Kate turned around in her mirror, debating if the dress she had picked out made her butt look big. It was the fourth dress she'd put on in the last half an hour and they all blurred into one at this point. This one was a pale green with spaghetti straps and small pink flowers embroidered along the top and hem of the dress. She had put her hair in a French braid and it hung between her shoulder blades.

"You look nice," Jared remarked as he came into the room. "Do I get to know anything about this kid?"

She looked at him through her mirror. "No. You don't."

"Does he at least know that you live with me?" he asked.

"Yes. He knows who you and your ego are," she deadpanned.

"I didn't mean it like that, Gremlin," he laughed. "You know what I meant. I didn't want there to be any shock - like there was with Olivia."

"There won't be. He's met people way more famous than you," she answered.

"Who is this guy?" he asked.

Kate sighed as she opened her mascara tube. "Nathan Suzuki."

"As in the car and motorcycle company?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Holy shit, kid."

"Indeed."

"I don't care if he's the King of England, I still don't like him."

"You haven't even met him yet, Dad," she said.

"He's the teenage boy taking my daughter out. Pop culture states that I should automatically hate him," Jared said.

"And when have you ever done anything that pop culture says you should?" she countered.

"Fair point," he chuckled. "When is he supposed to be here?" he asked, looking at his phone.

"In fifteen minutes," she said, sitting on her bed and pulling on a pair of white sandals.

She checked herself in the full length mirror one last time before grabbing her purse and walking out of the room. Jared followed her.

"Is he coming in?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I wasn't going to stand outside in the parking lot."

The front door opened as they walked into the front lounge room. Shannon walked through.

"Did I miss him?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

Kate looked at Jared in disbelief. "You are unbelievable."

"What?" Jared asked, feigning innocence. "I casually mentioned that you were going on a date when Shannon called me earlier today. I can't help it if he decided now was a good time to drop by."

"Bull fucking shit," Kate scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You told him to come over!"

"He did not!" Shannon insisted. "I came over to watch a movie with my dear, sweet brother!"

Kate shook her head. But before she could respond, the bell for the front gate rang and she had to throw herself in front of Jared to get to the intercom first.

"Nathan?" she asked, pressing the button.

"Yeah. I'm in the driveway. Can you open the gate?" he asked.

"I don't like him," Jared said immediately. "Rude."

Kate elbowed him in the ribs. "Yeah, sure. Just pull through and park in front of the dog statue and come to the orange door." She turned to her father and uncle. "Behave or I swear to God the next time Vedder shits, its going in your bed."

"I don't respond well to threats," Jared answered. The doorbell rang and Kate beat him to the door again.

"Nathan, hi," she said with a smile. "Come on in."

When she turned around, Kate saw both Jared and Shannon standing, arms crossed, with stern expressions on their faces. Nathan followed her in and shut the door behind him.

"Mr. Leto," he said, instantly recognizing Jared. He gave Shannon a confused, nervous look as he held out his hand for Jared to shake. "Thank you for letting me take your daughter out tonight."

"I'm not letting you do anything," Jared replied. "I trust Kate to make good decisions. She doesn't need my permission to do most things."

"Still," Nathan said, without blinking. "I'm still grateful I get to spend time with her."

"Nathan, this is my uncle, Shannon," Kate said, introducing the two. "Shannon, Nathan Suzuki."

Shannon's whole demeanor changed. "Wait - the Suzukis?" he asked, taking Nathan's hand.

Nathan nodded. "The one and only. Kate told me you're into motorcycles."

"I am," Shannon said. "I drive a Norton. But I had a Suzuki I took out for dirt biking in another life," he chuckled. "You go to school with Kate?"

"I do. I'm a senior. Heading to Harvard next year most likely," Nathan replied.

"Harvard? That's a large distance away. Won't your parents miss you?" Jared asked.

"Not really. They are back and forth between Japan and Los Angeles frequently," Nathan explained. "My dad is always working and my mom hates being away from her family for too long."

"Jared's going to Japan soon to start filming," Kate said, pleased the two had something in common.

"Oh? Whereabouts?" Nathan asked.

"Tokyo for sure, but some other places as well. I don't really know off hand," Jared said.

