked slightly disheveled; her dark hair a mess, eyeliner just a little smudged. "Holy shit," she murmured around a yawn. "What the fuck happened?"

He laughed, getting dressed himself. He realized when he put on his shirt that she'd been sleeping on it, and it kind of smelled like her...and chlorine. His head was pounding, but he didn't really feel all that bad. He'd woken up next to Angela, so his day was already better than most days. "Lots of champagne and chlorine," he answered with a smirk. "You good?"

"Yeah, just need like...the greasiest breakfast," she muttered, undoing her hair and pulling it back up into a messy bun again. "Mrs. Z's?"

Juice nodded emphatically. "Oh he'll yeah," he agreed. He waited in the hall while she snuck back into the kitchen to get the coats they stashed there the night before. While she did that, he went to the little gift shop and bought her a pair of slipper boots that were there. He handed them to her. "For your feet. No way you're gonna walk all the way to the subway in those right now."

Angela looked surprised for a brief moment before she took them from him. She kicked off her heels with an appreciative sigh and pulled on the boots. "You are my absolute favorite person right now."

That made him feel like he won the biggest prize. He loved her. He wanted to kiss her. Just pull her into his chest, wrap his arms around her, and hold her for a moment. Laugh about how crazy the night before had been and then share a kiss...morning breath and everything. He couldn't though. She wasn't his, and he respected her and her relationship. It wasn't worth ruining their friendship over. "Please. I should always be your favorite person," he teased, slinging an arm over her shoulders as they walked towards the exit together.

"Most of the time, you are," she told him with a warm smile he felt down to his toes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"How the fuck do you know all the words to A Whole New World?" she asked, an amused smile on her face.

He grimaced, vaguely remembering singing it with her as they sat together on the cabana lounge bed. The only reason he knew the song was because he'd watched the movie with her, had even sat through the musical on Broadway with her after Raj refused to see it, and he knew she loved it. He chuckled and shrugged. "I honestly have no idea," he lied. "But I will gladly travel the world with you. We can see if we can find better champagne than that one."

Angela beamed at him and nodded. "We can go to France!"

"Oui oui!" he shouted, loving the way she laughed in response. Honestly, he'd go to France with her. He'd go anywhere as long as it was with her. Even if they were just friends, he wanted to be wherever she was. She was his favorite person and a day spent with her even in the worst place would be better than a day spend with anyone else. He just wished she was his. Wished that he had some hint, some glimmer of hope that maybe she'd leave Raj, and he'd finally get his chance. He could make her happier than he did. He knew he could. He just needed the chance.

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Thank you @Dustybunhargrovee for the request!!! I had so much fun writing this!!
Please let me know if there's anything else you guys would like to read!!
I love writing to suggestions for you all!!