Jonah Eklundstrom's face lit up. and he flashed her a bright-white grin. "Margaux described you perfectly," he replied, and took a sip from the dark green drink in his hand as he held her gaze.
Alexa smiled, feeling the slightest blush flush her cheeks. Coming from any other boy, Jonah's words would have sounded completely sketchy. But from Jonah, they were simply sweet and straightforward, while still acknowledging that he was a guy, and Alexa a girl -- an attractive girl, at that. It was masterful, really; no wonder he'd won the Oscar.
Don't forget he's an actor, Alexa told herself firmly, and casually extended one hand. "Thanks for lending us your guesthouse," she said, trying to keep her tone cool. "And for the champagne."
"Hey. Life is all about sharing, isn't it?" Jonah smiled, then took a step closer, ignoring Alexa's proffered handshake. "And, besides, any friend of my sister's is a friend of mine." At this, he opened his arms wide. "Here, give me some lovin'," he said, and swept Alexa up in a hug.
Pressed up against him -- I am, touching Jonah Eklundstrom! -- Alexa hoped he couldn't feel the mad
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thumping of her heart against his chest. His neck smelled clean and summery, like oranges, and Alexa resisted the urge to bury her nose in it. She had not expected to react this strongly to the actor's off-the-charts hotness. Nor had she anticipated his mellow, down-to-earth vibe, which somehow seemed totally ... sincere.
"Uh-oh," Jonah whispered, his breath warm on her ear.
"What?" Alexa asked. She drew back, certain that he was going to comment on the loudness of her heart.
"The girl standing behind you looks like she's about to faint," Jonah answered.
"Holly!" Alexa spun around to see her friend holding on to the waitress for support, her face pale. Here we go again, Alexa thought, reaching an arm out to steady her. Then, to Alexa's horror, Holly opened her mouth ... and began to speak.
"Jonah --- Holly -- God all your movies -- fan -- love -- A Captains Heart --- limo -- you." In Holly's head, the words made perfect sense. Sure, seeing Alexa hugging Jonah Eklundstrom had rattled her a little, but she could hold it together, right?
"Hey, thanks, Holly," Jonah replied with a friendly nod. "My agent told me that film would be on TBS tonight."
Alexa glanced at Jonah, impressed. He understood
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her? It occurred to Alexa that the actor, forever fending off foaming-at-the-mouth fans, had probably seen much, much worse. Whew.
No longer mortally embarrassed by her friend, Alexa touched Holly's shoulder. "Holly's my date for the wedding," she explained to Jonah with a smile. The waitress, clearly miffed that Jonah wasn't paying attention to her, left without taking any orders.
Jonah raised his dark, heavy eyebrows. "Wait, as in, like, date- date?" he inquired. "I mean, you should know that I have total, total respect for all lifestyle choices, especially after my role as a boxer who -- "
It took Alexa and Holly a minute to process what Jonah was implying, but then they turned to each other, cracking up. "That's a first," Alexa said through her laughter. Holly's face was turning crimson and she could only shake her head emphatically. "We're just best friends," Alexa finally replied, rolling her eyes. Boys.
Jonah shrugged, and his face broke into a smile. "Dude, this is LA. You have to ask." Alexa thought he looked relieved, but she didn't know if she was imagining it or not.
"New York City princess!" someone cried.
Holly turned to see a sopping-wet, lanky girl in a flesh-colored string bikini hurrying toward them through the crowd. Her short, purple-streaked dark
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hair was slicked back from her face, and at her side was a tall, skinny guy in swim trunks with a shaved head and a nose ring.
With a jolt, Holly realized the girl was Margaux Eklundstrom, and she watched in disbelief as the actress flung wet arms around Alexa.
"You made it!" Margaux exclaimed in her signature raspy voice. "And I see you met my brother." she added, shooting an exaggerated wink at Jonah, who, to Holly's surprise, actually reddened. Then Margaux cupped Alexa's face in her hands, and Holly tried her best not to gawk at the stupendous pink diamond on the actress's finger. "I'm getting a good look at you," Margaux told Alexa, her dark-blue eyes intense. "Because this is basically the first and last time I'll see you before the wedding."
