My A-List Boyfriend By Kyle Laforge

For my parents, who have encouraged my dream since I was 7 and writing about a girl and her magical dragon.

Chapter One I kept glancing at my watch, willing it to stop ticking. "Is there any chance you know a different route?" I anxiously asked the cab driver. He glared at me in the rearview mirror. "Guess not," I breath. muttered under my

I hate New York City. Ok I don't usually hate it. On a good day, I love the city. I'm a total Broadway snob and I could rattle off a list of all of the shows I have ever seen. And every December I make the annual trek to Macy's to visit Santa and tell him what I want for

Christmas, and then follow it up with a trip to Serendipity 3 to sip on frozen hot chocolate. So what if I'm 26 and still insist on sitting on Santa's lap every December? It's not just any old Santa; only the real deal at Macy's Herald Square is acceptable. In my book all other Santas are just posers. I'm not even sure I remember how my friend Jen and I started the tradition. There's a whole magic surrounding Christmas that has always been with me, even after I stopped believing in Santa Claus. W hen I was little I used to put up a fake Christmas tree in my room and create a little village out of my toys all around it. As I got older, I'd keep the tree and ditch the toys, but add twinkle lights strung all over my walls. It brings me back to a youth, when life was far less complicated. Plus, Jen and I jumped at any all and excuses to take cute

pictures of ourselves. The Santa picture is by far the highlight of the year. But today, I am in no mood for the city. I even left my office earlier than I thought necessary, only to get stuck in the usual rush hour gridlock. So now I'm sitting in traffic, praying that by some act of god I will get to the restaurant on time. I'm not even supposed to be doing this. It's funny how fate comes at you when you least expect it. I've worked at Teen Scene, a magazine publication for the 13-19 year old female demographic, for four years. I majored in English in college with a minor in creative writing. During my senior year I nabbed an internship at Teen Scene. W hen I graduated, a position happened to be open that I applied for and got. I spent my first two years being an errand girl, getting people their coffee and lunch

and doing other mundane tasks. It wasn't the most glamorous job but I was well aware that I'd have to pay my dues if I wanted to make it in the industry. Plus I was able to live at home with my parents and not pay rent. The job wasn't about the money; it was about where it could eventually take me. Then two years ago I was promoted to writing small articles on things like book and movie reviews. It wasn't a huge showcase of my talents but I gave it my all and enjoyed it. W ho can complain when they are reading books and watching movies for a living? Today I was working late. I had been putting together an article on what the Disney brand can do for someone's star power when my boss, Marilyn, came flying through the office. "Kate!" she exclaimed. "Thank god you're still here! I need a huge favor.

Are you free this evening?" "I was just planning to finish up what I'm working on and then head home." "I have a bit of a situation," she began. "There's been an issue with Nancy and to make a long story short she's no longer employed here. But I completely forgot that she had an interview lined up for tonight. An interview that none of our competition was able to secure and we cannot lose this. I would do it myself but I have to attend a fundraiser dinner with my husband. I know you have no experience but you're my only hope. Can you do it?" "I would love to," I said. "Fabulous!" she handed me a business card. "That's the address of the restaurant you need to be at by seventhirty." I looked at the clock. I had an

hour and a half before I needed to be there. "Marilyn!" I called as she walked away. "W ho am I interviewing?" "Tom Alexander," she yelled over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow!" As soon as Marilyn was out of sight, I flew into action. I jotted down a few questions to ask, just in case I needed them. I pulled the emergency stash of makeup out of my drawer and did a quick touch up. My long chestnut colored hair had gone flat, so I swept it up in a clip. I had on black Express pants and a short sleeved pink Ralph Lauren polo. My cute but highly uncomfortable Steve Madden heels were killing me. I sighed. Nothing I could do about the outfit now. I was about to leave the office, when full on panic set in. Marilyn was sending

me to interview Tom Alexander? He was a few years younger than me, but that didn't detract from how big a star he was. Or the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous. Tom had quickly risen as one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood. He'd even just been named one magazine's "Hottest Under 25". Like most other girls in America, I'd seen all of his movies. I did a little dance, texted Jen to tell her about my stroke of luck and headed out to grab a cab. This interview could do huge things for my career if I played my cards right. W hen we finally pulled up, I threw money at the cabbie and flew out the door. I paused for a brief second on the sidewalk to compose myself before walking into the cafe. The place was empty, except for a waitress leaning on the hostess podium, texting on her cell phone. Clearly she

did not notice me or did not care to notice me. I cleared my throat and she looked up, annoyed. "You can sit anywhere," she said as she started furiously texting again. I didn't bother to thank her because she was rude and because she probably wouldn't hear me anyway. I chose a table in the corner farthest from the door. Not that I was worried about anyone seeing us, the cafe was a dive and no one on the street seemed to be giving it a second glance. Must be why he picked this place, I thought to myself. I dug my spanking new Blackberry out of my oversized Coach bag (which was real, thank you very much) and checked the time; it was seven-forty. Well at least I wasn't the only one who was late. I hurriedly arranged my supplies on the table. Notepad, pen and recorder, which I had

swiped out of the office supply closet as an afterthought. I wondered if anyone even uses a tape recorder anymore. To make myself look busy, I played with the recorder buttons and arranged then rearranged my notebook and pen. "Can I get you something to drink?" the waitress asked when she decided to meander over. "Diet coke with lemon?" I responded. She turned on her heels to get my soda and I nervously checked my phone again. Ten minutes had passed. I pulled the business card with the address out of my bag. Yup, I was where I was supposed to be. Now where was he? I sipped my soda and tried to make it look like I was busy on my Blackberry. I texted Jen, who I promised I would keep up to date on my very first

interview. "He's late." Send. Beep. "He's an actor." "So?" Send. Beep. "K. The hottest actor on earth right now. He can make anyone wait." "I might be sick. W hy did I agree to this?" Send. Beep. "Bc its ur dream. Now man up & chill out." The bell over the door tinkled and when I looked up, my stomach was in my throat. I stood up and tried to get my heart to stop beating out of my chest as he made his way over to me. It was quite a feat, because he was definitely

as good looking in real life as in the movies and on television. He was taller than I expected, 6'1 or 6'2 from what I could estimate. He has soft brown eyes and messy brown hair. The jeans he was wearing were ripped and faded, which was so the rage right. Now that I think about it, he may have been the one to re-invent that style. My eyes traveled down to his feet and I tried to suppress a grin. I loved the fact that he was wearing flip flops. Definitely a sign that he was laid back and didn't take himself too seriously. My nerves started to melt away. "I'm Tom," he said, extending his hand. "Kate," I replied, taking his hand in mine. "Sorry I'm late," Tom said, "New York City traffic. You know how it is." He flashed me a dazzling smile of

ridiculously white teeth. "Sure," I stammered. Oops, nerves are still there. "It's no problem." We both sat down and the waitress immediately approached us. "Hi! Oh my god! You're Tom Alexander!" she exclaimed, with much more spunk now that I wasn't alone. "My name is Meg and I'll be taking care of you. Can I get you something to drink?" "Just a water," Tom answered. Meg the waitress stood there for a minute, googly eyed. "And Kate will have another of whatever she's drinking," he added. "Right, sure. Be right back!" Meg said brightly.

Meg walked away and Tom turned his focus to me. "So," he said, "can you remind me which magazine you're from?" "Teen Scene." "Ah, right. I did a photo shoot for a spread in your magazine the other day. Sorry, I've been in town only a few days and I've done more magazine, television and radio interviews than would seem humanly possible." "No worries. I don't know how you keep it all together so well. Do you even sleep?" Tom laughed. "W hen I can. Once the movie promoting is over I'll take a few weeks off before it's back to work again. But I love it, so

it's worth it. And I have a personal assistant who knows my schedule better than I do." He motioned over his shoulder to a woman in her mid-thirties who was engrossed in a magazine. Thats W endy." Wendy looked up from her magazine and smiled at me. I gave her a little wave and smiled back. A large man loomed in the doorway, talking on a cell phone. He had a large tribal tattoo on his arm and I got the impression I wouldnt want to meet him in a dark alley. He caught my gaze and winked at me. Tom chuckled. Thats James, he explained. My bodyguard. Scary and intimidating on the outside, big ball of mush on the inside. Though if youd keep that between us Id appreciate it. Of course. I smiled. Sense of

humor, check. I begged to come alone, Tom shook his head. Im a grown man who can handle himself, right? I paused, wanting to choose my words carefully. I think a little protection from the screaming masses never hurt anyone. Wasnt there an incident the last time you were here in the city? Tom blushed as if embarrassed. It was cute. he was

My fans are veryloyal, he said. I think sometimes they forget that Im just a person. Id rather not have to tote security around but then again I dont need pictures of my fans trying to maul me on TMZ, right? Makes me kind of look like a wimp. He watched and/or read TMZ? I

liked this guy already. Tom pulled his phone out of his pocket. Sorry, he apologized. I swear this thing never stops ringing. I meant to shut it off before I got inside. "No worries. I don't want to keep you too long, so down to business?" I asked. Tom nodded and took a sip of his water. "Alright.Vanished' is certainly a big stray from the roles we're used to seeing you play. W hat made you make the move to a big blockbuster and what was it like working with W ill Smith?" "W hat? No interest in my love life or who the girl of the moment is?" Tom asked playfully. "Well, since you're the one who brought

it up..." "No girl. Truthfully, my people don't think now is the right time to be involved. They're concerned with what my female fan base might think." "That's kind of sad," I said before I even thought about what I was saying. "I guess. It's clich, but I am crazy busy and don't have time for a relationship. How could I when I barely have time to sleep?" I sat for a minute, unsure of what to say. He'd thrown me for a loop by being so forward with his personal life. But it must come with the territory. Inquiring minds want to know and all that sort of stuff. I gaze down at my notebook and the list of questions I had prepared. W hen I glanced up, Tom was staring thoughtfully at my questions as well.

"Oh I like number 3!" he exclaimed. "But are you sure your readers really care about why I was drawn to the script? Don't they want to know my likes and dislikes? Or what kind of girl is my type?" Is he joking or making fun of me? "I was hoping to bring something different to the article. Give you a little more depth. W hat Tom Alexander likes and doesn't like has been done. But we can talk about whatever you want." "Heck no! Like you said earlier, let's talk movie. 'Vanished' is my favorite movie I've done so far. I'd actually read the book in high school and I've always been intrigued by the supernatural. I was skeptical when my agent first brought it to me. I'm typically type cast as the jock or the popular guy, so I

wasn't too sure the casting agency would go for me in this. But I rehearsed the heck out of it and went into the audition a completely different character than you usually see me play. That's what makes me most excited, it's something new and fresh for my fans. Oh and to answer your question from before, W ill Smith is my new favorite co-star. He's such a professional but at the same time the most down-to-earth actor I've ever met. I learned more from him than I ever thought I would." He took a breath while I scribbled furiously in my notebook, trying to keep up with what he was saying. "You know," he said, "most people just hit play on the tape recorder. It's flattering, but you don't have to write every word I say." I felt my face flush deep red.

"Oh I didn't mean to embarrass you! It came out as a backhanded compliment but I really didn't mean it in a bad way." Fortunately for both of us, Meg wandered over to see if we'll be ordering any food. "I'm fine," I lied. My stomach betrayed me and rumbled but thank god I don't think anyone hears it. I'm actually starving but there is no way in heck I am eating in front of Tom Alexander. I thought about the protein bar sitting in my bag that I could have eaten on the cab ride over. "Are you sure?" Tom asked. "Because I'm starving. I could go for an order of nachos and chicken fingers." "Nachos and chicken fingers, coming right up! And I'll get you refills on those

drinks," Meg said. Silently thanking Meg, I regained my composure. "So tell me about the character you play in 'Vanished'. His name is Christian, right?" Tom thought for a moment before responding. I noticed the way his eyebrows pull together when he's deep in thought. Quick jot in the notebook. Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this. "Well Christian comes from a lower middle class family. His dad drinks and his mom works a lot. He's dark and brooding and doesn't have many friends. One day his older sister just up and disappears. His parents aren't worried; they think she ran off with her boyfriend. But Christian doesn't think

she'd do that to him because they are super close, so he takes off to find her. He ends up running into W ill Smith who is also looking for a loved one who's gone missing. W ill plays an ex-FBI agent and they team up to uncover some crazy stuff." Meg returns with the food, drinks and two plates. I ignored her and continued to write in my notebook. Tom scooped some nachos onto his plate and pushed them toward me. "No thanks, I'm good," I told him. "Humor me," he said, "I hate eating alone." I grabbed a fork and scraped some of the nachos onto my plate, trying to figure out how to best eat them. I stabbed at the chips and cheese on my plate and gingerly guided the fork into

my mouth. Tom watched me, stifling a laugh. "W hat?" I asked. "Seriously? Sorry, I've just never seen anyone try to eat nachos with a fork before." "Can I be honest with you?" "Sure." "Well first, I have a phobia about eating in front of strangers. It's weird, I know, but I'm abnormally self-conscious. And then there's the fact that you're my first celebrity interview and I'm so nervous my leg has been shaking ever since we sat down." "Get out of here! This can't really be your first interview. You don't seem nervous at all. And I know a lot about

making people nervous," He winked at me. "You don't think I'm nervous?" I looked at the fork in my hand and then pointedly looked at him. Tom laughed and said "So can I ask a question? How old are you? You look young to be doing this kind of thing. Most of the people who interview me are well into their 30s." "I'm 26. But then again, 26 probably seems ancient to you," I teased. "Hey now. I'm not that much younger than you." "I know hold old you are. 24. Born in Dallas, Texas, March 18, 1986." "I'm impressed, you did your homework. Here's a good one for you. Do you know

what my first ever gig was?" I blushed. "A Pampers commercial when you were barely a year old." I silently thanked myself for doing a quick IMDB search to prepare before I left the office. "If you could not put that in print, I would owe you big time," Tom grinned. "Deal. No comment on the diapers." "Now that you know I've never done this before, how do you think I'm doing? Hopefully I'm not making a complete idiot out of myself," I said. "Shockingly well. I think you're easy to talk to, which is good for you but bad for me. Once I feel comfortable with someone I start talking without thinking. And then those things get put in print. There's just one thing that

might make this awkward." My face fell. "Y ou've got cheese on your chin."

Chapter Two By the time I got home to New Jersey it was well after midnight. And even though I had to be up at 6am the next morning, I'd gotten a sudden adrenaline rush. I fired up my laptop as I changed into pajamas and brushed my teeth. The interview with Tom Alexander kept running over and over in my mind and it made me smile. He was nice, charming, polite and very easy to talk to. I had expected a pompous, over confident brat and I turned out to be wrong on all of the above. We'd sat at the cafe chatting like we'd known each other forever for hours about how he got started in the business, what it was like working with various costars and how he aspired to pen his own script and direct it. At one point I had to remind myself that he was younger than me. The way

he carried himself and spoke made him seem well beyond his 24 years. Pleased with the material I'd collected, I sat down on the couch, pulled my laptop onto my lap, and started to write. Believe it ladies. T om Alexander is just as good looking in person as you'd expect him to be. He w anders into the SOHO cafe, dressed in a baby blue polo, trendy torn jeans and brow n reefs (my all time favorite flip flops, a sign w e w ill get along w ell). His hair is messy, but the kind of messy w here it looks like he styled it that w ay on purpose. On the outside, he could totally pass for your neighborhood surfer boy. He's got an easy w ay about him that makes you feel instantly at ease. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch. He's still a mega movie star after all. T om Alexander is more than just good looks though. We speak briefly about his personal life (yes, he is

single. Y ou can all let out a collective sigh of relief). But no, he isn't looking for love and w e don't touch on w hat he's looking for in a girl w hen he decides to start looking. He's career driven and that's part of his charm. We both are eager to discuss his career and the big risk he is taking w ith his new movie. Right now his career is w hite hot and he happily dishes on his first blockbuster, Vanished, due out in theaters early next month. When I ask about Vanished and his character, Christian, he stares off into space for a few minutes before he begins to speak. I notice that w hen he is deep in thought, his pulls his eyebrow s together in the most endearing w ay. As if I need to give you another reason to sw oon over him. "Christian comes from a low er middle class family. His dad drinks and his mom w orks a lot. He's dark and

brooding and doesn't have many friends. When his older sister goes missing his parents think she's just run off w ith her boyfriend, but Christian feels otherw ise so he sets out to find her." "And w here does Will Smith's character come into this?" I ask. I 'm captivated by the w ay he speaks as if he has really become this character. "Will Smith plays an ex-FBI agent w ho Christian meets along the w ay. He's looking for a lost loved one as w ell and together they start to unravel some pretty crazy stuff. T he view ers w ill have to suspend their disbelief but I think it's a great story. Plus, w ho doesn't like a Will Smith action movie?" I ask him how it w as w orking w ith such a huge star. "Amazing", he answ ered w ithout hesitation. "My favorite costar yet. He

taught me so much and w as fabulous to w ork w ith. He actually convinced me to learn to do my ow n stunts. So everything you see me do in the movie is me and not a stunt double. T hat's probably w hat I am most proud of." T om goes on to say this particular project is his favorite to date and it show s in the passion in his voice. He w elcomes the chance to stray from the roles w e all have grow n accustomed to him portraying. I get the feeling he is an actor because he truly loves it, not for the fame or the paychecks. T hough he does admit the fame and paychecks are a nice perk. "I know the fame gets to a lot of other actors and actresses, but I try to not let it get to me. Sure I have my days w here I 'd like to lash out at the paparazzi and ask them to just leave me alone but it comes w ith the territory.

T hen again I also don't go seeking out the attention. Y ou'll never find me dancing the night aw ay at any LA or NY C hot spots." "What does T om Alexander do for fun then?" I asked. "Lately I 've been w orking 12 hour days. So w hen I go home all I w ant to do is sleep. And if I 'm not tired, I 'll read a book or w atch television. I t might sound boring, but it's the truth." Our w aitress comes over to see if w e w ill eat and to my dismay, T om orders nachos and chicken fingers. While it comforts me to see even superstar T om Alexander eats, I 'm horrified at the idea of having to eat in front of him. I even embarrass myself by attempting to eat nachos w ith a fork. When he gently

teases me about it, I feel as if w e are old friends. We continue to chat over coffee and T om tells me that he currently resides in LA but hopes to find a place in New Y ork City. "T here's just something different about New Y ork City. T he people are real. Don't get me w rong, they're real in LA, but it's a different kind of real. I 'm not sure I know how to explain it. I do also know I 'd like to experience the seasons. LA is nothing but summer all the time. I 've never even seen snow ! I f the right script came along and I had to live in New Y ork for aw hile I 'd definitely jump at the chance." We part w ith a hug and I almost melt on my feet. Hey, I 'm still only human.

As w e leave the cafe a sw arm of girls are w aiting, no doubt thanks to our w aitress and her affinity for text messaging. I slip off quietly and w atch T om Alexander sign autographs and take pictures w ith a huge grin on his face. I f one thing could be said, he simply adores his fans. I read my rough draft over twice and was happy with what I had done so far. It wasnt done by any means, but it was a start. I groaned when I looked and the clock and saw how late it was. Getting up for work was going to be a struggle so I saved my article and shut down my computer. As my head hit the pillow the last thing I saw in my mind before I slipped into sleep was Tom Alexander's perfect smile.

Chapter Three The next morning I hadnt even turned on my computer before I had company. "Tell me everything," Sarah flopped into the extra chair in my cubicle. "About what?" I asked innocently. "Don't play coy with me," she replied. "You know how word flies around here. We all know Nancy got fired and that you got to interview Tom Alexander last night." I spun my chair to face her. "Marilyn asked me to do it because I was the only one left in the office," I pointed out.

"I'm jealous. Remind me to work late once in awhile. So what's he like?" I searched my brain for the right word. "Incredible," I sighed. "I think I expected him to be arrogant and obnoxious and he was anything but. I was nervous as hell waiting for him to show up but then he got there and he acted so normal." "He's an actor," she said. "There has to be something wrong with him." "I noticed that fingernails," I offered. he bites his

"Not a completely off-putting character flaw. But you know actors. Most of them are just...weird." "I did only spend a few hours with him. Maybe he saves exposing his true nature for a second meeting," I grinned.

There was something else about Tom that I didnt share with Sarah-he struck me as very lonely. He had mentioned not having many true friends in LA and that made me sad for him. For a fleeting moment I wished in New York. I was positive we would be great friends. I shook the thought off when I realized Sarah was talking to me. "Earth to Kate. Bring your head out of the clouds, will ya? W hat do you think this means for you here?" Sarah asked, motioning around the office. "I'm not sure. There has to be two or three other people more qualified and experienced than me to handle doing our big features. But that's not for me to worry about. All I'm going to do is write the article I did the interview for and see what happens from there." All day I spent writing and re-

writing my article. At one point I had three different versions of it sitting in front of me. By the end of the next day I was fairly certain I had found a way to merge all three into one great article. I formulated an email to Marilyn, attached my article and went home for the night. The next morning, Marilyn called me into her office. "Have a seat," she said. In my entire academic career I'd never been called to the principal's office but I imagined this was what it felt like. My eyes fell on a copy of my article sitting on her desk. "I read your article last night," she began. "How did I not know what a talent you have?" I let out a breath I didn't know I

was holding. "That's very nice of you to say," I responded. "This might irritate a few people, but I'd like to give you Nancy's old job. How do you feel about doing all of our monthly features?" "I'd be honored," I gushed. "It's going to be a lot of work," she warned, as I'd still like to keep you on what you were doing previously as well." "I can handle it," I promised. Then Marilyn did something she didn't often do in the presence of anyone on staff. She smiled. "It will of course come with a pay raise," she added. I did a happy dance in my head.

"Thank you, Marilyn." "Y ou're welcome. Y ou've been with us a long time and you deserve it. I'll make the announcement at our next team meeting that you're going to replace Nancy. Until then let's keep this between you and I."

Chapter Four "Kate," came a whisper over my wall. "W hat?" I hissed back. I was working on an article about tanning beds and how harmful they are and I was totally on a roll. I loved my coworker but I did not have time for another hour long story about the latest wonderful thing Sarah's boyfriend did for her. It made me want to vomit. Partly because he was overly sweet to her and partly because it made me miss having a boyfriend of my own. I didnt define myself by having a relationship, but it was nice to be in one nonetheless. "I have a copy of the next issue of the magazine and I thought you'd be interested in taking a look. But I understand if you're busy."

That got my attention. I pushed back from my desk and sprang out of my chair. "This better not be a joke," I said as I came out of my cubicle and stood over Sarah's. She waved the magazine in my face. "No joke. I pulled some strings down in publication and they got me a copy. The magazine hits newsstands tomorrow." My stomach did somersaults as she handed me what I'd been waiting two whole weeks to lay my eyes on. The cover shot was stunning. Tom Alexander stared back at me, with his striking eyes and messy brown hair. The tagline read "Tom Alexander: Not Just a Pretty Face". So far, so good. I graciously accepted the magazine from

Sarah and promised to give it back when I was done. "Keep it," she said. "I got two copies. Just do me a favor and sign mine for me? So when you are a big famous writer I have your first autograph." I laughed and turned to sit back down with my very own copy of my very first feature in a major publication in my hot little hands. The excitement was almost too much to contain. I flipped right to the table of contents to seek out what page my article started on. And there it was, right there on page 32. "Tom Alexander: Looking for a Change" by Kate Sanders. Ok, so the title could have been better, but that wasn't part of my gig. All I cared about was the fact that my name was sitting under the byline and that underneath that were my words, in

black and white. I read the story twice, basking in my own glory. I was engrossed in checking out the pictorial spread for the third time when my phone rang. "Kate Sanders, answered. Teen Scene," I

"Hey Kate," Pam our receptionist said, "I have a call for you." "Pam do me a favor? If it's my mom tell her I'm out to lunch, ok?" There was no doubt in my mind that my mom was calling to make idle chit chat and that would have to wait for later. "It's not your mom. It's Wendy Smith, Tom Alexander's assistant."

It took me a minute to recover my speech. W hy would Tom Alexander's assistant want to speak to me? My heart sank and I immediately thought the worst. Tom would have gotten a copy of the magazine before it went out to the public let alone Teen Scene staff. W hat if he didn't like what I did with the article? "Kate? Are you still there?" "Yea, sorry Pam, I'm here. Put Wendy through to me." I waited a few beats to give Pam a chance to transfer the call. "Hi, this is Kate." "Hi Kate, W endy Smith, Tom Alexander's assistant." "Hi W endy, how are you?"

