Atlantic City: Part One

I tried on about five different casual outfits in an attempt to find the one that looked most effortless. I obviously see the irony here, guys. How hard does a girl have to work to achieve that 'I woke up like this' look?!

Anyway, Friday afternoon taught me that you do not want to meet your boyfriend's friends right before a four hour car ride. They were nice, of course, but it's a lot of pressure to converse with people you just met for four hours. There's not much to talk about on a long car ride after the first hour. Two of Justin's closest friends were going to Atlantic City, Sean and Alan, in addition to Alan's girlfriend, Jackie.

Justin introduced me to all three of them after I put my duffle bag in the truck before taking my seat in the back middle seat, sandwiched between Justin and Sean. I got to know the three of them and they got to know me, on a very preliminary level. Justin had known both Sean and Alan since elementary school. Jackie and Alan had been dating for about a year. We conversed about our jobs, our college years, where we grew up, and of course, I found out the cute story of how Alan and Jackie met. They were both denied access to the gym on a Friday night because it was about to close.

"So, there we were, in our athletic clothes," Jackie said, putting her hand on Alan's free hand as he drove on the Long Island Expressway. "But lucky for me, there was a bar in the shopping center and he invited me to share a pitcher of beer and mini pizza with him. The rest is history."

By the beginning of the second hour, I was already exhausted so I rested my head on Justin's shoulder. Somehow I managed to doze off. I don't know if I tired myself out with my anxiety over this trip or if my mom slipped a crushed up Xanax into the cup of tea I had before Justin picked me up, but either way I was happy to get some rest since I knew we'd be out late that night. Justin sweetly whispered in my ear to wake me up once we were parked and ready to head into the hotel. We all checked in and made our way up the elevator to our room. The couples would each have a bed to share, while Sean was staying on a cot.

"I can't believe you stole my cuddle partner, Caroline," Sean joked. "I hope you know that Justin likes to be the little spoon." I caught Justin giving him an annoyed look, which made me strangely drawn to Justin. It was cute that he didn't want his friend making embarrassing jokes in front of me!

As we shuffled out of the elevator, Jackie tapped me on the arm and motioned for me to walk a few steps behind the guys.

"I'm so glad you came this weekend," she enthusiastically whispered to me. "I'd honestly go bananas if I was stuck with these three boys the whole night."

I smiled at Jackie. I was glad she was making me feel so welcomed and comfortable. "I'm really glad Justin invited me! You guys are great. I'm ready to have a blast tonight."

Jackie began asking me what I brought to wear for the night as we caught up to the guys who were unlocking the door. The room was really nice, not that it really mattered. We were going to spend most of our time in the casino, at the night club, and on the boardwalk. Still, it was nice to have a fancy looking room. I began mentally scheming a way to get some alone time with Justin because what's the point of staying in a hotel room with your beau if you don't get to have hotel room sex?

"You guys want to go straight to dinner or do some gambling first?" Sean asked the group.

I was pretty hungry, but I was the newbie so I didn't feel like speaking up. Jackie luckily read my mind. "I'm starving," she said rubbing her stomach in a circular motion. "Let's go to that tapas place." We had passed a cute tapas restaurant on the lower level of our hotel. At first glance, it seemed to be a typical Spanish restaurant but we had stopped to briefly look at the menu and they had a lot of really unique takes on various dishes. Everyone agreed on trying it so we made our way out of the room back towards the elevators.

This time, Justin was the one who motioned for he to stay a few steps behind the group. "My friends love you," he said as we put his arm around my waist and playfully squeezed my hip.

I quietly giggled. "Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, Sean and Alan already gave me their full approval. Looks like you passed, but of course I knew you would."

I felt so much tension leave my body. It's not like I thought Justin's friends wouldn't like me, but now that I secured a good impression, I was ready to really enjoy the night.

Justin and I split a few small plates at the restaurant. I let him eat a majority of the food because I didn't want to feel bloated when we went dancing. I was able to receive a fulfilling taste of everything, while Justin scarfed down the scraps. He is one of those truly fortunate people who can eat as much as he wants without gaining weight. To be fair, he jogs a lot and plays basketball at least three times a week. I'm still pretty jealous of his metabolism.

Once we were done eating, we all made our way back up to the room. As we got ready for the night, I had no idea how much drama was about to go down.