The train ride to L.A. actually went by pretty fast (mainly due to my favorite actor, Jake Fullerton’s first album that was released the week before). When Kay picked me up at the train station, wasn't’t too surprised she was by herself. I had texted Paxton that morning and he informed me that she forbade him from going with her. He was probably thankful by the time of my arrival, seeing as it looked more and more like rain every minute.
Kaylynn continuously cursed the sky on our walk back to her house, mumbling about how she had “so hoped” to show me the new shops in their nearby shopping center. I told her that I was “so disappointed” about not being able to see the newest metal-molding show, when really I was just disappointed about having to carry all my bags with zero help and the fact that she wouldn’t actually say a curse word, but instead just yell “curse you!”
The rain really picked up just as we reached her apartment complex, and I was thankful when Aunt Michelle had coffee waiting for us. (Correction: waiting for me; Kay can’t handle caffeine, she had a hot chocolate.) Paxton ran downstairs to wrap me in a bear hug, and I was surprised, as always, to see how much my “baby” cousin had grown. Liliamay and Chrysanthemum came down shortly after Paxton to see what all the commotion was about. Chrys never appreciates the attention being off of her (I don’t know how she and Kay manage to live in the same house) but Lilia was genuinely excited to see me again.
As soon as the greetings and simple pleasantries were exchanged, Kaylynn rushed me off to her room she shared with the younger girls and locked the door behind her. Before I could say anything, Kay broke into a ramble about all her latest book ideas and close movie star encounters (which were never that close). Her mouth ran a mile a minute as her little sisters pounded at the door that kept them from their games and toys and her brother sent me taunting texts about how I was such a sucker for getting pulled into this situation.
That chaos lasted for the next six days, as we were stuck in the ever-shrinking apartment because of the rain. Kay always seemed to have more to say, although most of it was either predictable or repetitive. The only difference from day one was that our new “hang-out” spot was in the bathroom that didn’t have a working toilet any more. The summer was really turning out to be just… super.
Finally my relief came when after a week; the sun peeked out just a tad behind the grey clouds. Though it was momentary and I knew my time would be brief, I jumped at my chance to get out of the tiny bathroom and for a change in conversation.
“Look! Sunshine!” I leaped up from where I had been awkwardly perched on the edge of the bathtub. “Kay, now you can show me those new shops you mentioned last week!”
I was waaaay too excited by a little bit of sun, but desperate times and all that, right? Besides, Kay was equally excited about the shops, even though she’d been at least a dozen times before.
After about an hour of watching Kay try on different gaudy outfits and jewelry, I finally ditched her inside the bookstore as she got wrapped up in the latest episode of her favorite manga series and I snuck off to the music department. Once I had skimmed through all the new releases, I found myself back where I always ended up this summer: listening to Jake Fullerton’s CD.
Something about his music was so relatable. He wrote them all himself, and in the interviews I had seen, part of that huge appeal was simply that he was so honest. Of course, he was also ridiculously good looking. But then again, in Hollywood, who isn’t?
I had reached track 8 by the time Kaylynn finally texted me, wondering where I’d wandered off to. I walked over to escalator, having promised to meet up with her at the upstairs café.
Graceful as always, I tripped over the last step just before I got off the escalator. And in that one moment, my life began.

“Sorry, I’m…”
Looking up, I realize who I just bumped into. Jake Fullerton turns to me, gives me a sincere half smile and asks, “Are you alright?”
For the next few seconds, my mind goes blank. I can’t seem to do anything but stare into his rich brown eyes. Finally, I float back down to earth long enough to give him a response.
“…Yeah. I’m okay. Just really uncoordinated,” I feel my heart speed up as his smile widens. “I’m so sorry, by the way…”
“Not at all, it’s fine. Really”
I smile as he stares right back at me. Jake Fullerton. I cannot wrap my head around this. I search for something witty to say that will keep him talking to me longer, but before I can get the words out, I see Kay speed walking up to us, with a very, very excited expression on her face.
