When Rachel and her friend Ciara take a weekend vacation to LA, a surprise romance awaits. |
My phone violently vibrated in my pocket, and i pulled it out and took a quick glance at the screen: 1 New Text Message; Luke. I sighed and without any further hesitation slipped the phone back into my pocket. "Who was that?" My sister asked curiously from behind a magazine. I rolled my eyes, "Luke...again. That's the third text in a row from him, probably pleading once again his so called 'love' for me." Gretchen shook her head. "Sounds like Evan. I can't get him to leave me alone," she said frustrated. I grunted. "Yeah, well, Evan is hopeless. Luke is just...i don’t know how to explain it. He's a great guy, but it's too much." Gretchen saw my distraught expression and put the magazine down on her lap. "You know, sis, i think i see your problem. You're afraid to be in a relationship," and before i could protest, she added, "not like you're afraid of commitment, just...love itself. I really think that's it." I sighed. "Maybe." My phone vibrated once again, and i silently swore to myself that if it was Luke, I was going to chuck the cellphone out the Starbucks window. Taking a deep breath, I looked at my phone: 2 New Text Messages, Ciara. My mood was lightened when i saw her name, and i flipped open my phone. I opened the text that read Hey girly. Ahmazing news! Remember how i told you my parents are taking me up to L.A this weekend for spring break? Well they told me to invite someone. And you, missy, are coming along. Pack your bags. ROAD TRIP! 333" I gasped and screamed at the same time, causing people to look over. Gretchen smiled casually, "What is it?" She said. "You look like you’re going to have a panic attack!" "I'm going to L.A this weekend with Ci!" I said flashing the biggest smile. "Can you believe it? Maybe, just MAYBE i can get my big break!" Gretchen looked both happy for me and a little jealous, but she smiled and said, "That's so awesome. Have fun." Without any more thought, i flipped open my phone to call Ciara and talk it over, but accidentally pressed the wrong key. Luke's message's popped up onto the screen, revealing the latest one. My eyes widened and i covered my mouth as i read, fine. You don't love me. I get it. I think I’m just gonna go kill myself now. Youre such a bitch Rachel. Gretchen read my expression and reached over for my phone. She couldn't believe what she was reading. "Are you serious?" she said wildly. "That couldn’t have been Luke. Would Luke talk like that!? What the hell!" She gasped. I shook my head and deleted all of his messages then set my phone down on the table. "Did that just happen?" I asked. Gretchen stared at me in disbelief. "I think so. Unless we're dreaming, we highly underestimated a good little Christian boy." I laughed. "Hell yeah we did. Whatever, you know what? I'm goin to L.A this weekend, baby! And I’m gonna meet cute boys on the beach." I said jokingly. Gretchen laughed. "Do what you gotta do. Just don't get in any trouble. And DONT, by any means, come back with a baby." "No worries, Gretch," i said lightly. "What happens in L.A stays in L.A," ........... Or so i thought ****** "Wake up, loser." I felt someone pushing me. I opened my eyes to see a big building that read, Los Angeles international Airport. "We're here!" Ciara stood up from her seat and started pulling down our luggage. She was humming something Justin Bieber, and i suddenly got excited. "I love himmmm!" I said with a yawn. Ciara chuckled. "What?! Who!" "Oh you know...Baby, baby baby Oh! Like baby--" Ciara then interrupted me with, "Baby, baby NOOO!" We didn't realize how loud we were until a flight attendant gave us a stern glance. Ciara and I burst into laughter. The plane had landed, and we got ready to board off. The minute i stepped off the plane, the heat hit me like a wave. I smiled to myself. WARMTH. I had lived in Pennsylvania my whole life, where the coldest winters thrived and stayed until late April. It was May, and it was scorching hot. I took off my hoodie. Ciara, her parents and I found a rental car to drive around in during the weekend. And then we found our hotel. Followed by the pool. Ciara and I jumped up and down in our room like crazy people just to let the excitement out. Mrs. Refosco shook her head and laughed. "You girls are crazy." "YEAH MOM WE ARE. Gotta problem?" Ciara said sarcastically. Mrs. Refosco turned to leave the room, then turned back