Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush.
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"Welcome to Los Angeles, miss."
Elli Nelson smiled as the old cab driver placed her dufflebag and suitcase beside her feet. That was the third person to tell her the same thing in the first hour she'd been in California.
The apartment building before her was built in adobe bricks and sandy brown shingles. Not the most attractive building, but with her budget, it'd have to do.
She slung the dufflebag over her shoulder as she walked inside rolling her suitcase along at her side.
Inside the building was even worse; aqua color carpets, peeling off-white walls, and stairs. No elevator. Her apartment was on the third floor.
"Great." She muttered before starting up the stairs.
The apartment door was located to the right of the stairwell, a golden plaque indicating it was hers: 3B.
She dug in the pocket of her denim cutoffs, pulling out a single silver key. The lock clicked as she turned the key in it. Stepping in, Elli surveyed the small space. On her right was a small eat in kitchen, ahead a small living room space with a semi hallway at the back corner leading to a closet and the bathroom. Opposite the hallway was her bedroom; already accompanied with her darkwood platform bed and TV. The rest of her furniture would be UHAUL delivered tomorrow morning.
"Home sweet home." She dropped her bag on the bed, letting her suitcase fall to the floor with a thud.
The warm air blew against her as she walked the Los Angeles streets in silence. Swarms of people were gathered at every little shop on the street. A small pet shop caught Elli's eye; for it was barren of people.
Squeaky barks and chirps filled her ears as she wandered inside. There was a clear glass wall in front of multiple cages that served as temporary homes for a couple dozen puppies. The small creatures squealed in delight as Elli stood on the opposite end of the glass.
One caught her eye. He was up against the glass, his wet nose leaving smudges on it.
"How much for this one?" She inquired, turning to face the girl behind the counter.
"$450." The girl spoke, appearing at Elli's side.
Elli tucked her lip between her teeth, gnawing at it.
"I'll take her."
"Him." She corrected, unlocking the glass door and pulling the small dog out, placing him in Elli's arms.
Cradling the pup in her arms, she walked through the shop's aisles, picking out necessary items for her new pet.
A purple leash stay tangled around Elli's wrist as she struggled with the multiple bags in her arms.
The leash constricted as the small dog ran circles around two pairs of feet.
"I'm so sorry!" Elli knelt, attempting to untangle the two strangers.
"No worries." The voice held a sense of familiarity. She gazed up, only to be faced with his chocolate brown eyes and perfectly gelled espresso locks.
"Logan?" "Elli?" The two questioned simultaneously.
"What are you doing in LA?" He questioned as she rose to her feet, gripping the leash in a tangled mess.
"I'm going to be attending UCLA."
"For what?" the boy beside Logan inquired, Elli just now acknowledging his presence. He was tall and lanky with dirty blonde hair that hung just above his mossy green eyes. He was dressed in a somewhat 'hipster' manner. "I- I'm asking because my brother goes there, his major is, uh, directing and screenwriting" The blonde awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"I'm tryina' decide between digital media and performing arts, so I'll probably have some classes with your brother-"
"Kenneth, Kenneth Schmidt. I'm Kendall by the way." Elli shook his extended hand, a flirtatious smile playing upon her lips. Logan cleared his throat, turning Elli's attention back to him.
"Last I heard, you were going to Juliard." Elli sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, but Callie and Haylee were going to UCLA and I didn't want to be all alone out there." She shrugged, studying the black Toms that adorned her bare feet.
"Hey listen, we were about to go grab a bite to eat, how about you join us?" Hesitation welled in Elli's throat, mingling with the words in her mind.
"Uh, sure. Let me just put this guy upstairs." She started for the stairs before a hand gripped her arm. Elli smiled as she saw the owner to be Kendall.
"Logan's gonna bring the car around, so I thought I'd help with your bags."
"You don't have to."
"I want to." He flashed her a smile before taking a few of the bags into his own arms. "So, what's the little guy's name?"
"I haven't really decided yet." Elli turned to face Kendall before opening her apartment door. "It's a bit messy, so don't judge." She gnawed at her lip as he smirked.
"Life's too short to be organized anyways." Elli giggled as she opened the door, flicking the lights on.
"Just set the bags on the counter." She pointed, walking off to her bedroom where she placed the plush, maroon dog bed and unhooked the leash.
Kendall was leaning against he outer kitchen wall as Elli exited her room, he stuffed his phone in his pocket, giving her a warm smile.
"You ready?"
"Yup." She responded, popping the 'p'.
"So, how do you know Logan?" Elli tensed as she finished locking the door.
She silently weighed her options: Lie and hope he doesn't find out, or tell the truth and make things awkward.
"We uh, we used to date." Kendall smiled, surprising her.
"It's nice to finally be able to put a face to all the stories."
Elli retracted her hands from the front doors, pivoting on her heels and bumping into Kendall's chest. She drew in a sharp breath as his muscles flexed beneath her touch.
"What stories?"
"Oh, you know, the time you guys got lost in the woods on atvs, the time you forced him into going to that Jonas Brothers concert. Oh and my favorite, the time he took your virginity." A smug smirk was on his lips as he walked outside.
Elli stood still, paralyzed from shock.
How could Logan share such an intimate memory with someone? Let alone someone who was a complete stranger to her. And why would that be Kendall's favorite story? She shook her head, following Kendall outside and opening the back passenger door of Logan's matte black Range Rover and sliding across the seats.
"Wow. If looks could kill...What could you have done in 5 minutes to piss her off Kendall?" Logan joked, elbowing Kendall's arm.