“Jake Fullerton! Oh my god, what a coincidence! Keiry, look- it’s Jake Fullerton!” Kaylynn’s smile was so wide, she should’ve been in a Honeycomb commercial.
I nod and give her a fake smile, hoping she’ll calm down and praying that Jake will still be there when I look back at him. Thankfully he is, but looking much more flushed and withdrawn than when it was just him and me.
Forcing a smile onto his face, Jake leans towards Kay, trying to get her to lower her voice. “Yeah, that’s me…” He put his hand on her shoulder directing her away from the crowd, and I follow him, like a stray puppy following a little boy home from the park. He pushes open the door leading to the hallway to the bathroom as more and more eyes start to fall on him as Kay continues to go on and on about whom he is.
“I’m Kaylynn Cooney, I’m an actress too. I was in a Kleenex commercial when I was five! And I was on an insurance poster advertisement when I was seven! Since then I’ve starred in plenty of local plays! You should definitely come to the next one! I’m actually not the lead role in this one, but you know how castings can go… How exactly did you get your start? Maybe you can bring your agent to my performance! I’d love to meet him! Or is it a “her”? Either way-“
“Kaylynn!” I cut her off before she could completely scare Jake away. I flash Jake an embarrassed smile briefly to apologize and then turn back to my cousin. “Hon, why don’t you go check out and I’ll meet you outside,” I nod to her books and then to the door that we just walked through a moment ago.
“Hang on, Keira, I’m in the middle of talking to Jake!” She waves at Jake, even though he’s two feet in front of her and then looks at me like I’m the one making a fool out of myself.
As I started to shoot Kay a “you’re insane” look, Jake came to my aid, promising to be there with me when we met up outside. Still reluctant, Kaylynn eventually shut up and left, leaving me alone with my number one celebrity crush.
“Sorry about that. She’s really...” I can’t find the right word to explain exactly how Kaylynn was just acting, and each second I thought about what just happened, I could see every chance of ever seeing Jake Fullerton again slipping away.
But Jake loosened up again once Kay left and a sense of relief came over him. “Enthusiastic?” he asked, offering me a word to see if it was the one I was looking for.
“Crazy is another word that applies…” I smile and relax when Jake laughs at my joke. Pity he doesn’t realize it’s only a half-joke. But even though his smile leaves me somewhat breathless, I’m still mortified over how this whole meeting has played out so I take a step backwards, preparing to soak up the last view of Jake Fullerton I will ever have in person. “Sorry about everything. I won’t make you come outside with me, it’s totally fine, sorry to keep you so long,”
I start to walk towards the door when Jake shifts his weight so he’s slightly blocking my way. I look up expectantly at Jake and to my surprise, he’s looking back down at me.
“It’s really okay. I’m, uh, avoiding a meeting with my publicist. She reminds me a lot of your friend.”
“She’s my cousin, actually. Kaylynn. I don’t normally, willingly hang out with people that maddening.”
“I see. And you are?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed that Jake Fullerton was choosing to continue talking to me, and even wanted to know more about me. “Keira Cooney.”
“Keira. Hi, I’m Jake.”
“Fullerton. Yeah, I know.” Now it was Jake’s turn to give me an embarrassed smile. He even blushed a little.
“Right. Of course, you knew that… So, uh, are you a fan? …No, I’m sorry, that makes me sound super conceited”
“No, not at all. It’s a fair question. Um, yes but only if being a fan means seeing all your movies and having your 12 songs memorized. I promise, I’m not as star-crazed as my cousin though. But I do think you’re really talented…so, sure! I’m a fan.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I freaked out again, thinking that he’d call security on me at any moment. Luckily, Jake stayed put and seemed flattered, even.
“Oh, wow. Thank you.”
I really wish he’d stop staring at me so intently, otherwise I might literally melt right here in front of him. “You’re welcome.” I smiled at him and started to feel myself getting lost in his eyes again. This was freaking Jake Fullerton. I don’t think I’m ever going to look at another guy again. Ever. I think it’s horribly unfair to the rest of the world that this man is so incredibly good looking.
