Forcing Gravity

by Monica Alexander

  “So, you’re saying Chloe didn’t cheat?” I asked, inhaling against his button-down shirt the scent I could easily become addicted to.

  “Oh no, she cheated, but it was more of the details that the tabloids embellished. They thought I found out when they ran that first story, but in reality, I sort of already knew what she was doing. I just didn’t have any real proof, so I wasn’t as shocked as they led on. And then in the follow-up stories, they kept talking about how I’d wanted to marry her and that I was devastated that we wouldn’t be together forever.”

  “That wasn’t true?”

  He looked down at me. “I’m twenty years old, and she was twenty-two. Neither of us were talking about marriage.”

  “So, do you really like zucchini but hate squash?”

  “Yeah, I do. How did you know that? I don’t think they printed that in the ‘Chloe and Jason: It’s Over for Good’ article.”

  I sighed, and hugged him a little tighter around his waist. “Confession. I’m a Celebrity Weekly addict, and I read the article about your twenty-five favorite things they published last month.”

  Jase just laughed. “Did you now?”

  I nodded. “Guilty, but I kind of liked learning those things about you. I saved the article – you know, in case I needed some talking points for tonight. Were they all true?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Those twenty-five things were all true, and with that disclosure, what would you like to talk about first? I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  “Wow, that’s kind of exciting. What have I always wanted to know about Jason Brady?”

  “Jase Brady,” he said. “Jason Brady is a different guy.”

  I looked up at him. “You know, I think I’m starting to realize that.”

  Before I could say anything else, Jase leaned down and kissed me. “I’m really glad to have met you, Logan Kessler,” he said then, his amazing green eyes penetrating my gaze.

  “Right back at you, Jase Brady,” I said, before he crushed his lips down on mine again.

  “Magical bedroom?” I asked around his lips.

  “You want to?” he asked, pulling back to appraise me.

  I nodded. “Yes, please.”

  -10-

  “So, how would you like to come see me at work?” Jase asked when he called me a few days later.

  He’d started shooting the new horror movie he was starring in with Garrett. I’d heard about his first few days on set when we’d talked the day before, and I’d also heard Garrett’s accounts when I had dinner with him and Ethan two nights earlier. They were apparently filming in an old house in Pasadena, and there were a lot of cool special effects that the actors had to work with while they were shooting. Garrett had recounted a scene in which he got chased down an old wooden staircase by an unseen force and had to leap over the end of the balcony to avoid getting crushed by a falling armoire. It sounded pretty cool.

  “Really?” I asked, suddenly very excited.

  I’d been on movie sets before with my mother. When I was little she’d bring me and show me off, and let me eat whatever I wanted from the craft services table. It had been kind of boring watching her work, mostly just a lot of shooting the same scenes and sitting around. My mother knitted during her down time, and I wasn’t supposed to bother her, because she used that time to mentally center herself for her next scene, so I had to find ways to entertain myself. But the idea of seeing Jase work gave me a new kind of thrill.

  I looked forward to seeing the nice guy I knew transform into someone so cocky and mean. It was such a departure from the Jase I’d gotten to know over the past month. It would also be fun to see Garrett in action. I’d only ever seen his finished products, unless you counted witnessing him rehearse for hours on end for the community theater he did while growing up. I didn’t.

  “Yeah,” Jase said, almost shy. “I’d like you to see what I do.”

  “Won’t that turn a few heads if I show up with you?” I asked, ever aware of what the media might pounce on.

  Since I’d been back in L.A. the paparazzi had photographed me out a few times, and I hadn’t even realized it. It seemed the combination of me being tied to Garrett and being Alana Davis’s daughter gave me some minor notoriety. I didn’t see the allure, but I guess other people found me interesting.

  “Nah, it’ll be fine. The set is pretty secure, so we can slip in and out unnoticed. No one in the cast or crew will care either way. We’ll just tell them we’re friends, which is true.”

