*E*
It stressed my brain to come up with a reason why I was such a dick to Luca when Pip asked for one. I didn't want to say that it was because I was jealous even though that's what it was. I hated when she trained her beautiful, big green eyes on him and gave him that one-dimpled smile of hers that could light up Los Angeles all on its own.
Which reminds me, I gotta ask why she only has one.
I trained my thoughts back to the Luca incidents. All over again I got angry when I thought of him drooling over her and her being completely clueless about it. Then her smile and the overly friendly nature didn't help anything. At first, I thought the guy must have nerves of steel to hit on a girl while she was out with another guy, but then it occurred to me that I was at Alfonzo's place and that they knew I wasn't involved. Alfonzo's was more of a home than my house was Luca was part of that home, as much as I don't like that right at this moment.
I trained my thoughts back on Pip who was walking silently beside me. I had her hand in one hand and her bag in the other and I'd never been happier to go on a walk before.
We made idle small talk as we walked through the streets. I'd lived in Los Angeles for the last couple of years, but I never walked anywhere. I took a cab early on and now I drive or take the limo.
I knew Los Angeles was beautiful. You can't live here and not know it, but it was a different kind of beauty when you're walking through it. It moved by slowly and you got to soak it up and see each individual beauty for what it is, whereas when you're driving or riding it flashed by in a brilliant display of fluorescent color.
I decided I like it better this way.
We walked on for miles before I asked Pip just how far we were going.
"Oh. I, uh, I don't actually know." Her face turned the lightest shade of pink.
"You don't know where we're going?" I stopped walking, her hand still in mine causing her to halt with me. I had been letting her lead us and if she didn't know where she was going, we could be in trouble.
My panic must've showed through my voice a little bit because Pip let out a laugh. "No, I know where we're going, I just don't know how far we're going. Big difference. But don't worry, I'll protect you, bad boy Theo," she said. She started to grin but faltered. "No. E, right? You don't like Theo."
I narrowed my eyes and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. She intoxicated me and I found that I wanted to be near her always. I kept trying to find stupid excuses to touch her through dinner, like happening to reach for the Parmesan cheese at the same time. I don't even like Parmesan cheese on my pizza. Now was no different. I pulled her so close and ducked my head, almost like I was going to kiss her. I stopped short, our lips hovering near each other's. "Don't tease me," I said, lowering my voice for effect. "You'll be biting off more than you can chew, Pip."
Pip wasn't nearly as affected as I would've imagined and batted her eyelashes. "Ah, but E. I'm not supposed to bite, am I?"
I felt my eyes widen, lips tip up into a smile, and blood start to rush somewhere, all in complete and utter surprise, as I trailed my eyes to her lips and back up to her eyes slowly. I found myself liking the height difference between her and I. Every other girl that tried to get with me was tall and tan or wearing giant heels and tan. Either way, this short, terribly pale girl wearing sneakers in front of me was a completely new concept for me. She was both terrifying and alluring to me.
She tried shoving me playfully away, but she stood no chance. She was strong, sure, but against me, the attempt was laughable. Not in a mean way, but I'm a trained fighter that stood well over a foot taller than her. It was science.
I chuckled at her cute annoyed face. "Lemme go, E. I have to get home." Her words said anger, but her voice said otherwise.
I let her go but grabbed her hand again as we resumed walking.
A few steps later I watched a few people walking down the opposite side of the street, laughing, talking, and playing on their phones, and realized how strange this moment was for me. Those people had no idea who I was. They had no idea that Theo Archer was walking down the street right across from them, hand in hand with the prettiest girl ever.
I marveled at the novelty of the situation. This was completely normal for Pip to just be able to walk down the street and do her thing and I hadn't been able to do this in over two years now. Something about Pip made me feel normal and I couldn't help but like her even more because of that. I had forgotten what normal felt like, honestly.
Now that I had it back with her, I wasn't about to give it up.
Not to mention Pip was the most perfect person I'd ever met. She was real, beautiful and sincere. I had no idea how she was still single, let alone how she only had one friend. I truly just didn't understand what everyone else didn't see in her.
Something like 15 to 20 minutes later, I felt Pip's eyes on me and looked down at her, ready for whatever that cute little head had cooked up.
"What's being famous like?" she asked suddenly. "Not like the standard answer you give for the press either. What's it really like?"
I took a second to just look at her. I'd never had someone who wasn't an interviewer ask me that and I'd never have anyone ask me that who wanted the absolute truth. God, this girl was unique.
I shrugged before I started to explain. "It's odd, Pip. I feel like everyone loves me, but not because of who I am, just because of my name. People like my music and just about everyone wants to talk to me, but I'm alone a lot and I'm lonely nearly all the time because none of them actually know me. Around you and Jay, my best friend from before fame, are the only times I don't really feel alone. I literally was just amazed how normal you make me feel just by being around me. You treat me like some kid you met during class, not like a celebrity like most people do. I know I've said it a bunch tonight, but seriously you're so different you make me feel different," I paused and met her eyes, so she knew I was genuine. "But yeah, fame. It's like if you imagine yourself in a room full of people who know who you are, but you still feel alone because they have no idea what you've gone through or who you actually are. Does that make sense?"
