Falling for a Cloud

Chapter 11

I take one last look at Sam's house.  He's frozen in the driveway.  I can't believe he's not coming after me! I guess that's just the type of guy Sam is.  I thought he would at least care when I was gone.  I guess he was just leading me on like JC had said.  But he asked for a second chance.  I'm glad I didn't give him another chance.  This just shows how much he doesn't care.  

"What hotel do you want to go to?"  JC pulls into a McDonalds, causing me to lightly giggle.

"What?" JC says and I'm still here, giggling like an idiot over nothing special.  I try to cover it with a cough.

"*cough cough* What? Nothing. Nope, nothing. What was the question?"  My cheeks flush with color and I feel the heat of my blood in my veins.  I'm extremely embarassed.  I don't know why I kept giggling like a school-girl.  Technically I am, but you know what I'm talking about. 

"What hotel do you want to go to?" JC repeats and I don't have an answer for him.

"I don't know.  What are some fairly decent hotels?" I don't think he would understand my money problem.  I'm a college student, and a fan.  While I live in a little house with a small pool in the backyard while he lives in a ginormous house with his best friends. Ya, like someone who gets paid to talk to a camera would have money issues.  

"Ummmm I know this place that was super cheap.  It's really nice actually.  I had to go there a lot in college." JC keeps his eyes on the road and I search the adress he had typed into his phone.  I look at a picture of the place and I swallow the lump in my throat.  

I thought I would be stood corrected.  But his 'cheap' looks like a mansion.  I don't think I'll be able to afford this.  I have to speak up right?  

"JC I don't think I'll be able to afford this." He looks back over to me when we get stopped at a stoplight.   He raises an eyebrow.

"You're not the one paying." He smirks and my eyes widen.  I barely know this man and he's insisting on paying my hotel bill.

"No, I am.  I will not let anyone else pay for my bill." I'm serious.  I can't have almost a complete stranger paying my bills.  I feel like I've known him for years, but he's only known me a few days.  

"Yes.  I am correct.  I AM paying and there's nothing you can do about it. You are not going to win this." I hate having people spend money on me.  Even for my birthday, if I'm there with them when they buy it and it's for me, I feel extremely awkward. 

"Justin Cloud Caylen! I will pay for my own room." I almost yell in the small car.  

"Julia.... Julia......" I laugh when he attempts to call me by my full name.  

"Hey, I don't practically stalk you." He playfully snaps at me. 

"Hey, my job isn't to have teenage girls practically stalk me."  I pester him back.  

"Fine.  What was my original name before Justin Cloud Caylen." 

"Justin Caylen Castillo" He barely finishes his question before I answer it.  JC let's out a sigh then smiles.

"Who was my first pet.." JC starts but once again, I know his life inside and out.  Forwards and backwards.  And he doesn't even know my last name.

"Rollie a pug and he bit you in the ear and that's why you have scar on your ear."  He can't beat me.  I'm invincible when it comes to JC Caylen trivia.

"What was my first tattoo and what does it mean?" I can't believe he's asking me such easy questions.

"Are you serious?  A cloud. "It symbolizes positivity and dreaming big for the kids who are dreamers"" I quote him and he seems surprisingly amazed.  And I'm not even that obsessed.  If he wanted to see obsessed.  He should go to my college classroom.  

"Wow, you know me really well." He coos softly and the car's atmosphere has changed. 

"Well ya,  you're my inspiration in life.  You helped me to find myself and showed me that I could make the world my own." I've wanted to say that to JC for as long as I can remember.  

"Really?" He's so vulnerable in this moment, I can't really understand why. I nod and involuntarily grab his hand that was lying on the middle console.  JC looks down at our hands and I feel stupid.

"Sorry." I stutter and remove my hand from his.  I stare out the window.  I hope no questions will be asked, but knowing my luck in LA so far, that won't happen.

"No, it's fine. Can I tell you something?" And questions are asked.  I cringe on the inside. I hope he doesn't tell me something I don't want to hear.  I'm scared, but also giving JC my full attention.

"Ya." I smile and I look him in the eyes.  I become scared when I see that he seems extremely nervous.  There's a reason why I have only ever had a couple boyfriends.  Whenever guys ask me out, I either get really nervous and say yes, or say something really embarrassing.  

"Listen, I'm really sorry about the whole Sam thing," I cringe at the thought of what Sam had said.

"sorry.  Anyway, I think you're really cool.  I mean I'm so glad that I made you happy and it's an honor to be your inspiration.  I just think that maybe, I mean if you were to move to LA, never mind.  It's stupid." JC stops talking and a frown spreads across his perfectly featured face.

"No, you started telling me.  Now you have to finish!" I playfully punch his arm and he sighs but turns to face me once again.

"Fine.  If you were moving to LA, maybe we could get together sometime? You could start a youtube and come on the road with us, I told you it was stupid." He shakes his head and faces the windshield once again.  I grab his arm without thinking and turn him to face me once more.

"You know, I've always wanted to start a YouTube.  And I was actually thinking of moving to LA, so, um, maybe once we drop my stuff off at a hotel, we could go apartment shopping for me? I mean you wouldn't have to come if you didn't want to.  I don't want to force you to something you don't want to." JC's eyes widen and a smile smears across his face.  

"Really?" It really is amazing about how much of a jerk JC was in front of Sam.  Now it looks like I have the upper hand and I don't really know what to do.  I have never had the upper hand before and in this moment, I actually had the courage to snatch it.  

"Ya.  Now you aren't going to pay for my room at the hotel." I try to use my upper hand in this situation but I feel it slipping from my grasp.

"Nope, I'm still paying." I sigh in defeat.  He's won and that's mostly due to the lack of energy I have today.  

"Fine.  But I'm paying for lunch." I demand and he nods.  It's the least I can do for the man who knows almost nothing of me.  

We pull into McDonald's and the tension from earlier has disappeared.  I tell JC to find us a seat and I order him a Big Mac and I order myself a medium fry and both of us get large drinks.  The food finally comes out.  It's funny how pre-made food sitting under a heat lamp takes so long to get to the customers.  I find JC and sit across from him at the small table that he picked out in the middle of the small fast-food restaurant.

"How much do I owe you?" JC asks and I sigh in annoyance.

(Sorry for interrupting the story but I don't even know if that's a word sorry xoxo~Lia)

"Not enough for you to pay for a hotel room." I remind him and he nods. 

I hear the door of the resturant fly open.  I whip myself around to see the one and only, Samuel Pottorff.