"Shit, I forgot my phone," Kate said, looking through her purse. "I'm going to go grab it from my room. I'll be right back."

The second she was out of earshot, Jared closed the space between himself and Nathan. "Nathan, I was a teenage boy once," he said, without giving the teen a chance to speak. "I know exactly what's going through your head. And I swear to God, billionaire-heir or not, if you hurt her, I will kill you and leave your body in the middle of the desert. Do you understand me?"

Nathan didn't dare blink. "I - y-yes sir," he whispered.

"Found it!" Kate said, walking back down the hallway.

Jared quickly stepped back from Nathan. "When will you two be back tonight?" he asked, changing his tone.

Kate looked at Nathan. "11?" she suggested.

Nathan looked at Jared's stern gaze. "10:30," he said quickly.

Kate picked up on the change instantly and glared at her father. "I'll be back by 11." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Bye Dad. Don't wait up."

Before he could say anything else, she ushered Nathan out of the front door and out to his car. It was a black Audi with leather seats and an impeccable sound system.

"You're not driving a Suzuki?" she asked. "Isn't it a little odd to be driving the competition?"

Nathan shrugged as he buckled his seat belt. "Not really. Most of our cars aren't really ones I'd want to drive around Los Angeles. They don't really fit in"

Kate directed him to the gate and gave him the access code. Within a few minutes they were zooming down the back streets of the Hollywood Hills.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The beach," he smiled. "I hope you like fish tacos."

"I do," she chuckled. "Its going to be crazy busy this time of day, though."

"Not this beach," he told her. "Its kind of a hidden gem."

Kate didn't think it was possible for a beach in Los Angeles to be undiscovered and un-populated by tourists and beach bunnies. "Must be pretty well-hidden."

Nathan smiled and turned toward Malibu. "Its a bit of a drive, but its definitely worth the views." He handed her his cell phone. "Pick some music - whatever you like."

Forty minutes later, they were pulling into a small gravel parking lot off of the PCH. A food truck was sitting on the other side of the lot, flanked by two weathered picnic tables. Nathan got out of the car and walked around to open Kate's door. She got out and looked around.

"It doesn't look like there's much here," she remarked, looking around. Other than the breathtaking view of the ocean in front of them and the cliffs behind them, there was no beach in sight. "Where's the beach?" she asked.

"Patience," he said, taking a bag out of the back of the car. He pulled a camera from it and put it around his neck. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, indicating it.

"Do I have a choice?" she joked.

"Not really," he said after giving it a second's mock-thought. "Over there. Let's grab something to eat first and then I'll show you the beach."

They sat at one of the rickety old picnic tables and ate their tacos, enjoying the salty wind as it blew in from the ocean. The waves crashed below them and seagulls called nearby. It was surprisingly relaxing and peaceful, given the fact that they were right next to a major highway. Cars zoomed past, but none stopped or even seemed to notice them sitting there.

"How did you find this place?" she asked, wiping salsa from her hands.

"I was driving back from doing a shoot further up the coast and I was starving. I knew traffic would be murder, so I was looking for somewhere to eat off the beaten path. Not two minutes later, I came across Manuel's place," Nathan said. "I come here when I want to get away from my parents."

Kate finished her last taco and wiped her hands again. "Are they really that bad?" she asked.

He looked out across the horizon behind her, chewing contemplatively. "I know it could be a lot worse. I have a lot of things other people don't. But there's also a sort of melancholy feeling of knowing that someone else has already planned out your entire life without thinking to ask you how you feel about it."

"That sounds like it would really suck, to be honest," Kate admitted. "Jared doesn't really care about what I do in the future. I mean, I'm sure he wants me to go to college if I want to go, but we haven't really talked about it much yet."

"Do you always call him Jared?" Nathan asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes. I'm still not really used to calling him 'dad' yet, you know? Its still kind of foreign."

"I can't imagine what all of that was like," he remarked. "To go from living a quiet life in San Diego to moving here with a guy you don't even really know. Quite a journey." She gave him a questioning look. "Olivia told me," he added.