“So, we better go meet your cousin.”
“Oh! Probably…” I hate the fact that he had to bring Kaylynn back up. This means that I can kiss any future alone time with Jake goodbye.
“Or if you wouldn’t mind, we could grab lunch instead?”
I’m speechless. He wants. To have lunch. With me. Jake Fullerton. Me. Lunch. I might pass out.
“Yeah! I mean, that’d be nice. If you’re up for it. What’d you have in mind?”

“This… is not what I envisioned” I look around the back kitchen of Stephano’s Italian Restaurant and soak it in. In the corner of the kitchen, across from the emergency exit, there was a little bar table with two stools on each side and a vase with simple daisies in the center of it.
“Disappointed?” Jake sounded concerned, but, hell I was still getting over the fact that I was out with Jake Fullerton, I was much too distracted to answer him right away. “I mean, you probably thought that a Hollywood actor would take you someplace fancy or at least someplace public and maybe quieter…”
“No, I like it.” I gave him a quick reassuring smile before I continued scanning the room. There were two older gentlemen, I presumed were the head chefs, who were each cooking something on the stovetops while singing along with the Dean Martin song that was playing under their breath. There was a young waitress, probably mid-twenties, who kept coming in and out of the swinging doors, dropping off orders and picking up meals. She seemed tired and looked ruffled but always cheered up a little bit when she spotted the two men singing. The nametag she wore said Sophie, but every time she entered the kitchen and shook her head, laughing at the men, the one with a tattoo on his forearm always called her “Angela”. In the corner opposite us sat a young boy probably about fourteen, chopping up carrots and other things of the like. He tapped his foot on the stool where he sat and clearly looked up to the two chefs. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the grandson of one of them.

I was distracted by the pot next to tattoo man that began to steam suddenly when Jake spoke up again; “You seem… anxious. I’m sorry, is this awkward for you?”
Jake Fullerton was apologizing to me. This day was unbelievable. Wonderfully unbelievable, though.
“Awkward? No, no, I’m sorry. I just, I’m trying to take it all in still.” I smiled again, hesitant to actually look Jake in the eye. I knew if I did, his glance would make me stutter even worse. But at the same time, I knew I had to look at him for fear that he might not actually be real.
“Take it all in?” Yep. He’s real. Very real, and so very, very attractive. And he’s staring at me as I drool over him…
Nervously I tried to think of a way to explain to Jake that this was literally my dream come true without sounding like a crazy stalker. I took a deep breath in before responding, but just as I was about to, I saw him picking at the label on his water bottle, something one of my brothers did whenever he was nervous. Not even registering the fact that I was the thing making Jake nervous, this little act calmed me down. Jake had the same nervous tendency as one of my dirty, goofy, irritating brothers: he was human.
“I really didn’t expect my afternoon to go like this when I walked into the bookstore an hour ago. So, I guess I’m a little bit in shock?” I laughed a little at myself at that point, hoping it would come off as endearing, before I went on. “I’m sorry; I’m amazed that I’m sitting here with such an incredible guy and honestly, it’s making me a little nervous.”
“You’re nervous?” Jake shifted on his stool and put his bottle out of his reach so he’d stop fidgeting with it. “I just asked a cute girl, who doesn’t know me from Adam, out to lunch after only knowing her for five minutes… And you’re nervous?”
I glanced down at the napkin in my lap to keep Jake from seeing the blood rushing to my cheeks when he called me cute. But even with pink cheeks, I did need to correct my handsome companion.
“Well, to be completely accurate, I do know you from Adam. It’s hard not to know someone as famous as you.”
“I almost wish you didn’t.”
I was blown away by this last comment of his. What guy doesn’t what girls swooning at his feet? Does he realize the power he possesses by being a hot, hot celebrity actor/musician?
