In The End

Kiss This

"Hey, thank God you picked up." I croaked down the phone.

"Didn't have much choice really considering this is the fifth call in a row." I could sense Eden rolling her eyes on the other end. "So where's the fire?" She whispered.

"What, I can't hear you." I began to pant as I exited the lift and made my way out of SEI with speed.

"Because I'm in the fucking library, Liv, getting SUSHED at by every Tom, Dick and Fanny."

"Shit, I'm sorry Ed, I totally forgot you have your assignment deadline tomorrow."

"It's OK, I could probably do with the break. So whats up?" Her voice relaxed into its usual warming tone.

"It's stupid really, but..." I sighed heavily. "Jacksons asked to go over to the studio and drop some papers off to him."

"Shit!" I could feel that she'd paused whatever she was doing and was now completely zoned in on me. "So what you gonna do? Can you stall him? Find a way to get out of it?"

"No" I softly shook my head feeling the sting of embarrassment return to my core. I hadn't seen Axel since the kiss in New York nearly a month ago. When I woke up that next morning he had already left and I had a message from Jackson saying that Axel was staying on an extra day or two in New York whilst they upgraded the new security system at his house and I was to make my way to airport and travel back on Sullies plane. I have no idea if Jackson knows what happened or if he's just stressed about waiting to hear if Maddie is pregnant and the procedure worked, or if it's the difficulties he is having with rescheduling some of the venues and fitting the band around Axels new filming schedule or the fact the album is now over due and causing further frustrations within the band, and pressures from Sullivan, but whatever it is, he's been in a foul mood since I got back so not getting these papers to over to him is not an option.

"You need some kind of extraction plan, like a reason why you gotta drop and go?" Eden cut through my thoughts as she came up with several outlandish reasons to why I had to leave straight away. Although her suggestion of a bad bout of explosive diarrhoea was probably still less embarrassing than how I would feel having to see Axel again.

"Hey Cutie."

My stomach warmed at the familiar sound of the deep voice calling me from cross the street caught my attention.

"Hey, I think I've found my idea." I smirked as Eden begged for further information and I waved to Cody who was now halfway across the road and moving towards me with pace. "Ed, I'm sorry to be a pain, Cody has just showed up so I'm gonna need to go."

"Ohhhh, perfect." She cooed down the phone. "Get him to go with you, that way you can't stay because you're heading out to lunch."

"Bingo!" I chuckled. "I'll catch up with you later ok? Love you."

"Love you too." She chortled back before ending the call.

"Well fancy seeing you here." I smiled widely as Cody reached my side and planted a soft peck on my cheek.

"Couldn't stay away." His full mouth stretched into sexy lopsided smile and instantly felt the extra beat in my chest.

"Good." I let a soft smile settle on my lips as my eyes doed under his weighty stare. Cody had arrived in LA a little earlier that originally expected but I wasn't complaining and welcomed the distraction from my still bruised ego. Carson and Bates had put him up in a beautiful apartment over on Whilshire Boulevard. It was stunning and there was no way on this planet I was gonna pass on the opportunity to scope it out when he asked for my help to move in.

"You wanna get some lunch?" He asked, casually checking his gold Cartier watch.

"Yeah, I'd love to but..." I suddenly felt a pang of guilt that I was about to mislead him into coming with me to Pasadena.