"You must be nuts with last-minute planning." Alexa smiled understandingly at Margaux. It was wonderful to see her again; here in LA, the actress gave off an even wilder vibe, like an exotic plant in its native environment. But Alexa was also hyperaware of the other Eklundstrom standing beside her, feeling the friction of his arm lightly pressing against hers.
"Yeah, and tomorrow Paul and I are going to an ashram in Napa to meditate," Margaux replied. Alexa nodded and purposefully avoided looking at Holly, who was definitely either bug-eyed with shock or
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about to burst out laughing. "Which reminds me," Margaux was saying, gesturing to the quiet, punk-hot guy at her side. "This is my fiancé, Paul DeMille -- you may have heard his name before."
"I wrote Grit and Gravel.'" Paul smiled proudly, showing off charmingly crooked teeth.
"Oh." The word escaped Holly's mouth before she could stop it, and her cheeks burned as everyone in the group turned to stare, as if noticing her for the first time. That movie gave me the best nap of my life, she thought, but then thankfully she gathered enough self-control to keep that sentiment to herself.
After Alexa had introduced Holly to Margaux and Paul, Margaux turned her attentions to Jonah. "Baby Bear," she said, her tone stern. "I hope you're treating your new guests well?"
"You doubtin' on me, sis?" Jonah shot back. "I'll tell Mom and Dad you're being 'difficult' again." He made quote marks with his fingers, then took another sip of his green drink.
Holly grinned at this ordinary display of sibling rivalry; she was reminded of herself and her brother, Josh. For the first time since arriving on the out-of-this-world rooftop, she felt her nervousness start to dissipate. Three bleached-blondes wearing denim shorts, bikini tops, and satin pumps walked by, speaking loudly about "auditions" and "Bruckheimer" and
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throwing curious glances at the little posse. Holly felt a swell of pride; she knew the girls were wondering who the Eklundstroms were making such a fuss over.
"He's been a perfect gentleman," Alexa insisted, avoiding Jonah's gaze as she felt her cheeks grow warm. God. She was getting into trouble with this boy. "Right, Hoi?" Alexa asked her friend quickly; she could still feel Jonah's eyes on her.
"Right," Holly said, exchanging a knowing smile with Margaux and her fiancé. Holly knew better than anyone what it meant when Alexa blushed that deeply. And it was equally obvious, from the way he stared at her, that Jonah was smitten with Alexa as well. Holly didn't think that kind of attentiveness could be faked, even by a world-famous actor.
"Holly, assuming you have a bikini on under there, please remove your dress," Margaux requested, reaching for Holly's arm. "There's an entire pool waiting for you, and your first drink's on Paul and me."
"Urn, great," Holly said, realizing she'd been craving a dip in the pool anyway. And Margaux and Paul seemed friendly enough. With one last glance back at Alexa and Jonah -- who were now looking at each other in such a rapt, intense way, that it gave Holly butterflies -- she followed Margaux and Paul toward the packed pool scene.
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"That was subtle, huh?" Alexa asked, turning to Jonah with a teasing smile.
"What do you mean?" Jonah replied with a straight face, and Alexa laughed. She wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but she felt a thrill of excitement all the same. She shook out her long hair, letting it tumble over her shoulders, and remembered what Margaux had said to Jonah on the phone last night: She's blonde, which I know you love.... Alexa could sense her old confidence, the effortless ease she usually felt around boys, clicking back into place. So she practiced one of her favorite moves: She reached over to take Jonah's drink from h
is hand, her fingers conveniently brushing against his.
"Can I have a sip of your potion?" she asked, her voice breathy.
"It's wheatgrass juice," Jonah warned her. "I don't drink anymore, not since my trainer got me into yoga -- I try to keep my body clean of toxins, you know what I mean?"
Alexa yanked her hand back. Wheatgrass juice? Though Alexa wasn't quite the party girl she'd been last year, she still loved sipping cool-sweet cocktails in glittering social settings. But she didn't want to make Jonah uncomfortable by ordering a drink- drink.
"Flow's the handsomest boy in Hollywood?" a
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seductive female voice interrupted, and a curvaceous girl with long brown curls appeared at Jonah's side, wearing a bikini made up entirely of silver sequins. Alexa recognized the girl as a runner-up on the last season of America's Next Top Model and couldn't help but feel the tiniest flare of jealousy.
