Under the Lights

It takes Bri forty-five minutes to get to Josh’s, thanks to traffic, which gives me plenty of time to get anxious all over again. By the time I see her walking through the pool area, looking over her shoulder every few seconds, I know I’m screwed. That’s definitely the look of someone who’s just been accosted by the paparazzi. The fact that I’m the one who put her through that only makes me feel worse.

I jump up to let her into the guest house, and with the doors open, I can hear the paparazzi now. I quickly yank her inside and close the doors behind us. “Are you okay?” I ask, checking frantically to make sure no one’s ripped her clothing or anything like that.

“Fine,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I went through worse to bring Lana Malcolm a purse she left in a limo. But man, those guys are human vultures. Are you okay?”

“For now.” I drop onto the bed. “But then, I’ve just been hiding out here, ignoring everyone’s calls and text freakouts.” I look up at her and smile at the sight of her System of a Down T-shirt and cutoffs. I like how comfortably she dresses; it puts me at ease. “You look really cute,” I tell her, then immediately blush. It’s something I’ve said to Ally or Carly a billion times, but with Bri, everything takes on a different meaning I’m not used to.

Of course, I’ve never looked at Ally or Carly and thought about how badly I wanted to kiss them, either.

Bri blushes too. “It’s just shorts and a T-shirt. I was still in pajamas when you called, so I had to grab the first things I saw to rush out.”

“I appreciate your hurry,” I say, swinging my legs underneath my butt. “It still does not negate the cuteness.”

Her blush deepens, and I feel that same buzzing I felt last night. I love that I can make her blush. “Thanks,” she mumbles. “Though you’re one to talk.” She gestures at where I’m sitting on the bed, still wearing Josh’s pajamas. “I’m not really sure I wanna give you actual clothes. Although, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’d rather see you in my stuff than Josh Chester’s.”

I laugh at her sour face and grab for the oversize purse in her hand, but she holds it out of reach. “I get thirty more seconds to check you out in those shorts, and then you may have the clothing I brought you.”

“Bri!” I leap off the bed, but she twists away, laughing, and makes a show of looking me over as she holds the bag behind her back and dances away from my hands. We’re both cracking up as I chase her, and I’m just reaching forward to tackle her to the ground when a shadow falls over us both and I stumble over my own feet instead.

Josh is standing at the door.

I glance warily at Bri before going for the handle and letting Josh in. The expression on his face is unreadable, but there’s no way he hasn’t heard by now. He confirms as much as he drops onto the bed. “So, explain something to me, K-drama. If you and I are hooking up, why do I feel so gosh darn unsatisfied?”

“Well, I’m glad someone finds this funny.” I glare daggers at him. “This probably only makes you look better, doesn’t it?”

“Hard to make him look worse,” Bri points out.

“What are you doing in my house again, Mini-Jade?”

“She’s here to bring me clothes so I can get out of here,” I explain to Josh, reaching for the bag. This time, Bri lets go of it easily. “Who called you?”

“Who didn’t?” he says dryly. “Holly’s all psyched because apparently it hooked me in to some sort of Bad Boys of Hollywood photo spread. Liam texted me that it better be bullshit or Ally would cut my nuts off.”

“Ally knows everything. I talked to her this morning.”

Bri raises an eyebrow, and I realize she thinks “everything” means everything. A little smile plays at the corners of her lips, and my stomach twists at the thought of having to tell her that, no, I didn’t quite get to that part with Ally.

“Oh well. Would’ve been fun to see her completely lose her shit for a minute, but that’s probably for the best. Now I just need to deal with the five billion interview requests that Holly says have been blowing up her phone.”

“Isn’t Holly your agent?” asks Bri.

“Josh refuses to get a publicist,” I explain, “so Holly ends up dealing with all his annoying shit. Lucky lady.”

“Very,” Bri agrees solemly.

“If you’re looking for a job, Mini-Jade, I’m not hiring.”

“Trust me, she’s not,” I answer for her. “And what are you planning on saying in these interviews, exactly?”

He shrugs. “I dunno, that you’re like a six, seven tops? Maybe a seven-point-five when you’ve had some tequila?”

“Josh!”

“Chill, K-drama. I’ll tell them it’s bullshit, that you’re madly in love with your Bieber boyfriend, and that friends crash at my place all the time.”

I try not to wince at the “madly in love” part, especially with Bri standing right next to me. “Thanks,” I say, and I mean it. I know it takes effort on Josh’s part not to take the jerky route. “And thanks for letting me stay here again last night, even though it turned out to be the world’s worst idea and I probably should’ve seen this coming.”