Chapter 3

Marina's POV

After my interaction with Kendall I immediately rushed to Camille. I'm not exactly sure why. It wasn't like I was a thirteen year old girl just experiencing my first kiss or anything. What happened was that I had a mildly awkward conversation with a sixteen year old boy about hockey. It was nothing to tell her about. It was nothing to spill. And still, I knocked upon her door.

She opened it, staring back at me. "Hey, Mari-"

"Is your dad home?" I asked.

"No, he's out- why?"

I pushed passed Camille and into her apartment. "Close the door," I requested.

Camille shut the door.

"I think I might have a crush on Kendall," I confessed.

"Oh, you think, huh?" Camille sassed.

"Camille, come on, I don't know what to do," I admitted.

"Don't do anything. Hollywood is a risky business. One mistake and you could be out of here," Camille reminded.

"Yeah, but he's so cute," I gushed.

"Forget it. Bad idea," Camille advised.

"I know, but-"

"No buts! For the next week you are not talking, interacting, nothing with him!" Camille ordered.

"Good plan. It'll keep him off my mind," I agreed.

However, this plan did anything but that.

Day One was easy. I didn't go the pool or even leave my apartment really, because I was studying up on my "memories" with Reynaldo. All of them false of course. Supposedly I met him in San Diego despite never having actually gone there.

Day Two was another story. I decided to go to the park, experience some fresh air, take my mind off of any and all stress. That goal was immediately dismissed, however, when Kendall and his friends arrived with hockey pucks and sticks.

Kendall looked to me and opened his arms, almost as though to display his hockey player status. He was messing with me. I held the stare for a moment before turning my attention back to the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that was flying around a pad of Dwarf Sunflowers.

Day Three was an entirely different universe. There was a knock on my apartment door. It was Kendall with a small bouquet of none other than Dwarf Sunflowers.

"I saw you admiring these yesterday. Thought I get some for you," he said, handing the bouquet to me. Briefly our fingers touched and, I swear, it spent sparks.

"Thank you," I responded, mentally slapping myself. I couldn't be the one to encourage this. It's literally my job to shut flirting down.

"Also, um, this isn't in any way me trying to flirt with you. I just am excited to get to know you, I guess," Kendall stumbled.

"Yes, thank you," I replied.

Kendall tilted his head, an expression of confusion spreading across his face.

"I'm actually a little busy right now. So, thank you for the flowers. I'll see you around," I dismissed, beginning to shut the door.

"Okay, yeah, bye," Kendall said, as the door clicked shut.

With the reassuring sound of Kendall's footsteps becoming quieter down the hall, I deeply inhaled the scent of the sunflowers, holding them close to my chest.

Day Four I awoke to the vase holding the sunflowers on top of the dresser opposite my bed. Immediately it sent a smile to my face. Although, I stifled it. It was unreasonable. It was chaotic. Still, somehow, that one smile convinced me to go to the pool later that day. Not to talk with Kendall, if he was even there, which he could totally not be, but just to see him. Although, risks like these made my skin screech.

And, just to my misfortune, Kendall was there. Alone this time.

I made sure to sit on the other end of the pool. Without that distance I was afraid I might've been too tempted to begin talking.

Kendall looked to me. That seems to be all we can do. His stare brought chills to me. But perhaps the chills were really brought on by the fact that he was coming closer to me before finally setting his stuff down in the chair next to me.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked.

I so badly wanted to say yes. "No," I answered.

He sat down. "There was a question I had for you."

I glanced to him, waiting.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"You're famous, right? You're in teen magazines, a fair chunk of strangers would know your name?"

"I suppose… you could say that," I said.

"And yet you do practically nothing other than date a teen celebrity," Kendall pointed out.

"I model occasionally," I returned.

"I guess, but let me ask one more question," he requested.

"Go ahead," I urged.

"Are you happy with him? I mean, is it all for the fame?"

"No, it is not for the fame," I answered.

"Hmm," Kendall sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"Thank you for the flowers, again. They were sweet."

"Just trying to make friends. Currently the only new people I've met and are relatively friendly with are Camille and Guitar Dude, and I don't even know his real name," Kendall admitted.

"I heard it was Gordon, but that just feels like a rumor," I joked.

"He does kinda look like a Gordon, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, like a Gordon who's parent is an inflatable tube man-"

"And smokes a lot of pot," Kendall added on.

I then burst into laughter. "Yeah, but actually though, because I asked him what he was smoking and he told me he was sober. And at first I thought he was lying, but then I realized that I can never smell any weed on him."

"I think it might just be built into his blood. Like a genetic mutation or something," Kendall figured.

I continued to laugh until I caught eyes with Camille.

"Oh, I have to go!" I quickly lied, gathering my things and rushing to my apartment.

Day Five I didn't see Kendall for a single second. Which I actually appreciated considering yesterday just made me have a bigger crush on him.

Camille scolded me earlier that morning about how I wasn't any good at ignoring him.

"I mean, how will you convince anyone that you're in a real relationship with Reynaldo if you're being all cozy with Kendall?" she whispered to me in the lobby.

"But it's not actually cheating if I'm not dating Reynaldo for real," I reminded.

"Yes, but it's not going to go anywhere near cheating. Nowhere near!" Camille hushed.

Day Six was where the real tension struck.

"My sister told me something quite interesting yesterday," Kendall stealthily whispered beside me at the computers in the lobby.

"And what was that?" I asked.

"She apparently overheard you and Camille discussing your and Reynaldo's relationship," he said. "And how it wasn't real."

"Must've heard wrong. Because our relationship is very much real," I lied.

"Okay, whatever you say." Kendall shrugged.

I turned to him, our lips moments from touching. I could feel his breath beating against my mouth.

"It's real. You're wrong. We're real," I muttered.

"Good for you, I suppose." He left and I exhaled.

Day Seven was the day I realized fully how much I had failed Camille's task. Not only had I spoken several times with Kendall, but I developed an even larger crush on him than before. And he was starting to unravel my secret about Reynaldo, something that I was contractually obligated to never allow again. However, all of this didn't seem to matter.

The supply closet door was unlocked and Kendall was just about to head to the pool to meet his friends when I grabbed him by the arm into the closet.

"Hey!" he shrieked. "... Hey."

"Hi," I returned.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You were right about Reynaldo, but you can't tell anyone. It's a special deal I have with his publicist that I need to create a realistic relationship with him in order to stay in L.A. Camille is the only other person here who knows, but you can't tell her that I told you either. She would get mad," I confessed.

Silence. "So, I'm assuming kissing you would constitute an unrealistic relationship?" Kendall wondered.

"Not if nobody saw," I replied.

He pulled me closer, reaching his hand to caress the small of my back. He leaned in, his green eyes shimmering in the dim lighting of the supply closet.

And then he kissed me.

I relaxed, the tension finally releasing. We were studying each other's mouths for a good four seconds before pulling apart.

I slowly started to smile, wider and wider as it was returned by Kendall.

"Do you want to meet up? Tomorrow night in my apartment?" I asked.

"That would be lovely," Kendall responded, kissing me once more.