Down at the Palm Woods' pool, Kendall knew exactly how he wanted to spend his big time break away from the rest of the guys. He loved them all more than anything, but today he had someone else in mind. Kendall was ducking down behind the bushes and stealthily on the lookout for Jo, the most beautiful girl in the Palm Woods.
And there she was, talking on her cellphone a few yards away, looking absolutely perfect in a simple red hoodie. Kendall was entirely entranced until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ahh!"
"Why are you spying on the new girl?" Katie asked him but she looked like she already knew the answer.
"I'm not spying, I'm secretly observing her from afar." Kendall corrected her and then turned his attention back to Jo.
"That's spying." Katie unhelpfully reminded him.
"Katie!" Kendall whispered to her.
"Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, and it would be wrong of me to ask a girl out who's already taken…Right?"
"Oh please." Katie rolled her eyes at her big brother, and then shouted, "Hey Jo!" She then pushed Kendall out into the open. So he could talk to her instead of staring at her.
Kendal stumbled his way over to Jo, but thankfully she smiled when she saw him.
"Oh hey Kendall, what's up?"
"Well, I have the day off, and I thought, maybe we could…hang out?" Kendall asked her, taking it as a positive sign that she was leaning in slightly to hear him better over the noise of the pool, and probably over his rapidly beating heart.
"You know I have a boyfriend?" Jo reminded him.
"Which is awesome for you! And it's also awesome being just friends with girls. It's cool." Kendall promised.
"Well, I was just about to head to the gym, and I could use a training partner. Want to come along? Just friends." Jo said, smiling a bit sarcastically, almost like she was testing him, but oh man did she have any idea how cute she was?
"Yes!" Kendall shouted and pumped his fist, although he realized he was acting a bit too excited for just friends. "I mean, what are we doing? Weights? Cardio?"
Jo smirked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "You'll see." Jo led the way towards the gym, doing her best to ignore certain thoughts flying in her head. From her first day at the Palm Woods school when she took the only open desk next to Kendall, they had slowly gotten to know each other better. He was funny and undeniably cute, but she told herself no matter how nice he was, she was not looking for a boyfriend, her career was way too important for her to go boy-crazy.
And Jo would be lying to herself if she said she didn't see the way Kendall was looking at her. But if he really was willing to be just friends, she would give him a chance to be her friend. And that's it. Plus this could be fun. She allowed herself a small grin, hopefully, one that Kendall wouldn't catch.
They walked into the gym and Jo went over to the storage area to grab Kendall his own white judo uniform. "Here, go put this on, and then we can start warming up."
"Sure thing…um what exactly are we going to be doing? I thought we were working out?" Kendall asked, sounding somewhat nervous as he scanned the uniform in his hands.
"Judo. Are you cool with that?" Jo asked, with a spark of challenge in her eyes.
"Of course I am, I'm cool with anything," Kendall promised not backing down from her, "including being friends."
"Good, I'll see you in a few minutes and then we can get started," Jo said and entered the women's locker room to get changed herself.
A few minutes later, they were both dressed in their uniforms and facing one another on the mats.
"So, how do we start?" Kendall asked.
"Get into ready position." Jo demonstrated, placing one foot forward and her fists raised in a fighting stance.
"Like this?" Kendall did his best to study and copy her form, and at the same time trying not to look like to study her too intently and checking her out, even though he kind of was.
"Yep, and then we go. Hi-Ya!" Jo stepped forward and cleanly swept her leg behind Kendall's ankle and making him fall to the mat-covered floor with a thud.
"Woah," Kendall breathed in after he just had the wind knocked out of him. "Judo is so cool! So you're an actress, right?" Kendall held out his hand and Jo reached down to help pull him back up. As he came up, both of them did their best to ignore the weird tingle of happiness they felt as they touched.
"Yep," Jo answered.
"Do you act as good as you fight?" Kendall leaned in close to Jo, but smoothly, while still holding his hand, she pulled his arm behind his back, so he couldn't move.
"Do you sing as good as you fall?" She whispered in his ear, and Kendall felt another tingle go down his spine, despite the slight pain in his arm. She then spun him around and once again sent him to the floor with another OOF! "Just let me know when you've had enough."