and mentioned, "The beach is just 2 miles from here. You girls should walk down when you get the chance." Ciara and I looked at each other. We screamed. "WHEN WE GET THE CHANCE?! How about NOW?!" We said almost in sync. Mrs. Refosco nodded. "Go ahead. Just be back by 7. Have fun, and stay safe." Ciara and I grabbed our suits and ran out the door, headed for Santa Monica Beach. The sand was pure white. The water was pure blue. The sky, blue as well. And the weather, perfect. We couldn't ask for much more. Everything was wonderful. Ciara and I spread out towels close to the shore and laid down to begin tanning. After what seemed to be 20 minutes, I began to hear some voices; male voices. They were laughing, and seemed to be getting closer. I felt as though i recognized some of the voices, they just sounded familiar. Probably just coincidence. I remained lying down, letting the sun beat down into my skin, and then i felt something hit my arm and a sharp pain followed. I sat up, and looked behind me. The group of boys had been playing volleyball, and the ball had found its way over to my arm. One of the guys from the trio ran over to me. "Hey! I am so sorry. Totally lost control of the ball," he said with an apologetic grin. I nodded. "It's cool. Don't worry about it," I said casually and laid back down. Ciara turned to look at the boy, and i laughed as i saw her eyes widen. "Well...Hi," Ciara said cutely, batting her eyelashes. "Hi, I'm Trace," he said with a smile. "I'm Ciara. You're cute." Trace laughed. "Well I’m glad you think so. You're pretty cute yourself. You girls wanna come play with us?" Without any further hesitation, Ciara got up and ran over to the net. Trace looked at me with hopeful eyes. I sighed. "Alright." "Yes!" Trace shouted. "By the way, i never caught your name." "Rachel." He nodded. When we got over to the court, Trace threw the ball over to another cute guy, who had a deep tan. "Guys, this is Rachel and Ciara," Trace said. "Hey girls, I'm Taylor," the one said with a wink. Ciara waved, I smiled. The other guy seemed a little distant, and put one hand up to wave. "I'm Logan," he said. Ciara paid no further attention, and walked over to trace to do a little flirting. I walked over to stand between Logan and Taylor. "Shall we begin?" Taylor shouted. "When you're ready," Trace said grinning. As the game began, Taylor took charge and handled the ball for our team all by himself. Each serve was his, and each hit was his as well. Logan looked over at me and smiled sarcastically, as i know he was thinking the same thing that i was. Taylor was a total show-off. I looked over at Logan again. God, he was so attractive. And yet, I swore i knew him from somewhere. Even the name fit his perfectly framed face and dark brown hair. And those blue eyes were incredible...my thoughts trailed off into something i couldn’t remember, because the ball then hit my head, sending me to the ground. Logan and Taylor immediately rushed over. Logan held one hand up to Taylor. "Bro, i got this one. It's alright," Logan said casually. Taylor shrugged and walked off to put on some sunscreen. "Hey, Rachel, are you okay?" I sat up and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Logan extended a hand and helped me to my feet. "You certainly are a klutz," he said with a grin. I laughed. "Yeah, i know...Trust me." I then realized that his hand was still in mine, and i think he realized it too, because he instantly let go and then walked back over towards the net. Ciara ran over to me, laughing. "Rache, what the hell? You keep getting hit with that ball." I chuckled. "I know. I'm going to end up seriously injured on just our first day in L.A." Ciara smiled, and then lowered her voice. "So how about these GUYS?! How freaking hot are they, Rache? I mean, we really hit the jackpot here." "I know. I think Logan's really cute." Ciara nudged me with her elbow and grinned. "I knew it! Well i think Trace is pretty, uh, amazing," she said with confidence. Then she looked me straight in the eyes, her big brown eyes getting bigger, like they always do when she wants something. "Oh god, Ci. What?" I said laughing. "Trace asked if we would like to come over to their hotel room tonight. Turns out they're staying at the same Hilton, too!" I paused. "Ciara, I'm really trying to NOT get raped on this vacation, thank you." Ciara sighed. "It'll be fine! Taylor's older sister is staying with them, too. Trace said she's