Thanks for your awesome reviews! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Summary: Dixon is a junior music executive who has to go promote a new band. The only problem? His 18 year old sister Annie is coming to visit for the month before starting college. Dixon leaves his roommate, Liam, to watch out for her until he gets back. Lannie summer fluff.
Annie was buttering herself a fresh cinnamon bagel and enjoying the panoramic view from Liam's balcony the following morning. She couldn't help but admiring her new home in the metropolitan hub of Beverly Hills. She'd been dreaming about living in California ever since she could remember. Just then her phone rang.
"Hi mom." It was her mother, Debbie Wilson, from France.
"Hi honey! I wanted to check in. How are you? Was your plane trip okay?"
"Everything is fine mom," Annie said convincingly, deciding to omit the little detail of Liam being here instead of Dixon.
"Do you think you'll be okay on your own?"
"I'm not on my own, mom!" Annie argued, as Liam walked out into the living room.
"I know Dixon's there, but you're still living away from me ...and dad."
Annie sighed at her mother's over protectiveness. This was not the case when Dixon moved out.
"I'm just worried about you Annie," her mother finished.
"There is absolutely no reason for you to worry. Besides I'll call you if I need you."
"Can I talk to Dixon?"
"Why? Don't you believe everything I'm saying? You never trust me!"
"Annie! Dixon is responsible, so of course I trust his judgment."
Annie found that laughable considering the circumstances. Dixon ditching her for his job. "Mom, Dixon's working and I have to go!"
Annie's attention shifted to Liam turning on the Kurig coffee maker. She slid onto a bar stool at the breakfast bar and set her plate down beside the coffee maker.
"Ade and Navid are coming soon and we're all going to the beach," Liam informed her.
"Really? That sounds fun!" Annie said popping a strawberry in her mouth. She quickly forgot about her stressful conversation with her mom. So many girls would kill to be living in paradise with Liam, the ultimate cherry on top.
Liam couldn't imagine how someone could possibly be that excited over going to the beach; something so ordinary. He shrugged. Annie jumped up to start getting ready even though he hadn't actually invited her along. However, he figured he probably needed to take her on account of Dixon.
"How do I look?" Annie twirled around in a pink halter bikini, with excitement dancing in her eyes, about ten minutes later.
"Fine," Liam replied, downing black coffee to help him fight the partial hangover he had from the previous night. He watched Annie dabbing sunscreen on her face and shoulders. More accurately he stared at her. Wow. He never knew sunscreen could be so sexy. It had to be the sunscreen turning him on, it had to be. She noticed him staring. Whoops. He clearly was not used to cohabiting with a girl.
"You want some?" she asked, offering him the tube.
"I'm good," he responded. She was pretty adorable, not that he'd be admitting that to anyone else. She made him remember what it was like three years ago when he had moved to West Bev from Kansas. He and Dixon had felt like every direction was calling their name. Not like Ade, Navid, Silver, and Teddy who grew up in West Beverly. They took it all for granted.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX
Silver and Teddy were making out on the blanket beside where Naomi sat in a beach chair with umbrella. Her blond ponytail swished in the breeze. She wore a white bikini with bright red ties and shades shielding her eyes, giving her the allure of a mysterious starlet
"Oh thank gawd! I thought you guys were going to leave me alone with dirty porn star Romeo and Juliet all afternoon!" Naomi shrilled from her throne.
Adrianna giggled as Navid set up a few more chairs. Annie recognized the couple from the previous night. Silver was wearing a black bikini and Teddy also had a black swimsuit and fitted t-shirt on. Liam slammed down the cooler in the sand.
"Hey Leo! Fabulous to see you again," Naomi spoke condescendingly, it was hard for Annie to tell whether her tone was intentional.
"It's Liam."
"Oh. Right." She said dryly. "Who are you?" her attention shifting from Liam's chiseled abs to Annie. "Since LIAM has no manners to introduce you himself."
"Annie," Annie gave the blond a friendly smile.
"I'm Naomi Clark. I'll be a freshman at California U this fall."
"So will I!" Annie said, excited at the prospect of knowing another freshman at her university.
"Tell me you are not dating Liam."
"Why?" Annie asked Naomi.
"We are not dating," Liam announced. "I'm chaperoning his little sister until Dixon gets back."
Naomi and everyone giggled at Liam's adamant reaction. Annie's face flushed and she crossed her arms. She was 18! Why was Liam treating her like a child?
"Got it." Naomi stated. "Lucky you," she smirked at Annie. "You can do way better." It was clearly a comment intended for Liam's benefit so Annie didn't bother responding. Truthfully, she spent all of junior high and the beginning of high school carrying a torch for the guy. Her older brother's best friend and by definition totally off limits. But once he moved away, she got distracted with other love interests and then her parents problems always seemed to take center stage. She certainly didn't plan on a future where they would be living together. She knew he and Dixon still were tight, but roommates? Now Annie was not sure if all her feelings were truly in the past.