"I'm well, thanks for asking. Please hold for Mr. Alexander." Oh crap. He wanted to speak to me personally? W hy was I freaking out? We'd just spent hours together two weeks ago. I should not be freaking out. But I was. "Hey Kate! It's Tom." "Hey Tom. I've got to be honest; this is one of the most surprising phone calls I've ever gotten at work." "W ell I was calling to make sure you got the flowers I sent over." Just then Pam came walking up to my desk with a large bouquet of yellow roses. I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. My face grew hot as I accepted them. I prayed silently that

Pam wouldn't put two and two together and figure out who they were from. Please let her think they are from my parents or even some secret admirer, I thought. "Did you do that on purpose?" I asked into the phone. "Because they literally just got here." Tom laughed. "No, I didn't do it on purpose though that does work out in my favor." "Well thanks! That was really nice of you!" "I'm the one who should be thanking you. I saw the magazine yesterday and your article was great. Very flattering and I appreciate the kind words. Although I wish you had put in the part about the cheese on your chin." He

laughed again. It made me feel silly, but I loved the sound of his laugh. There was something downright genuine about it that made me grin. "W hat can I say? I figured I'd wait until my second feature to share my embarrassing moments with our readers." Theres going to be a second feature? he asked. Didnt you tell me you werent sure who would replace the woman who got fired? I lowered my voice. Im not supposed to tell anyone here, but I got promoted! Im going to be handling all of the features from now on. Thats great! Tom Congratulations! exclaimed.

Thanks! I probably owe part of that to you. You were a wonderful first

interview. "I doubt you owe me; youre a very talented writer. Anyway Kate I have to run, I'm due on the Today Show in two minutes. More movie promoting. But hey listen Im not leaving for LA until Friday. I dont typically do things like this, but what the heck? Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? Id like to take you out to celebrate your first feature article and your promotion. Are you free?" For the second time today I was speechless. Was Tom Alexander asking me on a date? "Sure! Dinner tomorrow sounds great. I get out of work at 6 if you want to swing by and pick me up. I know some really good places in the area." "Perfect. I'll be by your office at 6. Oh

and Kate?" "Y eah?" "Y ou don't read Perez Hilton, do you?" "W hat girl my age doesn't read Perez Hilton?" I asked, wondering where he was going with this. "Well then you already know that he's convinced I have a thing for older women." "Very funny. I'm not that much older than you, you said so yourself, I laughed. See you tomorrow." I hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Chapter Five All day long people were coming up to me, congratulating me on my promotion and wanting to talk about the article. I tried not to be rude, but I barely heard them. The only thing on my mind was dinner with Tom Alexander. The only person I'd told at work was Sarah and she'd be sworn to secrecy. I did not need to get a bad reputation in the office. The other person who knew was Jen, but she knew everything. And I needed to call her over for an emergency outfit modeling session last night. We spent two hours picking through my clothes and some of hers to find me the perfect outfit. "I have nothing to wear," I moaned, throwing myself on my bed. Jen had just walked in with a pile of her clothes over

her arm. "W hat did you do to this place?" she asked, stepping around my clothes. "I've tried on pretty much every article of clothing I own. And I don't like any of it." "Ok," Jen said. "Between your wardrobe and what I brought over we can make something work. Let's first decide how you want to dress. Casual, like jeans? Or do you want to go skirt or dress?" "I think if I'm too dressy, he'll think I think we're on a date. But what if I go too casual and he's dressed up?" Jen sat on the floor and picked through the piles of clothes. "My opinion," she finally said, "is jeans, cute top and heels. Jeans are casual,

but we can dress them up." She handed me a pair of jeans. "I like these ones and they fit you really well. Put them on and then we'll look for a shirt." I pulled the pants on as Jen continued to rifle through my shirts. She tossed a bunch up on my bed. "Start trying those on," she instructed. We spent an hour going through every shirt I owned, along with the things Jen had brought over. Finally we decided on a pink sleeveless top. Shoes were much easier. "W hat about these ones?" I asked, standing in front of the mirror. They were strappy and had three inch heels but they completed the outfit perfectly. "Well, you're already 5'7" so they're going to make you super tall. But Tom's

what? 6'1" or 6'2"? Those look the best, wear them." If you thought the day of my big date with the A-list movie star would drag, youd be wrong. Before I knew it, the clock read 5:30pm. After Sarah wished me good luck and left for the night, I headed to the ladies room to get ready. I hurriedly changed out of my work clothes and threw on my dinner clothes. I assessed the makeup situation and decided it needed to be freshened. I wiped my face down and started with a clean palette. A tiny bit of concealer, eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara later my makeup was done. My philosophy was less is more. Next I moved on to hair. I pulled it out of the clip that had been holding it up all day and gave my head a shake. Loose waves cascaded past my shoulders and it actually didn't look half bad. I did a quick spritz of hairspray, brushed my teeth and gave

myself a final once over. Satisfied, I headed back to my desk to shut down and wait for Tom. Since he was late for our first meeting, I waited until 6pm to head outside to meet him, figuring he might be late again. To my surprise, Tom was leaning casually against a sleek black Lincoln Town Car. He was dressed in black pants and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A few young girls had realized who he was and he's happily signing autographs and taking pictures with them. He caught my eye and winked at me. I waited until the girls were done and were walking in the other direction before I headed across the sidewalk to the car. Tom greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and opened the door for me. "Hey Kate! You look great! Did you decide on where you want to eat?"

I slid into the backseat and gave the driver the address for Blockheads, my all time favorite restaurant. It's not a big tourist spot by any means and I'm pretty sure Tom has never been there. I hoped he liked Mexican food. Hi James, I said when I noticed Toms security guy sitting in the front seat. He turned around and gave me a big grin. Nice to see you again, Kate. It was a short drive and we didnt do much talking. I prayed this was not an indication of how my night was going to play out. Fortunately the restaurant wasnt far and before I knew it we were walking up the front steps. "Hello," I said to the hostess, "table for 2?"

The hostess grabbed two menus and asked over her shoulder, "Do you want to sit inside or outside?" "Outside please," Tom answered. We followed the hostess to the outside seating and I'm happy to note that only a few tables are occupied. Some of the diners give Tom second glances, no doubt trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. We were led to a table for two and I was glad Tom had picked to sit outside. It was a beautiful night and the string of lights overheard created a great atmosphere. "Your waiter will be right with you," the hostess said as she handed us our menus and walked away. "Kate this place is so cool! Good choice, I love Mexican food," Tom said as he

opened his menu. "I'm glad you think so," I replied, "it's probably my favorite place. Their drinks are great and their food is even better. But where is James? Tom nodded toward the Hes being vigilant, he winked. door.

Hes just going to stand out there all night? His choice, Tom shrugged. I told him he could have gone back to the hotel. Eventually hell wander in when he gets hungry. Dont worry about him, hell be fine. We sat reading our menus and our waiter approached. "Welcome to Blockheads. My name is Matt and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Can I get you both something

to drink?" Tom looked at me, indicating I should go first. Note to self: some guys, even big time actors, still act like gentleman. "I'll take a black flower please." "That sounds good, I'll have the same," Tom told him. The waiter left to get our drinks and I giggled. "Do you even know what a black flower is?" I asked. "Nope but the name had me intrigued. W hat is it?" "It's half frozen margarita, half sangria. And probably the greatest alcoholic beverage known to man."

"You can't go wrong with something like that. Do you know what you're going to order?" "Yep! The same thing I always ordertwo beef tacos with the side salad. I'm unadventurous. Once I find something I like I tend to stick with it." Our waiter came back with our drinks and took our dinner order. "Two orders of beef tacos with salad for both," Tom told him. After Matt collected our menus, Tom raised his glass. "A toast, to my first friend in New York and to your future success as a writer." We touched glasses and both drank to his toast.

"Alright Kate, since you pretty much know everything there is to know about me, tell me about yourself." I took another sip of my drink. "There's not much to tell. I was born and raised in New Jersey. Went to college at Fordham here in the city and graduated with a degree in journalism. Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to be a writer. To me it was just the most glamorous job. I couldn't think of why anyone wouldn't want thousands of people reading their writing and connecting with it. My first story was for a Young Authors conference when I was in second grade. It was about a girl who makes friends with a magical dragon. My mom still has the original copy. Anyway, my senior year I did an internship at Teen Scene and when I graduated they offered me a job. For the first two years I was an

administrative assistant, which is a fancy title for getting people coffee and making copies. It wasn't very exciting but I was getting exposure to the business and I knew if I did my time good things would happen. Then I was promoted to doing filler stories, writing about things like movie and book reviews and penning the occasional fictional short story. I still live in Jersey with my parents because it's cheaper to commute than to pay rent for an apartment in the city. Commuting makes for long hours and not much of a social life but I love my job." Our food came and it was a welcome break. I never liked talking about myself and to someone like Tom my life probably sounded so...normal. "W hat about the future?" Tom asked in between bites. "Do you see yourself working at Teen Scene for the rest of

your life?" "Honestly, no. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I've been writing ever since I could. My dream would be to write childrens' books but that's a tough industry to break into. If I had to stay in the magazine industry I'd still be happy. But I'd need to find something a little more grown up than Teen Scene eventually." Our waiter came over and Tom ordered two more drinks for us. "I get what you're saying. I'd love to do some directing one day. Although acting is a true passion of mine and I would be happy if that's what I did with the rest of my life. But that could always change. W hen you're not working and hanging out with celebrities what do you do for fun?"

"For the record, you are the only celebrity I've 'hung out with'," I grinned. "But to answer your question, I guess I do the usual girl stuff. Hang out with friends, shop, go to the bar. I'm in no way a club girl. Give me a book or a reality TV show and my sweatpants over a club any day." "Me too! I try not to admit it because it's kind of embarrassing, but I especially love all of those VH1 shows. Please tell me you watch Rock of Love. Bret Michaels is the man." "Of course I do! It's one of many television shows that gets a season pass set up on my DVR. Every time I hear a Poison song on the radio I giggle. I think I'd get such a kick out of seeing them in concert." "You like asked. going to concerts?" Tom

"Love them! I've seen Matchbox 20 four times and Rascal Flatts six times. There's an outdoor venue I've been going to in Jersey ever since I was in high school. I love sitting on the lawn and just dancing and singing along. Even though I am a terrible singer," I admitted. "That's cool. I'm a big music fan myself and I pretty much will listen to anything. I think my first concert was when I was 7; my mom took me to see the Beach Boys. I've been hooked on seeing stuff live ever since." Our waiter surfaced to clear away our dinner plates. "Do you want asked. another drink?" Tom

"Sure. As long as you don't need to get

going," I replied. "Nope. I actually have nothing tomorrow. Except an early flight to LA but I can always sleep on the plane. It's not often that I get to enjoy good company and conversation." We ordered two more drinks and kept chatting, discovering we have more in common than we thought. Both of us each have 1 sibling, younger brothers. And both of our parents are still happily married. Tom tells me that his parents are both teachers and that they live in Texas with his younger brother. "I've never been to Texas," I said, "but I'd love to go." Tom looked at me questioningly. "Confession time," I told him. "I love football and I'm a huge Dallas Cowboys

fan. I've never been down there to see them play though." "It's not often you find a girl who's into sports," Tom commented. "How did you get to be a Cowboys fan though?" "I've been a fan since birth. They're my dad's favorite team." "Football is my favorite sport," Tom responded. "And growing up in Dallas pretty much mandates you be a Cowboys fan. I try to get down to at least one home game a season. If you ever have the chance to go down for a game let me know and I can hook you up with good tickets." "That would be really cool! Do you see your family a lot?" I asked. "I try to go home once a month, it helps keep me grounded," he told me. "My

family doesn't ever let me get away with trying to act like a Hollywood brat. I wash the dishes after dinner, just like everyone else." I laughed and tried to picture Tom doing dishes. In my head it's quite comical. I talked about my family and how my mom was also a teacher but that my dad was a police officer in the town where I grew up. "Having all the police officers in town know you by name is both a curse and a blessing," I admitted. The conversation (and black flowers) kept flowing. Every time we exhausted one topic we somehow seemed to flawlessly transition into another. "Longest relationship?" Tom asked. "Three and a half years," I replied.

"Do you mind telling me about it?" I hesitated. It wasnt that I didnt want to tell him. In fact, it was the complete opposite-I felt at ease talking to him and knew I could trust him with anything I said. But I hated talking about my ex, especially because I felt the breakup had been my fault. "Theres not much to tell. We broke up awhile ago so I've had time to get over it. We met in college and fell in love. Continued to date after college. But I was super focused on my career and working crazy hours. Then he got a job a few hours away from home and the long distance thing just didnt work out for us. He asked me to move in with him where he was living but it meant giving up my job and my career. There was no way to do what I was doing from where he was. It was tough, but it was

the right decision to walk away," I told him. "I've gone on dates here and there but nothing serious since." "Wow, good for you for being strong enough to make a decision like that," he commented. "Thanks. W hat about you?" "I've never had much luck when it comes to girls," he looked up from his drink. I eyed him skeptically. "Let me rephrase that," he said. "I haven't had luck finding a girl who's interested in me for who I am as a person. The last relationship I was in ended in less than a year. I've been doing this my whole life so the only girls that I've ever known are actresses. I'm hesitant to get close to someone else who's in the business because I

tend to question their motives. Most seem to be more interested in furthering their careers than building any sort of relationship. I gave the girlfriend title a shot only once and she broke my heart." I didn't know what to say. W hat girl in her right mind would break this guy's heart? I'd only known him a short time but he gave me the impression that he was not only good looking but a genuinely good person as well. It wasnt often that you found a guy like him, especially in the entertainment business. Fortunately I didn't have to say anything. At that moment our waiter came over and said, "I'm sorry guys, but we're closing." He put the check on the table which Tom immediately grabbed the bill.

"No way Jose," I said, reaching for the bill at the same time. "I'm not letting you pay for dinner." Tom whipped out his wallet, threw a few bills on the table and grabbed my hand. "I invited you to dinner, therefore I pay. W hen you invite me to dinner, you can pay." I sighed and followed him out of the restaurant. W hen I looked at my watch, I panicked. "Oh my god! It's 1:30am." "Is that late?" Tom asked. "It is when the last train out was 15 minutes ago," I groaned. I imagined

myself having to sleep in Penn Station and doing the walk of shame into work. I shuddered. My parents would not be pleased if I called them to come pick me up. "Don't worry, Kate. I'll just have my driver take you home," Tom opened the door to the car and ushered me inside. We dropped Tom at his hotel first since it was on the way. Before he got out of the car he pulled a Blockheads business card out of his wallet and handed it to me. "Something to remember you by?" I joked. "No, flip it over. The other side has my personal cell phone number and my email address. So if you want to get in touch with me you don't have to through W endy," he said shyly.

My mouth hung open and I gaped at the card in my hand. I really needed to stop losing my words around this guy otherwise he was going to think I was crazy or something. "Thanks Tom! I finally managed. I'm glad you think so highly of me to trust me with something like that." "Well I had a good time tonight and at the interview a few weeks ago. I feel like I've known you my whole life and it's nice to feel like I could have a real friend. Email me when you get a chance. I'll talk to you when I get back to LA." He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before getting out of the car and walking around to the passenger side window. "I can make it up to my room without a problem, he said as James started to get out of the car. Just make sure she

gets home safely. He gave me a wave as he stood in front of the hotel and watched us pull a wa y. I slumped against the seat and sighed. This may have been the best night of my life.

Chapter Six By some small act of God, I managed to get up and get to work on time. W hen I got there, Sarah was standing in between our cubicles, cup of coffee in hand. "You look like hell," she observed as she handed me the coffee. "French vanilla with skim and four splendas. Speaking of which, can we talk again about how you need four splendas in your medium coffee? Just the thought of it makes my teeth hurt." "You a re an absolute lifesaver." I threw my bag on my desk and turned on my computer. And Ill have you know I used to use six splendas. I just like things super sweet, I said with a shrug.

Sarah perched on the edge of my desk and waited. I looked up at waiting for something? her. Are you

"Well? Are you going to tell me about last night? Or should I just read about it on Perez Hilton?" Sarah teased. "Give me a few minutes to settle in here and then I promise to give you all the details." I'd just finished deleting all the spam that had found its way into my inbox when Sarah called my name over the wall. I didn't literally mean minutes. "Umm Kate?" "W hen I said I needed a few minutes I sort of meant it."

"You might want to see this now. And just so you know, I was totally kidding about the Perez thing..." I felt the color drain from my face. Some part of my dinner with Tom couldn't have ended up on Perez Hilton, could it? There weren't even that many people at Blockheads and I didn't remember seeing anyone on their cell phones or taking pictures. I double clicked on the Internet Explorer icon and crossed my fingers that it was nothing. I swiftly plugged in the popular blogger's web address and when it loaded, I'm staring at a picture of me. Not a very good picture of me, as it was obviously taken from a distance and with a low quality phone, but I know it's me because standing behind me is definitely Tom.

"Off the Market !?" the title screamed. Underneath the headline was a picture of Tom with his hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the car. I notice d that Perez has lovingly placed a big white question mark on my forehead. New sflash ladies! T om Alexander appears to have dined w ith a lady friend at one of the Blockheads NY C locations last night. One patron of the restaurant says that the margaritas w ere flow ing and the couple had to be kicked out at closing. No w ord on w here they continued the party, but my guess w ould be T om's hotel room. Stay tuned for more details and if you know w ho the brunette is, w e w ant to know ! I clicked off of the page and rubbed my forehead. On the bright side, Perez had no idea who I was. But here was Tom, plastered on a gossip blog for the umpteenth time. W hen he told me last

night that sometimes the fame made his personal life hard, I had trouble understanding why. Now I knew firsthand what he meant. I didn't like my life splayed out like that and I wasn't anyone special. Sudden guilt swept over me, as the dinner venue had been my choice. I hoped desperately he didn't think I had set him up. "At least Perez didn't take any jabs at you," Sarah finally said. "Sometimes he can be pretty vicious." I looked up at her. "Nothing even happened! We did have more than one drink a piece, but we were just talking. I lost track of time and missed the last train out of the city so Tom had his driver bring me home. We even dropped Tom off at his hotel first before heading into Jersey. And his bodyguard was with us the entire time." Just then, my cell phone beeped

and I rummaged in my purse for my phone. One new text message from Jen. "U R famous! I'm staring at a blurry pic of u on Perez." "Just saw. How many people do you think will recognize me?" Send. Beep. "No1 knew u were having dinner. Think U R safe." "Good. Lunch today? I'll tell u all about dinner then." Send. Beep. Carbs=bad." "Yep. Noon? Salad?

"Yes. Salad is good. Meet u at the usual place." Send. I tossed my phone on my desk and attempted to get some work done. The Perez thing wasn't really that big a deal I decided. Jen was right; no one besides her and Sarah knew I had

dinner with him last night. And do I really need to be all that worried about being on some silly blog website? We're just friends anyway for Petes sake! It's decided, severe overreaction on my part. W hen noon rolled around I threw my bag over my shoulder and headed out to meet Jen for lunch. She was already in line and waved me over. "You go find us a table," I instructed. "I'll grab our salads." We came to this place two or three times a week so the people behind the counter didn't even have to ask what we wanted. "I've figure you've got roughly 40 minutes to fill me in on last night," Jen said as she dug into her salad.

"The dinner decision was left up to me so I picked Blockheads," I began. "Good choice," Jen interrupted. "Thank you. It wasn't too hot out so we sat outside and Tom had his first black flower margarita." "Another good choice. I am so jealous, that's my favorite drink!" "Are you going to keep cutting me off or do you want to hear about dinner?" I asked, half joking. Jen pretended to lock her lips shut and I continued. "I think people recognized him but were either too afraid to say anything or weren't completely sure it was him so we didn't get bothered once. Though our waiter did ask for his autograph for his

little sister. And Tom posed for a picture with the hostess on our way out. He's so gracious about that stuff. In the two times I have seen him he has never complained once and he always makes sure everyone gets their picture or autograph. It's really sweet. I think his bodyguard is more annoyed about it than he is. Speaking of James? Three words. Big scary man." I pushed my salad around with my fork while I wondered what else was important to tell. Sensing my thoughts Jen said, "I want every detail so don't think you can leave anything out." I laughed and told her, "We both ordered beef tacos and enjoyed a few margaritas. I was surprised because I don't think there was ever more than a few minutes of silence. We both have a

ton in common. As you already read on Perez we had to be asked to leave Blockheads because they were closing. Thats where the truth to his blog entry ends. Contrary to his opinion, the party did not continue at Tom's hotel room. But we did drop him off before his driver took me home because I missed the last train out. Oh and he gave me his personal cell phone number and his email address." Jen practically shot diet coke out of her nose. "Are you kidding me!?" "Shhh...people are looking at us!" "I think he likes you," she declared. I waved my fork in the air, dismissing her opinion.

"Only as a friend. Do you want me to rattle off all of the reasons you are wrong? Think rationally, he's Tom Alexander. He's worked with actresses like Ashley Tisdale and that girl from Twilight. Clearly he has had better options. We also just met and have hung out twice. Plus I'm practically three years older than him, I insisted. Jen shook her head, "Age is only a number. And its not like youre a cougar, Kate. Youre what? Two years older than him? Besides I read on Perez he has a thing for older women anyway." "Ok, even if for some inexplicable reason he was into me, he lives in LA. I live in Jersey. It would never work. Oh and have we discussed how we've hung out a total of two times? I still stand by my statement that he was just being nice because I told him he was my first

celebrity interview. And can you blame him for looking to eat something other than hotel room service?" Jen sighed. "I guess you're right. But a girl can dream for her best friend, can't she?" We finished up lunch and I told Jen to text me if she wasn't going to make the 6:10pm train home. I got back to work and Pam stopped me before I could get on the elevator. "Kate I took a message for you from Wendy Smith," she said, lowering her voice. "She said please call Tom on his cell when you get a minute." "Thanks Pam," I said and headed back outside. I pulled the card with Tom's number on

it out of my wallet and quickly dialed. He picked up on the third ring. "Hello?" "Hey Tom, its Kate. Kate? Kate who? My stomach dropped. contemplated hanging up. I

"Kate? I was just kidding. I know who it is. Hows it going?" I giggled nervously. Add sense of humor to the growing reasons of why I liked this guy. If only he wasnt a huge celebrity, I thought with a sigh. "Shouldn't you be on a plane to LA right now?" "Should. Got delayed. The airports around here are never on time. We

should be boarding in a few minutes. Listen, Wendy told me about the Perez thing. I just don't want you to be upset about it or have it scare you off from being my friend. I meant it when I said I really enjoyed spending time with you." "Don't worry about it. Yea, I was a little freaked at first but it's no big deal. Im from Jersey, remember? Its going to take a lot more than something like that to wig me out. Plus I should probably get used to it if I'm going to be doing more celebrity interviews for the magazine in the future. Eventually Perez will just realize I work for a magazine and it won't be so exciting to blog about me anymore." "Im relieved. Y oure taking it better than I thought you would, he said. Ugh Kate I'm sorry to cut you off but we're finally boarding. I'll talk to you

soon!" "Y up! Have a safe flight. Chapter Seven The Tom Alexander issue of Teen Scene was one of the best selling we'd had in months. I wasnt vain enough to credit myself, I knew it was because of our cover boy, but I was still proud. Ever since Marilyn made the big announcement about my promotion work got twice as busy. At any given moment I was working on two or three smaller pieces on top of the feature article. Today I had a lunch appointment to interview our next cover model, teen pop star Miley Cyrus. My morning flew and was filled with confirming lunch reservations and going over my list of interview questions.

"I know this is lame," Sarah leaned over my desk, "but to know if you can get Miley for her." She shoved a CD at

said as she Kara wants to sign this me.

"That is lame," I agreed, "but since your sister is 10 and I love her, I will try to do it. But only if it's not going to be awkward. I'm not going to come off as weirdo uber fan." "Kara will promised. "She better." I turned my attention back to my computer and an email that had popped in. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, just like they did every other time Tom emailed me. He had been back in LA for two weeks and we kept in touch every day via email and the occasional text message or very rare phone call. It was love you forever," she

a blossoming friendship thanks to the miracles of modern technology.

