Chapter Three

"Oh. Um, why are you calling me?" I asked, motioning to Casey that I would just be a minute. He nodded and wandered off to buy a newspaper from a vendor.

"I heard from Tawni that you are in New York for a while. You know, since your show is kind of, I don't know how to put this- old, boring, unliked, not good…" he trailed off.

"Chad. Shut up. Please," I complained, walking over to where Casey was now sitting on a bench reading his paper.

"Why?" he asked innocently. I felt the sudden urge to slap him. Only he was thousands of miles away, so it would not be worth it to fly there then back. But Chad being Chad, he made it easier on me.

"Anyway, Mackenzie Falls is doing an episode in New York City next month. Maybe you could, ah, show me the sights. And I may even let you be photographed with me," he said cheekily. I sighed silently.

"Chad? Are you trying to flirt with me? 'Cause it's not working," I stated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Casey glance briefly at me then back down at his paper. I smiled to myself. It was nice to know that the idea of the "mystery guy with me on my phone" bothered him.

On the other line, Chad sputtered defiantly for a split second. "No. Definitely not. I was being honest. I honestly would want someone to show me around. I need to know all the best places to meet fans and get photographed and eat the most expensive stuff."

Okay, now he was back to the Chad Dylan Cooper I knew and detested.

"Fine," I sighed loudly. Just text me the dates and I'll set something up with you if and only if you behave yourself," I told him sternly.

"Deal," Chad told me. I heard a ring in the distance. "Okay, I'm being called back to set so I have to go, but just one question for you to think about. When have I ever not behaved myself?" He hung up before I could get in a smart reply. I put my phone away and stood up. When had Chad not behaved himself? Gee, the time when he stole my yogurt, the one where he almost kissed me in that sketch… the list goes on and on…and on…

"Okay, sorry about that," I told Casey, who stood up and tucked the paper under his arm. "I had to take it or else something bad will happen to me. It always does," I muttered, tacking that last bit on after some after-thought.

"So," Casey conversationally as we began walking again. "Was that your boyfriend? Big famous Hollywood guy?" he asked, blushing slightly.

I shook my head. "Nope," I said. "I don't have a boyfriend at the moment. But yeah, I guess you could say he is a big star." In his head, at least.

"Oh," Casey said.

"Mhmm. Chad Dylan Cooper. He and his cast work in the building connected to ours. He and I have an on and off enemy relationship. Currently, it's in between. And it is so exhausting." I commented. Casey nodded.

"Understandable," he said. "At least I think I understand." Poor guy, he sounded confused.

"And besides, Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't seem like the type of guy for you."

"Oh?" I asked, having a hunch of what was coming. I had the perfect reply that would send him stuttering.

"Yeah. You need a guy who is kind, caring, and does not use his girlfriend for publicity. Specifically, someone non-famous."

Bingo. And now for the perfect reply: "Okay. I'll keep my eyes open for someone that fits that description."

"T-t-that wasn't what I-oh, never mind," he said. I grinned. Success.

"Anyway," I said, eager to change the subject, "how much further?" Casey recovered.

"It's right over there." He pointed to large hole in the road, a few hundred yards away. Several flags surrounded the hole.

"Is that so people don't fall in?" I asked him. I was surprised when he laughed. "What?"

"Sonny, that big hole is the ice cream slash café place. There are stairs on the other side that lead down to it," Casey said, grinning at me.

Sure enough, when I got closer I was able to see that there were several brightly colored tables with umbrellas, crowded with people drinking beverages and eating colored ice cream with their friends and family.

"Wow," I breathed. "This is so cool!" I squealed. "Let's go," I told him, pulling on his arm to get to the staircase. He laughed and ran after me.

After that, just imagine upbeat music playing in the background while Casey took me on a tour of New York, from the Statue of Liberty to Grand Central Station to the Empire State Building. You name it, we saw it.