"Hey! Let's play volleyball!" Silver suggested once everyone got acquainted.
"See this is why I love this girl!" Teddy enthused.
"I call team captain," Naomi announced demandingly.
"We should do guys against girls," Adrianna interjected, removing the orchid patterned wrap covering her deep purple swimsuit.
"But there's an extra girl, you all have the advantage," Navid said teasing his girlfriend.
"That's right, it's not fair," Naomi agreed. "We should get first possession too."
Liam and Navid laughed over Naomi's interchanging sport verbiage. Teddy kissed Silver good luck and she slapped
his ass as he hustled under the net to join the guys.
"Okay! Annie you serve first since you're new," Naomi ordered, tossing the volleyball off to her.
Annie served the ball and it went into play on the first attempt. Liam called it, effortlessly volleying it back over. Silver returned it and Teddy spiked it back. As the game progressed, everyone seemed to be having a blast. Annie and Naomi started double-teaming Liam; taking turns setting the ball and spiking it in his direction.
"I think Naomi's gunning for my head over here. Good thing she has no aim," Liam joked obnoxiously through the net as Naomi took her serve.
"Lucky your head is so big I don't need it!"
Annie laughed at Liam and Naomi's heated exchange.
"What's so funny?" Liam asked meeting Annie's gaze as Naomi's first attempt failed to clear the net.
"Nothing...you just look so much like Justin Bieber when your pissed," she replied flippantly.
"Haha so true," Naomi slapped Annie in a high five.
"You're too much." Liam snapped. Seeing as how Liam was distracted, Naomi served the ball right at it him.
"Don't be salty," Navid said, whacking the ball over the net in place of Liam.
Adrianna lightly tipped it back, just over the net, to an opening on the guy's side.
Navid charged the ball and sprung up to hit it over scoring against the girls.
Teddy narrowly saved it before contacting the sand and Navid took advantage hitting back on the girl's side.
"Damn do you have to be such a powerhouse?" Silver yelled to Teddy, who tore off his shirt after skimming along the sand during the play.
"All for you baby!" Teddy called back, flexing his muscles. Silver blew him a kiss. Silver's charms made Teddy increasingly aggressive. He took over his side of the net completely, dive-bombing the ball every time it came over. Liam and Navid started getting annoyed Teddy was hogging the ball.
"I told you I had it!" Teddy yelled patronizingly when Navid hit it out of bounds.
"Yeah we know MVP," Liam snapped sarcastically as Teddy shoved him out of the way in order to spike the ball over the net.
"Yes game point! We win!" Teddy yelled again, feeling competitive adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"You cheated!" Naomi protested, but nobody seemed to care. Annie watched Liam brushing sand off his pecs. He was perfection.
"I am totally dehydrated," Adrianna said.
"Come on sweetie," Navid ducked under the net and led her towards the cooler.
"Let's go swimming!" Silver said to Teddy.
"Awesome," he said. Silver sprinted toward the Pacific splashing through the surf. Teddy caught her around the waist and tackled her into the waves.
"You coming?" Navid asked Adrianna, pulling off his shirt and tennis shoes.
"No, I wanna talk to Naomi. Later though." she promised, giving him a quick kiss. Annie decided to hang out with Naomi and Adrianna as Liam joined Navid.
Naomi broke the seal on a fresh bottle of mineral water. "It is scorching!" she complained, fanning herself.
"Wow! Teddy and Silver are in their own world," Annie observed, watching the couple. They were the definition of love.
Adrianna nodded. "I didn't see it at first, but now I can't see them not together. I even can't imagine what it would have been like if it had worked out between her and Liam."
"Liam and I dated too," Naomi added immediately.
Adrianna rolled her eyes, but said nothing to the contrary.
"We're living together," Annie said, almost defensively. She marveled at how quickly she could go from being almost friends to almost enemies. Annie watched Liam crash through the waves. He, Navid, and Teddy had started playing three-way dodge ball with the volleyball. Silver was on Teddy's back, with her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders.
Naomi's eyebrows arched. "Yeah...but that doesn't really count," she concluded after a moment.
"What?" Annie asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"Liam and I dated," Naomi repeated in a super-obvious tone. She began tracing hearts in the sand as if she had just made the winning point and the case was closed.
Annie was infuriated. Not that she was even with Liam or planning to be, but..."I heard. What's your point?"
"You can't seriously compare the two relationships," Naomi replied, adding L.C. hearts N.C. inside her hearts.
Adrianna couldn't stand to listen to anymore. "Naomi, you dated Liam for about as long as Annie has lived with him."
Both girls looked at each other in a stalemate.
"So you both need to stop acting all territorial!" Adrianna continued. "Why don't we go for a walk on the promenade?"
"Fine with me," Naomi agreed. "You coming?" she cast a challenging look at Annie.
"Sure," Annie said.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX
Thanks for reading. Hope everyone has a great weekend:)