pretty cool. Pleeeeeaaasssseee???" She begged. I looked at her sternly, but then gave in and smiled. "Fine. But what's your mom gonna think?" Ciara shrugged. "She doesn’t have to know." We then both walked back to where the boys were standing. “We’re gonna come over tonight,” Ciara said with a little smile. Taylor yelled, “Yes!” Logan just walked over to his towel lying nearby on the sand and checked his phone. He gave no response. Trace smiled. “Now that’s more like it! We’ll have a good time,” he said. Ciara whispered something in Trace’s ear and he grinned. I looked over at Logan. He was twirling the ball on his fingers, almost as if he didn’t hear Ciara when she shouted we’d be staying with them for the night. That was strange. You’d think most guys would be all on top of the idea, kind of like Trace and Taylor, who high fived each other and made perverted faces. I wasn’t sure if I liked Logan, he seemed really damn full of himself and quiet. I decided right then and there to have nothing to do with him. He was probably a jerk anyway, when you really got to know him. I sighed and continued playing volleyball with our new friends. This lasted for an hour, and then Ciara and I took off. ***** Mrs. Refosco shook her head violently. “No.” She said. Ciara let out a long, frustrated sigh. “But mom! Why the hell does it matter? She’s just like any other friend you’d make back at home. The beach doesn’t make her any different.” She said, her voice gaining pitch. “Look, you met some girl at the beach who you call your friend. That’s fine. I’m happy for you guys. But I’m against you staying the night in her hotel room. That’s just stupid!” She said with an angry tone. Ciara sighed again. “Well what if we just stayed for a little while and hung out? Like a couple of hours and then we’ll be home?” She proposed. “Well…..I don’t know….I guess that’s alright. BUT, you must make sure you’re home by 11, or else. I mean it, Ci.” Mrs. Refosco warned. “Yeah, yeah,” Ciara said, and we both turned and immediately got our shoes and headed out the door. When we were outside, I started laughing. So did Ciara. “That was almost too simple,” I said. “Yeah, and I mean, we only lied a tiny bit…about the gender of our friend,” Ciara laughed. I joined in. Then I remembered Luke. I wanted to scream just thinking of his name. He was such a jerk. But it felt so good knowing that I was going to be hanging out with hot guys tonight, regardless if I liked them…and my thoughts trailed off to Logan. His name made me the slightest bit uneasy. Only because I still swore I knew him from somewhere…but what? Ciara interrupted my thoughts. “Get some tonight, Rache. It would be good for you,” she said with a grin. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I said offended. Ciara laughed. “I just mean…recently the way things have worked out between you and Luke hasn’t been so good, as you know…and I just want you to be happy. That’s all.” That’s all I wanted too. Maybe I’d flirt with Taylor, he was pretty cute. ***** Ciara looked at me nervously and then knocked on the door. We heard running footsteps, and then the door opened. Trace smiled wide. “You guys actually came! Sweet!” He said, closing the door behind us. Ciara laughed. “Well duh..What did you expect us to do? Sit at home all night…Just thinking about how hot you are?” Trace grinned and picked Ciara up from behind. She gasped and laughed. Taylor sighed. “Well this is boring,” he said. I shrugged. Logan was sitting in a chair beside one of the beds, just flipping through a magazine. He didn’t even acknowledge that I was in the room. That pissed me off. I became a little more agitated, and then had to say something. “Hi Logan,” I said a little louder than I should have. Logan looked up from what he was reading. He gave a short, simple smile. “Hey.” I waited for something more, but nothing came. Taylor saw my agitation and walked over to me. “You know, Logan is a hard ass. Don’t get your hopes up, beautiful,” he whispered. Then he walked over to the fridge and popped open a can of Pepsi. I sighed and sat down on the bed. Logan looked at me for a split second, and then back down to his magazine. I wished I could just stare into his gorgeous blue eyes for hours, but for the sake of creepiness, I couldn’t. I could only look at him for a moment and then look away. This sucked. Why did he have to be so full of himself? Just then, Trace appeared, after having left the