Katie yawned as she rolled out of bed. She scratched her head and walked over to the mirror above her dresser. Her hair was sticking up in all different directions and her eyes looked tired. She sighed as she walked into her bathroom and turned the faucet on. Katie splashed water over her face and suddenly she felt more awake. She brushed her teeth and hair before hearing male voices out in the kitchen. She was confused for a moment, before mentally slapping herself remembering that the guys had come back from their tour yesterday. How could she forget? She smiled at how awkward it had been between her and James. She took another look in the mirror, thinking she looked alright for someone who just woken up, and headed out of her room. Logan, Kendall, and Ms. Knight were laughing about something as she walked in.
"Hey everybody." Katie said tiredly as she took a seat next to Kendall at the counter.
Kendall put an arm around her and said, "Good morning sis!"
She groaned and said, "Geez, you're pretty cheery for someone being up so early in the morning."
Logan chuckled and said, "Katie, look at the clock."
She looked over at the digital clock on the wall. 1:00 pm. Her eyes grew wide and she looked at Kendall.
"If it's after noon, then why did you say 'Good Morning'?"
Kendall smirked and said, "To mess with you."
Katie playfully smacked his shoulder and he laughed.
Ms. Knight rolled her eyes and said, "Well, I'll be back. I'm going out to pick up a few things. Behave you two!" She said the last part to her two kids before grabbing her purse and exiting the apartment.
"No promises." Katie said under her breath while pouring her cereal into a bowl. Kendall smiled and sipped his orange juice while Logan asked, "Why did you sleep in so late anyways?"
Katie thought about it for a minute before realization hit her and she said, "Oh, probably because James and I were up so late."
Logan raised his eyebrows and Kendall asked, "Yeah, what were you two doing? James didn't come into our room until like after 2:30."
She smiled and said, "Well, I was cleaning up the mess you guys made while eating dinner! That's when James offered to help."
The two boys looked at each other, stunned. "What? James never helps with anything unless it has to do with his hair or something!"
Katie shrugged and laughed, "Maybe he just likes me better than you guys. Anyway, after we finished the table we sat on the couch and talked. I didn't know it was so late though." She looked around and said, "Now my turn to ask a question. Where is James? And Carlos for that matter."
"James is at the pool and Carlos is…wherever Carlos is." Kendall laughed and Logan joined in. Katie smiled and said "Oh" before getting up and putting her empty bowl in the sink. She turned back to the guys and said, "You know, I think I'm gonna hit the pool as well." She went into her room to change into her bathing suit: a blue and green bikini. She left her hair down, grabbed a towel, and walked back into the kitchen.
"See you guys later!" She called over her shoulder as she walked toward the door.
"Make smart choices!" Kendall called and Katie just rolled her eyes and grinned. She took the elevator and landed in the lobby. She walked past the front desk where Mr. Bitters was writing something down.
"Hey Bitters." Katie said nonchalantly and the manager looked up.
"Katie. I see the band is back." He said. Katie could hear the annoyance in his voice and she chuckled.
"Yep. I bet you're really happy!" She said sarcastically, a smile spreading across her face.
Mr. Bitters showed a fake smile, Katie could see right through it, and said, "Just don't wreck the Palm Woods! I have my eye on you."
Katie rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah yeah, whatever." She walked toward the pool, while calling back sarcastically to Bitters, "Have a Palm Woods day!" He glared and she just laughed.
She walked outside and immediately spotted James tanning by the water. She smiled and was about to approach him when a blonde girl walked up to him. She had a bottle of sun tan lotion in her hand and James smiled as she sat down next to him. Her back was to him and he squirted some lotion into his hand and started rubbing it on her bare skin. Katie watched and sighed deeply. Obviously last night didn't mean as much to James as it did to her. She then spotted Camille and Jo on the other side of the pool, directly across from James and sun tan girl. They were sitting at a table drinking smoothies and talking. Katie went over to them and sat down in the empty chair.
"Hey Katie." Jo smiled as Katie sat down.
Katie raised her eyebrows and said, "Wow, I thought you would be with Kendall right now." She turned to Camille and said, "And you with Logan."
Camille smiled and said, "They'll be down in a minute." Katie nodded and leaned back in her chair. She glanced over at James, seeing him flirting with the same blonde. She bit her lip and turned back to stare down at her fingers in her lap.
"Something wrong?" Jo asked, noticing Katie biting her lip. Katie looked up and shook her head.
"Nah, I'll be fine." She suddenly thought of a plan that she had a few weeks back. Katie became happier and said, "But I do have something planned, and I kinda need your help." She motioned to both girls and they looked at each other. Katie leaned in and whispered, "But we can't tell the guys."
Jo and Camille leaned in too and nodded. Katie smiled and said, "I want to do something for them. You know, something special."
Camille cocked her head and asked, "What did you have in mind?"
