Hello, I Love You

Chapter 5 - Beaches and Cream

The man finished with her leg and handed her the pouch that now, once again, held her first aid kit. He stood and walked away, leaving Kylie completely puzzled. After a moment, she realized he was only throwing away the trash and retrieving his skateboard. He walked confidently back to the bench and took the vacant seat next to her. He held out his hand in greeting.

"My name's Trent Butler. Sorry again about knocking you over."

Kylie chuckled. "I've had worse," she teased. "I'm sure I'll be just fine."

The man looked expectantly at her, and Kylie realized he was waiting for her to introduce herself. She blushed at her faux pas.

"Sorry," she murmured, looking at the ground. Trent's fingers reached out and tipped her chin to look at him. "My name's Kylie Thompson." She gestured to her bag. "And I'm obviously a tourist. I should have been watching my surroundings."

"Well, since I assaulted you, albeit unintentionally, the least you can let me do is buy you some ice cream," he smirked.

"I think I'd like that," Kylie grinned in return.

Trent grasped her hand and led her enthusiastically down the street.

***

"That looks absolutely disgusting." Trent curled his lip, horrified at the bowl of frozen yogurt currently in front of Kylie.

"Trust me. I get it," she laughed. "If it weren't for AJ and Katy, I never would have tried this mess."

Trent had taken Kylie to Boardwalk Yogurt, and she had proceeded to create an astonishing blend of flavors. Sweet, sour, salty....the blend included almost everything offered by the shop. He'd looked horrified, but Kylie had just laughed and called him a wuss. In response, he had replicated her entire concoction, but he had yet to take his first bite.

"So, do you skateboard as a way to pick up women, or do you have a day job?" Kylie teased, changing the subject.

"Actually," he grinned, "I'm a waiter, who sometimes dabbles in acting."

Kylie looked at Trent, perplexed. While he definitely looked familiar, he didn't strike her as a struggling artist, so she was skeptical at his claims of acting. Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you messing with me?" she asked.

Trent's deep laugh filled the store.

"Yes, Kylie. I'm messing with you. While I've done my share of that in the past, I actually am a director. I'm in between projects right now, so I'm enjoying the unexpected vacation."

Kylie's eyes grew wide as she listened to him. "Cool," she exclaimed. "What kind of things do you direct?"

Trent laughed. "Perhaps you've heard of a little film called Angels Among Us?"

Kylie's jaw dropped. She didn't watch much television or go to the movies often, but she didn't live under a rock.

"You directed that?!?" she screeched.

Trent grinned. "That was one of mine," he stated proudly. "My agent is currently in talks with the producers of the Blood Feud television series. They're looking to make a big screen adaptation based on the original book. I'm hoping that will be my next project."

Kylie smirked, and Trent lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Will they be using the cast from the television show?" she inquired.

"They are hoping to do so. I wouldn't mind seeing a few of the actors reprise their roles in the film. The main problem is that no one wants to work with the female lead, so we may have to completely recast."

"Oh," Kylie murmured, the smile wavering on her face.

"I take it you're a fan of the show?"

Kylie blushed. "I've actually never seen it," she confessed. "A friend of mine has a brother in the cast, so I thought it'd be kind of cool if he got to be in the film."

Trent nodded, obviously assuming that whoever she knew was a bit player in the television hit. She didn't want to mention Patrick, since she knew he had enough problems with privacy, but she wondered if Trent had ever met him.

"You said there is a problem with the lead actress?" Kylie lifted a large spoonful of frozen yogurt and moaned as she licked it off the spoon. Trent stared at her for a moment, mesmerized.

"You don't want to keep doing that," he muttered. Kylie glanced at him, confused.

"Doing what?" she asked innocently.

"Licking at your spoon like that. And the moaning." Her cheeks reddened, but Trent continued. "Kind of makes me want to taste the frozen yogurt."

She grinned. "You should, Trent." She gestured to his untouched bowl. "It's delicious."

His eyes heated. "I'd rather taste it straight from your lips," he confessed.

Kylie froze and stared at him, completely shocked at his statement. He wanted to kiss her? He worked daily with gorgeous Hollywood starlets, and he wanted to kiss HER. She forced herself to close her open jaw, and she swallowed slowly. The room suddenly seemed heated. She placed her spoon back into her bowl and looked at him meekly.

"Walk me to my car?" she asked demurely.

Trent nodded and followed her to the trash can, dumping his entire, untouched bowl of frozen yogurt. As they stepped out of the shop, he grasped her fingers again, and Kylie allowed him to hold her hand as she led him in the direction of her car.

When they arrived at her Camry, Trent looked at her, an apology in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I was so forward," he said softly. "I'm so used to being around brash and crass celebrities; I forget sometimes that normal girls don't respond as well to the direct come-on." He ran his free hand nervously along the back of his neck. "Do you forgive me? Can I see you again?"

Kylie's soft gaze met his. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?" He scrunched his brows in confusion. "Okay to which part?"

"All of it," she smirked. "Starting with tasting the frozen yogurt."

Trent looked at her for a moment before understanding dawned. A grin spread across his face as he lifted his hands to cup her cheeks. Leaning forward, he murmured to her, "I like you, Kylie Thompson, and I'm so very glad I ran you over."

She chuckled only a moment before his lips met hers. His kiss started tentatively and hesitantly, as if he was waiting for her to change her mind. When she lifted her hands to rest behind his neck, he deepened the kiss. Kylie had to admit, Trent was a great kisser. He could give Alec a run for his money. But the kiss was just that. It was great. It was pleasant. But something was missing. Behind her closed eyes, an image from the night before flashed through her mind. The moment she imagined Patrick on the couch as he pumped himself to orgasm, she moaned.

Taking that as encouragement, Trent's tongue traced her lips seeking entrance. She knew it was wrong, but she opened, allowing his tongue to explore, as she continued to picture Patrick. Suddenly, she felt the passion and the sparks that had been missing in the kiss. Trent seemed like a nice guy, and he would be a good person for a vacation fling. She couldn't have that with her friend's brother, so why not see where things went with Trent? It was the logical choice, but why did she feel so rotten that she had to imagine Patrick to make it work? Why was she imagining Patrick in the first place?

Trent slowly ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers.

"May I see you again tomorrow?" he pleaded. "I'd like to take you to dinner."

Kylie smiled, ignoring the guilt she was feeling. She had no reason to feel guilty. Pushing down the emotion, she finally answered.

"I'd love to."