Jo pulled Kendall back up again, and this time Kendall stood closer to her so that their faces were only a few inches away from each other. "I could do this all day," Kendall said honestly, staring into her beautiful brown eyes.
Jo froze for a moment, staring back into his gorgeous green eyes, but then she remembered her story. "Boyfriend!" She shouted and then flipped him over her shoulder so that he landed on his back once again. She did her best to ignore the butterflies flying in her stomach.
Kendall caught his breath but smirked to himself, he could not have been the only one who felt that, right? He couldn't ask her out if she had a boyfriend, but he could make her like him enough to choose him over her boyfriend, right? That would still be ok. All he had to do was be his normal charming self.
They continued sparring for almost an hour, which mostly involved Kendall being tossed onto the ground. Jo was sweeping him off his feet, in more ways than one, while she left the gym completely unscathed, even when she tried teaching Kendall some of the moves, but they still ended with her standing over him.
So when they finished at the gym they went back to the pool, and Kendall bought her a smoothie to quench her thirst after beating him up. Although she quickly noticed him trying to be romantic by sipping out of his own straw, so he just gave up on that plan they took turns sipping the smoothie until it was drained, after which Kendall offered to grab them pizza for lunch, which Jo happily agreed to.
Jo was waiting by the pool when her mom called her. "Hi Mom."
"Hello Jo, how have you been lately?"
"Good, I know Dad and I have already told you this a hundred times but L.A. is so amazing."
"And have you had any callbacks yet? What about that Magic Middle School movie?"
"I didn't get the part, but it's ok, one of my friends Camille said that for young actresses like us, it takes trial and error and lots of patience before we can get our first major roles. But I've made lots of friends at the Palm Woods already, and there's this one band that's let me be in a couple of their music videos."
"Oh have I heard of them? And can I see the videos?"
"Not yet Mom, they're new to L.A. too, they're a boy band called Big Time Rush and they're in the process of recording their first album, their all kind of crazy but also pretty cool.
"Oh Jo sweetie, you're already so successful. So what are you doing today? Are you spending it with Camille?"
"Oh hold on one second." Jo saw Kendall walk back into the pool area with a pizza in his hand, he opened the box to reveal it was cut in the shape of a heart.
Jo smiled overenthusiastically but then shook her head, before mouthing boyfriend silently at him.
Kendal gave her a thumbs-up sign and then walked over to one of the cabanas.
"No Mom, I'm spending the day with a very nice boy. His name's Kendall." Jo smiled to herself without even thinking.
"Aww, is he your new beau? And I promise not to tell your father."
"No, he thinks I have a boyfriend. Career first, boyfriend later. Remember?"
"Oh Josephine, I'm proud of you for taking the chance to chase your dream, but there's no reason you can't handle both a career and a boyfriend if you really want it. Is he cute?"
"Yes, he's very cute." Jo admitted, feeling herself blush as she admitted not just to her mom, but to herself as well, "But I'm not changing my mind. I have to go Mom, Kendall just came back with the pizza. I love you, bye." Jo hung up and walked over to join Kendall.
"Sorry, I was just talking to my mom."
"No big deal." Kendall waved her off, "I hope you enjoy the pizza, it's Minnesota style!"
"What does that mean?" Jo asked him, sounding confused as she sat down on the other chair.
"Despite what you may be thinking, you may have noticed the heart shape. That's not because I want us to be more than friends or anything ridiculous like that. Ha ha." Kendall laughed unconvincingly. "In Minnesota we love pizza so much, we always show our love by making our pizza in the shape of a heart. Especially when we share a pizza with our friends."
"Right. Well, I will enjoy it, friend." Jo said. She didn't buy that for a second.
"Hey Big Brother, can I talk to you?" Kendall's little sister popped up behind him.
"Um Katie, I love you but can't you see I'm a little busy here?" Kendal motioned to Jo sitting across from him with a smile.
In response, Katie grabbed him by his ear and dragged him around to the other side of the pool.
"Ow, ow, ow! What?"
"You're a chump," Katie said bluntly.
"Why? For going after a girl who has a boyfriend?" Even if she does have a boyfriend she's still a cool person to hang out with, and maybe she'll decide on her own she'd rather be with me.
