1. Engagement Starts with an E
Los Angeles has always been a city of magic to many, but Chase Evans has never found any of it remotely close to magical. In fact, he had always thought L.A's biggest attraction was himself. His striking sexy looks and frivolous ways were almost as well known as his amazing directing skills---which were without a doubt legendary.
He was only twenty six. Yet after running away from home when he graduated, he had made a big name for himself in L.A from scratch, showing everyone who hadn't believed in him to suck it. He was even often photographed flipping the bird. He was always displeased with something or someone---like every other psycho art creating prodigy. He was like the L.A West Hollywood version of the Christmas Scrooge and was even often referred to as one by low rating magazines out for his bloody head.
After a weekend long of nonstop partying and drinking, Chase had woken up Monday morning expecting the same everyday routine happening. He had just finished editing his last movie and was waiting for his special effects artists to add their input before reviewing the next edit with the entire staff. They were always slow on the job so he figured it would be at least a couple of days before they would be ready.
Rolling off his king sized bed, he decided to get dressed and go to work---except today, unlike many others, two unexpected things happened before he reached his downtown office studio. The first one was a phone call from his best friend Seth Meyers, Hollywood's newest hot acting sensation.
He had called and practically begged Chase to have lunch with him which Chase had reluctantly agreed. It wasn't like he didn't want to see Seth. It was more of the fact that whenever Seth practically begged for things, they were never good.
The second unexpected thing also arrived as a phone call and it had caught Chase a lot more off guard than the first one. It was a call from his childhood best friend Jace Waite, who he hadn't seen since he left New York when he turned eighteen. While Chase had spontaneously ditched and moved down to L.A over the summer break with nothing more than five hundred bucks, Jace had left for law school with a full free ride from Harvard.
It was rather surprising to get a call from Jace considering that they had only spoken to each other twice after they parted ways. Since then, Chase had probably moved several times around L.A and switched phone numbers over two dozen times---home, work and personal. How Jace got a hold of his cellphone number, he had no idea.
At lunch, Chase met up with Seth like they had arranged and they quickly got something to eat before Seth started dragging him to an unknown destination in Beverly Hills. "So guess who called me this morning?" He asked without meaning to give him the time to answer. "Jace Waite."
Seth narrowed his eyes at him, obviously not following. "And that is...?"
"Know what Seth-you're only a dye job blonde. Don't be stupid. I'm talking about Jace Waite. You know, from high school."
Seth's eyebrows wrinkled in frustration before realization hit him. "Oooooh. That Jace."
"Yeah."
"Nerdy Jace, right? You know, thick framed glasses, braces, 'no I can't go party, Friday is homework night' Jace?"
Chase sighed. He had completely forgotten that Seth and Jace had been on the opposite spectrum of the high school popularity scene. In fact, they all had been. While Seth had been typical popular jock and Jace had been successful nerd, Chase had been the artistic outcast with the teenage angst. If it weren't for the fact that Jace was his childhood friend, Chase would have probably never spoken to him.
"Yeah," he said again, thinking how odd it was for Seth to become an actor and even more, his best friend. Who would have known? "I'm having dinner with him tonight. Supposedly, he's graduated and he's moving to L.A to work in one of the law firms here."
Chase stopped as he watched Seth walk towards the Tiffany & Co. location across the street. Frowning, he followed him, impatiently waiting for an explanation. Finally, at the entrance of the infamous jewellery store, Seth turned around with the most dazzling smile---the kind that always made Chase upchuck a little in his mouth.
"So next weekend is Michelle and my second year anniversary," he said, referring to his supermodel girlfriend who had just entered as Victoria Secret's newest angel. "I'm thinking about proposing."
"Wait, let me get this straight," Chase mumbled with his eyebrows raised. "You've already been with her for two years and you still want to spend the rest of your life with her?"
Seth only laughed as he ran his hand through his blonde locks. "Come on," he chuckled. "Help me find a ring."
Begrudgingly, Chase followed him inside the store. Secretly, he was a tiny bit jealous that Seth had found someone that he just couldn't get enough of and wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he wasn't about to show it. That would be weird. Chase was a hard to please, grumpy, womanizing jerk-not a hopeless romantic that believed in soulmates. He would never be able to live it down.
He sighed and looked around the store while his best friend got seated and serviced right away. "Hey, what do you think about this one?" Seth asked almost immediately.
Chase was too busy to look. "Sorry," he murmured. "Give me a second. I think I see something I like."
"What?" Seth asked in confusion. He followed Chase's gaze and dramatically rolled his eyes when he saw the long, naked legs of a girl across the vicinity of the store. "You know it's disgusting to know that everyone in L.A has probably directly or indirectly had sex with you, Chase."
"Shut up," he laughed and made his way over to the girl at the register counter. She had coco brown curls running midway down her spine and was dressed in a little, black dress that made her booty so fine to look at. Chase cupped his mouth when he neared, hiding the smirk on his face and resisting the tempting urge to give her a friendly, little slap.
"I'm sorry Miss Perez," the girl at the counter was saying. "Seems like this Visa card is one of the newer ones with a chip; do you have the pin number for it?"
"I do, but I'm afraid I've forgotten it," she replied---all her words coming out in a sexy foreign slur. "I've only received this card recently."
"No worries," the worker chirped. "I'll just manually run it through, but because I'm not authorized to pre-auth it, I'll have to get my manager. He's just in the back if you can wait one moment."
"No need," Chase interrupted, sliding his own credit card across the glass counter. "Just use mine."
The babe turned her head and looked at him and Chase was surprised to find the infinite depth of her brown eyes strangely alluring. Her heart shaped lips stuck out in a tiny pout as she looked over him. "Sorry," she murmured. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"You should," he said, leaning smoothly against the counter. "After all, you've only been showing up in my dreams all my life."
"Ha," she sneered, managing to sound ladylike all the while. Her hand shot up from her side, flashing a humongous diamond ring in his face as she gave the sales associate another card. "I'll just put it on my debit. Save you the trouble sweetheart."
Chase cocked his head in annoyance. It wasn't the fact that he couldn't take a hint, but the fact that he hated losing---at anything. "Aww. You poor underappreciated thing," he cooed icily. "Did you want me to buy you a bigger one?"
She shot him a dirty look, but there was a little grin on her adorable face that Chase didn't quite understand. The sales associate smiled nervously at the both of them before pushing the Tiffany's signature blue bag across the counter. "Here's your purchase Miss Perez," she said softly. "Receipt is in the bag. Have a nice day."
"Thank you," she said. "You as well." Without another fleeting glance at Chase, she turned around and made her way out of the store.
Chase could feel his blood boiling as she left. It was like she didn't even think he was worth a second of her time to pick a fight over---like she was saying 'say what you want, but I know better.' He sighed and although he hated to admit it, that sort of confidence in a girl really turned him on.
Quickly flicking his gaze to the middle of the store, he found Seth standing there while looking at him with a pitiful smile. "What the hell are you looking at?" He snapped.
Seth chuckled and then leaped up. His arms stretched over top of him as if he was trying to make a hoop in an imaginary basketball net. "He shoots," he shouts. "He fails!!!"
Chase tsked at him before turning away. "Burn in Hell," he grumbled.