room with Ciara, for some “one on one” time. “Yo Percy, I just got a text from Ashley saying she’s having a party tomorrow night. Let’s go.” He was talking to Logan…But he had called him Percy. Must be an inside joke or a nickname. I laughed as I thought about that silly movie I had seen a couple months back that portrayed the book series, called “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” It actually wasn’t a bad movie. It had a cute guy in it, I think….And then it hit me. I looked at Logan. I wanted to punch myself! He was Logan Lerman! The actor! That’s why he had seemed so familiar. All of a sudden, a new feeling took control, and I realized I was in the presence of a movie star. I didn’t know how to act. Logan glanced my way, and this time didn’t look away. He saw my expression, then looked at Trace and sighed. “Good, job Trace. She knows,” He said. Trace covered his mouth immediately. “Oh, shit man. Sorry…I totally fucked up,” he said apologetically. Logan looked hopefully at me. I smiled and tried to keep my cool. I didn’t want Logan thinking I was some freaky fan. “It’s cool. You’re in that one Percy Jackson movie right? It was kind of sweet. I liked it,” I said, shrugging it off. And then went to grab a sprite from the fridge. I turned around to see Logan’s mouth tugged into a cute smile. He was standing up. “Thanks,” he said. “No problem.” “No, I mean thanks for being so cool. Most people freak out when they find out and just want a picture with me to prove they met me. It’s lame.” Trace had walked out of the room again, and Taylor disappeared out the hallway. I smiled. “Well, you can trust me. I’m not like most people,” I said, hoping to get something out of him. He smiled again. My heart fluttered. Then he came over and sat down on the bed next to me. My heart began to do a little more than flutter at this point. “Can I tell you a secret?” He barely whispered I gulped. “Of course.” He inched a little closer to me. “People think I’m stuck up, but I’m actually just really shy around people. I never know who to trust, you know?” He said casually. I nodded. “Trust me, I know.” “I’m glad you understand,” he said, batting his glorious eyelashes. “It’s a little hot in here, do you wanna go for a walk?” He proposed. Did he mean me and him? Him and me? Me and Logan lerman? Just us? On a walk? TALKING? GETTING TO KNOW EACHOTHER?! “Yes, I’d love that,” I said a little faster than normal. With that, Logan stood up from the bed and extended his arm. He helped me up and we walked out the door. **** “So, basically you’re saying you are a music genius?” Logan said jokingly. We were walking on a dirt path that connected to the beach. I laughed. “Not at all. I just know good music,” I said casually. “Heck yeah you do. And you play guitar, which is pretty sweet if you ask me.” I shrugged. Logan pulled something small out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a guitar pick. A strange looking one. “I’ve been playing for about four years now. And that, what you’re holding in your hand is a custom-made, glass guitar pick. Pretty awesome, huh?” He grinned. I looked at him amazed. “Wow. I’m impressed Lerman. A glass guitar pick, leave it up to you,” I joked. “You can’t deny that you’ve never seen something like that before, though.” “Nope, I can’t.” “So, let’s see…You live in Pennsylvania, you love candles, you have bieber fever, you play guitar, you sing…Enough with the ultra amazing, but random facts,” he laughed, “let’s hear something a little more intriguing. What’s your love life like?” He asked, curious. I sighed, and my stomach wrenched just thinking about Luke. “I don’t think you wanna know,” I said. “No, I really do. You’ve interested me enough already,” he said with a casual smile. “Well…my love life is kind of in pieces right now. I mean, there’s this guy…But he’s been acting like a total dick, and it’s been hurting me a lot lately,” I said, straight forward. Logan stopped walking, and looked at me straight in the eyes. “I’m really sorry. You don’t deserve that,” he said slowly. My heart leaped as I realized he actually cared. Then he looked away quickly, and we continued walking. “And he obviously doesn’t deserve you. You’re a really cool girl, Rachel.” I blushed. “Thanks,” I said. There was silence for a few moments, and in effort to keep things as less awkward as possible, I said, “So what’s your love life like? If you don’t mind me asking?” Logan kept it short