To: Kate Sanders From: Tom Alexander Date: 6/15/09, 10:30am Subject: Good Luck! Hey K! Up early to do some LA promoting for the movie. Can you believe it comes out in a few weeks? I feel like I was just doing the New York circuit. I'll be happy when this is all over and I can sleep in again. For a few weeks anyway. I'm already sifting through some scripts for my next movie, maybe I will shoot you some to check out and give me your opinion on. I could use some fresh eyes and a womans point of view. W hat do you think? Wanted to wish you luck on the Miley interview today. Don't tell her you have her songs on your Ipod because it's a

little cheesy. And did you hear she's back with Nick Jonas? Can you ask her for me? Just kidding, she's too young for me. Let me know how it goes when you get back to the office. Later! T To: Tom Alexander From: Kate Sanders Date: 6/15/09, 10:40am Subject: Re: Good Luck! Hey TThanks for the email! You really want me to read some of your scripts? Im totally flattered! I will, but you can't blame me if the movie turns out to be a bust ;o) I dont want to be responsible for a bad Tom Alexander movie!

I'm psyched to do the Miley interview even though I am like 11 years older than her and she will probably think I'm old enough to be her mother. I promise to try not to embarrass myself and I'll ask her about Nick. Have fun promoting, don't work too hard! K PS: W hat's with the initials thing? Too lazy to type out my name or your own? Or is it just some Hollywood thing? :o) To: Kate Sanders From: Tom Alexander Date: 6/15/09, 10:42am Subject: Re: Good Luck! KDidn't you get the memo on the East Coast? No one uses full names

anymore. It's soooooo forget to ask M about N. T

2008.

Don't

To: Tom Alexander From: Kate Sanders Date: 6/15/09, 2:00pm Subject: It's Miley! Hey TomThe Miley interview went well! She was really nice and down to earth. We did little to no talking about her personal life. We mostly talked back to school since that's what the issue is about and she's developed a line of school supplies and clothing that will be out in stores in August. She also has a movie coming out in a few months that she is really excited about. It was written by Nicholas Sparks, the guy who did The Notebook. The book hits shelves in September, its called The Last Song. Hes my favorite, I cant wait to read it!

She totally skirted my question about Nick Jonas but the buzz in my office is that he's in the city too (wonder if I should check with my friend Perez on that, lol). And according to papa Billy Ray it's so over with the underwear model but you didn't hear that from me! She is super fun though and I would totally try to be her friend if I was way younger. You're still my fave celeb though, don't worry! I don't think Miley and I will be exchanging emails any time soon :o) Talk to you soon! Kate PS: Sorry, I just can't get into the whole initials thing. I guess I'm just not Hollywood enough, lol.

To: Kate Sanders From: Tom Alexander Date: 6/15/09, 4:45pm Subject: Re: It's Miley! KYou totally bit off of The Soup with your subject line but I'll forgive you because Joel McHale is hilarious. Glad to hear the interview went well. I'll be the first one on line to buy a copy when it comes out. For your article, not the pictures of Miley. Too young, remember? W hat are you doing this weekend? Unless Wendy booked me I've got nothing going on which is a first in a long time. Maybe I'll catch up on some movies or something. I like to lay low since even things like going to the gym are an ordeal with the photogs. Im not complaining though, I promise.

Our emails were pretty much the same every day. Mindless chit chat, but it made the day go fast and we'd gotten to know each other quickly. Work had been sucking the life out of me and I was happy for a weekend. Despite my meticulous note taking and tape recorded interview, I was unhappy with what I had written so far for the feature and my editor was breathing down my neck. Before I'd left for the weekend she'd told me she needed me to give her something, anything, by the end of the day Monday. How exactly is one supposed to make backpacks and pencils sound exciting?

Chapter 8 I was just getting into my car to meet my friends for a much needed happy hour and dinner date when my phone rang. I was both pleased and slightly worried to see Tom's name flash on my caller ID. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey Kate, its Tom. Did I catch you at a bad time? I know you're going to meet up with your friends." "On my way there. How's it going?" I tried to keep the giddiness out of my voice. The sound of his voice did weird things to my stomach. "Good! Spent the day reading some scripts that my agent sent over. Trying

to ignore the fact that the movie is being released so soon. I'm glad you seemed to have come out of your week from hell unscathed," he noted. "Oh man I thought it would never end! But I'm going to try to push it out of my mind with a few cocktails tonight and then try to hit the beach tomorrow if the weather cooperates." "I'm jealous. It's been raining here off and on all week. Plus I really can't go anywhere in public let alone the beach without being mobbed." It was a more matter of fact statement than a bitter one. "So come to Jersey! We'll put you in a big hat and slather you up with sunscreen. You'll fit right in with all of the tourists and no one will even recognize you," I joked.

"I just might take you up on that. In fact, that's why I'm calling. I'm coming back to New York. The movie studio has arranged premieres on both coasts." My heart skipped a beat. "Wow, that's awesome! How long will you be in town for?" I asked. "I'm not sure yet," he answered. "The LA premiere is two weeks from this coming Monday and the New York premiere is the following night. I'm hoping to hang around New York for the rest of the week as long as nothing comes up between now and then." "Well let me if you are free to do lunch or something, I'd love to see you when you're here." "That's, uh, sort of why I'm calling. I know we've known each other like two

seconds so I will totally understand if you say no but everyone else is bringing a date with them and I was hoping you would want to be my date for the premiere." He said it all so fast I barely had time to understand what he was asking me. "Kate? Are you still there?" "I'm here. Almost just drove my car off of the road but I'm here. Now I know why they say you shouldn't talk on your cell phone while driving." Tom laughed. Im sorry, I didnt expect my invitation to have that effect on you. If I had known I would have told you to pull over first. Its ok. You just threw me for a loop. "So? W ill you come with me or are you

going to make me beg?" he asked. "I would love to go with you!" I tried not to squeal like a 12 year old girl. "Excellent! Wendy has all the details so she will call you or email you. Anyway I don't want to keep you from your friends. Have fun this weekend!" "Yea, you too. I'll talk to you later. And thanks for the invite!" More girlish squealing. Tom laughed again. "No sweat. Thanks for saying yes. Bye!" "Bye!"

Chapter Nine "Let me get this straight," Sarah said as we sat waiting for Jen at our usual table. "Tom Alexander, adored and loved by millions, super hottie of the planet, asked you, my beautiful, dear friend Kate Sanders to be his date to a movie premiere?" "Sarah, I'm as baffled as you are," I told her. Jen rushed in and threw herself into the last empty chair. "Sorry I'm late, did I miss anything?" "Nothing really," I began. "Just the fact that Tom Alexander asked me to be his date to the NY opening of 'Vanished' in two weeks," I said as I casually flipped

through the menu. "He what!?" she yelled. "Keep it down. The entire bar is looking at us," Sarah chided. Jen stuck her tongue out at her. "My friend is going to a red carpet movie premiere. If I want to make an ass out of myself over it then I'll make an ass out of myself over it." She turned to me. "W hat are you going to wear? You totally need to get your hair done; you haven't had your highlights done in months. Maybe you should think about doing a spray tan too. Oh and..." "W hoa! Down girl. One thing at a time. No idea what to wear, I'll need to go shopping. I'm well aware my hair is in major need of TLC, but thank you for pointing it out. Good idea on the spray tan, do you know a good place to go?

Work is sucking up all of my time lately. Did I mention Marilyn needs the first draft of my Miley interview by Monday?" "W ho can think about work at a time like this?" Sarah asked. "Let's celebrate!"

Chapter Ten For once I had nothing to do with my weekend so I spent the rest of it lying by the pool. If I could soak up enough sun maybe I wouldn't have to spray tan before the premiere. As Tom promised, I had an email from Wendy sitting in my inbox before the weekend was over.

To: Kate Sanders From: W endy Smith Date: 6/21/09, 10:30am Subject: NY C Red Carpet Hi KateTom told me you are going to accompany him to the premiere. That is great! I'm going to be in town the w e e ke n d before; do you want to go shopping for a dress? If you want to go with your friends or mom I understand, I just figured I'd ask in case you wanted my help. Here's the rundown of the day/night. I've got you set up with a salon in the city for hair and makeup in the afternoon. Then you'll meet Tom and me at the hotel to finish getting ready. You guys need to be at the theater by 6. Tom also asked me to get you a hotel

room that night in case you want to stay. It's going to be a pretty late night. That's the basic information. If you have any questions just call or email me. Talk to you soon! W endy

To: W endy Smith From Kate: Sanders Date: 6/21/09, 7:32pm Subject: Re: NY C Red Carpet Hi W endyThanks for the details. I'm going to go ahead and take Tuesday and Wednesday off from work since it sounds like Tuesday will be a full day. And if you want to come dress shopping with me I'd really appreciate it. No offense to my mom or friends, but I think you know best what I should be wearing. Just let me know when that weekend works for you. See you soon!

Kate

Chapter Eleven I sat in the chair of a very posh NY C hair salon feeling completely out of my element. The place looked and smelled like something I couldnt afford. Thank goodness for credit cards, I thought to myself. A very bubbly male practically skipped over to where I was sitting. "Ms. Sanders! A pleasure to meet you! My name is Sammy and I'll be getting you ready for tonight. Any thoughts on what youd like to do with your hair?" We both stared at my reflection in the mirror. I reached up and absentmindedly ran my fingers through my hair. "I actually don't know," I admitted. "As

you can see it's pretty boring." Sammy looked at me thoughtfully and started playing with my hair and rubbing my scalp. "You only just met me, but do you trust me to do something totally fabulous?" he asked. I turned to look at him and shrugged. "Sure, why not? You're the expert, right?" Sammy clapped his hands and started chatting a mile a minute. "I think to start we'll put in some caramel highlights and maybe some darker lowlights, it'll make your face pop. Then we'll do a deep cleansing rinse to bring some life back into your hair. And then I think it would be cute

to give you some long layers. I'm thinking though that for tonight since it's a special evening we'll sweep it all up because that just screams Hollywood glam..." As Sammy continued to talk I realized I was smart to take the day off from work. I sat in my chair like a good little customer and checked my work emails from my Blackberry. The first draft of my Miley Cyrus piece had been emailed to my editor two days ago and I was nervously waiting for her feedback. I fired off emails to both Jen and Sarah, letting them know I was getting the total royal treatment. They were both teeming with jealousy that I was not only getting to go to a movie premiere, but that I would do so on the arm of one of the hottest actors of our generation. I still couldnt believe it and was afraid Id wake up any minute and realize it was all a dream.

I was busy admiring the amazing job Sammy had done on my new hair when my cell phone beeped. One new text message. From Tom. "Hey K. How goes the primping?" "Torture. Got here at 9am. You owe me big." Send. Beep. "Wanna be my date to the premiere tonight?" "Funny. But that's why I'm here. Next idea?" Send. Beep. "I'll get back to you on that. W hen will you be done?" "Sammy promises makeup will be done by 4:30 and then I'm free." Send.

Beep. "A car will be there waiting." "Thanks. See you around 5!" Send. Sammy noticed the huge grin on my face, but avoided eye contact. "Was that Mr. Alexander?" "W hy yes it was." "You must be thrilled to be going out with the hottest guy on the planet." "Oh he's not my boyfriend, we're just really good friends. He doesn't have any friends in New York so he asked me to come with him. No biggie." Sammy caught my eye in the mirror and gave me a look like he didnt believe that it was no big deal. And he was right, it was a big deal to me. Sammy was right-Tom was quite possibly one of the hottest guys on the planet. And he

was taking me to his movie premiere, the most anticipated premiere of the summer. My stomach started doing somersaults. Sensing my nerves, Sammy started talking again. "So missy, what or who are you wearing tonight?" "It's Dolce and Gabbana, my first designer dress! It's gold and shimmery and falls to the floor. Tom's assistant actually went shopping with me to pick it out which was awesome." Picking out a dress for this event by myself might have sent me into heart failure. "Sounds gorgeous! I'm going to give you my email address and I will expect pictures immediately." W ith that, Sammy spun my chair toward the mirror and I let out a gasp. I barely recognized the girl staring back at me.

"Wow," I said softly. "Sammy you are a genius." "You're gonna knock them all dead kiddo. Enjoy it." I stared for another minute and then realized the clock on the wall said 4:30 on the dot. I dug out my wallet and handed my credit card to Sammy. He shook his head and pushed my hand away. "All taken care of. Compliments of the hot guy who is not your boyfriend. Now get out of here before you're late. Tell Tom I said hi and to stop in for a cut next time he's in town." Sammy hugged me tight, gave me an air kiss and I ran outside. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized the car Tom had sent for me

was actually a limo. "Ms. Sanders?" the driver asked. "That's me!" I replied as he opened the door. I got into the car carefully and we sped off toward the hotel where Tom was waiting. As I settled into my seat I realized I could get used to the celebrity treatment.

Chapter Twelve W hen I walked through the lobby of the hotel Wendy was waiting there for me. "Hey Kate! You look great. We've got exactly 15 minutes to get you into that dress though and back out into the limo. I have your room key so come with me." We raced up to my room and got me dressed in record time. At 5pm there was a knock on my door. Wendy answered it as I stepped into my heels and when I looked up there was Tom, looking more gorgeous than usual. I suddenly felt very plain. There was no amount of makeup or fancy dress that could make me look like a worthy date.

"Damn Kate. You clean up nice!" Tom grinned. "Gee, that's just what every girl wants to hear after spending all day at a hair salon and then cramming herself into an insanely expensive dress," I joked. "My bad. Let me try that again. Kate , you look absolutely stunning. You'll be the best looking girl at the whole premiere." My heart did a little flutter. I had only been teasing him but it was one of the nicest compliments Id ever received. I grabbed my clutch, kissed W endy on the cheek for all of her help and took Tom's arm. We made our way outside to the waiting limo and a small crowd had gathered. James did crowd control while Tom took a few pictures and I sat in the car waiting. After a few minutes Tom climbed into the car and then we were

off to the theater. "Are you nervous?" I asked since it seemed an appropriate question. "I've done this a couple of times now so it's no big deal. Shouldn't I be asking if you're nervous?" "I hate to admit it, but I'm terrified." Tom took my hand in his and looked into my eyes. I shivered. "Don't be scared. I'll be there almost the entire time and when I'm not W endy will be. It's going to be great. Just relax and try to enjoy it." "It'll be great for you," I muttered, realizing I sounded like an ungrateful brat. "Wow, that came out wrong. W hat I meant is that you're one of the two stars of the movie. And I'm just some

girl that everyone will be whispering about, wondering what business I have being there." Tom spoke softly, "You are not just some girl. You are my best friend , really one of my only friends, and I want you to be there with me. Let them whisper." Best friend? I asked. Tom shrugged. The only other people I talk to on a daily basis are my family. And on top of that I talk to you about everything. So yeah, youre pretty much the best friend Ive got. He kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand. Then his eyes lit up. "I know what will calm your nerves," he said as he dove across the seat of the limo. "Oh lord don't wrinkle your tux Wendy

will kill me," I implored. He popped back up and proudly produced a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "We're going to be at the theater soon but swig down a glass of this and see if that helps." "How about bottle?" I just drink the entire

Tom chuckled . I was dead serious. This was no time for jokes. "I don't think so. I need you to make it halfway down the red carpet with me. It wouldn't be a very good first impression for you if I had to carry you." Point taken. Even still, I emptied my glass in one sip and held it back out to him. I only had to pout for a few

seconds before he sighed and gave in. "Only half a glass," Tom warned. "That's all I'm giving you." Tom quickly drank his own glass and put everything back where he found it. W hen we pulled to a stop Wendy jumped in the limo with us. We were at the theater already? My hands started to sweat. "Ok, here's the deal," she began. "Kate, per Tom's request you are to walk the first half of the red carpet with him. W hatever you do, don't stop smiling. Don't be offended if anyone just wants shots of Tom. Someone will be with you guys to handle those requests so you don't feel like an idiot. Most likely people will want you in it because that will sell stories. I'll be positioned and waiting to grab you and bring you to your seats. Then Tom, you'll finish up by

yourself and someone from the theater will escort you to your seats. W hen the movie ends just stay put and I will come get you. Got all that?" We both nodded. Wendy was a bit scary when she was all business. A knock came on the door and Wendy peeked out. "We're ready for Tom and...Kate," a girl wearing a headset and reading off a clipboard said. "OK," W endy replied, "they're coming." Wendy gave us each a quick once over, brushed some lint off of Tom's suit and then looked at me. "Breathe. I have a surprise waiting for you and I'm hoping that will entice you to keep it together."

I looked at Tom and he just grinned and shrugged. Before I could speak Tom was offering me his hand to help me out of the limo. The flashbulbs were almost blinding. Thank god Tom still had my hand. "Do not let go," I whispered fiercely. "I don't intend to," he responded. "Tom! Tom! Over here Tom!" "Tom! W ho's your date? Is that your girlfriend?" Tom leaned in to me and barely moved his lips. "If they ask you a question either answer them or smile and pretend you don't hear them. But you don't have to talk if you don't want to. It's completely up to you." I nodded my head the tiniest bit and

just kept smiling. We moved slowly, stopping to pose for pictures and answer questions. Well, Tom answered questions. I just stood there with a genuine grin on my face, taking it all in. It wasn't until we reached the reporter from Access Hollywood that someone addressed me. "And who is the beautiful lady on the arm of one of the most eligible bachelors on earth?" Nancy O'Dell asked me. "I'm Kate Sanders," I answered shyly. "How did you and Tom meet?" she prompted. "Is he officially off the market?" "I write for Teen Scene magazine and we met when I last minute filled in to interview him. We've gotten to be really

good friends." As we walked away, Tom whispered, "Good work. Y ou're a natural at this!" Just as I was starting to lighten up and have fun, I spotted Wendy. My hand flew to my mouth. Just behind her were Jen and Sarah, grinning from ear to ear. I looked up at Tom. "Did you do this?" "It was my idea," he admitted. "But W endy made it all happen." Tom led me toward Wendy and my friends, who were waving at me like idiots. "Quit it," I hissed. "People are staring at us." Tom kissed me on the cheek and

promised he'd be inside soon. The four of us stood together for a moment and watched him work the crowd. It hit me then just how hard I was falling for him. "Ok ladies," Wendy announced, "let's get you inside and in your seats."

Chapter Thirteen As soon as we were seated, the flurry of conversation began. "Kate you look stunning!" Jen exclaimed. "I almost didn't recognize you!" "Me neither," Sarah chimed in. "I was getting ready to kick Tom's butt for bringing some other girl." "I'm so glad you both are here," I sighed. "How sweet of To m to think of doing that for me." Jen and Sarah nodded in agreement. "I noticed you two held hands the entire way," Sarah mentioned as she pretended to pick at something on her

dress. "It was a mob scene out there! I needed him to keep me from falling on my face," I explained. Jen and Sarah exchanged a glance like they didn't believe me. Trying to change the subject I asked, "So what celebrities are here?" We continued to chit chat and gossip as the theater filled. I was so grateful to Tom for knowing how much it would calm my nerves to have my girlfriends by my side for this. He was an incredibly good friend. Just as the lights dimmed, Tom slipped into the empty aisle seat next to me. "Thank god that's over. My face is going to hurt tomorrow from smiling so much.

But I am so proud of how well you did! And I think the press is in love with you. I hope you can handle that," he winked. My face flushed and Tom started to say something else but just then the movie started. It was a surreal experience to watch my friend up on the big screen. I felt like I was seeing him through a whole new set of eyes. He wasn't Tom the heartthrob or Tom my friend anymore; he was someone completely different. My heart swelled with pride. Halfway through the movie I could sense Tom was watching me. The energy radiating between the two of us was palpable. Before I knew what was happening he was lacing his fingers through mine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jen nudge Sarah and motion toward us. My whole body tingled.

W hen the movie ended, I freed my hand from Tom's and jumped to my feet, applauding and whistling. I wondered if that was an appropriate thing to do but I didn't care. We were ushered out of the theater and the four of us climbed into a waiting limo. "I guess now would be a good time for formal introductions," I said. "Tom, I'd like you to meet two of my closest friends, Jen and Sarah." "It's very nice to finally meet the two of you. Kate talks so much about you, I feel like I've known you both forever," he said. "Thank you so much for inviting us tonight," Sarah replied. "Yeah, this was one of the best nights ever," Jen agreed.

"It was my pleasure. I knew Kate could use your support. So, who's ready to party?" By the time we got to the rooftop of the Empire Hotel, the party was in full swing. I stood with my friends, gazing out over Central Park. Waiters buzzed around us, offering champagne and food like mini crab cakes. Floating candles flickered in the pool. "This is like a fairytale. A girl could get used to this," Sarah sighed. I nodded in agreement as I watched Tom greet the various celebrities at the party. He laughed easily with people like Jack Black and Zac Efron. I felt a pang of jealousy as he greeted Megan Fox with a kiss on the cheek. All of a sudden I felt dizzy. W hat was I doing here? I wondered. It was obvious I

didn't fit in with these people. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, trying to figure out how I got here. My chest started to feel like someone was sitting on it and it was hard to catch my breath. It was the beginning of a panic attack. I excused myself from my friends and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom. Once safely in a stall I leaned against the wall and slid slowly to the floor. The entire night flashed before my eyes. Limousines, fancy hotels, star studded movie premieres...this wasn't me. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. As I started to stand up, the bathroom door opened. "W ho is that girl Tom brought tonight?" a female voice asked. "She's a writer for some teeny bopper magazine here in New York," a second voice replied.

I peeked through the crack of the door and watched two girls I had never seen before apply lip gloss. "She's pretty," first voice commented. "Eh, she's alright. Not good enough to date Tom Alexander though." "Are they really dating? I thought he was seeing his co-star from "Pledged"? Y ou know, the blonde girl." "I heard the same thing. Maybe that's his West Coast girlfriend and this writer chick is his girl on the East Coast. Actors," she shook her head with disgust as she snapped her clutch shut. The pair left and I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. The anger inside of me was starting to bubble over and I didn't know whether to laugh, vomit or cry. W ho the heck

were these girls to be talking about me? They didn't even know me! And I hated to admit it, but the comment about Tom dating someone in LA had gotten under my skin. If he was involved, why would he bring me to something like this? W as he using an implied relationship with me to cover up a real one with someone else? I felt so foolish. Calm down, I told myself, and think about this rationally. Tom has never been anything more than a really good friend to you. Give him the benefit of the doubt before you get mad and do something stupid. I got my wits about me, smoothed out my dress and emerged from the stall. I checked my hair and makeup in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. I made my way back out to the party and scanned the crowd for my friends. They were both out on the dance floor with drinks in hand.

"Hey!" Tom came up behind me. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere." I smiled weakly. "Sorry, I was in the ladies room. Just needed to catch my breath." He looked at me, troubled. "Everything ok?" "I'm fine," I assured him. "This is a great party!" I said, attempting to switch topics. "Right?" Tom agreed. "The studio outdid themselves with this one. Come with me, there are some people I'd like you to meet." Tom led me around the party, introducing me to various people who had worked on the film, including W ill Smith. "I so wasn't prepared for that!" I said as

we walked away. "He is like the nicest guy ever! I didn't make an ass out of myself, did I?" "Kate you worry too much," Tom laughed and grabbed my hand. "Let's dance!" "Are you sure? You've never seen me dance. I have absolutely no rhythm." "You'll be fine. Just stick with me; I won't let you embarrass yourself." We made our way toward my friends on the dance floor. By now they were each dancing with someone and I winked at them. They watched me cautiously, no doubt because they knew about my two left feet. Luckily the dance floor was packed so we really had little room to move. Tom waved at someone over my shoulder and I instinctually turned to look. It was the two girls from the

bathroom. "W ho are those girls?" I yelled over the music. "They worked on set as assistants. W hy?" he yelled back. "They were in the bathroom with me, that's all." Jen tapped me on the shoulder and saved me from having to answer anymore questions. "W e're going to take off," she said. "Thanks again for everything Tom; this was one of the best nights ever!" Sarah chimed in. They hugged us both and headed for the exit. Tom and I were among the last few

people to leave. As soon as we were in the limo I kicked off my shoes. "I can't believe I lasted all night in these heels," I rubbed my feet. "Did you have fun?" Tom asked. "I don't know that fun is the right word. It was the highlight of all my 26 years," I told him. Tom walked me to my room, even though it was right next door to his. He kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks for coming with me Kate. I had a really great time. I'll see you in the morning." "Night," I said as I let myself into the room and shut the door.

W ithout taking off my dress, I went over and sat down on the bed. I wanted to brush it off, but what had happened in the bathroom stuck in my mind. You are far too old for these games, I scolded. I summoned up my courage and went to talk to Tom. He was still dressed when he answered the door. "Hey Kate," he said as I pushed past him. "Come on in." He closed the door behind him and I turned on my heels to face him. "Are you dating someone?" I didn't beat around the bush. Tom was taken aback. "W here did that come from?" "Just tell me. Are you dating someone in LA? A blonde co-star perhaps?"