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it gives you an unfair advantage! You know nearly everything about me- my name, my age, my career, my family, my relationship status… all without me telling you. Whereas I know absolutely nothing about you. Not to mention the media has probably built me up so much that now you’ll hold me to impossible standards. To be frank, I sort of wish you’ve been living underground the past three years.”
“Okay, I guess I see your point… But you know, I think we can find a solution more appealing than me going underground.”
“Oh, really?”
“Sure. If you feel taken advantage of because I know more than you, then all you have to do is get to know me.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“You say that now, but you might change your mind.”
“Oh, yeah? Why? Are you some sort of psycho?”
“Are you forgetting that I’m related to Coo-Coo Kaylynn?”
I regretted that last comment. Sure, Jake laughed it off with me, but really? I just brought Kaylynn up again? Even when she’s not around she manages to creep into my personal life and steal the attention.
“I’m a firm believer that family shouldn’t be a reflection on the individual.”
“Really? And why’s that?”
“You’ll understand once you meet my older brother.”
“Okay, fair enough.” I tried to restrain my giant grin that was emerging as I tucked a strand of hair back behind my ear. Tattoo man walked up with two plates full of some sort of delicious looking pasta and placed one in front of me and the other in front of Jake.
Jake smiled at the man the moment the plate clinked against the table. “Thanks, Benny.”
“My pleasure, Jacob.” Again, Jake blushed, this time at the sound of hearing his full name. Benny took no notice of this and instead turned to face me. “You know this boy is one of my best customers. Say what you like about his acting skills, or even, heaven forbid, his singing skills, but this boy can eat like no other.”
“Thank you for that, Benny. High praise.”
“Well, I would compliment you on that new album of yours, but it just doesn’t compare to all the performances I get in here from Stephano and Little Dino over there.” At that comment Stephano sang louder and the boy, Dino, smiled from his perch across the kitchen.
“If that’s the case, maybe you should open for me when I go on tour.”
“It would be a good way to start repaying us for all of the acts of charity we’ve shown towards you in the past few years.”
“Right. And on that note, thank you for the meal, but we’ll be enjoying the rest of it without the entertainment portion.”
Benny smiled and faced me once more. “A little ungrateful, this one. Make sure to put him back in his place every once in awhile. You do that for me? You seem like a nice girl, a sweet, bella girl; you should go find someone better than this pretty boy with the product in his hair and the-“
“Thank you, Benny!” Jake’s patience for his old friend finally wore thin as he gave Benny the final hint to move along. Benny shot me a quick wink as he walked past me and back towards the stove. Jake watched Benny walk away and waited to clear his throat until Benny had made it all the way back to his station. “Sorry about that. Benito Calrizzio is basically like family. It makes him a little too comfortable sometimes.”
“He seems great. And this food is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Jake Fullerton tears at his water bottle label when he’s nervous- I can believe that. Jake Fullerton is buddies with the owners of an Italian Restaurant- I can believe it. Jake Fullerton is actually fairly easily embarrassed- fine, I can believe that too. But Jake Fullerton is taking an interest in me? I just can’t seem to process it. But you know what? I’ll take it.
“So, tell me what it is you want to know.”

Two and a half hours later, we were still talking as we walked through the park at the center of the apartment complex. Though at times I felt a little self conscious at the notion that I was hogging the conversation, I was really quite more relaxed. The more we talked, the less he was Jake Fullerton: the Hollywood celebrity and he was more Jake: the charming boy I ran into at the bookstore.

Yet once again, the panic set in as I neared the door to my cousin’s apartment building. It had been possibly the best afternoon of my life and it was all about to come to an end. Do I ask to see him again? Surely I couldn’t try and get his contact information; celebrities don’t just go around handing that out to people they’ve only just met. Would I have to call his agent? Or publicist? My god, I don’t even know who to call to attempt to get a message to him in the future. This is it. No more Jake.
“Is this it?”
