50 Shades of James

Chapter three

Vanessa stood frozen looking at James in the eyes.
"Hey I'm here...." Scarlett's voice trailed off when she saw him.
"Miss?" The cashier asked. Scarlett blinked and turned but Vanessa couldn't stop staring. James smiles innocently.
"Am I that interesting?" He asked. Vanessa snapped out of space and into reality.
"Over here." Scarlett pulled on her arm, dragging her away.
"What went on? What did I just see?" Vanessa suddenly asked.
"Um, you saw James and stared at him like an idiot. But at the same time who doesn't?"
"I did?"
"Yup. And he asked you if he was really that interesting to look at."
"I'm such an idiot. You know how I get."
"Yes." Scarlett nodded picking up her frappe. Someone tapped on Vanessa's shoulder. She whipped around to see James again.
"Are you following me?" Big mistake to ask!
"No, thanks for asking. Like I said I'm not your stalker." James shrugged biting the straw on his cup. Something that drove Vanessa crazy every time.
"Then?" Vanessa asked. He looked down smiling. He hated looking at a girl in the eye. He was that sensitive around them.
"I just came here after practice and saw you in a store-"
"And so you decided to follow me?"
"I feel attracted to you every time I see you. Like it's my urge to follow you wherever you go." He quickly said. Vanessa but her lip. Why would he want to follow me? And for how long since he said every time he sees me!
"Ahem." Scarlett cleared her throat. They had forgotten she was there.
"I'll be leaving. Vanessa are you okay with me leaving or do you-"
"I'll take her." James quickly said to Vanessa's surprise. This should be interesting.
"Okay." Scarlett mouthed the words "Text me!" to Vanessa before turning away and leaving with her bodyguard.
"Okay..." Vanessa said uncomfortable, pulling her shirt down lower and straightening. James looked back, his glasses sliding down from their correct positon. He quickly straightened them and looked at her.

"So you're Scarlett Vega's friend huh?"

"How do you know her?" Vanessa asked. He gave her a look.

"How should I not?" He asked smiling instead. Vanessa shook her head smiling at the floor.
"Anyway how's your life after yesterday?" Vanessa looked up, her contacts causing her eyes to become irritated. James shook his head looking at the window.
"Exactly the same. They just treat me like if nothing happened. Yours?"
"Scarlett's the only one I've seen. Brooklyn and Kennedy haven't said anything to me."
"Really?" He bit the straw again. Vanessa felt the phone in her back pocket vibrate but she ignored it. Just the way her friends had ignored her.
"Yeah. My life's a mess."
"Don't say that."
"You've never been through it."
"How do you know?"
"You're famous. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
"You didn't seem to recognize me last night. Usually most girls would've freaked out. You didn't." James stopped biting the straw and pushed the cup away, the drink untouched.
"Well I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's nice to be treated like a normal person for once."
"Then you're welcome." Vanessa was getting nowhere with this.
"It's just... I haven't been able to trust anybody."
"Why?"
He sighed looking down.
"This is not the correct time or place to talk about it."
"Then maybe-"
James held up a finger to keep her quiet.
"No, please." He added softly. She nodded. He needs his time just like everyone does.
"So..."
"What? What do you want to know?" He crossed his arms. She smiled.
"You think I want to know about you?"
"Yeah because you know all the girls love me."
"Not all of them."
"Well no but most-"
"Like Scarlett."
"She doesn't?"
"She likes Cristiano." Vanessa raised an eyebrow watching his facial expression. James looked at her as if waiting for something else.
"What?" She asked.
"And?" He asked.
"That's it. She likes him."
"Wow."
"I know. I thought she would be the one all over you too."
"No. Well I mean like her mother tried to get us together. Like she was probably was trying to get us to marry or something."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Sounded like a little plot by the mother of Scarlett.
"Really?"
"Well with her constant tries on getting us to go out yes I'm sure she was plotting something. Same with my ex-girlfriend. But she did something worse. I actually loved her but she just..." His voice trailed off, looking down.
Vanessa bit her lip not wanting to pressure him into saying whatever that girl had done to him. James seemed like the one with the kind and innocent heart. Unlike everyone else she had met.
"Sorry I didn't mean to get like this." Vanessa stood up but James reached for her arm.
"Don't. I find it easier to talk to you instead of other people."
Vanessa felt that feeling she had gotten yesterday when she met him. A feeling of love. Like if someone finally talked to her this deep. She had no one to tell her deepest feelings to. But James just came and took the place that someone had left. Not by how you would normally think. A normal couple break up. No. It was by accident. An accident that scarred Vanessa until now.
"How is it that we're telling each other everything right now? And we have only met for a day." Vanessa snapped out of her thoughts. James looked around.
"Cause Starbucks is unusually empty right now? And cause I like you?"
"What?"
"No, no just as a little sister. The one I never had to annoy. I'm an only child. Or was since I'm not a child anymore no matter how many times my mother says I'm her baby." James rolled his eyes looking annoyed but happy at the same time.
"Oh well you're lucky. Siblings aren't the greatest thing in the world."
"Do you want to leave cause it got really uncomfortable." He asked looking at the register. A blond cashier looked away as if she had heard what they said.
"Um, sure. The girl is giving you these looks like if..."
The girl lowered her sweater zipper. She leaned over the counter to grab a cup showing a lot more skin than she needs to.
"I know what she wants." James bit his lip, thinking.
"I don't need to know."
"I need to get her off of me. I don't need another girl asking for my number. Follow my lead." James wrapped his arm around her waist. Vanessa knew it had no special meaning so she didn't push him away. The girl shook her head looking at the register in front of her, still lowering her zipper. This was getting stupid. She went over to clean off the table next to theirs, purposely showing whatever she had in the upper chest. Was she trying to get something out of this or just trying to get them to walk away?
She went past James, purposely brushing her arm next to his as she passed by. He closed his eyes, taking off his glasses and stuffing them into his jacket pocket.
"I didn't want to have to do this." He looked at Vanessa.
"Do what?" She asked. Instead of answering, he simply pulled her forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and just kissed her. On the lips. As if they were a real couple. Vanessa didn't want to throw everything off and make this seem fake so she kissed him back, enjoying every moment of it. His lips were soft against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hand through his hair.
Footsteps left, fading away. James finally let go.
"Sorry, I didn't even mean for that to make it last long. I just wanted to get rid of her."
"Uh, well it worked. Can we leave?" Vanessa asked. He nodded awkwardly standing next to her.
It was the best 2 minutes of her life.