Tom paused and then said, "I did date Michelle briefly after we filmed together. But it ended quickly and about a month before I met you." "W ell, that's not what I overheard in the bathroom." Now I was fired up. "If I was dating someone, why would I have asked you to come to this with me tonight? Don't you think that's going to end up all over the place tomorrow if it hasn't already? Perez? TMZ?" he asked angrily. "I would never do that to anyone, let alone you." I knew he was right, but I was still steaming and needed to take it out somewhere. "This is all just too much for me," I exploded. "Two months ago I was no one and tonight I'm sitting in a bathroom listening to two bottle

blondes gossip about me. Not to mention seeing myself on the internet. It's all a little freaky." Tom held his hands up. "W hat do you think it's like for me? W hy do you think I sought out a friendship with you? Ive told you a million times what life is like for me in LA. I have maybe one or two friends. I dont date, I barely go out. But I love what I do so its worth it. Then I met you and you made me feel so comfortable and you care more about me as a person than me as an actor. Do you know how rare that is to find? I don't know what's going on between us, if we're friends, more than friends or what. I can't get a good read on how you feel." "I don't know either," I shot back. "We've known each other for how long? A few months? And on top of that we've seen each other a total of three times.

That's not enough time to know how to feel. All I have to go on is emails, texts and phone calls." "Living on opposite sides of the country isn't exactly the best way to explore a relationship. But I feel different with you," Tom softened. "You're right, it's fast, but you've never been about the glitz and glamour and that's such a comfort to me. We have normal conversations like people our age should. You've never asked how much money I make per film or wanted to parade around for the cameras. The only other people who treat me like a regular person are my family." And just like that, I wasnt angry anymore. How could I be? He stood there looking at me, hurt and confused. The confident movie star from the premiere was gone. I took a step toward him.

And when I get an email or text from you, he continued, closing the space between us, I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Its crazy because we only just met, but I think about you all of the time. "W hat do you think that means?" I asked softly. Tom looked me in the eyes and put his hands on my face. He leaned in and kissed me, long and slow. I wanted the moment to never end. "I'm not sure," He whispered.

Chapter Fourteen Knock. Knock. Didn't I put the 'do not disturb' sign on my door last night? I have no idea, as I realized I couldnt even remember how I got into my pajamas. Vodka is the devil, I thought to myself as I rolled over and threw a pillow over my head. My hope was that housekeeping would just give up and come back later. A few seconds later the knocking ended and I had silence again. Ring. Ring. Ok, seriously!? I snatched up the phone. "Hello?" "Kate?"

"Tom?" "I've been knocking on your door, why didn't you answer?" he asked. "Because it's," I checked the clock, "10am and if you remember we didn't get to bed until close to 4am. And I'm pretty sure I have a hangover like no other." "Can you please come let me in?" Tom pleaded. "Y es, but give me a minute ok?" I hung up the phone and made a dash toward the bathroom. I fished my toothbrush and hairbrush out of my cosmetic bag and worked furiously at the sink. As I rushed to make myself presentable the events of last night played back in my mind. It had

definitely been liquid courage that had been to blame for the whole encounter in Toms room. I hoped he wasnt angry with me. My head was throbbing and the knocking on the door did little to help. I threw the door open and Tom was standing on the other side in boxers and a t-shirt. I ushered him in. "W hat are you doing standing out in the hallway like that?" I tried not to laugh. Or faint. He held out his hands and offered me Advil and a can of diet soda. I accepted graciously and drank both in one gulp. "W hat's up?" I asked as I dove under the covers. I was suddenly very aware of the skimpy shorts and tank top that made up my pajamas. Tom flopped down next to me with the newspaper he had picked up off of my floor.

His eyes scanned the paper. "I'm trying to find the movie review section of the NY Post. It should be in today's paper." "Suit yourself. I'm going back to bed." I had just about slipped back into a peaceful slumber when Tom groaned. "Ok, ok, I'm up," I said as I pushed myself up onto my elbows. "W hat's wrong?" Tom pushed the paper across the bed and buried his head under the pillow. I was guessing he had read something he didn't like. My heart fell when my eyes landed on the headline: Vanished Fails to Deliver Despite tw o heavy hitting actors, Will Smith and T om Alexander, Vanished falls short of hitting the mark. T he plot

is dull and the acting is surprisingly flat. Smith, as the rogue ex-FBI agent, brings the only comic relief to a film that I don't think w as meant to be funny. Alexander, in his first blockbuster, comes up short. T he acting feels forced and one thinks that maybe he should stick to the teenybopper movies he's know n so w ell for. T he only thing that saves this film is the special effects, but they can be enjoyed on a good BluRay player w hen the film comes to DVD. Do yourself a favor and skip seeing this in the theater. I know I w ish I had. I finished reading and tossed the paper on the floor in disgust. "The movie reviewer for the NY Post is an idiot," I declared. No response.

"Besides," I continued, "the movie doesn't even open up to the public until tonight. Aren't you more concerned with what your fans think than some stuffy old guy in a suit?" Tom peeked out from under the pillow. "I guess," he said miserably. I sat on the bed, unsure of what to say or do. I hadn't been prepared for movie reviews or the reaction they would illicit from Tom. Wasn't he used to this by now? Not all of his prior movies had been well received by critics. Then again, I didn't know him then so I couldn't have guessed how hard he would take it. I thought for awhile on what my next move should be while Tom just laid there, motionless. "Get up. We're getting out of here," I announced as I pulled the pillow off of

Tom's face. He made a grab for the comforter and pulled that up over himself. H i s response was muffled. "I'm not leaving this hotel room ever again." "Don't be so dramatic," I said as I yanked the blanket clear off of the bed. "It's one bad movie review. I will not let you lay here and wallow in your own self pity," I told him as I moved around the room packing up my stuff. Tom sat up. "W here are we going?" The idea came to me as I spoke. "I'm taking you to my house. You need to get away from all of this movie stuff, even if it's just for a day." I got myself showered and dressed. I stuck my head out of the bathroom

hoping Tom hadn't fled, but he was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I slung my Vera Bradley duffle bag over my shoulder and dragged him next door to his own hotel room. "Shower, get dressed. I'll pack up the rest of your things," I instructed as I dialed my phone. "Hi, Wendy? It's Kate. Listen, I'm stealing Tom for the day, if that's ok. Yes, we both saw the NY Post," I listened and then lowered my voice. "No he did not see the NY or LA Times but let's keep it that way if we can. Can you see about having a car ready for us in 20 minutes? We'll be at my house in Jersey. I'll text you the address and we'll both have our phones," I promised. I didn't want Wendy to worry but I had to do something before he had a total meltdown. No, we definitely dont need James to come with us. Tell him to take

the day off. Tom will be safe from the rabid fans. W e wont leave my house.

Chapter Fifteen 30 minutes later we were in the back of a Lincoln Town car, crossing the George W ashington Bridge and speeding toward New Jersey. I tried to make small talk but was only getting grunts or one word answers in return. "My parents put in a pool and a hot tub last year. Did I tell you that? They went all out and it's a pretty sweet set up. We have a tiki bar, comfy lounge chairs and the pool is heated," I told him. "And I've already talked to my mom. My dad is working today but she and my brother are going to make themselves scarce. Although she did make me promise she could cook for us later." Tom opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off. "A home cooked meal will

do you some good," I assured him. He scrunched up his nose. "I don't have a bathing suit." I held up a shopping bag. "You can thank W endy later." "Gee, thanks Wendy," under his breath. he muttered

We rode in silence for a few minutes before Tom asked, Hey, wheres James? I told Wendy we didnt need him. And they were that? Y eah, why? I usually have to beg to get James to leave me alone. Im both ok with

impressed. As we got closer to my house, the more self conscious I became. Our house was nothing to sneeze at, but it was definitely not something you would find in Beverly Hills. My parents had bought it for next to nothing when I was 10. I remembered staring at the house and asking my parents, "This is where you want us to live?" It was a dump. Large pine trees dotted the property so that you couldn't even see the house from the street. The inside wasn't much better. Every room seemed to be a little box and the doors to the two smaller bedrooms where children resided had locks on the outside of them. I shuddered just remembering it. The place gave me the creeps. But my parents favorite word had been "potential" and boy did this house have that. The minute the house belonged to

my family the construction began. My dad ripped out all of the walls to open the kitchen, living room and foyer into one big room. The trees out front were removed and made the property look huge. Our backyard was so big that my brother and I could play a good game of soccer back there. A few years later, when we were starting to outgrow the house; my parents put two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. As the oldest, I naturally got the room with the bathroom. They also converted the garage into a family room with a large flat screen TV and surround sound. Sometimes I look at the pictures of what the house used to look like and I almost can't believe it. We pull ed up to my modest, blue with white shutters two story home and I'm filled with relief that all of the cars are gone except for mine. I look sideways at Tom to gauge his reaction.

"Are you smiling?" I asked incredulously. "I can't help it. It's pretty much just how I pictured it would be. It actually reminds me a lot of my parents' house in Texas," he replied. "Well come on in and I'll show you around," I said as I unlocked the door. I might be biased, but I love the way my house smells. I'm not sure if it's the candles my mom burns or the cleaning products she uses but there's a great comfort in walking through the front door. Some houses are stuffy and uptight, but not mine. The furniture is nice, but the kind that makes you want to melt into the cushions. Pictures hang on the walls of the living room of my family through the years. I gave Tom the tour of the entire house and ended up at the guest bedroom downstairs.

"You can toss your stuff in here," I suggested. "I'm going to run upstairs and throw my bathing suit on. Take your time and I'll meet you out back." I shut the door to the guest room to give Tom some privacy and then race d upstairs. Until now my plan to help Tom ditch his worries for awhile was flawless. And then I had to think about putting a bathing suit on in front of him. I searched frantically through my drawer for something that wouldn't make me look like a total cow. I finally settled on a simple black bikini and then stood in front of my full length mirror, wishing I had skipped that last trip to the ice cream store and had gone to the gym instead. Nothing I can do about it now, I thought as a pulled my pink cover up down over my head. I slipped matching pink flip flops onto my feet and headed out back.

On my way outside I stopped by the computer and put on the music that piped to the outside. I chose a play list that I put together myself and included all of my favorite songs and artists. Out of curiosity I sat down to see if I had made it onto the pages of Perez Hilton again. Better to see it for myself than to have to hear about it from one of my friends. T om's Red Hot Red Carpet Date was the headline, two or three stories down the page. Below that was a picture of Tom a n d me posing for the camera hand in hand. Last night NY C T om has never date w ith at the Vanished premiere in Alexander did something he done before. He brought a him! And it w as none other

than girl from Blockheads, one Kate Sanders, w riter for NY C based T een Scene magazine. Perez doesnt think Miss Sanders is the prettiest girl T om has ever dated but shes got a girl next door kind of look going that looked stunning on the red carpet. Might be just w hat our T om needs. What do you think? Kate tried to tell Access Hollyw ood that she and T om are just friends. Sorry Kate, but people w ho are just friends don't hold hands at highly publicized movie premieres. Just sayin! One onlooker from inside the theater says the couple held hands and snuck kisses through out the movie. "T hey couldn't keep their hands off of each other," the insider said. "And it carried all the w ay through to the after party."

Perez even hears T om and Kate w ere seen leaving the same hotel room this morning and getting into a car together! Where could those tw o be headed? Come on T om. Put us all out of our misery and just go public already! I laughed and turned off the computer. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected it to be. I could most certainly live with Perez calling me stunning. W hen I got outside Tom was sitting at the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water. "Well, you were right. Perez had the full report this morning," I said as I sat beside him. "W as any of it true?" Tom asked. "Oh absolutely. Right down to the fact

that we were offensively making out during the movie." W e both laughed. "Your backyard is like something out of a magazine," he complimented. "My parents figured if we couldn't live somewhere tropical, why not bring the tropical to us. I love it, I just wish they had done it sooner." "How's the hangover?" Tom asked. "Still hurting a bit," I admitted. I realized we hadn't eaten anything and it was almost noon. "I'll be right back," I told him. I went inside to make sandwiches and I watched Tom through the kitchen window. He had moved to one of the lounge chairs and his face was turned to the sun.

"Turkey sandwiches and Gatorade," I said grandly as I presented him with the food. "The hangover food of champions," he agreed. We ate in silence, enjoying the music and the sunshine. "True or false," Tom asked. "One must wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming." "100% false." "I was hoping you'd say that," Tom jumped up, whipped off his shirt and dove into the pool. W hen he surfaced, he looked at me and said, "You coming in or do I need to throw you in?"

I rolled my eyes and removed my cover up. Before I had time to be shy about it, I jumped into the pool. We swam for awhile and then climbed onto pool loungers and floated. "If you weren't a writer," Tom began, what would you be doing instead?" "Teaching," I answered without hesitating. "I actually started taking teaching classes in college but it got to be too demanding. I love kids though and it would be awesome to have my summers off. W hat about you? If you weren't an actor what would you see yourself doing?" "Acting has always been my dream and I've been doing it in one way or other since before I could walk. Although I do have a secret dream-I would love to be involved in a Broadway show. Just once, and it could be either musical or play.

The energy rush actors get from feeding off of a live audience must be amazing. If it was a musical I'd had to brush up on my singing though, I haven't sang in forever." "Have you talked to your agent about this? W hat does she think?" I asked. "She thinks I should stay in LA and stick to big money scripts. There's really not much money in theater acting." "But she works for you," I insisted. "And she should be helping you do want you want to do." Tom thought for a minute. "Maybe I should get an agent in NY. That's common in the business, to have agents on both coasts. Besides, if I was going to do Broadway, it would have to be here in NY. There's no other place that can compare to NY theater."

"And you did tell me you've been thinking about moving to NY or having a second place here," I added. Tom splashed me. "You just want me to be closer to you," he teased. I blushed. "It would be a nice perk," I admitted. Tom reached over and pulled my raft so that we were face to face. A shiver raced down my spine. "We should really talk about what happened last night," he said quietly as he moved his face closer to mine. "Mom! I found them! They're out in the pool," I heard my brother yell. I silently cursed him and pushed my raft away from Tom's. My brother kicked off his flip flops and made his way to the edge

of the pool. He leaned over the edge and stuck his hand out to Tom. "I'm Chris, Kate's much cooler younger brother," he introduced himself. "I'm Tom. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." "Nothing good, I'm sure," my brother grinned devilishly. "W hat time is it?" I asked. "Six o'clock," Chris answered. "Mom asked me to come out and light up the grill. We went to the store and got bacon wrapped scallops and crab cakes for dinner. Sound good?" "Sounds great!" Tom said enthusiastically. We climbed out of the pool and wrapped ourselves in towels. I took Tom inside and let him use my

shower since it was in my room and would be a little more private. Tom wandered around my room, looking at various pictures and collages I had hanging on the walls. Aww look at you in your high school graduation cap and gown. Wow youve changed a lot since then, he commented. Y ou think so? He nodded. I love your room, its very you. "Thanks! Im going to leave you up here and go shower downstairs," I said, as I grabbed some clothes to wear for dinner. "Take your time." Chris was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you supposed to have boys

in your room?" "Shut up," I hissed. "How old are you anyway? 21 or 12?" I took the quickest shower of my life and hurriedly threw on my sundress, I was finishing getting ready when voices floated in from outside. "Dave, this is Kate's friend Tom," I heard my mom say. Dad was home! I threw my hair back into a ponytail and scrambled out of the bathroom so Tom wouldn't have to face my parents alone. "Hey Kate!" my dad said. "I was just getting Tom a beer. Y ou want one?" I made a face. "You know I don't drink beer."

"I'll go open a bottle of wine for us," my mom said. "Can you come with me? I need your help bringing the food out to go on the grill." "He is adorable!" my mom exclaimed when we were out of earshot. "And so nice! I can't believe we have a huge celebrity in our backyard." "Don't make a big deal out of it," I warned. "Oh Kate, don't worry. You're father and I will do our best not to embarrass you." I pulled out two wine glasses and handed them to her. "Thank you," I said. "But when he leaves I want full details on last night. Don't think you were going to weasel out of that!" She handed me a glass of wine and we

made our way back outside.

Chapter Sixteen My boss was late, as usual, to our weekly team meeting. I texted with Tom while we waited for her to come in. "Plans 4 today?" I typed and hit send. Beep. "Supposed 2 see agent. Don't want 2. Rather watch Saved by the Bell." "Great show. W hich episode?" Send. Beep. "Zach song." writes the graduation

"Classic. Get off ur butt & go read scripts." Send. Beep. "W hy?"

"Bc that's what you do for a living." Send. Beep. "W e'll see." Just then Marilyn breezed in so I shut off my phone and shoved it under the table into my lap. "Sorry I'm late folks," she said as she took her seat. "Let's get started. Ideas for the September issue?" The meeting proceeded as normal, with ideas being kicked around and assignments being handed out. We moved on to the October issue and Marilyn hadn't given me anything for September. It made me anxious and paranoid. Was she not happy with the Miley article? Did she think it had been wrong to promote me. I resisted the urge to bite my fingernails, my nervous bad habit.

"The Halloween issue is always one of our biggest," Marilyn said. "W hat can we do to make it different?" Sarah timidly put her hand in the air. "I was thinking whoever we get for the cover we could dress in costume," she suggested. The other girls looked at each other, skeptical. "And if we could get someone like Taylor Swift, who would be into the fun and silly aspect, couldn't you just picture her dressed up as Glenda the Good W itch from the W izard of Oz?" "Or we could put her in full on Elpheba makeup," Marissa chimed in. "Then people would have no idea who it was and would have to pick up the magazine and read it to find out." Marilyn thought for a minute. "I like it,"

she finally said. Sarah beamed. Marilyn turned to her assistant, Kristen, and said, "Check the last time we had Taylor Swift on the cover before we contact her people. Anything else?" She looked at each of us. "Ok then. Same time, same place next week. Kate, can you hang back a minute? There's something I'd like to speak to you about." Oh my god, I was in trouble. I knew it. It had to be the multiple personal emails I sent a day. I was going to be put back on the fashion advice column for sure. I sat wringing my hands as everyone else filed out of the room. "I was more than impressed with how you stepped up to the plate after the whole Nancy debacle. Both the Tom

Alexander and Miley Cyrus pieces far exceeded my expectations," Marilyn began. "W hich is why I'd like you to take the press pass we were granted for the Teen Choice Awards out in LA a week from today. I know its short notice, but would you be able to go?" It took every fiber of my being to not jump out of my chair and hug her. I was going to get to go to LA, cover one of the biggest events of the summer and work was going to pay for it. Did she really think Id say no to an opportunity like this? "It would be an honor to represent Teen Scene," I told her. An honor? W here the heck did that come from? "Fabulous!" Marilyn exclaimed. "I'll have Kristen make all of your travel arrangements and then email you the details."

"Thank you so much Marilyn!" I gushed as I backed out of the room. "You won't be disappointed, I promise." I tried not to run, or skip, back to my desk. I had never been west of Ohio before and now I was going clear across the country to California! I leaned casually on the wall of Sarah's cubicle. "Hey Sarah? W hat are you doing for lunch?" I asked. "No plans. You want to go out? Oh and what did Marilyn want?" she responded without taking her eyes off of her computer. "I was thinking of indulging in some retail therapy at Macy's. My wardrobe isn't quite up to par for a trip to LA next week."

That got her attention. "LA!? For what?" "Marilyn is sending me to cover the Teen Choice Awards!" Sarah jumped up and hugged me. "I hate you, but I'm happy for you! Yes, let's definitely go shopping." I looked at my watch. "I just want to shoot Tom a quick email. How's 1pm?" "Sounds good!" I sat down at my desk and opened a new email.

From: Kate Sanders To: Tom Alexander Sent: 8/3/09, 12:30pm Subject: California Girl! Hey TomGuess what!? You're favorite Jersey Girl is coming to Cali next week! Marilyn asked me to fly out and cover the Teen Choice Awards for the September feature of the magazine. You'll be in town, right? Kate

As soon as I clicked send, Sarah and I were off to Macy's.

Chapter Seventeen "W hat exactly are we looking for here?" Sarah asked as we perused the racks. I went over the list I had been composing in my head. "Priority number one is a dress for the awards show. I could also use a cute dress or two, a new bathing suit and maybe some new shoes. I have no clue though how long I'll be out there and we've only got an hour right now so if we can get the dress for the show taken care of today then I can do the rest later." Armed with six or seven dresses we made a beeline for the dressing room. The first dress was a long black number. "Too formal," Sarah observed. "I think

t he TCAs calls for something short and fun but still classy." I went back into the fitting room and slid into a red halter dress that hit just above my knees. "Ooh much better!" Sarah declared as I twirled in the mirror and examined myself from every angle. "I do like the way my boobs look in this dress. My butt doesn't look huge, does it?" Sarah shook her head. "Ok good. Then this one is a possibility, I said as I ran back into the dressing room. I tried on the others we picked out but we both agreed that the red dress was the most appropriate for the occasion.

Since we had time we checked out the bathing suit selection and the sundresses, just in case I had any down time. There were no bathing suits for me but Sarah did find a pink plaid one for herself. However, I did pick out two cute dresses that would work for going out either during the day or at night, depending on how I accessorized them. Happily swinging our shopping bags we made a quick stop at Starbucks and then headed back to work. I sipped my light caramel frappacino and opened the new email I had from Tom.

From: Tom Alexander To: Kate Sanders Sent: 8/3/09, 1:16pm Subject: Re: California Girl! Hey KateIt's about time you ventured out to the West Coast! And a major perk that work is footing the bill. Not only will I be in town, but I'm attending the TCAs as well. I'm presenting Choice Female Actress and I'm nominated but you'll have to look up which category for yourself. It's too embarrassing for me to even speak, let alone type in an email. Shoot me an email or call me once you know the details of your trip. Im so excited you are coming out to my turf. Ill make sure to get you to all of the hot spots. Tom

From: Kate Sanders To: Tom Alexander Sent: 8/3/09, 2:10pm Subject: Re: California Girl! Dear Choice Male Hottie NomineeYour secret is out and I'm telling all the girls in the office. Though I do hate to tell you that you have some stiff competition. Robert Pattinson is so hot right now. You'd get my vote if it would be socially acceptable for me to vote for something like this at my age. I just got an email with my itinerary. I'm flying out of Newark that Sunday on a Continental flight that leaves at 8:30am and puts me at LAX at 11:14am. I fly back to Jersey on an 11:55am flight on that Wednesday. So I'll have part of Sunday and Monday and then all of Tuesday. Not as much time

as I'd hoped for, but something is better than nothing, right? Kate PS: Can you get me an intro with Rob Pattinson? From: Tom Alexander To: Kate Sanders Sent: 8/3/09, 2:21pm Subject: Re: California Girl KSunday once you get situated we can putz around LA and then grab some dinner. There are tons of after parties Monday night that we can hit and then Tuesday I'll indulge you in the highlights of LA. Sound good? I better start cleaning now; it might take all week to make this place presentable before you get here. Talk to you later!

T PS: You know the Jonas Brothers are hosting, right? Try to get it out of your system now, but I'll still warn them about you just in case. PPS: I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me to introduce you to Robert Pattinson. W hat do girls see in that guy anyway?

Chapter Eighteen "I am so jealous that you get to go to LA," Jen said as we sat at our usual Friday happy hour table. "Do you know how many cool celebrities you are going to meet!?" "Are you staying at Tom's place?" Sarah asked with a wink. I threw a pretzel at her. "No, I have a hotel room thank you very much. One with a very lovely looking pool that I intend to enjoy if I can." Sarah looked at Jen and said, "I'll bet you $20 she doesn't sleep in that hotel room once." "Please. I'm not stupid enough to take that bet," Jen retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "W hat about me has ever given you the idea I'd sleep anywhere other than my hotel room?" "C'mon Kate," Sarah said. "Things have been brewing between you and Tom since the movie premiere. You talk every day, probably more to him than you do to me or Jen. He's met your parents and you've exchanged emails with his mother." "And they kissed. Twice," Jen added. Sarah looked down at her drink. "You didn't tell me that. I thought we told each other everything." "I'm sorry! I just didn't know what to make of it. I still don't," I admitted. I wanted to drop it, but it was clear by the look on her face that I

wouldn't be able to. W ith a sigh, I began to relate the events of the two times we had kissed. "The first kiss happened after we got back to the hotel from the Vanished party. I confronted him about what those girls were saying in the bathroom about me and him. From there it spiraled into "where is this friendship g o i n g ? We both admitted we didnt know but he said I'm the only person besides his family who makes him feel normal. Then he looked at me and my heart started to race. He pulled me toward him and kissed me. It wasn't a hot, passionate kiss, it was more an I want to see how this feels kind of kiss. I'm not sure about him, but it about knocked me on my ass. The second kiss was that day or the next day or whatever, when I took Tom to my house because I thought he was

going to lose it over that review. I did tell you about how we'd spent all day at my house, hanging out in the pool and just talking. We never talked about the kiss though, thanks to my brothers impeccable timing. He stayed for dinner and we sat around the table laughing and joking with my family. W ho absolutely adore him, by the way. It all felt so normal, like he belonged there with us. I offered for him to sleep in the guest room because it was late but he had an early flight back to LA the next morning. W hen I walked him out to the car that came to pick him up I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek but he grabbed my face and kissed me on the mouth. It lasted a good ten seconds before I pulled away. He thanked me for everything, said he'd call me when he got home and then he was gone. I watched the car until it was out of sight and then finally got my legs to work and carry me back inside."