"No, for going after a girl who's lying about having a boyfriend." Katie corrected him.
"What do you mean Jo doesn't have a boyfriend?"
"I overheard her talking to her mother. The boyfriend thing is a scam. Now look at her, and give her the one second, my little sister's crazy gesture." Katie ordered.
Kendall snapped his finger and followed Katie's orders without question, he looked back a Jo for a moment and she nodded in understanding.
"So this whole time she's been playing me like a fiddle?"
"Yep, what are you going to do about it Big Brother? And remember, I look up to you."
"Don't you worry, it's on now." Kendall declared, then the two of them shared their secret Knight handshake and Kendall walked confidently back over to Jo. So if Jo wanted to have a fake boyfriend, two could play that game.
"Hey is your sister ok?" Jo asked.
"She is great," Kendall replied happily and crossed his arms. "So let's talk, just friend to just friend."
"You got it, friend." Jo smiled back at him, "What do you want to talk about?" She then took a bite of her pizza.
"Your boyfriend," Kendall smirked at her, making her pause in taking a bite of her pizza.
"What's his name? What's his favorite sport? Is he allergic to shellfish?"
"Oh, well…" Jo's mind was racing as she tried to create her imaginary boyfriend. Did he know? How did he find out she was lying? Well, she didn't care she wasn't going to let him win. "Um Travis, and he doesn't really talk about sports or his allergies."
"You sure you have a boyfriend?" Kendall leaned back in his chair "Because I've heard stories about girls who make up fake boyfriends, but you would never do something like that…would you?" Kendall made himself chuckle to himself like that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
"No, in fact, my totally real boyfriend Travis is coming to visit me. Today." Jo said confidently and set down her pizza. OK, why did I just say that?
"Well, I can't wait to meet him," Kendall said as he stood up and Jo followed suit, acting perfectly happy, and he was because Jo had just walked straight into his trap.
"Well, I can't wait for you to meet him too," Jo said, doing her best to act confident.
"I'll be relaxing and waiting in the lobby."
"Great! I'll see you soon."
"Great."
"Great."
"Great." They told each other and then they walked away in opposite directions. Jo pulled out her phone to text Camille for help, but she wasn't answering, Jo remembered that she had an audition today, but no big deal, she was in the heart of Hollywood, surely she could find an actor to play her boyfriend so Kendall wouldn't catch her in her lie.
A few hours later Kendall was waiting in the lobby, drinking a smoothie and relaxing with Katie just like he said he would.
"So how's your plan working?" Katie asked him.
"Perfectly." Kendall answered, "When Jo doesn't show up with her imaginary boyfriend, I'll tell her I know the truth and she won't have any excuse that will stop me from asking her out on a date."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that Big Brother." Katie pointed out Jo walking arm and arm through the lobby with a guy in a black tank top.
"We'll see about that," Kendall said, he was impressed, she must be really dedicated to her plan to work, but not enough to beat him. Even if he kind of hated the sight of Jo with her arm around anyone else, he could play it cool until he won. He knew he had nothing to worry about.
"Kendall," Jo smiled brightly, "I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend, who just got in from North Carolina, who loves basketball, and is not allergic to shellfish." Jo listed off confidently.
Kendall nodded and held out his hand for a handshake. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Trevor right?"
"Yep, that's me, Trevor."
"HA!" Kendall pointed at him in victory.
"No! I'm Trent! I mean, Thomas… I mean Trixie!"
"No! Travis!" Jo shouted at him in annoyance. "Your name is Travis, and you're fired!" Jo rolled her eyes at him.
"Do I still get my $20?"
In response, Jo shoved him away, while Kendall waved goodbye sarcastically.
"You set me up." Jo pointed at him accusingly.
"Well, you lied to me!" Kendall pointed right back.
"Well, I didn't want a boyfriend!" Jo stepped closer to him, and Kendall then followed suit until their faces were only inches away from one another, both staring down the other straight in their eyes.
"Who says I wanted to be your boyfriend? Cause frankly, I don't like dating girls who lie!"
"Well, I don't like dating boys who catch me in my lies and make me hire idiot actors who can't remember their names!"