I paused in front of the building and stared up at it. I could see Chrys’ Tinkerbelle stickers on the window to their room, even from down here. I dreaded going back to that room; deciding between sleeping on the floor and sharing a twin bed with one of the girls, listening to their Lady Gaga CD for what would’ve been the twenty-eighth time, hearing about the boy from Kaylynn’s playhouse who she clearly has a crush on but won’t admit to it… If I thought it sounded less than appealing yesterday, it seemed fifty times worse now after hanging out with an attractive, talented man all afternoon.
“Yeah… That’s it. It’s upstairs, but this is fine. I won’t make you walk me that far, for risk of you being spotted by my cousin. Again.”
“Could I see your phone?”
I took a step down from the stairs leading to the entrance doors to the foyer that I had begun climbing. “Yeah.” I handed my Android to him. “Need to make a call?”
He began fiddling with the phone and shook his head. “No, just need to enter something into it.”
I smiled. “Really? And what would that be?”
“My number.” Jake paused to grin up at me and then looked back down at the phone asking “Now, what should I put in for the name slot?”
“I was under the impression that the correct answer to that was Jake Fullerton. Jacob, if you prefer.”
“Ah, but see, I very well can’t have your cousin getting a hold of my number and calling me every waking second.”
“Waking and sleeping, I’m afraid.”
“You see my point then. So, tell me- what should my alias be?”
“I’m surprised you don’t have one already, the big celebrity you are.”
“No, I guess I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Well, there’s always your porn star name.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, come on! You know… the first name is the name of your first pet and the last name is the name of the first street you lived on.”
“You’re kidding.”
“It’s a thing. Really, I swear, I’m not just making this up.”
He laughed and then began typing into my phone as he replied to me. “Alright. Per the lady’s request, you will be able to reach me under the name Max Thornberry.”
“Oh, what a disappointment! That’s not nearly as embarrassing as it ought to be.”
“To be fair, Thornberry was actually my second address.”
“Cheater!”
“Yes, but not intentionally. I was born in Arlington, Texas before my parents moved to a larger house in Dallas a few months later. Can’t remember my first address.”
“You were born in Arlington?” My dream man was a Texan boy? It was just too good to be true.
“Yeah.”
“No way, I was born in Aledo, Texas. It’s only about 45 minutes away from Arlington.”
“You’re kidding! You’ve been stalking me since birth…”
“Shut it. I’ve done nothing of the sort. But I’m pleased to meet a fellow Texan, even if you do reside in California now.”
“And you don’t?”
“That’s different. Now, hand over your phone.”
“Why?” Jake narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what I wanted from his cell, but he pulled out the latest iPhone and gave it to me anyway.
“So you can have Maverick Megan’s number of course!”
“Megan? Your first street was called Megan?”
“Megan Court. I’d show it to you sometime, where it not a 22 hour drive away.”
“Who knows… I might need a road trip one day.”
By this time I had finished entering my information into Jake’s phone (with my real name) and handed it back to him.
He accepted the phone and then asked “Maverick? What kind of name is that? Nobody names a dog or a cat Maverick.”
“You’re right. Which is why I named my horse Maverick.”
“You had a horse?”
“I lived on a farm!”
“In Aledo, Texas on Megan Court?”
“Yes.” I loved how close he was standing to me at that moment, but at the same time I knew I really should be back in the apartment by now. It had been hours since I left Kaylynn at that bookstore. “I should be getting in.”
“But I’ll see you soon?”
“You’ll call me.”
“I’ll call you. Goodbye, Keira.”

To say that Kaylynn was interrogative was the understatement of the summer. I thought that her want of information from me would cause her to shut up every now and again, but somehow it just fueled her with more questions; giving her even more reason to speak relentlessly. Even though she was asking about my afternoon with Jake, she had this amazing ability to make the conversation about her. I didn’t mind though. She wasn’t the one who spent the better half of a day with one of the hottest teen celebrities of the year; I was.