Katie smirked and said, "I want to throw a party. Like a 'Welcome Back' party. And it'll be huge. I mean, major blow out!"
All girls smiled and then Jo said, "That's great! Everyone at the Palm Woods would be invited. And we can have it here, by the pool!" Suddenly her smile faded and she said, "But what about Bitters?"
Camille's smiled faded as well and she said, "Yeah, he'll never let us. Remember his NO PARTY rule?"
Katie's smile stayed and she said, "Don't worry about him. I'll take care of that."
Jo and Camille shrugged and Camille laughed, "Alright, boss. What do you want us to do?"
"Well, I need someone to decorate. And we'll need food and drinks. Also, we need music. Big Time Rush can perform, but I'm sure they'll just want to enjoy the party and not work!" They all laughed and Jo said, "Okay, we can get volunteers."
Katie nodded and said, "Excellent. When should we have it?"
They all thought for a moment before Camille said, "How about tomorrow? We can get everything we need by then, right?"
Jo and Katie looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure we can manage that. I'll get the guys there, you two just need to set up." Katie said and then looked up, seeing Kendall and Logan coming up to the table where the three girls sat.
"Hello ladies." Kendall said as he bent down and kissed Jo. She smiled and Logan did the same to Camille.
Katie cleared her throat, breaking the couples out of their trances with one another. She grinned and said, "I'll just leave you to it then." She was about to turn away when she looked at the girls again. "And don't tell them, got it?" Jo and Camille nodded and Katie walked away.
"What was that about?" Logan asked his girlfriend, Camille.
"Don't worry about it." She said before pulling him into a kiss.
Katie walked away with a bright smile on her face. She just knew the guys would love the party. Especially James and Carlos. They still claimed themselves to be 'The Hollywood Party Kings of Hollywood'. She laughed slightly before bumping into another person. She looked up and saw a familiar face.
"Kyle!" She exclaimed as he smiled at her.
"Hey Katie!" he said. Kyle was Katie's ex-boyfriend. They had broken up a year ago, although it had been a clean breakup. She was the one who ended it and they stayed friends.
"So, how are things?" she asked him after a moment or two.
"Oh, I'm good. Same as usual."
She giggled and said, "That's good. Nothing better than usual." He chuckled and Katie remembered the party. She hesitated, looking back at James. He was still talking to Blondie and having a good time without her. She sighed and then turned back to Kyle with a determined look on her face.
"I'm throwing a party tomorrow. It'll be held here by the pool. Would you like to come?" she asked. His smile grew bigger and he nodded.
"Sure, I'm not doing anything tomorrow. Any specific time?" he asked.
Katie laughed and said, "Not really. Just come out when you hear music playing!" He laughed too and they kept talking.
Meanwhile across the pool, James looked up from his conversation with the blonde girl. He noticed Katie talking to a boy. He recognized him because he was the one who set them up when she was only 12 years old. They had been too young to date then, but apparently now she was older, they had more in common. He frowned slightly when she laughed at something Kyle said. They were obviously flirting and James didn't like it one bit. He tried to ignore it and turned back to Victoria, the blonde girl. He tried to focus on what she was saying, but he kept glancing back at Katie.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Victoria asked annoyed.
James turned back to her and said, "Huh, what?"
Victoria sighed and said, "I said we should go out sometime. I know this really great place and-"
"Yeah, I have to go." James said, cutting her sentence short. She stared after him, mouth open because of how his mood changed from flirty to rude so quickly. On the other hand, James didn't really care that he'd been rude. He walked toward Katie and Kyle and stopped right in front of them.
"Katie!" he said with a smile on his face.
"Hey James. You remember Kyle, right?" she said, pointing to the younger boy.
James turned to face Kyle and said with fake enthusiasm, "Kyle! Of course I remember you. How could I forget Katie's first date?" He put an arm around Katie's shoulders, his touch sending shivers down her spine.
She laughed and said, "Yeah, uh I'll see you tomorrow night okay Kyle?" Kyle just nodded and walked away.
James looked at her with another frown and asked, "What's tomorrow night?"
Katie's eyes widened and she said quickly, "Oh that, i-it's nothing." She didn't want to tell him about the party and ruin the surprise.
James crossed his arms and said, "What, are you like going on a date with him or something. Because you can tell me."
Katie shook her head and said, "No, not anymore." James raised his eyebrows and she said, "Well, Kyle and I kinda dated. F-for a while."
"How long?" James asked with his arms still folded across his chest.
"Not long. Only about…2 years." She said the last part quietly.
"2 years! So you guys have a history?" James exclaimed.
Katie raised her eyebrows and said, "Just drop it. It doesn't concern you." James looked at her with an 'Are you crazy?' expression.
"It certainly does concern me!" Katie looked up at him and said, "Since when has my business concerned you?"
James thought for a moment and said, "Since…" He was about to say last night but decided not to.