and simple. “It’s nothing, really.” I respected his answer. I mean, was he really going to tell me all about his love life as a celebrity? For all he knew, I could be one of those girls to go back home and gush about every single little thing Logan told me; but I wasn’t that girl. We continued walking, and we talked about his career as a movie star, and what a typical day in celebrity life was like. The conversation was surprisingly natural and laid back, nothing like an interview. He was so real; it felt as though I was talking with one of my friends back home. “I’ve been in the business for a long time, doing minor roles, but Percy Jackson was really the first big one for me. I loved filming it, and the cast is incredible,” he said. “You’d love them.” Wow. He thought I’d love his friends. That’s always a good sign. “Yeah, if they’re anything like you, I’m sure I would.” “Hm…I’d only hope so,” he said slowly. Then, I saw something strange in him. He took my one hand, and a wicked smile flashed across his face. “Let’s get out of here.” My heart was racing. His hand felt good in mine, and wanted to stay with him. I nodded. In a trembling voice, “Where are we going?” I instantly regretted asking him; I knew I would follow wherever he went. My anguish didn’t matter though, because we kept walking, and I never got an answer. ***** We were in Logan’s car, driving off to somewhere that I wasn’t sure of. “Trust me. You’re gonna love this,” he said sure of himself. He surely had me intrigued, and even though I had only known him for less than a day, I felt so safe around him. I knew not to fully trust him just yet, but so far, he seemed like one of the coolest guys I’d ever met, and I wasn’t about to destroy that. So I let him drive me…to the unknown. Either way, it was exhilarating. Driving around with Logan Lerman, the hottie from Percy Jackson was not something you experience on a daily basis. He parked the car in front of a large, glass building. He got out of the car, and before I could open my door, he ran over my side and opened my door for me. I smiled. “What a gentlemen,” I said. He grinned, and we walked inside the building. He took my hand and led me down a hall with an extremely polished floor, towards a room. When we walked in, there was a guy and girl sitting at a table, laughing and eating. I instantly recognized them as characters from Percy Jackson and The Olympians. “Hey guys,” Logan said. “This is my friend Rachel. Rachel, this is Alex and Jake,” he said with a little grin. Alex and Jake looked a bit surprised, but they instantly greeted me with smiles. “Hey,” They both said in sync. Logan and I sat down at the table. I was so amazed. “So, not to be rude or anything, but…who are you?” Jake said, with a little chuckle. “Oh, right. Sorry,” I laughed. “I’m actually in L.A just for a visit, and, surprisingly, Logan and I have only known each other for maybe…six hours now? Is that right?” I said. Logan grinned. “That’s about right.” Alex and Jake looked at each other in amazement. “So, give us the low-down. Is she a cool chic or not?” Jake said jokingly. Logan smiled and looked over at me. My heart leaped just having a simple look at his gorgeous face. “She’s pretty damn cool. Cool enough to meet you guys. That’s why I brought her.” I blushed. He was so sweet. And he thought I was cool! Jake nodded in approval. “Well, Rachel, if Logan thinks your cool, you must be cool. He hates just about…hm…let’s see…everyone. So, congrats.” Logan gave him a little punch in the arm. “I don’t…hate everyone. I just really admire her,” he said with a cute smile. My heart was POUNDING. He admired me?! Please, can I just scream with happiness right now? “She’s really into music. In fact, she’s the one who turned Radiohead on in the car ride over here,” he said, scanning Alex’s face. Alex dropped her fork, and her eyes widened. “You like Radiohead?!” She nearly screamed. I looked at Logan in fear. “Yes?” “Oh. My. God. Finally! I love you, I love you, I love you. I’m in love with Radiohead. They’re like, my idol.” Logan and were laughing at my surprised face. I smiled. “Yeah they’re really good,” I said softly. Alex shook her head. “Sorry for sounding insane,” she laughed. “It’s just that I’m the only one in our circle of friends that appreciates them. So, Logan, I totally approve of this girlfriend of yours. She’s freaking awesome,” she said, and high fived me. I looked at Logan warily. Alex said “girlfriend,” which was certainly not what I was to Logan. I quickly corrected her. “Oh, we’re not dating. Just friends,” I said. Logan nodded. “Right,” he said with a smile, but there was clearly a little disappointment lingering in his eyes. I figured it was just due to the fact that he never got rejected by a girl. All the girls wanted him, so he was probably a little confused as to why I was so quick to answer ‘no’ to a question regarding dating him. Just then, Jake’s phone started ringing. “Hello?” he said. “Oh, hey man what’s up?”