by K. S. Thomas
“Wow. I would love to shoot the band!” And just like that, multiple statements were streamlining my brain. One, Ava and I clearly hadn’t been nearly as incognito as we’d made ourselves believe considering the paparazzi and cute coffee guy had recognized us. And two, cute coffee guy was actually cute photography guy.
“Wait. You’re K. Hudson? Shit, that was easy.” Ava was laughing.
“It’s Kieran, but you can call me Hudson. Most people do.” He held out his hand to her.
“Avalon Jennison. But only use that when you’re pissed at me. Otherwise, it’s Ava.” She turned back to include me. “This is Royce Lemmi. But you probably already knew that.”
Hudson went to shake my hand and I took it, holding it just a fraction of a second longer than I should have.
“Nice to meet you, Hudson. So, you make amazing coffee and you take pictures like these? You may want to go hide somewhere. Ava might try to kidnap you if you’re not careful.”
Hudson chuckled.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing. I totally might.” And she was dead serious, too.
“Well, let me know and I’ll go pack a bag. My place is right upstairs.” He pointed toward the ceiling.
“Hold on, there’s an apartment up there? Is it connected to the store or do you have to go outside to get there?” I was temporarily distracted by the prospect of being able to trick the photogs outside into leaving us alone. Plus, on some sneaky level I was already wondering what Hudson’s place looked like and I wanted to get inside to see for myself.
“Stairs are right behind that door over there. Why?” Hudson was peering back and forth between Ava and me curiously.
“We got followed in here. Any chance you’d let us go hide up there, then invite the blood hounds in to see for themselves that we’re gone, in hopes that they will move on?”
He grinned. “Hm. I don’t know. Then you’d be able to leave. Not sure I like that idea.”
“Oh my,” Ava chirped. “Do you two boys need a minute? I can go pretend to check out those lanterns over there and then awkwardly act like I can’t hear you while you do your little flirty things.”
“Are you fucking kidding me with this? A second time? What, my game isn’t weak enough, I need you to blast canyons into it?” There was no point in trying to avoid being embarrassed now. Besides, Ava had decided the moment she tasted Hudson’s coffee that she’d find a reason to keep him around, so he might as well get used to dealing with our craziness. Or, if he couldn’t, now was as good a time as any to weed him out, toss him in the dirt pile before I became too attached and believed there was some sort of a real possibility where there was really just another Garrett waiting to move on to fucking old dudes.
“Would you relax? Your game was fine until you started shrieking like a pre-pubescent boy.” She shook her head and shifted to Hudson. “So, you gonna take us upstairs or what?”
He nodded. Not looking nearly scared enough considering the amount of psycho we’d just unleashed in front of him. Shit, maybe he was accustomed to stuff like that. Maybe he had friends like Ava, too. Now that was a terrifying thought.
What if we did get together? What if we had to deal with twice the loudmouth best friends? We’d never be able to have them over at the same time. It would have to be a rule. One neither of them could ever know about, of course. Which probably meant I’d have to move, since living next door to Ava kind of gave her the freedom to just drop by anytime. Maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself.
“So, Hudson, you’re kind of taking this whole thing in stride. This sort of thing happen to you often?” I was walking right behind him as we went up the stairs. It was impossible not to look at his ass. It was the kind of ass that made you wanna say, Garrett who?
“Do I frequently hide sexy rock stars and their quirky managers in my apartment to help them escape the paparazzi? I wish!” He turned back and winked at me. Holy shit. He was definitely flirting.
“Well, now that I know this is an option, I’ll have to keep it in mind next time I’m being chased down the street.”
Hudson swung the door open to his place and instantly daylight washed over all three of us. The place was bigger than I’d expected, with tall windows lining the main wall. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, but that seemed to be intentional.
“Feel free to make yourselves at home. There’s stuff in the kitchen if you guys are hungry. There’s Netflix on the TV, but no cable, and you’re welcome to the computer over on the desk. Bathroom is right down this hall and, yeah...I think that’s about it. In the meantime, I’ll go see what I can do to shake your tail. Wait, that didn’t sound right.” He was actually blushing. “You know what I meant. Okay. I’m going back down. Shit.” I heard Ava suck in air like she was desperately trying to hold back laughter.
As soon as the door closed and Hudson was out of sight, she started giggling like a psychopath.
“Oh my GOD! How cute is he?! You have to ask him out. I’m serious, Royce. If you don’t, I will.” She was already busy examining his shelves for things she could use to make herself believe she knew Hudson better than she did.
“I’m pretty sure you’re not his type, Ava.” I came up beside her to check out the picture frame she was holding.
“You never know, he could go both ways. Look, he’s with a chick right here.” She held out the frame for me to get a better look.
“That’s his mom, dumbass.”
“Really? You think? Well, she looks fantastic. Just think, he’s got her genes! You should totally make babies with him. I’m just saying. Your kids would be ageless and beautiful.” She set down the picture and moved on. “I’d even volunteer my uterus.”
“Yeah, okay. Got an egg to spare as well?”
She just shrugged and continued to sift through the pictures.