As the imaginary music comes to a close, Casey and I jump out of a taxi and come to a stop in front of his studio. I wait patiently while he gets the keys out of his shorts pocket. He was even a gentleman and held the door open for me.

I walked wearily up the stairs and paused to shout over my shoulder at Casey who went into the kitchen.

"I'm calling my mom and then I will come help," I yelled.

Casey's reply was muffled a bit. "Nah, that's okay. We're just having take out. Famous New York Chinese takeout," he said, his voice being easier to hear as he opened the door to the kitchen and waved his hand around. A blue menu was in it.

"Preferences?" he asked, coming all the way out of the door.

"Sesame chicken. And fried rice," I told him, going into my room. He shook his head wonderingly. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I might have also imagined the reflection in the mirror across from the doorway that showed Casey looking at my retreating figure longingly before the door swung shut.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," I said. "How's Wisconsin?"

"Oh, honey, same old, same old. How is New York? I want to hear all about it," she said excitedly.

"Mom, it's amazing. The guy I'm staying with is amazing. And adorable. I helped him teach a toddler art class, it was the best thing I have done in like, forever," I gushed.

"Guy? Sonny, you gave me the impression that Tawni's cousin was a girl. Your age," she said. I imagined her sitting at the kitchen table back home, twirling her hair and sipping a cup of coffee, filled with worry.

"Mom, it's no big deal. I didn't know either until I showed up at the studio looking at him. Anyway, I have to go, we ordered takeout and it should be here soon," I told her.

"All right." My mom sighed wistfully. "But call again soon," she told me.

"I promise, Mom. As soon as I can. I love you."

"Bye, Sonny, love you too." I hung up and went to go see if the Chinese was here.

But Casey or the food was nowhere to be seen. I walked over to the stairs to see if I could peer over the edge and notice if Casey was there. I couldn't see him, but I heard him. He was talking to someone. I hoped it was the Chinese Delivery guy, and I didn't want him to carry it all himself, so I slid down the slide.

But it was not the deliveryman Casey was talking to. He was on the phone, his back towards me as he brushed his hands delicately over the paintings in the corner, probably testing to see if they were dry.

I was about to go and head back upstairs when I heard my name.

"Yeah, Sonny is an amazing roommate. I can tell we will get along great." I smiled to myself and walked up the stairs. And stopped when I heard my name again.

"I don't know man, she's really cool. And cute. But I don't think she even thinks of me like that, and besides, it's only her first day here. She hasn't even been her a full day yet. Give it some time." I could barely stand breathing, afraid that I would miss something.

The voice on the other end spoke, but I could not make it out.

Casey spoke again. "All right. See you then, dude. Later," he hung up and turned towards the door, where I saw the delivery guy walking up towards the studio entrance.

I scurried upstairs and plopped on the couch, with what I was sure a guilty look covering my face.

Casey came up a few minutes later with a bag of Chinese food. He set it down on the glass table.

"I'm ready when you are," he said, pulling out two pairs of chopsticks. I sighed and tried to wipe the guilty look of my face.

"I am totally ready. But be warned that I am the chopstick queen," I said smugly.

"That's good. I totally suck at using these things. But if that's the way you want to play it, then fine," he said, grabbing a fork.

"Fine," I said. I stopped. I could not do this. I would not be reminded of Chad while I was here with Casey. I hadn't meant to say it, honestly. It just popped out.

But Casey being Casey didn't notice my lack of speech and plopped down on the couch beside me.

"Okay, here's how it works. I have eaten takeout ever since I moved in on this table. And I have never gotten food on the white carpet, the glass table, or the red couch. So I continue to eat in here. But…." He said, half teasingly, half seriously, "if you get any food any where, you are in big trouble." I laughed.

"You got it," I said, reaching for a carton of Sweet and Sour Chicken.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence and heavenly chicken, I spoke. "So, you might suck at using chopsticks," I said, gesturing at his weak attempt to pick up a piece of broccoli from the container of fried rice. "But how are your Mario Kart skills?"