"Well, I guess we're done here!"
"I guess, we are!" Jo replied back and they both marched away from one another, but then they both turned around and walked back to each other.
"So, would you like to go to the movies sometime?" Kendall asked with a charming grin.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Jo smiled up at him.
"How about tonight? 6 pm?"
"It's a date. I'll meet you down here?"
"Right here," Kendall promised. "See you soon Jo."
"See you later, Kendall." Jo and Kendall smiled at one another one more time before Jo headed for the elevator doors while Kendall sat down next to Katie once more.
"I don't think I completely get the whole teenage dating thing," Katie said after watching that whole exchange.
"I'm not sure I do either Baby Sister," Kendall replied, and then they clinked their smoothies together and took a sip, and Kendall started daydreaming about what tonight could be.
A few hours later, Jo came down the elevator right at six and smiled when she saw Kendall already sitting in the lobby waiting for her. She was wearing a simple blouse and jeans.
"Hey, you're here!" Kendall stood up and spread his arms wide, but a moment later seemed to realize what he was doing, "whoops sorry."
"It's ok, after all, I don't currently have a boyfriend, so I'm willing to see how this goes Kendall." Jo took in his outfit of jeans and a dark gray polo T-shirt with a flannel button-up unbuttoned over it. Whether he knew it or not, he certainly looked cute.
Kendall smiled brighter again. "That's all I want too Jo. Oh, and these are for you." Kendall leaned over to grab a bouquet of brightly colored flowers from the nearby coffee table.
"Thank you Kendall, they look beautiful."
"That makes two of you." Kendall smiled, and Jo felt herself blushing, she knew she was in trouble now, but he was already doing a good job of proving he was worth it.
"So, how are we getting to the movie theatre?" Jo asked as they began making their way to the lobby doors.
"Well, unfortunately, it's still a few months from my birthday, but thankfully we have Harold as our driver tonight." Kendall gestured to the shiny black car with an older man holding a sign saying Kendall Knight on it. "One of the perks of Roque Records."
Harold opened the door for them and Jo slid in the back first and was quickly followed by Kendall, while Harold closed the door behind them and then started driving them to the theater.
"So what is it like working at Roque Records with Gustavo Roque?" Jo asked him.
"Roque Records is interesting, to say the least." Kendall grinned, "Gustavo is one of a kind although most of the time during rehearsals or anything else, the four of us need some form of hearing protection."
"Why? Does he play the music that loud?"
"Oh no." Kendall shook his head, "Let's just say Gustavo's favorite form of communication is yelling. Although in all honesty, his style and our style tend to have some…creative differences that take a lot of ironing out. And by that I mean we usually have to prove to him that our ideas are better than his before he listens to us and claims all the credit anyway."
Jo laughed along with Kendall, "Like what?"
"Well for starters, the whole reason we're here is that James wanted to be a famous celebrity, so the three of us went with him to the audition for moral support, but James got nervous after hearing Gustavo yelling and made us all audition before him. Long story short even though I sang a song about how Gustavo's a giant turd, he was so impressed with me that he wanted to bring me alone to L.A. to record, but I couldn't leave all my best friends behind, so I told him it was all of us or none of us. And I'm pretty sure our very presence raises his blood pressure but I'm 85% sure he doesn't regret his decision in the slightest."
"So, you didn't plan on ever being in a band before you came out here?"
"Nope, and I love being in California, especially having endless sunny days instead of Minnesota winters, but my dream is to play hockey in college and then hopefully someday the NHL."
"Woah impressive," Jo said. "Do you still want to do that?"
"Right now, I'm totally dedicated to making it big time." Kendall joked, "But if this adventure doesn't work out, I will be perfectly happy going back to my original plan. What about you, have you always wanted to be an actress?"
"Yeah, the last few years at least. I always liked doing plays in middle school and my first year of high school, and then a talent scout saw me perform as the lead in my school play, and was able to help me convince my parents to take a chance to follow my dreams."
"Nice, and are your parents out here with you?"
"Just my dad is, my mom's still back home in North Carolina, she's actually the anchor on the local morning news, now you didn't hear this from me, but I don't think it was a complete coincidence that a talent scout showed up at my high school play in Raleigh. So you better not tell my dad."
