Authors: S. Briones Lim
Celine fumbled clumsily with her fork. The stack of pancakes loomed in front of her, but she couldn’t bring herself to take a bite. She was always uncomfortable eating in front of strangers and having both Cash Walker and Brian sitting beside her didn’t make her weird quirk any easier.
“I can’t believe meeting me was on your list of things you always wanted to do!” Cash laughed as he took a bite of his eggs.
Ruthie watched as he took a sip from his coffee and she couldn’t help but wish she was the mug in his hands. Shaking her head at the absurd thought, she laughed back. “Of course! And what better time to act on that dream than before Celine gets married? Once she ties the knot you know stalking Intensity would be out of the question.”
“You’re getting married?” Brian suddenly interrupted, throwing Celine a questioning look. He glanced at her left hand and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Celine fiddled with her fork and answered, “Yeah, actually. To my fiancé.” Celine felt like face palming herself. Who else would she be getting married to?
Fortunately, Brian didn’t notice her slip up, or at least he didn’t care. “How long have you been with your fiancé?”
“Two years,” she answered. “We’re getting married in just a little under ten months.” Brian didn’t reply, merely blinking a few times before turning his attention back to Cash and Ruthie. Celine did the same, forcing herself not to look in Brian’s direction.
“You’re reconnecting with your childhood, huh?” Cash mused. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “You’re really making me feel old right now.”
“Hey!” Ruthie laughed. “You’re only a few years older than us! And you still look hot for your age.”
Celine raised her eyebrows. She watched as her friend’s face turned beet red. She knew Ruthie was instantly regretting her choice of words.
To Ruthie’s relief, Cash merely laughed. Ruthie let out a quiet breath and straightened her shoulders. Everything was so surreal! She couldn’t believe that Cash Walker was only a few inches away from her! If she reached her hand out, she could easily grab his well-defined pectoral muscles. She eyed him up and down and couldn’t help but admire the way his chiseled jaw looked as he let out a throaty chuckle.
Cash grinned. “I must admit, being thirty-one is way easier than it was being twenty years old.”
“How so?” Celine asked. When Cash turned his attention to her, she couldn’t help but blush profusely. Seeing her childhood idol in person was nothing short of a dream come true. Talking to him was an entirely different story and made Celine feel a bit faint.
Cash leaned back and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Ruthie looked longingly after the dirtied white cloth. Oh, to be that napkin. Catching herself, she blinked and brought her attention back to Cash’s words rather than his body.
“It’s really a mind fuck, you know? You feel dirty thinking that a ten year old has a picture of you shirtless, hanging in her room.” Ruthie snuck a glance at Celine, who widened her eyes in shame. “At the same time you feel a bit degraded thinking that someone as old as your mother could think you’re hot shit.”
“What do you mean?” Ruthie asked curiously, immediately feeling guilty for checking him out. “Don’t boys that age get off at the thought of a cougar lusting after them?”
“Well, you begin to wonder why they feel that way about you. Like is it only because of my looks? Is it only because of my manufactured persona that I’m considered attractive?” He shook his head in disgust. “It plays with your mind, and being that young and impressionable, it also weighed down on me in ways I didn’t realize until I matured a bit more.”
“Did the other members feel that way?” Celine asked.
Cash shrugged, not really wanting to get into it. “Some more than others. Being the youngest, I think it affected me most of all. Regardless, it was a big reason why I was hesitant to join the big reunion.” He leaned forward and grabbed his coffee mug. His hand brushed against Ruthie’s and she felt a jolt of electricity in her abdomen.
“Well, I’m glad you guys reunited.” Celine nodded adamantly, picking up her fork without any intention of eating.
Cash threw a sly smile at Ruthie, who squirmed in her seat. He liked the effect he had on her and made a mental note to flash his pearly whites at her more often. “Me, too.” He grinned at Ruthie again and watched her shift around. With a quiet laugh, Cash turned his attention back towards Celine and continued, “My favorite part of this whole gig is meeting new people.”
“Not following your dream?” Celine hadn’t realized she had spoken out loud. She looked up and smiled apologetically.
Fortunately, Cash laughed. “No, that too, of course. However, I must say meeting new and interesting people certainly makes up for feeling like a piece of meat.”
Celine discreetly pushed her arms together, attempting to hide her shirt. It was ridiculous considering Cash (and the rest of the restaurant) had already seen it.
“What’s your story, Brian?” Ruthie asked, somehow breaking eye contact with Cash. It was a hard thing to do, but she was afraid that if she stared at him any longer she’d have no choice but to strip him naked in front of everyone.
Brian placed his coffee mug back down at the table. Celine attempted to avert her eyes and focused on the drop of coffee sliding down the ceramic lip. However, as soon as he spoke, she caught herself staring at his Adam’s apple as it bobbed up and down. “I still can’t believe how long it’s been since I last saw you two. I mean, I didn’t go to our reunion or anything,” he admitted. His voice had grown deeper in the last ten years and Celine couldn’t help but hang onto every word he said.
“We didn’t go either,” Celine responded quietly.
“Why not?” Brian asked in surprise.
Celine laughed. “What’s the point of going to the reunion when I see my best friend almost every other day?”
“Give or a take a weekend,” Ruthie chimed in.
Celine grinned. “She was the only person from high school I cared about, anyway. Plus she wasn’t planning on going. It would have just been a gigantic waste of time for me.”
Brian laughed. “She’s the only person from high school you cared about, huh? Very disappointing to hear, Celine.”
“Well, apparently you didn’t go, either. Definitely no need for me to have attended.” She giggled.
