June 2016

Callie felt a bead of sweat drip down her back as she jogged along the dirt path in Laurel Canyon. In typical Los Angeles style, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature was only rising as the summer day continued. She'd taken up running after Belle's wedding. It helped her blow off stress and frustration initially,  but after a few weeks, she actually found herself enjoying it. Plus, it meant she could actually eat more than salads when she went out. 

"On your left!" a male voice called from behind her. 

She shifted over on the narrow trail and watched as a tall shirtless brunette jogged up ahead of her, kicking up dust as he went. Callie coughed and shook her head, frustration boiling up.

"Hey!" she shouted after the jogger. She picked up her pace and caught him as he slowed for her. "Way to create a dust storm, Mad Max," she quipped. "You about blew my lungs away back there!"

"Oh, sorry!" he apologized. "Are you okay?" He took his baseball cap off and Callie took a step back in shock.

"Uh, yeah," she said, her mood brightening considerably. She was glad for her sunglasses so he couldn't seen her surprised look. "Its just really dry out today."

"You're telling me," he said, flashing her a smile. "Uh, Chris," he added, holding his hand out. 

Callie blinked rapidly and shook it. "Callie."

"You were in that movie, the one with Hiddleston," he said, trying to place her. 

Callie fought to contain the smile that spread across her face and the blush that rose up to her ears. "Yeah, that was me." 

"I really liked it," Chris replied. 

"I could say the same thing about your work, Captain," she joked, sticking her tongue out and immediately regretting it. 

But he smiled his million-dollar smile and laughed heartily. "Thank you," he said. He put his hands on his hips, still breathing heavily. 

Callie thought this was the natural end of their conversation, but then he turned back to her. 

"Race you to the top?" he asked. 

"I don't think that's-," she started, but he had already taken off. 

Her competitive nature drove her to run after him. She was surprised at how easy it was to keep up with him. He was either slowing himself down or she had gotten miraculously fast. She caught him, but was severely winded from the effort. 

"So," Chris gasped, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees. "How about you let me take you out to dinner tonight to make up for beating the snot out of you?" he panted.

Callie's breath caught, but not because she'd just sprinted uphill. "I - uh...like a date?" She straightened up and wiped sweat off her forehead. 

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Why not?"

She wasn't sure if she should be insulted by his cavalier attitude or if he was being genuine but he was too tired to say more.

"I guess, sure," she answered. 

"Great," he stood straight. "Take you to your car?" he asked.

Callie had barely regained her breath. "Yeah," she said, her throat dry from the dust. 

Thankfully, Chris elected to walk back. They passed several other people on their descent to the parking lot, which was boiling hot by the time they reached it. Heat waves glistened in the sun. She was sure there was a photographer lurking somewhere, but she was too hot to care. 

"Which one's yours?" he asked, gesturing to the cars and SUVs in front of them.

She surveyed the vehicles, suppressing a groan when she saw how many Escalades and Teslas were parked there, sparkling clean. Stupid Insta models, she thought. 

"Its actually the bike," she said, pulling her key from the small pocket in her shorts. 

"The motorcycle?" he asked, letting out a whistle of appreciation. "Well that's something I didn't see coming." He walked around the bike, surveying it. "I did not peg you for a motorcyclist."

"Oh?" she smiled, lifting up the seat and pulling a pair of jeans, a jacket, and her helmet from the storage compartment. 

"No!" he insisted, surprise still on his face. 

"I'll tell you all about it tonight," she said, in what she hoped was a flirtatious tone. 

"I hope you do," he answered with a smile. "So, uh, do I get your number or should I just drive around LA until I find you?" She gave him a questioning look as she pulled the jeans on over her sweaty legs. "For tonight?"

"Oh, right," she said. He gave her his phone and she put it in, still in disbelief over her luck. 

"You like burgers?" he asked. "I know a great burger joint, totally local, no tourists. They've got salads, too."

"Fuck the salad," she laughed as she put the jacket on. "I love burgers."

He relaxed visibly. "Great. So I'll pick you up at 7?"

Callie nodded and put her helmet on. "Yep. I'll send you my address. See you then!"