"Is he a good kisser?" Sarah asked. "I spill all of that to you and that's what you say?" I sighed. "W hat do you think?" Jen and Sarah stared dreamily into space. "Stop picturing it," I snapped. "Have you guys talked about it?" Jen questioned. I shook my head. "It's like it never happened. But maybe its better that way, you know? He so quickly became one of my closest friends; I don't want it to become weird. And then there's the fact that we live 3,000 miles away from each other. Long distance relationships don't work for me, you guys know that as well as I do. The whole thing with

Bob made me realize I cant do long distance. I don't know. I do like him, but two kisses is all the romantic interest he's shown." "Not true," Sarah interrupted. "He took you to the opening of his movie! W hen have you ever seen anyone on his arm at something like that? He also held your hand for most of the movie. Don't think we didn't notice." "I think it's clear there are some sort of feelings on both sides that you both might not want to confront. Maybe when you're in LA you should talk to him about it," Jen suggested. I disagreed. "This is my first time being on his turf and I'd prefer not to spoil my trip. W hat if I get out there and I can't handle his lifestyle? W hat if he's a totally different person when he's in LA? I think I'm better off waiting to see

what happens and then we can talk about it when I get back home." "Do you really think he's any different when he's out there as opposed to being here? I think he's too genuine for something like that," Jen offered. "W e'll find out soon enough," I replied.

Chapter Nineteen I spent the rest of the weekend packing and laying by the pool. Everyone in LA would be tan, of this I was sure. I needed to soak up as much color as possible. Even with how busy I was, 6am Sunday rolled around faster than I thought it would. "Kate!" my dad yelled up the stairs. "W e need to get moving!" Marilyn had offered to let me have the company car drive me to the airport but I was more comfortable with my dad taking me instead. I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at my dad. "You're going to have to help me get this down the stairs and into the car," I told him, pointing at the suitcase.

"W hat the heck is in here?" my dad asked as he hauled it out the door. "Y ou do know you're only gone for a total of 3 days, correct?" "And you do realize who you are talking to, right?" I said as I followed him out the door. "I've got two possible outfits for each day, four pairs of shoes, my hair straightener and my entire makeup collection. Oh and a bathing suit, pajamas and the other necessities. A girl must be prepared for any situation." "Sorry I asked," he grunted as the suitcase landed in the trunk with a thud. I was walking around to the passenger side of the car when my mom came flying out of the house. In her bathrobe. Priceless. Thank goodness it was too early for any of my neighbors to be up.

"I can't believe you weren't going to say goodbye!" she wailed and threw her arms around me. "Mom!" I gasped. "Loosen the death grip please. I'll be back Wednesday. You won't even notice I'm gone." "As the woman who gave birth to you it's my right to worry. Call me when you land, call me when you check in and call me before you board your flight back home. Oh, my baby is all grown up!" She threw her arms around me again. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Get back inside before the neighbors see you out here looking like this," I pleaded. "Have fun!" She yelled as the retreated toward the front porch. "Take lots of pictures and tell Tom we said hi!" She stood in the doorway waving as we

pulled out of the driveway. "She's going to be a mess until I land back in Jersey, isn't she?" I asked my dad. "Probably. Just call her as much as you can," he responded. "That will help keep her calm and from driving your brother or me nuts. You can't blame either one of us for being nervous; this is the first time you're traveling on a plane alone." I sighed. Parents. I chose to ignore that comment and reached over to turn on the radio. I flipped rapidly through the stations until I found something I liked. The drive to the airport was smooth because it was still so early. My dad pulled up in front of the terminal for departing Continental flights and grabbed my luggage out of the trunk. "You're lucky that luggage has wheels,"

he said as he hugged me tight. "Do you have everything? Money? Credit cards? If you need anything just call. No matter what time it is here. Be safe and make good decisions. I'll be here to pick you up on W ednesday." I slung my tote bag over my shoulder and popped the handle up on my suitcase. I gave my dad thumbs up as he drove away and I was off to check in at the Continental counter. After checking my suitcase and trudging through security I settled in by my gate to wait for my plane to begin boarding. So far, so good. I knew I could handle traveling by myself. Once on board I located my seat (note to self: thank Kristen for scoring me a window seat) and buckled my seatbelt. I took the small container of Dramamine out of my bag and shook two pills into my hand. I'm not afraid of flying but I'm

prone to motion sickness like you wouldn't believe. It's so bad that I can't read or watch the movie on the plane. Instead I either sleep or listen to my Ipod. Fortunately for me between the medicine and the lack of sleep the night before I was asleep before we even took off and then through most of the flight. My plane landed at LAX right on time. Tom had insisted on having his driver come get me and take me to my hotel. I made my way through the airport toward baggage claim and found the driver holding a "Miss Sanders" sign. I asked him sheepishly if he would mind pulling my luggage off of the belt. That would teach me to over pack again. Once my bag was retrieved we made our way to the car. I opened the back door and grinning at me on the other side was Tom.

"Oh my god! You scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed. Tom laughed. "Get in. Sorry I didn't come inside to meet you. That was the plan until we were on our way here and I realized what kind of scene I might make. James is off on Sundays otherwise I would have brought him with me and come inside. If you thought t h e paparazzi was bad in New York, wait until you see it here. How was the flight?" "W hen I was conscious it was good." I confessed my motion sickness issue. "Does the driver know where he's going?" "Yeah, I gave him all of your info. I'm pretty sure anyone in the city could get us to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Speaking of which, fancy stuff! Teen Scene hooked you up. That place is going to

be rocking this weekend and crawling with celebrities." The driver pulled up to the front door of the hotel and jumped out to get me my bags. As Tom was insisting on carrying my things, a few photographers jumped out of the bushes like ninjas. "Hey Tom! How's it going man? W hat brings you to the Beverly Hills Hotel? Don't you live not far from here?" They all seemed to talk on top of each other. "I know you guys know where I live. Ive seen you outside my gate before. A friend is checking in for a few days," he said politely as he followed me inside. "Is that the girl from the New York 'Vanished ' premiere?" one of them yelled as the door closed behind us. We ignored them and went inside so

I could check in. I walked up to the front desk. "Hi, I'm checking in. Last name Sanders." The girl manning the desk looked from me to Tom and smiled. "Anything for a friend of Mr. Alexander's!" She made a few quick keystrokes and frowned. Never a good sign. "Can you spell your last name?" she asked. "S-A-N-D-E-R-S." "Hmmm...that's how I spelled it. Let me double check." A few more clicks. More frowning. "I'm sorry Miss Sanders, but I don't have

a reservation for you." You have got to be kidding me. I gave her my sweetest smile. "There must be a mistake. Could you please check again?" I asked. She looked skeptical, but did it for me anyway. "Sorry, still nothing." "Ok, not a problem," I said. "Can you book me a room for tonight through W ednesday?" I could put it on my personal credit card and have work pay me back. Crisis averted. "I'd love to help you, but we're full." Maybe we did have a small problem

here. W hat the heck was I going to I felt my bottom lip quiver. Sensing tears might start spilling out at minute, Tom led me away from desk.

do? the any the

"W hat I am going to do?" I whispered as tears welled up in my eyes. Tom looked at me, alarmed. "Please don't cry. Y ou can stay with me." I swiped at my eyes with the back of my hand. "Really?" I asked in a small voice. "Of course! W hat kind of friend would I be if I left you stranded? Besides, we plan to hang out the entire time you're here so it works out better that way," he assured me. He took the handle of my suitcase

and walked outside. "That was quick," one of our new friends observed from the bushes. Tom ignored him and put my luggage back in the trunk. "Change of plans," he told his driver as we slid into the backseat. "Kate's going to be staying with me."

Chapter Twenty Traffic in LA was nothing like in NY C. It was worse. Tom said his place was only a few miles away but it took us a good twenty minutes to get there. W hen we pulled up I was convinced we had the wrong house. The property was gated and the driver punched in a code to let the car in. I watched the gates close behind us and then swiveled my head to get my first glimpse of Tom's house. "All of the houses around here are this big," Tom said defensively. His house wasn't just big; it was pretty much triple the size of my own. "It's gorgeous!" I breathed.

We got out of the car and Tom unlocked the front door. "Ladies first," he told me. I stood in a sprawling foyer, trying to take it in as fast as I could. There was a huge staircase that had a landing that opened to the floor where we stood. Tom grabbed my hand and took me on a tour of the entire house. There were three bedrooms upstairs, each with their own bathroom. "Mine and then one each for my parents and brother when they visit," he explained. All of the bedrooms were very tastefully done in warm earth tones. The kitchen and living room were both one huge room, which I loved. But my favorite part of the house was the basement. It looked just like a movie theater, except with more comfortable seating. Tom led me outside to the backyard, where there was a pool and a hot tub nestled among palm trees.

"This place," I turned to Tom, "is everything and nothing like I expected it to be, all in one." He beamed. "I'm glad you like it! Though I have to admit, my mom did most of the decorating. And being here by myself gets really lonely. I try to bribe my brother to come out as often as possible. But I do consider myself to be extremely lucky." Tom looked at his watch. "It's three o'clock. W hat do you feel like doing?" "I'm drained," I admitted. "Would it be ok if we just hung out around here?" "My kind of girl," Tom said. "We can watch a movie and order some food if you want." "That sounds great," I agreed.

He dragged my stuff upstairs brought me to a room right by his.

and

"Joey usually stays in this room but I don't think he will mind you crashing for a few days," he said as he pushed open the door. Tom shut the door and I unzipped my suitcase. My dress for tomorrow night had traveled nicely and I hung it up. The rest of my clothes I left in the suitcase on the floor. As I was about to head downstairs, my cell phone beeped. New text message from Jen. "U in LA?" "Y ep." Send. Beep. "How's the hotel?" "No hotel. Staying with Tom. Explain later." Send.

Beep. "Damn! Should've taken bet with Sarah." I rolled my never called mother was picked up on "Hello?" "Hey mom, it's Kate." "Kate! W here have you been? According to your flight status online you landed hours ago." "Sorry. There was a small issue at the hotel. They lost my reservation. It's ok though, I'm staying with Tom." "W ith Tom? Is that such a good idea?" eyes and realized I had home when I landed. My probably freaking out. She the first ring.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm 26 years old mom. I think I can handle staying alone with a boy. I have to go, I'll call you tomorrow. Tell dad I said hi. Love you!" I hung up quickly before she could say anything else. I wandered back downstairs and found Tom sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. I didnt really take Tom Alexander for a tabloid magazine reading kind of guy, I commented. He looked up and chuckled. I like to keep up on whats going on around me. W hos see ing who, whos in trouble with the law, that kind of stuff. And of course the outrageous lies they tell are pretty entertaining. Anyway, food? Y es, please.

After we ate dinner, Tom led me into the basement and motioned to the ridiculous amount of DVDs he owned. I know I might regret this, but your choice. Thats a rookie mistake, I teased. W hat if I pick T he Notebook? Tom looked thoughtful. Easy. Id pretend to put on T he Notebook but put on Die Hard instead. I scanned the titles, looking for something I hadnt seen yet. Hey, how do you have T ransformers 2 already? I asked. I have connections, he winked. Did you see it yet?

Nope, he responded. Perfect. Lets do that one. Tom put the movie on and we settled onto a large, comfortable couch. At some point I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, the credits were rolling and my head was in Toms lap. Embarrassed, I sat right up. Look whos awake, Tom said. I looked at him sheepishly. Sorry, I tend to fall asleep during movies a lot. You should have just woken me up though. Nah, you looked so peaceful and I know youre tired. Tom and I went upstairs and there was a moment of awkwardness as we parted in the hallway.

Night Tom, I said as I headed for my room. Hey Kate? I turned and Toms face was inches from mine. He leaned down and kissed me. Ill see you in the morning, he whispered. You know where to find me if you need me.

Chapter Twenty-One The next day I was a bundle of nerves getting ready for the Teen Choice Awards. I spent a good two hours in front of the mirror, applying makeup and fiddling with my hair. "Kate?" Tom called. We needed to leave five minutes ago." I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, grabbed my clutch and headed downstairs. "You look gorgeous," Tom said. He was leaning against the doorway wearing black dress pants and a button down shirt. "And you look ready to pick up an award for Choice Male Hottie," I was going to

take any opportunity to tease him about it. "Don't remind me," he groaned, "so embarrassing. You know we can skip this, right? Maybe do a repeat of last night and hang out here and watch a movie? As tempting as that sounds, the sole reason I was sent out here was for the awards show tonight. Tom pretended to pout. Fine, fine. Well go. But I dont have to enjoy it. Do you have everything? Press pass? Cell phone? Any girly things you might need?" "Check and check." "Great! Let's go do this." We pulled up to the Gibson

Amphitheatre mobbed.

and

it

was

already

"I'll see you inside," Tom promised. " Oh and just remember- Kristen is the name of the girl from Twilight and 'that guy' as you called him who won American Idol is Kris." "Got it," I said as I climbed out of the car. "Can't wait to watch you lug that surfboard around," I laughed as I shut the door. The car pulled away to take Tom to wherever he had to be and I headed to find the designated press area. For a good hour, I did a lot of standing around, waiting. "I feel like I am baking out here," the girl standing next to me complained.

"Thank god I'm not the only one. We can both sweat on Zac Efron together," I joked. "I'm Kate. Teen Scene." "I knew I recognized you!" the girl exclaimed. "You're the girl dating Tom Alexander! I'm Kim, Teen Vogue." "Tom and I are just friends," I assured her. She winked at me. "W hatever you say." We continued to make small talk as we waited for the celebrities to descend upon us. "Have you ever done this before?" Kim asked. "Never," I admitted. "Y ou?"

"My first time too. W hen we're done let's compare notes and help each other out. Sound good?" "Sure." The red carpet interviews went fast and I got a few brief comments from people like Shia LaBeouf and Taylor Swift. I already had ideas swirling in my head about what Id do with the article. The show was a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I sat in the press section next to Kim, in complete awe of everything going on around us. The Jonas Brothers were a hoot and you could tell they were genuinely having fun with their hosting duties. W hen the show was over, I said goodbye to Kim and stayed in my seat. Tom had said it would be easier for him

to come get me rather than for me to go looking for him. "Ms. Sanders?" A large man in a suit and headset was towering over me. "Y es?" "Come with me please. Mr. Alexander asked me to escort you backstage." I got up and followed him, willing my legs to stop shaking. I was flooded with relief when we found Tom. "Kate!" he yelled over the noise and waved me over to him. "Sorry I didn't get you myself, I got stuck doing some stuff back here." He motioned to a bunch of cameras and reporters. "No problem. Hey, sorry you didn't win Choice Male Hottie. But I did tell you that Robert Pattinson had it locked up."

"Don't be sorry, I'm not. I hate making speeches. Plus did you get a good look at those surfboards they gave out as trophies? W here would I put that thing?" Just then a tall blonde came strutting over and kissed Tom on the cheek. Jealousy washed over me. "Hi Tom," she cooed. "W ho's your little friend?" Little friend? Was this girl for real? Clearly she didn't know I was from Jersey. Tom sensed me tense up and took my hand. The girl's face fell. "Kate, this is Lisa," he said. "Lisa this is my good friend Kate. She's staying with me while she's in LA." She blatantly looked me up and down.

"Nice to meet you," she said sourly and turned back to Tom. "There's a big party at a hotel not far from here. I can text you with the details if you want." "Thanks," Tom responded. "But I already made other plans for us. It was nice seeing you." Tom led me away, leaving Lisa standing by herself. "I dated that girl for like two seconds. I have no idea what I was thinking because she is downright obnoxious. Anyway, we'll leave in a few minutes, there's just one person I want you to meet. Hey! Rob!" Tom called across the room to a tall, dark haired guy. "W hat are you doing?" I hissed as he dragged me along behind him. "Didn't you ask me to introduce you to

him?" he asked innocently. "I'm going to kill you." "Rob, this is my friend Kate. She's your biggest fan," Tom told him. Oh, he was going to pay for this. I took my hand from his and extended it toward Rob. "It's really nice to meet you. Congrats on all the awards you won. I write for Teen Scene Magazine and I think it will be a nice write up as part of next month's feature," I said in my best flirty voice. Tom shot me a dirty look. "Well that's certainly sweet of you," Rob said. "Though better luck for you next year, right Tom?" I giggled. Clearly Tom's attempt to embarrass me was backfiring on him.

"We have to run," Tom said, taking my hand. "It was nice meeting you Kate. Next time I'm in New York we can do an interview for the magazine. Ill make sure to mention it to my people. Hopefully I'll see you later though at one of the after parties." W hen we were out of earshot, I poked Tom in the side. "That wasn't funny." "W hat? You looked enjoying yourself." like you were

"I was just trying to torture you. And it seems like it worked," I grinned. Tom laughed. "Ok I guess I deserved it. But it was worth it. You should have seen the look on your face when Rob said hi to you. Priceless."

Chapter Twenty-Two Tom and I stayed out late partying after the awards show and slept way later than we intended to. W e were able to hit a few of the traditional LA tourist spots but the paparazzi and fans were out in full force. Everywhere we went Tom was spotted immediately and we were mobbed. Even with James in tow the whole experience was still a little intimidating. I couldnt believe Tom had to deal with this kind of stuff every time he left his house. I dont know how you do it, I told him when we were back at his house. Tom flopped on the couch. I try not to, he replied. I feel like a hermit sometimes, never leaving the

house. At least I have my W ii to keep me company, he joked. I never understood all of the complaining celebrities do about the price of fame and all that stuff, I admitted, stretching out on the opposite couch. But I guess you never really can judge until you experience it for yourself. It was late and we both lay motionless for a few minutes. Ever since I had arrived wed been on the go nonstop and I was exhausted. I wish you didnt have to go tomorrow, Tom spoke first. Me too, I said ruefully. I feel like I just got here. It sucks that we never get more than a few days together. And that I cant just

hang out with you whenever I want. Although it does make us appreciate the time we do get to spend together, I pointed out. You should move to California. There are just as many magazines based out here as there are in NY . Yeah, but then Id have to pay rent, I joked. You could always have a room here. Id give you a good rate, Tom winked. As I climbed into bed that night, Tom poked his head in the room. Mind if I come in? he asked. I sat up and patted the space next to me on the bed. W hats up?

Ive been trying to figure out how to ask you this without it sounding sleazy, Tom began. But do you want to stay in my room tonight? I dont know when I might see you again and Im not asking you to do anything but sleep. Tom blushed as I stood up and took his hand. Of course Ill tonight, I said softly. stay with you

It was torture leaving the next morning. I trudged behind as Tom wheeled my suitcase to the car. Youre quiet, Tom observed as we sped along to the airport. I scrunched up my nose and put my head on his shoulder.

Dont want to leave. Hey I told you to tell Marilyn you missed your flight and cant get another one until September. Yeah, somehow I dont think shed believe there were no flights from LAX to Newark for a whole three weeks. We said our goodbyes in the car when we pulled up to the departures terminal. You came here, now its my turn to come back out there, Tom promised. Thanks for everything. Ill call you when Im back home. W e kissed and then I reluctantly got out of the car. I waited until I was inside and couldnt see his car anymore before I let a single tear roll down my cheek. It was a long flight home.

Chapter Twenty-Three "I can't believe you've been home for three days and I've gotten no details on your trip!" Jen complained from the treadmill next to mine. "Well ever since I got back I've been doing nothing but work. I went in Thursday morning to more emails than I care to think about. I probably have no business being at the gym right now. I should be at home, working on my article." "It's Saturday," Jen complained. "And last time I checked your job was Monday-Friday. So you're going to spend the day hanging out with me and telling me all about LA. How else am I supposed to live vicariously through you?"

"Alright, alright. Unfortunately I'm not coordinated enough to run and talk so can we do this later? Maybe as we lay by my pool and sip frozen drinks?" I asked. "Deal." After a grueling work out and a nice shower, Jen and I were lounging poolside. "It's so not fair we only get three months of summer," Jen commented. "Agreed." My phone beeped to indicate I had a text message. I opened the message from Tom, read it and hit respond. "W hy are you grinning like a maniac?"

Jen asked over the top sunglasses. "Is that Tom?" "Y es, it's Tom." "W hat does it say?" "That he misses me." "Gag me." "Jealous?"

of

her

"Y es. Its ok though, I'm really happy for you," she said. I smiled to myself and responded to Tom's text. "Miss u 2. Come 2 NJ." Send. I tossed my phone next to my chair and closed my eyes.

"So? W hat's the deal? You've told me all about the awards show, but what happened between you and Tom?" Jen asked. I rolled over so I was lying on my stomach and pushed up onto my elbows. "I'm not sure how to explain it," I began. "He acted like we were a couple. Holding my hand, kissing me, all that stuff. But we never talked about it. I don't want to be just some girl who hooked up with Tom Alexander, but it's not like that. Except I don't know what it's like." "That's not complicated anything," Jen commented. or

"Right? And how do I even ask him to define what we are? No matter what, everything comes back to the fact

of our living situations. It's hard enough to date someone when they live nearby, let alone across the country." "W hen are you going to see him again?" she asked. "I don't know. He said he'd come out here but he didn't say when."

Chapter Twenty-Four Work was so busy that I didn't have much time to dwell on my relationship, or lack thereof, with Tom. I'd spent most of my time at work trying to perfect my article on the Teen Choice Awards. I had a ton of great material to work with and I was doing my best to fit it all in. I suspected that people had been overly nice to me because of Tom, but if that would help me put something excellent together for the magazine then I didn't mind. I sat chewing my pen, wondering what angle to go with, when a new email popped into my inbox from Tom.

Chapter Twenty-Five I was on a plane from Newark to Dallas, enroute to meet Tom's family. Not just his parents and brother either, we're talking grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins too. In all fairness to me, I had been tricked. Bribed, even. W hy did I agree to this? I thought, as the gremlin inside my stomach continued to claw at my insides. I could have just said there was no way to take a whole week off of work. But I relished any time I got to spend with Tom and I had never been to Texas so I spoke before asking questions. Tom had been smart about it and used my love of sports against me. Ever since my trip to LA we spoke on the phone at least once a day.

"Remember how you were saying you'd love to go see the Cowboys play in the new stadium they just built?" Tom had asked one day. "Y es! Have you seen that thing? It looks like aliens landed their spaceship right in Arlington!" "If someone offered you a free ticket to the home game against the Falcons on October 25th, would you go?" "I'd ask if that someone was also paying for my plane ticket," I said jokingly. "Funny you mention that, because I'm buying your plane ticket as we speak," he responded.

"Shut up! Really?" "Didn't you just say you'd go if it also included airfare?" "I didn't think you were serious! I can't let you pay for a plane ticket to Texas for me." "Too late, already submitted all of my credit card information. I've got you all set to fly down on Saturday the 24th. How would you feel about spending a whole week in Texas?" "Wait-why would I need to come down for a whole week and not just a long weekend?" I asked suspiciously. "Because my cousin is getting married on the 31st and I don't want to go alone. So it just makes sense for you to stay the week instead of flying back and forth two weekends in a row."

"Did you just ask me to be your date to a family wedding?" "In a round about way, yes." "So you somehow got your hands on Cowboys tickets just to get me to say I'm free and could come down?" "Maybe." "Sneaky. I'm going to have to check and make sure it's ok for me to take that week off from work. But I've only used a few of my vacation days so it should be no problem. W hat are we going to do in Texas for a week?" "Don't worry; there's plenty to do in the Dallas area. You won't be bored. Check with Marilyn tomorrow and let me know."

I talked to Marilyn the next day and she was thrilled to give me the time off. She believed my relationship with Tom was great free publicity for the magazine. I wasn't thrilled with her line of thinking, but it got me the time off so I didn't question it. "One condition," she told me before I left her office. "You need to have the November feature on my desk before you leave that Friday." "I will," I promised. True to my word, I had it to her that Thursday. All I had to do was check my emails while I was gone in case I needed any last minute revisions done.