But if Jonah was at all intrigued by the model beside him, he didn't show it. "Loving life moment by moment, Meredith," he said breezily, flashing her a smile. "Listen, I'm sorry to bounce, but I was just about to show off the view to someone very special." As Jonah took Alexa's arm, leading her away from a fuming Meredith, Alexa tried to control the joy rippling through her. Be realistic, she thought, but the words seemed oddly faint and distant now.
She caught her breath as she and Jonah settled on a curved orange sofa, gazing out on an unobstructed stretch of nectarine-colored sky.
"I'd always pictured LA as all billboards and rundown movie sets and smog -- I never thought it would be beautiful," Alexa admitted as she took in the glorious vista.
"It's all right," Jonah replied offhandedly, and, again, Alexa could feel his gaze on her profile. "There are definitely other, more beautiful things in this world."
Fighting to keep herself from melting, Alexa
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turned toward Jonah and shot him an innocent smile. "So you're not such a fan of Los Angeles?" she asked. She couldn't get over his remarkable, otherworldly eyes: the center pale as crystal, and the rim a dark indigo.
"Man, I don't know," Jonah sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I'm so used to it." He gestured to the raucous party behind them, and Alexa turned to check it out.
A bunch of girls in skimpy bikinis were poised on the lip of the pool, laughing and cursing loudly as they prepared to dive in. Margaux and Paul were bobbing in the deep end, making out like teenagers. And then Alexa spotted Holly; she was floating on a red lounger, sipping a mango margarita and looking surprisingly calm in her hot little lime bikini. In a lounger beside Holly was a girl with sharp cheekbones and straight black hair whom Alexa recognized from the CW. The Wizard of Oz was being projected onto the side of one of the nearby buildings, and couples were kissing on the waterbed-pods. "It doesn't seem too bad," Alexa commented wryly.
"I was born here," Jonah said, and Alexa faced him again, feeling a now-familiar flutter at the sight of his flawless face. "My parents are producers, and I've been acting since I could, like, talk, so this is all I've ever known. I've traveled a lot on shoots and promos but
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you're always in your trailer and shit." He raised his broad shoulders, and Alexa nodded, trying to get a handle on what Jonah's make-believe existence must be like. "I mean, my best friend? He lives in New York City, you know? And his life seems so raw, so real." Jonah shook his head, and drank more of his wheat-grass juice.
"The city is pretty fabulous," Alexa replied, crossing her long legs. As much as she was relishing the Hollywood sparkle, a part of her missed New York's chic sophistication. So far, she was fairly unimpressed by the fashion she'd seen at this party.
Jonah stared at Alexa, his expression curious and intent. "Tell me about your life back east," he murmured, and Alexa felt her heart leap as he moved closer to her on the sofa. "I want to know everything."
Alexa was about to break the bad news that her New Jersey existence could never be classified as raw when she heard a loud "Wheel" behind her. She turned once again and saw the actress Charity Durst, wearing a strapless, saggy beige dress and strands of long beads, jump feetfirst into the pool. Spindly arms over her head, dirty-blonde ponytail flying, she sent up an enormous splash, causing everyone around her to grumble.
"She's such a weirdo," Jonah commented, but he was half smiling.
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"Didn't you guys, um ... go out?" Alexa asked carefully, not wanting to give away the fact that she'd been obsessively following their relationship via trashy magazines.
Jonah gave a bashful grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ages ago," he replied. "We just weren't... on the same path, you know? But it's all good now," he added with a nod. "In this industry, you can't really make enemies. I even invited Charity here, and to the wedding I figured I'd extend the olive brand since we're filming a movie together now."
"You mean olive branch, right?" Alexa corrected him, giggling and leaning forward to examine the glass in his hand. "Are you sure that's just juice you're drinking?"
Jonah made a face -- of course, he still looked insanely gorgeous doing it -- and chuckled. "Oh, man. It's you. You make me tongue-tied, Alexa."