"My lips are sealed," Kendall promised.
"And I know your little sister's here, are your parents here?"
"My mom is the one in charge of all of us out here, and she's literally the best. My sister Katie's the best too. Everyone else is still off in good old Minnesota."
"So, I can't say I'm curious as to what the turd song is," Jo asked.
"Well, allow me to serenade you, and I promise, I'm not describing you with this song." Kendall laughed. "Oh you're such a turd, yeah a giant turd and you look like a turd and you smell like a turd…"
From the very first line, Jo couldn't help herself from bursting into a fit of giggles until well after Kendall finished his song, and a few minutes later when she finally recovered her composure. "You know, I think you could have a future in songwriting if being on stage doesn't work out for you."
Kendall rolled his eyes, "Tell that to Gustavo, to him the four of us are dogs that need to be trained to follow his every command."
"Well, anyways, that was a great song Kendall, and from what I've heard from being in your Any Kind of Guy music video, you and your friends are super talented."
"Why thank you. And I will admit you are a great actress. I totally believed you when you said you had a boyfriend today."
"Really? Then why were you so sure you could prove me wrong?"
"My sister Katie overheard you talking to your mom when she pulled me away from our pizza that's what she was telling me."
Jo shook her head, "Rookie mistake, I should have been on the lookout for spies, shouldn't I? OK, I guess that makes sense. So is your whole family as good at scheming as you?"
"Probably, I would never recommend trying to pull one over on us Knights. I'm pretty sure Katie already has a plan in place to take over this town by the time she's twenty."
"Oh, well I hope I can stay on her good side."
"I have a feeling you're not going to have a problem with that." Kendall scooted slightly closer to Jo and smiled brightly at her.
"And why is that?" Jo didn't shy away from him.
"Cause you're a super cool girl, who obviously isn't afraid to scheme herself, Ms. I have a boyfriend."
"We'll have to see what happens Mr. I just want to be friends." Jo teased him right back.
"Mr. Knight, we've arrived," Harold said from the front of the vehicle as he parked. Moments later Harold opened the door for them and Kendall stepped out first and then offered his hand for Jo to take, which she did happily and they stepped out of the car together.
"Will you be needing anything else Mr. Knight?"
"Just pick us up when we're done, Harold. Kendall said, Once we choose a movie I'll text you a time to be back here for us."
"Very well Sir, I hope you two have a lovely evening."
"You too Harold, feel free to have some fun while you wait," Kendall said.
"Of course Sir." Harold smiled at them.
"Shall we?" Kendall asked Jo.
"We shall." They walked in through the theatre doors and looked at their options for the night.
"Oh, I have been wanting to see Flowers and Chocolate," Jo said.
"What's that about?" Kendall asked, but he could tell just from the title he would be paying more attention to someone else instead of the movie.
"It's supposed to be this really romantic comedy. What were you thinking?"
"Well, if it was me and the guys here, we'd probably watch Galactopus 5, but I'll let the lady decide…this time."
"This time huh?" Jo asked, with a sparkle in her eyes as she met Kendall's.
"Yep, this time you pick, and next time…I can pick."
"You seem pretty confident there's going to be a next time."
"Oh I am, see it's all part of my strategy of letting you pick the movie that I know you'll enjoy so you'll enjoy spending time with me." Kendall jokingly revealed.
"Always the schemer aren't you? But don't get too ahead of yourself Tiger, let's see how this goes, but yes, I choose Flowers and Chocolate."
"What the lady wants." Kendall smiled at her and then stepped forward to pay for their tickets. Then they moved onto the concession stand to get their "small" popcorn, licorice, and soda, and given the serving size, this time Jo happily agreed to share a drink with two straws.
They sat down to enjoy the movie together, and while the previews and ads were playing they kept joking around and slowly feeling each other out as they waited for it to begin, both were excited to learn more about one another.
Then once the movie started, Jo seemed to get right into the story, not looking away from the screen for a moment, not that Kendall was complaining about her doing so. Although he wasn't as impressed with the film for the most part. Call him a caveman, but without high-speed chases, explosions, fight scenes, or even funny animal sidekicks, this movie just wasn't his usual cup of tea.