Chapter Twenty-Six W hen I got off the plane, Tom was standing at the gate waiting for me. "Hey!" I stood up on my toes to kiss him. "Don't you need a ticket to be in this area? "I pulled some strings," he grinned as he took my bag off of my shoulder. Wait, wheres James? I scanned the crowded terminal for his ever present one man security team. I gave him the week off. He never comes with me when I come home. Tom slung his arm around my shoulder. Do you have anymore questions?

I shook my head. No security, no publicist, no assistant. Just a whole week of Tom all to myself. I looked up at him and smiled. You ready for this? he asked as we wove through the crowded airport. "To get to see the stadium? Hell yes!" Tom laughed. "Ohhh...you meant to meet the entire Alexander family. In that case, no. But I've still got a week to prepare mentally. Right now I'm just ready to enjoy the game tomorrow." "Good! I've got a few surprises for you. Let's go grab your suitcase." As we drove out of the airport, I said "This is new. I've never driven with you new Cowboys

before." "Yeah, well, I told you my parents insist on normalcy when I'm home. W hich includes picking up cute girls from the airport. And also includes having to ask my little brother to borrow his car to do so. It's humiliating but my parents won't let me just leave a car here. They say it's a waste of money," he shrugged. "Your parents are smart people. But I'll still scared to death to meet them." Tom reached over and took my hand. "They're going to love you." I stared out the window as we drove along the freeway. To say Texas is nothing like New Jersey is an understatement. Out my window I could see nothing but land for miles and miles. I smiled to myself, thinking

about how different the view was than driving on the NJ Turnpike. We pulled into Tom's parents' house twenty minutes later. The house took my breath away, but it wasn't ostentatious. It was a very simple two story colonial, with landscaping out of a magazine. I loved it already. My stomach started doing flip flops as we got out of the car and made our way inside. "Mom!" Tom yelled. "W e're home!" "I'm in the kitchen," a voice called out. "I'm up to my elbows in ground beef." Tom rolled his eyes and led me through the house and into the kitchen. His mom was just drying off her hands as we came into the room. Now I knew where Tom got his good looks. Or at least most of them. His mom was tall,

about my height and she had gorgeous dark blonde hair and olive skin. She came around the center island and enveloped me in a huge hug. She stood back and held me at arms length. "Kate! It is so good to finally meet you! I'm Kathy. Tom has told us so much about you." "It's wonderful to meet you too. Thank you so much for having me." "Please! Tom has never brought any friends home before, let alone a female friend. W e're thrilled to have you." That left me speechless for a second. I had no idea Tom had never brought a girl home to meet his parents before. I was both thrilled and terrified.

"We're having meatloaf for dinner," she continued as she went back to the oven. "I hope that's ok with you. Tom said it's your favorite." I blushed. "That was very sweet of you Mrs. Alexander." "Honey call me Kathy. Mrs. Alexander is my mother-in-law," she winked. "Mom, I'm gonna take Kate upstairs and let her get settled. W here's Joey and dad?" Tom asked. "Joey is out doing that favor you asked him to do," she responded. "And dad went with him. They've been gone awhile so I'm sure they'll be back soon. Let me know when Kate is settled, I'll open a bottle of wine and we'll go sit out back."

"Sounds good," he turned and said. "Follow me, I'll show you where you're staying." We made our way upstairs and I admired all of the pictures of Tom and his brother that were proudly displayed on the walls. "Your mom is great. Though you didn't tell me you've never brought a girl home before!" I said. "W hy would I go and do a dumb thing like that? You were already nervous enough," he replied. Tom pushed a bedroom door open. "This is the guest room. My parents were being prudes about you staying in

my room. But I'm right next door. And this room has its own bathroom. I don't even have my own bathroom here," he complained. "You poor thing," I teased. "No worries, I don't think I would have felt comfortable staying in your room with you in your parents' house anyway." "Fine, whatever," he pretended to pout. "I'm going to leave you alone to do whatever it is girls do. Come downstairs whenever you're ready." He shut the door behind him as he went. I threw my suitcase on the bed and fished out some new clothes and other immediate necessities. In the bathroom I brushed my hair and teeth and fixed my makeup since it was quite a sight after flying for several hours. I changed into jeans and a shirt, threw on some flip flops and went back

downstairs. "She's really pretty Tom," I heard his mom whisper. "And she's so sweet!" "Don't embarrass me," he threatened. "I really like her." My heart fluttered at his words. I stalled a little bit before walking into the kitchen. I didn't want Tom to know I had heard his exchange with his mom. "That was quick," he commented. "W hat can I say? High maintenance I am not." "I just threw the meatloaf in the oven. Kate do you dri nk white wine?" Kathy asked. "Yes, another favorite. Tom maybe

talked too much about me," I joked. The backyard was landscaped just as beautifully as the front yard was. We sat on the deck, drinking our wine and talking. His mom asked all sorts of questions about my family, my job and anything else she could think of. "One of these days I'm going to get up to New York. I've never been to New Y ork City," she admitted. "Oh then you have to come up!" I exclaimed. "It's like no other place in the world." "Maybe once Tom moves out there," she replied. "Mom," Tom said threateningly. I was about to ask her to explain when Tom's dad and brother appeared on the

porch. His dad was tall and lean. His brother could have passed for Tom's twin. "So this must be the famous Kate I keep hearing about," his dad said as he hugged me. "I'm Tom's dad, Joe." "And I'm Tom's way cooler younger brother, Joey," his brother said and stuck out his hand. "I'd hug you but Tom might kill me," he grinned. I laughed. "It's very nice to meet you both." Joey produced a bag from behind his back and thrust it at me. "For you! W elcome to Texas!" I looked at Tom and pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. Inside was a pink Cowboys jersey, number 9.

"It's for the game tomorrow," Joey explained. "Tom said you had a bunch but he wanted you to have a new one for the game." "It's awesome!" I said and threw my arms around Joey. He squirmed uncomfortably. Blushing, he said, "You're welcome. I hope you don't mind me and dad tagging along. We're huge fans too. We try to go to every home game. Wait until you see the new place! We have to get there early so you can get the full experience," he gushed. I was in my pajamas and had just brushed my teeth when there was a knock at the door. I peeked out and Tom was on the other side.

"W hat's up?" I asked. "Are you going to let me in?" he whispered as he slipped past me. "I guess I am. W hat are you doing?" I asked as he quietly shut the door. "I just wanted to say goodnight," he murmured as he put his mouth on m i n e . The butterflies in my stomach went crazy. Would that ever stop happening? I hoped not. W hen he stopped kissing me I paused to catch my breath. I needed to find a way to stop falling as hard as I was for him. "You have to get out of here. Your parents will kill you," I playfully pushed him toward the door. He kissed me again. "I don't get to see you enough. Do you blame me for wanting to spend every minute with

you? And where's adventure?"

your

sense

of

"I'd prefer to not piss your parents off if that's ok with you." "Fine," he dropped his hands from my waist, "you win. Ready by 9am tomorrow?" "The game isn't until 3:15," I said. "Joey told you we had to be there early," he grinned. "Goodnight Kate." "Tom?" I asked as he went to open the door. "Yea?" he turned back to me and I grabbed him and kissed him. "Sweet dreams."

Chapter Twenty-Seven The next morning we piled into Tom's dad's truck and headed off for the stadium. W hen we got there, I was in awe. I'd seen pictures (and video) of it on the internet, but it was twice as impressive in person. "W here do we even start?" I asked no one in particular. "Let's do a lap around the whole place first," Joey suggested. It wasn't even 10am and the tailgating was in full swing and like nothing I had ever seen before. There were flatbed trucks set up with large screen televisions in the back. Some people had even started BBQ preparations. Most had already started boozing. A lot of people gave Tom

second glances but only a handful came up to us. "I'm old news once football season rolls around," he joked, putting his arm around me. We found a spot where women were painting peoples' faces and Joey insisted we all get it done. "If this ends up on the internet you're going to get it," Tom warned as a woman painted a large star on his face. We perused the stadium gift shop and located the famed Tom Landry s t a t ue . The atmosphere was amazing and I never wanted to leave. "Ready asked. to head inside?" Tom

Joey looked at his watch. "W hy are we going in so early? Let's go see if we can find some people we know and

crash their tailgate and drink some beers." "I have a surprise for you guys," Tom said. "But you can meet up with us later if you want Joey." Joey raised an eyebrow at the word surprise. "I think I'll stick with you." "Good choice," Tom responded. Tom led us up to the gate and whispered briefly to a ticket checker, who waved us inside and spoke into her walkie talkie. "Someone will be down for you in a few minutes," she said. A large man in a yellow SECURITY t-shirt came up to us. "Mr. Alexander?" he asked.

"That's me," Tom shook the man's hand. "Follow me," the man responded. They just got started." I looked at Tom's dad and he shrugged. Clearly no one was in on whatever was about to take place. We followed the man down a tunnel and came out in one of the end zones. I caught my breath. The field and inside of the stadium were amazing. I noticed the opening in the roof and smiled. "You know why there's a hole in the roof ?" my dad had asked when I was little. "No. W hy?" "So God can watch his team play." I took great delight in that philosophy and I was happy to see the tradition had carried over from the old

stadium. My gaze shifted to the field. The teams were already out practicing. "Holy shit," Joey whistled. "Joey! Language!" his dad scolded. "W hat do you think?" Tom asked in my ear. I turned to him, wide eyed. "This is beyond anything words can describe. I think I'm in heaven." "Don't look now," he whispered, "But Tony Romo is headed our way." "Hey Tom! Good to see you!" Tom a n d Tony shook hands. I stood, speechless. "You too man. This is my dad, Joe and my brother, Joey." "Pleasure to meet you both."

"And this," Tom said, "is girlfriend Kate."

my

Girlfriend? If I had been in my right mind I would have passed out. As it was I was having difficulty staying on my feet. "It's nice to meet you Kate. Nice j e rs e y," Tony winked. I felt my face burn. "It's nice to meet you, too," I squeaked. "Kate's from New Jersey. But she's a huge Cowboys fan. This is her first time in Texas," Tom told him. "Awesome! Well hang out, I'm sure some of the other guys will be over to say hello. I heard you're sitting in the owner's box?" Joey's jaw hit the floor.

"I guess the secret's out," Tom replied. "They'll take good care of you up there. I gotta run, but it was good to see you. Enjoy the game!" "Good luck," we all replied. I stood next to Tom, only mildly aware that my mouth was hanging open. Tom looked at me and smiled. "Y ou gonna say something?" I shook my head. Words eluded me. Quarterback, owner's box, girlfriend. It was all too much to process at once. We got to meet a few more players before being escorted to our seats for the game. The famed owner himself came in right after the coin toss and introduced himself to us. We cheered and yelled like maniacs the entire game. I kept wondering when I

was going to wake up. Life couldn't be this good, could it? We stayed through to the end, watching the Cowboys defeat the Falcons by a narrow margin. "That," I said as I floated out of the stadium, was hands down the best day of my life. I think I want to live here." Tom smiled and laced his fingers through mine.

Chapter Twenty-Eight By the time we got back to the house, I was exhausted. The Alexanders gave Tom and me some privacy and we sat out by the pool. "Can I talk to you about something?" I asked after a few minutes. Tom looked at me, concerned. "Of course. W hat's up?" "First of all, I have no idea how I am ever going to thank you for today." "By coming to my cousin's wedding with me on Saturday," he reminded. "That doesn't seem like a fair trade. You totally went above and beyond for me today."

"I did it because I care about you," he said. "W hich is why I wanted to talk. W hen you introduced me to people today you kept using a particular word...," I trailed off. "Girlfriend?" "Y ep. That's the one." "Well, aren't you? I just figured after you came out to LA that it was pretty much official. W hy else would I bring you here? My mom told you, I've never brought a girl home before," he moved to sit on the same lounge chair as me. "I guess it just surprised me because we never talked about it." "This feels very high school, but Kate, will you be my girlfriend?"

"That did sound very high school," I laughed. "Is that a yes?" I hesitated. It wasn't that I didn't want to be his girlfriend. But how could I be when we lived on opposite sides of the country? Heck I couldnt find a way to hang on to the last boyfriend Id had and he was only a few hours away when that ended. "I don't want this to come out wrong," I began. "But have you really thought this through? Don't get me wrong, I adore you. And if we both lived in the same state I wouldn't even be thinking about it. It's not just a matter of not living in the same state. We don't even live on the same side of the country. I told you how I fare in long distance relationships. Theres also the small fact that you are a huge celebrity

and I'm just some girl who writes for a magazine. I'm no one special." Tom looked thoughtful. It was a long while before he spoke. I worried that Id just single handedly ruined my shot with Tom. I was such an idiot. Tears started to form in my eyes. "You're special to me," Tom said. "And I love the fact that you aren't part of the Hollywood scene. I can be myself with you and not have to worry about it. I admit, the distance issue has crossed my mind more than once. But I really like you Kate. And the thought of you being with another guy eats me up inside. I realize it would be hard so I understand if you don't want to give it a chance. You can't deny there's something between us though. I think we owe it to ourselves to at least try." How could a girl argue with that? If Jen and Sarah, hell if any other girl in

America, knew I was uncertain they'd probably strangle me. I swallowed hard and wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand. "I really like you too," I whispered. "So yes, let's see if we can do the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing." "Good," he replied. And then he kissed me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine The rest of the week went by in a blur. Tom took me all over Dallas, showing me the places he thought I needed to see. I even ventured out alone with his mom to shop for dresses for the wedding. Ive never seen Tom so happy, Kathy commented from the dressing room next to mine. We were in a local department store and had been out looking for dresses all day. The wedding was the next day and if I didnt find a dress Id just have to wear the one Id brought down with me. I think this is probably the happiest Ive ever been, I admitted.

We both emerged at the same time. I couldnt help but gasp when I saw his mom. She was wearing a gorgeous floor length gown that matched her eyes perfectly. Thats breathed. totally the one, I

Kathy smiled and did a small spin. Y ou really like it? I nodded and meant it. The dress was fantastic. I think we may have found a dress for you, too, Kathy led me to the full length mirror. The dress was just a simple black strapless cocktail dress but it was very flattering. It was fitted at the top but flared out ever so slightly just at my knees. We both changed back into our street clothes and took our dresses to

the register. The girl at the corner eyed Kathy. Mrs. Alexander? she asked. Y es. I thought so. Your son looks just like you. He was in here before and said anything you and Kate found to put on his credit card. Kathy and I exchanged a glance as the girl bagged our dresses and handed them to us. Im going to kick his butt, Kathy said as we climbed into the car. Not if I dont get to him first, I agreed. About what I said before, Kathy started, I really meant it. Im so glad Tom found you. I worry about him out in LA all by himself and it makes me happy

to know he has someone else in his life that he cares about. Youre a great girl. Now how about we go find shoes for these dresses? By the time Saturday rolled around, I hadn't had a chance to deal with meeting the rest of his family. As I got ready for the ceremony, my nerves were out in full force. "Kate?" Tom knocked softly on the door. "Come in," I said as I unplugged the curling iron. I shook my head gently and soft curls fell down past my shoulders. I looked at Tom in the mirror. "Do I look like the girlfriend of a movie star?" I teased. "You might need to change," he replied. "It's not fair for a guest to look

prettier than the bride." I hit him playfully in the arm. "My parents and Joey are waiting downstairs," Tom said. I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my bag and took his arm. "Let's do this," I told him. We walked out of the room and to the top of the stairs. "Stay right there," his mother instructed from down below. She pulled her camera off of her wrist and snapped a few pictures. "Mom, enough," Tom complained. "This isn't the prom." "How often do I have you home? Plus, as you recall, you didnt go to the prom so I never got to do this. So no

whining out of you. Come down and take a picture with your brother and then we'll leave." "Can I sell these to some tabloids?" Joey joked. I could probably make enough to buy a killer sound system for my car. A few minutes later we climbed into two cars and headed for the church. I played nervously with the zipper on my purse. As we pulled into the parking lot my heart started to race. Tom came around and opened my door. "Don't worry," he said as he took my hand. "You look gorgeous and everyone is going to love you. I promise." All eyes were on us as we walked up to the church. I fought the urge to turn and run.

"Kathy!" an older woman exclaimed. "Look at your boys! They're all grown up." She turned to me. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" "Aunt Susan, this is my girlfriend, Kate," Tom said. "Are you an actor too dear?" I smiled. "No, I'm actually a writer." "That's wonderful," she replied. "Tom!" a tall, stocky guy approached us. "Glad you could tear yourself away from your busy Hollywood schedule to join us," he grinned. "Hey Kevin! You know I wouldnt miss this wedding for anything. Kate, this is my cousin, Kevin," Tom said. "Kevin, this is Kate." "Girlfriend?" Kevin asked.

"Y es." "Damn. Save me a dance later anyway?" he asked, kissing my hand. "W e'll see," I smiled. "I told you that you'd be fine," Tom told me when Kevin walked away. "Y ou fit in perfectly." Tom introduced me to various other family members until it was time to go into the church. The bridesmaids wore pale pink dresses and the bride came down the aisle in a beaded, ivory gown. I looked around and noticed that many of the guests were around my age. "How old are the bride and groom?" I whispered to Kathy during one of the readings. "My niece is 25 and the groom is

26," she responded. My age and married. Marriage wasn't even on my radar, I thought to myself. I tried to picture myself in a wedding dress and giggled. "W hat's so funny?" Tom asked as the groom kissed the bride. "Nothing. I'll tell you later." After the ceremony we headed to the reception, which was at a hotel not far from the church. We were seated with Tom's parents, Joey and some other family members but we only sat to eat. Most of the night was spent mingling, dancing and drinking. I finally gave in and danced with cousin Kevin. "No fair. I don't want to share," Tom joked as Kevin cut in. "One dance Tom and maybe if you behave I'll give her back," Kevin winked.

"So you live in Jersey, huh?" Kevin asked. "Born and raised." "How'd a regular girl from Jersey get to dating a movie star from LA?" I gave him the shortened version of our meeting and brief courtship. "My cousin's a good guy." I nodded in agreement. "He needs a girl like you in his life. Just be careful. Distance can do weird things to people and relationships." I'd known this guy a few hours and he was already giving me dating advice? I was relieved when the song ended and I was back with Tom. A slow song came on and I happily put my arms around his neck and let him pull me in close.

"I'm bummed we're both leaving tomorrow. I wish this week didn't have to end," Tom said. "Back to reality," I whispered sadly. I thought about what Kevin had said. "How are we going to make this work?" I asked into his shoulder. "I'm in New Jersey and you're in California, surrounded by gorgeous girls who would all but kill to date you. How do I even try to compete with that?" Tom didn't speak. We spun around the dance floor, clinging to each other. The song ended, but he didn't let go. He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "There's no competition, Kate. And I'm sure the distance will be hard but I'm committed to giving this a chance." W ith his entire family watching,

he kissed me. I hated for the night to end. Tom's family had gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. And it seemed like every minute I spent with Tom was better than the one before. I was climbing into bed, trying to hold onto the memory of the kiss on the dance floor, when Tom came into the room and curled up next to me. "Tom..." I started. "It's ok," he interrupted. "My parents know I'm here. I think they finally understand that this isnt just some fling weve got going on. But I told them there'd be no funny business, just sleeping." Satisfied with what I heard, I let him under the blankets with me and turned to nuzzle against his chest. I tilted my head back to kiss him.

I was about to fall asleep when Tom whispered my name. "Mmm?" I responded. "Youre scared about the distance, I know. To be honest I am too. But I also know we can make this work." "W hy's that?" I mumbled. "Because I've completely fallen for you."

Chapter Thirty After my incredible trip to Texas, it was hard to be back in Jersey. It was even harder to have Tom be 3,000 miles away after spending an entire week together. W hat had I been thinking when I agreed to giving this long distance relationship a shot? All sorts of jealous thoughts ran through my head. I tried to shake them off. Jealousy did not look good on me. I was back at work first thing Monday morning and already I was swamped. On top of everything else today I had to line up an interview with Nick Hughes, the new bad boy on the set of a wildly popular television show. We were supposed to meet sometime the following week. I feared I might never crawl out from under the growing pile of

work on my desk. "Welcome back!" Sarah exclaimed when she walked into the office. "Guess who made the cover of US W eekly?" "Brad Pitt guessed. and Angelina Jolie?" I

"Nope! Guess again." "Jennifer Aniston?" "W rong again." I had a sinking feeling this wasn't going where I expected it to. I peered over the wall separating our desks. "Is it me?" I asked quietly. Sarah held up the magazine and staring back at me was not just my own face,

but Tom's as well. I snatched it out of her hand. "How did they possibly get this to print so fast?" I hissed. "Good question," Sarah replied. "But Tom Alexander seemingly being off the market is hot news so I'm guessing they did what they had to do to not be scooped. So, are they right? Does America's most eligible bachelor have a girlfriend?" "Have you read the article?" I asked, ignoring her question. Sarah shook her head. "I saw it on the newsstand out front and picked it up. As long as it's ok with you I'll read it when you're done." The front cover shot was Tom and I

walking hand in hand through the airport. A wave of nausea fell over me as I turned to the page where the article started. There wasn't much substance to what was written, but there were plenty of pictures. Tom and I at the Cowboys game, Tom and I sightseeing in Dallas, Tom and I standing outside the church at his cousin's wedding. It was like my entire visit had been documented for the entire world to see. "Heads up," I said as I tossed the magazine back over the wall. "W ell? How bad is it?" Sarah asked. "It's honestly not bad. I'm a little bummed that something so personal and that meant so much to me is now out there for the whole world to see but I can't really be upset about it. It's probably just going to get worse now

that he's my boyfriend." "Oh my god!" Sarah shrieked. "I can't believe you didn't tell me right away." "I had planned to talk to you about it today but it looks like US Weekly beat me to the punch. Oh man I better call my mom before she finds out this way too. So much for trying to be discrete." I shook my head as I punched my moms cell phone number in and braced myself for the amounts of shrieking I knew I would be receiving. The week flew by. I somehow managed to write the two smaller pieces for the December issue that Marilyn had tasked me with, along with make all of the arrangements for my interview with Nick. His assistant had booked us for the week after my first day back from vacation. I spent my weekend relaxing and catching up with my friends and

family. Naturally everywhere I went and everyone I spoke to wanted the full scoop on the rumors swirling about Tom and me. Going back to work Monday was actually a welcome break from having to talk about myself all the time. At noon I tore myself away from my computer, told Pam that if anyone needed me to call my Blackberry and headed to meet Nick. I wasn't surprised that I beat him there. I settled into a table and pulled out my phone to go through my emails. A half hour passed and no sign of Nick. I pulled up his assistant's phone number but it went right to voicemail. W hen another 15 minutes passed, I called Pam to make sure there were no messages for me at the office. There weren't. Just as I was ready to leave and go

back to work, Nick finally swaggered into the restaurant, an hour late, reeking of booze. "Excellent," I muttered as he sat down across from me. "Hey, have I seen you somewhere before?" he slurred. "I don't think so," I replied carefully. "I feel think I've definitely seen you before," he persisted. "I'm not one to forget a pretty face." Barf. Did he think that line really worked on girls? "I'm positive we've never met. But we're here to talk about you, right?" I asked brightly. "How do you feel to be joining the cast of Suburbia ?"

It was the worst interview I'd ever done. Nick was arrogant, rude and blatantly hit on me the entire time. I practically ran out of the restaurant to get away from him. It was going to take a good deal of creative energy to write a piece that didn't make him come off as an obnoxious jerk. My phone rang as I trudged back to the office. I couldnt help but smile when I checked the caller ID. "Hello?" "Hey, it's me," Tom said. "Do you have a minute?" "Yeah. I just got out of the Nick Hughes interview and it was a nightmare." "That sucks, I'm sorry. Actors can be such jerks," he said knowingly. "Did you tell him who your boyfriend is? You

want me to beat him up?" I laughed. "If he knows who my boyfriend is, he didn't really give a shit. I'll get over it. No throwing punches necessary, though I appreciate the offer. W hat's up?" "I emailed you earlier at work but I forgot about your interview. Check out my email when you get a chance and call me later." "I'm walking into my office now. I'll call you after work." "Sounds good. Talk to you later!" "See ya!" W hen I got to my desk I immediately scanned my inbox for the email Tom said he sent me.