She was eager to get away from him to settle her thoughts. As she sped down the road, zipping between cars and SUVs, she wondered what she would wear that night. She checked her phone while waiting at a red light. It was 1 in the afternoon. By the time she got back to the house it would be closer to 2. That gave her enough time to shower and prep. 

As she drove, she considered how much effort she really wanted to put into the date. On one hand, it had been months since she broke up with Matthew. She'd heard rumors of him seeing someone else - and she was happy for him. But on the other, Chris was much better known that she was and she knew there would be people out there that accused her of using him. And after all the attention she'd gotten when working with Jared, she wasn't sure she really wanted to be associated with another famous actor. Still, it was a date - the first she'd had in months - and a small part of her did wish that they'd be photographed and Belle would see the pictures in French tabloids and get just a little bit jealous. 

She was surprised to see Aya's car parked in the alley when she pulled up to the house. Trio was running along the fence line chasing seagulls that perched on the posts and he greeted her warmly. She rubbed his ears and walked into the house. 

Aya turned around, a guilty look on his face, spoon in one hand and a pint of Rocky Road in the other. "What are you doing here?" he asked, eyes wide.

"I live here," she replied, putting her keys on the kitchen counter and hanging her helmet on a hook by the door. "You better not be eating that off of Tessa."

He swallowed a mouthful of ice cream too fast and winced. "Uh she's not actually here."

Callie nodded and opened the refrigerator. "So I've got a date tonight."

Aya let out a shriek that would have put thirteen year old girls everywhere to shame. "Oh my fucking God, with who?!" he asked. 

Dreading his reaction, she took a deep breath. "Chris Evans," she muttered into the fridge.

"I'm sorry," he said, stepping closer. "Do my wee Scottish ears deceive me or did you just say you have a date with fucking Captain America?" he asked in a soft voice. 

Callie turned to him slowly and closed the door. "Yes?"

Again, the squeal. She could swear she saw several dogs run past the house through the alley. 

"Well, fuck, that tops my news!" he exclaimed.

"What - what news?" she asked as she leaned against the counter. 

Aya was deliberate in his actions, putting his spoon in the sink, closing up the ice cream, and putting it back into the fridge. She could tell he was formulating his thoughts as he went. 

"Aya, don't think too hard. You'll burn your hair off," Callie joked.

"Tessa and I are engaged," he said quickly, facing away from her. 

"What?"

"Tessa. And I. We're engaged," he repeated slower, turning to face her with a look of guilt on his face. 

Callie was certain her heart stopped for a solid five seconds. She actually gasped when she remembered to breathe. "You....engaged?" she stammered, her brain struggling to process. "When?"

"Belle's wedding," he replied softly. "I was going to tell you sooner but we wanted to make sure our parents knew first."

Disbelief and anger began to rise up in a deadly cocktail. "You've been engaged for a month and you didn't tell me?" she asked. 

"Callie, don't get upset," Aya said with a sigh. "I was going to tell you."

"It doesn't take a fucking month to tell your parents you're engaged, Aya," she insisted. "You're my best friend! You didn't even tell me you were planning to ask her! What the fuck?!"

"I wasn't planning that long!"

"That long?! What the hell!?" she shouted, pushing off the counter. "Jesus Christ, Aya, we fucking live together. The least you could have done was sit down one day and told me you were planning on asking her."

"I didn't think you needed to know!" he shouted back. "You know, since we aren't in a relationship! I don't need to run all of my life choices by you before I made them."

Callie groaned and walked out of the kitchen. "Of all the people to propose to, Tessa would not have been the person I'd have picked for you," she said, throwing her bedroom door open.

"That's great, because of all the people I could pick for you to hook up with, the washed up drummer brother of an Oscar winner is not the person I'd pick. So I guess we're fucking even, aren't we?" Aya shouted, following her. 

"I'm not hooking up with Shannon," Callie snapped. "You take that back!"

Aya scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sure. Whatever you have to tell yourself. I saw you together at the wedding. He was all over you at the reception."

"He was not!" Callie insisted. "And how the hell would you know? You were too busy proposing to Tessa!"