I was beside myself with joy for the whole evening. I hardly slept a wink that night, reliving our entire time together over and over again in my head. I was grinning from ear to ear for days on end, barely registering Kaylynn’s endless babble as I pictured the way Jake smiled at me. I was on cloud nine for a solid week.
…that is until I realized it had been a week since I’d seen Jake and yet I hadn’t received a single text or call from him.
I suppose I could call him. It’s not like I don’t have his number memorized; I run my phone battery out each day staring at Max Thornberry’s contact entry. But this was Jake Fullerton- I had to let him make the first move. I’m sure he already thinks of me as some star-crazed fan girl, I don’t want to appear even more desperate for his attention. Besides, he said that he would call me. If he really meant it, he’d call me. I just have to wait.
And I have to do something while I wait, otherwise I will go insane staring at my phone obsessively and pseudo-listening to Kaylynn talk about all of her near-encounters with the celebrities in the area. Thankfully, Paxton understood completely.
“So, gun to your head- was it really Jake Fullerton?”
I could tell Paxton was taunting me as he raised his eyebrow and continued balancing on the raised garden wall in his neighborhood’s park, but I was just glad to finally be free of his sister for a few hours.
“It was Jake Fullerton, Pax. Trust me. If anyone could know every inch of Jake Fullerton by heart, it’d be me.”
As soon as I said it, I knew he’d take it the wrong way. And right on cue, he asked me “Every inch? Jesus, Keira, what exactly did you do on that date?”
Laughing, I told him “Nothing! That is not what I meant, Paxton… And it was not a date.”
“You sure about that? Last time I took a girl out to a romantic lunch and walked her home, it was a date.”
I loved the idea of dating Jake, but it just seemed too good to be true, so I opted to tease my little cousin instead of seriously considering what he had to say.
“I guess some men are just higher caliber than you are, Pax.” I stuck my tongue out at him as he shot me an indignant look and hopped off the wall to sit next to me on the park bench.
Eyeing the phone I had a death grip on in my hand, he asked “You think you’re going to see him again?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you called him?”
“No.”
“Are you going to?”
“No.”
“Is he going to call you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you want him to?”
“Are you kidding me?” Pax just smiled at my response to his obvious question and then held his hand out to receive my phone.
Noticing my hesitation, he assured me that he wouldn’t contact anyone. “I just thought I’d give your knuckles- and your nerves- a break.”
Laughing, I offered up my cell. “Thanks.” Leaning back against the bench, I could finally appreciate the first clear day we’d had all summer, able to breathe now that I wasn’t stressing about Jake. “So, tell me about your life. Is it all hockey, hockey, hockey, or is there someone special for you too?”
“Me too?” He called me out on my subconscious slip. Even when I wasn’t focusing on Jake, he managed to pop up in my mind. After I apologized, Pax answered the inquiry. “Naw. You know me, can’t be tied down by one girl.”
His reply seemed genuine enough, but I knew that he didn’t believe a word of it when he didn’t look me in the eyes to tell me so. “Bull.”
“Bull?”
“Yeah! Bull. You call me out on my crap, I sure as hell am gonna call you out on yours. Now tell me- who is she?”
I knew he wanted to deny it or refute my accusation, but he couldn’t help grinning as he swore that there was “no one.”
“I think there is.”
“No, there’s not!” I granted him a moment of silence, sensing that he was close to caving. “Not yet anyway.”
“I knew it!”
“Alright, calm down Mrs. Fullerton- you weren’t spot on in your conclusion, so let’s not get too cocky… There’s no one in particular who I’m really interested in, but I’m starting to wonder what it’d be like if I could find just one girl to hold my attention, you know? Instead of meeting all of these different bimbos and then never calling them again. Maybe there’s something more.”
I recognized the maturity he was beginning to express, yet I couldn’t help but curb my sarcasm as I told him, “You don’t say.”
“I do say! But I also say it’s my life- I’m not making any drastic changes overnight. I figure when the time is right, I’ll know. There’ll be some sort of sign there to let me know I’m making the right decision.”
