Author's Note: Hey, guys! I am in a really good mood right now so I decided to write the new chapter! I am really happy about how it turned out, it really put me in a good mood, and I hope it does it for you as well. I have been having quite a few bad days lately but today has been different and was definitely story updating worthy. I decided to finally introduce a character that I am madly in love with. He's just so freaking adorable!
I really hope you guys like this chapter. On to the story!
Standing in the Dark - Chapter Two
"Carlos!"
The boy in the tree lowered his camera as his head tilted towards the noise, trying to locate who was calling to him. Almost instantly, he recognized Camille standing on the roots of the tree, her hands on her hips and a frown laid out across her features. Carlos smiled nervously at the girl, wondering what he had done wrong this time. It was never fun to have Camille angry with you – especially if you had no idea what you did wrong.
"H-Hey, Camille." He heard his voice crack on the first word and mentally slapped himself. Show no signs of weakness, Carlos.
"Get. Down. Here. Now." She ordered angrily, pointing at the ground to emphasize the last word. Carlos turned his camera off and leaned over the side of the branch, attempting to stall before he got down to Camille's level but failing miserably at it.
Camille pursed her lips together and narrowed her eyes, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at him as she snapped, "Now."
Carlos tried to slide off the branch gracefully, but ended up slipping too quickly and landed on his feet beside Camille, yelping in fear when the brunette turned to glare at him. Surprisingly, her eyes were happy and excitement glistened in her brown orbs. Giving her a confused look, Carlos tried to open his mouth but Camille grabbed his wrist and began dragging the poor boy through the park.
"Um, Camille… why are you angry with me?" Carlos asked, wincing slightly when Camille stopped suddenly and brought him to a halt as well. Expecting her to turn around and slap him, Carlos flinched back with his eyes closed but when nothing came, he opened his eyes again and realized Camille was just smiling at him.
"I'm not angry with you! I was just making you think I was angry with you so you would come down from the tree!" She explained, flashing her white teeth. Carlos glared at her and tried to pull his arm out of her grip, but failed and instead whined in protest.
"But, Camille, I was busy taking pictures!"
The brunette rolled her eyes, never letting go of his wrist, "You take pictures all day, every day! Besides, I have someone that I want you to meet."
Carlos' angered look faded away and was replaced with a curious one. Camille noticed his curious features and continued to lead him through the park, finding it a lot easier to bring him along when he wasn't struggling. The two of them ran all the way to the large black gate labeled The Palm Woods Park until they reached the sidewalk on the other side. Releasing Carlos' wrist, she watched with amusement as the boy caught his breath.
"Camille… where are we… going?" Carlos asked between breaths, sitting up straight and looking back at his tree with longing eyes. He liked being up in his tree, even when he didn't have his camera. It was a good place to go and just think sometimes, without anyone to bother you.
"There's an old coffee shop by Hawk Records that makes the best coffee in the entire state! A friend of mine works there and the other day we got to talking about you and the guys and he really wants to meet you." She explained, her hair being blown over her shoulders as the wind struck her from behind. Carlos smirked as he struggled to fix her hair and stuck his hands in his back pockets absent-mindedly.
"Does he want to meet the other guys too? Because I can go get-" The Latino began before Camille cut him off with the wave of her hand.
"No, no. He wants to meet you." She insisted, grabbing his wrist again and leading him down the street towards Hawk Records. Carlos didn't protest at all this time and decided not to ask any more questions. This was the longest Camille had ever gone without slapping him or any of the other guys – and he would rather keep it that way than find out why this friend of hers wanted to meet him of all people.
Hawk Records was quite a ways from the Palm Woods – but the two of them didn't mind. Camille seemed loaded with stories to entertain them as they walked past several strip malls, an elementary school, a dance studio, and several other places. Carlos hardly paid attention to Camille as they walked, observing the places around them instead. He had never really taken the time to stop and just look at Los Angeles. It was just so… amazing. There was loads of art, stores that Carlos had never heard of before, and so many things everywhere. How could he have lived in this city for three years and never notice how much he fit in? He and Camille walked past a photography school, where he saw a group of teenagers were discussing a photojournalist from the 90s. He smiled at them and they waved – a friendly greeting that Carlos hadn't expected.
"Is it always like this?" Carlos asked suddenly, interrupting Camille who was going on about some guys audition for Wizards of Rodeo Drive who thought it was for a grape juice commercial. She looked annoyed for a moment before looking back at the friendly teenagers, who had resumed their conversation.
"You mean you've never walked around the city?" She asked curiously.
"No, I have… I just haven't…."
"Paid attention?"
"Yeah."
Camille nodded and the two continued to walk in silence. She seemed to realize finally that Carlos didn't really care about her stories, and she respected that. It wasn't long before she spotted the tall, silver building with the words Hawk Records glistening in the sunlight. "The shop is right across the street." Camille told Carlos and he nodded, the two of them quickening their pace as they got nearer.