“What’s with all the baby talk anyway? You pregnant or something?” I was joking, but when she didn’t answer, things suddenly weren’t so funny. “Ava?”
She glanced up at me with scared eyes. She and Blaise were solid these days, but that didn’t mean either of them was ready to throw a baby into the mix.
“Does Blaise know?”
“That you’re the most gullible person in the entire world. Yeah, he knows. We all know.” She laughed. “You seriously think I wouldn’t have told you, like two seconds after the possibility first crossed my mind?”
Now that she mentioned it. “You’ve got a point there. Shit, when the day comes you’ll probably make me stay in the stall with you and hold the stick while you pee. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Ava’s nose crinkled. “You ever wonder if we might be a little bit too involved in each other’s lives?”
“Why? Because you want to ask out the men I find attractive and I wouldn’t give a second thought to holding my hand near your urine?” It sounded even worse when I said it out loud. We were both cracking up before I even finished.
“Fuck around, my friend. You and I have issues.”
This was not news. Not to her. Not to me. Certainly not to anyone who knew us. Hudson...he was another story.
***
I was halfway down the stairs, when I remembered that it probably wouldn’t hurt to pull out some of my portfolios for Ava to flip through while she was locked in my apartment with nothing to do. I mean, if there was any chance at all of getting a gig shooting Finding Nolan, I didn’t want to blow it.
Just as I placed my hand on the doorknob, I heard Ava squealing inside, talking about how Royce should ask me out. Royce fucking Lemmi – was considering asking me out! I could show Ava my work later. There was no way I was interrupting that conversation.
Elated, I skipped down the steps a second time and then headed straight for the door. I only had to peek my head outside before the flash of cameras set off red spots in my vision.
“Yo. You got the wrong person.” Automatically, my hand went up to block my face from having fifty-thousand pictures taken of me squinting.
“If you’re looking for that musician and his friend, they took off a while ago. Asked me to let them out the back door.”
There was a wave of loud muttering and some speculations ensued, suggesting I was basically full of shit. Which I took offense to. Not because I wasn’t, but because my acting skills rocked and I had been one hundred percent believable. Or at least, that’s what my high school drama teacher had always told me and I was set on going with that.
“Come in and see for yourself if you don’t believe me.” They all started coming at me at once. “Whoa, ey...maybe like one or two of you, not the whole damn group. Shit. Just pick a representative. I got breakables in here.”
More murmuring and then, finally, two guys that looked like they lived in their cars stepped forward and followed me in. I went straight for the emergency exit assuming they would follow. I was wrong. They toured the whole freaking shop for over five minutes while I waited by the back door. By the time they showed up, the smell from the deli’s dumpster next door had churned up my stomach pretty good. Lunchmeat didn’t fare well exposed in the heat. And we were having an unusually warm September this year, so it reeked.
“You’re telling me, Royce Lemmi and Avalon Jennison came through here?” The photog eyed me skeptically. He had every reason to. Aside from a row of dumpsters and a chain-link fence, there wasn’t much happening back there. Plus, the only walkway out of the alley would have led them right past the paparazzi again.
“Not like you left them a whole lot of options. Mr. Lemmi had to help Miss Jennison jump the fence. Pretty sure she took a stumble when she got to the other side, so don’t be surprised if she looks a little beat up next time you see her.” My improv skill were running wild already.
The guy grunted something I didn’t understand, but had to assume was something agreeable since both guys turned and headed back toward the front door. A second later the wind chimes played and there was a loud bang of wood on wood colliding.
I inched my way over to the front window to sneak a look outside. The crowd had already dispersed and everyone was traipsing off back to where they’d come from. Come to think of it, there was that fancy hotel just up the street. Made sense they were headed that way. Finding Nolan was likely staying there while they were in town.
Once I was completely sure that no sleazy picture chasers had remained lingering outside, I went back up the stairs. I had twenty-seven steps to figure out how to keep Royce Lemmi from walking out of my apartment, out of this store and out of my life forever.
Chapter 3
“And?” I watched Ava standing beside the window, hiding behind the drapes while she tried to venture a peek outside without being seen herself.
“They’re leaving. Dude, I think he did it. They’re really taking off.” She skipped away from the window and came flying toward me so fast I barely had time to hold out my arms and catch her. “Are you in love with him yet? Because I am! He makes coffee, has a smile to die for and he can efficiently chase off the paparazzi! What more could a boy ask for?”
I put her back down before she knocked us both over with her enthusiasm. “How many extra shots did you get in that fucking coffee?”
“Five. Why?”
“Because you’re running around here like Tigger on Red Bull. Simmer the fuck down before you break something.” I caught her by her hoodie just as she was attempting to zip off again.
“You’re no fun,” she pouted and pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“Calling Blaise for a ride?” Because there was no way I was heading back out there on foot.
She made a face. “No way. You know how pissed he’ll be when he finds out I wandered out of the hotel without security...and then wound up being swarmed by the media?” She shook her head and continued to mutter on her way to the sofa. “One minor attack on your life by a crazy person and no one ever lets you do anything without a bodyguard.”
I smirked, although, it was only partially funny. I got where Blaise was coming from. I don’t think I’d ever get over almost seeing the love of my life get killed right in front of my eyes either. Then, I remembered she still had her phone out and rushed after her.
