Hollywood Heartthrob

18

18
Listen to Me

KENDALL HATED exercise. She found the entire process to exhausting and overwhelming. She wasn't even sure why she had agreed to go running with Phoenix, but there she was: out of breath and struggling to keep up with her friend. Although she looked fit, Kendall was incredibly out of shape.     

Kendall stops running and places her hands on her knees, barely able to catch her breath. Phoenix continues running, then looks behind her and notices Kendall, who was gasping for air.

"Can we walk the rest of the way?" Kendall asks between breaths as Phoenix jogs over to her.

"Damn, Ken, you have pathetic cardiovascular endurance."

"Whatever," Kendall says, standing up straight. "My boobs are sweating and my legs burn."

"If I knew you were gonna complain, I would've brought someone else to run with me." Phoenix sighs and awkwardly scratches the top of her shaved head when Kendall furrows her brows. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

"About what?"

Phoenix sighs. "I'm planning on asking Maria to marry me tonight."

Kendall's face instantly lights up. She had always been fascinated by the idea of love and marriage. It never failed to give her a warm, serene feeling. Seeing other people in love entranced her, and it made her hope that one day she would have a love that would tear her apart and build her back up all at once.

She was a big believer in love, and she figured that would never change.

"That's amazing, Phoenix," Kendall enthuses. She pulls her into a hug. "I'm so happy for you."

Phoenix releases Kendall and frowns. "I'm so fucking nervous. I can't stop imagining everything going wrong. What if she says no?"

Kendall shakes her head and smiles. "Maria's loved you for two ⁠years—I don't even know how she put up with you that long," Kendall says, earning an eye roll from Phoenix. "But she's going to say yes. I know it."

Phoenix exhales. "You're right, for like, the first time ever."

"Yeah, yeah. Drive me home."

So Phoenix did. The two bickered over the ox cord, but eventually agreed on an artist. As they sang at the top of their lungs, Kendall reflected on her time in Los Angeles. It had finally dawned on her that she was dating Ryan Hughes, an actor who she just so happened to meet one fateful Thursday. It was almost bizarre that she was offered a potential record deal at the same company as Ryan's ex-girlfriend.

When Kendall received that email from GSR, something seemed off to her. It was too easy.

Not wanting to think about it further, Kendall pushes the thought away, says goodbye to Phoenix, and heads up to her apartment. As she rounds the corner of the hallway, she sees Ryan, who was sitting against her apartment door.

He looked almost kid-like, fiddling with his fingers, his dark hair falling over his right eye. Just looking at him made Kendall's heart skip a beat.

It was Ryan's charming smile and his earthy eyes that made him so handsome. His dark hair and full lips made him effortlessly gorgeous. But it wasn't only Ryan's unique face that made him handsome. It was the way his words flowed like cyanide infused honey. It was his demeanor that made America fall in love with him.

Kendall smirks. "Hey."

"Where were you?"

"With Phoenix," Kendall says casually as she unlocks her apartment door.