"It's been an adjustment," she admitted. "Sometimes I think I'm more mature than Jared and that I may as well be emancipated or something like that. He has his projects and commitments and we can go days without seeing each other sometimes. But he does the best he can and that's all I can ask, I guess."

They finished their food and cleared their garbage away. Kate could feel Nathan raise his camera to take a photo before she could actually respond.

"You said you didn't mind," he replied with a grin. "The lighting here is fantastic."

"Show me this mysterious beach you were bragging about," she said.

"Alright, come on," he relented, holding out his hand.

Kate took his hand and allowed him to guide her across the lot toward the brush on the other side. She could hear the waves crashing below them as they got closer to the ocean. Behind a large stand of grasses, a small trail led away from the lot and down the steep hillside. Wooden railroad ties marked the edge of steps as the well-worn path descended.

"Is this safe?" she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the ground for anything poisonous.

"Olivia told me all about the time you spend with your dad climbing, so I thought you might appreciate something a little outdoorsy," Nathan explained. "I hope you don't mind."

Fuck Olivia to Jupiter and back, Kate thought.

"It's fine, I just didn't dress appropriately, " she said with a nervous chuckle.

"You're fine," he assured her. "It's not super steep; mostly just long."

They wound their way down the cliff, through trees and bushes, until they got to edge of the beach. It was narrow, with cliffs and trees standing guard behind it. The sand was soft of Kate's feet as she slipped her shoes off and they walked through it. The waves crashed against a pile of rocks, sending a slight spray into the wind. Kate's hair flew around wildly. In front of them, the ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see.

"Somewhere in that direction, my father is probably making a deal with some upper class asshat on who I should marry," Nathan joked.

"Nah. I think he'll at least wait until you''re in college for that," Kate replied. She took in the view. "It really in beautiful here."

"I come here a lot. I do a lot of photography here," he explained, taking a few steps away from her. "Don't move."

She allowed him to take a photo before moving. "I don't like being photographed that much. Jared has this camera guy that follows him around all the time. Its so fucking annoying. And the paparazzi are ridiculous. I'm just glad we don't live in a place where they'd be photographing the house."

"I wouldn't call it a house, per se," he laughed. "More like a bunker."

"It used to be one."

"Figures. Only Jared Leto would buy an old military bunker and hole up in it like an eccentric millionaire," he smiled.

"That's because he is an eccentric millionaire," she quipped.

Before she could say anything else, he kissed her. An expression of surprise was frozen on her face as he backed away.

"Should I not have-" he stammered.

"No. It's fine. Really. I just didn't expect it," she chuckled.

"Over here is where I wanted to set up the time lapse equipment. I wanted to catch the sun as it moved across the sky," he said, walking rapidly toward a corner of the beach. "Its quiet here - clearly - and no one would bother it."

"I think its a fantastic idea, Nathan," she said, taking his hand again.

"Thank you," he blushed. "So when can I see you again?" he asked.

"It's going that well, huh?" she teased. "I don't know, actually. I mean, we'll see each other at school, right? I just have a lot of things going on right now. My dad is about to leave, so I'll be home with his business partner and my grandmother mostly."

"I know the feeling," he answered. "I would definitely love to see you again, though. Outside of school."

She looked at him and smiled. "Me too."

Two hours later, they were pulling back into the parking lot of the compound. Once again, he opened her car door for her and led her up to the front door.

"I had a great time," Kate said as they came to a stop on the darkened front porch. A full moon illuminated the darkness. "Thank you for showing that place to me."

"The pleasure was all mine, I promise," he replied.

Just as he leaned in to kiss her again, the overhead light came on and Jared burst through the front door holding a broom. Kate pulled back, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, Its just you. I thought those fucking opossums were back," he said, glancing between the two of them. "Have a good time?" he asked.

Kate didn't take the bait. "Goodnight, Nathan. I'll see you at school."

Nathan gave them both a little wave before going back to his car.

"Seriously, dude?" she asked, turning on her father. "Could you be any more obnoxious?"

"What? Did I scare him off?" he asked in mock innocence.

"Oh fuck off," she answered, walking into the house. "And fuck you, too," she added to Shannon as she passed him in the front lounge.

Both men looked at each other before bursting into laughter.