"So what is your reason for coming to LA anyways?" Bentley asked as he helped her haul her suitcase off the luggage belt.
"I don't know, I kind of just wanted a break. I had this huge conference in London and promised myself I would get a break afterwards." She shrugged. "Unfortunately, I'm not chasing big dreams like you."
"Because you've already accomplished them," he grabbed his suitcase and started towards the exit. "Are you sure you're okay with me staying at your place? It wouldn't be awkward or anything? Just the two of us in what is no doubt a 200,000 square foot mansion?"
"Bentley, you're not a convicted criminal, right?"
"No, why do you keep asking that?"
"It'll be fine, then. Although now that I think about it, that's exactly what a convicted criminal would say."
"Great." He feigned a dramatic sigh. "In addition to being a failure to my parents, I'm considered a convicted criminal by a girl I met on an airplane approximately seven hours ago."
"Exactly." They stepped out into the chilly March Los Angeles night air.
"So are we just going to call a cab or something?"
"Nope, I arranged travel plans a while ago, so my, or rather, our ride should be here soon." She stood on her toes, searching for who-knew-what.
A few minutes of searching later, she found whatever she was looking for. "It's over there," Carissa pointed at what seemed to Bentley like a mass of cars. He wasn't sure which one was her ride, but he went with it anyways, following her to the end of the line of automobiles.
"Holy giant crapping unicorns," he stared at the black Cadillac limousine as they approached it.
"Hey, Dan," Carissa greeted the tall young-ish man dressed in a tux as he came out of the driver's door. Dan quickly took her luggage and placed it in the trunk.
"If I may, Mr.-?" Dan asked Bentley, giving a questioning eyebrow to Carissa.
"Young," Bentley managed. "And, umm, sure. Thank you."
The interior of the limo was about the same as the few other limos Bentley had ever ridden in. Black leather, glittery star-like lights on the ceiling, tinted windows.
"Close your mouth," Carissa teased.
"You own this?"
"Nope." She explained. "I have a car here, but a limo is a little too much. Dan here is the one who owns her, I just hire them when I need transport to and from the airport or other places that I'm not really willing to drive. I'll probably hire them for my daughter's prom, too," she laughed.
"You have a daughter?"
"Nope, but I can dream."
"Oh. I never went to prom. Because I didn't really finish high school and all that..." he trailed off, looking up at the star lights.
"I never went either...they just didn't have it at my school."
"Don't tell me you're going to be the mother who lives her life through her child." He winked.
"No worries, I won't."
"Wow, a traffic-less LA, who would have thought?" Bentley looked out the window.
"It is, what, past 11:00?" Carissa checked her phone, which still read 2:17 a.m. She turned the airplane mode off, and it quickly adjusted to 11:17 p.m.
"It actually feels later," Bentley sighed, leaning back.
"Maybe you should have slept on the airplane, then, instead of judging me."
"I wasn't judging!"
Carissa laughed. "Sure you weren't."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Carissa caught sight of a grocery store. She knocked on Dan's window, waking Bentley up from his light slumber. "Can we stop over here?" She asked, pointing out the window at the shopping center on the other side of the road.
"Would they still be open?" Bentley murmured groggily as Dan exited the freeway.
"How long have you been gone from home?" Carissa teased, shaking her head. "I don't think anything here closes before midnight."
"That's true," he shrugged. "Although New York isn't that different, sooo..." He forced himself to follow Carissa out, almost bumping his head twice, after Dan parked the car. "What are we doing here, anyways?"
"I need bread, he's my true love," Carissa said, ignoring the strange glance Bentley gave her as they walked through the automatic sliding doors.
"Don't you have, like, servants to do your grocery shopping for you or something?" Bentley asked, following her as she grabbed a basket from the stack near the door.
"What is this, 1500?" Carissa laughed. "I honestly only have people that clean the house, since I hate that, but I cook for myself." She started towards the bakery section. "Want cookies or anything?"
"I really shouldn't," Bentley said, but his eyes wandered over the rows of sweets, landing on a box of fresh cookie brownies with caramel on top. Carissa followed his gaze.
"We're getting those," she grabbed the box.
"You really don't have to.." Bentley shook his head, but Carissa ignored him and put it in her basket before grabbing two baguettes, a loaf of sourdough, and a loaf of toast.
"What are you going to do with all that?" Bentley asked.
"Eat it, of course. What else?" Carissa shrugged, heading towards the cash register.
YOU ARE READING
Green Lights (ASORM, Book 1)
RomanceHe had no clue she existed. She had no clue he existed. But there came a moment. In which they were destined to meet. About the series: A Series of Random Moments (ASORM) is the cringiness you need in your library, blending awkwardly humorous and so...
