The Boy Next Door

look out LA, here we come

"Eb, Ebony, it's time to get up," a voice whispers in my ear my eyes flutter open and I see Caleb looking down at me.

"Morning," I say softly, and I sit up. He kisses me softly and smiles.

"We're meeting by the door in twenty minutes," he says, and walks out of the room. I run to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Then I go back to Annie's room and sit at the vanity and put on a bit of concealer, but no mascara in case I want to sleep on the plane, which I probably will. I put on some Nike joggers and my favorite Lululemon jacket in case it's cold on the plane. Then I put everything in my suitcase and make the bed.

I go downstairs and everyone says goodbye to Billy, and we're picked up by a taxi. Katie and the taxi driver talk about VidCon. Caleb tells me it will be a half an hour drive, so I put my head on his shoulder and drift off. I wake up abruptly when he shakes me awake because we're on the road of the airport. "Hey Eb," he says.

"Morning... Again," I say. He laughs and kisses the top of my head. I look out the window as we pull in. "The car park's huge." I comment tiredly.

"What's a car park?" Asks Annie.

I yawn, "it's where you park the cars." I say groggily.

"I think she means parking lot." Says Hayley.

"Well, it's called a car park in England." I say, and my head rolls back onto Caleb's shoulder. I'm so tired.

"Don't fall asleep yet, Eb." He says, and rubs my arm.

"Here's gate B, where you'll be able to get to the security lines for your flight." Says the Cab driver. We all thank him and get out of the car. I throw my rucksack on my back because it's my carry on, and then take my suitcase and wheel it behind me. We go into the airport and walk to the bag check line. Caleb puts his arm around me while we wait. We get our bags checked and get our tickets. Then we go to the security line. Once we're through with that, Caleb and I go to the Starbucks while Katie, Annie, and Hayley watch the stuff. We're standing in line when a tall girl with dirty blonde hair, who looks a year or two younger than us begins staring. She's with her family, a few people ahead of us. After a few minutes of her just staring and staring at Caleb and I she finally comes over to us, looking very nervous.

"Are you Caleb and Ebony from Bratayley?" She asks.

"We are," Caleb says.

"OMG! I love Bratayley! I'm Nora by the way! Can we take a selfie?!"

"Sure!" I say. I couldn't believe we were recognized in public.

"You're so pretty, Ebony. I think you should start a beauty guru channel on YouTube." Says Nora as she takes her phone out of her bag.

"Really Nora? Thank you so, so much! It means a lot!" I say.

"Really! And Caleb, you're so funny. I wish I could have an older brother like you." She holds the phone up and we take a few selfies.

"Thank you, Nora!" He says, "you're one of the sweetest fans I've ever met."

"Awe, really?"

"Yeah."

"Nora, come over here!" Shouts the woman Nora was with before, I'm guessing her mom.

"Well, I gotta go. Mom's calling. It was great meeting you two, you're totally my OTP!" She says.

"It was great meeting you, Nora!" I say.

"Yeah, thanks for watching Bratayley!" Says Caleb.

"That was so cool!" I say.

"It happens a lot." Says Caleb.

"Yeah, but it doesn't happen to me a lot!"

"You'll get used to it," he says laughing, "but your enthusiasm's adorable." I punch him playfully and then lean into him, he puts his arm around me again. Soon it's time to order and we both ge Strawberries and Creme frappuccinos. We go back to the gate to find that we're already boarding I take my ticket out of my wallet to give to the stewardess who's letting us on. We're sitting in the middle of the plane. We board and I look around. It's smaller than the one we took to England, with two row seats on one side and three row seats on the other. Caleb and I find our seats, and it's perfect. Him and I get the two seats and Katie, Annie, and Hayley get the three. Caleb lets me have the window seat, and I lean my head on his shoulder. We sit on the plane for a few minutes before the pilot begins speaking.

"You have boarded the flight to Los Angeles, California. Here, in Maryland, it is 4:04 in the morning and 68 degrees fahrenheit. In Los Angeles, it is currently 1:04 in the morning, and 64 degrees fahrenheit. We will be arriving in Los Angeles at 5:34am. Thank you for choosing JetBlue."

"Wow, we'll be there early," I say and yawn. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Here Eb, I have a blanket." He took out a dark blue, green, and white striped blanket that was really soft.

"I'd never think to bring a blanket!"

"Well, when you travel lot's like us, you really learn how to pack a carry on." I laugh and put up the armrest so we can share the blanket. "Look out LA, here we come," says Caleb. I laugh and he wraps his arms around me. "We'll have such a great time."

"I know," I say. He tells me about past VidCons for a few minutes, and then we begin yawning. I shut my eyes and lean my head on his shoulder, and he does the same. I can't wait for VidCon, then I realize meeting Nora is only a glimpse at what I'll experience in the next few days. These Bratayley fans, they know who I am, it's strange to think they've been watching what I've been doing for the past week of my life. I hear Katie speaking loudly over the plane's engine to vlog. We begin to move and I open my eyes and pick my head up, Caleb does the same. Katie turns the camera in our direction.

"Look who woke up! The adorable teen loves!" Caleb smiles and holds my hand under the blanket. He kisses me, and turns to the camera.

"We were never really asleep," he says. I take my Starbucks from the seat pocket and take a sip.

"What'd you two get at Starbucks?" She asks.

"Strawberries and Creme Frappe," Caleb and I say at the same time, then turn to eachother and laugh.

"Your new fave huh, Cae?"

"Mhmm," he says, grabbing mine from me and taking a sip. He finished his already. I laugh and try to grab it back but he teasingly hold it above my head, way out of my reach.

"Stop being such a bully!" I say giggling. He kisses me on the cheek and hands it to me. Katie laughs and turns the camera to Annie and Hayley.

"God, I hate taking off." Says Caleb, looking at his feet.

"Really? I've never actually seen it happen."

"Wait, was the flight from Brighton to here the first plane ride you've ever been on?" He asks.

"Yeah," I say.

"Oh, well I don't love taking off, but maybe you will."

"Why don't you like taking off?"

"Uh, I don't know, it triggers my anxiety is what my Mom says." He says softly.

"Awe Caleb, you'll be fine." I say quietly, giving him a hug. I hear his heart and it's beating really fast, so I stay in that position, my head to his chest and my legs tucked under me. He hugs me back and closes his eyes. The stewardess comes by to check that our luggage is under the seat and smiles at me. I smile back

The plane begins moving faster and faster. I look out the window, amazed. I never really saw this part last time, because I didn't get a window seat. I squeeze Caleb's hand under the blanket, and he squeezes it back. Soon the plane's as high as it will go, and we're officially en route to LA! Caleb and I are yawing soon, and we go to sleep leaning on each other, with the blankets tucked up to our chins.