NEPO BBY

20

I hastily departed from Anna's place from a particularly wild rendezvous, leaving my number on her bedside table. Upon my arrival back to the penthouse, I stumbled through the entrance with my disheveled appearance: my hair tangled, my lips stained with remnants of passionate kisses, and a telltale hickey adorning my neck. As I made my way into the living room, I was greeted by the sight of Lily and her friend Max sipping coffee at the coffee table.

Lily's piercing gaze met mine, a mixture of curiosity and amusement dancing on her face. "My, My, My, Jackie boy. What a night you've had!" She remarked sarcastically. "Care to share the details with us?"

I threw myself back on the couch, and a surge of excitement washed over me as I recounted the events of the evening in my head. I poured myself a cup of coffee before I began. I told them about meeting Anna, the intoxicating chemistry we shared from the start, and the whirlwind romance that had ensured as soon as we got into the back of the cab. Laughter filled the room as I described the impromptu encounter with Anna. Even Lily laughed.

Our laughter was cut short when the sound of Lily's house phone filled the air. Lily excused herself as Max and I continued to catch up on recent events and enjoy the coffee and sunlight shining in through the ceiling-to-floor windows. Moments later, Lily returned, her face etched with apprehension.

"Anna's coming up," she said softly. "And they said she seems...angry."

My eyes widened in disbelief, akin to those of a started deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. I had not anticipated this sudden turn of events. A wave of panic washed over me. I was not prepared for this sort of confrontation. My mind raced as I paced the living room floors.

"Why would you tell them to send her up here?!" I demanded to know.

"Seriously?" Lily scoffed, taking her seat next to Max. "You think I want to be involved in what this is? No, thank you. I don't want her running to the press and putting my name in it. I won't be the one to tell her it was a one-night stand; you can do that."

I groaned loudly in frustration. I could hear Anna's footsteps approaching the front door; my heart pounded. I could feel the weight of her unspoken words pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket. I turned the doorknob, and my eyes met Anna's. Her face was a mask of anger. Her blue eyes blazed with hostility. I could see the words she wanted to say bubbling up inside her, threatening to erupt like a dormant volcano. I braced myself for the inevitable confrontation. What I didn't brace myself for was a sharp, swift slap across the face. My lips hung apart in shock. My hand cradled my pink cheek.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me! You think you can sleep with me and then leave without saying anything after all you did was tell me how you're so different from other guys and I can trust you. What kind of sick move is that? All because you want to get in my pants?" She was screaming so loud the neighbors poked their heads out the door to see what the commotion was about.

"I didn't want to wake you!" I shouted back. "Jesus fucking Christ, Anna! You came all the way over here to slap me?! You could have at least called first!"

"Well, I would have if you would have been so kind to leave your number for me to reach you at!" She shouted back.

"What are you talking about? I did leave my number right on the bedside table!" I exclaimed.

"This!" She said, shoving the number I had written down into my chest. I grabbed it and looked it over. "It says it's not a working number, you asshole!" I chuckled once I saw the error.

"That's my mistake. It's supposed to read 5-9-6-6. Not 5-9-6-9. I don't know what I was thinking." But I do know what I was thinking.

Her demeanor shifted, and I could feel her guilt rush up her face. "I'm sorry," She confessed. "I am so embarrassed. I can't believe I acted this way, and I got so angry." She quickly began to sob into her palms. I grabbed her and hugged her tight.

"It's fine. Forgot about it. Pretend it didn't even happen," I said, flattening her messy blonde hair onto her back.

"Can I make it up to you?" She asked, pressing her chin into my chest. I smirked down at her.

"I mean...Sure, you could."

She tilted her head back and laughed, "I can't believe you."

"How about I call you when I'm back in LA? I have to go see my parents in the Bahamas. But when I'm back, I'm all yours. And you're all mine." My smirk was full of mischief. My lips met her, and I grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulling her in more and claiming her lips as mine.

As soon as Anna returned to the elevator, I turned around and walked inside to meet Lily's hardened gaze. Her arms crossed around her chest.

"Go shower; we have a flight to catch. And I have therapy to schedule after listening to that," She said sarcastically. "It's time you return back to Spain and focus on school. Because this little amount of fame has gone to your head and completely inflated it!"

I chuckled while walking past her. "I'm not going back to Spain. I need Hollywood just as much as Hollywood needs me, Lily!"

"You're not seriously dropping out of college for some supermodel?" She said, trailing behind me.

I laughed sarcastically, "Of course not! Jesus, do you take me for some kind of fool? I'm dropping out because I never wanted to go to begin with. I only went to make Mum and Dad happy. I only went because Marie was going, but now that that is long over, I don't see the point."

"Jack, you're going back." She replied flatly.

"Why?" I spun around, "You don't want to share the spotlight? Don't be greedy, Lily." I smirked mischievously. She glared at me with her hip cocked to one side and her arms crossed over her chest.

"You have no talent, Jack. Other than jumping into bed with supermodels and basking in dad's glory," She replied.

I smirked and shrugged, "Sounds like talent to me."

"I'm serious, Jack. You've had your fun, and now it's time to return back to your life...In Spain," She said back to me in an unamused tone.

"I'm serious too, Lily. The fun has only just begun!" I declared before spinning around and walking into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes lingered, drawn to the smirking lad looking back at me. It was a strange sensation, both unfamiliar and profoundly liberating. And I never wanted it to end.