Brian continued laughing. Celine grinned back, her smile only faltering when she noticed the look on Ruthie’s face. It took Celine a moment to realize what caused it. Celine basically admitted to how important Brian had been to her! Having a crush find out the extent of your feelings, no matter how much time had passed, was still embarrassing. Blushing, Celine tried to save herself. “I mean, you were always a good friend to us and everything.” She glanced up and saw Ruthie glue her lips together. Deciding that staying quiet might be the best thing for her to do, Celine quickly shut her mouth and stuffed her face with pancakes.
Ruthie cleared her throat. “Go on, tell us how you became Cash Walker’s right hand man.”
Cash burst into laughter, but Brian frowned slightly. “Well, after high school I had no idea what to do with myself. I took a year off and just worked odd jobs here and there. I somehow landed a gig at a local entertainment agency—don’t ask me how, it was just as if the universe aligned or something. Anyway, the CEO took a liking to me and offered me a full-time position if I finished college. Up until then I didn’t really have any sense of motivation or any ambitions. Working in the entertainment industry changed all that. I finished school with honors and quickly came onboard. It was only a matter of time before I was landing my own clients left and right. Intensity came under my radar a few years ago and we’ve been working together ever since.”
“A few years ago?” Celine gasped. “I thought the group just decided to get back together.”
Cash sighed. “Like I said, I was the odd man out. It took a lot of convincing before I finally agreed.” He reached out and pounded his hand on Brian’s shoulders. “Not until Brian here came along did I actually really consider doing it.”
“Wow, Brian,” Ruthie teased, feeling as if no time had passed since their high school days. “You must be really good at your job.”
Cash nodded. “He promised a few perks here and there. Let’s just say the man drives a hard bargain.”
Ruthie didn’t even want to ask what those perks were. She shifted uneasily and looked away. Luckily, the restaurant server interrupted them before an awkward lull could fall around the table.
“I’ll take the check,” Cash offered. With a bored expression, the server handed him the black booklet. Given the location of the restaurant, Ruthie could only imagine how many big celebrities frequented the restaurant. She was sure that the server already had her fill of A-Listers. Cash yanked out his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he winked at the woman. It was only then that she became flustered and thanked him graciously.
Brian looked down at his watch. “Wow, it’s really late. Might I remind you that we have an appearance on the local morning talk show at seven in the morning? After that, you need to be at the House of Rocks by noon, make it to the after party by midnight and then be at the airport by ten the next morning.” Brian rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m exhausted just thinking about it.”
Celine’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realize how much you guys have to do in a day.”
“Yeah, no wonder we were never able to catch you all those years before,” Ruthie joked.
“Well, you caught me now,” Cash responded with a wink.
Ruthie opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t bring herself to think of anything witty to say. Noticing her discomfort, Celine immediately jumped in and said, “Thank you for the meal, Cash. It was really sweet of you, given the circumstances you met us in.”
Cash chuckled. “Any friend of Brian’s is a friend of mine, right, Brian?”
Brian rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to Celine and asked, “Where are you girls staying? Do you need a ride?”
“We took a cab to the arena,” Celine answered. “I think we’ll be fine with a taxi again.”
Ruthie nodded silently, still stuck on Cash’s comment.
“Nonsense,” Brian responded. He noticed Ruthie’s sloppy grin and tensed, watching his old friend visibly swoon over the arrogant bastard. Forcing himself to sound pleasant he offered, “We’ll take you guys home. Where are you staying?”
“Oh, no! It’s not a problem, really. You guys already helped us out a great deal tonight,” Celine insisted. Though she was touched by Brian’s offer, she couldn’t help but want to get away from him. He brought back the same feelings of giddiness she used to feel around him when they were teenagers. Thinking of Noah, she couldn’t help but want to get rid of Brian and fast!
“No, I insist. What kind of gentlemen would we be if we didn’t at least take you home?”
Brian’s eyes glanced quickly at Celine’s ring. It may have been her imagination, but she couldn’t help but notice a slight frown grace his face. She averted her eyes and noticed Cash still staring at Ruthie as if he were a lion and she a gazelle. Her best friend radar started to tick loudly.
“Just take us up on the offer!” Cash laughed, staring at Ruthie. “Our driver is ready and willing to go wherever we tell him to.”
“No, it’s okay,” Celine insisted.
“Actually, yes, you can take us back,” Ruthie butted in. Celine flashed her an annoyed look, but Ruthie kept her head held high. She wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to spend more time with Cash.
“Wonderful!” Brian exclaimed. “Just tell us where to go.”
Fortunately, the ride to the hotel wasn’t as bad as Celine feared it would be, though it couldn’t have ended soon enough for her liking. After many years of thinking no “commoner” would even come close to comparing to Cash’s godly beauty, she was surprised to find herself eyeing Brian repeatedly. Celine tried her hardest to snap out of it. She couldn’t help but feel guilt pound her insides. Swooning after Cash and Intensity was one thing—to her they were almost like mythical creatures. Swooning after Brian was another. He was a normal person, just like she was. Not that Cash wasn’t human, but still.
Ruthie was different. She felt like the ride back was nothing short of magical. Cash’s thighs frequently brushed up against hers, each touch sending goose bumps down her arms and warmth to pool in her stomach. If each brush made her squirm, she couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to do something more. Not like that would ever happen…right?
The black SUV slowed to a stop in front of the hotel. With a sigh of relief, Celine quickly thanked the guys and hopped out of the car, not bothering to look back. Brian sat back, watching her in confusion. Ruthie, on the other hand, took her time exiting the vehicle.
“It was great to meet you,” she said to Cash. She tried her best to sound seductive, but her voice came out a bit raspy. She tugged at her neck with embarrassment.
“Same goes to you, little lady,” he replied, smiling.
“Little lady?” she repeated, giggling. “You do know I’m almost six feet tall.”