No sooner where the words out of Paxton’s mouth than my phone started buzzing in his hand. Automatically laughing over the convenient timing of the phone call, I completely blanked over the fact that it was my phone he was holding.
“Max Thornberry? Who the hell calls you on this thing? Action movie heroes?”
Lunging forward to take the phone from him, my heart almost tore out of my chest as I quickly answered and gave a very shaky, breathy “Hello”.
“Hi. I hope I’m calling the right number. Is this Keira?” I covered my face with my hand to hide my uncontrollable smile as Jake’s voice came across the other end of the line.
I took a deep breath to try and get my heart rate under control before I answered. “Yeah. It’s me. Keira. It’s Keira. Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.” I hated myself for sounding so dumb and repetitive, but at the time, it was all I could do to form intelligible words.
I waited anxiously to hear Jake speak again, but the male voice I heard next unfortunately belonged to my smartass cousin. “That’s him, isn’t it? Oh my god, I should’ve guessed… Thornberry? That’s his alias? What- does he also take disguising tips from Clark Kent?” Paxton had begun to follow me around the park as I did my best to put him out of earshot.
Ready to scold him, Jake spoke up on the phone before I could. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”
Vowing to murder Paxton if he blew this opportunity for me, I began swatting him with my empty hand as I tried explaining the situation to Jake. “No, of course not! I’m sorry, my cousin is just a little noisier than usual. Go on.”
As Paxton made kissy faces at me while dodging blows, Jake responded. “Kaylynn’s with you?”
“No, no. Other cousin.”
“There’s another?”
“Not for much longer.” I finally managed to distance myself far enough from Paxton to obtain some peace and quiet, after flicking him in the forehead and then bolting. “What can I do for you?”
There was a pause before Jake continued, causing me to worry that he’d hung up or I’d somehow dropped the call, but eventually he went on after what I recognized to be laughter on his end. “I haven’t heard from you recently.”
I guess some girls could’ve interpreted this as an indication that he had wanted to hear from me, but instead I took it as a mere stating of the facts. “Nor I you.” Glancing over my shoulder to check if Paxton was anywhere in sight, I continued walking through the complex. “Too busy being rich and famous?”
He chuckled to himself again as I spotted Pax and ducked around a corner of a building. “I’ve been busy, yes. I don’t know about the ‘rich and famous’ part of it, though.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
“Look,” he interrupted before entering into a further argument about the matter, “I want to see you again. If that’s alright.”
Joy rushed over me like waves breaking onto the beach. I could practically hear the buzz produced from the way my skin was tingling. “I think that could be arranged.” The slight taunting tone of my voice caught me by surprise- was I flirting? Normally I was too awkward or uncomfortable to flirt, especially with someone as handsome as Jake, but I chalked the unexpected boldness up to the fact that he wasn’t actually standing in front of me.
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” I repeated back to him, going over the list of things I had planned for the following day: I agreed to return to the bookstore with Kaylynn (as she was now convinced it was the place to run into A-List celebrities), I promised to try and teach Chrysanthemum how to whistle, and I talked about potentially seeing a movie with Paxton. Nothing I couldn’t set aside for Jake Fullerton’s sake. “I’m booked solid.”
“Really? And you don’t think you could pencil me in? I mean, I hate to play this card, but I am kind of a big deal.”
Laughing, I told him, “I’m sure I can squeeze you in somewhere.” I started twirling a strand of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail, already feeling my stomach churn from the simple thought of seeing him again.
“How about one o’clock? I’ll text you the details.” Normally, I wouldn’t be all that impressed by a guy who prefers to text over talking to me directly, but Jake had already blown me away- he could communicate with me in Klingon and I’d still go weak at the knees. Besides, I liked the idea of him texting me. It meant that even once this conversation is over, it’s not over.
“That sounds great,” I said, anxious to hang up the phone only because it would grant me the liberty to squeal excitedly without him hearing.
