Rain Check?

~53~

"What do you mean you don't have ANY social media?" Scott asks me on the ride to Chris house after lunch.

  Originally I was going to ride with Chris, but just before the check was paid he zeroed in on a couple paparazzi across the street. He still offered, but since Scott told me he wanted to wait til The Globes, I declined and tried to keep my hair in front of that side of my face as much as possible.

  I laugh at the disbelief in both his tone and on his face. "It's just not something I ever got into. I don't keep up with many from school and I'm sure they don't want to know all the details of my life either."

  "Girl. We've got some work to do on you, Miss Abrams.  We don't do Facebook in our family, well for obvious reasons, i.e. your beau. But we are pretty regular with Instagram and Twitter."

  "No way in hell am I going to get Twitter. I listen to enough of your brother's rants that I don't need to read them too," I laugh out. It's one of the things he and I have both come to an understanding with political stuff. We can both have our opinions and discuss them but cannot get angry with one another for where we stand. We respect those boundaries and refuse to let it cause division between the two of us.

  "Truth." 

  He turns down a side street, the homes only become more grand the further we go along following behind Chris. "You should think about Instagram. Nothing says ya gotta post. You could totally just creep on Chris' page."

  "Wouldn't that be an invasion of his privacy?" I ask tentatively, even though I know exactly what is about to come out of Scott's mouth.

  "Not if it's what he's putting out there himself." 

  We pull behind Chris who keeps the gate open for us to pass in as well. I'm in absolute awe of my surroundings, having spent most of my life on the East Coast outside of the short trip to Disneyland back in early October. 

  Chris is out and next to my door before I even have a chance to unbuckle. He pulls the door open, offering me his hand to pull me out of the seat. As soon as I'm on my feet he has me leaned back against Scott's car, his lips on mine. They move easily against mine, his tongue just barley brushing my lip before Scott is once again clearing his throat, reminding us that he's still there. 

  "Could you wait until you're alone for all that," he waves his hand around in front of himself, referring to the fact that his brother has me flush against the car, a hand in my hair and one on my hip. 

  Chris smirks back at me, gives me a wink before opening the backseat and grabbing up my luggage. "Bye, Scott," he tells his brother, never actually taking his eyes off of me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Chris' West Coast home doesn't feel quite as 'lived in' as his Boston abode. "When I'm here it's pretty much just for work, so to me it just doesn't feel like home."

  He's showing me around, taking my luggage over to a guest room before leading me back into the living room. "But, with you here, it feels a lot more like home." With his arms wrapping around me, I melt against his chest, finally feeling the loss of negativity leave my body.

  "This feels like home," I whisper against his chest as I feel his lips touch the top of my head. 

  "Mhmm," he mumbles against my hair. After a couple of minutes like this he speaks again. "I swear I could hold you forever."

  "That's an awfully long time, Mr. Evans. Might be difficult to do your day job with me attached to your chest."

  He laughs lightly, his chest vibrating against my head. "I'll just have you written into the contract, love." 

  "Would make for interesting travel. Oh, and those interviews. I can only  imagine how awkward that would be for interviewers," I tease.

  He starts backing himself up towards the couch, sitting as soon as his knees meet the cushion, pulling me down with him. I fall into a fit of laughter as I try to release myself from him and weird angle he's put me in. He's having nothing of it and repositions me to sit in his lap, both legs tossed over to one side, his arms wrapped still around my waist. "I think this is a perfect position for the interviews. Make all of them understand just how taken I am."

  I pull my head up, giving him a look of question, brow raised and all. "You're taken?"

  "I assure you, Miss Abrams, I am." He runs his nose along my neck, leaving a sweet kiss in its wake as he works his way to just below my ear. "I am completely smitten," his warm breath over my ear. 

  This time my body shakes on its own accord, a shiver running prominently through me, expelling itself in goosebumps up and down my arms. 

  "You cold?" he asks, knowing my answer because I can feel his smirk against my skin. 

  I swallow, shaking my head. "No, oddly warm."

  Pulling away only long enough to rotate his assault to the opposite side of my neck he begins again. "Tired?" 

  As if on cue, a yawn works its way right out of mouth so large that I can't stifle it down quick enough. Chris chuckles against my skin. "Alright then," he muses. He shifts us both into a position to lay down together. 

  "But," I start to object.

  "Rest, Demi. I know you were up early for the flight and you've worked all week. I want you to enjoy this time as much as I will." 

  I turn my body into him, resting my right leg between both of his, my head just over his right peck. His left hand finds mine and holds it against his chest for a moment before lifting my palm to his lips. "I'm so happy you're here." 

  My heart skips a beat at such a simple statement. "Me too," I answer, lacing my fingers with his own before both of our breathing begins to even out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Now, the question is, do you want your username to actually be your name or something that people might not correlate with you?" 

  Scott's questioning me as I walk back out onto Chris' deck. The air is getting cooler as the sun sets casting the most beautiful watercolor painting across the sky. "I have no idea. I mean, sure you all use your name because of who you are, but maybe I don't want to be found."

   I pass him his cup of coffee before handing Chris his drink. I go to sit down in the empty chair but Chris grabs my hand, leading me to sit between his legs on the chaise lounge seat. "If she doesn't want social media, let it be Scott." 

  "No, I mean, I'm not against it. I just don't know much about it. I probably won't post anything." I sit up on the chaise, sipping on my coffee. 

  "Would you want Chris to tag you in any of his?" Scott asks, looking more so at his brother than me. I glance over my shoulder to see Chris shrugging his shoulders at me, leaving the decision up to me.

  "Maybe not right away," I admit.

  "You can always keep your page set to private, Demi. Only those you want to see will see your page, or anything you post. And if you want me to keep you off of mine, I can." His tone is honest, his look concerned. "I still stand by this being at whatever speed you want it to be."

  "Outside of Sunday night," Scott chimes in, still holding my phone in his hand. 

  "Well, I mean." I feel his hand rub up and down my arm. "If you don't want to go tomorrow, I'm not gonna make you."

  I twist my body around, eyes wide. "No. I want to be there for you, Chris. I promise. I'm just nervous about what this is all going to change."

  The hand that was once rubbing my arm is now holding my cheek in his palm. "We aren't going to let it change anything, baby. I promise." 

  Scott, ever the one to break even the slightest bit of tension, "so CapsGirlPeggy with the video from Disneyland is a no go?"