….”Yeah, sure, we’ll be right over.” He flipped his phone shut. “That was Darryl. He needs us all for a conference.” He said to Alex and Logan. “Why such late notice?” Logan asked, concerned. Jake shrugged. “Not sure. Probably something just concerning the wardrobe,” he said. Logan saw my confused face and laughed. “Darryl is our director for the movie. We’re beginning to film the second part of the Percy Jackson series next week.” “Oh, sweet. Well…you guys have to go to your conference then?” “Yeah, I’m afraid so. I’ll drive you back to the hotel.” Logan offered “Sounds good,” I said, a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to spend the rest of the evening with him. We all got up from the table and headed out the door. ***** When Logan and I arrived back at the hotel it was 10:00, 1 hour before Ciara and I had to be back to our room. We sat in the car, and the lights flickered off. It was silent. “Well, I don’t about you, but, I had a really nice time,” he said. Even though I couldn’t see him very well, I could tell he was smiling. “It was wonderful,” I responded. There was silence again, and I heard him swallow. “So, you never told me…how long are you in L.A for?” “Just for the weekend,” I said softly. “That’s a shame.” “How come?” “Well, frankly, that’s just not enough time to spend with you,” he said. My face was burning up, and my heart was going crazy. So, he wanted to hang out again. I didn’t know what to say. “I agree,” was all that came out of my mouth. “So, can I be expecting to see your beautiful face again tomorrow? Please?” He asked cutely. He thought I was beautiful, oh no. I might scream. With joy. I took me a while to respond, but the response came. “You can count on it.” “Good.” Then, I heard him lean over, and he was very close to me. Could he be trying to…no…that’s not possible….kiss me?! I instantly surrendered myself to anything that was going to happen. But then, I heard the door open, and felt the cool breeze of the L.A air. He had opened the door for me, not kissed. I felt disappointed, but at the same time, relieved. It would have been too good to be true, and it would have been too soon, anyway. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rachel,” he said, as his final goodbye. I could tell he was smiling. “Okay,” I said, “goodnight.” ***** First I went to the guys’ room, to get Ciara. When I walked in, all of them, yes, Taylor, Trace and Ciara were jumping up and down, dancing to the song that was blasting; Yeah 3x by Chris Brown. I started cracking up. Every now and then Ciara and Trace would stop to have a 10 second make out sesh. “Gross!” I yelled above the music. Taylor heard me and turned around. He ran over and pulled me into the circle of freaky dancing. At first, I failed hopelessly, then, as I continued thinking about Logan, my heart started racing, and I just jumped up and down screaming the lyrics to the song, “YEAH YEAH YEAH! GIRL I WANNA! I WANNA SEE YA TONIGHT!” Ciara laughed at me, and did the same. We continued this for a good 20 minutes, and then said goodnight to the guys. It was an amazing ending to an amazing day. As Ciara and I walked back to our room, I told her everything about how my day had gone with Logan. “That’s amazing, Rache. I’m so happy for you. He’s super-hot, and he’s famous. And he totally wants you,” she said. “He is so adorable. But to me, it just doesn’t feel like he’s famous at all. He acts so normal.” Ciara just smiled. We got back to our hotel, and slept. I had the best sleep of my life that night. And even more amazing dreams. It wasn’t until the morning that I really had a reason to smile, though. ***** Ciara and I told her mom we were going for a run on the beach, and then we were going to stop by this cute smoothie shop, which we really were. In fact, we had no intention of running in to the boys, especially not that early in the morning. But when I stepped outside, there