Kendall was sound asleep and comfortable as could be and he didn't want to move or wake up but something was dragging him out of his peaceful slumber. As he became more conscious he heard low laughter but he couldn't tell exactly or where it was coming from. Soon enough he was back in reality and the sounds were definitely laughter and snickering and was that a camera shutter from a phone? He moaned a bit at the sounds and tried to ignore them and snuggle more into his pillow. It smelled sweet yet calming, something familiar; the scent matched Katie's personality like a glove.
The laughter got loud again and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He opened his eyes to see James and Logan standing at the door, iPhones in hand taking pictures and video of Kendall as he slept. He didn't think much of it at first, sure it was a pain but this was fairly normal among them; harmless pranks. He tossed a pillow at them and told them to go away in a playful tone.
"Sure, we can see your busy." James teased.
"We don't want to disturb the two of you." Logan added. Kendall moaned in acknowledgement ad slid back under the covers before his eyes shot open. Two?! He shot up in bed and turned over to see Katie sound asleep next to him. He panicked for a second before realizing what went on last night. He looked down at her and himself and both were fully clothed and although that was a good sign it didn't prove anything. He remembered holding her close as she cried and then they sat on the bed for a while and just talked about anything that came to mind. He came to the conclusion that they must have fallen asleep soon after and nothing else.
He got out of bed quickly but quietly so as not to disturb Katie and let her sleep but he grabbed a blanket off the top to wrap around himself to hide the raging erection that was pushing noticeably through his jeans. He peeked out the door and saw his buds were gone and made a quick dash down the hall to his room and got changed. he trusted his pals to keep what they saw quiet, especially from his mom who was downstairs cooking breakfast for everyone. Katie would be waking up soon no doubt, the strong smells of bacon and eggs were wafting upstairs. Kendall took some extra time to make himself decent before heading down stairs. His mom was in the kitchen and the guys started teasing him as soon as he showed up. He hushed them and laid out the rules.
"Look, nothing happened last night. We just fell asleep while talking, that is all; don't keep talking about this and have it get around. Yes I like her but we all like her, she's a sweet girl. I think she's been through enough since being her so no need to make matters worse with all the pictures floating around. Delete them now."
"Agreed." Logan began." Its one thing to prank and rag on Kendall but Katie doesn't deserve it. it's a cute picture but it's not worth the turmoil."
"Thanks, Logan." Kendall replied.
"I'll delete mine too. And don't worry, my lips are sealed." James assured.
"Mine too, I wont tell a soul." Logan agreed. Him and James looked at their phones for a few minutes as they deleted all the files. With that matter settled, just in time, Katie started moving around upstairs after they all heard a door shut. In a few minutes Katie came down the stairs in her PJ's and didn't think twice about her outfit when She saw James and Logan sitting before her.
"Hey guys!" she smiled
"Morning!" Logan replied. James was about to greet her when Mrs. Knight came in to tell them breakfast was served. She had just started cooking when James and Logan showed up and she was more than happy to make extra for her adopted sons. The guys sat down and dug in and Mrs. Knight served Katie her own plate so she wouldn't lose a hand in the feeding frenzy.
"Want to hang out today, Katie? The guys and I are going to go see the new Uncharted movie." James asked
"Wish I could but I have tons of work to do today. I leave for home on Friday and I'm no where near ready. I'm surprised Gustavo gave you guys the day off." she replied
"So are we but we learned not to question it." Logan pointed out.
"We could use a day off though." Kendall said
"True enough." Logan agreed
"And you choose to spend your day off with each other…?" she wondered
"Yup." James laughed
"Huh. I figured you guys would want your space." Katie said.
"I know, we get sick of each other during the week but when we arent in the studio we seem to get along fine." Kendall said.
"I'm surprised you guys don't kill each other on the road." she joked "Speaking of which, when is the next tour?"
"No idea, there havent been any talks about it. I know we're doing one, but when is still up in the air." James answered
"Production has been busy creating the new series and all that. I could use a break from touring anyway. We need some new music after playing the same stuff for 7 years." Logan added
"Well, get cracking on that album then." She said
"We have been, it takes a while for one, plus we want it to be perfect." Kendall replied
"Maybe by spring we'll have something ready to at least get the promotional stuff going." Logan suggested. He got a text message and checked his phone. "Carlos just bailed on us. Gustavo wants him to work on something." Logan announced
"That sucks, he was looking forward to the movie." Kendall said.
"So am I, him and I can go see it later if I find the time." Katie interjected
"Want to get lunch after?" James asked
"Sure, anywhere specific?" Katie replied
"How about Lou's?" Logan suggested
"Sounds good to me. I'll meet you there around 1 or so." she agreed
"Great!" Logan said.
"I got to get dressed and get going or I'm going to be late. Enjoy your movie, guys!" Katie said excusing herself and running upstairs. The guys cleaned up their dishes and said goodbye to Mrs. Knight and yelled upstairs to Katie just before they made their way out the door. They met for lunch later and spent a good deal of time together before Katie was called away to finish her errands, meetings and other chores.
"You like her." James said flatly to Kendall
"Huh?" He replied caught off guard by his assumption.
"You cant hide it very well, Kendall." Logan added.
