“Friends?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You don’t even know him.”
I stood up. “You’re right, I don’t know him. Just like I don’t know you. So, what’s the difference?”
“Why are you so angry?” He stood in front of me, forcing me to look up to meet his eyes.
I took a breath, giving myself a moment to reset. I was only angry because he was lying. Best to just end this game now. I sat back down on the bed, calmer than before. “I saw you and Taylor.”
Liam shifted on his feet, the only sign of uncertainty before he sat next to me on the bed. “She passed out on our bed. You had locked yourself in another room, so I slept next to her. That’s it.”
He reached his hand out for mine and I stood up, avoiding his touch, angered once more by his lie. I wanted to hit him, and if he tried to touch me again, I would.
“Get out,” I demanded.
He stood, shocked by my reaction or by the fact that his lie wasn’t accepted.
“What do you think you saw?” he questioned slowly.
I couldn’t believe he was still looking for a way out.
“I saw you naked. And her naked. On the bed. Having sex.” I stared at him, challenging him to respond.
Something crossed his face, perhaps realization or acceptance. He dropped his head resigned. “That was before the beach?”
I nodded.
“That explains a lot. I’ll go.” He walked out of the room without hesitation, and a second later, the front door opened and closed.
“Did you watch Game of Thrones last night?” Ethan asked.
“Never miss an episode,” I assured after I recovered from the surprise of seeing him step onto the treadmill next to mine. Checking my treadmills screen, I had about five minutes till I reached six miles and would end my run. The drizzling rain had kept me from running outside today, but I was beginning to regret that choice.
Ethan’s treadmill started picking up speed, but he continued to talk. “I’m going to miss these morning workouts. I start my internship next week.”
I nodded and adjusted my ear buds to make sure he knew I had them in. I didn’t want to encourage small talk. As far as I was concerned, he was another Liam, and I wasn’t wasting my time on liars.
A moment later, he tapped me on the shoulder.
I pulled out an ear bud again and raised my eyebrows in silent question.
“What are you listening to?” He asked easily, despite the fast pace he was keeping.
“Miranda Lambert.”
“Is that country?”
I nodded and unplugged my headphones so the song played out loud. Maybe now he would stop talking.
The song changed to Toes, by the Zac Brown Band, as my treadmill slowed to cool down speed.
“Do you listen to anything other than country?” The corner of his mouth lifted with his light laugh.
“Sometimes. But I like this music; it makes me happy.” I shrugged.
“I can see that.”
I eyed him, unsure if he was being sarcastic or not. Then my treadmill beeped, signaling the end of my run.
“Do you work out here every morning?” Ethan asked.
“Either here or I run outside.”
“Cool. What time?”
I shrugged. I usually came whenever I woke up.
“How about tomorrow at 9:30? I work out here for a while and then head to the roof to swim laps. You can choose the playlist. I’d like to hear some more songs that make you happy.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I couldn’t tell if the feeling curling in my stomach was dread or excitement. But I felt foolish for possibly reading too much into his invitation.
He frowned. “What? Why?”
Many different responses crossed my mind. I didn’t want to take the time to explain all my concerns, especially when I could be assuming too much. Maybe he could be a friend, and I was going to work out tomorrow anyways. Plus, in all honesty, he intrigued me. I stepped off the treadmill and waved away my past comment. “Forget it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The smile he flashed was both alluring and suspicious, especially when it was surrounded by dark scruff that gave him a rugged appeal much different than Liam’s pretty boy looks.
He increased the speed on his machine, and I walked away, a nervous anticipation blooming in me.
Ethan was already walking on a treadmill when I entered the gym. He looked good in gym shorts and a fitted tank top. I hadn’t taken the time to notice his outfit the day before, or the way he looked in it, but I did now as I approached.
“I already got you a towel and bottled water,” he said, nodding to the treadmill next to him. A white hand towel was draped on the hook, and a large bottle of Fiji water was in the cup holder.
“Thanks,” I said with genuine gratitude. I never remembered to bring water on my runs and appreciated him thinking of it.
He clapped his hands together and rubbed his palms. “What songs you got for us.”
“Patience,” I admonished with a smile as I stepped onto the machine and began programming my run.
Ethan looked at the screen on my treadmill. “You’re going to run for an hour?”
I nodded.
“I’ll run for twenty minutes and lift weights the rest of the time. Are you going to swim laps with me?”
“I’ll be exhausted.” I paused from setting up my run. “I don’t think I’ll be able to swim.”
“So shorten your run.”
“Okay.” I agreed despite the doubt whispering in the back of my mind. Something stronger, louder, undefinable, had taken control. “I’ll run for forty-five minutes and then we’ll swim for a bit.”
“Deal,” Ethan said.
I started my running playlist and laughed when Carrie Underwood’s song Good Girl came on. It fit the moment. I knew Ethan was no good for me. Not to mention, he was Liam’s best friend, but here I was. I rationalized that we were just friends, but a part of me didn’t want that to be true. I let the song preach to that part of me as the treadmill’s speed increased.