was a piece of paper lying on the ground in front of our hotel room door. I picked it up and opened it. It read, Meet me at the beach. Logan I smiled wide and Ciara jokingly punched me in the arm. “Rache, this is crazy,” she said with a sigh. All I could do was smile. So he hadn’t forgotten. He really did want to hang out again. “I can’t believe this,” I said. “Me either! Let’s get your lucky butt down to the beach then!” Ciara said, excited. We raced down to the beach, and my eyes were on high alert for him. My heart was racing. I was going to see him again. “Do I look okay?” I asked Ciara. “You look amazing! For the morning, at least,” she said with a giggle. Then, she pointed. “Look, there he is! You better go.” My heart thudded as I saw him walking towards me. “Have fun,” Ciara whispered to me with a smile. Then she ran off further down the beach. Logan was smiling when he walked up. “Good morning,” he said. Oh. My. God. He looked so good. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt that matched perfectly with his eyes. It blew in the wind, as did his striking dark hair, just like in a movie. “Morning,” I said politely. He walked a little closer. He smelled amazing. Please hug me. Or kiss me. Or something of the sort, I silently pleaded. All he did was take my hand. I settled for that. That was good enough. “You up for breakfast?” He asked cutely. “Mhmmm,” I murmured. “Good, because I was going to take you anyway,” he said with a smile. ***** We walked to a small diner across from the beach and had breakfast. Our conversation was, surprisingly, about politics. I always got fired up when the topic was of Government, and I always had to have my opinion heard. Logan seemed to completely respect this, but he did laugh every now and then at how dramatic I was. “You know, you could totally be an actress,” he said. I paused. Acting was never something I dreamed of doing. It was always music. I wondered if he meant it, or if he was just making fun of my dramatic ways. “Please,” I murmured, and continued eating nonchalantly. Logan laughed. “No, honestly, you’ve shown me several different sides to you, and they’re all spectacular. Which means, you can switch characters well.” I shrugged casually. “Thanks,” I said with a smile. “Maybe I’ll tap into it one day.” Logan looked at me longingly. “I’m sure you will. So, do you wanna get out of here?” He offered. I nodded. Logan left the tip and we headed out. “Trace, Taylor and I have been best buds since grade school. I couldn’t imagine life without them. They’re cool,” Logan said as we walked along the streets of downtown L.A. “Trace lives in Georgia, though, so we try to see each other as much as possible. We arrange times every now and then, like this week, to hang out and chill as friends like we used to. It’s just so hard when work gets in the way.” I nodded. “It must be tough,” I said with understanding. “Yeah, it is. But, we manage to make it work,” he said with a sigh. “But, my apartment is being re-done at the moment, that’s why we’re staying at the hotel across the street…which just so happens to be the same hotel you decided to stay at,” he said with a little smile. “Well, I guess it was just fate…that I met such an awesome guy,” I said, trying to stay casual. “Then it must have been fate that I ran into such an incredible girl.” He said seriously. I blushed. I hoped he didn’t notice. “Well…thanks,” I said with a smile. “No. Thank you. Believe it or not, my life doesn’t get real interesting anymore. It’s a perpetual thing. But you’re different, and I really, really like that about you Rachel. You make me feel different. Happier, I guess, that I can be myself.” I smiled at him. “Well, you’re welcome, I guess. I’m glad I make your life super interesting,” I said jokingly. Logan laughed. Then, all of a sudden, Logan’s phone went off. He answered the call. “Hey, what’s goin on?----yeah, sure man.-----nah, I’m with Rachel----alright----be over in a few.” He closed his phone and looked at me sheepishly. “I know you wanted to continue walking around the shops and stuff, but Trace really needs someone to watch the room. He and Taylor went out to play some basketball. They don’t think it’s safe,” he said. I was a little disappointed, but if it meant I’d still get to spend time with Logan, and….alone in a room with him…I was fine with it. “Oh, that’s fine. Can I tag along?” I asked with a smile. “Well of course you can. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said with a wink. ***** Logan dropped his car keys on the table nearest the TV. “Wow,” he said, closing the door to the room. “Thank god for maid service. Knowing Taylor and Trace, I was expecting this place to be trashed.” “Oh yes, what would we do without the cleaning ladies?” I said jokingly. Logan smiled. “Hmm…Who knows?” What were Logan and I going to do until they got back? It could get awkward. I reached for the TV remote, but I felt a hand stop me. Logan threw the remote on the couch, and then put his hand upon the wall, so that he was leaning over me. He smiled. “We don’t….need TV. I think….,” He stopped mid-sentence, and put his hand on my waist. My heart was thumping. “I think we might be able to find other things to do.” My throat was so dry, I tried to speak, and when I did, it came out raspy. “Oh? Like what?” I asked innocently. Logan moved in closer and put his hand on my neck. “Like…this.” And with that, he pressed his lips softly to mine. I looked up at him then, with a smile. His kiss tasted so…sweet. I wrapped both arms around his neck as he went in for another one. This time, his tongue found its way into my mouth, and I returned the favor. Breathing became heavier, and things got heated up, very fast. “I….really….like you, Rachel,” he said in between kisses, with short breath. “Me too,” I said hotly. Then Logan stopped and took my hand. He pulled me with him as he backed up towards the bed. We both fell on the sheets at the same time, and Logan turned me over so that I was on my back. He smiled wickedly and bit his lip. This time, I took charge, and stuck my tongue in his mouth. I could feel his smile on my lips. Then, his lips made their way down to my neck. He had found my spot, and I moaned. Logan’s hand ran down my thigh, pulling it up against him. “Logan,” I murmured. He broke the kiss and pulled his shirt up over his head. His abs were perfect. Just perfect. He laid back down, on top of me and engaged in kissing me once again. His hands went to work as they began unfastening my belt to my shorts. Just then, there was a knock at the door. We both halted and looked at each other, trying to figure out, silently, what to do. Logan put his shirt back on quickly, and I turned on the TV. Logan opened the door, and Trace and Taylor came in, sweaty and laughing. “Oh hey bro, we decided to come back early,” Taylor said. Logan cleared his throat. “Clearly,” he said. Trace took one look at me and then looked at Logan. “Gettttin some in the hotel room! Yeeah buddy!” He said childishly. Logan had a guilty grin plastered across his face, as did I. “Shut up,” Logan said, and then walked over to me. “Let’s…um…go,” he said with a short laugh. I nodded. Trace was shaking his head and laughing as his eyes noticed my messy hair and the sheets on the bed. “See ya,” Logan hollered to the boys, and then we were out. We decided to take an afternoon walk on the beach. Logan was surprisingly silent, and seemed a little distant, just as he had been when I first met him. I thought maybe I did or said something wrong. His hands were in his pockets, and he just stared straight ahead as the occasional silence occurred. After a while, he sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. He was sorry? Why? What did he have to be sorry for? He was perfect. “For what?” Logan stopped and looked at me lovingly. “Back at the hotel. I went way too far. I only intended to kiss you,” he said. I was surprised. So he was apologizing for the hot make-out session we had. I was a little disappointed. “You don’t have to be sorry…I liked it,” I said with a little smile. He shook his head. “See, that’s just it. I know you liked it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I liked it too… a lot,” he said seriously, “but I don’t want to treat you that way. I’ve only known you for two days, but I respect you so much as a person. You’re too good for me to treat you like a girl who will fuck on the first date, you know?” He said with a little sense of humor. I guess I sort of understood where he was coming from. In fact, I was shocked that he respected me so much. Not that I didn’t respect myself…but it was amazing at how sweet and kind he was. I put my arms around him and kissed his lips. “Thank you,” I whispered. He put his arms around my waist and held me tight against him. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for a girl like you,” he whispered back. |