She yanked open the bathroom door and tugged the shower knob a little harder than necessary. 

"I thought you'd be happy for me, Callie!" he yelled as she slammed the door in his face. "I guess I was wrong to think you were my best fucking friend."

"If I was your best friend, you'd have told me you were even planning to propose," she replied through the door. "So fuck all the way off!"

She didn't hear his respond, so she assumed he took her request to heart. Callie didn't know why it bothered her so much that Aya got engaged without even saying he was planning on it. On one hand, she knew that it was his life and his choice and nothing she could say or do would change that. But on the other hand, she felt like he was dismissing her - replacing her, even. Since he'd met Tessa, it seemed like he was always with her and Callie hardly saw him except while they did press or while on set. 

When she first came to Los Angeles, Aya was one of the first people she met beyond Keanu. He was an instant friend and they spent nearly all of their time together. His friends were her friends. They went everywhere together. He came to her family's house for holidays when he couldn't go back to Scotland. He was more than a best friend, he was her brother and it broke her heart that he didn't think it was worth telling her about the engagement sooner. And now, it seemed like they were the farthest apart that they'd ever been. 

She finished her shower and wrapped herself in a big fluffy bath sheet. Her hair dripped down her back, but she didn't care. She was half tempted to cancel on Chris and stay home with Trio, eating ice cream directly from the tub and binging Golden Girls on the couch. But then she remembered how jealous her sisters would be that she went on a date with him and her mood brightened considerably. It was just a date. Dinner. Burgers, even. Nothing fancy. Nothing official. Just something casual. And she knew exactly what to wear.

***

Later that night, she found herself sitting opposite Chris in a well-worn pleather booth in a small diner in Gramercy Park. The smell of barbecue filled the dining room and a thin sheen of grease covered every surface. 

"I know it seems like a shitty place for a first date," he said, reading her reaction. "But they have the best barbecue in the city. Every time I'm in town, I have to stop and get a pulled pork sandwich. They're awesome."

Callie nodded and looked down at her menu. "I'm trying to decide between the brisket and pulled pork."

"Pulled pork. Hands down," he answered with a smile. "You won't regret it, I promise."

Before she could reply, an older woman walked up to them with a notepad. "Ready to order?" she asked. 

"I'll have the number 3 - green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy," Chris said without looking at his menu. 

The waitress turned to Callie. "And for you, hun?"

"I guess I'll have what he's having," she answered, sliding her menu across the table. 

"Good choices," the waitress said. "I'll have that out for you in a few minutes. Anything to drink?"

"Just water for me," Callie said. She'd need to run for a week straight just to get rid of the calories from the sandwich alone. She didn't need to add to it.

"Same," Chris said with a smile. The waitress nodded and walked behind the counter to put the order in. He turned back to her. "So, tell me about yourself, Callie. Give me your elevator pitch."

She blinked for a second before she caught his meaning. "Oh - uh - I'm 24, from Coronado California. My birthday is in November. I have a dog named Trio. I'm the second of five girls."

Chris blinked but smiled. "That's a lot to take in," he chuckled. 

"Sorry," she apologized, ducking her head. 

"Don't be. I like it when people are up front. Especially in this business," he said, putting a reassuring hand on hers. She jumped slightly as a shock hit her - literally and figuratively. "My turn to apologize," he added. 

"What about you?" she asked, turning the tables and wanting to regain some control. "Give me your elevator pitch."

He smiled. "Uh...well, I just turned 35 last week. I'm originally from Boston, Massachusetts. I split my time between there and a house here in Laurel Canyon. I have a dog named Dodger. I'm one of four kids - two boys, two girls."

"So we both come from big families," she laughed. "That's a relief."

"Why?" he asked, a grin forming on his lips. 

"Well...let's just say that if you ever actually meet my family, you're already kind of prepared for the chaos that comes with it," she explained. 

"Yeah, I guess so," he said. "Do you spend a lot of time with yours since you're so close?"

"Yes. Some would say too much time, probably," Callie said. 

"Nah. I don't think you can ever spend too much time with your family," Chris said. Their waitress arrived with their drinks, interrupting him. "Thanks," he said with a smile. 

