“Wow. Celeste Miller. Standing in my driveway,” Jace says with his smirky smile.
His first words to me. Well, second actually…
His first were: ‘Never thought I’d see you in that position.’ On that awful day I landed in his crotch.
“Celeste? Do…you remember me?” He hesitantly walks a little closer.
“Um, yeah…Jace. Jace Makenzie,” I shyly reply.
“Yeah.” Jace beamed a smile.
“It’s nice to see you again…but what are you doing in my driveway?” he asks, confused.
“Oh, God. Sorry. I, um, I can explain. Well…haha. Funny story actually…”
I start flailing my arms all around in my idiotic attempt at an explanation while failing to look normal.
“You see…I just moved here and I don’t know the area, and my coworker, Tiffany, said she’d show me around. So…” Ramble, ramble, ramble. “…I was following her when some crazy guy cut me off, almost killing me, and I lost her car.
“And…I guess…I started following you home instead…thinking you were Tiffany, of course…so yeah.” I finally took a breath.
He stood there, taking in all my craziness, still with his to-die-for smirky smile on his face.
“I um…sorry…I’ll call Tiffany…”
I open my door and reach in for my phone, closing the door on my way out. Except, I slam the door into my groin in the process.
Stupid, clumsy Celeste.
“Why don’t you come inside, Celeste?” Jace finally speaks out again.
“No, no, it’s okay,” I squeak from the lingering pain.
“I’ll just call my friend.”
“Celeste.” Tiffany answers. “I lost you. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“Yeah, I ended up following the wrong car… Embarrassing, I must admit. Um, what’s your address?”
“Haha. That’s a story I want to hear. My address is 72 South Oc—”
“Tiffany. Hello? Tiffany?”
I look down at my phone’s black screen. I try to press the button to turn it on, but the dead battery symbol pops up.
“No, no, no…”
I hadn’t realized I actually started panicking out loud, pacing back and forth, until I turn around and Jace is standing directly in front of me.
He takes the phone from my hand and checks that it’s dead before his eyes meet mine again.
“Why don’t you come inside now.” He gently closes my car door since it wasn’t completely shut due to the impact of my body and guides me inside by placing his hand on my lower back.
My legs somehow find a way to move even though they feel like Gumby.
I probably look like Gumby too. You know…bug eyes and a socially awkward idiotic smile plastered on my face… Yeah, quite the resemblance.
His house looks just as nice and modern on the inside as it does on the outside. A large kitchen opens to the family room and dining room.
Large glass sliding doors reveal a gorgeous backyard patio with an entire gourmet kitchen outside under a deck overlooking a pool and hot tub.
“Wow. What do you do to have a place like this?” I utter out in my trance, still looking around with my mouth hanging open like a flycatcher.
He chuckles quietly, but I hear it and try to snap myself out of it…again, and try not to act like an idiot.
“Oh, I’m involved in a lot of things, but I mainly still play football.”
“Oh,” is all I could manage to say.
He laughs again and clears his throat as if he’s trying to compose himself.
“Here, let me charge your phone,” he says, taking it from my hands.
“Oh, thanks.”
“Can I get you something? Water? Or—”
“No, I’m good thanks.”
He leans himself against the kitchen island, creating distance between us.
“So, you just moved here you said?”
“Yeah, for work.”
“What do you do?”
“I work for an advertising firm. I’m the new director of the Creative Design Department.”
“Wow. Congratulations. That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m pretty excited about it.”
“Well, it’s no surprise. The smartest girl in school landed herself a big-time job,” he says, smiling down at the ground.
“I always knew you’d be doing something pretty amazing, Celeste.”
“Um…th-thanks.”
I jump at the sound of my phone ringing. The phone must’ve charged enough to turn itself on, and right away, Tiffany is calling.
“Tiffany. Hi. I’m so sorry. My phone died. I feel horrible.”
“No, no, no. Don’t be. I just hope you’re okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Haha. Okay, I’ll try my best.”
“Okay, so what address are you at?”
“Um, where am I? I mean, what’s your address? For my friend to get me…”
I see him smirking at me. He tells me his address in Santa Monica and Tiffany tells me she’s on her way before we hang up.
“Oh. Is she going to be able to get in? I mean…the gates?”
“Yeah, I told the guards to expect her,” Jace answers.
“Why do you have security guards and a CIA agent with you anyway?” I question my previous thought.
He laughs at me again before composing himself.
“I guess it’s to keep the crazies out; that’s putting it lightly.”
“Well, you let me in.” I laugh at my joke.
Jace bursts out laughing. “Oh, so you’re one of my crazy fans obsessed with me?”
“Wh-what. N-nooo.”
“I’m kidding, Celeste. Although it would be cool if you were.”
The buzz from the security gate blares through the kitchen and Jace walks over to a security screen on his wall and answers the intercom from the security gate.
“Sir, we have a Tiffany Jefferson at the gate? Just to be sure, you were expecting her?”
“Yes, send her through.”
Thank God. Saved by Tiffany.
Jace walks back over to me with something in his hand.
“Well, um, since you’re new in town…here’s my number. You know, in case you ever follow someone else home again,” he adds with a smirk that quickly fades as soon as it comes.
“But try not to do that. It’s not safe,” he finishes with a wink.
“Oh, um, th-thanks but I think I should be okay…”
I immediately start heading for the door.
“You—you don’t want my number?” He stood there blankly, still holding out the piece of paper.
“No, that’s okay. Um, thanks though... It was, um, interesting... running into you again... Um, bye.”
I frantically close the door behind me and walk my Gumby-ass as quickly as I can back to my car.
From my rearview mirror, I see him exit his house and lean against the door frame, watching our cars exit the security gate and leave his driveway.