Five minutes later, they finally reached their destination. Carlos smiled as the smell of coffee hit him when a customer opened the door to leave. Coffee was his favorite smell and the cool air around him made him smile. It really was a beautiful day outside, no clouds in sight and the sun keeping it from getting too chilly outside. Camille lead the way to the entrance but Carlos reached behind her and opened the door, holding it open for her before she could even touch the knob. The brunette thanked him quickly and walked in, quickly followed by Carlos who let the door swing shut behind him.
Hardly anyone was in the dim lighted shop, except for a woman who was sitting beside the windows in a navy blue pantsuit and was talking on the phone quietly. The coffee smell was stronger inside, but it just made Carlos' mood even better. Behind the counter was a single man – who Carlos assumed was the friend Camille wanted him to meet.
He was actually pretty attractive looking. Hot, even. He had curly dirty blonde hair that stood up off his scalp and glistened from the hair gel he must use to keep it from falling in front of his face. He had bright brown eyes and sun kissed skin, but looked pale compared to Carlos' Latin skin. His nose and cheeks were dappled with tiny freckles and a silver ring glistened from the cartilage of the tip of his right ear. He was fairly tall, just slightly shorter than James and he was wearing a tan polo shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his muscle tone visible on his biceps and forearms. Over the shirt, he was wearing a dark green apron with the coffee shop's logo on it. Carlos couldn't help but stare at him until Camille snapped her fingers in front of his face – bringing the Latino out of his trance.
"Carlos, this is my friend, Bradley Owens." Camille introduced, gesturing towards the man behind the counter who smiled at Carlos with perfectly white teeth. "Bradley, this is Carlos Garcia."
"It's great to meet you." Bradley said kindly, stepping around the counter and walking towards Carlos with his hand extended. Carlos gladly took the hand and shook it, a huge smile laid out across his features. He noticed that Bradley smelled of coffee and cigarette smoke, though the coffee dominated over the smell of nicotine and Carlos couldn't help but feel as if he was floating as he breathed in the smell.
"It's nice to meet you too." Carlos said absently, staring at the man in front of him in awe. Sure, he had seen a lot of attractive people in his life and Bradley was one of them. Something about the man was different than the rest, but Carlos couldn't quite figure it out just yet.
"Have you ever been to the Bean & Gone Café before? I don't think I've ever seen you around." Bradley suddenly asked, tilting his head to the side and looking Carlos up and down. The Latino smirked. He knew this trick. Bradley was trying to check him out without being obvious, and honestly, it was hilarious, but Carlos couldn't bring himself to laugh. He was still in his trance.
"Nope. I hardly ever come to this part of town. My record producer is kind of at war with the one across the street." Carlos explained, using his thumb to point at Hawk Records through the window. Bradley nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, Camille mentioned you were in a band. Big Time Rush, right?"
Carlos nodded, his smile never fading. Camille was standing off to the side, looking pleased with herself. She definitely should become a matchmaker. She placed a hand on each of the boys' shoulders, interrupting their conversation reluctantly.
"Bradley just turned twenty last month." She winked obviously at Carlos and the Latino rolled his eyes. The blonde was the same age as Kendall and James, but that didn't mean the two were going to fall in love and live happily ever after. As dreamy as Bradley Owens might seem, Carlos tried to keep it realistic. Even though Bradley was obviously gay, Carlos wasn't sure that he was looking for a relationship – especially since he had never had one before.
"Really?" Carlos asked, trying to keep the conversation going. Bradley nodded. "I'm nineteen – my birthday is in a few months."
"Hey guys, I'm going to head back to the Palm Woods. Its getting dark and I wouldn't want to be caught walking home at night in Los Angeles." Camille told them sadly, taking a step backwards towards the door.
The two boys looked out the window and noticed the sun was sinking behind the large buildings. Carlos turned to Camille with a frown, "What about me?"
"I get off work in about thirty minutes. I can drive you back." Bradley assured him, flashing the Latino a friendly smile.
"Thanks, man." The boys each hugged Camille as she walked out of the coffee shop, heading back towards the Palm Woods quickly. Why she didn't want to ride home with Bradley, Carlos had no idea – maybe to give the two a little time alone. Realizing this, Carlos silently thanked the girl and turned back to Bradley, who was watching the Latino with an amused grin.
"What?"
"Nothing, really." Bradley said, stifling a chuckle as he walked back around the counter and began to set everything up for the guy on the night shift, "It's funny. Camille is like, obsessed with getting me to start seeing someone. I bet she dragged you out of whatever you were doing today just so you could meet me, right?"
Carlos leaned against the counter, folding his arms and watching as Bradley stocked up the cups in all sizes. "Nah, I wasn't going anything important." He chuckled, "She's been doing the same with me. It's like she thinks a person can't function without a significant other."
Bradley laughed at how true Carlos' statement was, "That girl is crazy, but I don't know what I'd do without her."
Carlos stood there silently for a few minutes, just watching Bradley set everything up before speaking again, "So, you took an acting class?"
The blonde nodded, "Yeah. Not for long, though. Acting isn't really my forte. I model for clothing lines now, though."