So instead he kept one eye on Jo beside him the whole time, she was gasping and laughing at all the dramatic moments, but she also seemed to be whispering to herself under her breath throughout the movie, especially in the more dramatic scenes.
At one point, when she leaned over to grab another handful of popcorn she caught Kendall's eye and they both grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry for talking." Jo whispered softly, "Whenever I watch a movie now, I do my best to study what the actresses are doing on screen since obviously if they're on screen they must be doing something right."
"Hey it's no big deal, in fact, I'm sorry for staring at you but you're just too adorable." Kendall grinned at her. "Plus it's perfectly fine, if this was a musical, I guarantee you wouldn't be able to stop me from singing along to every single song."
"Oh, really? You know I think I'd love to see that sometime." Jo giggled back at him.
They both turned their attention back to the movie or at least Jo did, Kendall was still watching Jo. And some other people, a big dramatic make-out scene happened on screen and Kendall could see several couples in front of them taking the chance to act out their own versions. Jo didn't seem to notice, and he knew after how today had gone, even if she liked him too, he had to do this right, so he could get a second date, and maybe a third, and so on. No matter how much he wanted to kiss Jo, he knew he couldn't unless she made the first move.
But at the very least, while an unplanned kiss was out of the question, Kendall was sure he could get away with something else. Kendall carefully stretched his arms over his head in a yawn and then slowly wrapped one of his arms over Jo's shoulders.
Jo seemed to flinch for a moment and stared at him questioningly, but to his delight, she then smiled and leaned in closer to him so her head was resting against his shoulder.
Kendall smiled back at her for a moment, just enough to tell her he was happy, but not that his heart was doing jumping jacks inside his chest, and then turned his attention back to the movie.
They stayed in that position for the rest of the movie, and at one point, Kendall leaned his head down to take a sip of their pop, and Jo, while smirking slightly at him with an eyebrow raised in challenge leaned down to take a sip of her own at the same time, both of them getting lost in one another's eyes for a moment before they both grinned sheepishly and turned their focus back to the movie.
Until finally it was over and the house lights turned back on, revealing Kendall and Jo still holding one another close.
"So did you enjoy the movie?" Jo asked.
"Oh yeah, it was great." Kendall nodded enthusiastically.
"What was your favorite part?"
"Um…the uh end, where you know Robert realized his mistake and came running back to Amy begging for forgiveness?"
"And what did he need to be forgiven for?"
"Um…he chose the other woman, I think her name was Mary, but he realized his true love?"
"Nope. He came back from having the well-paying corporate job with Mary, back to the chocolate shop next door to Amy's flower shop." Jo giggled at him. "It's ok I don't blame you, on our next date to see Galactapus 5 I'll probably be bored and end up spending all my time staring at you."
"What? I wasn't-"
Jo just gave him a knowing look, daring him to keep digging that hole.
"OK, guilty."
"It's ok Kendall," Jo smiled at him, "I'm flattered."
"That's a relief." Kendall jokingly mimed wiping sweat from his brow. "Are you ready to head home?" Kendall checked his phone, "Harold sent me a text five minutes ago that he's already outside."
"Let's not keep him waiting then." Jo checked her phone too. "Good, we have plenty of time before curfew at 10:00. Trust me we don't want to keep my dad waiting either."
"No problem." Kendall said confidently, "But let's get a move on anyway."
They got up and left the theatre side by side, close enough that their hands were brushing together for a couple steps until Jo decided to take the chance this time and grabbed Kendall's hand and laced her fingers in his. Their blushing faces were obvious to both, but they didn't care.
They walked outside, quickly found Harold again, and were soon on their way back to the Palm Woods.
"So, you know the first song that got Gustavo to bring me out here, what was the play that started your rise to stardom?"
"Have you heard of South Pacific?"
"Unless you mean Fiji, not really," Kendall admitted.
"Well it's this musical from like World War II on an island with a US military base, and the main characters are this French guy Emile, who falls in love with a military nurse, Nellie, who was me. And long story short they fall in love and eventually live happily ever after. There's a whole lot of singing and dancing and it was really fun, and of course, it was even better when I met my agent after my last performance. Then a few weeks of arguing with my dad to let me come out here, and here I am."