Alexa bit her lip, dying to take the flirtatious bait. If this were a movie, that would have been her cue to slide close to Jonah and kiss him, parting his lips with hers. But this isn't a movie, she told herself sternly. "It's hard with exes, though," she finally spoke, trying to keep the conversation more neutral. "I broke up with my last boyfriend over spring break, and then we had to sit next to each other on the seven-hour plane ride home." Alexa shuddered, remembering that one last
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time she'd seen Diego. It was ridiculous, really; of all people, a Tinseltown A-lister turned out to be a thousand times more sensitive than her ex had been.
"So you're single?" Jonah asked, clearly determined to keep things not neutral. His eyes shining, he reached down and took Alexa's hand in his, making her skin burn from his touch.
"Yeah," Alexa said softly, unable to look away from him. "Really single."
As Jonah began to trace a circle on her palm, Alexa wondered if she could resist him for much longer. Here it was, her Hollywood fantasy, blooming into a reality. Would she be insane to turn it down?
"Okay, it's insane -- they're holding hands," Holly reported from where she was keeping watch in the pool. She was floating on a lounger alongside Belle Runningwater, the beautiful teen actress who played Pocahontas on the CW drama Wild Land. Margaux had introduced Holly to Belle, gushing that the girls would get along, before she and Paul had swum off to the deep end to grope each other. Belle's first words to Holly had been: "Don't tell them, but I hated Grit and Gravel, " and so Holly had liked her immediately. Now the two of them were sipping their frothy mango margaritas and shamelessly spying on Alexa and Jonah.
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"And I think his arm is around her waist now," Belle observed, finishing her drink and setting it on the side of the pool to be whisked away by a waiter.
Holly still couldn't get over how relatively normal this felt, one hand trailing in the cool chlorine while all around her the lights of Los Angeles twinkled, and people who she'd seen on TV laughed and chilled. When a sculpted, long-haired guy on the other end of the pool -- a finalist on American Idol whose name Holly couldn't recall -- flashed her an inviting smile, Holly didn't get too flustered or cross her arms over her chest. She simply smiled back. Of course, the margarita she was sipping wasn't hurting, but it was more than that after being so worked up earlier that evening, Holly now felt surprisingly ... at ease.
"Come on, let's not gawk too obviously," Belie was saying with a laugh. She slipped off her lounger -passing it along to a bikini-clad Alexis Bledel and then hoisted herself out of the water, adjusting the halter of her white Eres swimsuit. Holly peeked back at Alexa and Jonah once more they now seemed a few breaths away from kissing -- grinned, and then pulled herself up, too, sitting beside Belle on the faux-grass carpet.
&n
bsp; "There's only one downside to all this," Holly commented, peering up to watch as the wide sky slowly
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darkened into evening. "If Alexa hooks up with Jonah tonight, they're going to be attached at the hip. What am I going to do with myself for the rest of the week?"
"Are you kidding!" Belle asked, her almond-shaped black eyes growing big. "Holly, there's so much to do in LA! There's Zuma Beach in Malibu, which is perfect for surfing, and In-N-Out, which has the best burgers and fries you've ever eaten, and the Chateau Marmont, which makes you feel like you're in some Hollywood fairy tale, and all the Sunset clubs, which are kind of tacky but in a good way...." Belle trailed off, smiling. "Am I completely overwhelming you?"
Holly shook her head. Everything sounded enticing, and unreal, and ... she wanted to try it all. She figured it was the magic of the night making her feel this way, but she wasn't going to question it. "What about the Hollywood sign?" Holly asked Belle. After a full evening in LA, she couldn't believe she still hadn't seen it yet. "Where can I find it?"
Belle laughed, reaching for her velour clutch on a nearby chair. "I wouldn't go looking," she advised. "You'll probably just notice it one day when you're driving on Sunset or something. Listen," she added, taking out her Moto Razr. "I'm shooting Wild Land all week, but let's exchange numbers anyway -- maybe we can hang out sometime."
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Did I just make friends with a celebrity? Holly wondered in awe. After she punched Belle's 310 area-code number into her phone, Belle announced she was going the bar to get more drinks for them. As Belle sauntered off, Holly examined the cell in her hand, and realized there was someone with whom she wanted -- needed -- to share her exuberant mood. It was too noisy around the pool to place a call, so she began texting Tyler instead.
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