  Yeah, I’m pretty sure friends don’t make out like we had the other night, well, unless you count the mistake Garrett and I made, but that was truly a mistake, and we were just friends. Then I suddenly panicked that that was Jase’s way of telling me he just wanted to be friends.

  “Logan?” he asked, when I didn’t say anything.

  “Yeah?” I squeaked out.

  “What do you think? Will Friday work? You only have one class on Friday, right?”

  I hadn’t even realized he’d proposed a date at that point, but I took stock in the fact that he remembered my Friday afternoon class had been cancelled that week.

  “Yeah, sure. Friday is good.”

  “Okay good,” Jase said, and I could hear the elevation of excitement in his voice.

  That had to be a good sign. He wouldn’t be that excited if he just wanted to be friends. I really liked him, and it sort of scared me to know he was just as invested, but on the flip side, the idea of him calling things off felt a whole lot worse.

  “It’s a shorter day of shooting for me,” he went on to explain. “I’ll pick you up at eleven-thirty at your dorm, and then maybe we can grab dinner after I’m done. There’s this little Italian place in Pasadena where I’m pretty sure we won’t be recognized.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” I said, trying to force some confidence back into my voice.

  “Me too,” he said, and the glee I caught in his tone was just what I needed to calm down all the way.

  ***

  “Hey Dad,” I said, when he called a few hours later.

  I was studying for an upcoming calc test I had, and the material was kicking my ass. Math had never been my best subject, but it was required for a degree in a science field.

  “You’re in Celebrity Weekly again, Lo,” he said by way of a greeting.

  “Yes, I’m aware.”

  I’d started subscribing, so I got the magazine before it hit the newsstands.

  “You’re pumping gas,” he said in disbelief. “How is that interesting?”

  “It’s not,” I agreed. “But I’m guessing it was a slow week. Did you see the picture last week of me shopping alone? The paparazzi apparently think I moved out here to win Garrett back, so they’ve been tailing me from time to time.”

  “Really,” he deadpanned, and I could tell he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me being put in danger.

  “Dad, it’s fine. It’s not like they’re staking out my dorm or chasing me down the 405, but I’ve noticed them around when I’m out at night. Ethan’s been acting like my fake boyfriend, so they’ve kind of backed off.”

  Ethan and I were photographed coming out of a club the previous weekend because the photogs thought he was his brother. They were disappointed to find out we were just two relative nobodies. Garrett had been with us that night, but he and Sophie, who was unfortunately still hanging around, had gone out the back entrance to avoid the paparazzi.

  The picture of Ethan and me had ended up online, and Ethan had been furious. The caption said something about me trying to replace Garrett with a look-a-like, and reading that, Ethan went off. He hated being compared to his brother, and I wondered if Garrett’s fame was having a negative effect on his usually upbeat personality. It was the only explanation I’d come up.

  “Just be careful,” my dad cautioned. “And tell Ethan thank you for me.”

  “I will. It’s nice that you worry about me. Mom just gives me shit for not ensuring that I’m cam
era-ready at all times.”

  My mother had actually called me that morning, for the first time in a few weeks, to let me know I looked pale and washed out in the Celebrity Weekly picture, and told me it wouldn’t kill me to wear a little blush and some eyeliner. It took everything in me not to hang up on her.

  “That’s your mother, Lo. She’s been this way her whole career. You know this.”

  “I know. It’s just frustrating.”

  “How is she doing?” he asked tentatively.

  I knew he still cared about my mom, which made it hard to talk about her with him. I didn’t think she felt the same way about him. All she ever did was put him down whenever I brought up the fact that we’d talked. It was a little exhausting to say the least, and it pissed me off that she couldn’t see what an amazing man he was. At least his girlfriend, Sasha, who he’d been dating for the past year, and who I hoped he would marry, could see what a great catch he was.

  “She’s the same. She’s leaving for Ireland next week to film a new movie, and I think she’s dating someone new, but she also may be sleeping with her masseuse, so who knows. I haven’t talked to her much since I moved into my dorm, but I’m having dinner with her and Skylar on Sunday night. I’m dragging Ethan along, so it won’t be that bad.”