"Kendall here was just telling me how you like to talk about taking my virginity like you won some kinda prize."
"It was a prize. You were so prude and you finally gave it up, excuse me for not being a little proud."
"I was not prude!" Elli exclaimed.
Logan must have found her statement hilarious, he almost swerved over the curb in a fit of laughter.
"Are you kidding me? It took you like a year to let me ever even touch you!"
"I was 13 when we started dating! Excuse ME for not being a tramp." She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Kendall faced her through the console gap, chuckling at her present frown. "Oh, you think this is funny?" Elli leaned forward, flicking his ear and giggling as he let out a feminine shriek. "What a manly scream."
"In my defense, that was unexpected, and it hurt."
The car halted as Logan pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine.
"Ya'll said you were grabbing a bite to eat, not dining at some posh restaraunt."
Outside stood 6 collumns dressed in leafy vines and small twinkly lights, a fountain sat in the courtyard before the door, water cascading from the top and into a small pond. The asphalt parking lot was met with cobble stones, leading to the front entrance and making up the perimeter of the restaraunt.
"Don't worry. They have the best country fried steak." Logan assured as he pulled a hesitant Elli through the French glass doors, Kendall trailing not far behind.
"Oh, because that makes everything better." She scoffed, surveying her surroundings; chandeliers hung above every dark wood table, a cream colored plush carpet made up the waiting room, hardwood in the dining area. The waiters stood clad in black tie uniforms, soft classical music hummed throughout, which to Elli, sounded more like elevator music.
"Table for 3?" The waiter's voice held a hint of a french accent in it. Pulling three menus from a basket on the check-in desk he lead the trio to a secluded booth in the back corner. The wall at the end of the booth was made entirely of glass, showcasing a small waterfall connected to the edge of the pond that was extended to the front.
The leather booth was cold against Elli's legs as she slid to the end, Logan sliding in beside her. She was hoping Kendall would've sat beside her, but it made more sense that he'd want his own seat seeming they weren't anything more than aquaintances at this point.
Elli sat baffled as she read the menu in her hands. What's a soufflé? There aren't even prices for anything on here!
"Can I get you guys a beverage?" A petite, snooty looking blonde questioned, holding a notepad and pen. Her deep blue eyes scanned hungrily over Kendall. Elli couldn't help but feel a small flare of anger and jealousy as the girl eyed him like a piece of meat.
"I'll have a sweet tea." The waitresses gaze didn't even falter as Elli spoke, just stayed transfixed on Kendall. "Hello?"
"What?" She all but snapped as she turned to Elli.
An amused grin was settled on Logan's lips before he spoke. "She'll have a sweet tea, and I'll take the same." Quickly, she jot down the orders and turned back to Kendall, he smiled.
"I'll have a Heineken." The girl giggled as he winked, sending her on her way to fetch our drinks.
"So, Elli, how've you been?" Logan questioned, turning his body to face her.
'How have I been since you tore my heart from my chest two years ago? Oh, just dandy.' She thought.
The storm surged outside, strikes of lightning brightening the dimly lit room. 1:58, read the maroon numbers on the digital clock.
"You know how much I love you, right?" Logan's voice echoed in the small bedroom. Elli had been preparing herself for this all day, she nodded, her hair tickling his neck as she did so. "I don't even know how to say this, but you deserve to know." Her fingers clenched around his forearm as she emotionally braced herself. "I've been with someone else for about 4 months." Elli cursed herself, she should've known, once Camille came into the picture he was always with her. Warm, salty tears cascaded down her cheeks as she hung her head. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before you came out here. I- I didn't want to hurt you"
His words rang in her head, getting louder and louder.
"Ooh, fantastic!" Veronica exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically. To this, he chuckled.
"Sounds like someone's been getting laid." Kendall spoke, opposite of Elli. Her face scrunched as his statement. Truth be told, Elli hadn't been with anyone but Logan, the last time being over 2 years ago. She never warmed up to just 'hooking up' with a guy like most of her friends. She did have morals' hooking up with someone who wasn't her boyfriend not being one of them.
"Ha-ha, no."
"Here's your drink." The perky waitress chirped at Kendall as she set the drinks on the table. "Now, are you ready to order?"
After ordering her own food, Elli tuned the guys out and instead watched the birds outside mingle near the pond. She was brought out of her daze by a thud on the table, created by Kendall's large hand.
"Thought we lost you for a second there space cadet." Kendall placed his hand back on his respective side of the table.
"So, as I was saying, do you want to come to Camille's birthday party tomorrow night?" Elli sat silently as she picked at her chipped coral nail polish. "Did she really zone out again? Elli!"
Her face contorted as she evaulated Logan's question.
He was inviting her to Camille's party, which meant he was still dating her. What in the right mind makes him think she'd want to go to the girl who was the sole reason they broke up's party?
"No," She answered flatly, "You're still with her, huh?"
Kendall chuckled, "He sure is." He then rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his beer.
"Come on, it'll be a great opportunity to meet some people." Logan pleaded.
"No thanks, I can make friends on my own."
"Just go, then I'll have someone to hang with while Logan tends to his master." Kendall flashed her a warm, toothless smile.
"Well, alright." Elli giggled, oblivious to the jealous glare Logan was now giving Kendall.
A million thoughts swam through her mind as they ate. Was she emotionally ready to see Logan and Camille together in the flesh?
Just what have I gotten myself into? Was the even bigger question now consuming her almost every thought.