From: Tom Alexander To: Kate Sanders Date: 11/9/09, 3:30pm Subject: Apartment Hey KateDo me a favor? Check out this apartment and let me know what you think. Tom

I clicked on the link he left in the email and sat with my mouth hanging open. The apartment was in the Archstone Murray Building, a few blocks from my office. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, indoor pool, rooftop deck and fitness center. The place was swanky and I was pretty sure the rent was more than my parents' mortgage. I was shutting down my computer for the day when someone put their hands over my eyes. "Guess who." "Tom!" I cried as I jumped out of my chair to hug him. "W hat are you doing here?" "Pam let me in." "I didn't mean my office. I meant New

York! You didn't tell me you were coming." "I flew in late last night and wanted to surprise you. Did you see my email?" "I did. And I think that apartment is awesome. Are you thinking of renting it?" "Not thinking about it anymore," he held up a key. "I signed the lease this morning. It officially belongs to me. Are you free tonight? I should have checked with you before just showing up. But I was thinking we could grab dinner and then go check the place out." "Absolutely! I just need to text Jen and tell her not to wait for me at the train station." We stopped for a quick dinner at a little place around the corner from my office

and then headed to the apartment building. "Wendy's the only one who's actually seen it," he said as he opened the door. "She was here last week to get the layout and take care of all of the furniture and stuff." I didn't know where to look first. The place looked like a spread out of an IKEA catalog. "You need to give Wendy a raise," I finally said. Tom chuckled. "She did do a great job," he agreed. The entrance was filled with pictures of Tom and his family and even one of me and Tom from the 'Vanished' premiere. The living room was warm and inviting, w i t h beige, L-shaped couch taking up most of it. There was a coffee table and

a large flat panel television hanging on the wall. Both bedrooms were similarly furnished with queen sized beds and large oak dressers. I was admiring the view from the master bedroom when Tom came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "W ell?" he asked. "W hat do you think?" "I think it's perfect. W hat prompted all of this?" Tom led me over to the couch. "I've been thinking about it for awhile now," he began. "LA can be harsh and lonely. It was really starting to get to me. My parents and I have been discussing it over the last few months and they agreed that I needed a change. At that point I considered just moving home to Texas for awhile. But then I met you and we clicked right

away. I took it as fate telling me I needed to be in New York. And I told you I was committed to giving this thing between us a shot." I processed that for a few minutes. It scared me to death that Tom had moved to the city in part because of me. We'd known each other a few months and had been officially dating even less than that. "W hat about your house in LA?" I asked carefully. "Right now I'm keeping it. But I think I'll put it on the market depending on how it goes here. Then I can just rent something in LA for when I need to film out there." "Y ou've made the move. Now what?" "Huh?"

"Well now you're in New York because you needed a change. W hat are you going to do now that you're here?" "Tomorrow I'm meeting with a few agents here in the city." "Does that mean you're going to start working again?" "Yes," Tom replied. "I was too hard on myself after the whole 'Vanished' thing. It was one bad movie. I'd be foolish to let that define me. If I find the right agent here I'll start reading scripts and then go from there." "Fair enough, that ends my inquisition," I responded. I looked at my watch. "I hate to say this, but I need to go." Tom made a face. "Y ou're going to make me stay my first night here all by

myself?" "Sorry, I have to work tomorrow. And obviously I can't crash here with you as the clothes I am wearing is all I've got. I can't wear the same thing two days in a row. That would be gross and people would talk." "Hmm. I guess you're right. I'll walk you out. You know, you should bring some of your stuff here." I raised an eyebrow. "Just in case you ever decided you wanted to stay. It would be much easier to go to work from here one or two days a week than to commute on the train," he reasoned. "Much cheaper too." "W hen you put it that way, it sounds completely logical," I kissed him. "How about you go ahead and run that by my

dad?" "Y ou're dad loves me," Tom retorted. "True," I said as I climbed into a cab. "See how much he loves you when you suggest unsupervised sleepovers," I teased. "Good call. We'll have to make you up a fictitious friend who lives in the city. Text me when you get home," Tom said as he shut me inside the cab.

Chapter Thirty-One Although we'd already been outed by the media, having Tom in New York solidified our status as a couple. My dad had been shockingly ok with how much time I spent in the city and how often I didn't come home at night. W hen I wasn't working, Tom and I were hitting every restaurant and bar known to man. We were photographed a lot but I eventually got used to seeing my face on the internet and even on television. Nothing was going to put a damper on how much Tom and I enjoyed being together. Except maybe one thing. "Just hear me out," I said. I was sprawled on the living room floor of Tom's apartment, surrounded by scripts.

He had been living in New York for a few weeks and still had not committed to any kind of work. So I had taken it upon myself to read them since his agent went to the trouble of sending them. "There are two or three scripts in here that are good. Maybe better than good. They're your typical Tom Alexander movies but I think that's what you need right now. Then there's another one that will be out of your comfort zone but is awesome. Either way, you just need to work again." "Mmmhmm," Tom muttered, flipping through the channels. I grabbed the remote out of his hand, turned off the television and tossed the clicker across the room. "It has been four months since 'Vanished' came out. W hich means it's

been quite some time since you even read a script. You have to snap out of it." Tom sighed and slid onto the floor next to me. "Fine, I'll humor you. Show me what you've got here." I sat up excitedly. "Start with this one. It's a 'well off boy meets girl from other side of the tracks' type thing but I think it's cute and might work." Tom leafed through the pages. "W ho wrote this? The dialogue is awful. Next." "Ok, try this one. It's based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. Guy falls in love with girl, guy goes off to war, guy comes back and girl is pregnant with

someone else's baby. I've read the book. It's a different kind of love story." He tossed it aside, not even bothering to look at it. "W hat's wrong with that one?" I asked, annoyed. "Too chick flick," he responded. "And I'm not crew cutting my hair to play some military dude." I sighed dramatically and stood up. "W here are you going?" he asked as I grabbed my purse. "Home. This is ridiculous and I'm not going to sit here and watch you become a shell of yourself anymore." Tom grabbed my hand and pulled me

onto his lap. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into my hair and kissed me. I resisted the urge to keep kissing him back. "Nice try. But I don't give up that easy." "You can't blame a guy for trying," he grinned. "Fine, you tell me the one you like best and I'll read the entire thing. But you have to promise to stay." "Deal," I said handing him a manuscript. "This one is my favorite. It's Judd Apatow. His films are hilarious and always do well. It's less teen flick and more twenty-something comedy. I personally think you are perfect to play Joe. There's a note on this one from your agent that they'd like you to come in and read for the part next week if you like the script. I dont think it could hurt to at least go on an audition.

I lay on the couch reading a book while Tom poured through the script. Occasionally he would laugh out loud, which made me smile. "This," he finally said, "is great! I can't believe you were holding out on me and giving me that other stuff. I love it, but do you really see me playing Joe?" "Absolutely. So does this mean you're going on an audition?" "I think it does. I'll call my agent on Monday and set it up." He kissed me. "Thank you for being hard on me. I needed a good kick in the butt." Tom and I spent the weekend bumming around the city. We went to the gym, watched movies and ate at Blockheads more than once.

You know, I said as I snatched the bill, we really need to find other places to eat. This is New York City after all. But I like this place. And its special to us because its the venue of our first date. That was not a date, I told him as I handed our waitress my credit card. Sure it was, Tom replied. Did I ask you out to dinner and then pay for it? Y es. Then it was a date. W hatever you say. Anyway, I have a surprise for you. Oh really? W hats that? Tom asked.

I reached into my purse dramatically produced two tickets.

and

Have you ever heard of a little band called Kings of Leon? I asked. Y ou didnt! I did. But how? Youre not the only one with awesome connections, I teased. You told me they were sold out, Tom accused. Because I wanted to do something nice for you. Youre always finding nice things to do for me, I replied. I looked at my watch.

We better get out of here if we want to get to the Garden on time. Tom and I jumped in a cab and got to the concert right as the opening act was ending. I showed our tickets to the usher and he escorted us to our seats, which happened to be right on the stage. Tom looked at me, wide eyed. Even I couldnt have pulled this off! he said. I shrugged. I told you I used to write music reviews. I just happen to have excellent taste in music and gave these guys a really good write up when their CD came out. Their publicist emailed me after it came out and said if I ever needed anything to let her know. So I called in a favor.

Tom kissed me on the cheek. Y ou are amazing, he said.

Chapter Thirty-Two If there was one thing I loved about Thanksgiving more than the food, it was the night before. It was tradition for everyone from high school to gather at one of the local bars and catch up with one another. This year I'd be passing on those festivities. Tom would be spending Thanksgiving with my family instead of flying home to Texas and I thought it would be best to stay away from the bar. It bummed me out, but I wasn't going to subject him to something like that. Tom and I were in the family room watching a movie when my brother came in. "W hen are we going over to Fins?" he asked.

"We," I gestured to Tom and myself, "are not going anywhere further than this couch." "W hat?" my brother flopped onto the opposite couch. "Chris, think about this. It's the busiest night of the year at Fins. Do you honestly think bringing Tom there is a good idea?" "Kate, you guys went public a month ago. And youve been friends even longer than that. Everyone knows you are dating," he huffed. "Do you think anyone will make an ass out of themselves over it? No one wants to be the tool who hounds the celebrity," he tried to reason, looking back and forth between me and Tom. Tom looked at me and shrugged.

"Please," Chris whined. "I'm finally 21 and none of my friends are yet. Are you going to deny me this experience?" "I don't think it will be a problem to go out," Tom said. "We do fine in bars in the city. The novelty has sort of worn off I think. And if people want autographs or pictures, so what? But I'm willing to be Chris is right." Chris looked at me and smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him. "If people start acting like fools we'll just leave," Chris offered. I sighed. "Fine. Give me thirty minutes and we can go. But I don't want to stay late," I warned. "Yes!" my brother high f ived Tom. "You are the man!"

"Ahem?" "Yea sis, you rock. Even more so because you get to drive," Chris called over his shoulder. "Such a punk," I muttered as I went upstairs to change. Parking at Fins was insane. Inside was even worse. "You two stay right here," Chris said when we found a piece of floor by the wall. "I'll go grab drinks." "I told you this was a bad idea," I said to Tom. He kissed my forehead. "It will be fine," he assured me. "We'll stay for awhile to make Chris happy and then we'll go. If he wants to stay I can

always come back for him later." People did come up to talk to us all night, under the pretense of not seeing me in awhile and offering to buy us drinks. Much to his delight, Chris had been right about people not causing trouble. Until I spotted my ex-boyfriend. Tom was talking to a guy who Chris had played football with when I saw Bob. I tugged on his arm, trying to get his attention, but he didnt seem to notice. I scanned the bar for my brother, who had abandoned us in favor of people he knew from high school. Before I could run and hide, Bob was standing in front of us. Hey Kate, he said. You going to introduce me to your friend? Bob, this is my boyfriend, Tom. Tom, this is Bob.

I turned to Bob. W hat are you doing here anyway? He pointed over his shoulder to a blonde girl that I vaguely remembered from high school and who had gone to college with Bob and I. Girlfriend? I asked, not really caring but trying to make small talk. If shes lucky, he winked. Eww. He looked at Tom. So Tom, how did you and my girl Kate meet? She tell you about me? We dated for a long time in college. Too long, I muttered under my breath. Tom put his arm around me. Funny, Kates never mentioned you. Bob narrowed his eyes.

Im sure shes just using you to further her career. Thats what its always been about with Kate. And what could your motive be? Youve dated some hot chicks, why go slumming? I could see the heat rise in Toms face and I was pretty sure he was going to hit Bob. Dont, Chris said, appearing out of nowhere and putting his hand on Toms arm. This guy is so not worth it. Big bad movie star cant speak for himself? Bob taunted. I didnt say he couldnt, Chris replied. But dont ever talk about my sister like that again. And then Chris punched him square in the face and walked away.

Chapter Thirty-Three Christmas was right around the corner and the Thanksgiving episode was long behind us. Fortunately Chris didnt get in trouble or blame Tom and hed confided the next day that hed never liked Bob and had always wanted an excuse to hit him. Tom was just a little bummed he didnt get to punch Bob out himself. It was a Thursday when Tom called me at the office. "Kate Sanders, Teen Scene." "Hey, it's me," Tom said. "Hey! You're impressed." up before 10am! I'm

"Funny. Are you free for lunch? There's something I want to talk to you about."

My heart sank. It if was something good, he'd say it over the phone, right? "Sure," I said. We made plans to meet at a small cafe by my office and hung up. "Kate! You're stressing for nothing," Sarah said as she perched herself on the edge of my desk. "It could be anything." Her eyes lit up. "Maybe he's going to ask you to move in with him." "Let's be real here, Sarah. We've known each other less than a year. Talk about moving entirely too fast. No," I shook my head, "that's not it." "Maybe he sold his place in LA?" she suggested. That was a possibility. Tom had fallen in love with New Y ork and decided he didn't need his place in LA anymore.

It had been on the market for only a short time though. "Could be. Or maybe he met some gorgeous actress," I said miserably. "You are being ridiculous. Since when do you act like this? You are a confident, intelligent, beautiful woman so start behaving like one. Besides, when you're not at work you spend every waking moment with Tom. W hen would he have time to meet someone else?" I hated to admit it, but Sarah made two valid points. For starters, it was not like me to act like this. Then again, I had never dated someone like Tom before. Part of me felt like I had every right to worry that he'd wake up and wonder what he was doing with a girl like me. But Sarah had also been right in the fact that we'd been inseparable ever since Tom moved to

New York. I pushed my anxiety out of my mind and tried to focus on my work. W hen I got to the cafe, Tom was already sitting at a table waiting for me. I made my way over to him and he stood and greeted me with a kiss. My nerves started to dissipate. "How's work today?" he asked as we both sat down. "Same stuff, different day. W hat's going on with you?" "The usual. Got up, went to the gym, talked to my mom, and got a call from my agent about a job. Do you know what you want to eat?" "Wait-you talked to your agent? About a job?" Tom's face lit up. "Remember that movie you thought I was perfect for and forced me to read the script?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Forced you my ass." "Well the director agreed with you. They offered me the role!" "Tom! That's great! I'm so excited you're going to work again. And I'm relieved." "Relieved?" "W hen you said you needed to 'talk' to me I thought you were coming to break up with me," I admitted. Tom sighed. "I moved across the country, in large part because of you. I don't make life altering decisions unless I'm sure about them. Have I ever indicated to you that I wasn't fully committed to us?" "I know, I'm sorry. I was just being insecure."

"You're forgiven. You were planning to stay over tonight, right? I'd really like to take you out to celebrate." I swallowed a mouth full of salad and nodded. "Yea, I have that huge interview with Tatiana early tomorrow morning. Marilyn has been on me about it all week." "We won't stay out late," Tom promised. "Just happy hour and dinner?" "Sounds good. You pick the place and I'll be over after work. And I need to hear all the details about the movie!" I floated back to work on cloud nine. Tom was going to work again, my career was taking off and things between us were better than ever. As soon as 5:30 hit I was out the door and on my way to meet Tom. He buzzed me up to his apartment and just as I

dropped my overnight bag on the floor he was ushering me back out. "I was able to get us a reservation at a new place that someone famous owns, I can't remember who. Anyway it's super hard to get in but Wendy worked her magic for us. We have to be there in fifteen minutes though." "Good thing I wore a dress to work today," I remarked as we pulled up in front of the restaurant. There was a line to get in but Tom spoke with the girl at the door and we were led inside. A few people in line whispered and pointed at Tom and me. Some even were taking pictures. By now, this didn't faze me at all. I was used to being a permanent fixture on the gossip blogs and sometimes even television shows like Extra. It still freaked out my family a bit to randomly see me and/or Tom on television.

"Kate," my dad had said over dinner one night, "do people really care where you shop for your clothes?" That had been the subject of a recent entertainment news show segment. A camera guy had actually followed me and Jen around at The Gap. He'd been nice to us so I didn't mind letting him do his job. "I don't know dad, maybe it was a slow day for them. I haven't heard of any recent celebrity scandals so I guess the best they could do was Tom's girlfriend out shopping" I responded. "Just be careful please. I don't want anything to happen to you or anyone else," he warned. I rolled my eyes. "It's fine dad. Eventually they'll get bored with me. My life isn't all that exciting except that my boyfriend is an actor."

"Tom wouldn't let anything happen to her," my mom added. And she was right. Tom had a good relationship with the paparazzi and it worked to our advantage. He would let them get their shots and then they would back off. So far we hadn't been hit with any bad experiences. It could be stressful and overwhelming to do something like go out and get coffee, but being with Tom was worth it. The hostess led us to our table and Tom pulled out my chair for me. W hen our waitress came over he ordered a bottle of wine and we toasted to his new job. "And to you," he said, "for lighting a fire under my ass and insisting I get back to work." "I think you owe some thanks to

your mom too. I'm sure it helped that she called to harass you every single day." "Remind me to have Wendy send her flowers at work. I'll get son of the year for that one." We easily finished our first bottle of wine and Tom ordered another one. "After this I need to stop drinking if I want to function at that interview tomorrow. Marilyn would die if I threw up on Tatiana," I joked. Both of our spirits were high as we chatted over dinner. We finished eating and I'd had enough alcohol in me to decide I wasn't ready to call it a night. "It's only 10pm," I said as I looked at my watch. "We could hang out at the bar for a little while."

"Are you sure?" Tom asked. "W e're celebrating, right?" A couple of people Tom knew were hanging out at the bar. We joined the group and the drinks continued to flow. You know when you have those dreams that feel real but in the dream you know it's just a dream? Maybe it just happens to me. I tend to have very vivid, messed up dreams. Tonight was no exception. I was running through a library, being chased by someone. I had no idea who the person was or why they were chasing me. All I did know was that I had to get away from this person. No matter where I turned, I couldn't find any of the exits to the library. In my sleep I kept assuring myself "you're going to wake up, there's no reason to

be scared." W hen I finally found the exit, an alarm started beeping. It shocked me out of sleep but even when I woke up, the noise didn't stop. I fumbled for my glasses and shoved them on my face. "W hat is that noise?" Tom asked sleepily. "Is that your phone?" "It can't be before 7am," I responded. "W ho would be calling me now?" I sat up and my head spun. Definitely too much to drink last night. The beeping sound stopped and I trudged into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water and some Tylenol. As I ran the faucet, I caught a glimpse of the microwave on the clock. 9:30am. That couldn't be right. I ran back into the bedroom and grabbed my cell phone. I had five missed calls. So that's what the beeping was. My heart fell into

my stomach as I dialed my voicemail. "Ms. Sanders this is Melinda Sachs, Tatiana's assistant. I believe we scheduled the interview for 8:30am. I'm going to call your office to verify." Shit. "Kate, its Pam. Tatiana's assistant just called here. W here are you? Call me at the office." "Ms. Sanders this is Melinda Sachs again. I just spoke with your receptionist and she said we were definitely supposed to meet at 8:30am. Tatiana does not like to be kept waiting." She lowered her voice. "Please call me." "Ka t e its Marilyn. Did you forget the Tatiana interview? Please tell me you didn't. Call the office." SHIT. "Ms. Sanders, Melinda again. We've been waiting for you for an hour

and this is unacceptable. Tatiana was gracious enough to grant this interview to your little publication and this is very disrespectful. Please don't bother coming, we're leaving." I am screwed. I dialed Tatiana's assistant as I changed from my pajamas to work clothes. "Hello?" "Hi, Melinda? This is Kate Sanders. I am so sorry about this morning. I must have confused the time," I lied. "I'm sorry Ms. Sanders but we've already left the hotel." "Is it possible to reschedule? My day is wide open. I can meet you wherever you'd like at whatever time is good for you." "I don't think that will be possible,

Ms. Sanders. Have a nice day," she said curtly. And then there was dial tone. Yep, I was screwed. I had to think of something and quick. Marilyn was going to kill me. "W hat's going on?" Tom asked, coming into the living room. "W hat's going on is that I never set my alarm when we got in last night," I threw my phone in my bag. "And now I've totally blown the Tatiana interview and Marilyn is going to kill me. Or fire me," I said miserably. "Give instructed. "W hy?" "Because I'm going to use it to make a call." I handed my phone over and sat me your phone," Tom

on the couch with my head in my hands. Should I even bother showing up at work today? I watched my career go down the drain right in front of my eyes. "Hi, Melinda? Tom Alexander, how are you?" I looked up. W hat the heck was he doing? "Can you put Tatiana on real quick? Hey Tatiana, it's Tom. How's it going? Listen, I need a huge favor, I'll owe you big..." A few moments later, after thanking Tatiana, Tom clicked my phone off and tossed it to me. "They'll meet you at the W Hotel in an hour," he said. "And you can thank me later." I flew into action. I brushed my teeth, put makeup on and ran out the door to catch a cab. On my way, I dialed the office.

"Teen Scene, this is Pam. How can I assist you?" "Hey Pam! It's Kate." "Kate! W here are you? Marilyn has people going crazy looking for you." "I'm on my way to meet Tatiana. I got stuck in some traffic getting into the city," I lied. Again. "Can you put me through to Marilyn?" "Sure, hang on." Please get her voicemail, please get her voicemail, I prayed silently. "You have reached Marilyn Smith, editor in chief at Teen Scene. I am on the phone or away from my desk, please let a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible." "Hi Marilyn, its Kate. I'm on my way to meet Tatiana. I hit some traffic

getting into the city and got delayed but I was able to push the interview back. I'll be in the office this afternoon. See you then!" I hung up and closed my eyes. Disaster averted.

Chapter Thirty-Four "Hey Pam!" I said as I got back to the office. "Hey Kate. Marilyn wanted to see you as soon as you got in. She should be in her office." I took a deep breath. I hadn't lost the interview, so how much trouble could I be in? It still unnerved me that she wanted to see me. She was on the phone and I made like I'd come back but she waved me in. She hung up the phone and looked at me. "W hat happened Kate?" she asked. this morning,

"I hit traffic on my way from home to the train station. And stupid me, I didn't have Tatiana's assistant's phone

number to call her." "W hy weren't you answering phone?" Marilyn pressed. your

"I must have been out of a service area," I responded. "But Melinda finally got in touch with me and they were able to squeeze me in. I am so sorry. I promise it will never happen again." "You're right. It won't happen again," she slid a piece of paper across her desk. It was a print out from a popular gossip blog. My hands shaking, I picked it up and staring back at me was a picture of Tom and I at the bar the night before. The article below made me want to vomit. Spotted: Hottie T om Alexander and girlfriend Kate Sanders dining at Finch's in NY C. After dinner the couple partied at the bar until close w ith friends.

"Kate w as w recked," one on-looker said. "T om had to practically carry her out of the bar." I didn't bother reading the rest of the article, seeing as I had experienced it for myself. This relationship of yours, Marilyn said softly, is interfering with your work. And not only that, but you lied to me. Marilyn, I She held up a hand to stop me. Im sorry Kate, but Im going to have to let you go. I felt like I had been slapped in the face. I understood that Id messed up, but Id still gotten the interview done.

Wasnt that the most important thing here? Marilyn, Im confused, I began. Kate, youve been late to both work and interviews, your writing has gotten sloppy and now you came pretty darn close to losing this interview for us. I just dont think your heart is in it anymore. This isnt the place for mediocrity. I wish you nothing but luck and Ill of course be willing to give you a reference should you need one. I fought back tears as I left her office. My desk cleaned out, I headed instinctually for Toms. She cant just fire you over this! Tom exclaimed once Id relayed the events of the afternoon. I was lying on his living room floor, staring at the ceiling. The thing is, she can. Shes the boss,

I said miserably. Do you want me to call her? he offered. No! I exploded, sitting up. I cant rely on you to just make a phone call and make things better. As we learned today, that wont always make things better. I appreciate the offer, but Im a big girl, I can handle myself. I didnt say you couldnt, he said quietly. But thats what you implied. Neither of us spoke. My mind was racing. How did this happen? Word of my being fired from Teen Scene was going to spread like wildfire. I saw my entire career crumble before my eyes. W ithout thinking, I got to my feet. I had to get out of Toms apartment, out of the city. I grabbed my jacket and

purse and headed for the door. W here asked. Home. Do you want me to come? No. I need to be by myself for awhile. The door of the apartment clicked shut behind me. Chapter Thirty-Five I spent the next few days in bed, crying and feeling sorry for myself. All calls and texts went unanswered, even the ones from Tom, Jen and Sarah. I didnt turn on my computer because I knew thered be emails I wouldnt want to read or answer. are you going? Tom

On the third day of my self-imposed jailing, I got a visitor. Kate? my mom poked her head into my room. Can I come in? No. She came in anyway and sat at the foot of my bed. I peered at her over my blanket. W hat do you want? I asked. Tom is here. He says every time he calls it goes to voicemail. And that you havent responded to his texts or emails. Is that true? I dont want to see him or talk to him. Did you two have a fight?