After twenty minutes, Ethan got off his machine and went across the room to the free weights. I allowed myself to watch him while his back was towards me. He had a beautiful body, and his muscles moved smoothly through every move with none of the jerking movements other guys used when they lifted weights. As his lean biceps began to swell and glisten from exertion, my mind fantasized about a more intimate workout. I scolded myself, friends were not supposed to fantasize about each other. Period. End of story.
After our swim—Or his swim. I only lasted fifteen minutes before I decided to just float and relax—We arranged to meet again tomorrow for the same routine.
“Your father is a man of routine,” My mother commented.
“Really? Do you think that will rub off on you?” I teased.
She stuck her tongue out at me, and I laughed. I hadn’t seen her so playful in a while. I missed this side of her, and I enjoyed the moment.
It had been a good day, so far. I’d met Ethan again for our exercise routine, and now, I’d learned that Wednesday lunches with my dad were to become a regular occurrence, when he was in town anyway. Routines made me happy, too.
“Well, you better go get ready. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”
I hesitated though, banking on her good mood to learn more about him. “Mom, what other routines does he have?”
“Well…” She seemed surprised by my question, but she smiled and leaned towards me as if to share a secret. “He has dinner with me every Sunday night. And I don’t mean our business dinners with clients, but romantic, just me and him, dinners.”
“That sounds nice.” I loved seeing her happy, and I didn’t want to break her spirits, but I had to ask, “What was it like for you two before? Did you think you were in love then?”
Her smile faltered slightly. “As much as a girl of eighteen can be in love. Which isn’t much. Maybe we thought we were in love, but in the en
d, reality won. He chose money, and I chose you.” She shrugged as if it was all so simple.
Inside, I ached for the young women she had been and hoped she was protecting her heart this time. My day became a little less bright as I reminded myself of who this man really was: Someone owned by money. He would always choose money over all things, and I needed to remember that.
I hugged and kissed my mom before I went to my room to get ready for lunch at the country club.
“Last lap. Just one more; you can do it,” Ethan encouraged.
“Okay, one more.” I sunk into the water and thrust off the wall for momentum
The water shifted as Ethan’s body glided past me in the next lane. My muscles felt numb from this morning’s exercise, and my lungs burned for air. I couldn’t take a deep enough breath with each turn of my head, so I spun and floated on my back, sucking in oxygen, unable to swim any further.
Ethan reached the end of his lane and yelled back to me, “Are you all right?” He swam towards me before I could respond, and when he reached my side, he offered his back to me. “Get on. I’ll swim you to the ladder.”
Thinking about climbing up a ladder hurt, but thinking about hoisting myself out of the pool sans ladder was even scarier.
I remained floating on my back. “I hate you, and I don’t need a piggyback ride.”
“It’ll be fun, and it will help me with my workout. Come on.” He tugged on my arm in encouragement.
“Okay.” My Jell-O muscles beat out my pride. “But only to help with your workout.”
I grabbed his shoulders and then tightened my grip due to the surprising speed that we glided through the water. He swam under the surface using only his legs to propel us forward.
When we reached the edge, I climbed up the ladder and collapsed on a nearby chaise lounge, calling out to him, “You keep swimming; I’m just going to relax here.”
When my muscles regained their strength and my body was heated from the sun, I walked over to the recreational pool. Ethan was still swimming in the lap pool.
The other day, he had taught me a basic dive, and I wanted to practice it. Bouncing a few times on the board, I tested the spring. But I used too much force when I dove off, and my feet flew over my head, resulting in an awkward dive-flip.
When my head popped above the water, Ethan was clapping and laughing. I swam to where he stood at the edge of the pool, and he extended a hand down to help me out. I grabbed his forearm and yanked. It worked better than I had imagined, and he went headfirst into the water.
I hurried to the shallow end before he could resurface, but he grabbed me from behind. I screamed as he tossed me to the side, and I went under. Bursting through the water, I made sure I faced his direction, laughing and on the defensive.
He slowly tried to circle me, but I spun with him so he couldn’t get behind me. I squealed as he darted forward too quick to stop and grabbed my waist.
“One... two… three,” Ethan said as he lifted and lowered me like a child before you throw them.
When he reached three, I held my breath and closed my eyes expecting to be engulfed in water. Instead, he lowered me to him. His lips met mine, and his arms circle me, holding me against him.
My eyes flung open in surprise, and I released all the air I was holding in a burst of breath.
Ethan pushed me away, and we both went under.
I popped back up and splashed water at him. “Were you trying to drown me or kiss me?” I choked out in between laughing and coughing. I was still trying to clear my lungs of the water I’d inhaled when he pushed me away.
Ethan groaned and went under the water again. When he reemerged, he wiped the water from his face with his hand. “Can you forget that happened?”
“Yeah, I can do that.” I stopped laughing and swam to the edge of the pool and got out. I’m not sure what had happened, but the fact that he wanted me to forget about it hurt my feelings, and I didn’t want to think about what that meant.
“Wait.” Ethan followed me out of the pool and stood in front of me. “I wanted to kiss you.” He looked away and then back at me, his green eyes locked with mine. “I want to kiss you,” he corrected. “I just don’t want you to remember that as our first kiss. So, forget about it, all right?”
