Authors: S. Briones Lim
“Where are you, Ruthie?” Celine sighed, hanging up as soon as Ruthie’s perky voicemail intro answered. She threw her phone against the hotel’s bed and began pacing across the carpeted floor. Balls of lint stuck to her toes and she instantly regretted forgetting her slippers.
“I should have known better than to leave without knowing specifics.” She glanced up and eyed the extra bed by the window. She had jumped the gun and booked a double, thinking Ruthie would be staying with her. If she didn’t show up, she was going to be really irritated. Celine rubbed her eyes, not caring whether her mascara streaked across her face. As exciting as it was to be in New York, she really could have done without it. She was way too busy and hated to think she was going to experience it alone.
The carpet continued to matt against her bare feet. She eyed her bed, tempted to turn in early, but images of bed bugs began to dance in her head. A quick shudder escaped her and she knew she needed fresh air. She rushed over to the balcony and pulled the curtains apart. She couldn’t get the door open quickly enough and was practically dry heaving by the time she made it to the ledge.
Her agent had done really well picking out her hotel room. Located on 48th Street and just a few blocks away from Broadway, she was in the center of it all. Unfortunately, she was in the center of it all alone. She took a breath and leaned backwards against the cold glass. The lights of Times Square were somewhat visible, and despite her earlier trepidation she felt a jolt of excitement work its way in to her.
“Screw Ruthie,” she muttered to herself. She turned quickly and grabbed her jacket, rushing out of the hotel before she had a chance to change her mind.
***
“Watch it!” an irritated voice yelled out. Celine jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding what she could only describe as a speed-walking demon. The woman threw Celine the evil eye as she practically ran past her.
“Guess what they say about New Yorkers is true,” Celine muttered to herself. She shook her head in annoyance and moved on, once again being engulfed by the New York City crowd.
As she followed the flow of people through Times Square, she couldn’t help but regret leaving the safety of her hotel room. Her impulsive decision to explore basically bit her in the ass. Times Square at night was very beautiful, but also majorly crowded and a bit disorienting. People from different walks of life crowded around the few city blocks, which were lit up like Christmas Trees rolling on ecstasy. Amidst the chaos, Celine found that the tourists were easy to pick out. After being pestered to death by tour guides and event promoters, Celine had had enough. She quickly figured out she should keep her head low and walk fast. Though this basically counteracted the sole purpose of sight-seeing, it was the only way to keep her sanity.
Before long, Celine lost track of how many blocks she had walked. She abruptly stopped, causing a person to crash into her. “Hey!” the man exclaimed as Celine lurched forward. Without so much as an apology, he brushed past her. He began muttering curse words under his breath and exclaimed, “I can’t stand New Yorkers!”
“I’m not a New Yorker!” Celine yelled out, feeling an unnecessary need to make the point clear. The man didn’t care and walked away. “So much for tourist camaraderie,” she muttered.
She scratched her head in exasperation and found herself looking up. What she saw caused her jaw to drop open in shock.
“This can’t be…”
As if in a dream, she took hesitant steps towards a sight that was as familiar to her as it was foreign. The window wraps were different, but looked vaguely similar. The bright lights, the set-up…it was MTV! A nostalgic feeling pinched her gut. Memories of rushing home from school to catch the latest episode of TRL flooded her brain. She remembered the jealousy she felt at seeing the crowd of people gathered around the street hoping for a glimpse of the musical guests. She always wished she could be there, holding up a poster and screaming at the top of her lungs. Years later here she was.
She sighed in content. Here she was. Just like she always wanted to be. The only thing missing was having Ruthie at her side to enjoy it. She swallowed the bittersweet pill and tried her hardest to push the disappointment away.
“Celine?”
Celine blinked in surprise. Hearing her name shouted in the middle of Manhattan was nothing she would have expected. She glanced around and saw a pair of waving arms. Her newly waxed eyebrows came together in a frown as she tip-toed in an effort to peek above the tall heads that surrounded her. Unfortunately, at five foot two it was rather difficult. The arms soon disappeared. Celine paused, unsure of whether to look for the source of the voice or to turn around and walk away. Luckily, she didn’t have to decide.
“Boo!” A pair of hands reached around a group of teenaged girls and grabbed Celine’s arm. She yelped, causing the crowd of teens to throw her looks of disgust. They muttered inaudibly and pushed their hair over their shoulders mockingly.
The voice began laughing. “Sorry! Forgot you scared so easily.” Brian’s wicked grin was the first thing Celine saw. His white teeth sparkled under the Times Square iconic lights. “What are you doing here?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her. His eyes darkened and he added, “Are you here with Ruthie?”
Celine attempted to smile, but she knew her expression probably read, “Shit,” rather than “Great to see you!” Nonetheless, she returned his hug. “Um, no I’m not here with Ruthie. Actually I am…Actually…”
Brian eyed her curiously. “You either are or you’re not.”
Celine shrugged. “Well, if that isn’t the million dollar question of the day.” She rolled her eyes in irritation and stuck her hands into her pockets, forcing her fingers between the denim of her skinny jeans.
