Chapter 4
"Oh My God! This dance is so intense!" James breathes out in between breaths as he and everyone else tries to catch their lungs from falling out of their body. James is not as much of a big head once you get to really know him. He is so sweet and extremely smart. And Carlos, what a goofball. He really means well in all he does and Logan. Do not get me started on Logan. He is one of the smartest guys I have ever met, and is just a really fresh and great guy. And then there is Kendall. Eyebrows and all his glory, one of the hardest working guys I have ever known. He really is such a great leader and I don't mind the package holding all the greatness underneath. These guys, despite their boy band ways, really are just cool guys.
They all have their strengths and weaknesses but overall are the complete package. It's a wonder that any of them aren't in a relationship. But no, they have spent the last three years on the road and working on their music, but not so much their dancing. I've basically put them all in bootcamp and they are almost alright dancers. almost I said.
"Alright, alright, I guess we can call it a day," I say.
So far we have three dances completely done and clean, besides 'Love me Love' which is the hardest one in the set and I will admit one of the most complicated pieces I have ever created. But I believe in the guys and I think they can do it.
With Elevate now done, I am pretty impressed and it has only been a month. I've decided to hold off on 'Love me Love me' for now because I need the guys to start working on the other songs, but I am not giving up.
We all start to pack up our stuff and just as I finish texting Richie to tell him that we are leaving early, I feel a shadow in my view of line. "So, considering that it is the weekend and all (it's Saturday and Sundays we don't rehearse) I, well me and the rest of the guys, were wondering if you wanted to come over to our house for a party tonight," Carlos says as Logan, James, and Eyebrows stand their behind him looking like puppies waiting for dinner.
I give them all a look that they know too well, the whole " keep it professional" smirk before Logan says: "Oh, come on, its not like you have any other big plans, do you?"
I glare at him and then look at all of them, but before I can protest Kendall snaps his fingers and they all fall to their knees, with puppy dog eyes and lower lips popping out. They all start to crawl their way over to me as I cross my arms. "There is no way that that is going to work," I say but as Carlos starts to whimper like a dog, I can't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright! I will come, now get up before you embarrass yourselves even more and you don't know who could be using the other studios, there could be fangirls out there," I say with a smile on my face.
"Yay!" They all shout and get up to gather their stuff.
Kendall waits for me at the door and offers to hold my bag. (Oh, and another thing, he is a complete gentleman) I let him take it. "So are you really going to come tonight?" he asks.
"Yeah, i guess so. I mean I can't let Carlos down, now can I?" I say, as he lets out a chuckle.
"So I will just text you our address and i will see you there at 1030?'" He says. By now we are at my car, and as he passes me back my bag our fingers touch and I get chills up my spine.
"Thanks," I say and throw my bag into my car. "You know I only gave you guys my phone number in case of emergencies right? Not for party invitations," I say, getting into my car.
"yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say," he says as he shuts my door and waves to me as he walks to his mustang. I am not the biggest of partiers, but if I must admit, I am kind of excited for tonight. Kendall honks at me as he drives by and I wave through the windshield and watch him drive away.
It's 1108 and I am sitting in my car in front of the three story california coast house that Kendall gave me the address to. The place is literally pulsating. The music is so loud and obnoxious I heard it two miles away. Cars are all the way down the block, but I was able to squeeze in right on the grassy field next to the house, easily with my four-wheel drive.
For some strange reason I feel nervous. I've never been nervous. Even through all of my performances and all the dates I gone through, not once have I felt this nervous. I guess I really am mixing business with pleasure because I am going to this party with people I work with. I really don't want to go in, but I got all dressed up and it seems that I have no where else to go besides inside the infamous Big Time Rush house.
I hop out of my car clad in a pair of grecian looking sandals. I do not do heels. They don't do anything to help with your legs the next day, and I cannot afford to be sore the day after especially if I am dancing. I am wearing a tight red lace dress that goes to mid thigh and has three courter length sleeves. It's a scoop neck so I paired it with my favorite gold necklace. It's an anchor that my father gave to me when I was 4. My hair is in it's normal wavy condition so I pushed a gold braided headband back into my hair and paired it all off with a smokey eye and nude lips. Let's just say there was some effort put into this look tonight. I mean its not like I go to a bunch of these things anyway, so what else do i have to look forward to dressing up to.
I walk across the lawn and around the back to the deck and patio area. The house is an oceanfront property and I can see about 20 people swimming in the dark sea. I shiver at the idea of even putting a toe in the water. Let's just say I am no mermaid.
I walk up to the patio where a nice kidney shaped pool lays with an architecturally designed hot tub next to a huge grill and kitchen patio area. The patio leads up to a layered deck which has dozens of people drinking and dancing. Tons of people are in the pool and in the hot tub, and several are just lounging around, enjoying the view. I grab a beer from one of the coolers and walk up the stairs and into the house. I don't see any of the guys and no one i know. The L.A. party scene is a small coincidental world so I usually run into someone I know when I go to parties like this. I take a swig from my beer and walk into the house through the sliding glass doors.