"Wait a minute, I-" Kendall started
"Dude, its cool. She's a sweet girl and the two of you have a lot in common. In all honesty I was wondering when you would notice that and make a move." James said.
"You cant stay single forever man, you got to get out and mingle. James seems to think she's a good match for you and it might be true, so give it a shot!" Logan said.
"What do you mean 'might be'?!" James questioned
"You drool over ever hot girl you come across, you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to relationships." Logan said
"Hey! I'm perfectly capable of holding my own!" James defended
"Name one time that you weren't with a girl because of her looks, fame, or because there was something in it for you." Kendall said.
"I- There was that one time when…Uh…Hold on let me think about this…" James started
"Take your time." Logan said. "Anyway, Kendall, make a move. She isn't going to be here forever."
"I know that. She's leaving in 2 days for home." Kendall replied.
"But who knows if she's coming back?" Logan said.
"What do you mean? You think she's just going to up and quit?" Kendall questioned
"I don't know. She's got a lot going for her back home. I did some research and she's the founder of one of the top animal science schools in the world. I don't think that's something she's just going to give up after working so hard on it." Logan stated. Kendall wasnt as surprised, he had done his research too but since no one talked about it, he assumed that no one else knew.
"She likes acting, she has fun here. If she wanted to quit she would have done it already." Kendall said.
"Not if she was still under contract. Her contracts were 3 year deals and she signed her last contract 3 years ago in May. The show wont be filming again until the summer and only if it's been renewed." Logan explained
"She's got a contract with our show." Kendall replied
"No she doesn't, she hasn't signed yet, and she wont be allowed to until her contract either ends or her agent works out an agreement to work both shows."
Logan said. "Dude, just make a move, its about time you had a girlfriend and I think Katie might be the best choice for you; who knows where it goes."
"But wait a minute." James started. "Think about this for a second. Think of all the crap she's been through during the past year at least; all that abuse from her cast mate sure as hell wont go away very easily. Is that something that you want to deal with? All that emotional damage?"
"Dude, she's not defective merchandise!" Logan chastised.
"Yeah yeah, hear me out though. As far as we know, she hasn't talked to anyone; she's a quiet girl and usually the quiet ones can be trouble. Either that or freaky in bed which aint so bad." James surmised
"Dammit, James enough! She's our friend!" Logan yelled
"Calm down I was just kidding! I like her too you know, I think she's cool, she's just not my type." James said with a laugh
"Kendall, don't waste your life wondering what could have been. Think it over and make a decision, time is running out." Logan said as he stood from the table. "I have to meet my agent for a meet and greet."
"I'm going to hit the gym. Good luck, buddy." James said, patting Kendall on the back as he left with Logan.
Kendall stayed at the table and just sat with his thoughts before being interrupted by Carlos who was finally free from Gustavo's claws. Carlos was chatty for a while before ordering a sandwich for a quick lunch. He noticed Kendall being quiet, although he was listening and responding to Carlos' conversation. Carlos was pretty sharp at picking up subtle emotional changes in his friends, he was a caring guy and very open and honest.
"Kendall, what's up with you?" Carlos asked as he sat down
"I've just been doing a lot of thinking and I cant seem to find an answer." Kendall replied
"Anything I can help with?"
"I'm not sure."
"Try me?"
"Well, it gets complicated a bit but I can try. I think…I think I'm in love but I don't know."
"Who's the lucky girl?"
"Promise me you wont get mad." Kendal stated hands up in defense.
"Ok…?"
"I think I'm in love with Katie."
"Really?"
"You mad?"
"Nope. It's about time you admitted it though. I kind of figured you two would fall for each other eventually, I'm just surprised it took so long to come out in the open." Carlos said taking a bite out of his sandwich. Kendall just sat stunned at his response; did everyone know about his crush except for himself?!
"The thing is though, I don't think she has the same feelings for me."
"What makes you think that?"
"It's a long story."
"That's ok, I probably know it anyway. I'm her best friend I know a lot about her but even then I only just learned most of this stuff in the past months once she opened up about all the bull shit she was going through with Walter. There's still stuff that I don't know, she's a strong person on the outside, almost seeming cold or emotionless but inside she's soft and warm. It's going to take some time to shine through."
"I know, but I'm worried that maybe I don't have what it takes. I mean, I know some of the stuff that you're talking about but even after talking with her for an hour or two last night we only hit the tip of the iceberg. I want to be there for her, to show her that I'm not going to hurt her or abandon her like everyone else did. I want to prove that I'm not going to get fed up with everything she has and walk out on her."
"Then let her know that."
"Easier said then done…" Kendall started. "For one I don't know how to even begin to put my feelings together to form the words I want to say and secondly, I don't want to scare her away. With everything she's been through, she's not going to accept my feelings very easily. She's scared and cant trust anyone; if I tell her how I feel she wont believe me and push me away, which is just going to hurt her more."
"She knows how it feels to be rejected and unwanted so why would she want to wish that upon someone else? Especially if she's the cause."
"Exactly. So what do I do?"
"Just be the friend that she so desperately needs."
"But I though that was you?"
"I'm the type that she thinks she wants and needs. Sure we get along great and I love her like a sister but I'm not the one who can fix her like you can. You're the one who can fill the empty void in her heart and tear down the walls she's built around herself."