"Well, I'm certainly glad that agent found you too. So what was your favorite song?"
"Hmm? OK, now I promise this song isn't about you but… I want to wash that man right out of my hair, I want to wash that man right out of my hair, I want to wash that man right out of my hair, and send him on his way."
Jo sang a few more lines and laughed even louder than before seeing Kendall looking completely enchanted by her for a few moments before he shook his head. "OK, between your acting skills, and your voice, I guarantee you're going to have movie producers fighting over you within a month."
"Really? You think I'm that good?"
"I think you're amazing, and I can already tell, you Jo, can do anything you set your mind to."
"Thank you Kendall, and I have a feeling, you're the exact same way." Jo smiled back at him,
Kendall wasn't completely sure, but he felt him and Jo slowly moving closer and closer until they had just a few inches separating them when their car came to a stop and Harold called back. "We've arrived back at the Palm Woods."
That broke them both out of their bubble, and Kendall was pretty sure he was blushing up a storm, just as much as Jo was. "Thank you again, Harold."
"It was my pleasure, I hope you both enjoyed your evening?"
"Oh don't worry Harold, we sure did," Jo answered and Kendall smiled back at her once more.
They stepped out of the car and walked through the Palmwoods together, Jo once again grabbed his hand and they were both smiling all the way as they took the elevator up to Jo's apartment.
When they were in front of Jo's door, she turned and smiled at Kendall one more time. "Thank you for a great night Kendall…and thank you for not giving up on proving I don't have a boyfriend. This was nice."
"Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. I really enjoyed tonight too, and since it sounds like you enjoyed it just as much as I did. Do you want to do this again sometime?"
"Yeah, I would like that." Jo smiled brightly, "And if you ever want to hang out here at the Palm Woods, just let me know."
"Now I would definitely like that," Kendall promised. "This whole day has been great, even being sent to the ground fifty times to help you practice Judo."
"Well, if you enjoyed that, I go to the gym every day at 10 am."
"Think you could teach me your moves? So I can at least have a chance of defending myself against you?"
"That can be arranged, so I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Kendall stepped forward and spread his arms wide in a hug that Jo happily leaned into until they were both holding each other closer, and the butterflies that had been fluttering through both of them went into overdrive as they pulled away.
"Goodnight Jo."
"Goodnight Kendall." Jo turned to open the door, and then she whispered over her shoulder. "Since it looks like my dad is in his room, you should get out while you can before he interrogates you."
"I'll take your word on that," Kendall whispered back. "See you tomorrow." Kendall then slowly backed away, and Jo watched him go for a moment before closing the door behind her.
She then leaned back against the door and sighed to herself. Yep, she was definitely crushing on him, and while she originally thought Kendall was just flirting with her as the new girl, she could believe that there was more to him than that.
She looked up at her when he walked into the main room from the hallway and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Wow, you're back already? I was half expecting to be waiting for you right at curfew if you were out with some boy."
"No Dad, Kendall had no problem with the curfew, he even walked me to my door."
"Hmm, so how was your date? Especially since I thought you were going to swear off boys for your career?"
"I know I said that, but Kendall was persistent, and I think he's going to be worth it. He's really sweet and funny, and charming…"
"OK, do I need to have words with him? Why'd he hightail it out of here so quickly?"
"Because I don't want you scaring him away too fast." Jo giggled, "Trust me Dad, Kendall's a great guy, you have nothing to worry about. Besides' did I tell you that this morning I sent him to the ground fifty times when I was practicing Judo? I can take care of myself."
"That's my girl." Dad smiled at her, "Fine I won't worry about interrogating him tonight, but you're going to have to let me meet him and scare him straight eventually."
"Yeah yeah, I know." Jo rolled her eyes. "I love you, goodnight."
"I love you too Jo, goodnight."
Jo walked into her room and quickly changed into her pajamas and just laid down on her bed, ready to text Camille, and her mom who both were already blowing up her phone demanding all the details. She smiled to herself, she was happy to share her happiness with them.
Kendall walked down the hall towards his apartment with a smile on his face, it was official, this was the best day off ever!