I can't even describe the kitchen and living area because the entire house is so jam packed that there is barely enough wall space for me to sulk in. I push my way through the house looking for a pair of Eyebrows and find an empty spot on the steps to the upstairs. As I am sitting there watching a make-out session with a very very tall man and a very very short woman, I feel someone clamp a hand down on my shoulder.
"Hey," the voice whispers into my ear.
I jerk around only to find myself growing in those deep green eyes of no one other than Kendall.
He chuckles and says: "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"Where did you come from?" I ask pushing his hand off my shoulder.
"Upstairs, I was stepping over the gate and needed a help, and your shoulder was there to help me," he says motioning to the baby gate, one of those which stops kids from falling down the stairs. I look at it in confusion, and then back at him.
"It's for the dogs, James and Carlos don't want them to get out when we have parties like this, and none of us really want people going through our underwear drawers," he explains.
"Oh, and they just put you on babysitting duty?"
"Nah, i just needed to get away. Not much of a partier."
"But, it's your party!" I say in exasperation.
"Eh, its the guys party, I just let them do these types of bashes so they leave me alone for a month about meeting a girl," he says as he blushes.
I nod my head understanding where he is coming from. "Why do they care though, it's not like any of them have girlfriends either."
"Yeah, but they do casual hook-ups and have 'friends' or whatever they call it, and I just don't do that. I respect what it means to be in a relationship. But don't get me wrong they aren't bad guys, they are just partiers," he says with another one of those amazing smiles.
And just with that comment, how he put himself out there in a vulnerable way and always seems to defend his friends, i realized I like this kid.
I like Kendall and i like his Eyebrows.
"Well, I better get going, I just wanted to stop by for a second and say hi. I haven't seen any of the guys so let them know that I was here," I say as I start to get up.
"Wait, you can't leave you! You haven't even played beer pong with Logan yet!" He says grabbing onto my arm.
"I want to, i do, but trust me I will kill Logan and all the tricks he has up his sleeve, but I just can't," I say, pulling my arm out of his grasp. And just then, a very sloppy and very drunk girl trips up the stairs spilling her margarita type drink all over Kendall and I's front sides. I jump back from the cold of the drink as i yell: "Bitch! What the hell are you doing, you aren't even allowed up here." I help her up and turn her around to walk back down the stairs.
Kendall leans down to pick up the broken party glass and says: "I am so sorry about that! These girls, they can just be so crazy sometimes," he says.
"There is nothing to be sorry about, this wasn't your fault." I say giving him sympathy smile.
"Yeah, but now I am going to have to buy you a dress that makes you look just as beautiful as this one makes you look," he says. I smile and blush, and then he grabs my hand and leads me upstairs. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up." We go through the doggy gate and down the hall. Kendall leads me into, what I am guessing is, his room and I am amazed at what I see. It's all very simple. He has a couple of band posters, a whole table of records, a couple of guitars, a dresser full of family photos, and a king sized bed, which I am impressed is made. "I don't usually bring girls here on the first date," he says still holding my hand and giving me a grin. I give him a look back and his says: "Just kidding, here sit down and I will get you some clothes to wear and we can wash this right now," he says motioning me to sit on the bed. He starts to riffle through his dresser drawers and pulls out a white t-shirt and a pair of lounge shorts. Here you can put these on in here and I will go into the bathroom," he says, grabs a new shirt for him, and walks into the bathroom. He leaves the door a crack and I watch as he takes off his shirt and I see the tattoo on the middle of his back. I am certainly enjoying the show, but I snap myself out of it and get my wet dress off of my body and change into his clothes. The smell just like him, a mix between musk and cinnamon. And just as I pull my shirt over my head, James runs into the room.
"Dude, we got a problem!" he yells, and Kendall storms out shirt still on. "Oh, sorry to interrupt, whatever I was interrupting," he says with a wink at me and punch to Kendall's shoulders. Kendall pushes him back through the door, pulls his shirt over his head in aggravation and then turns back to me.
"Sorry about that. I will talk to him before he tells everyone else about this, not that there is any this, not that there couldn't be but you know"
"Yeah I get it, " i interrupt him and give him a smile.
He smiles back at me and says: "Now, come on, lets go wash your dress in the basement, and then you can be on your way out of here," he says picking up my dress and holding out his hand for me to take it.
"The basement?" I question him, pushing my eyebrows up in suspicion.
"Oh calm down, it's where we do laundry," he says holding out his hand again.
"Alright, but no funny boy business," I say taking his hand.
"I promise, sir" he says saluting me, with his other one and leading me into the hall. And I can't help but feel happy and safe right there with my hand in Kendall's walking down to the basement and for once in my life i am at peace, not in a dance studio, but in an unfamiliar house full of crazy drunk people and Kendall.