“Great. Talk to you soon. Bye, Keira.”
“Bye, Jake.” As I breathed out his name into my receiver before ending the call, I slid down the side of the building I had been leaning against, almost too overwhelmed to stand any longer. I tucked the phone away in my pocket and started biting my pinky nail, something I had a tendency to do when I became uneasy.
Hundreds of different scenarios of Jake taking me to glamorous restaurants or exclusive parties rushed through my head all at once, creating some sort of alarming doubt inside of me where nothing but giddy delight should have existed. What the hell was I to expect? Why on earth would he want to see me again? Surely there’s something more to it. There are millions of other girls more suitable for him than me. Even if they’re not suitable, there are at least millions of other girls more attractive than me who would love to parade around with him. How could he be crazy enough to choose me? Doesn’t he know that I have no idea what I’m doing?

I suddenly think back to my first kiss- it was seventh grade, at Kelly Antler’s birthday party, where during a game of Truth or Dare, Neil Thompson had been selected to kiss me. It wasn’t much of anything, not at all romantic or significant, other than the fact that it had been my first time. The only other boy I had kissed after that day though was my boyfriend, Alex who I dated for all of three months, where we had barely gotten past the holding hands portion of the relationship, before I had gotten the news that my dad was being transferred once more and we moved.
Certainly Jake’s gone further than hand holding. He’s an internationally known superstar, for Christ’s sake. I could recall reading something awhile back about how he always wore a purity ring- something his mother had purchased for him when he was first hitting the pop scene so that he’d always remember who he was and what his morals were- but that was years ago. He’s an eighteen-year-old boy who could have a different date every night if he wanted to. A couple different dates, actually.
The fears and uncertainties began snowballing in my mind, swallowing the space where my excitement formerly resided. I tried inhaling and exhaling slowly, hoping that the measured breaths would help me calculate some good possible outcomes along with the disastrous ones.
Then I flashed back to the bookstore, the restaurant, the walk home; none of those times with Jake made me feel panicked or stressed. After the initial concern for Kaylynn frightening him away, I felt good around Jake. Perhaps comfortable wasn’t the right word to use, since I was all too painfully aware of how his eyes rested on mine longer than most people’s did and how anytime I was close enough to feel the warmth rising off of his skin, my chest cavity was nothing more than a cage for a bomb, ready to explode. But I was definitely happy when I was with Jake. I didn’t know if it was because of the projected self-worth that came from hanging out with someone so well-known and adored or if it was because it’d been awhile since someone quite so good-looking decided to take a liking towards me or maybe it was something even deeper than that, but regardless of the real reason, I knew I was willing to spend time with him until I did find out why.
At that point, I had calmed down enough to try and walk home, praying that I wouldn’t work myself up again as soon as Paxton mentioned his name. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to test my poker-face as Pax jumped out at me as soon as I rounded a corner, scaring me half to death.
“Paxton! Jesus,” I trailed off in order to catch my breath for what seemed like the thousandth time today. I don’t know how much longer my poor heart could stand all of this rigorous activity. It was better than cardio, for sure.
“So I’m guessing from the way you snatched the phone out of my hand that was your boyfriend calling.” He crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow in amusement to complete the smug look he had plastered across his face.
“Yes,” I admitted, before realizing that it confirmed his assumption of Jake being my boyfriend. “It was Jake, but he is not my boyfriend.” I quickly corrected myself, knowing that if I didn’t, he would run with it and I’d never hear the end of it.
“And?”
I didn’t want to give my cousin another excuse to be grinning at that moment. He had already learned Jake’s “code name”, successfully embarrassed me during my phone conversation, and been granted the pleasure of startling me out of my skin. He had plenty of ammunition lined up against me and he knew it. But he was really the only person around that I had to brag to about my date, so I indulged him, “We’re going out tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you are.” His Cheshire Cat smile turned into laughter as he nudged me with his elbow, almost into the nearby road, and we walked down the final stretch of sidewalk together before arriving at his building.