  “Well, go easy on her. She’s your mother, after all.”

  I sighed. “I will, Dad. So tell me what’s new with you.”

  We talked for a little while longer. Henley came home just as we were hanging up.

  “Hey Lo,” she greeted me cheerfully when I hung up the phone.

  “Hey,” I responded, as I walked over to my closet.

  I was heading to Ethan and Garrett’s for the night, so I needed to change. The yoga pants and tank top I was sporting, although preferable from a comfort standpoint, just wouldn’t work. The guys were having some people over, so I needed to look somewhat presentable.

  “Are you going out?” she asked me from her perch in the middle of her bed.

  “Yeah, I’m going to Ethan and Garrett’s house. They’re having people over.”

  “Really,” she said, and I could hear the hidden question in her voice. She wanted to come. So far I’d avoided introducing her to Garrett because of the fame thing. I was afraid she would gush and drool all over him. “That sounds like fun.”

  “Do you want to come?” I asked after a few seconds, knowing she’d say yes, but I was in a good mood. I was going to see Jase on set in just a few days, and that got my adrenaline going.

  “Oh, my God, I’d love to come,” she said, eyes wide as she leapt off the bed. She ran over and hugged me briefly before turning to her closet. “Oh my God, what am I going to wear? What do you wear when you meet a celebrity for the first time?”

  Me? Well, I wore jeans and a tank top and quite possibly looked way too casual, but he didn’t seem to care.

  “Jeans are fine,” I said, as I pulled on my favorite bootcut pair. I slipped on a navy and white striped 3/4 sleeved hooded t-shirt and my gray Vans, and I was good to go.

  “Oh, no. I can’t wear jeans,” she said, pulling out a purple dress with a bubble skirt and a gray cardigan.

  “It’s going to be a low-key night, Henley,” I explained. I was afraid she’d look overdressed, but she didn’t seem to care.

  I watched her slip her feet into three inch black patent leather heels and pull the front of her thick blond hair back with a clip. She looked beautiful. She might have been overdressed, but the boys would be drooling all over her. That I knew for sure.

  She smiled in the mirror once, and then at me, and we were out the door. I appreciated the fact that she didn’t chastise me for my outfit like some other girls might have done.

  ***

  “Hello,” I called out, as I let us into Ethan and Garrett’s house. I was over there enough that there was no need to knock.

  “In here, Lo,” Garrett called back.

  We followed his voice to the kitchen, and beside me Henley grabbed my hand. She was practically hyperventilating at her first glimpse of Garrett Lewis in the flesh, but she held it together enough so that thankfully no one else noticed. I had to admit, he did look good. All blond hair and blue eyes and a dimply, welcoming smile.

  Looking around, I noticed that, aside from Garrett, there were a handful of people I didn’t know, and Ethan was nowhere in sight. There were also about ten scantily dressed women either hanging onto the guys in attendance or standing off to the side in small groups sipping champagne. I realized that I looked out of place again, and that a low-key evening at home definitely had a different definition than a low-key evening in L.A.

  Oh well, screw it. It wasn’t like I was trying to impress anyone, and Jase seemed to like what I wore just fine.

  “Hey kid,” Garrett said, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek, not even glancing twice at my outfit as he handed me a beer. “Who’s your friend?”

  I realized Henley was still attached to my hand. “Oh, this is my roommate, Henley. Henley, this is Garrett Lewis.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” Henley squeaked out, her accent even thicker than normal.

  I watched Garrett’s face light up. I also noticed Sophie wasn’t around. I wondered if they had stopped seeing each other or if she was just absent that night. Either way, Garrett’s attention was fully on my perky roommate.

  “Would you like a drink?” Garrett asked eagerly.

  Henley just nodded, as Garrett poured her a glass of champagne and smiled at her as he handed her the glass. I wondered if I should mention her father’s threat and how freaking scary he was. Nah, Garrett could figure it out on his own.