“Trust me; I tried my hardest to keep her away from Cash.” Brian stumbled forward, grabbing Celine’s shoulder for balance. He reddened. “Sorry.” He turned his head in annoyance. “Watch where you’re going!” he yelled out angrily behind him.
Celine shook her head and snickered. “I could never live here.”
“Yeah, it takes a lot of getting used to.” He gently nudged her forward. “We should get out of the way.”
“Wait, you live here?” Celine was surprised. She would never have imagined Brian living anywhere without a beach. He was the stereotypical surfer boy and imagining him anywhere without warm ocean waves was just way too strange.
“Oh, what? No, never,” Brian shook his head.
“Oh.” She frowned, feeling more confused.
“Well, I’m here a lot for business. You wouldn’t believe how often I have to come out here. I might as well live in Manhattan. That’s actually why I’m here – if you’re wondering,” he explained.
Celine pressed her lips together tightly. She knew he’d be in the city. Why wouldn’t he be? The whole reason Ruthie was going was because of Intensity. The thing was, Celine didn’t think she’d be seeing Brian so soon—nor alone—for that matter.
“About Ruthie,” Brian began, interrupting her thoughts, “I didn’t really think she’d be coming. I tried my hardest to ‘forget’ to book her flight.”
Celine lifted an eyebrow. Gripping onto a hairband, she pushed her long hair through the loop and brought up her hair into a ponytail. Brian gulped as he watched her, completely enamored with how she looked under the Manhattan lights. With a suspicious look on her face, Celine asked, “What do you mean you tried your hardest to forget? You know, come to think of it, Ruthie’s been somewhat secretive about her plans. I take it there were none?”
Brian began to chuckle. His eyes crinkled at the sides as he threw Celine a wink. “I couldn’t have her meet with Cash again, could I? I made myself too busy, too forgetful.” He shook his head in amusement. “I did everything to annoy Cash, basically. I guess I didn’t try hard enough. Last I heard is that he flew to Los Angeles to pick her up.”
“What?” Celine screeched.
Brian pursed his lips and nodded his head slowly. A cold gust of wind blew between them and he automatically reached out to bring Celine closer into him, wanting to keep her warm. Catching himself, he brought his arm down quickly.
Celine took a deep breath and nodded her head. “Well, thanks for trying, anyway. You know, I wouldn’t have agreed to come here if I didn’t think Ruthie would be here.”
“Why are you here?” Brian asked, effortlessly dodging a pedestrian.
“I have a writer’s conference to go to.” Celine visibly stiffened. “I also have to do a whole question and answer portion…in front of people.”
Brian chuckled. “Well, that’s usually what question and answer sessions entail.”
Celine bit her lip and looked up at him nervously. Once again, Brian felt a need to look away.
“You don’t get it.” She sounded almost mouse-like. “I hate public speaking.”
“Yeah, I know,” Brian teased. Celine stopped in her tracks and looked up at him curiously. Brian hadn’t realized she stopped walking until he was a good three feet away. He glanced back and jogged back to her. “Why’d you stop?”
Celine gulped. She needed to remind herself that all things kismet only happened in movies. Still she needed to know. “What are you doing here, anyway? Like right now? It’s a bit too late to be doing Intensity stuff.”
Still frowning, Brian answered, “I needed to get away. The other guys are off doing their own thing and after practically living with them I just needed time to clear my head.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I’m imposing on that time.” She smiled good-naturedly. Her lips wavered slightly, but she quickly glued them together, hoping he didn’t notice. She hated to admit it, but she kind of liked the fact she was imposing on it.
His face softened. With a slight shake of his head he replied, “I’d be willing to give up ‘me time’ if meant hanging out with you.”
“Um…” she began nervously.
“What’s up?” Brian asked.
She took a deep breath, knowing that if she didn’t say something at that precise moment, she’d never get the courage. “Look,” she gulped, “if I don’t get this out now, there’s going to be a sixty ton elephant in the room.”
“Wow, sixty tons! I didn’t know those existed!” Brian joked. Seeing the serious expression on Celine’s face, he narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Go on,” he prodded.
Celine averted her eyes, feeling a need to look anywhere but at Brian. “That secret for secret game…” her voice trailed off, she just couldn’t find the right words to say.
Unfortunately, Brian wasn’t having it. “Yes?”
She sighed. “I know we both basically admitted that we liked each other back then. That’s not going to change anything between us, right? I mean, it’s not like we’ve even seen each other in ten years or so, but what I’m saying is that we’re still going to be Cici and Bri, right? Like no weirdness, or anything? Just like how it used to be?”
Brian glanced at her ring finger and sighed. He threw his head back and forced a smile on his face. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be the same?” He playfully nudged her on the arm but even the slight contact electrified him. “Look, we liked each other back then and we remained good friends. We don’t even like each other like that anymore. Why would it be weird now?” He was definitely lying through his teeth, but he figured acting aloof would be the only way Celine would agree to spend any amount of time with him.
