Chapter 3 – Nice to Meet You

Lulu just stared at the man in front of her. She had obviously been wrong in her assumption that this was an abandoned tent. However, the guy wasn't yelling at his intruder, but staring at her the same way she was staring at him. With intrigue. Of course his intrigue was probably wondering why she was so wet and standing in his tent. Her intrigue was different.

Lulu couldn't keep her eyes from raking his body, but she stopped herself from repeating the act even though she wanted to. He was probably the most perfectly built man she had ever seen and his face left nothing to be desired. She tried to remind herself that all men were scum, but something inside her had been comforted by his presence. It must have been a coincidence. Being in this gorgeous man's presence was not the reason her outlook on life had suddenly improved, it was the fact that she had gotten out of the rain.

"Um, I'm Johnny," the man said, offering his hand.

"Lulu," she breathed shaking his hand.

She tried to ignore the spark she felt as their skin met and instead focus on his face. His brown eyes were smoldering with intensity and full of questions. His hair was slightly misplaced and she wondered if he had been caught in the rain earlier. He repeatedly opened and closed his mouth like he didn't know what to say. She decided to talk about the elephant in the tent.

"Sorry I broke in to your tent," Lulu said, laughing nervously.

"It's okay," Johnny replied with a genuine smile. "Sorry you didn't find me sooner."

"What?" Lulu questioned.

"I just meant that it looks like you were out in the rain for awhile," Johnny explained. "If you had found me sooner, maybe you wouldn't be soaked."

"Oh, well, luck is hardly ever on my side," Lulu responded looking towards the ground.

She tried to remind herself that the man, Johnny, that she was in the tent with could have been a crazy murderer. Why did she feel so safe? The feeling was ridiculous and she needed to shake it before she made herself an easy target for someone else to hurt.

"Are you lost?" Johnny wondered.

"Yes and no," Lulu answered.

"I don't want to pry, but what does that mean?" Johnny asked.

"I know that I'm in the woods outside of Port Charles," Lulu replied. "I have no idea how deep or what direction Port Charles is."

"Are you trying to get back?" Johnny wondered.

"Trying to get away," Lulu said honestly unable to keep from telling him the truth.

"Well, you're away now," Johnny offered with a smile. "And it's not much, but it's dry. If you want to stay, I don't mind."

"Seriously?" Lulu wondered. "You don't even know me."

"And honestly, I would normally throw a visitor to my tent out on their ass," Johnny laughed. "Rain or no rain."

"What makes me different?" Lulu prodded.

"I don't know yet," Johnny said with a smirk that Lulu could only describe as sexy. "But I want to figure it out."

Lulu couldn't help but laugh softly. She felt the same way. Had she stumbled into any other tent and found someone inside, she would have headed back into the rain. But Johnny. He had an effect on her and she wanted to know more about him. Johnny seemed to be feeling the same way and Lulu decided to give in to the danger.

"Okay," Lulu replied with a smile. "I'll stay."

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Johnny had a strange feeling. A good, strange feeling. He wondered if it was happiness. No, he decided. But this girl made him feel better than he had in a long time. Lulu. She made him feel different instantly and Johnny hoped she could feel it too, whatever it was. Some kind of strange connection between them had formed and Johnny couldn't keep himself from wanting to hold onto it. A connection to someone outside of the craziness that he called life was something Johnny had always wanted. This was his chance.

"I should go get some things from my car," Johnny said softly.

"Oh, okay," Lulu responded. "I could go with you."

"No, you don't have to," Johnny replied. "You're wet enough."

"I know and you're dry," Lulu pointed out. "In fact, I should go instead of you."

Johnny couldn't keep himself from laughing. Lulu, while beautiful nonetheless, was dripping in the tent from being so wet. Yet she offered to go into the rain again with him, which was ridiculous. He felt a strange need to protect her and that included protecting her from the pneumonia she would catch if she went out in the rain again.

"Why are you laughing?" Lulu asked, with a hint of anger, only fueling Johnny's laughter.

"You," Johnny managed in response.

"What the hell did I do that is so funny?" Lulu wondered.

"You're not going back in the rain," Johnny answered, once he stifled his laughter. "One, you're already soaked to the bone and going out there would get you sick. Two, you don't know where my car is and obviously you get lost easily. Three, I would never give anybody the keys to my car for any reason, especially not to a stranger who is trying to escape their life."

"Is there a four or are you done?" Lulu asked, obviously annoyed.

"Four," Johnny said with a smile. "Angry and annoyed looks good on you. But I am sorry for laughing at you. If it makes it better, I don't have the chance to laugh too often, so being able to felt really good."

"I guess you're forgiven," Lulu muttered. "And just for the record, I do not get lost easily. This is a first for me."

"Me too," Johnny agreed, but meaning something different.

This was the first time since his mother had died that Johnny really felt free. Like nothing could hold him. He couldn't ignore the complete feeling he got when Lulu entered the tent. The feeling was happiness and he had not idea why Lulu made him feel that way.

"Well get going then," Lulu laughed.

"I won't be long," Johnny promised before heading out into the rain.

"I'll be waiting," she assured.

Johnny couldn't keep the smile off his face, even in the heavy rain that now surrounded him as he made his way to his car as quickly as possible. Lulu was such a mystery to him and he wanted to uncover as much as he could in the time he had. He wanted to know the little things about her as much as he wanted to know the major events in her life. Honestly, he wanted to hear whatever she felt like telling him.

Johnny found himself hoping the rain wouldn't stop. When the rain stopped, Lulu would leave and that idea did not appeal to him.

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"Where is he?" Trevor barked into the phone.

Johnny was again missing from Crimson Pointe and Trevor was tired of keeping up with him. He had called Johnny's guards only to come up empty. Apparently, Johnny had given them the slip and left the house without being followed and now they couldn't pick up his trail. All of which Trevor found unacceptable.

"I can take care of Anthony until morning," Trevor yelled. "You find him by then and bring him home or losing your job will be the least of your worries."

Trevor hung up the phone and sighed before turning and walking out of the Zacchara study. He gathered several guards and told them of the situation with Johnny. He sent them in search of Johnny and told them to coordinate with the other guards to widen the search. Trevor took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Where are you Johnny?" he wondered out loud. "Haven't you learned your lesson about the bad things that happen when you run away?"