No. Then why are you avoiding him? Hes concerned about you. And its not his fault you got fired. Maybe it is, I shot back. She sighed. Hes really upset Kate. And he came all the way here. Doesnt that tell you something? Fine. He can come up I guess. Should I give you a minute? You might want to run a brush through your hair and over your teeth. I looked at her, annoyed. She left and a few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Come in.

Hey, Tom doorway. Hi.

said,

standing

in

the

I havent spoken to you in three days, he accused. Dont take it personally. I havent been returning any calls. He pulled the chair from my desk and wheeled it over toward my bed. Kate, did I do something to make you angry with me? I know youre upset over your job but I dont get why youre shutting me out. I didnt answer right away. My mom was right; it wasnt Toms fault that I got fired from my job. But it was easier to

direct my anger at the people around me rather than at myself. Ever since we started dating, I began, every other aspect of my life has been neglected. I spend every spare minute I have with you and never see my friends or family anymore. And then I lost my job because I was out late with you when I should have been home sleeping. W hoa, Kate, thats not fair. I asked you repeatedly if you wanted to leave that night. I knew that interview was important. Are you even listening to me? Its not just my career. I feel like I dont even know who I am anymore. Its like I went from being Kate Sanders to being that girl who dates Tom Alexander. Well maybe you should spend some

more time hiding in your room at your parents house, Tom spat at me. Screw you. How long did you spend moping around before you even bothered to go on an audition, let alone read a script? It was more than a few days if I remember correctly. At least I didnt act like this! he motioned around the room. I didnt avoid people and become a shell of m ys e l f. Have you even showered or changed your clothes? I have a right to deal with this however I want, I retorted. W hy dont you come stay with me for awhile? Tom finally said. And do what? W hatever you want! My movie starts

filming in a few days and youd have the place to yourself most of the time. You could start writing one of your childrens books during the day and hang out with me at night, he offered. W hats your suggestion for how Im supposed to make money and pay my bills? He chuckled. You wouldnt need money. Ill take care of it. Wrong answer. Now I was even more pissed than before. W hen had I ever given him the impression that I wanted or needed to be taken care of? Im not helpless you know, I replied hotly. Thats not what I meant. I shook my head. No, Tom. Im not

coming to play house with you. Tom threw his hands in the air. Then I give up. I cant do this. Then just leave, I said quietly. If you cant take dating me then you know where the door is. Do you see me trying to keep you here? I didnt even ask you to come here. Toms face fell. Stop putting words in my mouth. Im just finishing what you started. Fine. Maybe this is moving too fast, Tom said. "I should have never moved out here, I knew this was a mistake." He may as well have punched me in the stomach.

"You're right, I agreed, tears welling up in my eyes. "Maybe this is moving entirely too fast and we need to take a break for awhile." He got up to leave. If thats what you want. Im leaving in a few days to go home for Christmas. Well talk when I get back, his voice was barely audible as he closed the door behind him. I pulled the blankets over my head and sobbed. It was two days after the Tom incident before anyone in my family attempted to venture into my room again. This time, it was my dad who came and he didnt bother knocking. Youve been hiding up here for almost a week. You bring your dinner into your room and then barely eat it. And mom

says you broke up with Tom, he began. Dad I tried to cut him off. No. Im going to speak and youre going to listen. You might be 26 and too old for lectures, but youre going to get one. Enough is enough here. You were irresponsible and lost your job. Shit happens. You cant lay in your bed forever. Get out of bed, shower and start looking for a new job. And then he left. Just to spite him, I rolled over and went back to sleep. W hat was he going to do, ground me? A few hours later, my door opened and someone turned my light on. Could a girl wallow in her own self pity in peace? Go away, I mumbled, shoving my head under the pillow. W hoever it was ripped

the blankets off of me. I opened my eyes and Jen was staring down at me. Get up, she instructed. Tom has tried, but hes a wuss when it comes to you. Youre family has tried and youve ignored them too. Now Im here to exact some tough love. She grabbed my legs and threw my feet on the floor. Hey! I cried. She pointed toward Shower. Now. the bathroom.

Im going for a record here, I tried to joke. She didnt even crack a smile. Im not kidding Kate. You might be taller than me but I wont hesitate to throw you in the shower. I figured I had two options. I could fight Jen and see who won. Or I could just do

what she wanted. I got up with a huff and stormed into the bathroom. I lingered in the shower until the water ran cold, hoping shed give up and leave. W hen I came out in my towel, she was sitting on my bed. Now what? I didnt intend to make this easy for her. Get dressed. Unless you want to go out in your towel. Im not leaving this house. Oh yes, you are. W ere going out. W hat time is it anyway? I stalled. Jen looked at her watch 9:15pm. You could have called you know, I said as I dug through my dresser.

I did, she said, picking up my phone and waving it at me. But this, she turned the power on, seems to have been off for days. It was off for a reason, I threw over my shoulder as I stormed into the bathroom to dress. I figured you just needed some time and space, she called after me. But now youre just being pathetic. I re-emerged from the bathroom in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, my wet hair in a ponytail. Happy? I asked. Absolutely. You smell better and your hair is clean now. Lets go.

We made our way downstairs. My mom and dad were in the living room, pretending to watch television. Im taking Kate out for a bit, Jen announced. Ill bring her back later. My parents looked relieved. Have fun! they said in unison. I shot them dirty looks as Jen ushered me out of the house. We rode in silence and finally pulled up to Applebees. Im not hungry, I said flatly. Thats funny, because your mom told me you havent been eating much. So I dont care if youre not hungry, Im under strict instructions to feed you. The waitress came and Jen ordered for the both of us. Two chicken finger baskets. And two margaritas on the

rocks with salt. The biggest size you have. Then she started in on me again. Her eyes softened. Youve been avoiding me, she said, hurt in her voice, and Sarah. Were worried about you. Im fine, I lied. I just need a few days to cry it out and Ill be back to normal. You broke up with Tom, it was a statement, not a question. W ho told you that? Tom called me. He didnt know what else to do and was hoping I could talk some sense into you. W hy did you guys break up? It was moving too fast. And because of that I lost my job.

Thats bullshit and you know it. Youre 26. Take responsibility for your own actions. W ere just too different, I added. I can understand if you thought it was moving too fast. But did you need to break up? Yes. No. I dont know, I said miserably. Hes better of without me anyway. He needs someone who can live that lifestyle. How do you know thats what he needs? she challenged. Did he say that to you? No. But did you really see him as my happily ever after?

You are hopeless, Jen sighed. Forget Tom. I think youre a huge idiot but its your love life to ruin. W hat about me and Sarah? W hy are we getting the silent treatment? I didnt answer because I didnt have a good one. Part of me knew I was being ridiculous. My friends and family just wanted to be there for me. I felt like a miserable failure. Im sorry, I finally said. Everyone is just worried about you, she replied. Our food came and I became fixated on my chicken fingers and French fries. I must have been hungrier than I thought because I didnt even stop to breathe. I guess you were hungry after all, Jen smiled. So when are we heading in to

see Santa and do our traditional NY C Christmas? You didnt think Id let you bail on that, did you? Chapter Thirty-Six Jen's intervention did me a world of good. The first thing I did was apologize to Sarah for the way I had behaved. She forgave me, of course, and we made plans to do dinner. I didn't ask about Teen Scene and she didn't offer any information. I desperately hoped it wouldn't put a wedge in our friendship. I debated calling Tom. Since the episode at my house, he hadn't tried to get in touch with me, which made me sad. I knew I was at fault for lashing out the way I did, but I hadn't expected him to just disappear. My gut told me to give it another few days. I knew production had started on his latest movie and that he would be busy. But a

nagging voice in the back of my mind was sure I had lost him. Over the course of the next few days I spent countless hours on the internet. It took me an entire day to tweak my resume but it was done and now I was officially on the hunt for a new job. I put my resume up on various websites and also applied to a few specific positions that I had found. At this point I was willing to take anything as long as it kept me out of the unemployment office. W hile I waited for the phone to ring, I busied myself at home. I cleaned, did laundry and cooked dinner almost every night. W hat I tried not to do was think about Tom. I missed him more than I cared to admit. Christmas came and went and still no word from Tom. I knew he said wed talk after the holidays, but I still

expected to hear from him, especially on Christmas day. I got depressed, thinking about spending New Years Eve by myself. One night after a few glasses of wine, I sat down at the computer to email Tom. I'd never been good at expressing my e mot ions out loud but I knew I was good with typing out how I felt.

From: Kate Sanders To: Tom Alexander

Date: 1/2/2010, 9:20am Subject: Hi TomHappy New Y ear! Long time no chat. I want to apologize for the way I behaved the day you came to my house. I realize now I should have never blamed you for what happened with work. I'm still looking for a job. Debating going back to school to finish up my teaching certification. Im dragging my feet though, hoping to find a writing job. Im just not ready to give up on my dream. How are things going for you? Did the movie start filming yet? Im so glad youre getting back to work. Please tell your parents I said hi if youre still home.

Anyway, I miss you. Talk to you soon. Kate Every day that passed without a response tore another small piece out of my heart. I became obsessed with checking my email. After a week I finally got up the nerve to call him. "Hello?" My heart skipped a beat to hear his voice. "Hey Tom! It's Kate." "Hey Kate, what's up?" his voice was distant. "Did you get my email?" I asked. "Yea, I'm sorry things have just been super crazy with the movie. And I really wasn't sure how to respond. I was kind of surprised to hear from you, it's

been weeks." "I know," I sighed. "I'd really like to get together and talk." "I'm not sure Kate," he began. "Right now when I'm not working on the movie I'm sleeping. The schedule is crazy. And we didn't exactly leave things on the best of terms. I think you need some time to work things out for yourself before worrying about repairing things between us." It was like any hope I'd had was squashed. "Right, well I should let you go," I said. My voice cracked. Please don't let him hear you cry, I begged. "I'll call you," he promised. There was dial tone before I had the chance to say goodbye. That night, Jen and I went out. I

couldn't stand to be in my house, doing nothing but thinking about Tom. There was nothing healthy about it. We went to a local bar where we danced and drank for hours. "W ho needs a movie star for a boyfriend anyway?" I asked as I threw back another shot. The floor started to spin. "Go easy," Jen warned. A cute guy who'd been glancing at us all night finally got up the courage to approach us. "Excuse me," he said. "But are you Kate Sanders?" "The one and only." "W ould you like to dance?" Jen shook her head ever so slightly. I tossed my purse in her lap.

"Hold this, I'll be right back," I told her. Cute guy, I didn't bother to get his name, and I danced for a couple of songs. "Can I buy you a drink?" he shouted over the music. I nodded and we made our way back up to the bar. "You're much prettier in person than in pictures," he told me as he handed me my drink. Before I could sip my drink I heard someone say, "You look like you're doing just fine without me." I'd know that voice anywhere. I whirled around and came face to face with Tom. "Tom wait!" I called as he turned to walk away.

I caught up to him in the parking lot and grabbed his arm. "Tom! Can you at least talk to me?" He spun around to face me, "I did come here to talk to you. I felt badly about how our phone conversation went so I came down here after shooting wrapped for the day. You weren't answering your cell so I went to your house and your parents told me you were here. So I came looking for you and now I wish I hadn't." "Tom, I..." "Save it, Kate. It's clear from how you were behaving with that guy that you don't miss me at all. W hy dont you call me when youve gotten things figured out?" He jumped into a waiting car and

was gone. And like that, I felt like I was right back to where I started.

Chapter Thirty-Seven The next morning, the phone rang. Hoping it was Tom, I lunged for it. I didn't recognize the number on the caller ID. "Hello?" I asked tentatively. "Hi, Ms. Sanders?" "Speaking." "Hi, this is Betty Johnson from Teen Beat magazine. We got your resume and wanted to see if you were available to come in for an interview sometime next week." "I would love to." "Great, how is Monday at 10am?" I took down all the details and thanked

Betty profusely before hanging up the phone. W hen Monday rolled around, I was ready to rock this interview. I got to the Teen Beat office 15 minutes early and waited in their lobby to be called in. "Ms. Sanders?" a woman in her forties, wearing wire rimmed glasses called. I stood up and approached her on shaky legs. Until now it hadn't dawned on me how long it had been since I last was on an interview. "Kate Sanders," I said, extending my hand. "Nice to meet you Kate. I'm Betty. I'll take you back to Holly now." We walked through the office, which was buzzing with voices. Betty led me into a conference room and

asked me to have a seat. A few minutes later, the person I presumed to be Holly walked through the door. "Hi Kate," the woman said, shaking my hand, "I'm Holly Grasso, nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you," I replied. W e both sat and Holly spent a few minutes looking over my resume. "So, Kate, tell me a bit about your work experience thus far." I delved into my time at Teen Scene and how I had quickly risen in the ranks there. I also name dropped the various people I had interviewed and the other responsibilities I had at the magazine. W hen I was done speaking, I sat, waiting for her to ask me more questions about my job history.

"Are you the girl who dated Tom Alexander?" she finally asked. "Yes, I did briefly date him," I responded. "I thought And then you worked for Teen back to me." She you said Scene stood looked familiar. you previously and it all came up.

"Well Kate we do appreciate you coming in. Someone will be in touch if we'd like you to come back," she said as she led me out of the office. No call came from Teen Beat, or any other magazine that I had applied to. I knew it was no doubt because of what had happened with my last job. Once I came to terms with the fact that I may never work in the industry again, I reluctantly submitted my application to go back to school and

finish my teaching degree. I cried the entire way home. "Kate?" my mom asked one night at dinner. "W hat do you want to do for your birthday? It's just around the corner." "Nothing," I mumbled as I pushed my food around with my fork. "But you make a big deal out of your birthday every year," she insisted. I glared at her. "We'll go out to dinner, just the four of us," my dad interjected. "Or we can eat at home," he quickly added when I shifted my glare to him. I excused myself from the table and dumped my half eaten dinner in the garbage. At one point I had expected this to be my best birthday yet. I'd had a great job and an even better

boyfriend. Now I had nothing. "She still hasn't talked to Tom?" I heard my dad whisper. "Not in a few weeks," my mom responded. I trudged up to my room and locked my door. That night at the bar played over and over in my mind. For days Tom sent my calls straight to voicemail. I was pretty sure the chances of us getting back together were slim. And then I saw him one day in the city. I had gone in for a job interview (one of many) and met Sarah at Blockheads for dinner afterwards. "Are you sure you want to go there?" she asked. "W hy wouldn't I? It's my favorite

place and I haven't been there in forever." "I just know you and Tom used to go there a lot..." she trailed off. "It's fine Sarah. Just meet me there after you get out of work? 6ish?" "Y ep, see you then." I was running late and when I got there Sarah was standing outside. So were two photographers. "W hat's the deal with those guys?" I asked. "W hy aren't you answering your cell?" "Because I turned it off for the interview and never turned it back on. You didn't answer my question."

Sarah took my arm. "Let's go somewhere else. It's kind of crowded and I'm not really in the mood for Mexican." "We're already here. And it's never that busy. Can we just eat please? I'm starving." Sarah sighed. "Tom's here, that's what's up with the photographers. And he's not alone." My heart started racing. "Please tell me he's here with a guy. Or his mother is in town." She said nothing, so I marched past her and into the restaurant. Tom was sitting at a table in the corner, head bent close to that of a blonde female. It took all of my strength to not throw up. How could he bring someone else here? I was the

one who brought him here; he knew this was my favorite place. Before I could make my escape, Tom looked up. We held each other's gaze for a half second before I turned to leave. "Kate!" I heard Tom yell as I threw open the door. I ignored him and hailed a cab. From down the block I watched as Sarah caught Tom by the arm and started having words with him. Knowing she'd understand, I jumped into the cab and sped away. Ten minutes later, Sarah came up behind me at Penn Station where I was sitting waiting for the train. "Kate? Are you ok?" I looked at her and burst into tears. She pulled me to my feet and wrapped her arms around me.

"W hat did you say to him?" I sniffled. We were finally on a train home. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed and sleep this night away. "I told him he was the biggest idiot I'd ever met. And that he was an insensitive jerk for bring another girl there. I walked away before he could say anything." "I'm sorry for leaving you there." "Its ok honey. I would have wanted to get out of there as fast as possible too." I put my head on her shoulder and whispered, "I didn't know he was dating." "I guess it's not something people who

are broken up really tell each other." "In my mind wed work it out. Yeah, weve hit some rough patches and both done and said stupid things. But I never thought it was truly over. Until today. "Maybe it isn't. W hat if it's all just a bump in the road and you somehow find your way back to one another?" I closed my eyes and wondered where things had gone so horribly wrong.

The following morning I struggled with getting out of bed. Y ou have nowhere to be and nothing to do, I thought miserably. I pulled the covers over my head and started crying. It felt like everything in my life was crumbling around me. W hen I finally dragged myself out of bed, I turned on my computer. I'd been spending a lot of time surfing the internet lately. Because the pain of the night before hadn't been enough, I logged onto Perez. Moving On So Soon? Fresh off his rumored split from ex-T een Scene w riter Kate Sanders, T om Alexander w as seen w ith a mystery blonde at Blockheads in NY C. I sn't that w here he and Kate had alw ays been

photographed? Not cool T om. A Blockheads employee tells Perez that the couple made a hasty exit after Kate show ed up to dine w ith a friend. "T om tried to go after Kate. T he blonde looked pissed," our source told us. "I thought her friend w as going to hit him." Does T om still have a thing for everyone's favorite girl next door? We hope so! A few days later, the phone rang. "Kate!" my brother yelled. "Phone for you!" "W ho is it?" I asked, coming down the stairs. "God, you look like hell," Chris said. "W hen's the last time you showered?" "Shut up," I retorted. "W ho's on the

phone?" "Some lady from some magazine." I snatched the phone out of his hand. "Hi, this is Kate speaking," I tried to keep my voice even. "Hi, Kate, Sandra Jenkins from Seventeen Magazine. I know we met a few weeks ago, but we have another position that's opened up. It's not what you were doing before, but would you be interested?" "I would love the opportunity," I said. "W hat would I be doing?" "We'd like you to do a Dear Kate type column to start. You're a bit well known due to your prior relationship and we think girls can identify with you. Of course if it goes well there's always

room for growth." I thought about it. It was definitely a step down and it would probably be less money. "W hen do you want me to start?" I asked.

Chapter Thirty-Eight The night before my first day of work I was a nervous wreck. W hat was I going to wear? W hat if the other girls didn't like me? W hat if I thought I got the job just because of who I used to date? I barely slept. I rode the train into the city with Jen and Sarah. It felt like nothing had ever changed. Except one thing. I tried to shake it off. Today I was back to working and it was going to be a good day. Sandra greeted me in the lobby with a warm smile and a hug. "It is so good to have you on board. Let me introduce you around and show you where you'll be sitting."

W hen she was done with having me meet the entire staff, she took me to my desk. "Emily, this is Kate, your new neighbor." I shook Emily's hand. "Nice to meet you." "Same here! We're going to be great friends," she assured. I settled in and Sandra gave me some emails from readers to go through and formulate responses to. She said I could pick the best questions to use for my "Dear Kate" section. A few hours later, Emily peered over my desk. "Want to have lunch? I can give you all the good office gossip," she winked.

I was two weeks into my new job when my dreaded birthday rolled around. I had made both my family and friends promise that there would be no big celebration. And I hadn't even told anyone in my office that it was my birthday. W hen Emily came back from lunch, there were two bouquets of flowers on my desk. "Hey! W ho asked. sent you flowers?" she

I looked at the card on the pink roses. "These ones are from my parents," I said. I looked at the dozen red roses but they had no card. "And these don't say who they are from. It's my birthday," I admitted. "Oh my god Kate! W hy didn't you say anything?" Emily exclaimed. "I bet the red ones are from Tom."

"I doubt it. How would he even know I work here? We haven't spoken since before I took this job." W hen I walked out of the office that night, my mom was standing on the sidewalk. "Mom! W hat are you doing here?" "It's your birthday and we're having a girl's night," she proclaimed. "Mom I told you, I don't want to do anything." "Well I'm the one who birthed you 27 years ago so humor me. Get in the cab, the meter is ticking." I sighed and climbed in the backseat. W hen we pulled up to the Empire Hotel, I had a sinking feeling it wasn't just me and my mom tonight.

"W hat's going on?" I asked warily, not budging from the cab. "Kate, please just come with me," she held out her hand. I took it reluctantly and let her pull me from the car. We went into the hotel and took the elevator to the roof. Memories, both good and bad, came flooding back and almost knocked the wind out of me. W hen the elevator doors opened, a whole slew of people screamed "Surprise!" Instinctually, I started crying. Sarah and Jen got to me first and hugged me hard. "Happy Birthday!" they said in unison. "You guys suck," I told them and hugged them back. Emily was waiting behind them.

"You knew about this!" I exclaimed. She just grinned and hugged me. W hen I found my dad I whispered, "This is too much, dad. How could you possibly afford this?" "I didn't pay for it. He did," my dad said, gesturing behind him. Tom was standing there, holding a dozen red roses. I stood there looking at him and my dad slipped away. "Hi," he said shyly. "Happy Birthday." "Hi," I replied. "I'm sorry I had to ambush you like this. But your mom called, she's been so worried about you. And you wouldn't return my phone calls. I had to get you somewhere you couldn't easily escape. So I asked her to please let me plan

this for you. After everything, you deserve it. I know how you feel about birthdays." "W here's your date?" I asked sourly. "That's not fair Kate. All you know is what you saw and what you probably read on the internet. At least give me a chance to explain." "W ell. The floor is yours." "It was nothing. A one time, stupid thing. My agent knew I was depressed over what happened between us and the girl was a new client of hers. She thought it would be good for both of us. I should have never taken her to Blockheads. I just missed you so much. The entire conversation centered on you. I didn't see her again after that." "And thats supposed to make

everything thats happened over the last few weeks better? I asked. Tom sighed. "This has been killing me, being apart from you. I don't know why I disappeared after that fight at your parents. And I definitely never should have told you we needed some time apart. That was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I'm so sorry. I'd love it if you'd give me another chance." I looked at him standing there in his jeans and button down shirt and tie. His hair was in its usual messy state and he stared at me with huge puppy dog eyes. I wanted to be mad. I wanted to stand my ground and tell him that he couldnt just throw me a birthday party and apologize and expect to be forgiven. But all of these emotions came rushing at m e that I couldnt deny. Id been

miserable without him and I was damned if I was going to push him away again. I dove into his arms and buried my head in his chest. I missed you, he whispered into my hair. "I missed you too. I'm sorry I was an idiot and wouldn't return your calls. Or emails. I can't believe you even joined Facebook to try to get me to talk to you." "I'm deleting it tomorrow as long as I'm forgiven," he said. "That site is evil. Do you know how many people don't believe the site actually belongs to me? Or how many marriage proposals Ive received from girls who look like they are in high school? I wrapped my arms around his neck and searched his eyes. After a long minute,

he leaned down and kissed me. "Y ou're forgiven," I said. "I have something for you," he pulled away and reached into his pocket. "More than this over the top party? W hich reminds me, did you send me flowers at work today?" "Maybe. Unless secret admirer." it was some other

"How'd you even know where I was working?" "Jen told me." "That brat." Tom laughed. "Anyway," he started , "this is for

you. Happy Birthday, Kate." He handed me a little blue box tied up with a bow. My hands were shaking as I took the bow off the box and lifted the lid off of the top. Inside was a Tiffany keychain and attached was a key. "To my apartment," he said quietly. "I know it's kind of fast and that things havent been good between us lately, but I've realized I can't lose you again. And Id really like to start over. Or go back to where we were before. You don't have to move in if you don't want to, but I thought it would be nice for you to have so you can come and go as you please. Though if you wanted to maybe start staying during the week so you don't have to commute that would be cool. I just want to show you how committed I am to us, to making this work. And

"Just stop talking," I said as I threw my arms around him and kissed him. It was the best gift I'd ever been given. A few minutes later, I heard someone clear his throat behind us. "Sorry," my brother said , blushing. "But your party is waiting for the guest of honor." "Go ahead Chris," Tom said, "we're right behind you." He turned back to me and took my hands in his. W hen I told you I cant lose you again, I meant it. I know we havent known each other that long and that we have a lot more growing and learning to do together. But these last few weeks being away from you have given me a

lot of time to think. And it made me realize something that Im a little afraid to say out loud. But Im going to say it, because you need to know how I feel. He stopped and took a breath. I looked at him, knowing what was coming and feeling like I might faint. "I love you, Kate, he said as he swept me into his arms. I hung on and didnt want to let go. There was no way of knowing what the future held, but I was certain of one thing. I love you, I whispered.

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