He grinned. "Oh, it's on," he said. And boy, was it ever.

It was nearing nine when I sighed and sat down on the couch, careful to avoid the empty takeout containers. I was exhausted.

"So. I won every game except for three," I told him. "I'm starting to think you're not good at anything." I grinned slyly.

"Not true," Casey protested.

"Okay, I am beat," I said. "And I feel disgusting. I need to shower. Again." As soon as those words came out of my mouth, I blushed.

Casey didn't seem to mind. "No problem. Get a good night's sleep. And be up by ten or else no breakfast," he taunted me.

"No problem," I said, mimicking him. " I used to get up at five at my farm in Wisconsin, so ten is nothing." He nodded and I went into my room to shower.

When I came out, I was in comfy flannel PJ pants that were green and pink plaid with a matching pink tank top. My hair was blown dry and put into a high ponytail.

I planned to say goodnight to Casey and tell him when my classes were. I had received a text while I was in the shower with my schedule and had promptly forwarded it to my mom.

Except Casey was nowhere to be found. I even knocked on his bedroom door. No answer.

The last room that I checked was the one next to mine- the game room. But it too, was empty. I was about to give up and head back into my room when I remembered that there was a fire escape connecting to the game room. So I walked over to the black curtain covering the wall across from me and gently pulled it open.

There, with his back to me, was Casey. His black hair flopped adorably across his face as he bent over an easel set up on the balcony. He reached next to him and pulled a paintbrush from a can off the floor.

I silently eased open the door and stepped outside in my bare feet. The balcony creaked slightly as I put my weight onto it. I squeezed my eyes shut. So much for being quiet.

But Casey didn't turn around. He didn't even stop painting.

"It's gorgeous isn't it?" At first, I thought he was talking about his painting. While I was getting over the shock of how big of an ego my roommate had, I realized he had been talking about the view that the balcony provided.

I breathed out. "Wow. That is incredible," I said.

The skyscrapers and busy streets were lit up, even though the sky was pitch-black, with a faint dotting of stars. I heard cars and taxis in the distance, and a billboard was lit up down the street. I hear laughter and yelling. It was all new to me. And I loved it.

I stepped up silently behind Casey to admire his painting. It was the scene before me, and it was really good. It captured the excitement and activity of the Big Apple at night just using paint and canvas.

"That's really good," I told him. "It captures the night perfectly."

For the first time since I entered he looked up, shaking his head slightly to get the hair out of his eyes.

"Thanks," he said honestly.

"You know," I began. 'I overheard you on the phone earlier." Stop, Sonny, stop!

"I didn't mean to," I said quickly, wishing I would shut up now. "I was coming down to see if the delivery guy was here, and I kinda walked into your conversation."

Casey didn't react badly. He simply stared at me, a slight blush creeping onto his tan cheeks.

"What did you hear?" he asked.

"Well," I began. "Do you really think I'm cute?" I teased him, lightly punching his arm. The light blush became a full-on tomato color.

"I can't believe you heard that," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said hurriedly. "I honestly didn't mean to."

"That's okay," he said quickly, sensing my guilt.

"But do you really think that?" I asked, turning all serious.

"Yeah," he said, just as serious, standing up and walking over to the railing of the balcony. "I do." Oh man.

I walked over to him and laid a hesitant hand on his hand resting on the balcony. "That's good," I told him honestly. "Because I would hate for my feelings for you to only be one-sided." I looked up at him to find him staring at me curiously.

The next thing I knew, we were leaning towards each other. His arms folded around me, encasing me in his strong arms. His warm body pressed against mine as he started to kiss me softly, gently, eagerly.

As I walked back to my room in a daze, I remembered- I hadn't even told him my schedule.

A/N- review please- feel free to tell me what you want in the story, b/c i have no idea what to do now!!! and if you want your name in my story, lemme know and i will include it....