“Consider it forgotten.” I couldn’t control the smile that spread across my face. The rational part of me knew I needed to walk away, but a part of me hoped he would try to kiss me again. Right now.
But he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my shoulders.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Ethan asked.
“I’ve worked out four days in a row.” I groaned, still disappointed. “My body hurts. Can tomorrow be an easy day? No swimming. Let’s run outside.”
Ethan laughed and rubbed my shoulders over the towel, the friction soothing my muscles and bruised ego. “That sounds good. I’ll meet you at nine in the lobby.”
I inhaled the fragrant steam from my cup of coffee before taking a cautious sip. The liquid burned as I swallowed and removed the last remnants of sleep. I gazed out the window from my perch on the kitchen counter. Golden light lit the surrounding buildings and palm trees. It appeared to be another perfect day. A bubble of excitement rose in my stomach as I thought of meeting Ethan in the lobby.
“Kate is that you?” My mom poked her head out of her door. “I’ll be out in one minute; I need to talk to you. Look at the article on my tablet. It’s on the table.”
I reached for her tablet and held the button to make it turn on. The screen lit up to a close up of Liam and Taylor’s face. Scrolling down the page revealed two pictures of Liam and me, one of us on the beach kissing and another of us walking into a restaurant hand in hand. I scrolled further down the page and saw another picture of Taylor and Liam posing for the camera at some event and a montage of pictures of Liam and other women.
I went back to the top to read the article that accompanied these photos. The title stood out in large block print, “Young Hollywood Power Couple Back Together”. The article referenced Liam as a Hollywood Playboy who dated a bevy of women but has always gone back to Taylor Kinsley. They referenced me as his most recent romance that sizzled briefly and fizzled just as quick. Liam has since been seen around town with Taylor, the picture of them was from a young Hollywood party last night. A friend of mine was supposedly quoted saying that I wanted Liam back.
So not true.
The article continued to say the two were a powerhouse together, combining Ludlow Entertainment, a leading name in the music and nightclub industry, and Kinsley’s Production Studios, who have had a lot of success in television and are now attempting to make a blockbuster movie.
My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere else. I went back and studied the pictures. None were close, but I couldn’t get over my shock of being in a tabloid. It was surreal.
“Is it true?” My mom emerged from her room and sat next to me.
“I guess. Except for the part where I want him back.” I wasn’t really sure if Taylor and Liam were officially dating, but it seemed likely.
“I thought you had been with him every morning this week, and you’ve been out most evenings too. You seemed so happy.” She took the tablet from me and flicked her finger across the screen to scan the article.
I shook my head. “I’ve been going to the gym with Ethan, and in the evenings, I’ve been with either Sonja or Lexi.”
Her head whipped towards me. “Ethan Brenner? Liam’s roommate?”
I sat back, wary of her tone. “Yeah.”
“Kate, you stupid girl. Liam is the one with money; his is the family you want to be part of. I talked to your father about those two. Ethan is just some homeless boy Liam took in. He has nothing.”
I stared at her defiantly, unfazed by her insult. “We’re just friends. But even if we were more, it wouldn’t matter what he has.”
“What a stupid thing to say. Can you really be so naïve? Have you learned nothing fr
om me?” She set the tablet down and turned in her chair to face me.
I sat mute. Fighting with my mother never solved anything. When I was confident I could speak with a calm voice I responded, “I don’t know Ethan’s story, but neither do you. He just graduated from Cornell. That doesn’t sound like nothing.”
She stood up and rolled her eyes. “Do you not realize what family you’re part of now? A boy needs more than a good education to be dating you. I’ve got to go to work, we’ll talk more about this later.”
Outwardly, I silently stared after her. Inwardly, I was cursing and giving her the middle finger. She knew how to get under my skin more than anyone.
My internal rampage and bad language reminded me of Lexi, and I texted her the link to the article. I figured she might get a kick out of it. I badly needed someone to just laugh at it. I was in an online tabloid. Me. I didn’t even mind the reminder of Liam and Taylor. I’d quickly gotten over him. She could have him, and best of luck to her.
I checked the clock and regretfully poured out my barely drank coffee; it was time to meet Ethan.
~Carly~
She was in his office now.
Carly seethed at her desk as she rearranged the contents in her drawer into perfect order. If only it was so simple in her life.
She needed to talk to Connor about Kate’s choice in friends. Mainly her exercise partner this week. She was still shocked to find out her daughter could lose sight of what was important.
Security.
One would think their life would be all the example needed to understand the importance of money. The way their life had changed with Connor’s support demonstrated this fact perfectly.
Carly closed her desk drawer and rose to her feet. She smoothed her fitted skirt down and pasted on a polite smile as she entered his office.
She ignored the girl, for she was no woman, leaning on the edge of Connors desk.
“Mr. Baycroft, before your flight to San Francisco, I need to speak with you a moment.”
The girl turned in Carly’s direction and smiled, but Carly kept her focus on Connor.
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