Katie rolled her eyes and said, "Look, I didn't ask about that dumb blonde bimbo you were flirting with over by the pool. So don't ask about Kyle. Either I'm dating him or not, you don't have to know!" She stormed off leaving a shocked James in the lobby. She hated being snippy with him, but she couldn't help it. She was too mad right now to care what he thought.
Katie's thoughts:
How dare he? I mean, he flirts with that stupid blonde for over an hour and I say nothing! But I see Kyle for a minute and he thinks it's his business? That's ridiculous! I mean, it's not like we're a couple or anything, but still…Argh! I can't even think straight! I'm not even mad at him for the whole Kyle thing. He was with another girl. He was flirting with another girl. He rubbed sun tan lotion on another girl! I hate her and I don't even know her! I wish I didn't have this stupid crush on James. It's messing everything up! I should just apologize and forget about how his hair is always perfect. How his touch sends shivers throughout my whole body and how his cologne makes me melt. His smile is perfect. His laugh is perfect. His abs are perfect! He's just simply perfect! He can be kind(when he wants to be), he's got a great sense of humor, he protects me, he can sing. How can I forget him? I can't, and that's the problem. I can't forget him.
Katie finally reached the apartment, ready to just lie on the couch and lose herself to the TV for the next few hours. When she opened the door, she could see Carlos sitting where she wanted to be. She sighed and then just settled for the spot next to him. He smiled at her and she returned the favor.
"So Carlos, where have you been?" She asked as the hockey game turned to commercials.
"Oh, I was out shopping with the Jennifers. They let me hold their bags!" he said with a goofy smile.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Carlos, they may be pretty, but you know that they're just using you. You could find a much better girl than all of the Jennifers combined!"
Carlos looked at her and said, "I know. But I'll keep trying and hopefully at least one will give in one day."
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." He nodded and then the game came back on. They watched the rest together and when it ended, Carlos got up and said he was going to pay Gustavo and Kelly a visit with the rest of the band. She said goodbye and after he closed the door, she laid down on the couch and eventually fell asleep.
A Few Hours Later
James, Logan, Kendall, and Carlos all came in laughing about something they would forget in the morning. Then they saw Katie fast asleep on the couch and talked quieter. Kendall and Logan said that they were going to see their girlfriends and Carlos declared that he was going to sleep. Ms. Knight must've already been in bed, so James was the only one up in the apartment.
He walked over to Katie and sat down beside her, looking at her. She looked so peaceful when she slept, and James thought she looked beautiful as well. He moved a strand of hair out of her face and she began to stir. She opened her eyes slowly and automatically smiled when she saw his face.
"Hey. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He said softly.
She shook her head and said, "It's okay. What time is it?"
He looked at his watch and said, "It's 10:45."
She groaned and then realized she was talking to James and not yelling at him. She remembered what she said to him and said, "Look, James I'm really sorry about earlier. I must've been irritated or tired or something. You didn't do anything wrong, I swear."
He chuckled and said, "It's fine. And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so nosy."
She laughed and said, "Well, I won't disagree with you there!"
He smiled and then said, "So, we're good?"
She smiled as well and said, "Yeah, we're good." Then she pulled him in for a hug. They stayed like that, feeling happy being in each other's arms. Finally they pulled away, although their faces were only inches apart and they looked into each other's eyes.
"We should probably get to sleep now." She whispered.
"Yeah, we should." He responded.
"James, I am sorry." She whispered, so quietly he almost couldn't hear her.
"Katie, don't worry about it. I forgive you." He chuckled. She laughed slightly and he whispered, "I love it when you laugh."
She blushed, and thanked God that all of the lights were off so he didn't see. She quietly said "Thanks" before realizing what he was doing.
He was slowly leaning in, about to touch his lips with hers when the front door opened, lighting up the very dark room. James and Katie blinked, their eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. Kendall and Logan stood in the doorway, too wrapped up in their conversation to notice the two people almost kissing on the couch. James pulled away so about 5 feet were between them.
Finally Kendall looked up and called over, "Hey! I thought you guys would be in bed by now!" Katie looked down at her hands and James stood up. Kendall watched him walk away from Katie and over to the counter. "What's going on?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing." James stated simply before saying goodnight and disappearing into their room. Logan looked over at Katie, who had by now gotten up off the couch and was headed towards her bedroom. "Katie?" he called to her.
She looked at them both. They could see that she was mad about something.
"What Logan?" she snapped, obviously very irritated.
He held up his hands and said, "Nothing." She turned back to her room and yanked the door open.
"Goodnight!" Kendall called over to her. She glared at him before going into her room and closing the door hardly.
"What was that about?" Logan asked, very confused.
Kendall shrugged and said, "Honestly, I don't know."
Another chapter! What did you think? :P
Also, which writing style do you guys like better? Should I keep the story in paragraphs like in chapters 1 and 2, or should I continue to space them out like in this one? Tell me which you prefer! :)
Read&review! As always, I LOVE to know what you all think!