I saw her eyes go slightly vacant and her expression go a little sour, like she was remembering something pretty unpleasant. "Like you wouldn't believe, yes," she said softly, but with conviction. Her eyes met mine and I saw the expression vanish. "I know exactly what you're talking about."
I nodded, dying to ask how the hell she knew that, but I didn't figure I was owed that yet, having not proven my good-guy-ness yet. So instead, I kept quiet and just kept walking with her.
Roughly 40 minutes later, I was ready to be done walking and Pip stopped in front a house. Guessing it was hers, I started towards the door. It was pretty unremarkable: well cared for and well-kept, but nothing really personal about it. I could tell that to Pip's family, it was just walls and a roof, not memories and good times.
Easy enough to recognize for someone that spent years in a house almost identical to that.
"This is yours, right?" I asked.
"Yeah. That's it," she replied blandly. Her tone said that she knew what I just thought. It was her house, not her home.
We skipped up the front steps as she dug a key out of her bag. Slipping it into the lock, she swung the door open and turned to look at me.
"Want to come in for a drink?" Pip said, then immediately looked up at me with panic in her gaze. "Not like that! For, like, an actual drink. I mean, it was a long walk and we have water and I, uhh..."
I couldn't help it, my poor little Pip was stressing out so much. "I'd love to come in for a drink," I said quickly, placing an innocent emphasis on the word so as not to worry her. I grabbed her hand again for no reason. "That walk wore me out."
"Oh, what. Ever." Pip threw out.
I feigned hurt, placing a hand on my chest. "You don't believe me Pip? That's not nice."
"No, I don't believe you at all. I've seen that physique." She waved up and down my body with the hand not currently entwined with mine as we stood on her doorstep.
I raised my eyebrows. "That so?" I was hoping she'd blush again; it was so cute when she did, but once again I was shut down.
"Yep. I mean, I did see you on the beach remember?" I nodded. That's a day I would never forget. Her in that red bikini... woo. I cleared my head before it wandered into dangerous territory and made my situation from earlier come back. "Then there's Elle, who's, like, completely obsessed with you. Ah," she paused as if she'd said something wrong, before sucking in a breath through her teeth and continuing, "Not in a creepy way. More of a devoted fan kind of way. She's shown me so many pictures of you shirtless and explained them all in such extreme detail that I could tell you more about you than you probably could."
"Oh, really? Well, I look forward to learning about me then." I winked at her and she rolled her eyes. Once again, I was reminded of how she really wasn't like the other girls. I couldn't decide if it was seriously starting to freak me out or if it was making me like her even more. I didn't know how to act around her.
I love it.
"As much as I love standing here debating this with you, I really am parched. Could we get that drink?" I asked.
"Oh, duh. Yeah. C'mon in." Pip stepped through the door and I followed.
We made it to the kitchen and Pip poured us both a soda. I took a sip and looked around some. "So, this is your place, huh?" I whispered, finally. I didn't know if her parents were home and if they were, I wasn't about to risk waking them.
"Yeah. Not real exciting," Pip said normally. "Why are you whispering?"
"Uh, your parents. I don't want to wake 'em."
"Oh, no worries. They're not home." Pip sounded so certain, but I was taking no chances.
"How do you know?" I didn't whisper, but I kept my voice low still.
"Long hours. Mom's in fashion, Dad's in medicine. They're gone for long, long periods of time, usually."
"Oh. I'm sorry." I was. I knew what absentee parents were like better than most.
"It's not your fault."
"Maybe not, but I can't still be sorry." I looked her in the eyes, so she knew I meant it. "I've always hated when people tell me not to be sorry just because I didn't do it. I'm not saying sorry because of what I did, I'm saying sorry because I feel for you. I don't want you to think nobody cares," I explained softly. I'd never told anyone that, I'd never even thought it outright, but I knew every word was true.
Pip looked at me with bright eyes, like she was near tears. "No one's ever explained it to me like that. I always figured they were trying to fix someone else mistake. Apologize for someone else."
I shook my head and pulled her into a hug. "Not always, Pip. Not always." I pulled back, not wanted to be weird and hold on for too long. I was honestly shocked at how not awkward it was hugging her. You'd expect the foot and some difference between us would make it hard to find a comfortable place to hold, but it didn't. Her head rested dead center on my chest and her tiny, short arms wrapped perfectly around my waist while my arms wrapped right around her shoulders.
I looked into her eyes, getting lost in their depths. Every time I looked at them, they seemed to change a bit. Right now, they were dark green, almost shadowed in the dark lighting of the kitchen. Her pupils were large and the green irises around them were nothing but thin rims, standing out spectacularly. There were darker flecks scattered through them and they had me mesmerized.
She hadn't been looking at me but now her eyes met mine and that was all the push I needed. I leaned in, intent on placing my lips fully on hers.
Her eyes fluttered closed and we leaned closer.
I just felt the brush of her soft, soft lips when a voice screamed, "BOO-OH MY, GOD! MY EYES! CORA, IS THAT THEO ARCHER! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
Pip and I leapt away from each other like we'd been shocked, and I was pretty sure I'd just had a mild heart attack. This was so not how that moment was supposed to go.
Pip squinted into the dark hallway. "Elle?"
Awesome.