  “Is Ethan here?” I asked, looking around as if he might appear at any moment.

  “He went to dinner with Lizzie, but he should be back soon,” Garrett responded, but his gaze was still locked on Henley and her bright hazel eyes. He was grinning goofily at her, and she was blushing like crazy.

  “Lizzie, as in his FWB from high school?” I clarified. I hadn’t heard Ethan mention her in a while.

  “Yeah, he ran into her at Bardot on Monday night. She apparently got a boob job, so he was all excited.”

  I rolled my eyes. Classic Ethan.

  “Hello?” a familiar voice called from the front hall. Behind the voice I could hear the chattering of other male and female voices as the group made their way into the main part of the house. “Yo, Garrett, what’s up, man?”

  I was surprised to see Jase, and apparently his entourage, appear in the kitchen, but even more surprising was that he walked in flanked by two half-naked women who looked like they hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  Beside me, Henley gasped. “That’s Jason Brady,” she hissed.

  Jase Brady, I wanted to say but kept quiet. My heart was pounding as I drank in everything from the top of his dark head, over his bright green eyes, down his chiseled jawline, over his muscular chest and abs hidden beneath his white button down shirt and over his fitted jeans. I don’t think he could have looked more incredible than he did in that moment, and I felt the familiar tug in my lower abdomen like I did whenever I was around him.

  “Hey man,” Garrett said, finally pulling his gaze from Henley as he nodded at Jase. He gestured to the grouping of bottles lined up on the marble island in the center of the room. “Help yourself to some drinks.”

  I stood there like an idiot, wondering when Jase was going to notice me. So far he hadn’t glanced my way, and a part of me wanted to walk up to him, trace his full lips with my finger and watch his secret smile appear, but for some reason, in that moment, the confidence and courage to do just that evaded me.

  Maybe it was the confidence he was giving off or the two off-the-charts hot women attached to him or the fact that he seemed pretty buzzed already, but for some reason, Jase seemed like a different guy that night, and it just made me want to shrink back into the shadows.

  “Jase, baby,” the tall, leggy blond in a silver dress who was attached to his right side whin
ed in a baby talk voice. “I’m thirsty.”

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her.

  “What can I get for you, babe?” he asked, snuggling her close to his side until she grinned.

  “Champagne,” she said, kissing his cheek before she whispered something in his ear that made him smile.

  “I’m thirsty two, Jase,” the brunette on his other side chimed in, and his gaze went to her pouty face.

  “What can I get for you, sweetheart?” he asked, leaning his head close to hers and appealing to her request.

  All I could do was stare at him, slightly open-mouthed. Who the hell was this douchebag, and what had he done with the charming guy from a few nights ago? Was this what Ethan had been talking about?

  Jase let the girls detach from his sides, as he moved toward the drinks and farther away from me.

  “Dude,” a good looking Hispanic guy behind Jase called out to him. I recognized him as Freddie Ruiz, starting right-fielder for the Dodgers.

  “Yeah, man,” Jase said, not looking up from the champagne he was pouring for the girls who hovered as close to him as they could get.

  Freddie came up and clapped Jase on the shoulder. “Dude, the twins from a few nights ago are here. I told them they could meet you, and they were very interested if you know what I mean.”

  Jase narrowed his eyes and closed them for half a second before turning back to the guy. “Freddie, those girls are all you tonight, man. Go for it.”

  Okay, now that seemed more like the Jase I knew.

  “Aww, man, come on. They’re excited to ‘meet’ you, if you know what mean. There’s this thing they said they’d do, aww man, it sounds awesome.”

  Jase just chuckled and handed a glass of champagne to the blond and started to pour a glass for the brunette. “I’m good man, but have fun, okay. If you need to, tell them I’ll join you guys later.”

  “But you won’t?”

  Jase smiled my favorite smile that made it seem like he had a secret. “No, I’ll let you have all the fun with them tonight.”