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[Eddie's POV]

I wake up to the bright morning sun rushing in through the window. A smile spreads across my face as I remember last night. It was so perfect - the stars, the picnic, the mood. I almost want to give myself a pat on the back for thinking of it. Although I guess some of the credit does go to Pops for being the one to help me get my head straight. I really do care about Loren and I can't wait to see her today.

I hop in the shower, get dressed as quickly as possible and head over to the office to meet up with Jake.

On the way there, I shoot Loren a text asking her to meet up with me this afternoon at MK for a little dance lesson. And some food, of course. Her reply is short and to the point: "Ok." No smiley face, no other questions, nothing about last night. Wow, I must have screwed up a whole lot worse than I thought. I text her back "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Sorry. I just kinda woke up on the wrong side of bed today. Haha :)"

My heart settles back into my chest and I brighten up again when I think that I have her all to myself this afternoon.

"Yo, Eduardo, my man. What are you thinking about that's got you all hyped up?" My grin widens. Jake notices and continues, "Yeah, uh.. Never mind. I'm not so sure I wanna know now."

"Ehh. Maybe later." Jake's a good friend, but I'm not in the mood to be lectured about getting distracted and moving too fast with Loren. "Listen, I just want to get whatever work I have today over and done with to free up my afternoon."

"All right, I like the sound of that. Eager to get things done. Not sure what the reason is, but it's not my business."

"Exactly. So what do we got lined up here?" I'm talking quickly, like even one second less of time with Loren is going to ruin it.

"Let' see. Today's not so bad. You've got two interviews, one radio and one TV. The first one's in about forty minutes and the second two hours after that."

"Ok, I'll meet you there in half an hour. I just gotta swing back to my place again and grab a few things."

"That's fine. Just don't be late." His voice is stern but his eyes are twinkling.

I groan. "Really? I think I've got this whole routine covered."

Jake admits defeat. "Okay, okay. Now get out of here. I can tell you're excited about something."

I give him a quick thanks and half-walk half-jog out the door. I can hear Jake still chuckling at my obvious eagerness.

I'm greeted by Jeffrey again and take the elevator up to my floor. Immediately going for the kitchen, I grab a bottle of water. There's a knock at the door.

"It's open!" I yell, figuring it's probably Pops. The sharp click of high heels invades the room. My mood immediately darkens. I turn around expecting the worst and receive it. Chloe, the blond ice queen of Hollywood.

"What do you want?" My voice and eyes are cold and hard. I don't want to give the least amount of satisfaction. I thought I had made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

"I just want another chance. I love you, Eddie."

I can't help the pathetic laugh that comes out of my mouth. I nod my head back knowingly with obvious sarcasm. "You love me? I'm sure you do. That's the only reason that you would lie to me, then cheat on me, and now not even listen to a word I say, right?"

"I didn't mean it. I was just trying to do what I thought was right. I didn't want to hurt you." The shrill, desperate voice is unfamiliar to my ears.

I ignore the obviously fake tears that are streaming down her face. Now I know that she really would be a great actress. She's had enough experience. My half-hearted laugh is bitter and stings inside. I can't believe how much time I wasted thinking I was in love with this woman. But no, it was all just an illusion. A picture, a thought, a wish for the perfect relationship that was all made up in my mind.

"Why can't you get it that you're out of my life? I've moved on, and you should too." My insides are twisting and turning. It takes every ounce of energy I possess not to push her out the door.

"What, with that squeaky-voiced high schooler?"

"Chloe, get out of this place now. I don't want to hear any more of your lies and excuses. I don't want to work with you. I don't want to see you. I don't even want to hear your name again." I struggle to keep my voice calm and even. My patience is slowly wearing out. I am simmering inside but know that a fiery outburst will only egg her on, give her what she wants – a reaction from me that shows she still matters.

I wish Loren could be here right now. I laugh pathetically inside – I'm twice the size of Chloe while Loren's barely a mass of muscle herself. Yet her presence keeps me safe and protected. She's been hurt and won't stand to go through that again. She's always ready to fight for those she cares about, and I know, or at least hope, that I'm one of them.

I know that Chloe can tell she's not getting anything this time, but she can't resist a final shot. "I love you, Eddie, and I always will. That little brat doesn't even know what a real relationship is. She's not worth anything to you, so why bother?" The smirk on her face and her last words are the end of it.

I can't stand it. "Chloe, you're the one who's not worth it, and never will be. You're cruel and manipulative, which makes me angry at myself for not getting rid of you the moment I laid eyes on you. But that's what you do. You twist other people's emotions without a second thought because all you've ever cared about was yourself. Getting what you wanted, and now you've gotten what you deserve." I know I sound heartless, but nothing else will get through that determined head of hers.

"I care about Loren because she makes it easy. She's sweet and thoughtful, mature and responsible, beautiful in any way possible. Everything that you're not." I walk over and motion towards the door with a hard look on my face. I won't say anything else. I want to make her think about my last words. I meant it when I said it and I still do. I never realized how much Loren meant to me, and I can only hope that she wasn't too hurt by my blatant ignorance of how much she cares about me, of our one-of-a-kind connection.

Chloe is gritting her teeth, trying to force more tears out, but knows defeat when she sees it. She glares at me one more time before stalking out the door.

The next chapter will be mostly Loren's POV. It's safe to assume that both Mel and Nora will be involved too.

- shimmeruponwishes