She nodded her head slowly and flashed him the same smile that made him weak in the knees. “Good,” she said quietly. She glanced up and in a louder voice repeated, “Good.”
Cash ushered Ruthie into a building on the Upper East Side. She dodged some scaffolding and looked up curiously. Though the building was nice (actually that was an understatement, it was magical!) it wasn’t the hotel she was expecting.
“Where are we?” Ruthie asked as she glanced around the lobby. Men and women dressed to the nines walked past her and once again she couldn’t help but regret her choice in wardrobe. She cleared her throat. “Cash? Is this a hotel?”
Cash eyed Ruthie and laughed. “Of course not. I live here.”
“You do?” Ruthie gaped. She felt a wave of butterflies rush through her. There was no way he was planning on having her spend the night with him…right?
Cash laughed once again and brought her to the farthest elevator in the lobby. Unlike regular elevators, this one had no buttons. Cash reached into his wallet and took out a shiny black card, swiping it through a card reader. He stepped back and grabbed Ruthie’s hand. Ruthie was aware that a layer of moisture covered the inside of her palm. She blushed, hoping the clamminess wouldn’t gross him out.
The two waited until the elevator opened with a DING. “Ladies first,” Cash said smoothly. He motioned towards the elevator and followed right after her.
They rode in silence, listening to some awesome elevator music. Gone was the stereotypical Muzak and in its place was…well, some music Ruthie was definitely planning to Shazam at a later time. She focused on the melody, trying to push away any dirty thoughts. About a week ago she had just finished reading an exceptionally sexy book. One particular scene about a billionaire having his way in an elevator particularly stuck in her mind.
“So…” Ruthie’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t stand the awkward silence anymore and was in desperate need to fill it with anything. She even considered humming, but didn’t want to look too much like a goofball.
“So, you ready for tonight?” Cash finished for her. He reached out and ran his finger up and down her arm.
Ruthie gulped. “What’s going on tonight?”
“Dinner with me and maybe some fun afterwards?” He winked suggestively.
Her head snapped forward like a rubber band. “Where will I be staying tonight?” Her voice came out somewhat hysterical and she found herself coughing, trying to cover it up.
Cash raised a questioning eyebrow but merely shrugged. “With me, of course! Where else?”
Ruthie let out a fake giggle. “Yeah, where else?”
The elevator ride couldn’t have gone any slower. When the doors finally opened, Ruthie practically sprinted out before realizing that she had no idea where she was going. Attempting to play it cool, she spun on her heel and waited for Cash to saunter by. In one smooth movement he grabbed her waist and twirled her around so she collapsed into his arms. She let out a breath, surprised at the sudden movement.
“I know I said I wanted to take you to dinner tonight, but what do you think about room service?” Cash’s voice was so smooth that no matter how badly she wanted to go out on the town, her heart screamed, ‘yes, please.’
Ruthie blinked. “I thought this wasn’t a hotel.”
“You’d be surprised what Cash Walker can get away with.”
Ruthie gulped. Somehow she knew nothing would surprise her when it came to him.
***
“I take it back, he can surprise me,” Ruthie thought to herself as she eyed the smorgasbord laid out across Cash’s dining table. The food looked as if it would cause the sleek black table to come crashing to the ground. Cash really outdid himself and Ruthie couldn’t help but wonder what other tricks he had up his sleeves.
“You can start eating if you want,” Cash called out from his bedroom.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll wait for you,” Ruthie replied.
She took her time walking around his living room. She still couldn’t believe she was in Cash Walker’s house! If it weren’t for the numerous platinum awards hanging across his walls she would have assumed she’d just stepped into a model penthouse in the middle of the city. Her foot dug into his soft shaggy carpet as she took a step into the sunken family room. Three black steps led way to the sitting area, which was paved with cherry wood floors. She had only seen such living rooms in magazines and was astounded to see they actually existed.
Ruthie sat on the leather couch and spotted a see-through piano in the corner of the room. “So this is how the other half lives,” Ruthie mumbled quietly. She felt an urge to tickle the ivories, but having never learned how to play was a bit worried she’d somehow break the expensive looking instrument.
“Ruthie? Where’d you go?” Cash called out. His footsteps thudded from the upstairs as he made his way down the spiral staircase.
“I’m in your living room,” she called out. She pushed herself off the couch and met him in the hallway. She nearly gasped when she spotted his bare chest. Her eyes wandered down, pausing at the drawstring pajama bottoms that hung low on his waist. Blushing, she forced herself to stare into his eyes and grinned sheepishly, “Sorry, I was just looking around. I hope you don’t mind.”
Cash turned the corners of his mouth down and shook his head. “Nope, just thought you left.”
In the sultriest voice she could muster, she replied, “Why would I leave?”
Never one to view herself as “sexy,” she felt a bit stupid trying to act sensual. She forced herself to maintain composure, hoping Cash couldn’t see through her little act. If he could, he certainly didn’t show it. He grabbed her into his firm arms and lifted her off the ground. Planting kisses on her collarbone, he slowly carried her to the kitchen.