Carlos' eyes widened at Bradley's words. "One of my best friends would love to model for a clothing line. He's obsessed with Cuda and would do anything to be The Face of Cuda."
"They wanted me to model for one of their hair products, but I refused."
"Why?"
"I hate the smell." Bradley replied simply and Carlos smirked. He hated the smell of the Cuda products but James used it so often, he had kind of gotten used to it over the years.
"If my friend ever heard you say that, you wouldn't live to see the light of another day." Carlos glanced out the window at the darkening city. The buildings and shops were beginning to light up – an advantage of being in the downtown portion of the city. Carlos was glad that Camille hadn't taken him to a shady part of town. That would have been frightening at night where none of the buildings lit up and people got mugged more often than not.
"Is your friend in the band?" Bradley asked curiously.
Carlos nodded, "James Diamond. My other two best friends are in the band too, Logan Mitchell and Kendall Knight."
"Where are they?"
"You know what?" Carlos asked, tilting his head to the side and frowning, "I'm not sure."
The blonde chuckled and looked up as a ding sounded throughout the shop. In the doorway was a tall, dark skinned man with hair divided into cornrows. The man smiled at Bradley and the two of each other slapped each other five. Bradley undid his apron and handed it towards the man, "Hey, Nate. You fine taking the night shift by yourself? Mandy never showed up today."
The man, namely Nate, nodded in an I-got-this way before taking Bradley's apron. "She must have partied too hard last night. I'm surprised she hasn't been fired yet."
Bradley rolled his eyes, "It's because her uncle owns the store and if he fired her, her dad would probably throw a bitch-fit like always."
Carlos couldn't help but laugh at that and Nate turned around, finally noticing the Latino that was leaning against the counter. He raised an eyebrow and turned back towards Bradley with a suggestive wiggle of the eyebrows. Bradley frowned and slapped Nate on the shoulder before grabbing his keys off the counter and gesturing for Carlos to follow him.
"See you later, Nate." Bradley called as the two of them exited the shop.
"I never knew people were this friendly downtown." Carlos murmured without thinking, amazed.
"You must hang around a lot of stars, then." Bradley said, putting air quotations around the word stars. Carlos sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Everyone at the Palm Woods acts as though they're better than everyone else."
"You should spend some more time around here. Not many Hollywood Stars hang around here and you might make some really good, lifelong friends." The blonde said as the two reached a white car parked beside the curb. Carlos smiled at the car. It wasn't flashy like everyone else's. It looked a bit beat up and used, so Carlos guessed it wasn't bought brand-new. Everyone at the Palm Woods bought the newest and most expensive cars. It was nice to see someone who bought something actually inside their budget.
Climbing into the car, the two men closed the doors simultaneously. They looked at each other and began laughing, something Carlos felt he hadn't done in a very long time. Bradley started the car once the laughing had stopped and the two of them pulled out onto the street. They began driving towards the highway, but Bradley veered off on a street Carlos had never heard of before. "You're not taking the highway?"
Bradley snorted, "Of course not. Too much traffic. I like to take the back roads. It takes a little bit longer but minus the irritation of traffic."
Carlos nodded in understanding, his mouth forming an 'o' as he took in Bradley's logic. The blonde hit the button on the radio and turned it on Carlos' favorite station. The Latino smiled and started singling along to Domino by Jessie J. Bradley started singing with him, though he wasn't as good as the boy in the passenger seat. It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered at that point.
Night drives were always Carlos' favorite thing to do – especially with great music and friends. Although he had only known Bradley for less than an hour, he already felt a connection between them. He liked this guy. Maybe not in a lets-get-it-on way but at least in a we-should-hang-out-more-often way.
Before Carlos knew it, Bradley had pulled up outside the Palm Woods. He parked the car and turned to Carlos, who looked reluctant to get out of the car. "We should hang out again, soon." Bradley suggested with a smile.
"Definitely." Carlos grinned. The blonde reached into his pocket, pulling out a white iPhone and handing it to Carlos. The Latino quickly put his number in, knowing exactly what Bradley wanted him to do and handed the blonde his own phone. Once both numbers had been exchanged, Carlos climbed out of the car and turned back to Bradley once more before closing the door.
"Thanks for driving me home."
"No problem."
With a smile, Carlos closed the door and waved as Bradley started the car and drove away. He could see the blonde wave back in his rearview mirror. Grinning to himself, Carlos turned around and headed into the Palm Woods.
Author's Note: So did you like it as much as I did? If you did, that's great! If you didn't, that's good too. Tell me about it and leave a review – those are always inspirational and make me want to update even more.
Also, did you guys like Bradley? He's a character that I conjured up a few months ago and he's been running through my mind night and day, it's like my iPod's stuck on replay.
See what I did there? … I really need to stop listening to the radio while writing. ANYWAY, I hope you guys liked it!
Carlos: -singsong voice- I'm in a good mood now!
James: You're always in a good mood.
Carlos: That's just your jealousy talking.