"You'd think that, but until you've dealt with your sister's wedding, you haven't seen crazy," Callie replied. 

"Been there," he laughed. "So do you normally run in the Canyon?"

"Uh, not until the last couple of weeks. I sort of took up running to manage some stress," she explained. "And so I could eat carbs again."

Chris laughed heartily. "That's right. You've got to stay in shape to wear all those skimpy costumes on your show."

She winced. "Yeah...that." 

Well it only took like ten minutes before he brought it up. Must be some kind of record. Clearly he's only into one thing with you.

"Please don't think I'm only here because I want to sleep with you," he rushed out. His confident exterior crumbled at the look on her face. "I mean, I do - I - I'd like to...when we're both ready, obviously - I mean, I - I just know that you're in that show and it requires certain things. That's all."

Callie almost laughed. "Do you want a bucket to mop up your word vomit?"

He relaxed slightly and ran his hand across the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, thanks."

"Its OK. You're actually the first guy I've been out with that didn't salivate when he talked about it, so you're going in the right direction," she joked. 

"Oh," he laughed. "Well that makes me feel better. "

"New subject: tell me about your dog," Callie said. 

Chris lit up. "He's a funny guy," he started. "He's a Boxer mix. I got him from a shelter in Georgia when I was filming there. How did you get your dog - Trio was it?"

"Yeah, Trio," she smiled. "A friend of mine actually found him at a property my dad was renovating down in Long Beach. He's a pit bull."

"Why Trio, though?"

"Oh, when we found him he needed to have one of his legs amputated. My friend named him Trio as a joke, but it stuck," she explained. 

Chris made a slight sad face. "Jesus, that's rough."

"It doesn't slow him down," she assured him. "He runs around with my dad's dogs all the time. Sometimes I think having one less leg gives him less of a chance of tripping."

He laughed. "That's funny. So wait - your dad does construction or something?"

The waitress reappeared with their food. The smell of barbecue met her nose and made her mouth water. 

"Among other things, yeah. He also owns a motorcycle repair shop," she said. As she bit into her sandwich, it felt like her taste buds had erupted. "Fuck me, that's good," she exclaimed. 

Chris smiled. "Told you." He took a bite of his own sandwich. "And no, I won't fuck you. Not tonight anyways," he added with a coy smirk.

Callie rolled her eyes and took another bite, relishing the taste. 

Two hours later, Chris was walking her to her front door. 

"So here I am, in this tight-ass spandex body suit, punching out this guy in a bright green mo-cap suit. It was pretty funny, to be honest," he laughed. 

"I bet. I worked with some mo-cap on my last film, but it wasn't nearly as complex as yours," Callie answered. 

They walked up the back steps and stopped at the door. He turned to face her and tilted his head. 

"I don't want you to think I expect a kiss or anything," he said. "Especially after earlier," he added with a wince. 

She rolled her eyes and pulled him to her before he finished his sentence. Once he got over the surprise, it seemed like he melted into her. She let him push her against the door and felt a sigh come out of her mouth. His hands found hers and he deepened their kiss. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused her to pull away from him. Aya stood in the yard with Trio straining against his leash. 

Callie looked away for a second to wipe her mouth. "Aya," she said, turning back. "This is my roommate Aya. Aya this is Chris."

Chris extended his hand and Aya took it. "Nice to meet you."

Callie could tell it was taking every ounce of strength for Aya to contain his excitement. Trio on the other hand wasn't as subtle. He was whining and straining, barking at Chris excitedly. 

"Do you mind?" Aya asked. 

"Oh - no. Not at all!" Chris replied. 

Trio lunged at Chris happily the second he was set free. Chris naturally started playing with him. Callie watched with a smile a few steps away. She felt Aya come up to her and take her hand. 

"I'm sorry I was a dick," he said softly. "You were right. I should have told you. It was my fault. You had the right to be upset."

Callie could hardly believe her ears. "Really?"

"Yes," he insisted. "I was wrong. I'm sorry."

A smile spread across her face again. Maybe things were finally looking up for her.