“If you’re not getting ahold of Blaise, what are you doing with your phone?” I was on standby, preparing to wrestle it from her grubby little hands if need be.
“Prank calling whoever is first up in my call log. Let’s see. Oh, sweet. It’s Francis.” Her assistant.
“Don’t you think Francis is going to know it’s you before she even answers? Caller Id and all that?” Too much caffeine on an empty stomach was turning Ava into a five year old. And not one who was particularly technically inclined.
She was busy giggling to herself and it took me a second longer than it should have to realize why. She had Hudson’s home phone laying in her lap. No idea when she’d swiped it, but she was already done dialing and holding his phone up to her ear.
“Hello, is this that Francis biotch that’s been banging my husband?” she said in what was undoubtedly the worst Jersey accent in the history of accents. “What? How did you know it was me? Whatever. You suck. Yes, I had coffee on an empty stomach. What does that matter? Hello? Hello?” She looked up at me. “Francis hung up on me.”
I reached down and took the phone before she had a chance to dial anyone else. “Yeah, no fucking kidding.”
Then the door opened and Hudson was back. “You guys aren’t making long distance calls are you? Starving artist here and I can’t afford that shit.” He was grinning.
“Hey, starving artist,” Ava was climbing over the back of the couch to stand next to me. I swear if I hadn’t known any better, I would have sworn she was shitfaced. “Any chance you have a car?”
He nodded. “I do. But I doubt it’s up to your standards.”
“Ava doesn’t have any of those.”
She shot me a dirty look, then sort of shrugged like she knew I was right. After, she directed her attention back onto Hudson. “So, I was thinking, and you can totally say no, but, what if Royce and I borrowed your car and took it back to our hotel, since I’m guessing you can’t just abandon your shop...and then, whenever you get off, I could send a car for you and you could come and meet up with us wherever we’re at. I’d love to look at more of your work and talk about having you take some shots of the band. Actually, we have a show tonight. Maybe you could stay for that and I could see you in action. I’d pay you, obviously. For that, and the use of your car. And gas. And I’d feed you.” She was rambling and I couldn’t tell anymore if it was from being high or fearing a rejection from Hudson because she knew if she blew it I’d never forgive her.
When he didn’t say anything in response, and actually turned away, I had to throw my hand up over her mouth to keep her from digging herself...and me...in deeper.
As luck would have it, he’d already come back to face us while I was still smothering her.
Holding out his keys and cocking one brow, he said, “You guys have a weird relationship. You know that, right?”
We nodded. “We do.” Wasn’t ‘til I heard Ava’s muffled response ring out at the same time as mine that I remembered to drop my hand from her mouth.
“Thanks. This is huge, you have no idea.” Ava was clutching the car keys to her chest, extensively exaggerating her level of gratitude.
“Sure. Although I don’t really get why you would rather take my shitty old Ford over having one of your limos come and pick you up.” He didn’t seem like he minded. Just like he was curious. And who wouldn’t have been?
“Her boyfriend doesn’t know that she wandered off yet, so she can’t call him for help. By the way, Ava, where does he think you’ve been all morning?”
She smiled. “With you.”
Fucking awesome. “He knows th
at you came to see me, but not that you did so on your way out?”
“Mm-hm.”
“So, when we get back and he finds out you were gone this whole time –“
“I’m going to act wide-eyed and innocent and tell him you required coffee and, as your manager, aka personal slave, I had no choice but to venture out and find you some even if it meant I had to risk being attacked by crazy people.” She was doing the wide-eyed thing already. Except she never looked fucking innocent. And even Blaise, safe in the buffer of his love bubble, could see that.
“Well, thanks for that, friend. Just so you know, I’m going to start hanging out with Derek more. I’ll get into a lot less trouble that way.”
She nodded toward Hudson who was silently watching us as if we were an improv duo putting on a routine for him. “You’ll also meet a lot less sexy baristas that way.”
Point taken. Even if it did make Hudson and I both avert our eyes and clear our throats uncomfortably.
“Anyway, you’ve got my keys. I better get back down to the store.” He was pointing at the stairs in case we’d forgotten where it was.
“Wait, I need your number so I can set everything up for this evening.” Ava pulled her phone from her pocket, finger hovering over the screen waiting for him to rattle it off.
“215-555-7832.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
He started down the stairs and we followed him. Hudson took us all the way to the door, then smiled shyly and hesitated before he took my hand. “It was really great to meet you. Hope I get to see you again later.”
I nodded, grinning and unable to stop or tone it down even remotely. “Definitely. Thanks again. For everything. Although, if you ever make Ava a coffee that strong again, I’m leaving her with you.”
He chuckled. “Got it.”
Ava threw her hands around his neck as if she’d known him forever, or at least longer than thirty minutes. “You’re going to love me, Hudson. Just wait and see.” She winked and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she let him go.
“I believe it, Ava.” And it actually sounded like he meant it. Damn, if we hadn’t scared him off with all of our bickering and weird fucking behavior, he wasn’t just cute as hell, he was a fucking miracle.